Televangelist Juanita Bynum spent last Thursdays night in a Dallas jail after she was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear in a civil proceeding against her.

According to the Dallas Morning News she was released the next day, after appearing in court to answer questions in the case, which involves a 2007 judgment ordering her to pay $140,000 to ALW Entertainment.

Headed by Al Wash, ALW Entertainment bills itself as the "premiere music and entertainment company in the country."

Wash' attorney, David Anthony Small, says Bynum was sued by Wash for failing to perform in a play based on her famous sermon, "No More Sheets," for which he had paid her.

When Bynum stopped making payments to Wash, Small took steps to enforce a civil order.

According to Obnoxioustv's Blog

Small, filed a motion petitioning all of Bynum's financial records, including copies of her banks statements, tax records, and proof of income. Not only did she not produce the court ordered documents, she didn't show up for the hearing. Smalls was left with no other choice than to have a warrant taken out.

Bynum was arrested just as she was about to speak at the 9th Annual Spring Prophetic Conference held at Marriott Las Colinas.

She was picked up on a so-called 'capias warrant.' The ultimate goal of a capias warrant is to force someone to comply with a court order.

Bynum, who considers herself a 'prophetess, is a well-known author, gospel singer, and televangelist. She is a prime promoter of the 'Prosperity Gospel' -- a 'spiritual' scam in which people are told God wants to make them rich, but can only do so if they show faith by donating money to someone else (usually the 'evangelist' who teaches that stuff).

Here's a sampling of her teachings on the subject:

Bynum's 2003 'Million Dollar' wedding to 'Bishop' Thomas W. Weeks III was the stuff of legends, but ended in divorce five years later.

Obnoxioustv's Blog says the evangelist was "held on a $10K bond, which she was unable to meet."

While in the hearing, Bynum told the judge her income varies, and she has no set salary but lives off of honorariums which range from $500 — $2 million.

Full story: Why televangelist Juanita Bynum was arrested

Televangelist Juanita Bynum's ex-husband seeks new wife on Web

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — The ex-husband of national televangelist Juanita Bynum, who divorced after a parking lot fight between the two landed him in jail, plans to take his search for a new wife to the Internet with videos featuring dating tips and what he's looking for in a mate.

Thomas W. Weeks III, a minister who runs an Atlanta-area church and is known to his followers as Bishop Weeks, said the 10-episode series will be available starting Tuesday on his Web site.

Excerpts available Friday included Weeks, 41, discussing with aides what he should look for in his third wife.

The group concludes the woman should be at least 25 years old but "with special exemptions for 21 and up if they are classy," Weeks said. She also must want to have children with him.

"This woman has to be very discerning, and very intimate, and very social and very sensual," Weeks says, laughing. "And on the ministry side she has to be very diverse. She can't be ugly."

Bynum, 49, filed for divorce after the couple had an August, 2007, fight in an Atlanta hotel parking lot that landed Weeks in jail on charges that he pushed, choked and beat Bynum.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting her, is serving three years' probation and has completed court ordered community service and anger management counseling.

Weeks will document his effort to open his heart to love again in 10 streaming video "Web Episodes" of his reality show "WHO WILL BE THE NEXT MRS. WEEKS," which airs at noon Tuesday on his Web site www.bishopweeks.com. The idea came after Weeks was flooded with thousands of e-mails and letters from people offering advice about what to look for in his third wife. Some even offered to be his wife.
[...]

Weeks is inviting his followers to observe his personal life so they can get a Christian perspective on dating and coping with the desire for intimacy. The Pentecostal pastor will soon release a book about the subject called "Finding Yourself While In Transition."

Viewers of his reality show can share their opinions on being single and his search for a mate by sending e-mails or chatting live with Weeks.
[...]

While Weeks keeps his love life in the public eye, his divorce lawyer says he is not getting the payments he is supposed to from Bynum.

The lawyer, Randy Kessler, said Friday the evangelist is behind on a settlement agreement ending her union with Weeks, under which she agreed to pay $10,000 a month for four months to cover attorney fees when the couple divorced in June.

