Medical Examiner’s Office spokesperson Eddie Johnson said a report on White’s cause of death shows the cause was acute combined drugs, alcohol and diphenhydramine toxicity.
“And the manner of death is considered suicide. And there was no autopsy,” Johnson said.”
Bartlesville Police Dept. Capt. Jay Hastings said, at the time of White’s death,
“We investigate crimes to determine whether or not they happened and whether charges need to be filed. In this case, the person that was listed as a suspect is deceased. There’s not ever going to be charges filed,” he said.
Hastings said reports in that investigation will not be made public.
It seems strange to me that since White’s death appeared to obviously be a suicide, and that there was no autopsy conducted on his body, that it would take this length of time to release the cause of death…unless there had been pressure brought to bear for the results not to be released until a considerable length of time had elapsed. This can only be left to speculation since the VOM ministry leadership has been very reluctant to release further information.
However, the local scuttlebutt around Bartlesville, Oklahoma where White lived and VOM has it’s US headquarters seems to indicate that the molestation victim was Tom White’s own grand daughter. Again, this is speculation. No one but the parties involved know the truth of what happened for a certainty. But it does appear, as was originally made public, even by VOM, the investigation of molestation by White was enough to drive him to commit suicide. One has to be terribly grieved by this tragedy for all concerned.
Has something similar to this gone on in a church in your city or town? Probably, but since the advent of the Internet, Christians all over America, or for that matter, the world, have been able to connect the dots. Again, I thank God for various blogs that have exposed the previously “best kept secret” of the church….that of spiritual and sexual abuse. I know of one serious instance of sexual molestation of a very young teen boy by the “youth minister” in a church where I live, and in fact, that I used to be a member of. What did the church do? Nothing…. except cover it up. The boy was so traumatized by the molestation, he didn’t “tell” for a long time.
Although a crime/crimes had been committed the church covered it up and allowed the so-called youth minister to continue “ministering” to teen age children, oftentimes picking them up at home and taking them places without parental or church supervision.
Scripture says to remove a hypocrite from the church. The law says to report such crimes. This church played God and took the law in their own hands and did neither, “not wanting to ruin the reputation of the man, or the church”. The single parent was discouraged by church leadership of reporting the crime to the police saying it was a “spiritual issue”.
Although this should have been reported to the police, it wasn’t. So, what did they do for the child?…and make no mistake, a 13 yr old boy IS a child and at a very vulnerable stage of development in his life. No one from the church went to minister to, pray for, or counsel the boy. He was left to struggle with the aftermath of this abuse by himself. I found out about this after the fact, but I knew the boy personally, and know that he desperately needed counseling. He still has trust and other issues to this day because of this molestation.
Also, I am almost positive that another boy of the same age was molested by this same man several years later. I observed this myself when I went back several years later, that this boy was having serious emotional and spiritual issues….. that he acted very strange, as did the youth minister, but again, nothing was done. I asked the boy’s mother if she had questioned her son and asked her if she had asked her son if he had been sexually molested by this man, and she said yes, but that he denied it. However, denial by a victim is not all that unusual in some cases.
So, what happened to the molester? He died suddenly and prematurely. God has a way of taking care of situations where someone has harmed one of his little ones. As for the church…it is not doing well or prospering, not surprisingly, but continues to pretend “to do the work of the Lord” and inviting the unsuspecting into its fellowship.
About another church in the same general area…this is a bit of pretty accurate hearsay, but the church grapevine indicated a 9 month pentecostal “revival” conducted by a traveling evangelist abruptly ended due to a “sexual incident” with a 15 yr old girl. This was after he had been conducting “deliverance and casting out sessions” in the back room of the church. One young woman I knew to be a fine Christian suffered a nervous breakdown, and landed up in the psyche ward of a local hospital after a suicide attempt, and has now quit her job due to being unable to work, and is on medication. And apparently, the traveling evangelist traveled on to molest some girl, and/or, spiritually harm someone else in another church down the line.
I am a Christian but I can tell you that I am disgusted by the way many churches cover up incidents of spiritual and sexual abuse by church members or church leadership, and I will not be party to such spiritual or legal crimes by participating in such churches, or ministries, I don’t care whether they operate behind the closed doors of a church building or from behind their laptops on the Internet. And neither should anyone else. No church is above the law, and no church is above the law of God making themselves a law unto themselves. And neither is any so-called “online ministry”.
Although it’s illegal to issue a disclosure statement hiding facts about known issues in a real estate contract, churches have continued to cover up and abuse with impunity. The same can be said about many online ministries which operate in an entirely different realm than local church communities, and have become virtually untouchable, with very little or no accountability to anyone.
