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Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS: A Closer Look, Hard Questions

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS: A Closer Look, Hard Questions

Last updated on: July 3, 2026 at 5:00 pm by Leah D. Schade

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Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS: A Closer Look, Hard Questions 2026-07-03T17:00:22-04:00 Leah D. Schade

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The violent VBS skit at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church raises urgent questions about children’s safety, spiritual abuse, and Christian nationalist formation.

I’ve watched the video of the VBS “devil-murder-skit” at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky., many times. I explained in this piece why this mock execution of the devil is so problematic for children.

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS violent skit, June 2026. Still from TikTok video

And while I continue to be horrified by the depiction of extreme violence in front of children, something deeper troubles me.

Children Cheering a Mock Execution in Church

Why didn’t the children appear afraid? Why were they cheering and chanting, “Take him out, blow him up?” Shouldn’t they have been screaming and crying watching a man convulsing as rifle fire riddled his body? And why weren’t the adults shielding the children’s eyes or whisking them out of the room?

It was as if they had seen something like this before and were desensitized to what would normally frighten children to tears.

In fact, they have.

Not an Isolated Incident

The skit at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky., is not an isolated incident for the congregation. In a video of the church’s 2023 VBS, minute mark 47:45 shows several men in military uniforms roaming the aisles carrying assault rifles and swords.

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky., 2023 Vacation Bible School, "Commando for Christ" roaming sanctuary

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky., 2023 Vacation Bible School, “Commando for Christ” roaming sanctuary. Still from Youtube video

The church’s founder and pastor, Dewayne Walker, tells the children, “Those swords represent the word of God, boys and girls.”

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS, Lexington, Ky., VBS 2023, swordsmen

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS, Lexington, Ky., VBS 2023, swordsmen. Still from Youtube video

Two men climb to the top of the castle ramparts and hold rifles at the ready over the children’s heads. Two others with swords salute them while Walker leads the children in cheering for these “Commandos for Christ” and the “watchmen in the tower.”

Afterward, he calls up the song leader to direct the children in singing about being a “missionary” and “baptizing all nations.” Then off they go for crafts, lessons, and snacks.

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS, Lexington, KY, 2023, "Commandos for Christ"

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church VBS, Lexington, KY, 2023, “Commandos for Christ” still from Youtube video

Concerns of Spiritual Abuse

It’s little wonder, then, that the presence of men in military fatigues opening fire on “the devil” in the 2026 video seemed perfectly normal. These children appear so thoroughly conditioned that the scene does not seem to faze them.

In his video statement about the viral clip, Walker said he was “befuddled” by the strong reactions to the video.

It was nothing more than a small part of our Vacation Bible School. For 32 years, we have had characters that represent good and right and God. And we have characters that are bad and wrong and should be avoided. We make church a fun place, a happy place where we hate sin, but we love the sinner. A place where we exalt Jesus and we hate the devil. I think you’d be in agreement that we shouldn’t love the devil.

I think we’re all in agreement that there’s such a thing as spiritual warfare, a battle going on behind the scenes that we can’t see with physical eyes. Every year we have this evil-against-good in our vacation Bible school. The last several years, we’ve had the “Commandos for Christ” that have the “gospel-gun.” It’s the answer for the devil. The gospel and the word of God. The clip you saw was simply killing the devil. If I could, I’d kill the devil every day and raise him up and kill him again.

In other words, for three generations this church has indoctrinated children and adults into the notion that violence is an acceptable response to “sin.” Church members now defend with gusto what that video showed the world.

Rationalizing Spiritual Abuse

Case in point: a commenter on Walker’s video wrote, “Mt. Olivet has one of the best interactive VBS I’ve ever been a part of. My children grew up in this church now with children of their own. Bro. Walker is a true blessing to ever have passed through my life for more than 3 generations.” This person apparently saw no problem with what happened in that VBS skit.

Others noted that Walker has pastored people through addictions and difficult life situations.

This may be true. But it does not justify what, in my judgment, amounts to three decades of the spiritual abuse of children.

As one commenter addressing Walker wrote in the comment section of the video: “My mom complained when I was a child and forced to witness something close to this at your church. I literally had to be removed because I was crying so much and couldn’t calm down. So this isn’t the first time in 32 years that someone has said something about this.”

So why is Walker “befuddled” by people’s reactions to the video?

Pastor Dewayne Walker, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church

Still from video of Pastor Dewayne Walker, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, June 29, 2026. https://www.facebook.com/reel/895358056938398

Walker’s background may help explain.