"She should have been almost done paying the $40,000 by now, but she's just getting started," Kessler said. "We have gotten one payment of $5,000."

Kessler said Bynum still has not transferred the title to the couple's 2004 Land Rover to Weeks or made arrangements to pick up antiques she wanted from the house.

Bynum's Waycross compound, where she runs her international ministry, was recently facing foreclosure and a delinquent tax sale at the same time, according to Ware County Tax Commissioner Steve Barnard.

The tax sale was advertised in a Ware County newspaper for a week. Then, the Evangelical Christian Credit Union, the property's finance company, stepped forward to absorb the bill.

Full story: Televangelist Juanita Bynum’s ex-husband seeks new wife on Web

The end may be near for the troubled marriage of national evangelist Juanita Bynum and her estranged husband Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III.

Weeks, the leader of Global Destiny Ministries of Duluth, sent a settlement offer to Bynum so divorce negotiations wouldn't drag on any longer, said Weeks' attorney, Randy Kessler of Atlanta. The 15-page offer is being reviewed by Bynum's attorney, Karla Walker of Valdosta.

"There are a couple of minor changes we have to make," Kessler said. "We are hoping that the document will be signed by the end of the week."

Kessler would not discuss the terms of the settlement offer. Weeks is not seeking spousal support, Kessler said, but the pastor does want help covering his attorney fees.

Walker did not respond to a call for comment and Bynum's publicist, Amy Malone, had no comment.

Bynum and Weeks married in 2002 in an elaborate ceremony. They built Global Destiny Church in Duluth together before their relationship fizzled.

On Aug. 21, 2007, Weeks attacked Bynum in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta after the couple met to discuss their problems. They had been separated since spring 2007.

Weeks was convicted in March of aggravated assault in the attack on his wife. He was sentenced as a first offender, given three years' probation and ordered to attend anger management classes and perform 200 hours of community service.

Bynum proclaimed herself the new "face of domestic violence" after the August assault. The traveling Pentecostal pastor continues her ministry. In April, Bynum appeared on Fox TV's "Divorce Court," offering advice to a couple who were ending their marriage after a history of domestic violence.

Kessler said Weeks is looking forward to closing this chapter in his life. After Bynum missed several appointments to discuss the divorce, including a recent court-ordered mediation, Weeks grew tired of waiting and pushed for a settlement, Kessler said.

"He is moving forward with his life," Kessler said. "This is a way out. Everyone keeps what they have. Once they sign this ... all the judge has to do is attach a divorce decree to it."

Full story: Bishop Weeks offers divorce settlement to Juanita Bynum

ATLANTA - The estranged husband of evangelist Juanita Bynum says in a new book that she has tried to use a highly publicized physical altercation to revive her own flagging ministry.

The self-published book by minister Thomas Weeks III includes chapters with titles such as "I Would Rather Push You Now Than Punch You Later" and "She Wanted to Be Oprah at Any Cost" and says it was Weeks who suffered physical and emotional abuse in the relationship.

In the 153-page "What Love Taught Me," Weeks says the Aug. 21 dispute was nothing more than a continuation of the "heated fellowship" the two ministers engaged in during their marriage. The scuffle between the two in a hotel parking lot landed Weeks in jail on charges he pushed, choked and beat Bynum, and he ultimately pleaded guilty to assaulting her. He is serving three years of probation.

Weeks claims his wife instigated the parking lot incident and used it to paint herself as a poster girl for domestic violence and to boost her ministry.

"Ultimately, she had to have a plot and a plan to destroy my credibility, to leak issues that were in the process of being resolved ... so that she could get out of the marriage almost blameless," he wrote.

Weeks said he wrote the book in the days after his arrest. Within days, Bynum announced her intentions to become "the new face of domestic violence" and last week, she appeared in a two-part episode of "Divorce Court" offering advice to a couple dealing with alleged abuse in their marriage - moves Weeks said were indicative of her desire for more secular fame.

"She needed a way out of the marriage so that she could keep her following, possibly grow her following ... develop a cause that can support her without preaching and promote her secular career, while ending her marriage," Weeks wrote. "Juanita was tired of preaching. She was tired of the conference circuit. She was more bored."

