As the letter is too long for one post, here is Part 1 of a letter from Dr. Arild Abrahamsen, the doctor that Linda Shelton was accused by Danny Shelton of having an inappropriate relationship with:
June 20, 2006
Greetings from Norway;
My name is Dr. Arild Abrahamsen. I live in Svindal, Norway. I have been a medical doctor for more than 35 years. I am a member of the Moss SDA Church. I've been the Sabbath School Superintendent for 14 years and the head elder for 4 years, which position I am presently serving. I am the Norwegian doctor who has been slandered by Dr. Walt Thompson, chairman of the board of 3ABN, Danny Shelton, John Lomacang and others.
Since I have observed the situation and the slander only getting worse, I feel it best to share my experience. I share my personal experience, what I have seen and heard. Much of this information has been verified by other sources, which include emails, letters and the personal experiences of others. I share my experience not to attack any ndividual or organization, but to bring the truth of this situation to the surface.
I have been shocked to observe the events of the last two years. I have made no public statement until now. I had hoped things would resolve themselves.
I visited Johann and Irmgard Thorvaldsson at 3ABN the last week of 2003. The purpose of the trip was to see them and visit the ministry, which I personally had been supporting for some time. I had never been to 3ABN previously, nor had I met the Shelton's. During this visit I discovered from the Thorvaldsson's that Linda Shelton's son, Nathan, was in a dangerous state of health because of an addiction to drugs and working in coalmines. I offered to see him. This visit resulted in an invitation for Nathan to come to Norway for treatments. Nathan came to Norway around January 20, 2004 along with his friend, Dava Vice. Linda came for a 3-½ day visit to support her son, the first week of February together with Brenda Walsh. This was the last time I saw Linda until the weekend she was fired.
I had a chance to visit with Nathan regularly. I learned from my conversations with Nathan that the roots of his drug problems were the relationships with his father and stepfather. Specifically he told me that Danny had turned his back on him. I shared this information with his mother on the phone. She told me that Danny said he had no responsibility towards Nathan since he was a product of her first marriage, so she felt she had to do what she could to help her son. There was nothing unusual in the occasional phone reports I gave Nathan's mother while he was in Norway. After Nathan returned home, I asked Linda to keep me updated on Nathan's progress.
I was shocked to discover in early March of 2004 that Danny was threatening to get Linda fired from 3ABN because of some conversations on the phone. In fact, she was threatened immediately with divorce. By this time Nathan had started with drugs again and Linda was seeking advice. I was also shocked to discover that Brenda had started circulating untrue statements as well. (Was it because Danny had admitted to some emotional involvement with Brenda?) I talked to Danny one time on the phone and found him to be unreasonable, unbalanced and very difficult to communicate with. Johann Thorvaldsson, a retired pastor of the SDA Church of 50 years, also was in communication with Danny, both by phone and email. We talked together and shared the same opinion that Danny was acting completely irrational and unreasonable towards his wife. It appeared he was attempting to leave an email trail filled with untruths to verify a position at a later time. The decision was made to stop the communication by phone with Linda.
Some weeks went by. Johann and Irmgard were getting treatments at my clinic and staying in my home during the Easter week in April, so I discovered from them that the situation was not improving for Linda. She was being harassed, threatened, and unreasonable demands by her husband were repeatedly being made to confess things she had not done. By this time, she was also suspended from her job at 3ABN, an order that was issued and enforced by her husband with no Board action. Things were so bad in the home that she found it necessary to go to her daughter's home in Springfield, Illinois for safety and rest on several occasions. Derrell Mundall, who was traveling often for 3ABN, reports rumors of Linda's so-called "affair" were in SDA churches in April 2004, when Linda was still living with Danny. When he inquired about the source of the rumors, people always pointed to Danny Shelton.
I could see from my 35 years of experience as a physician that Danny was a psychopath. Accusations were directed at me that I had done "mind control" over Linda. (Walt Thompson made the same accusations in his letters.) Linda was accused of sending "secret messages" to me over the television. Danny's emails and communications with Johann were completely crazy, and his reasoning often conflicted with his previous emails. Danny targeted Linda's few inner circle confidants and slandered her to the point that even they backed away from her at this critical time. (Linda's "friends" did not want to lose their television privileges.) Johann and I concluded this was a man who was determined to get rid of his wife. We also concluded that Linda was in danger.
Things eventually progressed from emotional and mental abuse to physical abuse. In the midst of all this harassment Linda asked Danny, 'Why are you treating me like this?' He answered, 'Because I want you to get out.'
Considering the urgency of the situation I allowed the conversations to resume. Linda knew, with her high profile status, that confiding with local people regarding these issues would be very bad for the ministry. I had given counsel to people in difficulty in the past and felt I could be helpful from a distance in this situation. I encouraged Linda to fight for her marriage and ministry many times. This she really did, but she often had to leave her home to find refuge at her daughter's apartment in Springfield, even in the middle of the night because of Danny's behavior. At times like these she was afraid of him. She always returned to her home after a couple of days seeking to try to mend the marriage, but Danny would not allow this.
During the spring of 2004 Danny called my pastor in Norway. Danny tried to get me kicked out as an elder and as a member of the church. My pastor told me about the conversation and he said, "He is mentally sick, he needs professional help."
I find it very disturbing that Walt Thompson defended and continues to defend Danny although he was a witness repeatedly to the emotional and mental abuse that was taking place. At one point he witnessed Danny "trashing" his wife for five hours. I also find it disturbing that John Lomacang, Linda's former pastor, claims to have counseled extensively with Danny and Linda when this was far from the truth. During the months of April and May of 2004, when most of the activity was occurring in this situation, Linda NEVER saw John, who was supposed to be her pastor.
Coincidentally the handful of people supporting Danny and defending his actions has gained either power, position, airtime, homes, public endorsement or all of the above.
At one point I had a conversation with Walt Thompson, Chairman of the Board of 3ABN. He asked me to stop all communication with Linda. This had also been communicated to Johann and Irmgard Thorvaldsson and others. I told him that it was obviously Danny's plan to isolate Linda from everyone at a time when she needed help. To me it was the Christian thing to answer her phone calls and the only humane thing to do for someone who was in crisis. Others did not come to Linda's aid because they did not want to lose
whatever benefit they gained from 3ABN, whether it be a job, programming, promotions, etc. Walt was also the one who phoned Linda when she was suspended from the ministry by her husband. He instructed her that she must not come to the ministry (which she co-founded) without calling ahead of time because she must be supervised when at 3ABN. Danny broke into a locked bathroom to forcefully take her keys to 3ABN from her. Her hard drive of her computer was confiscated, her contact information taken and even her filing cabinets ravaged, all without any kind of Board action.
