Samuel Pipim & EAGLESonline

Serial Adulterer and Downed Eagle: Samuel Pipim and EAGLESonline

SUMMARY Samuel Pipim Hudson IS: - An ex-Adventist pastor who was disfellowshipped (excommunicated) from the SDA Church in 2011 on account of a ‘moral failing’. - Was previously something of a ‘Sevy-celebrity’, heavily involved in the conservative youth movement – Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC).  - Now runs his own ‘independent ministry’ called EAGLESonline. Samuel Pipim disturbingly BEHAVES in the following manner: - There are claims that the 2011 incident involved rape of a 20-year old woman. - When Pipim was to be re-baptized back into the SDA Church in 2012, the baptism was cancelled at the 11th-hour when another woman came forward claiming abuse by Pipim.      - Pipim teaches a more conservative brand of Adventism; however, it is not his theology by which he should be considered an ex-Adventist cult leader.  It is Pipim’s predatory conduct, not his theology, which is the primary basis for his characterisation as an ex-Adventist cult leader. - Moreover, what distinguishes Pipim from most other removed ex-Adventist ministers is Pipim’s unapologetic defence of aspects of his conduct and continued ministry.

Background

As explained by Wikipedia on his profile page:

‘Samuel Koranteng Pipim (born December 10, 1957) is a US-based Ghanaian author, speaker, and theologian. Trained in engineering and systematic theology, he based his office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where, up until 2011, he ministered to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan. He has authored and co-authored more than a dozen books. He has spoken around the world at events for youth, students, and young professionals. He helped begin and has sat on the Board of Directors for the Generation of Youth for Christ organization (GYC), a revival movement of Seventh-day Adventist youth in North America.

He resigned his ministerial credentials in May 2011 and requested to be disciplined according to church protocol. He was disfellowshipped by his local church on June 15, 2011.’

The alleged sexual offences will be the focus of the first part of this article, given it is by their fruits that we are to discern someone claiming to come from Christ. 

Sexual offence #1: Was it rape?

On 31 May 2011, Pipim resigned his employment with the Michigan Conference of the SDA Church following a ‘moral failure’ whilst traveling overseas. Pipim was soon thereafter disfellowipped on 15 June 2011. 

The most controversial question that has arisen, apart from the sheer shock of a conservative ‘Sevy-celebrity’ morally failing at all, is the allegation of rape.  In particular, according to the eye-witness account of Pipim’s victim Nandipa, as described by Loren Seibold in the Adventist Today article “Pipim Sexual Abuse Victim: The Story from a First-person Observer”:

‘What can you tell us about Nandipa?

She was 20 years old at the time, a new convert, with no Adventist background and little support within the church, attending university. She’d had some experiences in her life that left her deeply vulnerable. Dr. Pipim had been invited there by a church young adults’ organization for a week of prayer. She was one of his contact people and hosts for the visit. She felt, and still feels, very vulnerable to this man of God who she so looked up to.

Would you call it rape?

Some don’t understand how, short of physical force, one can be a victim of rape. That attitude shows psychological, social, and spiritual naivete. Statistically it’s been shown that women often plead, cry, and try to reason with perpetrators of sexual crime, but they rarely scream and fight, even though their chance of escape increases when they do. There’s a power imbalance. She did what women in her situation typically do: she pled for him to stop. He didn’t.

Forcible rape uses physical strength. Power rape uses social and psychological strength. If Nandipa had had the psychological training and strength, she could have screamed, fought, and run. It was psychological overpowerment, plus her own lack of internal strength and social support, that kept her there.’  

Sexual offence #2: Is the cover-up as bad as the crime?

Following the incident, Pipim prepared a massive treatise, 'An Answer to Everyone: A Response To False Accusations', which he presented to his local Church.  On 9 June 2012, Pipim was to be re-baptized by his local Ann Arbour Church congregation, despite the trepidation of other Adventists everywhere – where membership is wholly within the authority of the local congregation.