Amy Malone, Bynum's publicist, said Monday she had not seen the book and could not comment. Bynum did not immediately respond to a request through Malone for a response to Weeks' claims.

The book is Weeks' most lengthy public statement about their marriage. He remained largely silent while charges from his criminal case loomed and because he held out hope for reconciliation with Bynum, who filed for divorce.

Weeks said he is telling his story to help others heal, to clear his name and to bring balance to the story that has unraveled over the past eight months.

Weeks said in the book that they both had strong personalities and that there were times when their arguments turned violent.

In one altercation Weeks describes, he says Bynum became enraged and choked him when he was distracted on his laptop computer while riding home in a limousine after a black tie affair in New York. Weeks claims that a few months later, Bynum punched him in the face and neck while he was sleeping.

Weeks said Bynum was the instigator of both incidents and that he walked away.

"I decided a long time ago to become a man avoiding domestic violence," Weeks wrote. "My internal mantra was I would rather push you now than have to punch you later. I can count at least 20 to 25 times I had to get out of the room before things escalated, and some of those times I had to push her out of the way as a result of her trying to keep me in the room where things could have gotten much more serious."

The night of Aug. 21 was an example of such a situation, Weeks said.

According to him, the couple had just finished arguing at the Renaissance Hotel when Weeks left and headed for his vehicle.

Bynum followed, blocking the driver's side door and began to cause a scene, Weeks said. He says she then swung at him with a cell phone in her hand.

"Avoiding her swing to my head, I pushed her away with great force causing her to hit the ground pretty hard," he said. "I paused and looked at her because I have never pushed her that hard."

By morning, reports of the confrontation were circulating on the Internet and in the media and Weeks turned himself in two days later to face charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.

Bynum is a former hairdresser and flight attendant who became a Pentecostal evangelist, author and gospel singer. Her ministry blossomed after she preached at a singles event about breaking free of sexual promiscuity. Among her books are "No More Sheets: The Truth About Sex" and "Matters of the Heart." She has recorded top-selling Gospel albums and also preaches through televised sermons.

Weeks - who is known to his followers as Bishop Weeks and is the pastor and co-founder of Global Destiny Ministries in Duluth - co-wrote "Teach Me How to Love You: The Beginnings" with Bynum.

• Original title: Televangelist's husband says she abused him

Full story: Husband of Juanita Bynum says she abused him

Just when the media spotlight was fading on national evangelist Juanita Bynum, the pastor found a new forum where her star could shine again —reality TV.

Footage of Bynum's two-part interview on Divorce Court, a courtroom reality show that settles disputes between feuding couples, has been posted on www.divorcecourt.com in anticipation of her appearance Thursday.

Bynum will be visiting the show to talk to Judge Lynn Toler about her troubled marriage to Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III which is heading toward mediation next month. The pastor also will give advice to another couple on the show that is dealing with domestic violence issues.

A spokesman for Bishop Thomas W. Weeks on Wednesday said he turned down an invitation to appear on Divorce Court. The bishop was unaware that Bynum had accepted the invitation to do the interview, anyway.

During the interview with Toler, Bynum, who is described as a domestic violence survivor, talks about her decision to end the marriage to Weeks.

"I said to myself, I love him, but I love me more," Bynum said on the Web posting premiere.

Later on the show, Bynum gives advice to a woman struggling with abuse in her marraige.

"That spirit of survival is in you," Bynum tells the woman.

Judge Toler thanks Bynum for helping with the abuse case. "Dr. Bynum .. you said some things I didn't think of."

Bynum accused her husband Weeks of beating, choking and kicking her as they argued outside an Atlanta hotel on Aug. 21. Weeks was sentenced to aggravated assault as a first offender for the attack. He received three years a of probation, 200 hours of community service and ordered to anger management classes.

• Faith & Values articles in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution can be found in the Living section.

Full story: Juanita Bynum discusses marriage on Divorce Court

On Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the year in Christianity, a pastor who has sinned will stand before his flock.

Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, the leader of Global Destiny Ministries, will be back at his pulpit in Duluth to remind his Pentecostal congregation that man is not perfect.

