Chain of Command part 4
PRETEND
06/02/26
•42m
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Note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and psychological manipulation.
It started with a revolt. Thirty ministers walked out of NTCC mid-service and never looked back. They thought they were done with high-control leadership, mandatory tithing, and pastors who ruled by fear. They were wrong. In this episode, former pastor Arlen Bradeen and Greg Shepard tell us what happened when they followed Rony Denis to Georgia — and what it cost them to finally get out.
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Previous Episode
Chain of Command part 3
May 26
•34m
In part three of Chain of Command, we hear from those who grew up in the New Testament Christian Churches of America. From Victor Johanson, a former Army soldier who confirms on tape that NTCC ministers got vasectomies because children would interfere with their ministry. From a woman we're calling Kaylee, who was raised inside the church and was groomed and assaulted by a family member who was also an NTCC minister. And we look at how the church's CEO, Michael Kekel, has publicly stated at one point that no church is under a legal obligation to report child abuse.
This episode discusses sexual assault and the grooming of minors. Please take care while listening.
Want to keep going? Bonus episodes featuring the full unedited conversations with Victor Johanson and Kaylee are available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey)
- The Mountain News (Bruce Smith's reporting on NTCC)
- Washington State Senate Bill 5375 (clergy mandatory reporting law, May 2025)
Support and resources:
If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group, you have options. Military OneSource is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. Your installation chaplain can also provide confidential support across all faiths.
If you're a former member of NTCC or another high-control group and looking for support, the International Cultic Studies Association at icsahome.com offers resources, recovery workshops, and a directory of professionals familiar with high-control group recovery.
If you've experienced sexual assault, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at rainn.org.
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I teamed up with Carter Roy for a special guest collaboration on Murder: True Crime Stories and this one is something else. For the full episode, follow Murder: True Crime Stories on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1745145932In November 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won $30 million in the Florida Lottery. He couldn't read or write, and within two years he'd given most of it away to anyone who asked. Then Dee Dee Moore showed up promising to protect what was left — and within months, she had his house, his insurance, and his power of attorney. Not long after, Abe vanished.
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