Canadian True Crime - 140 The Legacy Christian Academy Scandal—Part 1

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

[ Part 1 of 3 ] Since August of 2022, a cascade of distressing allegations have come to light by former students of a deeply intertwined evangelical Christian school and the church that runs it. So far, criminal charges have been laid on four men in positions of authority.... and more are likely to come.CONTENT WARNING: This series is about allegations of physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse of students and minors at their church-run Christian school. There is heavy focus on corporal punishment, details of grooming and sexual assault of minors, mention of anti-LGBTQ+ and racist rhetoric, mention of self-harm and suicidal ideation. There are also details of religious, spiritual and supernatural beliefs as they relate to these specific allegations.While these allegations have resulted in criminal charges, they haven’t yet been proven or tested in court.In this three-part series, you’ll hear the stories that led to these allegations, as we explore how a set of beliefs that demand absolute conformity and obedience from children—and rely on physical punishment as the main motivator, can be ripe for unchecked abuse. Years of alleged gaslighting, conditioning and indoctrination set up students of Legacy Christian Academy and schools like it to be “perfect victims”—taught to blindly submit to authority, doubt the reality of their own experiences, and fear any number of consequences for speaking up.More info:CLASS ACTION: See Latest info and download the Legal Statement of Claim [PDF]CBC News investigation: Exorcisms, violent discipline and other abuse alleged by former students of private Sask. Christian school | CBC News by Jason WarickFollow Caitlin Erickson on Twitter and TiktokSubscribe to the Legacy of Abuse Podcast and follow on TikTok, Twitter, and PatreonDonate to the GoFundMe for the Legacy of Abuse Class Action Lawsuit.See the full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded mainly through advertising. You can listen to Canadian True Crime ad-free and early on Amazon Music included with Prime, Apple podcasts, Patreon, and Supercast. The podcast often has disturbing content and course language. It's not for everyone. Please take care when listening. Hi there, I hope you're well. As I mentioned in the last episode, I've decided to work on something a little different this summer instead of taking a break. This story hit the headlines about a year ago, and I've been watching it with interest ever since because there are aspects of this story that are pretty personal for me, which

I'll explain in a bit. This case now involves multiple criminal charges, with more likely to come, but it's so much more than that. If it were up to me, this would probably be a 10 part series, because this story has many twists and turns, and a lot of information and angles to cover, but I've worked hard to condense it to just two parts. Part 2 will be available in a week, and for those subscribed to a premium feed, it will be available at least 24 hours early.

Before we start an additional content warning, this series is about allegations of physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse of minors at their church run Christian school. While the allegations have resulted in criminal charges, they haven't been proven or tested in court. You'll also hear about religious, spiritual, and supernatural beliefs as they relate to these specific allegations. There is heavy focus on corporal punishment, grooming and sexual assault of miners, and mention of anti-LGBTQ plus and racist rhetoric as well as self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Many of these details will be difficult to hear. Please take care when listening. The alleged abuses are, of course, horrific. This church in school exhibits all the hallmarks of what we often think of as a cult. During my tenure in that building, I was subjected to physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse. The staff tried to physically and psychologically break me. Despite their best efforts, they were not successful, and that's why I'm able to stand here today. successful. And that's why I'm able to stand here today. That's Caitlin Erickson. If you live in Canada, you've probably seen her on TV in the last

year. She's a former student of Christian Center Academy, a Saskatchewan Independent School that now goes by Legacy Christian Academy. In the summer of 2022, she and a group of other former students went public with allegations that those in a position of authority at their school and church acted individually and together to inflict harm upon children, including physical and sexual abuse as well as forms of torture. Almost a year later and the story has snowballed. A class action lawsuit has been launched naming more than 20 defendants who held positions of authority at the school and its parent organization, Mile 2 Church, formerly known as Saskatoon Christian Center Church.

And in the last few months, the Saskatoon police have charged three of those defendants with sexual assault and assault with a weapon. It's likely to be only the beginning. In this series, you'll hear the stories that led to these allegations. As we explore how a set of beliefs that demand absolute conformity and obedience from children and rely on physical punishment as the main motivator, can be ripe for unchecked abuse. You'll hear from Caitlin Erickson, the official spokesperson of this group of former students and the main driver of the effort that led to civil and criminal action. This brave group are working hard

to hold schools, churches, and governments accountable, but most importantly, to protect current and future generations. They alleged that the Saskatchewan government's Ministry of Education had a duty of care and not only failed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, but also their right to a proper public education. We'll take you through the bizarre world of accelerated

Christian education or ASEE, the controversial US-based home school curriculum used at Legacy Christian Academy and other Christian schools in Canada and across the world. Full disclosure, I attended one of those schools in New Zealand for a number of years in the 80s and early 90s. Multiple studies have found this ACE system places students at an educational disadvantage. So former students of Legacy Christian Academy can't understand why the Saskatchewan government continues to use tax pay a money to fund it. But the thing is, their experience at school is just one layer to this story. This is a closed-off environment controlled by a church that assumes responsibility for

educating whole families at church, their children at school, and organizing most if not all their social and community activities. Systems like this are known as a total institution, and they operate in a similar way to a cult, immersing members in a strict doctrine or set of beliefs, with a clear hierarchy of authority that places church and school officials at the very top, who are most frequently men. Those on the lower rungs are expected to submit to authority and give themselves entirely to the organization, from their time to their income to the parenting of their children. And the children are among those considered to be

at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Questioning authority is actively discouraged, along with curiosity, critical thinking and discussion of ideas. And these total institutions often promote a culture of fear, secrecy, and silence that set up a perfect environment for unchecked abuse to thrive.

