🚨OHIO – Northwest🚨
📢𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝙸𝚜 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍
Last week, the Secular Education Association was anonymously sent a link to a publicly archived, unedited, continuous audio recording of Pastor Steven Whitlow of Redemption Church (Monclova, Ohio).
We did not record it. We did not upload it. It was already public when it arrived in our inbox.
🔗 Public Audio Archive: https://archive.org/details/audio_recording_01
This recording—legally obtained in a public setting in Ohio—captures Whitlow speaking openly for nearly two hours about the collapse of his former church, his sexual relationships, internal power struggles, staff removal strategies, and coordinated efforts to control the narrative.
Nothing is redacted. Nothing is blurred.
These are his own words.
And in his own words, the picture he paints is devastating.
🔥 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑
“I’m fucking in charge.”
Said while fighting efforts to hold him accountable.
“You have to take out the trash.”
His phrase for firing staff who challenged him.
“Had I not oral-sexed those girls, this wouldn’t be happening.”
A blunt admission of misconduct—framed not as harm, but as inconvenience.
These aren’t accusations.
These aren’t rumors.
These are recorded statements from Whitlow himself.
🚨Why This Matters
Parents across northwest Ohio have been raising concerns about Whitlow’s growing presence around public-school teens—particularly through the sudden spread of “.4Jesus” Bible study accounts in Anthony Wayne, Maumee, Perrysburg, Sylvania, Swanton, and Otsego.
And if all of this sounds familiar, it should. Just days ago, The Toledo Blade minimized these concerns, suggesting that “high school students are old enough to decide for themselves whether they want to consider joining a church.”
But this newly surfaced audio reveals a very different picture:
a pastor discussing multiple sexual relationships,
strategizing how to control the public timeline,
pressuring leadership to remove staff,
acknowledging fears of losing influence, and
framing everything around power, optics, and control.
When a church is planting identical student-facing accounts across multiple districts…
When school-board members sit in his congregation…
When youth coaches openly promote the church to local families…
When a pastor with this history positions himself near public-school students…
It stops being a story about “kids deciding for themselves” and becomes exactly what parents have said it is:
a coordinated, top-down campaign by adults seeking influence over minors.
These recordings confirm a long-standing pattern of:
🟥manipulation,
🟥blurred boundaries,
🟥sexual misconduct,
🟥concealment strategies,
🟥and a fixation on retaining power and influence.
Full transcript (prepared for accessibility and public documentation):
🔗 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LPPJN_MaBkMqdMwmAO9K0KDCbdFWtPY447mbsjLy-Vs/edit?usp=sharing
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺.
𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘴.
We will continue to monitor, archive, and share primary-source evidence when it emerges.
If you are in northwest Ohio or have information relevant to this ongoing situation, join our private group to connect with other parents and advocates.
(🔗 Link in comments )
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: Secular Education Association
- Secular Education Association: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1A5BWTkj3g/
- Facebook User: Yeah I’ve heard nothing but concerns about this man
- Facebook User: Yes but have you ever heard him? Then you can make a decision instead of others opinions and bias. Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User you mean like the recording at the center of this post? Yes I did listen to it. Dude sounds like a sex offender.
- Facebook User: 😱
- Facebook User: Not shocked WHATSOEVER
- Facebook User: The Christians coming in here to defend an abuser is certainly a choice.
- Facebook User: Facebook User I honestly think those that are defending him aren’t defending abuse, they are refusing to accept this to be true.
- Facebook User: Not shocking news what so ever. Even as a child attending Toledo Christian Schools I had a terrible feeling about this man- apparently they never did seeing as they continued to bring him in numerous times.
- Facebook User: Facebook UserHave YOU ever heard him?? Do you know what he believes? Listen to him and make your own decision. This is all gossip and blind belief in what others are saying.
- Facebook User: https://www.facebook.com/share/17azcRQ17b/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Facebook User: This first post and following comments give a first hand experience
- Facebook User: Been saying this for years
- Facebook User: Facebook User why didn’t you include this in your bogus story?
- Facebook User: Facebook User can we please investigate the history of this extremely influential area pastor. Do it for the kids
- Facebook User: Why doesn’t the Anonymous person who so happened to come across this tape after 9 years name themself. If this is true and Steven repented and asked for forgiveness from God then he is forgiven. I’m not even sure if it was even him in the tape. As far as I know if could have been Ben Snyder from Cedar Church. Either way this is just an attack on the true Christian Church. People dont like the way he talks about the 73 million babies being aborted and slaughtered every single year. He talks about the countless numbers of young women and men being mutilated from transgender surgery and yes he talks politics. Why wouldn’t he. We look for and vote for people with Christian beliefs. God is against murder and the killing of babies ( 73 million every year ) is a SIN. God does NOT make mistakes so if someone born male feels like God made a mistake and he wants to become a women, this is also a sin. Your telling God, sorry, you messed up. I should have been a girl and I’m going to change it. Steven talks of the sins of being gay. Yes, also a sin in the Bible. Men laying with men and women laying with women are all sins and soo many people don’t want to here it. All these thing are just some of the reasons I left Cedar Creek church. They are a feel good about yourself church that don’t believe in talking about these things in fear of division and loosing members. My hope and prayer is that they will change. The Bible commands us all to talk of the sins of the world and to not sweep it under the rug. We all have the ability of being saved by only asking for forgiveness of our sins, confessing our sins and excepting Jesus into our hearts. There was only 1 perfect person and that was Jesus and he died so that we may live. We all make mistakes and are not exempt from them. God Bless you all.
