Monday, December 19, 2022

"Pastor" Ken and Valentina Peters: Two Churches; One Grift

 

Ken and Valentina Peters


Those who have followed us for a while should be familiar with disgraced Washington State Rep Matt Shea. If you remember, Shea was a state representative when the Rampart Group reported that Shea had participated in several armed uprisings against both local and federal governments.  

We tell you this to introduce today's topic: Ken and Valentina Peters. After leaving Covenant Church Spokane to form The Church at Planned Parenthood, Peters named Matt Shea as head pastor. Eventually, Shea was fired and started up On Fire Ministries and Kingdom Academy.

Ken Peters: The Church at Planned Parenthood

Ken Peters left Covenant Church Spokane to found The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP).  

Not a church in the traditional sense, TCAPP is more of a gaggle of Christofascists that like to hang out around Planned Parenthood clinics. 

In a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho, Peters and his group (then Covenant Church Spokane) were accused of holding "services" along the clinic's sidewalk. The services were so loud that they interfered with the clinic's operations. Further, TCAPP members harassed and attempted to block patients and employees from entering the Planned Parenthood Clinic. 

A judge agreed in September 2021 and ordered a temporary injunction forcing the group to move at least 35 feet away from the clinic. Further, the group was barred from making noise between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  


TCAPP on the Move

Perhaps because Peters was trying to avoid court or perhaps because of his connection with fellow Hate "Preacher" Greg Locke (an initial board member of TCAPP), Ken took his church to Knoxville, Tennessee. He apparently registered the church in Tennessee as a branch of the original Washington church; however, his license was revoked. 

As Peters moved to Knoxville, according to an article in Rolling Stone, Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, claims that violence towards a clinic in Knoxville increased dramatically.

In his first TCAPP sermon in Knoxville, Peters called the event "a seed that is being planted... spark[ing] a fire revival in the south."  After, he prayed "that every fire  of heaven would come against this [Planned Parenthood Clinic] building, and would come against this organization, and would come against this evil [abortion], In Jesus's name."

The following month, someone shot out the windows of the Knoxville clinic.

Less than a year later, the Knoxville Planned Parenthood clinic burned. The cause is reportedly arson.

Ken Peters denies any involvement with the fire. He told Rolling Stone, "We have never, ever endorsed or been proponents of anything illegal. We're just exercising our first amendment right to peaceful assembly, praying and singing..."


Another Church and Valentina Gets a Real Title; Patriot Church and Covenant Christian School

Covenant Church Spokane seems to have disappeared after Matt Shea was fired. Surprise! It didn't!
 

Ken just renamed it to Patriot Church (and Christian Academy)

Ken also opened a small branch in Knoxville, Tennessee. 



In his series of sermons, "How Satan Destroys the World," Peters claims that The United States is a "Christian" Nation, "Don't let the mainstream media or the left tell you that we are not a Christian nation. You know why there's churches everywhere and not mosques? Because we're a Christian Nation." He continues to jump from topic to topic, complaining about "demonic democrats," LGBTQ+ rights, vaccines, and Trump. "You know he's [Biden] not the most popular president in America. How many Biden parades did you see? Yeah, he beat Trump with 70 million? Give me a break. We know something's up."

"Pastor" Ken Peters is dangerous. His warped interpretation of the Bible is an existential threat to the country, and his brainwashed followers are just as dangerous. While he may not have shot at and then burned a Planned Parenthood clinic, his rhetoric arguably had "planted the seed." Further, his continued denigration and hate aimed at our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters threaten their lives. 

All of the Peters' Businesses