So, to really understand how these criminal charges and the class action lawsuit came about, we have to zoom out from just the school and take a look at how the total institution operates. But before we start, please be aware that this series is not a blanket criticism of religious freedom, Christianity, spirituality, or any other religious beliefs. It is specifically about the fundamentalist or more extreme and rigid beliefs often held by Christians who identify as Evangelical, charismatic, Pentecostal or similar, and how these beliefs negatively impacted Canadian students at their publicly funded school. So if you're sensitive to topics like this,

please consider if this episode is right for you, and if you decide to keep listening, please take care. And just a reminder again for legal reasons, that none of the allegations we're speaking about today have been proven or tested in court. The story of legacy Christian Academy starts in 1982, when Pastor Keith Johnson was preparing to immigrate from Texas in the United States to Saskatchewan, Canada. He was bringing his wife and young stepson along, but also a mandate to contribute to the

spread of evangelical Christianity around the world via the education system. And he had just about everything he needed to do just that. Johnson had already written his own child training manual specifically for use in a Christian school called the Child Training Seminar. One passage in the 85-page manual states, quote, If you desire for your child to become obedient and willing to accept God's standards as his own, you will have to utilize the process that God designed to obtain those results. The manual has a series of photos and directions showing parents and teachers how to spank their children using wooden paddles to, quote, break their will. Have him bend over and apply the paddle firmly. their children using wooden paddles to quote, break their will.

Have him bend over and apply the paddle firmly. Don't permit any wiggling around or jumping around. Don't allow any prediscipline howling and sniveling. Don't let his crying and begging diminish the severity of punishment. Pastor Keith Johnson wrote that spanking or paddling should be a ritual practiced repeatedly in a set, precise manner." In quote, Sometimes, spanking will leave marks on the child. If some liberal were to hear this, they'd immediately charge us with advocating child

beating. Historically, corporal punishment was an accepted or tolerated technique used to control prisoners, slaves, and children. Spanking is the most well-known form of corporal punishment, involving the act of striking a human with either the palm of the hand or an implement like a cane, strap, or piece of wood. Older generations were taught to spare the rod, spoil the child, with a belief that a little bit

of physical pain is normal and might be beneficial. But in the 1970s, social norms started to change rapidly, and as Western society at large started to scrutinize the treatment of kids at school, moves were made to start criminalising corporal punishment. A growing body of research into the effects of corporal or physical punishment on children showed overwhelmingly negative outcomes and in the decades since. Studies have consistently found that corporal punishment impairs the quality of relationships

between children and their teachers or parents and puts the child at higher risk of poor conduct and poor outcomes in life, including increased aggression, poor emotional development, and increased likelihood of developing mental health problems and poor academic performance. The problem is, the practice of corporal punishment is closely tied to fundamentalist Christianity. The Bible has no mandate from God to beat children, but there is a belief that certain interpretations of Bible passages give parents the right to physically punish their children, and that it's an acceptable, even necessary form of discipline. Pastor Keith Johnson was clearly aware of this growing body of research when he wrote his

training manual, but he didn't much care, because his goal was to produce obedient and compliant children. So he simply instructed the reader to ignore professors, researchers and psychologists who oppose corporal punishment, writing that they are ungodly and have been influenced by the devil. When Pastor Keith Johnson arrived in Saskatoon in 1982, he established Christian Center Academy, a school affiliated with the church then known as Saskatoon Christian Center Church. Both have since rebranded and are now known as Legacy Christian Academy and Mile 2 Church. Johnson's child training manual became the standard for discipline in the school.

But he also brought with him an entire curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education, or ACE, which was founded in the United States in the 1970s. Thanks to aggressive promotion by its founders, more than 3,000 schools in the US were using accelerated Christian education by 1980, and it was starting to spread internationally, both in various Christian schools, and as a home school curriculum. Perhaps the most prominent of the home school families is that of Jim Bob and Michelle Dugger, who you might have heard of through their TLC reality show, 19 Kids and Counting. The Duggers have said they use accelerated Christian education to homeschool their children,

along with another similar curriculum known as IBLP, which was the subject of a recent Amazon Prime true crime documentary called Shiny Happy People, highly recommended. When it came to the schools that adopted the ACE curriculum, one of them was of course the school known as Legacy Christian Academy in Saskatchewan, Canada. And another is the primary school I went to in New Zealand, starting in grade one and ending at the end of grade seven. This series isn't about me, but I am very familiar with many aspects of this case, because going to an ACE school is a unique experience. If you start out in one of these schools and you've never been to a public school, you

know, that's your normal, right? You don't know anything different. That's Caitlin Erickson again. Caitlin attended the school known as Legacy Christian Academy from kindergarten right up until grade 12 graduation in 2005. And of course, she's the official spokesperson for the class action lawsuit. When I was 11, we briefly moved away.

