Leadership knowledge of founder LR Davis’s sexual abuse of young men and children is a central topic to understanding how the organization has functioned for the last 50 years. In the Foundation Cracks blog post, I maintain that one of the fatal flaws in CFCMI is that “those in true CFCMI leadership have each individually demonstrated a severe lack of personal integrity”. In the first two to three decades of CFCMI, this was especially true regarding their knowledge and acceptance of LR Davis’s incessant predatory sexual behavior.

As to Pete Paine’s (LR’s son-in-law and former general pastor) knowledge, or claimed lack of knowledge, there is a separate discussion of his situation and the implications flowing from that in the Leadership Dichotomy blog post.

Regarding Ed Thomas (LR’s son-in-law, Norfolk congregation pastor, and International VP), we have the luxury of sworn court testimony to solve the question as to what he knew, when he knew it, and the decisions he made as a result of that knowledge.

Summarizing an excerpt from the court transcripts of LR Davis’s criminal trial in 1992 posted below (pages 1246 - 1252), a former member testified under oath that in March 1979 he was on a driving trip with Ed Thomas and two others, a church member and a former member, from Michigan (the man’s home state) to Waukegan (or “Chicago” in the testimony, the location of the church). During the trip, the men told Ed that LR Davis was compelling them and other men in the church to have sex with him in the Karcher Hotel, primarily in room 701, as well as in the office at the Serviceman’s Center.

According to the testimony, Ed (who was in leadership at the time as a VP in the organization) “believed us on the way to Chicago” and when the four of them arrived at the hotel, Ed confronted LR (who was in his underwear at the time, with another man in the room), by saying “these men have come to me about some things that are really troubling me…and they involve you having sex with them”. LR initially replied “that’s not true”, but then appeared to capitulate by stating “Well, can’t a man be forgiven for a little sin?”. LR then told Ed “If you want to leave your wife (Pam Thomas, nee Davis, LR’s daughter) here and leave with these guys, that’s fine with me.” Next, he pulled Ed into a separate room for a few minutes of private discussion. When they came out, Ed was crying and asked the other men to leave, stating that his “wife was here, there is nothing he can do about it.” So, the other men left, and Ed stayed. The rest, as they say, is history.

Did Ed know that LR was a sexual predator, ravaging the congregation? Yes

When did he know? April 1979 (i.e., for at least the last 45+ years)

What did he decide to do about it? Nothing. He kept his silence and allowed it to continue, even to flourish (a fact backed up by first-person accounts).

****************************************************************************************************************

Below are the supporting court transcripts.

WARNING: These documents contain sexually explicit language.