Episodes

  • Chain of Command part 5

    Chain of Command part 5
    Jun 9 2026
    Rony Denis wasn't just the spiritual leader at the House of Prayer Christian Church... He was their god. In Part 5, former members start connecting the dots on how Rony Denis consolidated control, and it's worse than you think. He ordered members to smash their own phones in front of the congregation. He commanded public confessions. And when he set his eyes on something he wanted, whether that was another man's wife or a ten-year-old boy, he found a way to take it. Written and Produced by Javier Leiva Edited by Puneeth Shenoy | Podcast Pundits https://www.podcastpundits.com/ Music by Joe Basile | thechicken.net Get early access and bonus content — join on Patreon or try PRETEND+ free on Apple Podcasts. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 © 2026 Creative Babble LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • The Lottery Curse with Murder: True Crime Stories

    The Lottery Curse with Murder: True Crime Stories
    Jun 5 2026
    I teamed up with Carter Roy for a special guest collaboration on Murder: True Crime Stories and this one is something else. For the full episode, follow Murder: True Crime Stories on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1745145932In November 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won $30 million in the Florida Lottery. He couldn't read or write, and within two years he'd given most of it away to anyone who asked. Then Dee Dee Moore showed up promising to protect what was left — and within months, she had his house, his insurance, and his power of attorney. Not long after, Abe vanished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • Chain of Command part 4

    Chain of Command part 4
    Jun 2 2026
    Note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and psychological manipulation. It started with a revolt. Thirty ministers walked out of NTCC mid-service and never looked back. They thought they were done with high-control leadership, mandatory tithing, and pastors who ruled by fear. They were wrong. In this episode, former pastor Arlen Bradeen and Greg Shepard tell us what happened when they followed Rony Denis to Georgia — and what it cost them to finally get out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • Chain of Command part 3

    Chain of Command part 3
    May 26 2026
    In part three of Chain of Command, we hear from those who grew up in the New Testament Christian Churches of America. From Victor Johanson, a former Army soldier who confirms on tape that NTCC ministers got vasectomies because children would interfere with their ministry. From a woman we're calling Kaylee, who was raised inside the church and was groomed and assaulted by a family member who was also an NTCC minister. And we look at how the church's CEO, Michael Kekel, has publicly stated at one point that no church is under a legal obligation to report child abuse. This episode discusses sexual assault and the grooming of minors. Please take care while listening. Want to keep going? Bonus episodes featuring the full unedited conversations with Victor Johanson and Kaylee are available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio Resources mentioned in this episode: Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey) The Mountain News (Bruce Smith's reporting on NTCC) Washington State Senate Bill 5375 (clergy mandatory reporting law, May 2025) Support and resources: If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group, you have options. Military OneSource is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. Your installation chaplain can also provide confidential support across all faiths. If you're a former member of NTCC or another high-control group and looking for support, the International Cultic Studies Association at icsahome.com offers resources, recovery workshops, and a directory of professionals familiar with high-control group recovery. If you've experienced sexual assault, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at rainn.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Chain of Command part 2

    Chain of Command part 2
    May 19 2026
    Part one was about control. Part two is about the money. Behind the soul-winning and the sermons and the bylaws, the New Testament Christian Churches of America runs a very well-funded business. Tithing is tracked, enforced, and tied to your military paycheck. Fall behind and you go before the general board. Fall further behind and you lose your credentials. So where does the tithing money go? Church CEO Michael Kekel told his congregation they owed $25,000 a year in property taxes on the fellowship hall. But tax records tell a different story. The fellowship hall paid $9.65. The $25,000? That's the bill on a personal house in the name of Kekel's wife. In this episode: -Tracy Pelfrey, former NTCC member of 17 years -Bruce Smith, reporter, The Mountain News, who has covered NTCC for nearly two decades -Sarah DeJonghe, former Navy Seabee and NTCC ex-member -Archival recordings of R.W. Davis, founder of NTCC -Archival recordings of Michael Kekel, CEO of NTCC Next time on Pretend: Former members say that NTCC fosters a culture where adult men courting teenage girls isn't just tolerated — it's encouraged. That's next time. Listen to Part 3 now: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group or organization, you have options. The Military OneSource confidential helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. You can also reach out to your installation chaplain, who can provide confidential support across all faiths and no faith at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • The Raid | From Deep Cover: The Family Man

    The Raid | From Deep Cover: The Family Man
    May 18 2026
    Deep Cover is a true crime show about double lives, brought to you by our friends at Pushkin Industries. Their new season, The Family Man, is a gripping story about how families can deceive each other and the lengths we’ll go to to protect our loved ones. Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis—but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them... like how he really made his money. Everything changed in a single night: The Raid: Police arrived at the front door, seizing boxes of evidence. The Chase: Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV to a surreal sight—their father in the middle of a high-speed police chase. The Identity: The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.” The girls were stunned, struggling to accept a reality they never saw coming. How long had he been lying? What had he done? Who, exactly, was their father? Listen Now: Find Deep Cover: The Family Man wherever you get your podcasts. Binge the Full Season: If you want to know how the story ends right now, you can binge the entire season today. Sign up for a Pushkin+ subscription on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Official Link: lnk.to/DCFMPretend The Secret Life of the SuburbsThe Aftermath[CALL TO ACTION] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Chain of Command part 1

    Chain of Command part 1
    May 12 2026
    In 1996, Sarah DeJonghe was a 20-year-old Navy Seabee stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Two guys in uniform approached her on base and invited her to church. She said no. They came back anyway. Four months later, Sarah was out of the Navy and on her way to a Bible seminary in Washington State. She didn't see it coming. Neither did the dozens of other military members who found themselves drawn into the New Testament Christian Churches of America, a church that has spent decades planting itself outside US military bases around the world, marketing itself as a home away from home for single, lonely soldiers. Former members say it's a cult. Want to keep going? Part Two is available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get every episode of this series ad-free and a week early, plus bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio Resources mentioned in this episode: NTCC bylaws (publicly available): https://myntcc.org/bylaws/ Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey) - https://www.youtube.com/@StayAwayFromNTCC Bruce Smith's reporting at The Mountain News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Operation Cockblock Revisited

    Operation Cockblock Revisited
    May 5 2026
    A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and his lifestyle. When they finally compared notes, they didn't get mad. They got organized. This is the story of Bill Sullivan, and the self-appointed militia of scorned women who banded together to take him down: Operation Cockblock. Before you go: Stick around for a sneak peek at Chain of Command, PRETEND's new investigative series about a secretive church that brands itself a "ministry to the military" and has been operating near U.S. military bases around the world. 🎧 Listen now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 💙 Or on Patreon: https://patreon.com/pretendradio?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins