Ep. 467: Calvin Robinson, The Episcopal Church, Josh Buice and G3
On today’s program, Calvin Robinson was dismissed by the Anglican Catholic Church earlier this year after making a nazi-like salute at a pro-life summit. This week, another denomination has restored him to service…but not without pushback. We’ll have details.
The Episcopal Church is ending its partnership with the U.S. after refusing to settle refugees from South Africa. We’ll take a look.
Plus, long-time Carolina University President Charles Petitt passed away last week. His two-decade tenure transformed the small North Carolina school.
First, influential Calvinist pastor has been suspended from his church over multiple fake social media accounts he ran where he criticized pastors and elders in his inner circle.
The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Bob Smietana, Kathryn Post, Tony Mator, Jack Jenkins, Bruce Barron, Kim Roberts, Shannon Cuthrell, and Christina Darnell.
A special thanks to Illinois Baptist and Bruce Barron for contributing material for this week’s podcast.
Until next time, may God bless you.
MANUSCRIPT:
FIRST SEGMENT
Warren:
Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you this week from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Natasha:
And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast.
Warren:
On today’s program, Calvin Robinson was dismissed by the Anglican Catholic Church earlier this year after making a nazi-like salute at a pro-life summit. This week, another denomination has restored him to service…but not without pushback. We’ll have details.
And, the Episcopal Church is ending its partnership with the U.S. after refusing to settle refugees from South Africa. We’ll take a look.
Plus, long-time Carolina University President Charles Petitt passed away last week. His two-decade tenure transformed the small North Carolina school.
Natasha:
But first, influential Calvinist pastor has been suspended from his church over multiple fake social media accounts he ran where he criticized pastors and elders in his inner circle.
Warren:
Josh Buice, founder of the G3 Conference and pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, was placed on indefinite leave last week after church leaders “uncovered irrefutable evidence that Dr. Buice has, for the past three years, operated at least four anonymous social media accounts, two anonymous email addresses, and two Substack platforms.”
According to a statement from the church. “These accounts were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors (some of whom have spoken at G3 conferences), several PMBC elders, and others,”
“These actions were not only sinful in nature but deeply divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife within the body of Christ, and particularly within the eldership of PMBC.”
Natasha:
Buice has also resigned as president of G3, which was founded in 2019 and brought in $2.3 million in revenue for the 2023 calendar year, according to its public IRS financial disclosures.
The group grew out of a conference started by Buice in 2013 — the name G3 stands for “Gospel, Grace, Glory.” The group claimed its annual conference drew 6,500 people in 2021, according to the G3 website.
Warren:
The board of G3 has canceled the group’s annual conference, which had been planned for September, and promised full refunds.
Natasha:
So who was he criticizing?
Warren:
Buice especially criticized former Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore and Bible teacher Beth Moore (not related) for allegedly promoting liberal ideas in the church, as well as former SBC President Ed Litton for alleged sermon plagiarism.
He has also apparently been running anonymous social media accounts that criticized other pastors from his own movement and elders at Pray’s Mill Church, according to the statement from the church. The church did not give any details about those accounts in their statement.
Buice had previously criticized such anonymous accounts.
Natasha:
How was he discovered?
Warren:
The church said in its statement, “Dr. Buice had been asked on multiple occasions over the past two years whether he had any connection to these anonymous accounts. In each case, he denied any knowledge of them.”
Eventually he did admitted his involvement.
“Since then, Josh has acknowledged his sin, expressed sorrow, and asked for forgiveness,” according to the church’s statement. “His desire is to personally ask forgiveness of every person he has slandered or lied to.”
G3 released an updated statement Tuesday saying they would be removing all of Josh Buice’s content from their platforms…“This will take sometime…Due to the public and egregious nature of the sin, we believe Josh Buice has stained the mission and character of G3 Ministries.”
Natasha:
Next, Calvin Robinson has been restored to ministry.
Warren:
Less than four months after a Nazi-like salute cost him his license in the Anglican Catholic Church, the Rev. Calvin Robinson, a priest and British transplant living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been granted a temporary license to act as a priest from another small Anglican jurisdiction.
In January, at the end of a speech at the National Pro-Life Summit, Robinson thumped his chest and saluted quickly to the right, arm extended, palm down. Viewers were quick to link the gesture with Elon Musk’s controversial salute during an Inauguration Day speech at Capitol One Arena, which was also compared to a Nazi salute.
Robinson was dismissed as a priest soon afterward by the Anglican Catholic Church. He had been serving since fall 2024 as rector of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Natasha:
What changed?
