Victims of the sprawling religious group known as “The Truth” are demanding accountability after revelations that church elders actively concealed historic child sexual abuse.
A sweeping sexual abuse scandal within a clandestine global church is exposing a pattern of institutional cover-ups and unchecked pastoral power. At the center of the controversy is Robert Corfield, a former minister who confessed to sexually abusing a Canadian boy for six years but was subsequently transferred by church leadership to a new post in the United States rather than facing law enforcement.
The denomination, which boasts an estimated 100,000 members worldwide, operates on a system where traveling preachers hold ultimate moral authority over host families. Former members describe a culture of absolute obedience that left children highly vulnerable and parents unwilling to question the clergy.
Systemic Failures and Inaction
According to survivor Michael Havet, senior church overseer Dale Shultz was informed of Corfield’s crimes in 1993. Instead of contacting authorities, Shultz allegedly suppressed the allegations, urged Havet to leave the church, and reassigned Corfield to Montana, where he ministered for another 25 years. Shultz has broadly denied the characterization of these events but refused to provide specific counter-claims.
The institutional rot appears widespread. A dedicated whistleblower hotline has recorded 1,164 allegations of sexual abuse connected to the sect, resulting in approximately 75 convictions. Despite the mounting evidence, private investigators note that church leadership has rejected formal safeguarding protocols, opting to rely solely on internal biblical interpretation.
Meanwhile, Corfield remains uncharged in Montana, having admitted his crimes to both the media and the FBI. Canadian authorities, who received reports of the historic assaults, have yet to move forward with prosecutions, leaving victims to navigate the legal void.
SOURCES: 2×2 Church Accountability Hotline, Survivor Interviews, BBC Investigations.
This report has been significantly transformed from original source material for journalistic purposes, falling under ‘Fair Use’ doctrine for news reporting. The content is reconstructed to provide original analysis and reporting while preserving the factual essence of the source.