And so I went to another Christian school and they used like actual certified teachers. They used public school education and that was the first time I'd actually been teacher taught, not self-taught. It might seem weird to focus on a school curriculum in a case like this, but the reality is it's just one of several important ingredients that can create a total institution, a closed off church school situation where unchecked abuse can not only take place, but thrive.

So what is accelerated Christian education? And what does the curriculum and system of learning have to do with these allegations of abuse? I only attended an ACE school for my elementary or primary school years, but I was always aware that our school materials were from some big important American organization. I was also aware of something that I now know as American exceptionalism, or the belief that the U.S. is either distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other countries. When I attended this particular school in the 80s and early 90s, I do remember a general

cultural attitude that everything coming out of America was the biggest and the best, and it's not like parents had access to educational reviews on the internet. The ACE organization really promoted this system as being the next big thing in education, so many parents were willing to make sacrifices so they could afford to send their kids to an ACE school. Here's how the organization describes the curriculum via a recreation of one of the clips featured on their YouTube channel, ACE School of Tomorrow.

ACE is more than just a curriculum. It's a Bible-based program dedicated to reaching the world for Christ, one child at a time. A.C.'s academic curriculum is broken down into bite-sized colorful workbooks called Paces, which are carefully designed to develop thinking skills and create mastery learning. Paces are full of innovative learning activities, godly character building lessons, and Bible verses. At my school, the mornings were spent in total silence, and the classroom is set up to facilitate that with desks lining the outside of the room so everyone faces the wall with their backs to each other. There are large dividers to separate each desk, and they also cover the area where students sit. I wanted to see if Kate's experience was the same.

What about your room setup? Did you have the desks with the dividers? Yeah, ours did. You couldn't even, like, if you leaned forward, you couldn't see, if you leaned all the way back, you couldn't see. When you Google AC schools, and you see the pictures of schools in the Philippines

and South Africa and in the States, all the schools are kind of designed to look the same. So they all have those big dividers, everybody's isolated and their little cubicle. Yeah. Because it's individual learning, each day students set their own goals. Or how many pages of each workbook or pace they're going to complete. It should be pointed out that in educational reviews, students have cited this goal-setting activity as a benefit of the system. But the environment of total silence is most definitely not a benefit. Kate, as I remember, my school was only like this in the mornings.

In the afternoon, there was music, sports, projects, and classroom instruction. But from what I understand, it was a full day thing for you. Yeah, so other than they would have like devotions, so we would all go in the music room. And then we'd have music class and gym class. So there was times during the week where you'd be out of class for an hour, but otherwise it was you get in 9 a.m.

you're in that cubicle. And then you go for break, so you get in 9 a.m. you're in that cubicle and then you go for break so you're a lot outside and then you know you're back in your cubicle lunchtime break back in your cubicle. So yeah it's very isolating and yeah as you said there was no talking like you could not talk to the person next to you. There are points in the workbooks where students have to signal for a supervisor. But for the most part, it's total silence, as each student completes their individual workbooks in their closed-off desks, but all together in the same room. In the decade since its introduction, the Accelerated Christian Education Program has been consistently

criticized in independent academic papers and educational reviews. A key critique is its reliance on the use of wrote recall or memorization as a learning tool, and it excludes all other learning styles, including oral instruction from a qualified teacher. Employees at ACE schools are often not qualified teachers. They're just supervisors because they're not actually teaching anything. A 2003 academic paper argues, there is no room

within this method of learning for the negotiation of topics for whole-class problem solving, for the generation of ideas, for the formulating and testing of hypotheses, discussion of results and social application. So going to school every day was a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety. I didn't learn well. In the math and and sciences from not being teacher taught. Those are my two struggles and I needed someone to verbally explain or actually teach me the material because that was the point that was missing was actually being taught the material. You know, it just was a very different experience and there's just so much pressure, so much pressure.

And there's just so much pressure, so much pressure. The self-directed learning style is just one aspect of accelerated Christian education that's attracted criticism. The content itself has been widely discredited because all information is filtered through a heavy evangelical Christian worldview that promotes scientific misinformation and encourages judgment and discrimination. And later in this series, we'll explore how it is that a curriculum that is not accredited with any Canadian departments of education is still being used in independent schools like Legacy Christian Academy and why the Saskatchewan government not only permits it,

but allocates public taxpayer money to subsidize it. So when Pastor Keith Johnson established the school known as Legacy Christian Academy in 1982, he introduced accelerated Christian education as the curriculum, and his self-published child training seminar as the doctrine for discipline. In it, he poses the question, what is the purpose in spanking our children? He answers, quote, primarily, it is to teach them that sin is wrong, that sin is always punished, and that sin always hurts them more sin is always punished, and that

sin always hurts them more than anyone else. Therefore, if we're going to make a believer out of them, we're going to need to ensure that the punishment is severe enough to make a lasting impression. Occasionally, proper discipline may leave wells. This became the standard for discipline in both the school and its affiliate church, and copies were sold in the church and its affiliate church, and copies were sold in the church gift shop alongside Bibles and a selection of wooden paddles and a variety of shapes and sizes.

