Lighthouse Trails Research Journal
18
Christian Comedian
John Crist Caught as
Sexual Predator . . .
Which Reminds Us—
BY LT EDITORS
n November of 2019, countless secular
and Christian media sources reported
that highly popular Christian stand-up
comedian John Crist has sexually victim-
ized numerous women” over the course of
several years. A Charisma Magazine* expose
on the news story, stated:
I
According to multiple sources,
Crist has exploited his Christian
reputation and platform to harass,
manipulate and exploit young
women over the last seven years.
The allegations include, but
are not limited to, individually
sexting multiple women during
the same time period, initiating
sexual relationships with married
women and women in committed
relationships, offering show tickets
in exchange for sexual favors and
repeatedly calling these women late
at night while drunk.
Over the last 24 hours, Charisma
contacted Crist about these
allegations to get his comment. In
response, he emailed Charisma the
following statement [see article for
statement]. . . . In the statement, he
admits to “destructive and sinful”
behavior, apologized to his fans
and announced he would cancel all
future tour dates this year to focus
on getting healthy. . . .
*Charmisa Magazine is referenced in this ar-
ticle, not as an endorsement for the magazine
but for informational and research purposes.
The Charisma article on John Crist was the
most accurate and comprehensive coverage
on this story and included their verifying the
facts with several of the women who were
victimized by Crist.
VOLUME 8—NO. 1
In 2019, few Christians seem better
known and more influential than
Crist. To those unfamiliar with
him, that may be surprising; after
all, Crist is not a pastor, ministry
leader or worship leader. But Crist
has risen to fame precisely because
he’s what many young believers
want to be: funny, smart, cool,
relatable and vocal about his faith. 1
The reason Lighthouse Trails is post-
ing this information is because according
to the Charisma article, some Christian
leaders have known that Crist is a sexual
predator yet allowed unexpecting women
to continue to be victimized.
Multiple sources noted to Charisma
that Crist has previously said he is
receiving counseling and treatment
for this behavior—as early as
2014—yet continued to hurt
others in the process. . . . some
evidence suggests certain Christian
leaders have been aware of Crist’s
behavior and—through inaction—
let it continue unchecked. This is
why Charisma believed it necessary
to warn the body of Christ about
what Crist has been doing behind
the scenes. . . .
[The director of a ministry for
abused women stated:] “The
church should not be looking the
other way when a Christian leader
is preying on women . . . When
Jesus talked about wolves in sheep’s
clothing, I’m sure He included
sexual predators in that metaphor.
This guy may be a comedian, but
sexual harassment isn’t funny. This
behavior needs to be challenged,
and the victims need counseling
and support.”. . .
Over the years, Crist’s behavior has
gradually become a kind of open
secret among certain Christian circles.
Some individuals contacted for the
investigation expressed surprise that
the general public was not already
aware of Crist’s behavior. . . .
Three sources told Charisma they
had contacted WaterBrook &
Multnomah [Crist’s publisher]
with stories about Crist’s misdeeds.
Two received no reply, while
one received a response—saying
the recipient would share that
information with leadership—but
did not hear anything more. 2
After reading the Charisma article in full
along with other articles, it seems clear that
Crist’s long-time ongoing abuse and misuse
of young women was known by others and
basically kept under the rug. Lighthouse
Trails has always said that the power of
sexual abuse lies in its secrecy. Predators
continue in power and abuse as long as they
can keep the victims quiet and keep those
who know about their predatory behavior
from exposing them. We have addressed this
type of scenario over and over since we began
Lighthouse Trails. And, of course, stories
in the public arena (such as the Catholic
priests) substantiate our concerns that sexual
abuse is kept quiet, and sexual predators are
protected. Crist’s abuse is an example of how
Christian leadership is playing its part in
allowing sexual abuse to continue.
Those of you who have been Lighthouse
Trails readers for some time may remember
Concludes on next page
SPRING 2020