Canadian True Crime - The Legacy Christian Academy Scandal [1]

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

A three-part series — 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.*Additional 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.Look out for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast.Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes 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 coarse 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 two will be available in a week and for those subscribed to a premium feed, it will be available ad-free 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 minors, and mention of anti-LGBQ 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 and 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. 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 Independence 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 well-being of students, but also their right to a proper public education.

We'll take you through the bizarre world of accelerated Christian education, or ACE, the controversial U.S.-based homeschool 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 taxpayer 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 organisation, 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. Don't permit any wiggling around or jumping around. Don't allow any predispin' unwilling. 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 repeated.

in a set precise manner. And 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, an 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 Centre Academy, a school affiliated with the church then known as Saskatoon Christian Centre 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 homeschool curriculum. Perhaps the most prominent of the homeschool 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. ACE'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 set up? 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 ACE schools and you see the pictures of schools in the Philippines, in 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 in their little cubicle. 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'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 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 decades 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 rote recall or memorization as a 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 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. 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 subsidise 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 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 welts. This became the standard for discipline in both the school and its affiliate church, and copies were sold in the church gift shop alongside. Bibles and a selection of wooden paddles in 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 age 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 minors 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, formerly 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 to 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. 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 excommunicated or kicked out.

And about that, former students also alleged that if they communicated with individuals who have been excommunicated, 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 unreasonably 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 refused 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, When I was a child, I often wanted to run through the house, jump on the furniture, yell at my parents, and be ill-mannered at the table. But my dad hadn't been trained in the handling of hyperactive children. At such times, how I would have loved some medication. But dad didn't

know he was supposed to give me medication. Instead, he gave 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 minors 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 Coy Nolan. Both were among the group of students who alleged they were beaten on the buttocks or thighs on numerous occasions.

Coy Nolan alleges that in the year 2000 when he was 11 years old, The then-princible of the school, Duff Friesen, bent him over a chair and struck him hard on the buttocks three times, while another teacher observed. His sin, telling inappropriate jokes. This next incident took place three years later. Caitlin 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. Caitlin says she and a couple of her teammates were caught whispering and giggling, a serious infraction. Even though this happened at church, the punishment came at school on Monday. That's how closely they were intertwined as one institution. Caitlin and several other former students

allege that a majority of the female volleyball team were lined up in the auditorium and berated by then-principle Duff Friesen, school director John Oliver Boken, as well as a female coach. After that, Caitlin 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 oar. 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 Caitlin 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, Coy Nolan, was in hospital recovering from an illness. By this point, John Oliver Boken was now

the principal of the school, and he showed up as a visitor and proceeded to sermonise or lecture coy as he recovered in hospital. The 15-year-old asked his principal to leave, but a nurse had to arranged to have him removed. Evidently, John Oliver Boken was greatly angered and possibly embarrassed by this situation. Coy 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 offence, and Caitlin alleged he paddled her six times for refusing to give up the nurse's name.

That same year 2004, Principal John Oliver Bolkin heard a rumor that Coy 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 says, 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 time. 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 they're 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 evangelical Christianity is purity culture, often thought of as the practice of not having premarital 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 men 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-LGB 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 Oliver Bolkin heard the rumors that Coy Nolan was in a consensual gay relationship with another student, he took swift action. And as part of his investigation, he again hauled Caitlin Erickson into his office. John Oliver Bolkin 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 have no idea what you're 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, talk to him. 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'd look at him and like, I would say nothing and I would be expressing nothing.

And that would just send him into a tailspin 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 Coy Nolan himself into his office to confront him personally about the rumors. Coy was just 15 years old at the time in grappling 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, Coy 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 Coy 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. Coy Nolan and his mother Carolyn would tell CBC News that they only agreed to the home visit because they assumed it was to discuss Coy's suspension from the school. They were mistaken. Carolyn said almost immediately after they entered her home, quote,

I was no longer in control, I was pushed aside. The statement of claim alleges the principal segregated calls. from his mother, and quote, referred to Koi's homosexuality as an abomination for which Koi would go to hell. Koi says John Oliver Bolkin 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 Bolkin 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.

Coy's mother Carolyn told CBC News that there had been other warning signs over the years, like when Coy and other students were forced to attend protest 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, We left and never looked back.

It was like a thousand pound weight lifted from my 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 three. 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 Codlemack, 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 two. 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 remove a young female student to bring back to his office, where he would quote, expose his penis to them and force them to perform fallatio on him. This allegedly occurred several times to at least one girl,

who was in grades 3, 4 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 men 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 spoke in time. 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, causing welts and bruising. Again, she was just four to six 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. Caitlin 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 going to 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 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. Caitlin 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, all the different social dynamics, but then you add this layer on and, you know, jokingly, but not. We've said like, yeah, there was mild bullying going on. Like, there was normal things that went

on peer to peer, but like 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 peer dynamic. I asked Caitlin 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 counsellors to the youths and katelyn did try to report what was happening i did allude to the one counselor i didn't tell the full story to 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 counsellors 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, Caitlin 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, Caitlin reported to a different counsellor, 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 asked 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 to 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 Saskatoon Police 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. Caitlin also had a family connection to a local media personality. So she approached him.

I told him 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 won't be allowed to see my siblings. By this point, she was starting to get to. 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, then 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. Katelyn says the school was even harsh on the parents, describing how her own mother was treated by principal John Oliver Boken 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, 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 bared the brunt. Caitlin says trying to control the parents as well as the kids was a common tactic for the school administration,

particularly when John Oliver Bolkin was 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 one. Thanks so much for listening and special thanks to Caitlin Erickson and all the former students who have come forward so far. In part two, we follow Kate's journey after she graduates as a series of events lead to her having a light bulb 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 ad-free 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 delve 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 cost. 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 Canadian True Crime.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 2. See you then.