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Podcast

137. The Apostle

Swindled

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  • How Catherine Kuhlman Shaped Modern Faith Healing
    • Catherine Kuhlman’s revival shaped modern televised faith healing by blending spectacle with claims of spontaneous miracles.
    • Her stage theatrics—calling out specific ailments and urging people to stand—became a template for later ministers like Benny Hinn and David E. Taylor. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen Coleman’s ministry stood as a testament to resurrection, not just in the spiritual sense she preached, but in the very arc of her own life. In the 1930s, as a young rising evangelist, Coleman married a fellow traveling preacher who had abandoned his wife and children. The decision reverberated through the tight-knit Pentecostal community, which ostracized the newlyweds. Almost overnight, the momentum Catherine Coleman had begun to build disintegrated, and the ministry that once seemed destined for growth collapsed under the weight of scandal. In time, Catherine came to agree with her detractors, who believed she had made a grave mistake. In 1938, she divorced her husband. It was a painful and public unraveling that marked the lowest point of her early career. And what followed, according to Coleman’s later testimony, was a season of deep repentance and surrender. She would describe this period, which lasted for years, as kind of a death to self. And from that point on, Catherine said, something changed inside of her. Coleman testified that she experienced what Pentecostals call the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was filled with the Spirit, she said. I spoke in an unknown tongue as He took every part of me. In that moment I surrendered unto Him all there was of me, everything. Then, for the first time, I realized what it meant to have power. Catherine used that power to resume preaching. The Holy Spirit became the focal point of her message. She spoke not only of salvation, but of surrender, of yielding completely, so that divine power could operate through an emptied vessel. The healings, she would later insist, were an unplanned side effect. One night in 1947, during a service in Franklin, Pennsylvania, a woman stood up and announced that her tumor had disappeared during one of Catherine Coleman’s previous sermons. Coleman herself had not known it at the time. There had been no public declaration, no lightning strike, yet the testimony electrified the room, and then a few days later, it happened again. Reports of vanishing pain, disappearing addictions, and even cancer being cured circulated among the faithful. What began almost accidentally grew into the defining feature of Catherine Coleman’s reborn ministry. Tents and soon auditoriums filled with the sick and the hopeful, all waiting for the moment when she would softly say, he’s here. (Time 0:01:51)
  • Clinical Follow Up Undermined Miracle Claims
    • Dr. William A. Nolan followed up with 82 alleged miracle recipients and found no verifiable cures for organic disease.
    • Many improvements were subjective or temporary, while serious cases (e.g., Helen Sullivan) worsened after on-stage claims. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen As luck or providence would have it, an opportunity soon presented itself to perform that scrutiny. In February 1967, Catherine Coleman was scheduled to appear in nearby Minneapolis. A well-connected friend arranged for Dr. Nolan to serve as the venue’s on-site physician, granting him rare backstage access to the event. That evening, Nolan witnessed the spectacle firsthand, the music, the anticipation, the miracles, the roar of affirmation from thousands of believers, but he also noticed something Else, a pattern. Nearly all of the ailments Coleman announced as cured were conditions invisible to the naked eye. Back pain, heart trouble, partial deafness, blurry vision, complaints that could not be immediately verified by observation alone. Those with obvious, externally visible conditions, such as pronounced deformities or severe neurological impairment, never stepped foot on stage. But what troubled Nolan most, as he later wrote in his book Healing, A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, was not the purported acts of healing. It was what happened after the crowd dispersed. Quote, as I stood in the corridor watching the hopeless cases leave, seeing the tears of the parents as they pushed their crippled children to the elevators, I wished Miss Coleman had Been with me. She had complained a couple of times during the service of the responsibility, the enormous responsibility, and how her heart aches for those that weren’t cured. But I wondered how often she had really looked at them. I wondered whether she sincerely felt that the joy of those cured of bursitis and arthritis compensated for the anguish of those left with their withered legs, their imbecilic children, Their cancers of the liver. I wondered if she really knew what damage she was doing. I couldn’t believe that she did. Elsewhere, Catherine Coleman had said the burden she carried was worth it if even one person was made better. But was anyone truly healed? That was the question Dr. William A. Nolan set out to answer. When he left the Minneapolis auditorium that night, he took with him the names and addresses of 82 people who had gone forward claiming to be cured. Months later, they began following up, hoping to verify that their ailments had, in fact, disappeared. Only 23 agreed to be interviewed. A few who had suffered from conditions highly susceptible to suggestion, such as chronic pain, reported continued improvement. But none could provide medical documentation confirming a reversal of organic disease. (Time 0:09:06)
  • Taylor’s Conversion Inspired By Benny Hinn’s Memoir
    • David E. Taylor says Benny Hinn’s memoir inspired his own pursuit of a ‘face to face’ relationship with Jesus.
