The Roys Report

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin explains how demonization can lead to physical harm and urges people to respect the dignity of their opponents.

Whistleblower Rachel Beck breaks her silence to expose sexual harassment, grooming, and systemic cover-up by top leaders at Liberty University.

Weak accountability lets predators thrive in churches. Expert guests John Horwood and Ian Mayer of Digital Alibi outline a solution for identifying and stopping these predators.

Guest Bios Show Transcript Does Jesus' command to love our enemies mean Christian women must remain in abusive marriages? That's the troubling claim Pastor Paul LeBoutillier made in a recent sermon at Calvary Chapel in Boise, Idaho. While acknowledging that abuse is “terrible,” he implied Jesus' words about loving abusers apply to abusive husbands. Is that a faithful reading of Scripture or a distortion rooted in patriarchy?

Guest Bios Show Transcript Daystar TV President Joni Lamb is once again framing serious allegations as “cancel culture” and “gossip”—while making it sound deeply spiritual. On a recent Table Talk episode, Lamb and her panel repeated familiar churchy lines like, “When we point a finger, we have all the others pointing back,” and “The same measure that they judge with, God will judge them.” But behind the platitudes lies a troubling context: credible claims that Lamb helped cover up the alleged sexual abuse of her granddaughter—claims first reported by The Roys Report last November.

Leadership guru John Maxwell shocked many by publicly honoring disgraced pastor Bill Hybels at the Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek.

In an attempt to defend her brother Mike Bickle, Lisa Stribling preached a sermon that excuses sin, shames victims, and shields abusers.

Lisa Stribling's sermon defending her brother Mike Bickle ignited backlash. Now IHOPKC insiders expose its troubling theology and impact on abuse survivors.

In a Q&A podcast, recorded live, attorney Christine Jones joins host Julie Roys to empower survivors to resist silence, NDAs, and institutional intimidation.

But in this deeply personal talk from Restore, Julie Roys explains how remembering God's faithfulness—both in her own life and through the legacy of her grandfather, Dr. S.I. McMillen—helped her hold on.

Allegations that superstar Michael Tait sexually assaulted multiple young men and boys have rocked the CCM industry. But how culpable are the Newsboys? Host Julie Roys and reporter Jessica Morris discuss.

Relationship coach and counselor Leslie Vernick explains how to identify emotionally destructive churches and how to escape them.

What did pastors Jimmy Evans and Brady Boyd know about their friend Robert Morris's abuse of a 12-year-old and when? We examine the evidence.

Relationship coach Leslie Vernick provides hope and specific steps for moving beyond a traumatic event to take agency for what comes next.

A former student and soccer coach at Truett McConnell U (TMU) claims a TMU VP sexually abused her and President Emir Caner protected him.

Attorney Melissa Hogan shares her journey of being betrayed by her husband, seeking a place of safety and finding it in abuse survivor community.

Guest Bios Show Transcript What happens when people start questioning what they were taught about Jesus—and discover the church might be the problem, not their faith? In his talk from the Restore Conference, author and New Testament scholar Scot McKnight reframes the controversial topic of “deconstruction” as a faithful pursuit of Christ rather than a departure from belief. McKnight challenges common misconceptions about deconstruction, often mislabeled as rebellion or “exvangelical angst.” Drawing on his recent book Invisible Jesus, co-authored with musician and pastor Tommy Preson Phillips, McKnight shares insights from those rethinking their faith—not to abandon Jesus, but to more firmly grasp authentic faith in Him.

Guest Bios Show Transcript Despite an investigation finding that Michael Brown engaged in clergy sexual abuse, an Elder Accountability Team cleared him for ministry. And now, Brown has published a video, announcing his return. What should we make of the allegations against Brown? And is his video truth—or an attempt at image repair and lies? On this podcast, host Julie Roys welcomes Ron Cantor, a former close friend of Brown’s, to examine the video and the known facts.

