Many of our recent stories have involved grooming, either as a primary or secondary issue. But some of the comments and questions we’ve received suggest that many may not fully understand grooming and why it’s so damaging, both to the primary victim and to the secondary victim. This post is an attempt to address those…
Reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. “People tend to regret not listening more than listening and tend to regret things they said more than things they didn’t say.” ― Kate Murphy, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters The Roys Report posted a fascinating real-time video. On Wednesday, I posted Pawley’s Island…
Long-time readers of this publication may recall that we’ve been concerned about Calvary Chapel, South Dayton, for a long time. Our concerns extend to the church’s school, “Branches & Vine Cottage School,” a non-chartered school that, with classes four days a week, supplements homeschooling. Recently, our concerns about the organization have grown exponentially, and we…
Hello everyone. Today’s post is shorter than most. It’s Friday, the weather is nice, and it’s been a long week for folks in AW land. So, today, we’re going to explore a baseline (and hopefully simple) question: What is the root cause of the problems with Title IV? Before we go further, let’s be clear…
Earlier today, Anglican Watch sent the following press release to Christian media outlets nationwide, as well as every media outlet in Virginia. The original is here. NEWS PROVIDED BY Anglican Watch July 23, 2026 ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 23, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today sharply condemned a recent letter from…
Just when things couldn’t get any worse for Trinity Upperville, its wardens, both of whom need to resign, are pulling the “loose lips sink ships” routine in an effort to silence criticism, having just sent a vaguely threatening cease-and-desist letter to the members of the congregation. The move is both remarkably stupid and evinces a…
The following reader submission was lightly edited for mechanics I’m writing this open letter as a lifelong member of Trinity Upperville whose family has deep ties to the parish. My grandparents started attending the church roughly 60 years ago. They were buried from the church and rest nearby. My parents were married at the church,…
One thing church abuse bloggers quickly learn is that any effort within a faith community to operate without scrutiny is never a good sign. And so it is in Episcopal priest Mark Anderson’s divorce litigation, where he has filed a motion to seal just about everything in the case. In response, Anglican Watch editor Eric…
Reprinted with permission. Check out the discussion of fabrications and false denials by church officials. And please check out friend Christa Brown’s excellent Substack, “In Solidarity.” With a civil lawsuit and criminal charges against enablers, maybe some Southern Baptist leaders will finally learn a lesson. At Pawleys Island Community Church in South Carolina, church leaders…
Earlier today, Anglican Watch learned that Episcopal priest Mark Anderson has filed motions that, if granted, would keep his sneaky behavior out of the public eye. In other words, it’s sounding suspiciously like he’s trying to interfere with the Title IV clergy disciplinary case we’ve filed against him. To be clear, Anderson is, for purposes…
As we continue to investigate allegations of grooming by Episcopal priest Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams, we have learned of multiple instances in which Adams violated canonically mandated confidentiality during the course of the Title IV grooming complaint filed against him. Moreover, the Diocese of Virginia has not taken any meaningful action against Adams over these…
It’s always great to know a variety of people. And that’s never more so the case than when dealing with the meltdown at Trinity Episcopal Upperville over allegations that outgoing rector Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams is a pedophile. Specifically, we hear from friends within the parish that the wardens are talking trash, saying that Adams…
In today’s post, we want to cover the correlation between abuse and the veracity of statements coming from victims of abuse. Specifically, in the context of abuse, it’s important to recognize that a victim’s allegations may be factually untrue, while still pointing out abuse. Before we go further, an important disclaimer: This post is not…
Hello friends at Anglican Watch. My name’s Mary, and I am a psychologist who specializes in helping child sexual abuse victims. My experience includes providing expert witness testimony in high-profile child sex abuse prosecutions nationwide, and I teach various courses on this topic at a major medical school. You also should know that I am…
Disclosure: Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti had no role in the production of this post due to a potential conflict of interest There is an excellent article on Fauquier Now about the meltdown at Trinity Upperville, which can be found here. We would like to respond to some of the comments made in the Diocese’s letter to…