In Saskatchewan schools at the time, corporal punishment with an implement was legal, but changes were coming down the pipeline. Six years after Pastor Keith Johnson established the school now known as Legacy Christian Academy, the Saskatchewan government tightened up the laws around corporal punishment. The practice would only continue to be legal if four strict guidelines were met. Corporal punishment would only be permitted on children aged 2 to 12, the punishment had to be immediate and appropriate to the infraction, and an implement was not allowed to be used, so no more straps, canes or wooden paddles.

Those changes came into effect in 1988, but many of the allegations made by former students were about incidents that happened in the 1990s and early 2000s. And what's worse, they also alleged that the practice continued past 2004 when the Supreme Court of Canada outlawed corporal punishment entirely. The following details and stories come from a publicly available legal statement of claim,

filed on behalf of former students at the school known as Legacy Christian Academy and miners who attended the church known as Mile 2 Church. You can find a link to this document in the show notes. One passage describes the integration of the church and school as a total institution. A place where a large number of individuals cut off from wider society together lead an enclosed, formally-administered life that integrates conservative Christianity, heterosexuality, subservience to authority, and corporal punishment. The passage goes on to state that the school and church strove for, demanded, and required compliance to its rules by breaking the wills of students

and minors through various forms of violence. Again, the following allegations haven't been tested in court. Former students of Legacy Christian Academy have alleged they were physically punished, beaten on the buttocks or thighs on numerous occasions for various reasons ranging from cheating and talking back to refusing a teacher's request to pray in front of the class or not completing their homework. Other infractions included talking negatively about the school or church, questioning decisions made by leadership and not disclosing two leadership when others talked negatively.

Students alleged they were punished for listening to music not approved by the school or church, and if they refused to participate in church activities. It was also against the rules to socialize with anyone other than those who attended the school or church. The allegations included being forced to witness or listen to their peers being beaten. A calculated strategy that not only served as a deterrent, but further shamed, humiliated and degraded the child being punished. It was a form of torture. And the way a student reacts during the administration of their own corporal punishment comes with a strict set of expectations. Former students have alleged that failure to cry was seen as a refusal to accept the punishment, and this resulted in more punishment.

Some students alleged they were subjected to invasive inspections of their buttocks to make sure there was no hidden padding there. In one case, a student accused of cheating didn't cry during his corporal punishment, and alleged he was told to pull down his pants. When he refused and swore at the administrator, he was expelled and ex-communicated or kicked out. And about that, former students also alleged that if they communicated with individuals who have been ex-communicated, they faced physical punishment. They also alleged that they were insulted, degraded, demeaned and humiliated for failing to achieve academic athletic or other performance standards, which have been described as being un reasonably

high. 80% was required just to pass a test. All students were expected to squeeze themselves into the same cookie cutter shape, with little to no deviation from the expected standard and harsh consequences for not achieving it. Because every human is different, some students found it easier or more natural to conform to certain standards. But for others, including students who are neurodiverse or who have physical or learning disabilities. It's an impossible square peg in a round-hole situation,

which can put them at a significant disadvantage. There are allegations that some teachers or supervisors at Legacy Christian Academy refuse to provide additional assistance when asked by a student who needed it. And when students with special needs weren't able to achieve the high performance standards, one teacher allegedly imposed isolating and repetitive tasks on them. There are little to no considerations or accommodations, but physical punishment was always present, according to these allegations. In fact, Pastor Keith Johnson's child training manual has a passage that specifically references

how to deal with hyperactive children, which today would likely fall under the umbrella of ADHD or autism. He wrote, quote, me a spanking. I wasn't nearly as hyperactive after he got through with me. We apply the same standards of response to hyperactive children in our Christian school, and the problem isn't a problem for long." It's not surprising that anecdotally, a significant number of former students who have spoken out about their experiences have also described themselves as independent, curious, a free spirit, and many report being diagnosed with ADHD. But at school, they were simply the naughty kids.

Other allegations include punishments of isolation and solitary confinement. Some students alleged they weren't allowed to leave class or church to go to the bathroom. And if this led to them having an accident, they weren't allowed to change into clean, dry clothes. That's just a broad indication of what multiple former students and miners have alleged they experienced or observed at Legacy Christian Academy and Mile 2 Church. And unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The statement of claims details particularly egregious incidents involving two former students who lived next to each other and were best friends, Caitlin Erickson and Koi Nolan. Both were among the group of students who alleged they were beaten on the buttocks or thighs

on numerous occasions. Koi Nolan alleges that in the year 2000, when he was 11 years old, the then principal of the school, Duff Friesen, bent him over a chair and struck him hard on the buttocks three times, while another teacher observed, his, telling inappropriate jokes. This next incident took place three years later. Kaitlyn Erickson was on the Senior Girls volleyball team, and in the fall of 2003, they played a tournament before heading to an event at church where there was a special guest speaker. Kaitlyn says she and a couple of her teammates were caught whispering and giggling, a serious

infraction. Even though this happened to church, the punishment came at school on Monday. That's how closely they were intertwined as one institution. Caitlin and several other former students all alleged that a majority of the female volleyball team were lined up in the auditorium, and berated by then-principled Duff-freezing, school director John Ola-Babokin, as well as a female coach. After that, Catelyn alleges she and the other students were taken one by one into a side room by the two male staff, where they were beaten with a wooden paddle with an earshot of their

