140-142 The Legacy Christian Academy Scandal

Written By Lindsay Eldridge

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN

BEFORE YOU LISTEN: IMPORTANT INFO

  • While the allegations have resulted in criminal charges, they haven’t yet been proven or tested in court.

  • This story is about Christian Centre Academy and Saskatoon Christian Centre Church, which have since rebranded to Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church.

  • This series is not a blanket criticism of religious freedom, Christianity, spirituality or any other religious beliefs. It is specifically about the negative impact of fundamentalist Christian belief systems on Canadian students at their publicly-funded school—which has resulted in criminal charges.

    Content warnings:

  • In all three parts of this series, there is heavy focus on allegations of corporal punishment, grooming and sexual assault of minors, mention of anti-LGBTQ+ and racist rhetoric, mention of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Details of religious, spiritual and supernatural beliefs as they relate to these specific allegations.

In 1982, charismatic pastor Keith Johnson moved from Texas to Saskatchewan with a mandate: start up a private evangelical Christian school using a heavily-promoted new curriculum from Texas.

The result? Almost 40 years later, a growing number of former students have alleged physical, sexual and psychological abuse by those in positions of authority at their school and the parent church that runs it.

So far, four men have been charged criminally, and a class action lawsuit has been filed.

In this three-part series, we follow the journey of spokesperson Caitlin Erickson, as she starts to make sense of her childhood and reconnects with former classmates doing the same.

You’ll hear the many stories that led to these allegations, as we explore how a set of beliefs that demand absolute conformity and obedience from children—and rely on physical punishment as the main motivator, can be ripe for unchecked abuse.

MAIN SOURCES

The full list is at the bottom of this page.

Further resources:

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to help those facing injustice.

This month we have donated to a gofundme for the Legacy of Abuse Class Action Lawsuit. The pursuit of legal action involves significant financial costs, including legal fees, court costs, and expert witness expenses, and every cent helps. If you are able to contribute, the students will greatly appreciate it.

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Credits:

Special thanks to Caitlin Erickson.

Primary research, writing, sound design, narration: Kristi Lee
Audio editing and production: We Talk of Dreams
Production assistance: Jesse Hawke
Script consulting: Carol Weinberg
Disclaimer voiced by Erik Krosby

Music credits:

Theme songs (intro & outro) by We Talk of Dreams
Additional music: Blue Dot Sessions, Epidemic Sound 

FULL LIST OF SOURCES

Amended Statement of Claim:

News archives:

Other media:

Responses from Mile Two Church and Legacy Christian Academy:

Corporal Punishment and Fundamentalist Christianity:

Keith Johnson’s “Child Training Seminar”

Accelerated Christian Education or ACE School of Tomorrow:

Evangelical beliefs: 

Lindsay Eldridge
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