Late today, Anglican Watch took four additional steps to hold Episcopal priest Mark Anderson accountable for his self-professed adultery and mortgage fraud, as well as his possible tax fraud and related issues. Anderson is the vicar of St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville. Specifics: We filed a formal Title IV complaint against Anderson. The filing closely…
One of the great things about being retired is having the time to ferret out misconduct in out-of-the-way places. And, since the weather is hot (and smoky) and folks here at AW don’t feel like going outside, we’ve had extra time on our hands, resulting in us discovering abusive and potentially criminal conduct by Episcopal…
A source close to the matter tells Anglican Watch that Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams, rector of Trinity Upperville and an alleged pedophile, has resigned as rector and will be leaving the area. We have not yet been able to confirm the reports but believe them to be accurate. Neither the Diocese of Virginia nor the…
Disclosure: Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti did not participate in the production of this post due to being a previous member of the Diocese of Virginia. He also is the complainant in a Title IV case against Episcopal priest Bob Malm, presently canonically resident in the Diocese of Virginia. ### A Diocese of Virginia Title…
Disclosure: Due to potential conflict of interest, Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti’s role in this post was limited to fact-checking. Anglican Watch is issuing an urgent warning about a possible pedophile at Trinity Episcopal Church, located in Upperville, Va. The warning follows reports from multiple sources, including a police investigative report, alleging grooming directed at…
Earlier today, my spouse and I drove out to Upperville for the afternoon, with stops in Middleburg and more. As a result, we enjoyed some wonderful Thai food, got photos of Trinity Upperville—and, we’re pleased to report, we now have both Johnny Boy’s letter about his sabbatical, and a recording of a phone call between the…
Multiple sources within the parish of Trinity Upperville have told Anglican Watch that, in response to our recent coverage of allegations that he has engaged in grooming behavior, rector Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams has gone on sabbatical. In doing so, Johnny Boy has made various claims that he was cleared of wrongdoing by the Diocese…
We’ve gotten several questions about Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams, the rector of Trinity Upperville, who has allegedly engaged in grooming activity towards one or more boys who are not members of his parish. (“Johnny Boy” is Adams’ preferred moniker when interacting with boys. He just doesn’t like it when parents find out about his handle….
Newly installed Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has announced that she will visit the United States on September 25 and 26, 2026, during which she’ll visit the Episcopal dioceses of New York and Connecticut. Some believe her visit may encourage the US church to address its broken clergy disciplinary process, while others, including this publication,…
Disclosure: Anglican Watch is the complainant in the McClain Title IV case. On June 23, 2026, the Episcopal Court of Review heard oral arguments in the appeal of Episcopal priest Dan McClain, who is canonically resident in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Previously, a Title IV hearing panel recommended that the diocese defrock McClain over…
In recent posts, we’ve covered situations that appear to involve clergy with narcissistic personality disorder, including “Johnny Boy” Adams, Miriam Terlinchamp, and Martha Korienek. With that in mind, the following factors may help readers assess whether their deacon, priest, or bishop is a narcissist. Note that, because the majority of narcissists are men, we use…
Based on some of the comments we’ve received, it appears several readers have rushed to Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams’ defense without reading the police report we obtained via FOIA. Adams is the rector of Trinity Episcopal in Upperville, and allegedly has engaged in grooming behavior towards boys. In light of this failure to read supporting…
More than four years after the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) promised to make its ethics process more trauma-informed and caring, there has been zero progress in making these promises a reality. In this post, we explore the documentation that supports this conclusion. History On January 1, 2024, several CCAR ethics complaints were filed…
Yesterday, we reported on the sordid allegations of grooming children involving the Rev. Jonathan “Johnny Boy” Adams, rector of Trinity Episcopal in Upperville, Va, and the Diocese of Virginia’s entirely inadequate response to these allegations. We have additional leads coming in about this situation, but wanted to take a moment to share two perspectives: 1….
Disclosure: Anglican Watch was the complainant in the current McClain Title IV case. On June 23, 2026, the Episcopal Court of Review conducted a hearing in the Title IV case of adulterous Episcopal priest Dan McClain. As we have for the past several years, we’re calling BS on McClain and his arguments. The appeal centers…