Warren:
On Monday (May 12), the presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, who also oversees its Diocese of Mid-America, the Most Rev. Ray Sutton, granted Robinson a one-year license to serve as a priest. The license will allow Robinson to resume work as rector of St. Paul’s.
The Reformed Episcopal Church is a distinct jurisdiction within the Anglican Church in North America, known as ACNA, which broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2009.
On May 4, St. Paul’s Anglican disaffiliated with the Anglican Catholic Church, and Sutton will provide oversight of St. Paul’s as it determines its future affiliation. “I have licensed their rector, Calvin, to continue to serve a parish that wants him to continue to be their pastor,” he wrote.
Natasha:
While Sutton made clear the arrangement doesn’t grant Robinson or his parish membership in the Reformed Episcopal Church (or, by extension, ACNA), it prompted concerns from ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood about Robinson’s public profile. The Reformed Episcopal Church is self-governing but operates under the umbrella of the Anglican Church in North America,
Warren:
“I have concerns about Rev. Robinson’s ability to uphold the full commitments of our Anglican tradition, and his ability to model the Christ-like virtues of peace, patience, gentleness, goodness and love I know all of our permanent licensed clergy abide by in the daily exercise of their priestly duties. I do not personally believe The Rev. Robinson is a good representative of the Anglican Church in North America.”
In response to Wood, Robinson said he’s spoken at several ACNA events and finds ACNA clergy and laity to be “faithful brethren in Christ.”
Robinson has criticized the Anglican Catholic Church’s handling of the incident, saying the revoking of his license happened “without conversation, without any disciplinary hearing, without any opportunity to apologize or to repent or explain.”
Natasha:
The Anglican Catholic Church insists Robinson’s license was not revoked because of a single act, or without warning. In a statement released by the Anglican Catholic Church in February, the ACC said Robinson was “warned repeatedly that his continued partisan political activity was inconsistent with his ministry” and was “told that his license was at risk because he was continuing to act as a political social media personality.” The ACC also cited Robinson’s alleged antisemitic statements as reason for his dismissal.
Warren:
“Priests are certainly called to support the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life and on a range of other doctrinal issues; but they are not called to provoke, to troll, or to behave uncharitably toward their opponents,” The Anglican Catholic Church said in the statement.
Robinson initially characterized his gesture at the National Pro-Life Summit as an “attempt at dry wit, in that typical British way,” but has apologized since. “And would I do it again? Absolutely not. Do I apologize for it? Absolutely I do,” Robinson said in a video posted online on Monday.
Natasha:
Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, the Episcopal Church is refusing to help resettle white South Africans as refugees in the U.S.
I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.
BREAK
SECOND SEGMENT
Natasha:
Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast.
Next, the story we promised before the break.
Warren:
In a striking move that ends a nearly four-decades-old relationship between the federal government and the Episcopal Church, the denomination announced on Monday (May 12) that it is terminating its partnership with the government to resettle refugees, citing moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa who have been classified as refugees by President Donald Trump’s administration.
In a letter sent to members of the church, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe — the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church — said that two weeks ago the government “informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that under the terms of our federal grant, we are expected to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees.”
Natasha:
The request, Rowe said, crossed a moral line for the Episcopal Church, which is part of the global Anglican Communion that boasts among its leaders the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a celebrated and vocal opponent of apartheid in South Africa.
Warren:
Rowe stressed that while Episcopal Migration Ministries will seek to “wind down all federally funded services by the end of the federal fiscal year in September,” the denomination will continue to support immigrants and refugees in other ways, such as offering aid to refugees who have already been resettled.
The announcement came just as flights with Afrikaners were scheduled to arrive at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., the first batch of entries after Trump declared via a February executive order that the U.S. would take in “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.” The South African government has stridently denied allegations of systemic racial animus, as has a coalition of white religious leaders in the region that includes many Anglicans.
Natasha:
What’s the issue in South Africa making the need for Refugees?
Warren:
“The stated reasons for (Trump’s actions) are claims of victimisation, violence and hateful rhetoric against white people in South Africa along with legislation providing for the expropriation of land without compensation,” read the letter from white South African religious leaders, which included among its four authors an Anglican priest. “As white South Africans in active leadership within the Christian community, representing diverse political and theological perspectives, we unanimously reject these claims.”
In addition to ties with Tutu, the Episcopal Church has a long history of advocating against apartheid in South Africa. It first began altering its financial holdings in the region in 1966, and by the mid-1980s, the church voted to divest from companies doing business in South Africa.
Rowe noted his announcement comes as the Trump administration has otherwise all but frozen the refugee program, with Afrikaners among the few — and possibly only — people granted entry as refugees since January. Shortly after he was sworn in, Trump signed an executive order that essentially halted the refugee program and halted payments to organizations that assist with refugee resettlement — including, according to one group, payments for work already performed.