As for churches in general…
Meanwhile, people from these two churches I mentioned continue inviting people to “go to churrrrch” with them. I personally think they should hand out disclosure statements, ( similar to those that must be issued when one puts a house on the market for sale, listing all the potential problems and issues not apparent upon surface examination)… stating they allow molestation in their churches and commit spiritual abuse in general. When churches invite the unsaved or morally unregenerate into their churches, they’ve already gone against scripture. The Lord’s church is supposed to be the Body of Christ, not a haven for perverts and wicked people. If they want to do an outreach, then keep it separate from the church assembly and keep a close watch on the kids. The next child to be molested could be yours.
As for so-called “online ministries and fellowships”…...
What do you actually know about these people? Have you looked them in the eye, face to face? Would you enter into a serious business deal with someone you’ve never personally met, no matter how good the deal looked on the surface? And yet, they are asking money from you, by virtue of their PayPal or donation page?
I’ll say it again, as I have on other posts, preaching or teaching is a calling, not a business.
As for me………
I’ve experienced spiritual abuse and witnessed it damaging other people. I’m not out there with a “ministry”, teaching doctrine. I am what I am, not a perfect vessel, but willing to be made into what God desires me to be. I use this blog to warn people about things I consider to be very important. But one thing I do not do, and that’s put up a Pal Pal acct, or donation page asking money from people for what I do here that I have freely received from the LORD.
I’m just saying…the choices are up to each person, and not me, God, or anyone else is going to force anyone to do anything against their own will.
I believe the testimonies of these girls. Their stories deserve to be told, over and over if need be, until the perpetrators of such abuses get the message that their abuses against these girls will be shouted from the housetops, with them exposed and hopefully punished, and/or jailed, and then hopefully these types of crimes will cease to exist. I have a real problem with pastors, individuals, churches…..anyone…. who abuse other people in the name of God, and I will tell about it whenever I can. That’s what I love about the Internet…finally, these best kept secrets….. crimes done “in the name of God” are being exposed, and victims are coming forward to tell their stories and put the spotlight on the abusers.
Soon, I hope to do a post on similar abuses within so-called ministries for boys and men.
The following is a HUGE list of survivor statements and testimonies of the girls who’ve been in Hephzibah House, and I seriously doubt if this even begins to skim the surface:
Pope Benedict still pushing “unity” of all religions…(ecumenism) Apparently VOM is sympathetic to Catholicism from all indications!
Friends, I have to agree with Lighthouse Trails Research take on this. There is still a hushed atmosphere in the VOM camp about this mess, in what seems to be an obvious attempt to sort of sweep this scandal under the carpet and hope the whole sordid event will blow over. What really upsets me is the unwillingness of the Christian admirers and supporters of VOM to believe that Tom White was capable of either committing suicide…or, sexually victimizing this young, innocent girl.
Also, as Lighthouse Trails reports below, the way VOM couched their PR statements with carefully constructed words to soften the truth is very disturbing and disappointing. I would have expected more from them.
It’s far past time for the church to clean up their act and stop being in denial about the fact that all too often, the church has been as guilty as sin of the cover up and collusion in sexual and spiritual abuses in the church.
Scarlett~ http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2012/newsletters20120508.htm#22 “As many of you know, Voice of the Martyrs long-time Executive Director, Tom White is suspected of committing suicide last month. On Wednesday, April 25th, 2012, Voice of the Martyrs president, Jim Dau, issued a statement titled: “Heartfelt Letter from VOM’s President on Tom White.” The letter expressed deep sorrow for the untimely suicide death of Tom White. The letter did mention that White took his life after allegations came forth that White “had inappropriate contact with a young girl.” While the letter said that White loved his wife and children and that personnel at VOM were heartbroken, virtually nothing was noted in the letter to express the deep sorrow that should be felt for the alleged 10- year-old victim. When a child is molested, it is a scar he or she will live with the rest of his or her life.
While we can understand that VOM staff and leaders are most likely in a state of shock and despair over Tom White’s apparent suicide and the circumstances surrounding his death, they need to understand that they are being watched right now by millions around the world to see how they will handle this tragic situation. God forbid that they would try to white wash and minimize what Tom White allegedly did. When you have organizations such as the American Psychological Association stating that sexual contact with children is OK as long as the child is consenting, and when you have a fallen society, such as America, that says homosexuality is normal and abortion is acceptable, and when you have a society that is filled with pornography from grocery stores to the Internet, Christian believers cannot fall into such a demoralizing evil trap that by its very nature denies God.
