‘Let Us Prey’ Exposes ‘Training Ground for Pedophiles’

The Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church is an insular Christian “cult” that resembles a real-world version of the old-timey religion preached by John Lithgow’s minister in Footloose, complete with denouncements of dancing, rock ‘n’ roll, and immodesty. Far from simply a stuffy conservative faith, however, the IFB is guided by a doctrine—based on strict adherence to the King James Bible—that men rule and women serve. No surprise, then, that this severe and sexist system is apparently a breeding ground for rampant abuse and rape of minors.

Dubbing it “a training ground for pedophiles and serial rapists”—as one voice does in the opening minutes of the show’s first episode—seemingly couldn’t be more accurate. And the only thing more shocking than its male members’ offenses is the fact that, according to ID’s new four-part docuseries, it’s made little effort to conceal them.

Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals (Nov. 24 on ID) rakes the IFB over the coals via both testimonials from a handful of women who’ve spoken out against (and stood up to) the organization, as well as footage of its preachers spewing noxious rhetoric on the pulpit. Of that latter material, perhaps nothing is more stunning than the brazenness of Jack Schaap, chancellor of Hyles-Anderson College, stroking a blade in an explicitly masturbatory fashion while explaining how women should accept their spouse’s punishment: “I hurt, you say, ‘Thank you!’”

Read more at The Daily Beast.