DeWayne Walker and the Independent Baptist Church

Walker founded Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in 1992. He is also listed as Dr. DeWayne Walker on the Independent Baptist Online College (IBOC) website. At IBOC, he is an instructor for courses on the New Testament, 1 Corinthians, and the Pastoral Epistles.

One of the most influential figures in the independent fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement was Dr. Jack Hyles, who pastored the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, from 1959 until his death in 2001. He is known for beginning a church bus ministry that brought thousands of people from surrounding towns to services each week. At the time of his death, membership had reached 100,000.

He also started an annual “Pastor’s School” which led to the founding of Hyles-Anderson College. The school and its sponsoring church is alleged to have had “a string of assaults and sexual crimes” spanning decades. Hyles himself was said to have had a history of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse.

A Legacy of Abuse

One of Hyles’s students was Dr. Bob Gray, Sr., founder of Independent Baptist Online College. IBOC proudly states that it is non-accredited. It gives eleven reasons for refusing accreditation in a screed against communism, the “idolatry” of academic standards, “hippie-haired boys,” and “permission to wear blue jeans to school.”

IBOC’s 13-point Mission Statement includes the goal “to encourage pastors to help their preacher boys plant new local independent Baptist churches” (emphasis added). And “to allow local church pastors to train their own by administering the curriculum offered by IBOC.”

In other words, DeWayne Walker is part of a network of insular, unaccountable, patriarchal Christian fundamentalists. As they boldly proclaim in their “Distinctives” page, “It is unapologetically fundamental, Baptist, unaccredited, and King James only.” The result is a network of ministries that indoctrinate adults and children into their violent ideology.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

One might argue that we should not judge Walker by association alone. Just because he teaches at IBOC does not necessarily mean he ascribes to its ideology. To be clear: there is no allegation of sexual misconduct against Walker or Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, and I am not suggesting any. But the video evidence suggests that Walker is not just teaching at a school tied to a legacy of abuse. In fact, for more than three decades, he has actively pastored a congregation that he has saturated with teachings that many would regard as dangerous and abusive.

And on July 14, 2024, they rewarded Walker with an “appreciation gift” of a new sports car.

It’s worth noting a 1990 report in which, during a sermon, “Hyles pretended to pour poison into a glass and asked an associate pastor, Johnny Colsten, to drink from it. Colsten said he would.” The report “said the sermon has the ‘ring of Jonestown’ to it—the mass suicide in Guyana in 1978 by followers of cult leader Jim Jones.”

Thirty-six years later, a spiritual descendant of Hyles stages a mock execution of the devil in a church sanctuary filled with young children and adults. No adult in the room stops it. No staff member steps in and says, “This is not okay!” And no parent or guardian protects the children from this assault on their young hearts and minds.

What is Happening Here?

What could explain such an odd and disturbing scene?

Is it some kind of Stockholm Syndrome, where the captives align with their captors? Is it an example of learned helplessness after repeated exposure to these kinds of scenes and rhetoric? Could it be the result of decades of coercive conditioning through repeated psychological manipulation?

I am not a psychologist, so I can’t answer these questions.

But I am an ordained minister with a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy from a fully accredited seminary. I also have 25 years of ministry experience, ten of those as a professor of preaching and worship at a fully accredited seminary.

Therefore, I can say that, in my professional judgment, what these videos show DeWayne Walker and Mt. Olivet Baptist Church practicing constitutes theological malpractice and spiritual abuse. These practices are typical of churches that support Christian nationalist ideology that has gained political control in this country.

The Sins of Christian Nationalism and Cult Practices

I define Christian nationalism as a political movement that distorts and weaponizes Christian teachings for its violent, patriarchal, racist, and ethnocentric agenda.

Carter Heyward lists “seven deadly sins” of white Christian nationalism: lust for omnipotence, entitlement, white supremacy, misogyny, capitalist spirituality, domination of the earth and its creatures, and violence. After looking into the IFB movement and Hyles’s legacy, and after analyzing DeWayne Walker’s response to the video, I believe we need to add an eighth sin to the list: the spiritual abuse of children.

I can also say that the congregation shows signs of cult-like behavior. Hallmarks of cults include authoritarian leadership, exploitation of members, indoctrination and mind control, us-versus-them mentality, and unethical behavior.