    • Taylor recounts kneeling, fasting, and hearing God tell him the anointing was already given. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen Taylor, who had divine dreams of his own. Taylor has said that Benny Henn’s account of Catherine Coleman revolutionized his life. He claims tears were streaming down his face as he learned about the Holy Spirit for the first time. David E. Taylor I got on my knees. I said, God, I don’t know what this is that this lady got, but I want it. A Concerned Citizen David recalls kneeling in the cramped closet of his apartment, asking God to grant him the same blessing Catherine Coleman had received. He says he prayed, sang, and fasted for three days straight until he heard the booming voice of God say, Son, I have already given it to you. Just like that, David E. Taylor said he discovered that he had been anointed to, not only with the power to heal, but with authority for much, much more, including what he described as an ongoing face-to relationship With the Lord. So what does a man with so much supernatural power do when he becomes literal best friends with Jesus? Let’s find out on this episode of Swindled. They bribed government officials. Clear violations of federal and state law. Clearly unethical. Paid a plague in the taxpayer dollars that were wasted. Paid tens of millions of dollars. (Time 0:15:26)
  • Grandiose Claims Fueled Taylor’s Brand
    • Taylor escalated Coleman-style claims into grandiose supernatural powers: raising the dead by text, commanding celestial bodies, and time travel.
    • These public proclamations amplified his fame and donor appeal despite factual gaps. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen In the years that followed, everything amplified. The presentation, the message, the miracles. During his sermons, he would bring an armful of discarded crutches on stage and hold them up as evidence of bodies restored and sickness erased. He claimed entire villages suffering from a deadly disease had been healed after he mailed them prayer cloths. Hospitals, Taylor reported, were shutting down simply because he drove past, offered a prayer, and cured everyone inside. Even more extraordinary, the apostle said he could raise the dead with nothing more than a text message. And that was only the beginning of Apostle Taylor’s expanding catalog of astonishing feats, not including the miraculous return of his hairline. He’s claimed he can command the sun and the moon. He can travel through space and time. (Time 0:24:03)
  • Demand Transparency Before Large Donations
    • Ask for transparency before donating: demand documented charity outcomes and audited financials.
    • JMMI solicited multi-million dollar gifts promising humanitarian work but filed IRS returns showing zero program spending. Transcript: David E. Taylor Right now, we need an immediate $2 million. So right now, we’re in need of $3 million. If you’re out there and you can sow a $2 million seed, $3 million, $4 million, God wants you to be obedient. Amen? Right now, we need way over $3 million to do what we’re doing. We actually need $30 million, $36 million to be exact. Why would you give doctors thousands of dollars but wouldn’t so into a ministry like this? That people are getting healed of cancer AIDS. Why would you give your money to chemotherapy when God has power to heal the sickness? Oh, the whole Bible is about exchanging income. Listen, I ain’t taking no vile poverty. God didn’t call me to do that foolishness. (Time 0:29:46)
  • Follower Liquidated Life Savings After Claimed Healing
    • Debbie Frazier liquidated a $600,000 401(k), mortgaged her home, and pledged her divorce settlement after her daughter Katie’s claimed healing.
    • Her donations exceeded $1.6 million and led to foreclosure and family legal battles. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen Frazier says she was 18 years old when David E. Taylor healed her. An autoimmune disease had ravaged her body to the point where she could no longer walk. But thanks to the apostles’ prayers and the power of God, Katie rose triumphantly to her feet. Katie and her mother, Debbie Frazier, had been attending services at Joshua Media Ministries International for several years. Both placed unwavering faith in Taylor’s spiritual authority, and after Katie’s recovery, that faith only deepened. Debbie was overwhelmed with gratitude, and she expressed it the way the ministry encouraged its followers to do, with a generous gift. Debbie Fraser reportedly liquidated her $600,000 401k and donated every dollar. She mortgaged her fully paid off home and handed over the equity. She even pledged the entirety of her divorce settlement, estimated to be worth up to seven figures before the divorce had even been finalized. Rick Frazier, Debbie’s recently estranged husband and Katie’s father, objected. He believed his ex-wife had fallen under a dangerous influence and secured a court order barring her from giving any more marital assets to David E. Taylor. Debbie kept donating anyway, even after losing her home to foreclosure. In total, Debbie had reportedly contributed more than $1.6 million to the apostle, and she was already asking her ex-husband for more. (Time 0:37:24)
  • Deposition Publicized Financial Irregularities
    • A videotaped deposition from a divorce forced JMMI’s finances into public view, exposing limousines, designer spending, and inconsistent records.