However, on the eve of his re-baptism, another victim of Pipim’s came forward.  As admitted by Pipim’s own pastor Danny Velez, as reported by Alexander Carpenter in the article “Pipim Rebaptism Canceled, Another Victim Identified” from independent Adventist magazine Spectrum:

‘Nearly a year has passed since Dr. Samuel Pipim’s repentance and membership removal by this church for a moral fall. During that time, the Ann Arbor Leadership, Elders and I have worked carefully to nurture him through the rebuilding of his spiritual defenses. As a result, we had planned his baptism for this Sabbath afternoon, June 9, 2012. On Thursday night June 7,2012, I received a call from a member of our church with a concern. For over two years he and his wife had information that implicated Dr. Pipim in another moral situation. For reasons, known to them, they did not share that information. Therefore it was unknown until Thursday evening, both to the Elders, myself and the Conference Leadership. On Thursday night, the member and I went to Dr. Pipim with the story. Early Friday morning, June 8, I was notified by Dr. Pipim that the information was true. This brings great sorrow to our hearts.

…After that phone call I visited with Dr. Pipim this morning. He also agreed with us that the baptism should not take place. While canceling this baptism brings grief, disappointment and ache to our minds and feelings, we are committed to the ministry of forgiveness and restoration. The Elders and Church Board will work through this latest situation with the hope of someday seeing everyone involved restored to the Savior and the church family.’

EAGLESonline

According to Pipim’s own website, in the article “More about Dr Pipim”:

‘Dr. Pipim currently directs EAGLESonline--a Bible-based, life-transforming, and efficient network that seeks to train and empower students, young professionals, institutions, and organizations to become agents of positive, social change. Its mission is to add value to peoples’ lives. (EAGLES is an acronym for Empowerment & Advisory Group for Leadership, Excellence, & Service). EAGLESonline is an umbrella organization for two centers of leadership development–the EAGLES Center and the ANANSE Center.’

It is of much concern that a disgraced disfellowshipped Adventist minister, an alleged sexual predator, would simply continue to operate effectively as a religious leader – albeit now as an ‘independent ministry’. 

Should Pipim be considered an ex-Adventist cult leader?

Pipim admittedly has more conservative Adventist views, which some liberal Adventists and non-Adventist Christians consider cultish. However, as far as this author is concerned, Pipim’s theological views are on the whole legitimate and well within the spectrum of acceptable Adventist belief.

Instead, this author believes Pipim should be characterised as a cult leader based on his actions – notably his sexual predation. It should be remembered that a ‘cult’ is not merely an aberrant theological teaching, but more importantly involves a series of dangerous controlling behaviours that cause physical and mental harm. According to Walter and Martin and the Christian Research Institute (who famously declared the mainstream SDA Church not a cult), in the article “What is a cult”:

‘First, a cult may be defined sociologically. From this perspective, a cult is a religious or semi-religious sect whose followers are controlled by strong leadership in virtually every dimension of their lives. Devotees characteristically display a displaced loyalty for the guru and the group and are galvanized together through physical and/or psychological intimidation tactics.’

It is by this sociological standard, applied against Pipim’s victim Nandipa outlined above, that Pipim can properly characterized as an ex-Adventist cult leader. Some might strongly disagree with that analysis, arguing that if his theology is Adventist then that still means Pipim is an Adventist – excommunicated or not.  Moreover, what distinguishes Pipim from most other removed ex-Adventist ministers is Pipim’s unapologetic defence of aspects of his conduct and continued ministry. 

This author disagrees strong opinion is that what makes someone a ‘true’ Christian and a ‘true’ Adventist isn’t merely a matter of correct theological belief.  Jesus made clear that Bible knowledge alone wasn’t to be our test to discern sheep from wolves. Instead, Jesus made clear in Matt 7:15-20 that it is by someone’s fruits that we know them:

'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will know them by their fruits.’

Especially when it comes to middle-aged men of power taking sexual advantage of young women, one might recall Jesus’ behaviour in John 8.  To the woman caught in adultery, as with other sinners, Jesus showed abundant mercy, although for the avoidance of doubt he never condoned the sin itself.  However, to those self-righteous religious leaders who were experts in religious regulatory minutiae, who heaped upon the people the burden of many man-made rules of the elders, and yet who neglected the greater issues of the Law concerning justice and mercy – to them Jesus did attack with the harshest of words.

Pipim is a very good object lesson precisely of the dangers of trusting too much in the arms of flesh – of Sevy-celebrities.