Authors Charles Colson and Ellen Santilli Vaughn, along with publishing company Word, Inc., have issued public apologies to a Baptist minister for making libelous allegations about him in the first edition of the best-selling book "The Body."
The book alleged that D. A. Waite exerted "unusual control over the congregation" at Immanuel Baptist Church, which he pastored in Newton, Massachusetts, from 1961 to 1965.
The book accused Waite of blackmailing his parishioners to force them to agree with his decisions. In one instance, the book said, a fistfight broke out between pastor and parishioner during Sunday worship.
The incidents involving Waite were removed from the second edition of "The Body," which was originally published in 1992 by Word.
Some allegations were reprinted in Victor Books' "Turning Toward Integrity." Victor and Waite also reached an out-of-court settlement. Waite initially sought $50,000 in damages, but terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Waite told CT the story in "The Body" contained at least 96 errors. According to a statement by Colson, Waite, and publisher Charles Kip Jordon, the authors did not contact Waite about allegations raised because they thought he was dead. It said, "Had the authors been able to talk with Dr. Waite, and review his tape-recorded sermon from Immanuel Baptist Church, they would have written the chapter differently."
ctcurrmrj5TE71c5B29
Copyright © 1995 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
More from this Issue
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineEmpty Streets to the Empty GraveWhile reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
- Editor's PickA Theologian’s Vision of ‘Peasant’ Politics Is Surprisingly Lordly in ScopeEphraim Radner’s “narrow” concern for protecting the mundane goods of earthly life isn’t so narrow after all.