Religious cults associated with Christian nationalism add several distinctions. They stress personal salvation over collective liberation. They use Jesus as a cultural warrior. Their theology stokes fear about the end times and continually emphasizes the concepts of sin, evil, the devil, and hell. [See: American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church by Andrew L. Whitehead.]

Walker exhibits these traits in his video when he says the devil is “trying to infiltrate our homes. He’s trying to infiltrate our government. He’s trying to infiltrate everything.” He then suggests that the devil is using the misinterpretation about this skit to do harm. “I am so sad about that,” he says. “That little snippet is not even close to what we’re about. I’d ask you to be just and not try us and convict us without at least hearing what this thing’s about.”

Well, the videos are publicly available, and viewers can judge the evidence for themselves. This is not merely a “small part” of the church’s VBS. The videos suggest that displays of violence are a recurring, central feature of what I regard as a cult-like indoctrination process for children.

The Devil’s Work

At the end of his video, Walker makes his final appeal: “You may think we went a little over the top. You may think it was a little bit extreme. And maybe you’re right. But don’t you believe that the devil is really using extreme measures in this generation? The amount of evil and scams and sorry things that are happening? Isn’t that extreme? So, friends, if it offended you, I’m sorry that it did. That was not the intention.”

The devil’s work, in this case, appears to be happening in the very place where God’s love is supposed to be preached. Where Jesus’s welcoming of children is supposed to create safety. Where the Holy Spirit is supposed to fill people with joy and peace rather than cheers for murder.

As it stands, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church has rejected the gospel of Jesus. And they appear to have convinced generations of congregants that God wants children to watch a man mock-executed on the chancel steps.

Call to Action

As a pastor who bore responsibility for ensuring that children were safe in the churches I served, I’m sounding the alarm.

Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians should not allow children to be catechized into violence and fear in the name of Jesus. If a church normalizes weapons, mock executions, fear of enemies, or authoritarian control as part of children’s ministry, remove children from that environment. Seek a church that teaches about Jesus’s call for love, compassion, ethics, justice, and courage.

Civil Authorities

If this church belonged to a denomination, I would call on ecclesial leaders to investigate. But because the church is independent, no denominational channels exist for accountability. Therefore, I am calling on civil authorities and child-safeguarding organizations not to dismiss incidents like this as mere “bad taste.” They should ask whether this church is psychologically or spiritually harming children and whether it is following mandatory-reporting standards, safety protocols, and child-protection policies.

Christian Leaders

For my fellow Christian leaders, we must stop regarding these spectacles as theatrical excess or harmless fundamentalist eccentricity. We need to name them plainly as theological malpractice and spiritual abuse. No church is immune. Every congregation should examine what they teach children about enemies, violence, obedience, fear, masculinity, patriotism, and power. Children’s ministry is never neutral; it forms imaginations. The question is whether the teachings of Jesus or Christian nationalism are shaping those imaginations.

The American Public

More broadly, the American public must stop treating Christian nationalism as a mere political ideology. It is also a discipleship system that threatens the safety of our children and our communities. It trains bodies, emotions, loyalties, and fears—often beginning with children. Journalists and child advocates should investigate how widespread this form of indoctrination is and who has been harmed by it. And they should report on what they find so that the public is aware. [See: Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood by Angela Denker.]

Victims and Survivors

Finally, if you are a member, former member, survivor, or a parent whose children endured these practices at any church, you deserve to be heard. And you deserve to heal. Find a trustworthy clergyperson to help you safely process what you experienced. Seek churches that can guide you to deconstruct harmful theology and build a healthy faith without coercion, fear, shame, or violence.

Accountability for the Sake of the Gospel

Christian nationalism does not merely distort politics; it distorts discipleship.

When churches teach children to cheer for domination, fear enemies, sanctify weapons, and confuse violence with faithfulness, they betray the gospel they claim to proclaim.

Jesus did not bless the children by teaching them to hate the devil through mock execution. He welcomed them, protected them, and warned adults not to cause them harm (Matt. 18:6). That is still the standard.

Any church, pastor, or movement that fails that standard must face confrontation, investigation, and accountability—for the sake of the children, and for the sake of the gospel.

Preaching Ideas, July 4th: Resisting Christian Nationalism

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Is Your Pastor Preaching Christian Nationalism? 8 Red Flags

Ezekiel 37 Counters White Christian Nationalism

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is a seminary professor, ordained minister, and co-founder of the Clergy Emergency League. Her opinions are her own.

Leah is the author of Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her book, Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, was co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).

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