Nearly two weeks ago, Weeks, 40, was sentenced to three years probation, 200 hours of community service and anger management classes for the Aug. 21 aggravated assault on his estranged wife, national evangelist Juanita Bynum, 49.

Weeks makes no excuses for his behavior in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta. He has apologized to Bynum for "losing control" and has apologized to his congregation.

But forgiving Weeks and Bynum for the fall-out surrounding their public split won't be so easy for some, even on Resurrection Sunday.

Both Weeks and Bynum, headed for divorce, have accused each other of abuse and revealed secrets about their stormy relationship to the national media. Their public battle fractured Global Destiny. It also has spread doubt among some who question whether they could ever be credible leaders of Christian family ministries again.

"When something like this happens, it kind of makes you want to say what's the point, if they didn't make it, then all the stuff they were preaching about us learning how to love each other was in vain," said Robert Graves, a former member of Global Destiny who was the church's organist. "I have learned not to get caught up into personalities."

Pentecostal leaders say only time and a deepening of faith can heal the wounds suffered by the church during the Weeks-Bynum abuse case.

"Both of them have been great leaders in ministry," said Weeks' mentor Bishop Andrew C. Turner II, leader of Covenant Worship Center of California. Because people tend to "idolize" leaders, says Turner, some Christians have become disillusioned and "turned a cold shoulder to God and to the ministry."

Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, assistant presiding bishop of Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, believes that Weeks and Bynum can sustain their credibility if they humbly seek God in prayer and learn from their mistakes.

"I believe that it all begins with true self-examination, true repentance and seeking God's face," said Ellis, pastor of Greater Grace Temple, a 6,500 member church in Detroit.

Weeks said the experience of facing felony charges and the anger management training he will receive will equip him to be a better teacher to couples facing relationship troubles. "What I have walked through has given me a Phd," he said.

Weeks has shared some of those lessons in the book "What Love Taught Me," a memoir about his marriage.

Members of Global Destiny who have remained faithful to the church continue to support Weeks and his endeavors. "The way I look at it, we are all human and you are supposed to build one anotherup and not tear one another down,'' Margaret Wright, a church member said. "You have to walk in love and go after God for yourself.''

Bynum's ministry continues to grow despite critics who post messages on Web logs doubting her skill as a "prophetess" because they say she didn't forsee the trouble she would have married to Weeks. She still packs Pentecostals into pews for prayer services.

In the past month, Bynum has appeared at two prayer workshops in Boston; she spoke at a women's spirituality and empowerment conference in Texas and has given weekly sermons on her radio show, "Church in the Air," which is broadcast on Radio 1000, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The show has led to other monthly appearances for Bynum in the city.

Soon, Bynum will be returning to Detroit to resume her weekly 5 a.m. prayer services at Ellis' $36 million church campus, Greater Grace Temple. Before taking a break, she attracted as many as 2,500 people on Wednesdays in the snow and rain for 14 weeks, said Ellis. "I think that she has a great anointing on her life. We have had 200 to 300 people sleeping overnight in the church beginning in anticipation for the 5 a.m. prayer service."

Turner, Weeks' mentor, said he is sure Weeks and Bynum will rebuild their reputations and continue to grow their flocks even if their lives move in different directions.

"Life brings a lot of pressure," Turner said. "Some of us are not skilled enough to handle it ... but Christ loves us when we are good and when we are bad."

Full story: Sentenced bishop Thomas Weeks back at pulpit Easter Sunday

ATLANTA -- Evangelist Juanita Bynum denied Thursday that she is seeking a reconciliation with her estranged husband, Bishop Thomas Weeks, in an exclusive interview with WSB-TV Channel 2 anchor Monica Pearson.

During the hour-long interview with Pearson, Bynum insisted a series of text messages she sent to Weeks were not an attempt to save their marriage.

"It was not me pursuing Bishop Weeks, and him trying to make me look like some weak, worn woman that wants him back," said Bynum.

Weeks apologized to his wife in court on Tuesday as he entered a guilty plea to assaulting her and was sentenced to three years probation.

"I want to apologize to my wife for all she's had to go through," he said.

Bynum nodded in response and quietly thanked him. The two later walked out of the courthouse together.

"They are in communication and working on their relationship and the status of their marriage," said Ed Garland, Weeks' attorney in the criminal case.

But Bynum told Pearson the marriage is over.

"I reached out to him in that attorney's office, because what I was exemplifying is, the hope of a future, and you let out, your vulnerable feelings at the hope of a future, instead of me waiting to see there's been change for the future," she insisted.

Even though the relationship ended in violence Bynum believes it began with love.

"I believe in the beginning Bishop Weeks loved me, I believe Bishop Weeks loves me as much as he knows how at this particular point," she told Pearson.

The evangelist said she is undergoing counseling. She also revealed that she has several new projects in the works and wants to move on with her ministry and her life.

"Today in the media, I was only accused of loving Bishop Weeks. That's all I did, that's all my texts meant and if that's an accusation, than I'm guilty, I'm guilty of loving him, but I gotta move on, I gotta move on," Bynum said.

Bynum is a former hairdresser and flight attendant who became a Pentecostal evangelist, author and gospel singer. Weeks is the founder of Global Destiny churches.

The couple wed in a million-dollar, televised ceremony in 2002 and together wrote "Teach Me How to Love You: The Beginnings."

Bynum filed for divorce from Weeks a month after the attack, citing "cruel treatment" and saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken." Since then, the two or their lawyers have issued a series of conflicting statements about the initial incident and the couple's travails.

Full story: Bishop Weeks Still Loves Me, Juanita Bynum Tells Monica Pearson

Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, who for more than six months proclaimed his innocence of spousal abuse, said he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault this week to protect his evangelist wife, victim Juanita Bynum, from scrutiny.

Weeks, 40, the pastor of Global Destiny Church in Duluth, said not only was his freedom at stake but so was the reputation of his wife.

The couple has reportedly weathered some stormy days during their five-year marriage. Each has accused the other of abuse.

Weeks on Thursday said Bynum sent him a text message after he met her at divorce proceedings Monday urging him not to go forward with the criminal trial. Weeks released a copy of the text message he said Bynum sent to the media.

In it Bynum expressed her love for Weeks and asked him to protect them from going through the criminal case. "Plz (sic) don't let this go to trial," Bynum allegedly wrote.

Neither Bynum's business manager, Crystal Smith, nor publicist Amy Malone responded to a request for a comment from Bynum regarding the alleged message.

"After receiving this text, I wanted to bring closure [to the trial] so that [Bynum] wouldn't feel that I was trying to make this just a public matter to publicize a whole lot of negative things that would have come out," Weeks said.

His defense attorney, Ed Garland, was prepared to argue that Weeks acted in self-defense when he pushed Bynum.

On Tuesday, Weeks admitted to attacking Bynum in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta on Aug. 21. He was charged with felony aggravated assault for pushing her to the ground and kicking her.

Bynum said Tuesday she intervened on her husband's behalf at the urging of his grandfather, who didn't want to see Weeks go to jail.

Weeks said he could have received "several years," in jail for aggravated assault, but because he was a first-time offender, he was given probation instead. Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford sentenced Weeks to three years of probation and ordered him to perform 200 hours of non-church-related community service and to enroll in an anger management course.

"It was in the best interest of all parties involved," Weeks said.

The couple's divorce is still pending in Gwinnett County Superior Court.

Full story: Thomas Weeks says guilty plea was to protect wife Juanity Bynum

Bishop Thomas W. Weeks pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault in the summertime attack on his estranged wife, national evangelist Juanita Bynum.

In Fulton County Superior Court before judge T. Jackson Bedford, Weeks admitted that he grabbed Bynum, threw her down and kicked her in the parking of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel, near Hartsfield-Jackson International on Aug. 21.

Weeks immediately was sentenced to three years probation, 200 hours of non-church related community service and ordered to attend anger management counseling. If he successfully completes these conditions, the conviction will be expunged from his record.

The contrite pastor apologized to Bynum.

"I want to apologize to my wife for all actions you had to go through," Weeks said. "I know it has been difficult. I appreciate you and I thank you."

