Joshua T. Atkinson

10/17/2026

10/16/2026

🚨 STEVE CASSELL FINALLY BREAKS HIS SILENCE — AND THREATENS TO SUE!

Well, look who finally emerged from behind the pulpit!

After months of serious allegations involving little girls, Pastor Steve Cassell has apparently found something worth speaking publicly about.

Not the girls. Not their families. Not the allegations.

HIS REPUTATION!

In a recent Facebook comment, Cassell suggested he has a textbook case for slander and defamation and could make an attorney rich.

Interesting.

Because while Steve seems perfectly comfortable threatening lawsuits, we're still waiting for him to publicly deny the allegations that started this investigation.

Steve, did you kiss little girls on their faces and mouths? Did you touch them or force unwanted hugs when they tried to avoid you?

Those are the questions that matter.

But now you want to talk about lawsuits?

BY ALL MEANS, STEVE. LET'S TALK ABOUT DISCOVERY!

Let's talk about sworn testimony. Depositions. Parents. Former congregation members. Witnesses. And the more than a dozen girls whose experiences have been reported to Fighting4Freeport.

Let's put the evidence under oath.

Perhaps attorney Judd Thrumann, the future Stephenson County judge whom Cassell previously retained in legal proceedings involving one of the mothers, would be interested in representing him again.

Remember that case? The one that ended before discovery?

We certainly haven't forgotten.

And while we're discussing legal proceedings, perhaps someone could explain why Joshua T. Atkinson would randomly wake up one morning and decide to launch an extensive investigation into Steve Cassell.

What was the motivation?

Some longstanding feud? A personal vendetta? An inexplicable obsession with a former Waffle House manager turned "pastor"?

Or could it be that families came forward with serious allegations, and Fighting4Freeport did what they believed others had failed to do?

WE LISTENED.

Steve, you wrote:

"We should not live in a society where people can be slandered without consequences."

WE AGREE!

But criticism isn't automatically defamation. Reporting allegations isn't automatically defamation. And just because someone doesn't like what's being reported doesn't make it false.

Remember when you reportedly told your congregation that you couldn't sue because we use artificial intelligence?

Now suddenly you have a textbook case?

SO WHICH IS IT, STEVE?

If we've published false statements of fact about you, identify them. Tell the public exactly what we've gotten wrong.

We stand prepared to defend our reporting and the evidence behind it.

And for a man who has spent years publicly criticizing people whose religious beliefs, lifestyles, and political views differ from his own, this sudden concern about the consequences of public criticism is particularly interesting.

Steve, you're starting to sound like you fear man more than the Lord.

But here's what bothers us most.

After everything these girls and their families have described, after months of public scrutiny, after all the opportunities to address their allegations directly, you choose to speak about the damage to YOUR reputation.

Not their experiences.

Not their discomfort.

Not the concerns raised by their parents.

YOUR REPUTATION.

And that tells the public something about where your attention is focused.

So, Steve, here's a question we'd genuinely love for you to answer.

You believe we shouldn't live in a society where people can be slandered without consequences.

DON'T YOU ALSO THINK WE SHOULD LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE LITTLE GIRLS CAN GO TO CHURCH WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT UNWANTED KISSING, TOUCHING, OR PHYSICAL ATTENTION FROM GROWN MEN?

Because while you're worried about protecting your reputation, we're worried about protecting children.

And if you want to bring this fight into a courtroom, Steve, you know where to find us.

— Fighting4Freeport

Transparency. Integrity. Accountability.

10/16/2026

10/14/2026

WHERE IS THE DENIAL, STEVE?

Well, apparently Beloved Church pastor Steve Cassell has discovered the greatest threat facing Christianity today.

Not allegations of little girls being kissed, hugged, and touched against their wishes.

Not the accounts of more than a dozen girls whose families have raised serious concerns.

Not the possibility that children were failed by adults entrusted with their protection.

Not even that we have found out that he's been publicly lying about being a corporate, big shot executive.

Nope.

GOSSIP AND SLANDER!

Steve recently shared a lengthy article titled The Plague of Gossip & Slander in the Body of Christ, warning about the terrible damage people can do to someone's reputation.

And after reading it, I have one question.

WHERE THE HELL IS THE DENIAL?

Why hasn't Cassell directly addressed allegations that he kissed little girls on their faces and lips? That he continued hugging, kissing, and touching girls after they asked him to stop? That he engaged in inappropriate physical contact with children?

Instead of addressing those allegations in his latest post, he's directing everyone's attention toward the supposed sins of the people talking about them.

How convenient.

Here's something his congregation should be asking.

If Fighting4Freeport is lying, why hasn't Steve publicly identified those lies? Why hasn't he directly challenged our reporting with evidence? Why hasn't he called me a liar and explained what we've supposedly fabricated? Why hasn't he called any of the over a dozen little girls, liars?

And since he's so concerned about slander, why hasn't he sued me for defamation over this investigation? The same way he tried to sue the mother of two of his victims.

Choosing not to publicly deny allegations or file a lawsuit doesn't establish guilt. But sharing an article about gossip as some half ass attempt to manipulate people certainly doesn't establish innocence.

A vague Facebook post about slander is not a denial. And portraying yourself as the victim of criticism is not an answer to allegations involving children. It's deflection.

Now, let's talk about the article itself.

It suggests that gossip can involve negative information about another person even when it's true.