In a “fauxpology,” Pastor Jimmy Evans doubled down on his past errant sermon saying Jesus lacked understanding and needed to submit to authority figures

Guest Bios Show Transcript In a sermon last Sunday, popular Bible teacher Jimmy Evans claimed Jesus, the Son of God, was “wrong.” The outlandish claim was part of a larger argument Evans was making that those in authority know best, so we should submit to them. Evans, who infamously told former Daystar TV executive Jonathan Lamb that his mother Joni Lamb was “the voice of God” to him, now argues that Jesus’ mother was essentially the voice of God to Jesus.

Looking beyond brands and buildings, microchurch pioneer Brian Sanders says churches can make eternal, mega impact as faithful communities that spark local change.

In this second part of a two-part podcast, a Tyler Deaton cult survivor describes the exorcism she experienced at the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC), Micah Moore's murder confession, and her journey to healing.

Exclusive interview: a member of Tyler Deaton's cult tells her story, including the cult's connections to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC) and Bethany Deaton's mysterious death.

Rob Wegner shares his journey of spiritual renewal, which took him from megachurch leader to microchurch pioneer.

Baylor professor and researcher Dr. David Pooler dismantles the myth that adult clergy sexual abuse (ACSA) is an “affair.”

Mary DeMuth shares her journey of experiencing harm in a Dallas megachurch, but finding Jesus and healing in the wreckage.

Speaking from decades of experience counseling trauma survivors, Dr. Diane Langberg challenges the church to confront hidden abuses within its own walls.

Mike Bickle's grooming defined the culture of IHOPKC and resulted in widespread abuse, says longtime IHOPKC staff leader Shelley Hundley in this podcast.

Daystar TV insider Melanie Contreras tells of nightmare “counseling” from Fred and Anna Kendall and their collusion with Daystar President Joni Lamb.

Longtime Daystar insider Melanie Contreras uncovered details of Marcus Lamb's affair, shedding light on the culture and practices at Daystar TV.

Fueled by the “leadership movement,” domineering pastors have left a trail of victims—but JR Woodward says there's a better way.

The woman who exposed Marcus Lamb's extramarital affair breaks her silence, with new insights into Daystar TV's culture of control and cover-up.

Author Lance Ford exposes how churches use faulty teachings to bind and silence Jesus followers, and envisions how truth and reforms can bring freedom.

Daystar TV President Joni Lamb recently prayed curses on-air—is that normal for Christians? Bible teacher Lance Ford parses what the Bible says on this practice.

After being kicked out of the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, two podcasters who've reported on the Daystar TV scandal speak out.

Investigative journalist Julie Roys unpacks why her work exposes evil deeds of church leaders—and why truth matters in an era of compromise.

Two survivors of IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle's abuse share how he groomed and betrayed them, and a survivor advocate shares how they exposed the wolf.

Deborah Perkins, the first victim of Mike Bickle's who went public, shares of how friends “went to war” with her, to expose an evil system of abuse.

Her story of alleged sexual abuse by Mike Bickle caused the prayer ministry he founded to separate from him. Now she reveals her identity for the first time.

Image repair analyst, Dr. Julia Dahl, says a 10-minute video posted by Mercy Culture Pastor Landon Schott in response to an article is rife with image repair tactics.

Former assistant to Daystar TV founders Marcus and Joni Lamb gives a revealing account of the prominent Christian network.

Jamin Coller, author of Dear Evangelicals, says people are exiting the church because they have questions no one in church wants to hear, let alone answer.

Bible teacher Lance Ford shares that what's advocated as spiritual leadership and submission in evangelical circles is often really spiritual abuse. 

Are allegations by Jonathan and Suzy Lamb about Joni Lamb's alleged cover-up of sex abuse and “unbiblical” marriage to Doug Weiss part of a “power grab.” The couple respond.

Daystar TV President Joni Lamb claims the allegations against her are lies. On this podcast, Jonathan and Suzy Lamb aim to set the record straight.

Sign an NDA or you're fired. That's the message the board of Daystar TV and its lawyer sent Jonathan Lamb in a board meeting last November.

