NBC’s Report
“I was aware that it appeared ludicrous and impossible and that there were hundreds of thousands of reasons why that wouldn’t happen. But I had just one powerful reason to believe that it would actually happen – God.”― Awakening Ignited
Last October, I wrote the following stories about the abuse of a group of victims of Joe and Becky Campbell.
- “Pastor” Joe Campbell, Who Now Leads Jim Bakker’s Morningside Church, Is Credibly Accused of Molesting a Young Teen He Arranged to Live with His Family.
- Pastor Joe Campbell, as well as His Wife Becky, Are Further Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse By Three More Victims: Kerri, Kim, and Sarah.
- Cheryl Almond Waited Years to Accuse Pastor Joe Campbell of Sexually Abusing Her When She Was 14 Could There Be Many More Victims?
- Joe Campbell’s Oklahoma Victims Have Filed Police Reports and Jody Kirk Comes Forward and Tells His Story of Abuse by Joe and Becky Campbell.
- The Assemblies of God, Southern MO, Botched a Statement on Joe Campbell’s Five Victims Are Internal Trials Still Ongoing Still Looking for Joe Campbell and Jim Bakker.
- Joe and Becky Campbell Are Involved in Jim Bakker’s Morningside Ministries Have You Ever Gotten This Close to Your Pastor?
NBC meets the survivors of Joe and Becky Campbell’s abuse
As usual, my heart was with the victims even as it sank How would I be able to help them seek justice for the abuse they endured Coincidentally, I received an unexpected call from some folks at NBC who proposed something that seemed overwhelming At first, I was reluctant to proceed with their offer I will explain what the offer was in two weeks As I spoke with some friends (Thank you: Boston, Jeff, Todd and my family,) I began to consider the possibility that if I proceeded with their request, I might be able to influence them to consider focusing on some victims. It seemed a bit preposterous. Me influencing NBC? I wonder if NBC ever suspected that was the reason I accepted.
Even though she isn’t in the following documentary, Melissa Hobson was also part of my thinking. Her story is important.
Before my involvement with NBC, I asked Oklahoma victims to go to the Tulsa police station and file police reports. Wade Burleson offered to go with them and provide emotional and spiritual support. His presence was welcomed as they experienced the trauma of recounting their abuse.
The week before they went to report, I strongly urged NBC to look into their stories of abuse. I said something to the effect:
I am handing you an important story of abuse on a silver platter. A group of victims are going to the Tulsa police this coming week.
Then I prayed. There was nothing else I could do. A day later, they called and told me they would take a camera crew to film the survivors going to the police station. They also decided this was an important story and made plans to investigate.
NBC filmed my discussion group.
I had long planned to somehow record a group of older survivors discussing why they came forward decades after the abuse and how the abuse affected their adult lives. I asked all the folks in Oklahoma to be involved, along with Melissa Hobson and Cindy Cleminshire, and targeted a date in February. I felt this group of women had such similar stories that they would support one another. I mentioned this in passing to NBC in December. They contacted me again. They said they wanted to film the discussion. By this time, Mike Hixenbaugh, the senior investigative reporter, was involved with the story. The survivors agreed to their involvement. I realized they would hold the rights to the film of the discussion. So I also hired a videographer to film, and will post this on TWW and YouTube. More on that at another time.
Unless breaking news, Lester Holt of Nightly News will interview Phaedra and Kerri on May 12 at 5:30 PM.
If that happens, it will appear at a later date. I am so grateful to see these women speak their truth. They have all sought justice for so long. Here is a link to Lester Holt and Nightly News. I will post the link to the report when it occurs.
Here is NBC’s written report
The 40-year mission to stop a Pentecostal preacher accused of raping children.
This Pentecostal preacher says his calling is to share God’s love, but a group of women say he sexually assaulted them as children.
An @NBCNews investigation uncovered decades of missed warnings and failures to act. https://t.co/pqcPmSvAvS
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 12, 2025
Here is their documentary
Folks, I’m on vacation in Florida. I wanted to get this out expeditiously. I only learned of this posting last evening when Mike Hixenbaugh called. I am experiencing so many emotions, and it will take me time to express all that has happened, especially since another story will come shortly. When I wrote these stories, I prayed that there was something I could do to bring these stories to light. Then came NBC, and I am grateful they heard me. For those who might wonder, they were great to work with.
