After scandal, Atlanta pastor finds solace in preaching gay inclusion

As a series of scandals stripped away everything Rev. D.E. Paulk had — his church, his financial resources, even his father — he found the courage to speak his truth.

“I don’t know how to say this, the scandal didn’t make me inclusive, it took away my fear,” Paulk said in an interview on Friday. “Before that I was saying that I’ll preach about gay inclusion and just sort of mention it here or there. When you lose everything, you have nothing to lose. I looked at my wife one day and said all I have left is me, and what God is speaking to me.”

In 2006, Paulk moved from a church he started in Stone Mountain to become the senior pastor at Chapel Hill Harvester Church, located in south Decatur. Built by his father, Don Paulk, and his uncle, Bishop Earl Paulk, the 4,000-member church was one of the largest independent, racially diverse churches in the nation.

Soon after D.E. Paulk took over as senior pastor, he faced what he now collectively calls “the scandal.” A number of women came forward alleging Earl Paulk used his influence as bishop to coerce them into sexual relationships. As part of the legal proceedings, Earl Paulk was forced to undergo a paternity test to see if he had fathered several children in the church.

The paternity test revealed that Earl Paulk, the man D.E. Paulk grew up believing was his uncle, was actually his father. It was as these scandals were rocking the church that D.E Paulk found the strength to say what was in his heart.

After scandal, Atlanta pastor finds solace in preaching gay inclusion

Sovo.com