Shamblin, Remnant Fellowship Sue Cults Critic

News Channel 5, Tennessee/January 8, 2007

The leader of a Brentwood church and her followers are taking aim at a minister who has accused them of being a cult.

Gwen Shamblin, the Christian diet guru who founded the Remnant Fellowship, have filed a libel suit against a frequent critic.

Rafael Martinez runs a web site that warns its readers to avoid Shamblin's teachings.

The lawsuit claims Martinez has hurt church members by claiming they are members of a dangerous cult.

This comes less than a month before two Remnant members, Joseph and Sonya Smith, are scheduled to go on trial for the beating death of their eight-year-old son.

Investigators raided Shamblin's headquarters two years after a NewsChannel 5 investigation uncovered evidence linking the boy's death to Shamblin's teachings.

Martinez has posted a copy of the lawsuit, along with his reaction, on his Spiritwatch Ministries web site. Remnant Fellowship also has a web site.