To Dewana (their friend who helped coordinate and support them), Phaedra, Kerri, Cheryl, Kim, Sarah, and Jody,
I am grateful you called me when you did. God orchestrated something I couldn’t have imagined. I will continue to pray for justice while praying for God’s peace for y’all, I think there is more to come. The beauty in all of this is i got to meet you and hug you. I am the most blesed of all.
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That is excellent news.
Dee, whenever I think of you, I think of MADD — Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
I don’t have the slightest idea who started MADD. Which is a good thing, because it meant that over the years, the message remained more important than the messengers.
What I do remember is that the arguments around Drunk Driving were remarkably similar to those around Child Sexual assault.
1. It is impossible to know when and where it is going to happen. So there is nothing we can or should do about it.
2. God turned water into wine. Therefore, God wants us to drink. Anything that limits a person’s ability to consume alcohol when and where they want is a violation of their religious rights.
3. If someone is drunk and hurts or kills someone, they can not be held responsible, because it is just an unpreventable accident.
4. A drunk driving accident should not “ruin the driver’s life.” They should be forgiven and everyone should move on…. after all, the driver has already suffered enough.
5. There was a lot of money at stake. The brewers, the Tavern League, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, the Wisconsin Convenience Store Association, etc, all worked to ensure that nothing limited their revenue.
6. Law enforcement was a mixed bag. A few outliers saw a problem. Many didn’t want to deal with the inconvenience of trying to enforce alcohol-related laws.
There were decades of arguing and posturing, often around the monetary effects of drunk driving.
MADD came along and focused directly on the victims. The thing I remember most is the damaged or destroyed vehicles. Local MADD chapters would buy the vehicles from insurance companies and then recreate the accident.
They would be at schools, civil events, and the police and fire departments would host them. Everywhere you looked, you would be confronted with the damage that drunk driving did.
It took decades, but eventually laws were written and enforced that punished drunk drivers.
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If only “Camp Bell” could speak …
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If this is the same “Camp Bell”, looks like Mr. Campbell was trying to liquidate and get out of Dodge last October:
https://easterlyauction.com/auction/433-real-estate-camp/
(coincidentally, Dee’s series of articles on this were last October)
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Psalm 37:28 – For the Lord loves justice. And so do I. Well done, Dee and NBC news. I will be looking for that Lester Holt peace. And may all of these victims find swift justice! “That the man of the earth may oppress no more.” Psalm 10:18
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Great job, Dee.
If anybody hears if and when theLester Holt piece will be aired, I would love to mow at leas a couple of days ahead of time. I’d like to set my TV to record the show, in case I am busy or forget!
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This is awesome news!
I cannot imagine how much courage it must have taken for these ladies to do this.
May this give other victims the courage to come forward.
May this educate many more folks on what is happening in waaaay too many places.
May this open the floodgates of leaders – perps and those who provide cover for them (as if there is much difference) being called to account and prosecuted.
Thank you for your tireless work Dee.
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I hope these women finally get justice— and the SOB “minister” finally pays for his actions of four decades ago. I was involved in a head-on collision as an 11-year old in 1973. The drunk driver came from a prominent family in our community. Decades later, I wanted to tell others about my experience but was stonewalled by the crime victims center, likely because the family was so popular.
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Ronan Farrow
Julie K. Brown
Dee Parsons
Hannibal Buress
It takes a team.
Why it isn’t surprising that NBC followed the story. They cover the stories of Everyman and Everywoman on Dateline each week. And post Missing in America on social media.
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Max,
Maybe it will…
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Dee — this is amazing. this documentary is so well-done.
if i have a complicated mix of feelings, i can only imagine what you and all these brave women are experiencing.
Thank you, Dee, so much, for what you’ve been doing.
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What a powerful documentary. Extremely well done. Must have taken so much courage for these ladies to appear on camera. Thank you Dee for your prayers and tireless work behind the scenes. Thanks to Wade too for extra support. You are angels. So infuriating that statute of limitations seems to get these cases every time.
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There should be NO statute of limitations on child sexual abuse in any State! Matt Blunt, former governor of Missouri, proposed legislation calling for the death penalty for that crime; unfortunately, it didn’t pass before he left office or it could have set a precedent for other States.
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We may very well see additional women step forward with reports of their experiences at Camp Bell … a child abuser with his own youth camp, think about it.