Natasha:
That change has left refugees — including Christians fleeing religious persecution — without a clear path forward and forced the 10 refugee resettlement groups, seven of which are faith-based, to lay off scores of workers while still trying to support refugees who had recently arrived. Four of the faith groups have since filed two separate lawsuits, one of which recently resulted in a ruling that should have restarted the program. However, refugee groups have accused the government of “delaying compliance” with the court order.
Warren:
Rick Santos, head of Church World Service, said in a statement last week. “We are concerned that the U.S. Government has chosen to fast-track the admission of Afrikaners, while actively fighting court orders to provide life-saving resettlement to other refugee populations who are in desperate need of resettlement,”
“By resettling this population, the Government is demonstrating that it still has the capacity to quickly screen, process, and depart refugees to the United States. It’s time for the Administration to honor our nation’s commitment to the thousands of refugee families it abandoned with its cruel and illegal executive order.”
Natasha:
What’s our next story?
Warren:
A mental health counselor for two counseling services in Metro East St. Louis in Illinois has been charged with five counts related to sexual exploitation of a minor.
Matthew S. Cuppett of Collinsville was charged May 5. One count of grooming and two counts of exploitation of a minor under age 17 are felony charges. Two additional counts of exploitation of a child are misdemeanors. The alleged victim is a 13 year old, with incidents occurring over a seven-month period ending in February.
Natasha:
Can you give us more background?
Warren:
Cuppett, 33, is a professional counselor licensed in Illinois and Missouri. He served with Pathways Counseling since January 2023, and with Metro East Counseling.
Pathways Counseling is a ministry of the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services of Illinois. Cuppett was placed on administrative leave in March when the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) notified BCHFS of an investigation involving Cuppett.
BCHFS Executive Director Kevin Carrothers said Cuppett had no contact with clients of their residential facilities. Cuppett counseled in Pathways Counseling offices in Maryville, Swansea, and Vandalia.
BCHFS is one of three entities operating under the umbrella of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Each operates with its own governing documents and boards of directors.
Natasha:
What’s our next story?
Warren:
Florida prosecutors had sought to put Paul Dyal, 81, behind bars for first-degree capital sexual battery — a crime that potentially carried a penalty of death by lethal injection.
Instead, the former Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ pastor accepted a plea deal and was slapped with just five years of probation, plus a one-year prison term already served.
Natasha:
MinistryWatch previously reported Dyal’s 2022 arrest for sexual abuse of a child under age 12. His case was part of a larger crackdown on Dyal’s church, in which two other pastors were also arrested for involvement in an alleged pattern of physical and sexual abuse of minors spanning more than 30 years.
Warren:
At a March 2022 press conference, eight alleged victims recounted being sexually molested as minors, forced to follow cult-like rules about their appearance and behavior, beaten with paddles, “courted” by older men at the church, and isolated from the outside world.
However, The Florida Times-Union reported that a ninth-hour snag in the prosecution’s case allowed Dyal to plead guilty to the lesser charge of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child.
Natasha:
Another Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ pastor, Vernon Williamson, was sentenced in 2024 to life in prison for two counts of capital sexual battery.
Warren:
The third defendant, Jerome Teschendorf, has also been charged with capital sexual battery and is awaiting a May 19 pretrial hearing. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jacksonville Assembly has since closed its doors. But one former member, Cynthia Crawford, told News4JAX she had stories of abuse from other people within the Gospel Assembly, the network of churches Jacksonville Assembly belonged to.
“I have had people call and talk about very similar actions, very similar ways of life, very similar styles of abuse, sexual abuse physical abuse, in Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Oregon,” she said. “All over.”
Natasha:
Next, a lawsuit against Grand Canyon Education is moving forward.
Warren:
Former doctoral students suing Grand Canyon Education (GCE) over its representations about the requirements of doctoral programs at Grand Canyon University (GCU) prevailed against a motion to dismiss and can continue their lawsuit.
In June 2024, Tanner Smith and Qimin Wang filed a lawsuit against GCE, the for-profit marketing agency for GCU, claiming it induced students “to enroll in doctoral degree programs at Grand Canyon University, which has been controlled by GCE, by lying to students about how much they would need to pay to obtain their doctoral degrees from Grand Canyon University.”
Two other plaintiffs were later added to the lawsuit.
Natasha:
The claims pertain to the requirement for both plaintiffs to take continuation courses that added over $8,000 to the cost of their degree programs.
Warren:
According to analysis by the U.S. Department of Education cited in the lawsuit, between 2011 and 2017 about 43% of GCU Ph.D. students paid $10,530 in additional costs for continuation courses, while roughly another 35% paid $12,636 or more.