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Let me take a wild guess, this recording was shared by none other than everyone look at me Eric Williams? I would place bets.
- Facebook User: Facebook User 1st of all, rude. 2nd of all, you can literally see that this was posted by Secular Ed Association… 3rd, who cares who shared it? The evidence is there, clear as day. If you care about children, you should be thanking him and calling for the de-platforming of Steven whitlow.
- Facebook User: Facebook User I know exactly who shared this recording and Eric had nothing to do with it. So probably don’t come on a post accusing people when you don’t have the real facts??
- Facebook User: Oh, another one of your friends who loves attention? And you literally have not one leg to stand on so sit down.
- Facebook User: Facebook User hilarious you’re defending Steven with the argument of people who just want attention. You clearly don’t know Steven AT ALL.
- Facebook User: Facebook User hilarious that you think I’m defending him. No I’m calling out Christians who are throwing stones who have no business picking one up. 😉
- Facebook User: Facebook User just because someone has their own sin, as everyone does, does NOT mean they can’t call out a pastor who shouldn’t be in leadership. If that were the case no one would be able to say anything. You included. 😉
- Facebook User: Facebook User ohhhh so you are allowed to pick up the stones? Cause you’ve never sinned yeah??
You literally have ZERO clue what you’re talking about…so sit down - Facebook User: Ohhh now you want to justify because you’re like oh crap, she’s right. 🤪 and BINGO we all fall short. Thank you for recognizing that. Why do you get to say who should be in leadership? Do you have a special badge? I’m fairly certain the Bible has a lot to say about not condemning others. To see Christians who are literally walking around with logs hanging out of their eyes condemn this man is actually embarrassing.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User no one here is claiming to be perfect — accountability isn’t about being “sin-free,” it’s about holding leaders to the standards they chose when they stepped into positions of influence over families and students. Pointing out misconduct isn’t hypocrisy; it’s basic safeguarding.
And just a reminder: every time you come back to argue, you boost this post in the algorithm and make sure even more people see the screenshots and the full story.
So truly — thank you for helping increase the traffic while we talk about why accountability for pastors matters. 😊
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association I am simply pointing out that there are many Christians who are sharing and shaming this story like they’ve never made mistakes and it’s sad. What he spoke and the acts he lived out were awful and definitely needed intervention. But also, where were these men, these friends of his ten years ago? Now he was given a second chance to lead and all of a sudden this video surfaces. Just yuck. All of it.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User accountability isn’t shaming. When someone steps into pastoral leadership — especially around families and students — the community has every right to ask questions about past misconduct, secrecy, and whether there was honest transparency before putting them back in authority.
And as for “where his friends were ten years ago”: people close to a leader like this are often gaslit, pressured, or coerced into silence. That’s not a failure on their part — it’s a pattern seen repeatedly when someone misuses spiritual authority. The delay in this coming to light doesn’t make it less true.
Honestly, on this part we agree with you: it is “just yuck.” All of it.
That’s exactly why accountability matters.And as always — every time you jump back in to debate, Facebook boosts this post and pushes the full story to a wider audience. So while we disagree, we do appreciate the added reach.
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association I just hope that everyone who is sharing this is also praying for those involved. Steven obviously has his issues to deal with but this also affects his wife, young kids and his congregation.
- Facebook User: Ashleigh Newsome the idea that Christians can’t call out abuse, SA, or both, because ‘everyone sins’ is absolutely mind blowing and sounds like the death of accountability. It sounds absolutely unhinged. People like you and Stephen are why I can’t be bothered with Christianity anymore 🤷♂️ Stephen was my youth pastor, btw
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User We are not obligated to offer prayer in place of accountability. The consequences his family is experiencing stem from his actions, not from those who spoke up.
- Facebook User: Ashleigh Newsome Of course it’s easy to go after Eric, but the recording is evidence…and there is no denying it. I served quite some time at CC. Being behind the scenes and keeping an eye closely on the individuals who were teaching my kids….I had my reservations about Whitlow from the beginning of my time at CC. After hearing the audio, my skepticism of him was valid. Eric isn’t seeking attention. Far from it. And it wasn’t him. Out of all the individuals in the youth ministry at that time, Eric was legit. And a ton of parents felt the same way.
- Facebook User: Facebook User Truth
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User can we please investigate the history of this extremely influential area pastor. Do it for the kids
- Facebook User: “But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone.””
John 8:7 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.8.7.NASB1995- Facebook User: John 8:7 is about not executing mob justice on a woman caught in adultery…It’s not a blanket permission slip for people in positions of authority to abuse that authority. Pastors are explicitly held to a higher standard in scripture. ‘Let he who is without sin’ does not mean ‘anything goes.’
- Facebook User: What a surprise. Oh, wait, no, the opposite of that
- Secular Education Association: PASTOR STEVEN WHITLOW ( REDEMPTION CHURCH) LATEST UPDATE – RELEASED AUDIO
SEA Original post
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Byo3hmYdk/SEA post on the Toledo Blade Editorial
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17FL6B5dYv/?mibextid=wwXIfr - Facebook User: https://www.toledoblade.com/business/development/2020/12/17/Urban-Air-Adventure-Park-opens-in-Toledo/stories/20201217100
He also owns this facility
- Facebook User: Facebook User true! We should be talking about that!!!
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