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“Congregants reported sexual misconduct as early as 1983 …”
Yet, church after church kept passing Mr. Campbell along for decades. There are numerous church leaders who were effectively enablers of his crimes against children. It’s high time to hold them all accountable!
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pastor-joe-campbell-abuse-nbc-news-investigation-missed-warnings-rcna202380
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We Wartburgers would love to see our baroness (dee) interviewed by Holt.
She is after all, an activist for little people who would otherwise have no voice.
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Ed. The folks told me it waa on tonight. The women did great. The internet and cable are down around here. Thankful for hotspot. It will be avaiable tomorrow and I will post a link in a post.
I am watching the news report. There is breaking news: the stabbing in jail of a rap star. No info on the group in OK. Hopefully soon.
Thank you, Dee – God keep you and strengthen you.
D.
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The Lester Holt coverage of Joe Campbell was aired tonight (May 13) on NBC Nightly News (5:30 pm CDT). It should be posted tomorrow on “Nightly News with Lester Holt” for the May 13 news report.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news
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“Women Allege Children’s Pastor Sexually Abused Them As Children”
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/women-allege-children-s-pastor-sexually-abused-them-as-children-239499845550
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Dee, the work you do is so challenging, heart wrenching, and necessary. I pray that you, these ladies, and all families/friends experience God’s peace and comfort as this story continues to unfold.
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Max,
Reminds me of Jerry Sandusky…
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Sandusky was a wolf clothed as a trusted coach … Campbell was a wolf in shepherd’s clothing.
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Carried last night by Ky3 in Springfield MO. Hopefully folks in the Blue Eye area sit up and take notice!
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Thank you all for your kind comments. This exposure brought a sense of justice to the folks. Joe Campbell’s name is now national news, and Jim Bakker continues to be viewed as the cad that he is. And who knows? Look-back laws and other legislation may one day bring justice. Join me in praying for this.
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I wonder if Camp Bell is still a summer camp? … closed? … sold? (see my upstream post about a real estate auction there last Fall)
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Took a quick look down the link.
Holy Joe Campbell is sharing the limelight with What Diddy Did.
Somehow it seems appropriate.
(As does Holy Joe’s namesake Iain who got covered on this blog years ago.)
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i am.
CAMP BELL.
Even named it after himself.
(Like the “Bash Camps” connected to Jack the Whipper Smyth.)
Ego Much?
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clever, huh?! … oh, he was a clever one alright
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Will hell be hot enough? This is an example of why I still find some strange comfort in the doctrine of hell.
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Scripture describes it as a lake of fire and brimstone (sulfur). Sulfur has a boiling point of 832-degrees F.
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Church leaders don’t preach much about Hell these days. They don’t want to scare folks (and their money) out of church; 21st century church attenders want to hear soothing things. Fire and brimstone preaching is largely a thing of the past, but perhaps needed more today than ever.
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“See How Clever I Am?” isn’t a good sign in fanfic, and it isn’t a good sign anywhere.
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In my time in-country (the Dispensation of Hal Lindsay and Jack Chick) HELL was the core of the Gospel. “If you can’t love them into The Kingdom, SCARE ‘EN INTO THE KINGDOM!” – type example, the Great White Throne scene in Jack Chick’s This Was Your Life (which was my first introduction to Christians). Fifty years after this Fire Insurance Soteriology, the damage is still there.
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Just for argument’s sake, does a jaywalker deserve the same hell as a mass murderer?
How is that fair?
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“sin-leveling” is a ridiculous teaching
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Yes, same hell.
But the jaywalker has to recross at the light, forever.
The mass murderer has to commit mass kindness, forever.
Unfortunately, doing anything forever is hell.
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Max,
I agree with you on everything you just wrote, but I would add that there should be NO statute of limitations on ANY sexual abuse. Some of us were adults when we were violated.
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Certainly!
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Hell is cruel and unusual punishment.
I’m glad that my nation WAS NOT founded on the Christian religion, or any other religion for that matter.
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Editor: I have sent you contact info to your email. I am so sorry that this happened to your Mom. There are others coming forward.
My mom is one of the people Joe & Becky assaulted, she is having issues getting to comment on here. Can the news reporter involved in this email me to get her contact info please?
HarrisonScott26@gmail.com
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Is that why a lot of Christians (especially Kulturkrieger) are so Gung-Ho about Hell?
The Cruelty IS the Point?
And if so, the more Cruel they are, the more Godly they become?