Completely unbelievable, ChristianNewNow report – A headline that Christ-followers probably hope was stolen from the popular Christian satire site The Babylon Bee is, in fact, very real. Living Faith Church, located in Little Italy in downtown San Diego, California, describes itself as a Christian Charismatic church and is pastored by two entrepreneurs, one of whom is a porn star.
Pastors Stephen and Angela Dela Cruz met while attending Bethany College of the Assemblies of God, a Bible college where Stephen earned his bachelors degree in theology and theological studies. Angela is an ordained minister who is also open about actively working in the adult entertainment industry.
The self-titled entrepreneurs celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary this past June and have spoken openly about how their marriage works on their YouTube channel, which is home to church videos and snippets of Angela promoting her industry’s work.
Church Planter Pleased His Wife Is a Porn Star
Stephen describes himself as a CEO, investor, hypnotist, sales trainer, business strategist, motivational speaker & trainer, and a planter of a progressive Christian church. He speaks in a supportive manner about Angela’s profession.
The church’s website describes Living Faith Church’s mission as a church t
hat leads “people to discover their purpose, live in power, and live out their God-given potential!” The slogan reads: “This is a church for sinners by sinners,” then unpacks what that means by saying, “The leaders of this church are the biggest sinners, and this is the most non-judgmental church around!” The site offers little detail about services, location, or ministries, but features invitations for visitors to text or call to connect and offers automated weekly giving options.
Living Faith Church explains in its comprehensive statement of belief that “the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and is completely relevant to our daily lives.” It cites the gospel and references the Bible extensively, similar to other churches’ websites. In videos, Stephen offers a gospel presentation, asking people to pray a “prayer of salvation” after his sermons, and a band plays worship songs most church members are familiar with.
In an Instagram post, Stephen didn’t shy away from his wife’s participation in an industry that goes directly against God’s Word; is known for abusing women, men, children; and promotes sex trafficking. He wrote:
We have had many people question how we can do a church plant and my wife be a porn star lol so we are doing a special in person meeting in downtown San Diego for people to ask questions and hear our heart. We understand this isn’t a traditional church, but we feel called to this purpose and want to share. If you would like to be invited to this meeting, send me a dm and I’ll get you on the list. This will also be recorded for future broadcast but this is for in person invitation.
Church Planter and Porn Star
It might seem unfathomable to put the terms church planter and adult entertainer in same sentence describing the same person, but in Angela’s case, it is the reality.
In a very personal Instagram post, Angela called out people for judging her for her profession. The ordained minister explained to her followers that she once struggled with what she does, but with God’s help she has learned to love who she is. “Love me, hate me, I have learned to not care. People will always judge, but the most important thing I have learned is do I love me? The answer is yes. The many years of battling with insecurities, afraid of what others thought, lead me to a downward spiral that made me not love myself, felt unworthy, unvalued, and made me put a wall up towards people. I grew angry filled with pain, unforgiveness, depression, anxiety and hate. [sic]”
While not denying that her profession in pornography is what causes people to judge her, Angela said people never got to know her due to her occupation and instead treated her like a disease. She said people spread rumors about her, blocked her on social media, and didn’t want to be associated with her, which Angela said made her heart bitter. Read more …