Gwen Shamblin's son breaks silence about life inside Remnant Fellowship, her Brentwood 'cult'

10 >> SHE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL CHRISTIAN DIET GURU AND THE LEADER OF WHAT SOME CALL HALT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BRENTWOOD BUT WHEN CHAMPLAIN WAS ALSO A MOM AND TONIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME ANYWHERE WE'RE HEARING FROM THE SON WHO WAS AT HER SIDE THROUGH ALMOST ALL OF THAT CONTROVERSY >> GOOD EVENING EVERYONE I'M EMILY LUXEN AND I'M RHORI JOHNSTON THANKS FOR STAYING UP LATE WITH US MICHAEL SHAMBLIN SAW IT ALL AND NOW HE SAYS HE ALSO REGRETS AT ALL AND IT'S A STORY HE WANTED TO TELL THE NEWS CHANNEL 5 CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER PHIL WILLIAMS AND PHIL IS WITH US NOW FEEL THOSE WHO FOLLOW THIS STORY FOR ALL THESE YEARS >> THEY KNOW THAT HIM TALKING TO YOU NO ONE EXPECTED THIS AND THAT INCLUDES ME >> THIS ALL CAME TOGETHER PRETTY QUICKLY THIS PAST WEEK ESPECIALLY GIVEN OUR HISTORY IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST UNLIKELY OF INTERVIEWS >> AND WHO HASN'T >> FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS IT'S A STORY THAT HAS SPENCE UNAIDED ME THE WAY DOWN HERE WE GO IT'S THE STORY OF GWEN SHAMBLIN YES AND THE REMNANT FELLOWSHIP AND THEY'RE IN BRENTWOOD TENNESSEE >> A LOT OF AMERICA'S PRIDE THAT AS I DESCRIBED KIND OF POLICE SYSTEM AND HE GOES OH THAT SOUNDS LIKE A COLD BUT THE STORY OF HOW WHEN CHAMP WOULD I GOT THEM ON SIMPLE PRINCIPLES DON'T FOCUS ON FOCUS ON GOD FOCUS ON HIS WHEEL >> WENT FROM BEING A POPULAR CHRISTIAN DIET GURU AND THAT'S CHURCH THE REMNANT FELLOWSHIP TO WHAT SOME CONSIDER TO BE A CULTURAL LEADER >> HOW MEMBERS OF REMNANT BEHAVE IS A BIT LIKE HANDMAID'S TALE YOU THROUGHOUT ALL THE CONTROVERSIES AND YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TELL HER THAT WAS NOT CORRECT THAT WAS INSTEAD YOU SAID PRAISE THE LORD NO THAT WAS ON THERE THERE WAS ALWAYS ONE PERSON WHO I FIRMLY BELIEVED >> ONE DAY HAVE A STORY TO TELL WHERE IS MICHAEL CHRISTMAS NEW NEARLY 3 YEARS AFTER HIS MOTHER'S DEATH IN A PLANE CRASH GOOD TO SEE YOU HE'S FINALLY READY TO SPEAK HIS TRUTH >> 20 YEARS AGO WOULD YOU EVER HAVE IMAGINED THAT YOU AND I WOULD BE SITTING DOWN TALKING LIKE THIS >> PHIL 2020 YEARS AGO EARLY ON IN REMNANT YOU ARE THE DEVIL YOU WERE SATAN INCARNATE TO THE RIM THAT EARLY ON BECAUSE OF COURSE WHEN WAS TELLING US ALL THAT >> DOES A REMNANT ADVOCATE REPEATED SPANKINGS OF CHILDREN >> OVER AND OVER AND SALUTE LEE NICER >> ABSOLUTELY NOT THE LAST TIME I HAD SEEN MICHAEL I WAS INTERVIEWING HIS MOTHER AND ANOTHER CHURCH LEADER ABOUT THE CHILD ABUSE DEATH OF AN 8 YEAR-OLD BOY MORE QUESTIONS HIS MOM AND DAD WERE TAKING THEIR CUES ON PARENTING FROM THE CHURCH AND MICHAEL CHRISTMAS MICHAEL WAS JUST 23 YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP IN MIND MY SON THIS YOU KNOW I MEAN >> TO SAY SOMEONE TEXAS MOM IS HARD BUT ANYWAY I KNOW WE WERE SHOWING HIM THAT VIDEO FROM 20 YEARS AGO WHEN HE SUDDENLY REACTED IT DID BOTHER ME >> THAT I WAS ASKING THOSE KIND OF QUESTION YES DID TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST I BOTHERED YOU ARE PAST I ONCE AND THAT WAS IT WAS THAT WAS PART ME BUT THAT'S WHAT MAKES EVEN MORE CREDIBLE KNOW THAT I'M SITTING HERE HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE ONE 80 LOOK AT YOU MORE AS AS A HERO OF LITTLE NOW >> MICHAEL AND I HAD CONNECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA MORE THAN A YEAR AGO WHEN HE FOLLOWED ME FROM AN