Danny Shelton Claims That 3ABN Belongs to the Stockholders in the Pews and That
They "Have a Right to Know"
In a broadcast believed to have been aired about June 17, 2004, then 3ABN president
Danny Shelton made some amazing statements, while turning the announcement of
Linda's dismissal into a fund raising appeal. Because of the bearing those statements have on Danny's lawsuit
against Joy and Pickle, we post them here.
"We've Been Honest" "Viewers and Donors Have a Right to Know"
"Last week Dr. Thompson was on our Live program, and he promised
you this week that we would have some answers, that we would
talk a little bit more about the situation here at 3ABN, that
some of you have noticed some changes in the ministry, and definitely
there are changes happening, changes I never thought would happen."
"For 20 years we've come to you, we've been honest with you,
we're straightforward with you."
"I believe that you as our viewers and donors have a right to
know what's going on in this situation."
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Given these statements by Danny, one wonders why Harold Lance
did not want any evidence
brought before an ASI tribunal to be made public. One also wonders why Danny's lawyers are still
trying to keep the public from seeing a wide range of documents on a wide range of topics.
"It's Your Ministry. .... It's Not Our Ministry."
Above we saw that Danny Shelton himself declared that the viewers and donors had
a right to know what was going on regarding he and Linda. If the ministry indeed belongs
to the donors and viewers as Danny has declared below, then that same openness and transparency
should apply to a wide range of other topics.
"I believe that you have a right to know. It's your ministry.
I've said that for years. It's not our ministry."
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Quite interesting that Danny in these words essentially agrees with Gailon Arthur Joy,
the very man he has sued. Joy claims that 3ABN should be accountable to the "stockholders in the pews,"
and Danny agrees that 3ABN is indeed accountable to its donors and viewers.
"What We Do Is Very Public" "You Have to Be Above Reproach"
"Yet there's certain things that you don't want to talk about.
You, you feel like that it's personal. But the very fact that
I'm here tonight tells you that Linda and my relationship and
what we do is very public. If it weren't you wouldn't know anything
about it. ... But the fact that we're in the media, the fact
that our lives are an open book, and the very fact that I'm sitting
here tonight tells you that this is not your normal case ....
But the fact that we are in this position makes us have to be
above reproach. When you represent the gospel, you represent
ministry, you have to be above reproach."
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Danny Tells the World That He Loves Linda, and She Loves Him
"I want to comment about Linda. I'll do it. First of all I want
to make a statement. I love Linda with all my heart, and uh,
if she's watching tonight, she very well may be. I told her that
I would be here tonight. And uh, so I just want to say if you
are watching, I love you very much. You know that. I tell you
that every day. And uh, I always will, no matter what happens.
Love is love. That's what makes love different than a like. You
like somebody but if they don't do what you, you think they should
then you dislike them. Well love is not that."
"So tonight I want to say first of all to the world, that um,
I love Linda very much, and uh, always have, and uh, she, she
has told me the same thing, that she loves me very much."
"Linda is an incredible person. Probably the most incredible
person I've met in my life. I love her. I'm hoping that things
can be resolved."
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More Talk About Resolution
You'd never know from these statements that Danny signed paperwork for his Guam divorce on
June 14, 2004, would you? Or that he had decided on April 27, 2004, to end his marriage since
Linda had hidden his gun? Or that
he had already bought her
half of their house on June 4, 2004?
"I want you to pray for a miracle like you'd never seen, because
I want to be able to come back and do a program later and tell
you that issues have been resolved, that we're all back in the
ministry, we're all going forward, and that Satan got a kick
in the pants."
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Danny Shelton Announces the Pending End of His Marriage
These brief statements which suggest where things were really heading were easy to miss.
"So I could not live with the situation, personally, marriage
wise or ministry wise."
"... I would either have to stop or suffer the consequences
of ministry and marriage, and so I felt that would be the same
way here."
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Another Threat of a Lawsuit?
"There are people that I don't even know, who are printing things
out about this situation at 3ABN, which of course they could
be liable for, ...."
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Broadcasted Apology Coming Soon?
Danny requested in his lawsuit
that Joy and Pickle "publish a retraction
of the false statements of fact ... in the same
forms and forum and to the same general and specific audience
as the false statements were originally made." We wonder if Danny will
do the same for his ex-wife whom he said in this broadcast that he loves "very much" and
"always will."
Links to Danny's Talk
According to court documents
filed by 3ABN Attorney Mike Riva, "None of the programming Three Angels creates is copyrighted."
We therefore provide links below to an excerpt from the broadcast in question.
As you watch the program in which Danny made the statements above, notice whether he is distraught or calm,
and whether he smiles or not. Also notice the time line of events that Danny gives:
- Walt Thompson was not brought in until "after a period of time" after Danny and Linda visited
the Nazarene marriage counselors,
a visit which took place on April
15, 2004.
- The executive board and the full board did not get involved until after Walt did.
- There were "many more weeks of counselling" and "hundreds of hours actually of counselling."
- The entire process lasted "many, many months," which would cover the time period of John Lomacang's
involvement in March 2004 through the board's decision around Sunday, May 31, 2004.
- A month or so before the camp meeting of May 27-30, 2004,
a decision was already made that Linda would be removed from 3ABN if changes were not made.
A month or so before the camp meeting of May 27-30 would bring us to April 27, which is the very
day Danny told one of Linda's relatives that the marriage was over since
she had hidden his gun.
Whether or not the rest of the events Danny refers to can fit into his time line,
we leave that for you to determine, though March through May or June doesn't quite sound like
"many, many months."
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