    • The deposition’s release went viral and damaged Taylor’s credibility. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen The visibly nervous apostle gnaws at his lip as Rick Frazier’s attorneys press him about the financial records they’ve obtained. Their questions narrow in on the ministry’s fleet of automobiles, BMW, a Bentley, a Range Rover, and a Mercedes that JMMI reportedly paid $50,000 to have chopped in half and stretched Into a limousine. David E. Taylor There’s a series of documents that total almost $50,000 to limo land in 2013 and 14. You have to answer yes. Yes. Okay. Okay. What was that for? That was to cut the Mercedes into a limo. It was to cut the Mercedes into a limo. And who needs that? A Concerned Citizen Taylor insisted the vehicles were necessary to host and impress high-profile guests. In his telling, the expenses were legitimate because they constituted church business. He offered the same rationale for another line item. Roughly $30,000 spent on clothing over a two-year period. David E. Taylor 2013 and 2014, GMMI spent over $30,000 in your clothes. Does that sound about right? What year was that? 13 and 14. Oh, God, yes, because I was traveling so much and sweating through all my clothes. A Concerned Citizen $6,000 at Louis Vuitton, $3,500 at Versace, $0 for antiperspirant. David E. Taylor You don’t see that there’s any problem when you’re ministering to the poor, the sick, the needy to be appearing in Louis Vuitton and Versace? Well, that ain’t something I purchase all the time. Well, it looks like you did several times in… I mean, I’m a very frugal person when it comes to this. A Concerned Citizen The apostle had no choice but to be frugal, because according to his 2012 personal tax return, his annual salary was a little less than $28,000. And according to that same tax filing, he was supporting four dependents, none of whom were his children. Who is Brooklyn Mitchell anyway? A niece? A cousin? Brooklyn? David E. Taylor I don’t know. You don’t know who Brooklyn Mitchell No. You have no idea? A Concerned Citizen No. David E. Taylor Never heard of that person? No. Brooklyn Mitchell. No. I don’t know if it’s, uh, there must be someone. Um, I don’t know who that is. Michelle probably can answer that. Anyway? A niece? A cousin? And on that salary you’re saying you supported these four people? Yes. These four people? Yes. Including Brooklyn, who you don’t know? Yes. A Concerned Citizen The Apostle’s incredible act of belt tightening seems even more impressive after reviewing JMMI’s contribution report for the following year, which revealed that David Taylor Himself had donated $42,000 back to the ministry. David E. Taylor Is that true? If that’s what the report says. How can you donate more than you actually have made in the last several years after bankruptcy? A Concerned Citizen That was only scratching the surface of the apostles’ financial irregularities. For instance, why was Debbie Frazier’s donation recorded as $700,000 less in the ministry’s reports? Why was there no documented record of more than $1 million in non-cash contributions reportedly given by another follower in 2014? Why did the ministry need a $2.8 million mansion in St. Louis? David E. Taylor rarely provided a straight answer. Ask him anything and he would defer to JMMI’s executive director, Michelle Brennan. Who’s on the ministry’s board of directors? Who pays for the cars? You can ask Michelle. Jesus. Who files your taxes? Like I say, you need to go ask Michelle about this. David E. Taylor No, I mean, it’s your life. It may be my life, but I have somebody taking care of this part. A Concerned Citizen Rick Frazier got everything he wanted out of the depositions and more. But because the matter was confined to a civil divorce proceeding, there would be no immediate criminal consequences for the apostle’s questionable financial practices, but that Wasn’t the point. The point was to force his answers into the public record, to scrutinize the spending, to record the contradictions, and most importantly, to expose the apostle as a fraud under oath. And in that sense, the mission succeeded. David E. Taylor attempted to contain the fallout, filing a motion to seal the deposition and keep the records from public view. A judge denied the request, emphasizing that a ministry operating in the public sphere should not be able to shield its financial dealings from scrutiny. Emboldened by the ruling, Rick Frazier quickly uploaded all seven hours of the footage to YouTube and then spent $96,000 on Google ads to promote it. (Time 0:39:43)
  • Multiple Women Came Forward After Yohe’s Confession
    • Vicki Yohe described a secret sexual relationship with Taylor and later found screenshots of other affairs, which spurred over 100 women to come forward.
