You're listening to a Frequency Podcast Network production.

Overall, there's a sense in the community that not only are folks who attend Bethel pretty lax about social distancing and mask wearing, but they're also

very lax about quarantining. And the primary reason for all that is that they just don't believe

this is a community perception, that Bethel folks don't believe that the virus is really

dangerous. This is Heaven Bent. I'm Tara Jean Stevens.

Episode 5.

The Outbreak.

It's October 2020, and over the first few days of this month alone, more than 100 cases of COVID-19

were detected among students and staff

at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry.

Reading reporter and former Bethel member,

Annalise Pierce, is back to Lupus in.

There are stories that come out within the community. And of course, these are not proven

evidence stories. These are anecdotes. But, you know, people who are checking, checking folks

out in a grocery store and hear them speaking to each other, oh yeah, my roommate has COVID and my other

roommate has COVID. I think I'm supposed to quarantine, but I don't have any symptoms yet.

These are the kind of stories that Annalise is hearing from people in the community.

But during this time, the community is also hearing directly from Bethel Church via a series

of highly criticized press releases.

One of the things that I thought was interesting was that the first press release that Bethel

issued regarding the outbreak at the school said, you know, hey, proactively, we've closed our school.

And this was before the number of cases had come out via public health.

...