Even referring to White’s alleged child abuse as “inappropriate contact with” somehow minimizes such a crime. Using the word “with” can give the impression that there is some sort of mutual agreement. Rather than stating “inappropriate contact with,” it would be better to state “immoral contact against” the girl. We don’t mean to sound picky, but VOM should choose their words very carefully right now, for the sake of their ministry, for the sake of child abuse victims everywhere, and yes, for the sake of the Gospel.
We are not trying to say that the work Tom White participated in for many years at VOM to help persecuted people should be negated. But please, VOM, do not try to make this less than it is. Take this opportunity to humbly apologize to the body of Christ, to the little girl and her family, and to God.
Perhaps, Jim Dau left out feelings of remorse for the little girl in order to protect VOM financially or legally. But if VOM thinks they will help their organization maintain its integrity and financial strength by writing letters like the one Jim Dau wrote, they are terribly mistaken. Humility, repentance, restitution (to the girl and other possible victims), biblical integrity, honesty – these are the qualities that their donors and supporters will be looking for.
Voice of the Martyrs has, as have most mainstream Christian organizations, been promoting contemplative spirituality and showing signs of being sympathetic toward Catholicism. Wouldn’t this tragedy be a perfect time to get right with God, and in so doing, point the world to the One Who came to save whosoever shall believe on Him?”
Where does it start? In the local church. Not only in the leadership in the church, but in the members as well. I know what the woman in this video says is true, because as a new believer, I saw and experienced this in two local churches I belonged to.
This is apostasy. Do not be deceived into believing the apostate church can be reformed….it can only be abandoned.
Remember what Jesus said: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8, 31-32
This truth will set you free if you obey Jesus and His Word. Church cannot save you. Man cannot save you. Only Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, and is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, can truly set you free from deception and manipulation. And whom the Son sets free, is Free indeed.
“To understand Billy Graham, his involvement in the Ecumenical Movement, and why he would accept something like the Templeton Award, we must understand his relationship with Rome. While the principles of ecumenism can be traced back for centuries (through the Gnostics, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and of course the Parliament of World Religions) it was Rome’s Vatican II that “officially” launched the modern ecumenical movement. Vatican II opened the doors of Roman Catholicism (which the world largely views as the oldest form of Christianity) to all other religions of the world. This is why Vatican II is often referred to as “the ecumenical council.” As such, as the relationship of Billy Graham developed with the Vatican and the popes, his views became increasingly ecumenical. This has confused many people because they don’t make the Rome-connection. Graham, like many other Protestant Evangelicals, seems to be working to fulfill – not the Great Commission – but the mandate of Vatican II. Once this is understood, the rest of what Billy Graham has done begins to make sense.
The subject of Graham and Rome has been handled by many Christian writers, not the least of which is Ewin Wilson in his book, The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham into the Roman Catholic Church. Wilson writes:
“For some unexplainable or even mysterious
reason, Billy Graham is unable to discern the
theological, moral, and spiritual soul of Roman
Catholicism. Likewise, he has failed to grasp,
or worse still, has chosen to ignore the historical
This is a recent statement confirming that Tom White did indeed sexually molest the little 10 yr old girl, and so we can now, at last, dispense with the word “allegations”. This information has been posted here on this blog, and elsewhere on the Internet, but there are some folks who apparently haven’t been made aware of it, and are still referring to this matter as “allegations” against Tom White, and for whatever reason, seem to be in denial.
To Christians, I would say this…this is not the time to be in denial………..about anything. We are living in a very dark hour. We don’t have time to play games, speculate, or hold people’s persons in admiration, elevated to almost godlike status. Or, be in deception about anything. The truth is available to all, it’s found in holy scripture, and prayer.
Bartlesville Police Capt. Jay Hastings said the department is closing its abuse investigation because the suspect is dead.
“The case is basically not going anywhere,” said Hastings, who also noted that the department’s next step is to ensure the girl receives proper treatment or counseling.
“The child still has to deal with what’s happened,” he said. “Our main goal at this point is to make sure the family and victim get the proper services, basically.”
Bartlesville police are awaiting autopsy results from the state Medical Examiner’s Office, whose spokeswoman said Monday that the report was still pending.
Hastings would not say Monday if the victim was somehow involved in the ministry or how White may have come in contact with her.
(Note: To Capt. Hastings credit, and/or the Bartlesville, OK PD in general, it’s entirely understandable and professional, under the circumstances at this time, for the protection of the victim, that information should be withheld concerning how Tom White may have come in contact with her).