teammates. Caitlin had only just started grade 11 at the time. She was only 16 years old. In a later investigation by Jason Warwick for CBC News, two other students confirmed this incident, including the volleyball team Captain Christina Hutchinson, who described the paddle as something that looked like a canoe or, quote, "'Adult men doing that to a bunch of teenage girls, it was so cruel, they were all crying, but I was so angry I didn't

cry." Both Caitlyn and Christina told CBC News that most girls ended up with marks and bruises on their buttocks that spread as far as the back of their knees. Christina's sister, Stephanie, added that some sessions were so vigorous that paddles broke and had to be duct taped back together. Quote, I remember a week later we were comparing bruises in the locker room and saying, Oh, he must have been tired on you because yours isn't nearly as bad as mine. The year after that was 2004, and Caitlin Erickson's best friend and neighbour, Koi Nolan,

was in hospital recovering from an illness. By this point, John Oliver Bolken was now the principal of the school, and he showed up as a visitor and proceeded to surmise or lecture-coi as he recovered in hospital. The 15-year-old asked his principal to leave, but a nurse had to arrange to have him removed. Evidently, John Olibobokin was greatly angered and possibly embarrassed by this situation. Koy Nolan alleged that he was spanked six times as punishment, while another teacher witnessed. And then, Caitlin Erickson says the principal called her to his office, and asked her to give him the name of the nurse who kicked him out of the hotel room.

Refusing to provide satisfactory answers to inquiries by church or school leadership is another punishable offense, and Caitlin alleged he paddled her six times for refusing to give up the nurse's name. That same year, 2004, Principal John Ola-Babokin heard a rumor that Koi Nolan had been engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with another male student. This set off a series of incidents that led to an extremely traumatic event. But before we get to that, a little background information about the beliefs held by this church and school, because it helps to put the allegations of abuse

into context. Christianity is a huge religion with many different denominations and branches, ranging from moderate to fundamentalist, and they can often be differentiated by how literally they take the Bible, how strict their rules are, and how heavily their beliefs are influenced by supernatural elements. The school's parent organization, Mile 2 Church, describes itself as non-denominational on its website, and its stated beliefs appear to align with Evangelical Christianity, a branch that focuses on the supernatural and spirit world.

We've all seen Evangelical Church services on TV. They're lively, particularly during the music or praise and worship part of the service. Where you'll see anything from people singing with their eyes closed and hands raised, to others dancing or lying down in the aisles. The goal is for congregants and visitors to have a personal experience with the Holy Spirit, which is basically the divine energy of God, and it's believed that this can lead to spiritual gifts, like speaking in tongues which is the practice of repeating words or speech-like sounds similar to an unknown foreign language that they believe is the

secret language of God. Here is a very brief clip of a few people speaking in tongues. You might have remembered this first lady, Paula White, who was associated with Donald Trump. Here's another one. So speaking in tongues is just one spiritual gift that evangelical Christians believe they can receive from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Others include prophecy or the ability to see into the future, the ability to perform miracles and lay hands

on a person to heal them, and the ability to be able to see into the Spirit world. And that's where the dark side of supernatural beliefs come in. Evangelicals believe in the second coming of Christ, also known as the rapture, end times, apocalypse. But because their believers, God will spare them from this awful time by lifting them up and bringing them to heaven. But with heaven and angels, there must also be hell and demons.

There's the fear of burning there for all eternity, demonic possession, and the belief that Satan, often referred to as the enemy, is always working behind the scenes to sabotage Christian efforts and the work of God. Now as for how one might avoid going to hell, evangelicals and similar Christian branches believe that Jesus accepted the punishment for all of our sins when he died on the cross. They call this the gift of salvation, but it's like a contract. The gift needs to be accepted for it to be valid, and the way to do that is to become a born-again Christian, get baptized in the Holy Spirit, and follow selected teachings

from the Bible, which are often interpreted literally as a strict set of rules. Many Christian denominations are inherently patriarchal, with men at the very top of the hierarchy, along with God. Evangelical Christianity takes this even further, encouraging and often enforcing traditional stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, in the belief that God intended set roles for men and women. Strong, manly men who lead, protect, and provide, with sweet feminine women who support and submit.

A big feature of Evangel evangelical Christianity is purity culture, often thought of as the practice of not having pre-marital sex, and the belief that this abstinence will be rewarded by God. Many evangelicals believe that male testosterone is a gift from God, a surge of energy that helps man fulfill their important duties. But on the flip side, that testosterone also makes them a bit dangerous, because they may not be able to control their violent or sexual thoughts. The good thing for them is, no one asks them to, because that's where the women come

in. They're warned to not be a stumbling block that trips a man on his pathway to God, so they're expected to dress modestly and act in a way that doesn't inspire sexual thoughts, feelings, and actions in the men. That's of course an oversimplified explanation, but it gives you a better idea of what the church likely believes, which is very important because legacy Christian Academy is run by the church. They both share the same building, and they rely heavily on the same viewpoints and teachings. But purity culture is actually much more than trying to regulate sex. It's an interconnected system that regulates sexuality itself via a bunch of strict social rules.

