The media is currently on a campaign to defame me and persecute me because of my love for Jesus.
I hear they created some kind of documentary full of filth and lies against me. They exploit passing acquaintances from 25 or 35 years ago to slander me with false accusations. Everything is outrageous lies. The producers never once contacted me, use an actual actor to play me, and pressured people I barely knew to fabricate stories about me and my beautiful family. I would hope that you might not be naive and realize such a process is common in our media-crazy society. They cut and piece videos I made 30 years ago, without my consent, to paint me in an extremely negative light. They cut out all the context and parts where I share at length about the love, mercy, forgiveness, and beautiful life in Jesus. On this page, and the link below, I articulate the details and state the actual facts of the matters.
Over the course of 20 years of a nationwide campus ministry, my family and I encountered thousands of students. Rusty Yates was one of many young men I met decades ago while speaking on Auburn University campus. My connection to Rusty Yates was by sporadic letters. He contacted me after his marriage and I recall a pass-by visit three times over the next ten years of preaching on a campus circuit, including Auburn. I met Andrea twice and spoke to her only in the company of Rusty. There was no ongoing relationship with them whatsoever, no group, no discipleship structure, and no control or influence over their family life. I was never their pastor or counselor. We were working in Mexico City when we saw a report of the crime on TV. We were shocked and devastated to the point of feeling sick, like I had to throw up. Rachel, my wife, started to weep. We could not believe it.
Andrea Yates was tried in a Texas court and found guilty for the tragic deaths of her children. After an extensive trial, it was determined, under oath and in official court records, that her actions were the result of severe mental illness compounded by psychiatric drug issues. I was never called to testify, questioned, or implicated in any way. I had nothing whatsoever to do with anything concerning Andrea Yates whom I only met briefly three times. Authorities concluded I had no involvement whatsoever in her actions. This should have ended any further speculation. Medical professionals repeatedly warned the Yates family, years before the tragedy, not to have additional children due to Andrea’s fragile mental health. These warnings were tragically disregarded. These facts are documented in court proceedings and publicly acknowledged by Rusty Yates himself, who stated under oath that I had no influence on what occurred. “Rusty said that his family’s relationship with Woroniecki was not that close and that Woroniecki did not cause her delusions.”
Despite this, a single obsessed individual, whom I addressed for fifteen minutes, amidst a crowd of several hundred other Texas A&M students, instigated a personal vendetta and launched a long-term online cyberbullying hatred campaign falsely linking me to the crime and other absurd accusations. Though he never had any contact with Andrea, or had any further contact with me, media outlets made him an authority. This person contacted media outlets across North America, fabricated stories, and falsely claimed I led cult groups or had sustained involvement with the Yates family. None of this was true, and no evidence has ever existed to support these claims. No: pictures, recordings, pamphlets stating cult doctrines, any proof of a location or meetings. Yet he continued.
Tabloid media and eventually even mainstream outlets repeated these falsehoods without ever contacting or interviewing me. Interviews I did give were selectively edited to fit predetermined narratives. Online platforms later confirmed the abuse: Wikipedia, Google, YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, and others removed defamatory material once investigated. Wikipedia’s founder personally acknowledged the cyberbullying and corrected the record. Unfortunately, false material continues to circulate due to the nature of the internet. Some take 30-year-old tapes and cut out the parts where I share about love, forgiveness, grace, hope, and the beautiful life in Jesus, and just piece together the few parts they want to paint me in a way that is entirely inaccurate. I have never shared about God without primarily talking about His love and mercy and the beautiful life I have found in Jesus of forgiveness, redemption, and hope.
For clarity: I have never led a cult, never had followers, never led any group in a location or group setting, and never sought personal recognition. I have had countless speaking engagements, written many journals, and travelled extensively to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Anyone who knows me, knows this. I direct people to follow Jesus, not me. My message has consistently been the simple Christian gospel centered on Christ’s mercy, forgiveness, and transformation through the Holy Spirit. I am not a “fire-and-brimstone” preacher, nor do I ever solicit money. I have attended three separate seminaries and hold a Master’s degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Worked as President of Fellowship of Christian Athletes while on a football scholarship at Central Mich. University. I’ve received numerous awards and recognition for my work. My life is beyond reproach. I have been counseled by lawyers to pursue legitimate legal action of obvious slander and defamation, but at this time choose not to do so.
Over more than 50 years of ministry and encounters with hundreds of thousands of people, many have written to attest that our work has helped heal marriages, restore families, save individuals, and stop suicides. I keep extensive records documenting these testimonies and Christian focus of our work. While I cannot stop people from lying, I can state the truth plainly. Any attempt to associate me with any criminal aspect is nonsense, slander, defamation, and is rooted in deception. I counseled Rusty Yates, as I do everyone, to care for and protect his wife and family through wisdom and faith in Jesus Christ. The rest is fabrication.
I heard someone say a rumor that, “we said think we’re the only ones who are saved”. This, too, is not true. Just think about it, would I really travel to 60 countries and suffer all that I have to do so, go through hell at times, if I didn’t think others are being saved by reaching them with the love and truth of Jesus? It doesn’t even make sense.
A Note From Joshua here (Michael’s Son, I help put this blog together):
I would like to just state that as a first-hand witness to these matters over the course of 37 years of lived experience, my father, Michael Woroniecki, is the most loving, kind, patient, decent, gentle, and caring person you would ever meet. He is a role model father in every regard. Maybe that’s why some of those people hate him, because they never had that, so I feel compassion for them. But their accusations are disgusting and outrageous. I have grown up in the ideal environment of two loving parents present in my daily life, without chaos, fighting, or conflict. I’ve been hugged and told how much he loves me hundreds and thousands of times. My father has given me, and my five siblings (I speak for all of them), more love than most kids in America combined. Hundreds have personally told me how envious they are of my father and my upbringing. There are millions who dream of having a united family as we have always had. Additionally, my father has dedicated his time and money, and efforts to helping others. I have numerous memories of going to buy toys and games for underprivileged kids, and my father’s encouragement to do whatever I could and get everything imaginable to bless them. I have literally seen him stop and take off his own shirt and give it to a homeless man (downtown Panama City, circa 2007), and also, the shoes off his feet to a man who needed them. I could go on and on. And I have photo and video proof. Why don’t they include any of his kind of stuff in their reports?
Not only did my father provide every physical need of food, clothes, shoes, necessities… etc., but in addition to toys and games and fun experiences, he provided every opportunity for anything my siblings and I would need or want to do (including helping me learn 4 languages fluently so that I could help immigrants when we visit the US and those here in other countries). Our house boomed with excitement, fun, hilarious laughter, music, and joy daily. And this doesn’t even go into the security, identity, and life he has helped me build to not only face the world, but to be able to know Jesus and bring His love to others.
I love my father deeply because of who he is and abhor the lies being spoken about him. The media has never once contacted or asked to speak to my siblings or me. Gee, I wonder why? Because they know our very existence nullifies their lies. My only comfort is the words of Jesus Christ, that His servants would suffer such slander. I forgive and pray for those who hate us, as my father taught me and as Jesus says, “love your enemies” (Luke 6:27-28).
To read more, click here for a more extensive and detailed account of these matters.