    • Yohe publicly confessed in 2018 and exposed a pattern of predatory relationships. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen A minister she had never worked with privately reached out. His name was David E. Taylor. He empathized with someone who was being publicly attacked for nothing more than serving Christ. Later that year, Yohe would accept an invitation to perform at the Apostles’ birthday celebration, where they exchanged phone numbers. OMG, you’re beautiful, David wrote to her after the festivities ended. Are you dating anyone? Whoa, Nelly, Vicky wrote back. I’m a lion, he responded. I moved fast. I liked how that skirt fit tight on your body tonight. Vicky Yohe returned to perform at GMMI on several occasions over the next few months. Before long, she too was meeting Jesus face to face, both in church and in the Apostles’ bedroom. I see Jesus! David E. Taylor Look at that, she saw Jesus tonight. She saw Jesus walking tonight. Vicki, what happened to you? This is amazing. A Concerned Citizen In her heart, Vicki knew what they were doing was wrong. I would say stuff to David like, David, this ain’t right, she later recalled. He’d say, it’s okay. I’m best friends with Jesus. Vicki wasn’t interested in friendships, though. She was divorced. She had children. She wanted a serious commitment. The apostle, also divorced, told her that he did too. David promised Vicki they would get married eventually, but he also wanted to keep their relationship a secret for now. You know how messy church people can get, he would remind her. For a time, Vicki believed him. David E. Taylor showered her with attention and gifts. They carried on a long-distance relationship for more than a year, but then things started to cool off. Vicki said she invited David to spend the holidays at her home, but he never came. The daily text messages slowed to once or twice a week, then once a month, And just before the relationship completely fizzled out, Vicki received a message on Facebook from an unknown Woman who claimed she had been having an affair with the apostle for the past 13 months. That woman shared screenshots and everything. I literally froze reading them, Vicki remembers. Was the apostle womanizer? If only there had been a sign. David E. Taylor And you women need to listen. You need to get in your place. Stop being Jezebels. Really? A Concerned Citizen Any sign at all? David E. Taylor Because they’re giving more power to women. That’s wrong. And I’m not a male chauvinist. It is evil. And you’re causing these women to become Jezebels. The man is the pursuer. And you are the bait. A Concerned Citizen Eventually, Vicki Yoey confronted David Taylor. I thought you loved me, she asked him. You believed the lie, he replied. Vicki warned she planned to go public with their relationship. If you do, The apostle threatened, you will die of cancer. David E. Taylor I’m heartbroken. He told me I was going to get cancer. He told me if I came against his ministry, I want to get cancer. I’m going to die. The apostle threatened, you will die of cancer. A Concerned Citizen Despite the threats, Vicky Yohe publicly confessed to her relationship with David E. Taylor on social media in December 2018. Instantly, her inbox filled up with women from all over the world in the same situation with the same man. Vicky said she stopped counting after 100. David E. Taylor Taylor, I’ll do it really quick. We dated for 16 months. I was a secret. I found out about a couple women. I went on social media and I confessed to my relationship with him and 40 women from all over the world reached out to me. A Concerned Citizen They all told the same story. (Time 0:49:18)
  • Recruitment Promised Calling But Led To Coercion
    • Former staff described JMMI as an enforced labor cult: unpaid call centers, quotas, sleep deprivation, and confiscated benefit cards.
    • Recruitment messages were automations; newcomers were promised personal calling but faced coercive operations. Transcript: A Concerned Citizen In April 2019, the News Herald of Southgate, Michigan, published a lengthy expose of David E. Taylor and Joshua Media Ministries. The headline read, Pastor accused of running his multi-million dollar Taylor Church as a cult. The newspaper spoke to several former members who described the operation as a quote, slave labor cult operating on an unholy trinity of intimidation, manipulation, and greed. Among them was a man named Chris Sorensen. Sorensen told the News Herald that after reading one of Taylor’s books and engaging with a JMMI Facebook post, he received a private message from the apostle himself. The message claimed that Jesus had instructed Taylor to contact him personally and invite him to join the ministry. I thought this was my calling, Chris said. He packed his belongings into his car and drove from Minneapolis to Taylor, Michigan to become a full-time staff member. But almost immediately after arriving, Chris says, he became dismayed. He realized that the Facebook message he received hadn’t come directly from Apostle Taylor at all. JMMI headquarters housed a call center and a media team whose job it was to send that exact message to thousands of people every day. The people who worked those jobs were unpaid, Chris claimed. He said they worked long hours on little sleep, chasing impossible quotas or risk being punished for the day. According to Sorensen, underperformers were publicly berated, sometimes physically assaulted, or deprived of sleep and food. When they were afforded rest, it was on air mattresses or sheets of plywood laid across the floor. When staffers ate, they had no one to thank but themselves. They were forced to apply for government assistance by claiming to be homeless, then surrender their benefit cards to ministry leadership. (Time 0:58:40)