Perry Stone (minister)

Stone began preaching at the age of 16. He credits Pentecostal minister T.L. Lowery, who pastored two Church of God congregations in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Washington, D. C., as his role model and mentor.[5][6][7]

Stone founded the Voice of Evangelism Outreach Ministries (VOE) in 1985.[4] Parts of VOE include the Omega Center International Conference Center, The Ramp Church, and the International School of the Word, an online school offering Bible classes. His weekly Manna-fest with Perry Stone TV program, which focuses on Biblical prophecy, began airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 2000.[8][4][9]

Stone describes his theology as threefold:

1. "There comes a time of end; not the end of time, but a time of the end. . . . there is a time of the end and an end generation."
2. "There are specific signs [in the Bible] indicating when that generation is come."
3. His mission "is to preach those signs to encourage people to come to know Jesus Christ."[8]

Stone teaches that taking Communion daily can bring emotional, physical, and spiritual healing.[4]

Over the years, Stone has claimed to have received prophetic visions about significant events, such as George W. Bush being elected president, the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, and Osama Bin Laden's death.[4] Stone has also taught and confirmed the belief that the Cherokee people possess a unique spiritual heritage associated with the Lost Tribes of Israel.[10][11]

In October 2015, Stone alleged that there was a congressional effort under way to criminalize anti-gay speech and actions taken by pastors and churches, leading to fines and imprisonment.[12]

In December 2015, Stone claimed that ISIS had placed sleeper cells across the southeastern United States and that the organization had warehouses full of weapons in all fifty states.[13]

In a 2018 appearance on evangelist Jim Bakker’s television program, Stone claimed that a government intelligence officer, who was a member of his father's church in northern Virginia, possessed the true knowledge of the Watergate scandal. According to Stone, the person responsible for Watergate was still alive, and if the truth came out, it would destroy the Democratic party.[14]

In 2018, Stone claimed to have information about 64,000 emails that proved that the Democratic party conspired with Russia to defeat Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.[15] He also accused anti-Trump Democrats of being demon possessed and of "trying to place hexes and curses" on Trump.[16]

In a 2018 sermon, Stone pronounced his belief in a "deep state" of globalists who controlled the world's economy and religions. He also stated that an unnamed billionaire told him that globalist political leaders were Luciferians who prayed to Satan before dinner.[17]

In March 2020, Stone described the COVID-19 virus as God's punishment for abortion, the lack of prayer in public schools, and same-sex marriage. He also alleged that it was an attempt to eliminate older, conservative people in the southeastern United States who opposed the Mark of the Beast so that socialism and communism could take over the United States. Additionally, he said that a government supercomputer "666" was working on a cure. At the same time, Stone dismissed the virus as "media hype, God's retribution on the Chinese," and an excuse for the U.S. government "to implement widespread surveillance of citizens" via the implanting of a microchip that would serve as the Mark of the Beast.[18]

Stone was ridiculed in 2019 after a video clip circulated of a church service he was leading, which showed him checking his cellphone while speaking in tongues. Stone defended himself by explaining that he was texting a friend whose wife had cancer so that she would know he and his congregation were praying for her.[19]

In April 2020, the Voice of Evangelism board of directors reportedly received letters from eleven individuals, nine of whom were women connected to Stone's ministry, that detailed allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Actions stipulated in the letters included "groping, showing that he was aroused while fully clothed and rubbing himself, asking women in his ministry about their breasts, kissing the women on the neck and lips, asking them to kiss him in similar ways, messaging them to send him pictures and asking them to massage him."[20] According to another report, Stone admitted to having "acted inappropriately with female employees," which he attributed to stress.[21] Stone issued a statement that said, "I have asked God and my precious wife Pam to forgive me. And I humbly and sincerely ask those who are hurt or offended by my actions to also forgive me. It is my hope that by the grace of God we will all be able to walk in healing and restoration."[22] The board of directors instructed Stone to take a sabbatical for actions "that deviated from the biblical standards set in place for VOE leadership."[23] The forced sabbatical included "professional counseling, medical care, removal from social media and absence from ministry for between six and 12 months."[20]

In December 2021, a Chattanooga, Tennessee, newspaper reported that the FBI was investigating Stone for the sexual misconduct allegations against him, his finances, and his connections to local law enforcement. Stone's ministry denied knowledge of this investigation, and Stone personally suggested that the media had concocted the story to drum up advertising revenue.[20][24]