The Bartlesville, OK police department has closed the case on the “alleged” sexual molestation investigation concerning Tom White of Voice of the Martyrs. It’s not surprising the way this is being played out, since Tom White killed himself, (well, we were told he killed himself), before any charges could be brought against him. Obviously, you can’t charge a dead man with the crime of pedophilia.
There hasn’t even been a definitive cause of death concerning White, since the medical examiner’s report hasn’t been released yet, and apparently it won’t be for another three to six months.
So, VOM, and the locals have figured out a way to tidy this mess up and make it all go away, and appear that there “really never was any suspicion that an iconic religious leader such as Tom White could commit such a heinous crime. Convenient for the “ministry” perhaps, and convenient for the city of Bartlesville, and sparing of Tom’s widow and family, but…..where is the real truth in all this? I think it got buried with Tom White.
And now…it looks like VOM will go back to doing whatever it was doing before Tom “allegedly” killed himself. I know I’m being sarcastic, but I can scarcely contain my disgust at this moment.
(Note: There have only been a few comments on this blog so far about the Tom White VOM scandal, but I have been simply amazed at the number of viewers visiting this blog from all over the world!
It is staggering to comprehend the wide-spread influence VOM has, and because of that, I feel it’s a Christian RESPONSIBILITY on my part, that I should re-blog a powerful comment made by a very astute reader, Steve Rugg, who posted some information not generally included in the Voice of the Martyrs publications. I think many people are going to be shocked by what Steve has to say…as follows):
“A letter I had sent to Tom White, VOM that mirrors your email blog (above):
March 22, 2012
Tom White The Voice of the Martyrs P.O. Box 443 Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443
Dear Tom,
I am writing this letter as a result of a careful reading of a small book I received recently from VOM, The Persecuted Church Global Report 2012.
I was bothered by several references made about certain countries representing significant Christian populations as a percentage of the total population. Some examples were quite surprising to me:
70.5% Christian in Belarus (Eastern Orthodox) 94.4% Christian in Colombia (Roman Catholic) 12.8% Christian in Egypt (Coptic Christian) 56.5% Christian in Cuba (Roman Catholic) 32.0% Christian in Lebanon (Maronite Catholics)
I am not writing this letter in an effort to convince you of anything, but those five examples sadly do not represent countries with significant populations of Christians. Biblical exegesis speaks clearly of what a Christian is. Religious institutions (like Roman Catholic & Orthodox) are NOT “the keepers of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
My question to you is: • Does VOM make a distinction between persecuted Christians and persecuted Catholics for example? • Does VOM aid persecuted people groups that happen to be Orthodox or Roman Catholic as persecuted Christians or aid these groups in a humanitarian mission? • And lastly, is the presentation of the gospel by VOM considered off limits to Catholics and Orthodox believers?
In your Global Report you reference “harassment” of evangelicals by groups, such as the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Maronite Catholics, Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches. I believe that description of “harassment” greatly understates the persecution of non-religious Christians. It is no surprise the extent of Muslim persecution of non-Muslim groups, especially Christians. Absent Muslim oppression, these dominant religious systems (Catholic or Orthodox, for example) persecute Christians just the same but perhaps without the same level of violence found from Muslim persecutors.
A note of interest:
The narrative of Chiapas in the Global Report is interesting. Roman Catholicism is fundamentally idolatrous and pagan since its inception. Every year Catholics in Mexico, Central and South America engage in several unchristian religious festivities and practices including parties, drinking and pagan parades.
The small number of people groups unreached by the gospel (using Colombia as an example) is patently incorrect. The majority of Roman Catholics worldwide have never opened a bible, do not know what is in the bible and are reminded by their priests that they will tell them what they need to know.
Some bible references I believe are clear on these matters: 1 Cor 10:7, 14 Col 2:8 Matt 15:8 John 3:3, 5 John 14:6
There are well over several hundred bible passages that define “what is” and “what is not” a saint, a child of the Father, a Christian, how to be saved (by faith and by not works), etc.
I would be saddened to find out that VOM avoids ministering to lost religious multitudes who are not saved.
I hope to receive a response from you. My wife and I have been a part of VOM ministry for several years but we are concerned with what seems like ecumenism where all beliefs are “Christian” even if they do not accord with the Scriptures.
Thank you for your time.
Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ,
Steve & Katherine Rugg
Endnote: This letter was answered by some VOM public relations person who responded as if he had not even read my letter. His response was ecumenical and a whitewash–the Word of God does not matter to them.” –Steve
The Question arises, who actually benefited the most from the construction of this massive, and lavish “headquarters”; the suffering persecuted church, widows and orphans, or Bartlesville, Oklahoma? Bartlesville, is a city of about 35,000 population and the headquarters of the Conoco Phillips Petroleum giant, which previously has been the major employer in the area. Now, with the building of the new VOM Headquarters, VOM has become the 2nd largest employer in Bartlesville, so obviously, Bartlesville is the entity benefited most by the VOM presence in the area. Not just the VOM building and Bartlesville employees, but the traffic coming into the area by volunteers and visitors. Many Bartlesvillans, also sit on the board of directors, even prior to Tom White’s suicide.
Above is an image of the large new VOM headquarters, andpictured below is the view of the back side of the new Voice of the Martyrs facility, and man-made lake.
New Voice of the Martyr building, Bartlesville, OK in the US
This link, of McAnaw Construction contains the approx cost of construction of the various new VOM facilities, main building, bath house, RV parking for volunteers. I’m not sure about the total finished cost of it all, but do know it is into the multimillion dollar category. Of course, this is helping to put Bartlesville, OK, (already the home of Conoco Phillips Petroleum), on the map, but also bringing in income to the city, so of course, the city is in favor of “financial progress”.
In contrast, when VOM first moved to Bartlesville, OK and set up US headquarters here, (about 1992), while Richard Wurmbrand was still alive, Voice of the Martyrs was blessed by God when they were able to purchase the 5 story brick building on the corner of Frank Phillips Blvd, in downtown Bartlesville for a mere $27,000! A perfectly sound and solid building for a mere pittance considering it’s actual worth and market value. Amazing!
One has to wonder what Richard Wurmbrand would think of this new expensive layout….Richard who spent a total of 14 yrs in a cramped gray prison cell, dining on swill not fit for human consumption, rather than at Sterling’s Grill in Bartlesville, or some high end sushi place while traveling.
I believe he and his wife Sabina had a nice, but fairly modest seniors apt in Bartlesville. They were so deserving of that and a whole lot more besides.
I went to a couple of meetings where Richard was preaching. By this time in his life, he was frail, and had to sit while speaking. I noticed his wife being very attentive to his physical needs during these meetings. Although nothing was said about it, I believe he was in quite a bit of discomfort. He easily could have skipped out on invitations to preach at various churches and functions, but his passion and drive was fueled by his love for the persecuted brothers and sisters going through the flames of affliction. He apparently continued in this manner until the end of his life.
Some years ago, I read an account of Richard having a heart attack after hearing of a Chinese Christian who’s heart was cut out by his persecutors. That wouldn’t surprise me from what I knew about the man.
Then there was precious, devoted Sabina, wearing modest clothes and a head covering, while Richard, as frail as he was, would patiently and lovingly allow the mothers of small children to take pictures of their kids sitting on his lap. Richard was so humble and meek. Suffering for the sake of Jesus and the gospel in the crucible of torture and persecution will tend to bring about humility and meekness in those who survive it, as Richard had. He had a quiet dignity and elegance about him that I will never forget.
But…that was then, and this is now, and since Richard Wurmbrand passed away, many changes have occurred under the leadership of Tom White. Those changes include the undertaking of this elaborate building project, but also, more disturbing and important, is the ecumenical direction which Tom White has been taking Voice of the Martyrs.
Indeed, one has to wonder what he would think of the changes made since he departed this life. Some of the locals —-Bartians,—- (which is what the residents of Bartlesville), are called, are saying that too much money has been going into the administration end of VOM, including the costs of the new facilities, which should be going to help the persecuted brethren, many of whom live in abject poverty. Indeed, that may be a legitimate concern, but what should be even a larger concern is VOM’s ecumenical leanings and support of Catholic churches in various countries where VOM operates. Churches and countries that VOM has designated as Christian when they are not.
So, what we apparently have here, are the large, lavish new facilities of an ecumenical organization operating on the good will donations of Christians.
Note from Scarlett: I’ve contacted Heavens Family and asked for a picture of their headquarters. This is the response I received, ” We don’t actually have a headquarters building in the United States! Our ministry saves the money it would spend on rent, utilities, etc. by having it’s staff and volunteers work remotely. It’s been a more efficient and cost-efficient way to operate!” Remember, Heavens Family has developed into an efficient world wide ministry even without a large expensive headquarters. http://www.heavensfamily.org/
It’s now official! Finally after nearly 4 1/2 months Tom White’s autopsy report has been released to the public. 
Spiritual Abuse Sanctuary 