Natasha:
The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in December 2023 asserting similar claims. It is still pending.
Warren:
According to the FTC lawsuit, GCU tells prospective students its doctoral programs are “accelerated” and the total cost will be equivalent to 20 courses, or 60 credit hours. However, nearly all GCU doctoral students are required to take “continuation courses” that add thousands of dollars to the cost.
Natasha:
The Department of Education reported that fewer than 2% of GCU doctoral program graduates complete it within the cost that GCU advertises.
Warren:
The lawsuit claims that GCE engaged in racketeering activity in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. It also asserts claims of deceptive or unfair practices under California and West Virginia law, where the two plaintiffs reside.
Federal District Judge Steve Logan ruled on May 6 that all but one of the plaintiffs’ claims may move forward. He has also given the plaintiffs until May 20 to amend their complaint on the RICO claim that was dismissed.
Natasha:
Warren, we’re going to take another break. When we return, our lightning round of ministry news of the week.
I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith. More in a moment.
BREAK
THIRD SEGMENT
Natasha:
Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch Podcast.
Warren, we like to use this last segment as a sort of lightning round of shorter news briefs.
What’s up first?
Warren:
Dr. Charles Petitt, the longtime president of Carolina University whose leadership reshaped the school into a modern, globally connected institution, died Wednesday night (May 7) following a heart attack. The news was shared by family and friends in social media posts. He is survived by his wife, Dawn, and their two daughters, Tiffany and Alicia.
Petitt took the helm of Winston Salem-based Carolina University—then known as Piedmont Baptist College—in 2002, stepping into leadership at a time when the school enrolled only about 200 students. Over the next two decades, he led a dramatic transformation marked by strategic mergers, rebranding, and a growing population of international students. Today, the 80-year-old institution stands at over 900 students, an increase of more than 400% during Petitt’s tenure.
Natasha:
What’s next?
Warren:
The mid-May list includes all 20 of the Bible translation groups in the MinistryWatch 1000 database listed in order of total revenue, largest to smallest.
The 20 Bible translation groups listed in the MinistryWatch 1000 database have revenue totaling nearly $728 million.
Wycliffe Bible Translators has total revenue exceeding $210 million. Its revenue is twice that of the next largest group, American Bible Society. According to the ECFA, Wycliffe’s revenue has declined from over $300 million in 2022. The Wycliffe headquarters in Orlando, FL has been listed for sale for over a year, but is still listed as “under contract.”
Of the top 5 largest groups, two do not file a Form 990.
If they choose not to file a Form 990, it affects the ministry’s transparency grade, financial efficiency rating, and donor confidence score in the database.
Natasha:
Next our Pastors and Planes report for April
Warren:
MinistryWatch, in collaboration with the Trinity Foundation, each month publishes a list of the private planes belonging to pastors and Christian ministries.
The list also includes basic information about their usage by pastors and ministries.
Liberty University was the biggest user of private aircraft ($310,000), followed by Samaritan’s Purse ($267,375). Assemblies of God (including Assemblies of God Financial Services Group) was in a distant third ($191,200).
It is important to note that some Christian ministries—especially disaster relief and missionary organizations—have legitimate uses for airplanes, but the planes they’re using are not luxury jets that can go literally around the world at nearly the speed of sound. We have not included these cargo planes on this list.
Natasha:
What ministries did Christina Darnell highlight this week in Ministries Making a Difference?
Warren:
It’s graduation week, so Christina focused on colleges and universities.
Emmaus University is launching the Emmaus University Iowa Promise, offering tuition-free education to qualifying full-time undergrad Iowa residents. The school will do this by combining the Iowa Tuition Grant, the Federal Pell Grant, and Emmaus University’s Founders Grant. Emmaus University in Dubuque, Iowa, has 5 stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 95.
Starting in fall 2025, Southeastern University will begin making $12 million in scholarships available to eligible full-time students pursuing ministry-related degrees. The scholarships are funded through an end-of-life giving plan donated by the late Robert and Sandra Graper.
Southeastern University is in Lakeland, Florida.
Natasha:
Warren, any final thoughts before we go?
Warren:
Warren Ad-Lib MAY Recurring Donor Appeal.
Like, share on podcast app and social media.
Natasha:
The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Bob Smietana, Kathryn Post, Tony Mator, Jack Jenkins, Bruce Barron, Kim Roberts, Shannon Cuthrell, and Christina Darnell.
A special thanks to Illinois Baptist and Bruce Barron for contributing material for this week’s podcast.
I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado.
Warren:
And I’m Warren Smith, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Natasha:
You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.
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