By now the viral video clip of the man at a Church of God in Christ ceremony claiming he wasn’t gay any longer has become a part of the national conversation. Critics doubted the validity of the man being “delivered” from homosexuality, and he is now hitting back at critics.
Andrew Caldwell, 21, of Missouri claims that his moment in the spotlight was not a set-up nor was it a publicity stunt for the COGIC church. Caldwell spoke briefly with a Memphis news reporter explaining his side of the story. All that he offered was that he was not paid and it wasn’t a scam before handing off his phone to his manager. For all of Caldwell’s claims, his skeptics are calling the video both a troubling moment and an impossibility.
More from WMC Action 5 News:
The gay man who claims to have been “converted” during COGIC’s annual convocation insists it was not a scam.
“I’m not gay no more,” said Andrew Caldwell in a video posted to YouTube. The Church of God In Christ said Caldwell’s supposed “conversion” does not represent the entire event.
“I don’t like men no more,” said Caldwell in another part of the video. His portion of one service is definitely getting the most attention.
“If you can’t praise God with him, you’re a non-believer,” said Bishop Brandon Porter of Memphis following Caldwell’s testimony.
Will Batts runs the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.
“Every reputable scientific study on this experience says you cannot change someone’s orientation,” said Batts.
Aside from obvious doubts, others question Caldwell’s motivation.
Local internet talk show host Thaddeus Matthews expressed full-on what many have already said aloud.
“Well, my conclusion is he’s a con artist, he’s a scam artist,” says Matthews. He added, “He says that he’s going to medical school online. Where do you go to medical school at, online?”
Things get weirder after a mugshot of Caldwell in May was discovered by WMC investigators, in where he was arrested for insurance fraud. There’s also a curious moment during the COGIC event where Bishop Brandon Porter handed Caldwell a $100 bill.
Our question: why does Caldwell need a manager? Watch WMC’s video report in the clip below.
http://wmctv.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=88752;hostDomain=www.wmcactionnews5.com;playerWidth=630;playerHeight=355;isShowIcon=true;clipId=10844234;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=overlayWMC Action News 5 – Memphis, Tennessee
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Photo: WMC