Show Transcript Why was Jonathan Lamb fired from Daystar? According to Daystar, it was due to performance issues and refusing to participate in third-party mediation to resolve grievances in a biblical manner. But according to Jonathan, it's because he refused to sign an NDA. Now, The Roys Report is releasing full audio of a Daystar Board meeting on November 16, 2023, so you can judge for yourselves. 

After Joni Lamb demanded her son, a former Daystar executive, submit to her authority, a veteran church planter considers if that's biblical.

NT scholar Scot McKnight contends the deconstruction movement isn't a problem; it's a prophetic voice resisting a distorted gospel.

Show Transcript https://youtu.be/H4a23HS7qu0During their time at Daystar TV Network, former Vice President Jonathan Lamb and his wife, Suzy Lamb, say they were spiritually abused by Jonathan's mother, Daystar President Joni Lamb, and her close ally, Jimmy Evans. In this special edition of The Roys Report, we're releasing full audio of Joni and Jimmy Evans' meeting with Jonathan and Suzy Lamb in which Evans claims Joni is “the voice of God” to Jonathan and Suzy. Joni is the co-founder, with her late husband, Marcus, of Daystar TV—which has become consumed in a scandal involving the alleged cover-up the sexual abuse of Jonathan and Suzy's daughter. But Jonathan and Suzy also objected to Joni's marriage to sex therapist Doug Weiss. And when the couple refused to read a viewer comment on-air, praising Joni's marriage, Joni called them into a meeting. And to reinforce her authority over her son and employee, Joni brought in Jimmy Evans, the founder of XO Marriage and Turning Point Ministries. During this meeting, recently reported on by The Roys Report, the two well-known Christian personalities provide blatant examples of spiritual abuse. According to author Remy Diederich: “Spiritual abuse happens when people use God, or their supposed relationship with God, to control behavior for their benefit.” For nearly 90 minutes, Joni and Evans claim the mantle of “representatives of God.” And when Jonathan and Suzy resist, Joni says they're living in rebellion, and they'll bring a curse on themselves and their kids. In the interest of transparency, we're releasing the full audio, which was recorded on July 11, 2023. It has been only lightly edited, to remove the name of a person who has been accused of child sex abuse but not formally charged with any crime. SUPPORT OUR WORKVisit our Donate page to see our latest year-end financial statement and give to the cause of nonprofit journalism. Show Transcript Transcript for this edition available on YouTube. Read more

Guest Bios Show Transcript https://youtu.be/T6tDPn5nQ7kThe Church is supposed to be the Bride of Christ and the hope for mankind. But has the church in America become nothing more than a business? On this edition of The Roys Report, Julie speaks with Nathan Apffel, a filmmaker who's working on a docuseries, called The Religion Business. Nathan, who has more than 15 years of experience in TV and film production, is confronting megachurches and their pastors with their lack of financial accountability. He's demanding to know their salaries and housing allowances—and he's not taking no for an answer. Last month, he got arrested when he showed up at Ed Young's megachurch in Grapevine, Texas, carrying signs asking what Ed's salary and housing allowance is. Prior to that, Nathan had a run-in with the security team of televangelist Kenneth Copeland on Copeland's expansive ministry complex, including a mansion and jet runway. Why do megachurches have security teams that protect them from honest questions? Why do so few congregations know what their pastors make? And why do filmmakers get arrested when they demand transparency? Buckle up, because this is a wild interview with someone who's a bit of a cowboy when it comes to his tactics. But his exposés reveal some alarming practices within the church—and he says he's on a mission to change them. SUPPORT OUR WORKVisit our Donate page to see our latest year-end financial statement and give to the cause of nonprofit journalism. Guests Nathan Apffel Nathan Apffel, an Emmy-winning filmmaker based in Park City, Utah, aims to spur constructive conversations and action through his films and TV series. As a director and producer, his work has won recognition at numerous film festivals and two Emmy Awards. His upcoming seven-part docuseries, The Religion Business. sheds light on the business of Western Religion, and in particular, Christianity. Learn more about The Religion Business, set to release next year, at the official website.  Show Transcript Coming soon Read more