When asked by Bedford if she approved of the deal Weeks struck, Bynum said yes.

Still, Bedford scolded both ministers for their recent behavior as their marital troubles played out before the public.

"I understand if not hundreds of thousands, millions of people look to you for leadership, both moral and spiritual," said Bedford to both Bynum and Weeks. "Going forward I would be mindful in your conduct in the future. Going through a divorce is a very difficult time. I know what it does to people.

"I'm very pleased this would was able to be worked out. Neither of you needed to be exposed to what would have happened in the courtroom. I wish you the very best," Bedford said.

After the hearing Weeks and Bynum stood together outside the courthouse, expressing at least a degree of love.

He had asked for forgiveness and she accepted.

"My emotions got the best of me," Weeks said of the Aug. 21 incident. "I take responsibility."

Bynum said seeing her husband on Monday at a divorce deposition brought back old memories. She intervened on his behalf appealing to the court to be lenient on him.

"When I saw him it allowed me to reflect on the first time we got married," she said. "No one tells you what to do with all of the love you feel for the person."

District attorney Paul Howard said he was pleased the case could be resolved without going to trial. "He took responsibility," Howard said. "We thought that was important."

Weeks would not say whether the couple was getting back together.

"God is in control of all things, " he said.

Weeks said he learned a lesson from this ordeal. He urged men facing similar conflicts with their spouses to "walk away, still walk away."

• Original title: Bishop Weeks pleads guilty to aggravated assault

Full story: Thomas Weeks pleads guilty to aggravated assault on Juanity Bynum

National evangelist Juanita Bynum on Monday finally met with her estranged husband, Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, and his attorney for a deposition in preparation for divorce proceedings.

The meeting, which began at 9 a.m. in the law office of Randy Kessler, attorney for Weeks, lasted for more than six hours.

Bynum came to the deposition with her attorney, Karla Walker, of Valdosta.

Weeks, who will face criminal charges Tuesday for allegedly beating Bynum, also attended the meeting. So did Ed Garland, his defense attorney in the criminal case.

The deposition lasted for about three hours, but the group continued a closed-door discussion afterwards.

Weeks emerged from the law office about 3:40 p.m. smiling.

"Things are good, they are always good," he said as the elevator doors closed behind him.

Ten minutes later, Bynum appeared in black coat and tinted sunglasses. When asked was the divorce resolved she said "no," and would not comment further.

Kessler sought a court order to sit Bynum down for a deposition after several attempts to meet with the pastor failed because of scheduling conflicts. He said he wanted an opportunity to talk with Bynum on the record about allegations of cruelty in the marriage before the divorce case went to court. The couple has been separated since June.

Kessler said he asked Bynum what she would accuse Weeks of and what Bynum did to Weeks in their stormy marriage.

"This was a normal standard deposition," Kessler said. "There was no yelling and arguing. I think it was helpful for everybody."

At about 1:50 p.m. the attorneys a^‚¬" Kessler, Walker and Garland a^‚¬" left the law office to go to lunch and talk. Garland would not say why he attended the proceedings.

Bynum and Weeks remained in the law office while their lawyers, who didn't return by the close of the business day, were away. A lawyer at Kessler's firm, Monica Hanrahan said she later joined the couple but would not say what was being discussed.

Kessler returned alone after 5 p.m. and said the divorce case and criminal case share similarities. Bynum also has alleged abuse in the divorce case. She is seeking divorce for "cruel treatment."

"The facts are the same," Kessler said. "She is claiming mental cruelty based on the incident that occurred on Aug. 21."

On that day Weeks allegedly assaulted Bynum in the Renaissance Concourse Hotel parking lot near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Garland was in the law office while Bynum was deposed, which allowed him to hear the testimony of the main witness in the criminal case the day before trial, scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. today in Fulton County Superior Court.

Garland will be representing Weeks as he faces charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats and simple battery. Weeks has pleaded not guilty and has said that he has been a victim of domestic violence in his marriage to Bynum.

Full story: Estranged evangelists Thomas Weeks and Juanita Bynum meet, no resolution yet