Ep. 501: Liberty University, SBC’s New Abuse Hotline, Remembering Dr. James Dobson

On today’s program, a former employee sues Liberty University, claiming she was given heavier work loads, less pay, and was passed over for promotions. In the end, she claims she was fired for being a whistleblower. We’ll have details. Plus, email scams are targeting churches…in some cases, scammers pose as pastors seeking donations. How can churches and members protect themselves? We take a look. Also, the Southern Baptist Convention launches a new abuse helpline. We’ll also have a remembrance of Dr. James Dobson, who died on Thursday. First, a lawsuit leveled against Grand Canyon Education has been dropped. 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 Kim Roberts, Tony Mator, Daniel Ritchie, Yonat Shimron, Isaac Wood, Jessica Eturralde, Laura Erlanson, and Aaron Earls. A special thanks to Lifeway Research and Baptist Press for contributing material for this week’s podcast.   MANUSCRIPT:   FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Christina: And I’m Christina Darnell, in for Natasha Cowden this week, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, a former employee sues Liberty University, claiming she was given heavier work loads, less pay, and was passed over for promotions. In the end, she claims she was fired for being a whistleblower. We’ll have details. Plus, email scams are targeting churches…in some cases, scammers pose as pastors seeking donations. How can churches and members protect themselves? We take a look. And, the Southern Baptist Convention launches a new abuse helpline. We’ll also have a remembrance of Dr. James Dobson, who died on Thursday. Christina: But first, a lawsuit leveled against Grand Canyon Education has been dropped. Warren: The Federal Trade Commission first brought the lawsuit during the Biden Administration, claiming Grand Canyon Education—which is the for-profit marketing arm of Grand Canyon University—misled prospective students about how much it would cost to complete their doctoral programs. Christina: Also, in November, Grand Canyon secured another victory after the court found that the Education Department had used the wrong standard when it denied the university’s application for nonprofit status in 2019. All that led to last week, when the Federal Trade Commission formally dismissed their case. Warren: That’s right. In a statement, the F-T-C said the case presented “consumers very little upside relative to the cost of pursuing it to completion, especially given the developments chronicled above.” They said it would be “imprudent to continue expending Commission resources on a lost cause.” Christina: Grand Canyon Education praised the decision. Warren: They did. Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller—who is also president of Grand Canyon Education—says the accusations against them have always been false. Christina: Still, Grand Canyon University isn’t out of the woods yet. A civil case brought by former doctoral students is still ongoing in federal court. Warren: In June 2024, Tanner Smith and Qimin Wang are two plaintiffs—both former students who claim they were lied to about the cost of the doctoral programs. They say they were both required to take continuation courses that added over $8,000 to the cost of their degree programs. Christina: Our next story takes us to Liberty University, who is facing a discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit from a former employee. Warren: Erika Woolfolk, a black woman, worked as a civil rights investigator in Liberty’s Office of Equity and Compliance for Title IX. She is a graduate of the school and worked there from 2014 to 2024. She filed a lawsuit on August 12, claiming she was subjected to a hostile work environment where coworkers made racially charged comments. She says she was denied promotions and advancement opportunities in favor of less qualified white employees, assigned disproportionate workloads, and denied remote work privileges afforded to white colleagues. Christina: She also claims she was fired for cooperating with federal investigations. In August 2022, she cooperated with the Department of Education about Title IX violations at the school. That investigation resulted in a $14 million fine against Liberty. Then in February 2024, she filed a formal complaint with the Education Department about the school’s alleged discriminatory treatment against her. A few months later, she was terminated. Warren: Her lawsuit says the school’s reason for termination was about vague ‘compliance issues’ with no specific details for her to address or refute. Woolfolk was terminated on the same day as Peter Brake, another civil rights investigator who filed a lawsuit in February 2025 against the school and its leaders for discrimination and whistleblower retaliation. Christina: Liberty University disagreed with Woolfolk's claims, saying her termination was not based on her race nor her interactions with the federal Department of Education. Warren: Woolfolk was fired for "legitimate business reasons related to Liberty’s continuing effort to provide excellent service in the Title IX investigation function," according to the university's statement. Christina: Next, a former youth pastor at an Assemblies of God church has been hit with criminal charges. His arrest comes as the denomination continues to grapple with its handling of sexual predators. Warren: The Baltimore County Police have arrested Thomas Pinkerton. He allegedly committed sex crimes against multiple teenagers while he was a youth leader at Central Christian Church in Baltimore, Maryland, between the years 2006 and 2010. Christina: Pinkerton has been charged with crimes against six teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19. Police suspect he abused his victims with inappropriate touching and kissing at the church and also at his home. They also believe there may be more victims. Warren: According to NBC News, the seven men came forward last fall with the allegations. Christina: This is happening as the Assemblies of God is still grappling with the fallout of a sex abuse scandal in its Chi Alpha college ministry. Warren: At the biennial meeting of the Assemblies of God governing body, leaders defended its actions even as it vowed to do a better job of stopping sexual predators. Christina: In Pinkerton’s case, the church noted that Pinkerton left the congregation more than 15 years ago to start his own ministry. Warren: Lead Pastor Larry Kirk called the allegations “deeply heartbreaking” and said the church is “committed to walking alongside these young men with compassion and support.” Pinkerton, who now lives in Georgia, and recently worked as a traveling evangelist. He claimed to be “completely shocked” by the charges. He is currently being held without bond. Christina: Let’s cover one more story before the break—another youth pastor arrested and charged with sex crimes…plus, lessons for parents and church leadership in protecting children online. Warren: A Virginia youth pastor has been arrested and accused of solicitation of sexual materials from minors. Jacob Ryan Barnett, 34, was arrested by FBI agents in North Carolina. He is accused of grooming minors by contacting them through social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Discord. He allegedly used a fake identity —under the name “Jodie Johnson” — in conversations with a 15 year-old girl in Michigan. The youth pastor sent her nude pictures of himself while convincing her to do the same. Christina: The investigation started after the girl’s mother checked her daughter’s phone, and found the messages and contacted the FBI. The FBI was able to trace the communication back to Barnett. Warren: FBI agents found that Barnett was following thousands of underage girls on TikTok. Their investigation also uncovered that Barnett was using other social media platforms like Snapchat and Discord to solicit sexually explicit material from other children while he continued to pose as a teenage boy. Christina: And this is where we have a warning for parents. Warren: Right. The Department of Justice is encouraging parents to monitor the online activity of their children. Talk to them about the dangers out there and let them know how to report people who try to exploit them. Christina: We also talked to Dr. Kathy Koch, who is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids. Warren: We did. She is also encouraging parents to step into their kids’ social media worlds. She says it’s not intruding, it’s investing. She said: “Curiosity communicates love. Asking about a post or a friend online isn’t about control, it’s about connection.” Scroll through their feeds, ask about the memes and DMs. She says we’re not just protecting them from danger, we’re reinforcing the foundation of trust. Christina: What about churches? What measures can they take to prevent this sort of sin within their own ranks? Warren: Jeff Dalrymple, director of Abuse Prevention & Response for the Southern Baptist Convention, says it is a good idea for churches to provide internet and social media safeguards and accountability for church staff and ministry leaders—things like filters on church Wi-Fi that blocks inappropriate sites. If convicted, Barnett faces a minimum of 10 years in prison with the possibility of life in prison. Christina: Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, an online scammer posing as a North Carolina pastor, asks for donations in the form of gift cards. Cases like this are on the rise. ...