ACCOUNT IN THE NAME MICHAEL S BLACK AND IDENTITY HE'S NOW TRYING TO ESTABLISH PROFESSIONALLY THE MICHAEL S BLACK TYPE THING IS MORE OF ME IT'S A PERSON WHO'S TIRED OF BEING USED AND ABUSED WHEN CHAMPLAIN THE SHAMBLING NAME TO USE JUST TO TOXIC AT THIS POINT IT HAS BEEN >> HE'S JUST PLAYING RECKON FAMILIES IS WRECKING KID THAT'S EVEN MORE TRUE IN THE WAKE OF THE HBO MAX SERIES RELEASED MORE THAN 2 YEARS AGO TITLED THE WAY DOWN GOD GREED AND THE COLD THE WIND CHAMPION >> I THINK ACTUALLY DID FANTASTIC JOB I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY COURSE REMNANT THEY'RE NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO WATCH THAT IN A ROOM THAT >> THAT'S HOW CLOSE OF AN ENVIRONMENT MICHAEL'S VIEW OF HIS MOTHER NOW WHO WAS THE REAL WHEN CHAMPLAIN WHEN CHAMPLAIN TOMORROW WAS A NARCISSIST SHE ALWAYS HAD THE ANSWER SHE KNEW MORE THAN ANYBODY IN THE ROOM WHEREVER SHE WENT >> AND I NOTICE YOU DON'T COLOR MOM YOU KNOW COLOR MOTHER YOU CALL OR WHEN THAT'S FROM IT I QUIT CALLING MOTHER PROBABLY AROUND 2010 WHY BECAUSE WE ARE SO AT ODDS >> AND WHAT ABOUT THE REMNANT FELLOWSHIP WHERE HE WAS ONCE ONE OF THE WORSHIP LEADERS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN >> HURT FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE BEEN VICTIM TO IT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FINANCIALLY HURT BY IT IT'S HARD TO CALL IT A CHURCH IN MY MIND IT IS A CHURCH IT'S A COLD YOU THINK IT IS A COLD I DO BELIEVE IT'S COLD WIND YOU SAY THAT >> BECAUSE THEY IT'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DEVOTED TO A PERSON GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA >> WEICHEL SAYS WHEN HIS MOTHER'S PLANE CRASH INTO NASHVILLE'S PERCY PRIEST LAKE IN 2021 KILLING HER HUSBAND JOE LARA AND 5 REMNANT LEADERS HE WAS ALREADY A STRANGE FROM THE GROUP THAT HE MAIL CONSIDERS A DANGEROUS COLD BY THAT POINT >> I HAD SPENT SO MANY YEARS ABUSE FROM SOME OF THESE PEOPLE THAT I NEVER SHOULD WANT HERE TO THIS DAY I HAVE NEVER CRIED ABOUT NOT FOR YOUR MOTHER PEOPLE DON'T KNOW NEVER CRIED FOR >> LEAVING THE CHURCH RIGHT AFTER THAT AS HIS MARRIAGE TO ANOTHER ROOM THAT NUMBER WAS FALLING APART MICHAEL SAYS HE FOUND HIMSELF SINKING INTO A MAJOR DEPRESSION I GOT SO DEPRESSED THAT I QUIT TURNING ON THE LIGHTS >> THAT'S >> WHEN HE WROTE THE SONG HE TITLED DOWN WE WERE TOLD >> WE WE'VE GOT WE'VE GOT IN THE NOSE >> THE ONE TRUE CHURCH THE ONE TRUE CHURCH YES MAM CAN I LOOK BACK ON MY LIFE AND GO WHAT WERE WE DOING WHAT WAS I THINKING I WISH COULD GO BACK IN SEEM EARLIER SELF AND GO YOU KNOW THIS WAS NOT THIS THERE ARE PEOPLE BEING HURT HERE YOU KNOW 100% INNOCENT IMPERFECT GOING ALL THOUGHT WE WERE HEADED UP BUT IT WASN'T THE CRIME >> WOW JUST FASCINATED TO HEAR HIS PERSPECTIVE SO FOR HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU HAVE WITH HIM WE SPENT A FEW HOURS TOGETHER THE THIS WEEK AND I THINK EVERY MEMBER OF OUR CREW TOUCHED BY HOW OPEN HE WAS ABOUT HIS PAIN SO GENUINE ABOUT THAT ALL THIS WEEK WE WILL HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT HIS SHAMBLIN AND A LOT MORE I CAN GUARANTEE YOU WE WILL BE MAKING NEWS THIS WEEK ALL RIGHT BILL THANK YOU LISTEN FEELS BEEN ON THIS STORY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS YOU CAN SEE SOME OF HIS PREVIOUS REPORTS RIGHT

Channel: NewsChannel 5

Views: 286,912

Keywords: Gwen Shamblin, Is Remnant a cult, Michael Shamblin, Phil Williams, Remnant Church

Id: smU2QZHWQmo

Length: 8min 19sec (499 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 12 2024