Two pastors have engaged in a longtime verbal battle, but one is finally taking matters to the hands of the law.
Florida-based Pastor Earl Carter has made videos with several shocking accusations against Church of God in Christ (COGIC) leader and White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership Bishop Charles Blake. The trouble started when Carter was forced to apologize for controversial comments he made on the pulpit against homosexuality in 2014, according to Christian Today. Since then, he’s claimed that Blake is gay and took a trip to South Africa to molest young boys. Carter has called him “The Lollipop Bishop” and also accused him of financial dishonesty.
Blake, whose Christian denomination boasts 6 million followers, including celebrities such as Denzel Washington and Magic Johnson in the Los Angeles branch, is not taking these claims lightly. He is suing Carter for $75K.
Most recently, Carter has stated that one of Blake’s victims is Minister Sydney Lassiter III. An associate of Lassiter’s father had told Carter that his son was molested as a child and that Blake was the culprit. Both Lassiter and his father made a video disputing the pastor’s claims and calling him a “false prophet.”
“A cruel and nasty act did happen to me actually at the age of 12 or 13,” Lassiter said. “But the perpetrator was not Bishop Charles Blake.”
Lassiter’s father said that his son had not even met Blake until he was 19 years old.
The alleged victim’s mother, Bethaline Chapman, says that her son has undergone severe stress due to Carter’s molestation claims.
“Our son has likewise suffered substantial emotional distress as a result of these wholly false allegations; he is currently receiving psychological therapy in an attempt to cope with the strain stemming from this defamatory and grossly scandalous invasion of his personal privacy,” she said.
Carter says that Blake is trying to “destroy” him. He is now collecting funds to fight the lawsuit.