A little girl tells her mother that a pastor has been kissing her on the mouth.
Do you think that is gossip or a problem that should be addressed?

Another child reports unwanted touching.
Is that slander or a problem?

A parent contacts law enforcement.
Is that character assassination or the first step to holding a pervert accountable?

WHEN DID LISTENING TO CHILDREN BECOME A SIN?

The article even quotes advice suggesting that information damaging to someone's reputation should be buried and forgotten.

BURIED AND FORGOTTEN?

That is precisely the kind of thinking that has allowed abuse to continue.

And while the Bible certainly condemns slander, the author's claim that the Bible defines it simply as speech injurious to someone's reputation is misleading.

Truth does not become slander simply because you are ashamed and embarrassed. And reporting child abuse is not gossip.

But perhaps the most astonishing part of this entire article is its discussion of CONSENT.

Yes. CONSENT.

The article Cassell shared actually complains about people passing along information without the consent of the person being discussed.

THE ABSOLUTE FU***NG NERVE.

We're investigating allegations from little girls who say they were kissed, hugged, and touched after making it clear they didn't want that physical contact.

Girls who say they asked Steve to stop.

Girls who say their boundaries were ignored.

And now we're supposed to be concerned about whether Steve gave permission for people to discuss their conduct?

ARE YOU FU***NG KIDDING ME?

A child's right to refuse unwanted physical contact is infinitely more important than an Steve's desire to control what people say about him.

If these girls said NO, their NO mattered.

They didn't need to justify it. They didn't need to explain it. And they certainly didn't need permission from a pastor to refuse his affection.

And let's get real... These are/were children, they shouldn't have had to tell Steve NO or ask him to STOP or even pull away.

The consent that matters in this investigation isn't Steve Cassell's consent to being called out. It's the consent these girls didn't give him.

And that brings us to the larger problem.

What message does a child receive when a respected pastor shares warnings about the sinfulness of discussing allegations against someone?

What message does a parent receive when questioning a religious leader is portrayed as gossip?

What happens when protecting someone's reputation becomes more important than examining allegations involving children?

This is exactly what I mean by “Beloved Silence.”

A culture in which loyalty becomes more important than accountability, and the people raising concerns become the problem instead of the allegations they're raising.

Steve Cassell is entitled to the presumption of innocence in the criminal justice system. He is entitled to dispute these allegations if he ever decides to and present evidence in his defense.

But these girls are entitled to be heard, too.

I believe these girls. I stand behind Fighting4Freeport's investigation, and I welcome a fair, thorough examination of the evidence.

I am not going to pretend that allegations involving more than a dozen girls can be explained away with a Facebook post about gossip.

So before anyone rushes to defend Cassell, ask yourself why his latest public statement focuses on the supposed wrongdoing of people discussing these allegations rather than directly addressing what the girls say happened.

Perhaps the greater danger facing churches isn't that too many people are talking.

Perhaps it's that too many people have been taught to remain silent.

The children are part of the flock, too.
They are not acceptable sacrifices to protect the shepherd.

And Steve, here's some free advice from me to you...
If you're so worried about your reputation, keep your hands off little girls.

10/09/2026

HOLY KISSES | THE PERSECUTED PASTOR

Pastor Steve Cassell says he's a protector of children.

But when girls throughout our region raise allegations about his unwanted kissing, touching, and inappropriate behavior, Cassell has a remarkable explanation for the people demanding answers.

Apparently, WE are the danger.

In his latest essay, Cassell suggests that those challenging him want him removed so they can gain access to the very children he claims to protect.

He invokes Jesus, the N***s, the Iranian Revolution, and religious persecution.

But what about the girls? What about their experiences? What about the questions he still hasn't answered?

In our newest HOLY KISSES Original Investigation, Fighting4Freeport examines Cassell's own words, his persecution narrative, and the difference between defending Christianity and defending Steve Cassell.

And this time, F4F Chairman Joshua T. Atkinson has a personal message for the pastor.

“I am not asking your congregation to abandon God. I am asking them to stop confusing you with Him.”

Read THE PERSECUTED PASTOR at:

🌐 www.Fighting4Freeport.com

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The girls deserve answers. And Holy Kisses is far from over.

10/08/2026

Called it.

HE'S BEEN LYING TO ALL OF YOU FOR YEARS!

For years, Pastor Steve Cassell has stood behind church pulpits throughout our region, Bible in hand, telling stories of extraordinary wealth, corporate power, and the luxurious lifestyle he sacrificed to serve God.

Beautiful homes. Boats. Motorcycles. Hundreds of restaurants. A successful corporate executive who supposedly gave it all up for Jesus.

But something wasn't adding up.

So Fighting4Freeport went looking for the receipts.

And we called his former employer.

What we discovered raises serious questions about the story Cassell has spent years telling congregations.

And here's what makes this investigation so important.

For months, little girls have been asked to prove they're telling the truth about their experiences with Cassell.

Perhaps it's time the man holding the Bible was asked to do the same.

Our newest HOLY KISSES investigation:

“A Bible in His Hand and a Mouth Full of Lies”

Read it now at:
🌐 www.Fighting4Freeport.com

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Our Insiders make investigations like Holy Kisses possible. For just $5 per month, you help us continue asking difficult questions, uncovering records, and giving a voice to those who deserve to be heard.

Use promo code FIRSTLOOK to get your first month FREE.

Offer ends October 31, 2026.