Walter Thompson Evidence
Statement 1
From Walter Thompson
Chairman, 3ABN board of Directors
Regarding Danny's marriage
Originally posted on Club Adventist
04/10/2006
Dear Family and Friends of 3ABN,
Two years ago 3ABN was challenged by the most difficult battle
the ministry has ever faced. It was a battle that threatened
the very existence of the ministry and the work of preaching
the end time message of the Three Angel's to the world. It is
only because of the grace and power of God Almighty, and the
faithful support of you, the 3ABN family, that the ministry
has survived to preach another day. Today, the ministry is
stronger than it has ever been and its reach into the world
even broader and more powerful for the cause of truth.
As is always the case when in the public eye, questions arise,
stories abound, and rumors spread. We thank God that you have
trusted the leadership and board of 3ABN during this time and
have stayed with us in ministry. More recently some of you
have heard that Danny has found one to comfort him in his
loneliness and sorrow. You may have also heard rumors about an
allegedly illegal divorce occurring without Biblical grounds.
This letter is an attempt to fill you in with the facts.
As chairman of the board I have been in the midst of this long
and drawn out ordeal from the beginning. I was there when we
counseled with Linda over and over again. I was present during
the pleas and prayers, seeking to get her to give up her
relationship with the doctor. I have seen and heard the
evidence upon which the board has taken the action that it has
taken. I have been one that has plead with Linda to keep her
marriage and her ministry and offered to provide counseling
for them. I have known Danny and Linda almost from the
beginning of the ministry and have been in their home many
times. They had a good marriage. It was not until this third
party got in the middle did things begin to fall apart. It is
also true that Danny really did want to get back together
again, but when it became obvious that couldn't happen, he
correctly had to close the door on that part of his history
lest it destroy him and the ministry.
The divorce was a mutually agreed thing, even the choice to
get it from Guam where there would be no long wait. Linda had
originally planned to move to Las Vegas long enough to become
a resident there so as to get a divorce there. They then
discovered the possibility of a divorce from Guam, checked it
out and found it to be legal, and decided to go that route.
Though I believe Guam has now stopped the program, the
legality of a Guam divorce had previously been taken to the
U.S. Supreme Court where it was ruled legitimate. As chairman
of the board, I did not try to influence the decision, but I
will say that had they not obtained a quick divorce, the
ministry would have been placed at much greater risk since the
situation was causing so much dysfunction with leadership and
staff. I believe time has verified the correctness of what was
done then, both by Danny and by the board for the ministry.
Linda's web site recently stated that she and Danny were not
divorced. She wrote this after the judge made the decision in
Danny's favor. She claims she did not know this when she wrote
it. Her web site referred to an e mail I sent to Johann
Thorvaldson a year earlier saying that I had never accused her
of adultery. I believe that exchange with him was in response
to an accusation by him that we had fired her because of
adultery. I was merely saying that she was not fired for
adultery, but because she had defied the board in not
discontinuing a relationship that was threatening to destroy
the ministry. (I might add that the doctor also told me he
would not break off the relationship, even though I pled with
him to do so.) That letter to Johann was correct, and it is
true that I have never directly accused her of adultery. That
does not mean that I believe Linda is innocent. If by adultery
one must be caught in bed with another person, I cannot prove
Linda has committed adultery. If, on the other hand, hard
evidence indicates that Linda was involved in an unacceptable
relationship with another man qualifies for adultery, then
there is no question about Danny's moral right to marry again.
As a board, we have chosen not to make the details of the
evidence available to the public. I believe Satan is the
accuser of the brethern. We have chosen to take the "high
road" in this whole situation and say nothing more than we
have been forced to say to try to quell rumors. We care about
Linda and have tried not to do anything to hurt her more than
she has already been hurt. I can tell you that I personally
spent a great deal of time at 3ABN during those months when
this was all happening. I spoke with Linda and Danny on
numerous occasions. A sub committee of the board met and
prayed with Danny and Linda and pled with Linda to call off
the relationship. Danny and Linda spent an 8 hour session with
a pair of Christian counselors (non-Adventist in an attempt to
avoid bias) who had no doubts about the nature of Linda's
conduct. We offered to provide Linda with the opportunity to
go away for counseling with a counselor agreeable to both she
and us. She did not respond to that offer or request. Finally,
the full board met, reviewed Linda's letter of explanation,
and voted unanimously to remove her from the ministry and her
seat on the board. Other church leaders who have been privy to
some of the evidence we have are in full agreement with our
decision.
The relationship Linda had with the Norwegian Dr. was not a
normal doctor-patient relationship as she claims. It is true.
Linda was very concerned about her son Nathan. He was the
vehicle through which the Dr. reached Linda. Our evidence
leaves no question that this became much more than a
doctor-patient relationship. We know that the long hours on
the phone together were not about Nathan and have hard
evidence to support this knowledge - nor were times spent
together on both sides of the Atlantic. Furthermore, she
refused to break it off, even after weeks of pleading with her
to do so. We, the board believe the evidence we have clearly
justifies the divorce and gives Danny the moral and legal
right to remarry. Those in church leadership with whom we have
shared some of this evidence agree with us. Out of concern for
Linda we have been reluctant to make details public.