For example, former students of Legacy Christian Academy report that not only was any form of dating prohibited right up until grade 12, but they alleged they were corporally punished, just for being caught within six inches of a member of the opposite sex. And that's the other thing. Purity culture reinforces the belief that marriage should be strictly between a man and a woman. This is why anti-LGBTQ plus sentiment is common in evangelical and similar Christian branches. Similar to corporal punishment, many believe that certain interpretations of the Bible indicate that being gay is a sin and a learned behavior or a choice, and it must be condemned wherever

possible. Former students of legacy Christian Academy report that exhibiting or even condoning homosexuality is a punishable offense. In fact, they alleged they faced punishment just for having knowledge of homosexual sentiment or behavior in others and failing to condemn it. So that's why when principal John John Olibobokin heard the rumors that Koi Nolan was in a consensual gay relationship with another student, he took swift action. And as part of his investigation, he again hauled Kaitlyn Erickson into his office. John Alibabokin would bring me in for these really bizarre interrogations where he would

ask me a question, but it wasn't a question. It was a statement. And he'd say things like, you're going to tell me about the comics Koi has in his room. And like, I had to play dumb, you know, but he was constantly taking me out of class and having these weird interrogations. And he would ask me like all different things about different students. And I just be like, yeah, I'm no idea we were talking about like no clue. And he was never getting the reaction out of me

that he wanted. And he's like, I can't read you. And that would really bother him. And he'd get really worked up. And he'd start pounding his fists in his desk. And he's like, Doctor, what are you thinking? And he's like screaming at me. And after, you know, dealing with him for a few times, I did develop this ability to shut down emotionally when I was in front of him. And I look at him and

like I would say nothing and I would be expressing nothing. And that would just send him into a tail spin because he wasn't getting a reaction out of me. And then it started to be like, oh, okay, so this is like you get off on getting a reaction out of kids when you're abusing them. So then it was like, well, I'm not giving you that. Of course, the principal also called Koi Nolan himself into his office to confront him personally about the rumors.

Koi was just 15 years old at the time himself into his office to confront him personally about the rumors. Koi was just 15 years old at the time, engroupling with his own sexuality. He would tell CBC News that the principal called him evil and interrogated him for several hours to get him to reveal the identity of the other student. At the end, Koi was told he was suspended from the school, and that there would be more efforts to try and cure him. He was told he'd have to take it like a man. A few days later, Principal John Oliver Boken visited Koi Nolan's home, accompanied by his wife Simbo, as well as another teacher then called Garrett Johnson.

That's Keith Johnson's stepson and his wife. Koi Nolan and his mother Carolyn would tell CBC News that they only agreed to the home visit because they assumed it was to discuss Koi's suspension from the school. They were mistaken. Carolyn said almost immediately after they entered her home, quote, quote, quote, quote,

quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote,

quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, Coise homosexuality as an abomination for which Coe would go to hell. Coe says John Ola-Babokin bent him over his lap and spanked him with a large wooden paddle, hard enough to leave him bruised and limping while the other three adults witnessed. According to the statement of Claim, the four adults then allegedly put their hands on

15-year-old Koi and began a ritual where they prayed for the gay demons to leave him. They started speaking in tongues, which CBC News described as yelling, grunting, and making other unintelligible sounds. Koi's mother Carolyn said she cried in the corner of the room while this continued for over an hour. Quote, This was abuse. This was a hate crime.

This exorcism didn't work. So John Oliver Bolken allegedly instructed Carolyn to move her son to Edmonton, to send him to a special church that could help fix his problem, which of course was that he was gay. This proposed solution likely involved conversion therapy, which is the use of harmful, emotional and physical techniques designed to do the impossible, make a gay person straight. Conversion therapy has been widely rejected by medical and mental health professionals, not only because it doesn't work, but it's also discriminatory and

downright dangerous. Koi's mother Carolyn told CBC News that there had been other warning signs over the years, like when Koi and other students were forced to attend protests against gay marriage legislation. But she admitted she ignored these warning signs, because her whole life was connected to the church and school, her friends, family, finances, and the future of her children. When it comes to total institutions involving a church and school like this, it's not an uncommon story. When your entire life revolves around a closed-off environment with a culture of fear, shame and secrecy, not to mention eternal damnation, leaving can be extremely difficult.

But Carolyn Nolan says this exorcism was the last straw. She described it as one of the worst days of her life, and she made the decision to take her kids and leave. Quote, chest. It was the best thing I ever did. Back to Caitlin Erickson. The following year was 2005, and she was trying to get through grade 12 without her best friend, Koi. During that year, she says she was accused multiple times of having an attitude or not trying hard enough. And alleged she was given a punishment of six paddles on several different occasions. On one of those occasions, she says the paddle struck her in the leg, which caused her to limp at volleyball practice. Again, Caitlin was in grade 12.

