Pastor Ernest Angley died yesterday at the age of 99, putting an end to a life full of abuse, scandal, and the worst kinds of Christian hypocrisy.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s likely because Angley was a cult-like figure who ran the Grace Cathedral church in Akron, Ohio. Just a few years ago, members of the church sued him for never paying them despite working at his for-profit Cathedral Buffet restaurant. They were considered volunteers, but that’s illegal for the same reason McDonald’s can’t hire “volunteers” to prepare your food: If customers can’t tell the different between paid and unpaid staffers, something’s wrong. Sadly, Angley won that case when an Appeals Court said the minimum wage laws only applied if employees expected to get paid… and these volunteers didn’t.
In 2017, a county government sued Angley on behalf of a 76-year-old woman with dementia who they said was coerced into writing his church a check for $340,000.
That same week, he was sued over a defaulted $3.6 million loan for his broadcasting network.
But shit really his the fan in 2018 when a former staffer, Brock Miller, sued Angley for sexual abuse that occurred over the course of several years. When Miller resigned from the church, Angley’s staff told the congregation he was a liar, drug addict, alcoholic, and an adulterer. Miller’s allegations were absolutely mindblowing:
The first allegation of sexual misconduct Miller alleges in his lawsuit happened just prior to his wedding. Still a virgin at age 19, he had questions about sex that he wanted answered. He naturally went to Angley.
“And instead of giving me an answer like a pastor should, he said, well, I’m going to have to see your penis,” Miller recalled. “I trusted this man, I really did. I trusted him. I didn’t think he had any bad intentions.”
Angley advised Brock to masturbate. He complied.
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Years later, when Brock’s wife became ill, Angley, he said, blamed the couple’s sex life. He ordered more special massages… just for Brock.
Brock’s moment of clarity came in Angley’s bedroom during another anointing. Laying in Angley’s circular bed, Miller naked, as usual.
“He said, ‘I’d really like to teach you how to give a good [passionate kiss] and I said, instantly, I said, No! No! And it was just like the veil was completely lifted from my eyes and I saw him in that moment for the monster that he is.”
That case was eventually settled in 2020 for an undisclosed amount.
In 2019, an old audio recording emerged in which Angley admitted to having gay sex with one of his staffers despite his long history of preaching against homosexuality.
So there you go. There’s your snapshot of this man’s life. Just a constant stream of people speaking out against him for all the sexual and emotional abuse he caused, exposing him as yet another Christian con artist.
And now, at long last, the “faith healer” and lifelong liar is dead.
Pastor, evangelist and author Rev. Ernest Angley has gone to Heaven to be with his Lord and Master at 99. He touched multitudes of souls worldwide with the pure Word of God confirmed with signs, wonders, miracles and healings. He truly pleased God in all things…
Weird how they completely skipped the abuse claims. And if God is “pleased” with Angley, it only reveals the moral bankruptcy of the religion.
Bob Dyer, the (now-retired) reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal who did more than just about anyone to expose Angley’s abuse, summarized Angley’s life in a matter befitting a corrupt televangelist:
Angley’s odd speaking voice, mannerisms and toupee made him an easy target for comedians. Superstar Robin Williams mimicked Angley with a character named “Rev. Earnest Angry.” Williams also spoofed the preacher on “Saturday Night Live,” on a comedy album and in the TV sitcom “Mork & Mindy.”
But while the comics and critics were piling on, Angley was spawning a megachurch that brought in so much money that by 2005 he was able to buy a $26 million Boeing 747, which he used for overseas mission trips.
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[Former members] claimed the church is a dangerous cult where pregnant women are encouraged to have abortions, childless men are encouraged to have vasectomies and Angley — who preached vehemently against the “sin” of homosexuality — was himself a gay man who personally examined the genitals of the male parishioners before and after their surgeries. They also said he turned a blind eye to sexual abuse by other members of his church.
The saddest thing about this is that Angley never faced any serious consequences after decades of hurting other people. The lawsuits and articles never stopped him from preaching or holding sway over other people. But let’s hope he takes his entire despicable ministry into the ground with him. Those victims deserve so much better than he ever gave them. Maybe now they’ll finally be able to get some closure.
(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to @Tawreos for the link. Portions of this article were published earlier)