No, Danny is not to blame for what has happened here. On the
contrary, he has bent over backwards trying to make things
work and meeting her requests. Yet, she has never acknowledged
that it was wrong for her to have another "friend".
The things I have stated here are accurate and correct. As far
as the lady Danny has married is concerned, I can only say I
believe his new wife is a very good person and will be a real
asset to him as he carries on his heavy responsibilities. Just
to clarify any rumor you may have heard, this relationship
began long after the divorce. I was at 3ABN when this lady
came from Florida looking for work. There was nothing going on
before that time, and Danny definitely was not trying to
"dump" Linda. I was with him during much of the time he
agonized and mourned her loss. It is one thing to lose a loved
one in death. It is much different to lose one to another
lover - like cutting a dog's tail off one inch at a time! As
to the matter of age difference, I will say that I do not
believe that is any of my business. I find nothing in the
Bible, and I don't remember any thing in the SOP indicating
age differences for married couples. If it is legal, and
morally correct, and if entered into with honesty, sincerity
and earnest prayer for God's guidance, as I know happened
here, it is not for me to criticize. In my own musings about
this, I have concluded that it was no accident that brought
Brandy to 3ABN. Either the devil was behind it, or God was.
There is no question in my mind which one it was.
(Archo Dart was for many years a family and marriage counselor
in the Adventist church. When in his 80's, he married one of
my patients, who was then in her 50's. She loved and admired
him till death many years later.)
I have had an interesting thought this week that I will share
with you. It is this. God lost one of his closest companions
when Lucifer went astray. More than that, myriads more angels
left with him when he left heaven. Talk about grief or
emotional pain. Experiences such as this with Linda, I think,
help us to understand the pain of loss, and the reality of the
war between God and Satan. Some have claimed it takes two to
divorce. I don't think that is categorically true!
This has been a terrible injury that has hit 3abn and Danny,
and yes, Linda too, but it is one that I believe God
understands - and He continues to bless his servants.
We recognize that we live in a world at war, and are working
with a ministry that the devil would like to see destroyed.
The war is real, and as in any other war there are real
casualties. War is never pleasant, and spiritual battles may
be some of the worst. Our hearts still ache for those who have
been wounded. Our prayers continue to ascend on their behalf.
Should acknowledgement of wrongdoing and penitence ever occur,
we would be the first to forgive and forget. Unfortunately,
that has not happened, and we must move on.
Some who have been aware of the growing relationship and the
possibility of marriage have thought they should wait for a
longer period of time before marrying. In discussions before
the event, the 3ABN board reviewed the events of the past
couple years and have agreed that there was no moral or legal
reason precluding marriage. Realizing the heavy burdens
resting on Danny and of his need for companionship, we, the
board did not see any reason not to give our blessing to their
union. We hope you, our 3ABN family, will agree too, and with
us, welcome Brandy with open arms.
Should you have any questions that I might answer, please feel
free to send them to me at 3ABN and I will do my best to try
to answer them.
Sincerely in the precious name of Jesus,
Walter Thompson
Chairman, 3ABN Board of Directors
Walter Thompson MD
Statement 2
Nicodema,
Your e mail was forewarded to me to view. Thanks for your interest in 3ABN. The tone of discussions on the forum is heartening.
Unfortunately, I do not know how to add significantly to what the letter already says. While it is true that Danny and Linda are public figures and therefore open for discussion by the public, that fact does not free those of us in positions of responsibility both legally and more importantly out of concern, compassion, and love for those on the "hot seat". Actions taken at 3ABN have been essential, as anyone knowing the facts would agree, but rather than risk hurting anyone more than has already happened, we have chosen to remain silent on personal issues. Truth has a way of revealing itself to those who are seeking. The primary purpose of the letter was to let our supporters know why they were not seeing Linda any more, and to try and present a case to state that she had been treated with the utmost love, concern, patience, and Compassion. None of us wanted to do what we needed to do. Danny and Linda were counseled by a good number of individuals, both professional counselors, board members, pastors, Church leaders, etc.. None were successful in resolving the issues.
Fortunately, about 95% of our mail is supportive.
A couple other issues were noted in the discussions. Financially, 3ABN is doing OK and continues to enter new markets regularly. We recently began broadcasting via cable to about a quarter billion people in India and are working on an opportuntiy to reach SouthEast Asia. For those who read the article "Flying High" in Adventist Today, you may be interested to read my response to the editor in the latest issue.
As regards structural organization let me say that this experience does give us opportunity to take a new look at things. We have known for some time that we needed to take some of the load off Danny and Linda and let them do what they do best. In fact we had a consultant review the organization a year or so ago just for that reason. A few changes followed that, but it made little real difference. Contacts have already been made for a more comprehensive evaluation to be done, and in anticipation, temporary changes have already been made in some areas. 3ABN's greatest mission lies ahead, and we intend to meet the challenges by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Walter Thompson MD