She alleges that in response to her limping, her coach isolated her from the group to perform additional, strenuous exercise by herself. Isolation and solitary confinement was a common punishment, according to former students. One of those students, Sean Codelmac, told CBC News that when he grew frustrated with the curriculum and began to talk back to the teacher, he was put in solitary confinement for two weeks at a desk in a small windowless room. He also alleged he was paddled multiple times. The statement of claim also includes allegations of a sexual nature, involving several employees, agents and representatives of the school and church, now known as Legacy Christian Academy

and Mile 2 Church. There's the sporting coach who was alleged to have engaged in sexual relationships with students and minors who attended the school and church. More on him in part 2. There's the teacher who was alleged to have inappropriately touched a 12-year-old girl in a sexual manner almost daily. There's the Sunday school teacher who allegedly persuaded the young girls he was teaching to go with him to the bathroom, where he would put candy

on his penis and ask the girl to take it. On some occasions, he was alleged to have cut the pockets out of his pants and told the girls to reach inside and see what surprise I have for you. Another allegation involves a children's director of the church who would come down to the school and 5 at the time. The statement of claim also details how the church and school leadership responded after a young female student disclosed she'd been sexually abused in her home. The girl was just 4 to 6 years of age. Quote, church and school leadership repeatedly stated to the girl and to members of the congregation of the church that the young girl had seduced her abuser, that the young girl

needed healing sessions to deliver her from the spirit of lust, and that Satan had a direct hand in her conception. They told her she was impure, caused man to stumble, and would go to hell for eternal punishment. In church, Pastor Keith Johnson brought the girl up in front of the entire congregation for one of these healing sessions, where he quote, laid hands on her and spoken tongues to exercise the demons. Another healing session was with an elder of the church,

who was also vice principal and director of the school at a time. It's alleged that while he was praying over this little girl, he placed his hand inside her underwear and then placed her hand on his crotch. He then paddled her while touching her buttocks underneath her underwear and then placed her hand on his crotch. He then paddled her while touching her buttocks underneath her underwear, causing waltz and bruising. Again, she was just 4-6 years old, and it's even more shocking to think that all of this was alleged to have happened after and as a result of her disclosure that she'd been sexually abused in her home.

As well as all these allegations of sexual, physical and spiritual abuse, the former students alleged they were subjected to psychological, mental and emotional harm. Fear was used as a form of control, and students alleged they were yelled at, screamed at, and frightened with intentional, loud, unexpected noises. Kaitlyn alleged that principal John Oliver Boken would scream in her face to intimidate her while she was seated in his office. There was so much fear in so many different areas, so they created a fear of anybody outside of our congregation or anybody outside the school. They would tell us like they're going to try and take you away from your parents when just making sure that nobody felt comfortable talking to

anybody outside of our little bubble. If you have no fear, there's no control, right? So it's like you go to school and you're fearful that you're gonna get in trouble. You're fearful because you're being demanded as a child to perform such excellence and to be this perfect version of their version of Christianity and their version of what the perfect Christian child looks like.

So there's that like incredible stress and anxiety on you. And then you know if there's one misstep, you're going to get beaten. So there's that layer of anxiety. And then there's the constant barrage of like, you're going to hell if you do one misstep, you know, you have to be the perfect Christian. According to the statement of claim, teachers and school employees would also refuse to assist rebellious or bad students with their schoolwork. Kaitlyn alleged that they told other students that she was a bad egg and implied she was

worthy of humiliation, scorn, and ridicule. When you're a young person, there's already that pressure. You're going through puberty, you're all the different social dynamics, but then you add this layer on and jokingly but not. We've said, yeah, there was mild bullying going on. There was normal things that went on, peer to peer,

but 99% of the bullying was done by the staff to the students. There was also this environment where, if you knew somebody did something wrong and you didn't say something, you were also punished the same as the person that did it. So they created this very toxic environment where you had kids that basically had to learn either to

like turn everything off so that they didn't accidentally witness somebody doing something or you had kids that had to learn to lie and manipulate to not get into trouble or you had kids that were throwing under kids under the bus constantly. So it just creates this really toxic and unhealthy pure dynamic. I asked Kaitlyn if she ever realized that what she was experiencing was abuse at the time. There was certain times where it was like this is not okay, like this isn't normal, but they had for years and years told us everything that they were doing was legal.

They were like, it's legal, it's a privilege to be here, but at the same time, they were saying things were legal, they were making statements like, we don't follow man's law, we follow God's law. And I mean, I knew that what had happened was wrong because I'm like feeling the effects of it. And it's like, if this was healthy and normal, I wouldn't be still having these effects.

The church assigned counselors to the youths and Kaitlyn did try to report what was happening. I did a lute to the one counselor. I didn't tell the full story too, but I did definitely indicate that I had been sexually offended against, but didn't go into details with. And basically her response was, you need to keep that to yourself.

And I don't really think that it happened the way you're saying it happened. Maybe you're remembering wrong, and then she was just like, you need to just keep it to yourself and give it to God. And don't ever talk about that again. The statement of claim describes these youth counselors as unqualified and incompetent. And alleges that the true motivation for installing them was not to help the students, but to maintain the concealment of allegations

of sexual abuse and keep them secret. After this, Caitlyn says another student told her about a similar incident, allegedly involving sexual abuse at the hands of the same individual, and it appeared that the student was having a mental health crisis over it. Concerned, Caitlyn reported to a different counselor who promised to inform the pastor's wife. The message that came back to Caitlin was assurance that the matter would be handled with a clear instruction not to discuss it further. Eventually, she was hauled into the director's office and asked to apologize to the parents of the individual at the center of the sexual allegations, for making a good family look bad and for spreading lies.

She says that today, there are over 10 alleged victims of this one individual. I ask Caitlin if she ever considered reporting her alleged abuse to anyone outside the church. Yeah, so when I was in high school, I used to walk across the library and they used to have a public phone there. And so I had called Saskatoon police a few times. I'd also talked to someone at social services a few times and I'd said, this is what's going on. And they were like, just get your parents to take you out.

And I'm like, you're not understanding. Like, it's even if I'm out, this is happening to other people. And then Sashtoon, please, wanted me to come down and give a statement. And I was like, I don't have any way to get there. Like, I can't come down and make a statement without my parents knowing. So it just, yeah, wasn't taken seriously. Kaitlyn also had a family connection to a local media personality, so she approached him. I told them everything that was going on and he was like, well, we can do a story, but you have to go on the record.

And I was like, well, I can't because then I'll be kicked out and will be allowed to see my siblings. By this point, she was starting to get despondent. The prospect of going to hell started to seem preferable to finishing grade 12. I definitely went through that in my grade 12 year where it was, I would prefer to not be alive than continue this because it just, there was just no light at the end of the tunnel. And even though I was graduating, it was the next step was everyone was required

to go to Bible college for two years. So you're still in that building for another two years. And I was like, if I stay here, like I am not going to continue living. And I didn't have, because we never talked about mental health, we kind of knew what suicide was, but not really. But I wanted to die, but I didn't have the full understanding

of what that meant, I guess, at that point. Kaitlyn says the school was even harsh on the parents, describing how her own mother was treated by principal John Oliver Bolken and other school employees for trying to stand up for her. One example stemmed from an expectation that students would stay on at the school after grade 12 and pay tuition for two additional years of their post-secondary Bible College program.

So, I had not registered for faith college and my teacher kept putting the registration on my desk. And so it would be there a couple times a week and I'd like toss it out. You know, I was like, I'm not registering for Faith College. And so they tried to use like a family member to, you know, try and manipulate me into going. And I just was like, nope, I'm not doing this. And then I think at one point they had contacted my mom and was like, why hasn't she filled out the forums and my mom's like, nope, I'm not doing this. And then I think at one point, they had contacted my mom and was like, why hasn't she filled out the forums and my mom's like, because she's not going to faith college. Like, I'm the parent, I've decided she's not doing that.

So they were very verbally and emotionally and psychologically abusive to her as well. More so in my grade 12 year, she really tried to stand up for me and she buried the brunt. Kaitlin says trying to control the parents as well as the kids was a common tactic for the school administration, particularly when John Oliver Boken was a director and principal. They took the power away from the parents even to parent their kids and this guy was making the decisions. And because of his power, he was able to be like, no, I've heard from God that your child

is supposed to do this or I've heard from God that your family is supposed to do this. And he was a very scary man and like he was physically abusive to my stepdad and this is like the director of my school. So as a child watching that, it's like, for sure I have no voice, but then watching adults have no voice, it's very, very scary. And so again, it's that fear that keeps everybody in line. It worked for years and years,

even after the students left or graduated from the school and went their separate ways. But there's one thing that these church and school officials couldn't have banked on. In the years after high school, many former students would end up in therapy to make sense of their childhoods and they would eventually find their way back to each other. And then, there would be a reckoning. That's where we'll leave it for Part 1. Thanks so much for listening and special thanks to Caitlin Erickson and all the former students

who have come forward so far. In Part 2, we follow Kate's journey after she graduates. As a series of events lead to her having a light-bowl moment about her experiences at school, and then, she makes a shocking discovery that motivates her to come forward to the police with an official statement. All it takes is one, and then there's a domino effect. And as of just this week, criminal charges have now been laid on four people, formerly in a position of authority at Legacy Christian Academy and Mile 2 Church, and it looks likely that there are more to come.

We'll cover all the new details that have come out with these criminal charges and explore how the school and church leadership responded to all of this. Spoiler alert, Pastor Keith Johnson is trying to evade the authorities, and Caitlin Erickson has been the victim of online and offline harassment that included her house being set on fire. All that and so much more is in part two, which will be available in a week. And if you're a premium feed subscriber, it'll be available at least 24 hours early. Now while you're waiting, I highly recommend the Legacy of Abuse podcast.

Started just this year by Caitlin and three other former students. They delved deeper than the main headlines, and there are quite a few special guests who speak to their own experiences as well. So that's the legacy of abuse podcast. See the show notes for a link to it and some other resources. The pursuit of a class-action lawsuit involves significant financial costs, including legal fees, court costs and expert witness expenses. Every cent helps. If you can help, consider joining us in donating to a GoFundMe set up by the former students. Again, there's a link in the show notes.

This series relies on the class-action lawsuit statement of claim and the work of journalists, particularly Jason Warwick for CBC News. To read more and see the full list of resources, see the show notes or visit the page for this series at canadiantruecrime.ca Audio editing was by We Talk of Dreams, who composed the theme songs. Production assistance was by Jesse Hawke, with script consulting by Carol Weinberg. Research, writing, narration, and sound design was by me, and the disclaimer was voiced by Eric Crosby.

I'll be back soon with part two. See you then. you you