Pastor Nathan Peternel has broken his silence following his son’s arrest on child pornography charges, claiming his son was under the influence when he accessed their private recordings. The pastor revealed that his son hacked into their collection of personal sex videos.

Addressing the congregation at Life Church in Indiana last week, Pastor Peternel admitted that he and his wife had filmed up to 50 explicit videos for their own enjoyment. He emphasized that these recordings were meant solely for private use.

“There are numerous rumors and allegations circulating, many of which are completely false,” Peternel stated to the church attendees, as documented in an audio recording obtained by 24SightNews. “Some allegations have been distorted, and others lack context. In the midst of these, there’s a truth that I must acknowledge and address.”

He continued, “Within our marriage, my wife and I created private, intimate photos and videos. These files were protected by a password, yet they were hacked. They were accessed from a device without our consent or knowledge, and this was done by our son, who was under the influence at the time.”

Although these videos were not unlawful, Peternel conceded that it was “unwise” to create them. He remarked that they would have remained private if not for the arrest of his son, John Wesley Peternel.

The case against Johnathan was opened in October after authorities received a CyberTip Report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to Fishers Police, the tip flagged five suspected child sexual abuse files traced back to a Snapchat account belonging to Jonathan. 

Authorities obtained a search warrant for his electronics, which were at his parents’ home.  

Court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail reveal detectives seized a trove of laptops, hard drives, tablets and phones allegedly piled with hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material so revolting that veteran officers were left stunned. 

Pastor Nathan Peternel (pictured) of Life Church, an Assemblies of God offshoot, preaches to his congregation about purity, sexual restraint and the dangers of temptation

Pictured: Jonathan Wesley Peternel, 24. Police found evidence of child sexual abuse material in his possession

Pictured: Jonathan Wesley Peternel (left) and his father, Pastor Peternel (right)

The alleged haul included violent molestation, sadomasochistic abuse, intoxicated minors and even what investigators described as photorealistic AI-generated images of nude pregnant toddlers.

Buried in the stash, police said, were his parents’ sex tapes.

Investigators said that as they dug deeper, they uncovered even more depraved content – along with chat logs suggesting Jonathan was sharing material in a Snapchat group called ‘Diddy Disciples,’ a reference to disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who is currently serving four years in prison for transporting individuals for prostitution.

Authorities are investigating the other members of the Diddy Disciples group – they have not yet been named.

Pictured: The pastor (left) and his son, Jonathan Wesley Peternel (right), who was arrested on child pornography charges

Jonathan Wesley Peternel is a member of the Indiana National Guard and works as a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic

Jonathan is also a member of the Indiana National Guard and works as a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic. Officials have not said whether he has been suspended from his job.

Authorities have charged Jonathan with seven felonies, including child exploitation and multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.

He has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $25,000 bond. His public defender did not return calls from the Daily Mail. 

The arrest has ignited a scandal within Life Church, a four-campus megachurch pastored by Peternel and his close associate, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith. 

After the arrest, Beckwith took to the pulpit and encouraged the congregants to ignore the scandal, saying that the ‘enemy’ was ‘spreading lies.’ He has not responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.  

While neither the elder Peternel nor Beckwith have been charged with any legal wrongdoing in the child pornography investigation, the case has become a source of unwanted attention for both men. 

The pair co-host a podcast titled Jesus, Sex & Politics, where they preach about modesty, sexual purity, saving intimacy for marriage and avoiding ‘sexual sin.’

They warn listeners against pornography, adultery and homosexuality – all while positioning themselves as accountability partners.

Peternel – who has been with Life Church for roughly 10 years – has served as a GOP convention delegate and donated to Beckwith’s political efforts, campaign finance records show.

Peternel is the pastor at Life Church in Indiana (Pictured: the parking lot at Life Church)

The pastor (left) said he and his wife, Christina Peternel (right), had been ‘unwise but not sinful’ in filming themselves having sex

Several members of Beckwith’s staff attend Life Church, and the Lieutenant Governor himself pastors the Noblesville campus.

Beckwith issued a brief statement saying he became aware of the allegations against Johnathan on October 23 and would not comment further.

The developments have sent shockwaves throughout Life Church, with members telling the Daily Mail that they are questioning whether to continue attending services. 

‘I don’t really know what to say, other than that this is ironic,’ one longtime member told the Daily Mail. ‘Pastor Nathan was so obsessed with talking about sex, and now we see what he’s been up to, and what his son was up to. What is done in secret will always see the light of day.’ 

‘I liked this church,’ added Juli Westbrook, who recently began attending services at one of the campuses. ‘I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but yes, it’s funny that this was such a topic of conversation. They talk about sex more than they talk about feeding the poor.’

As one of the most powerful Christian leaders in Indiana, Pastor Peternel was known for preaching to his congregation about purity, sexual restraint and the dangers of temptation. 

He has spent years warning people about lust, moral decay and the importance of safeguarding the home from sexual sin. 

Now, Peternel is apologizing for his son’s actions, and for his own carelessness.  

‘I want to apologize for the pain that this has brought to this church and to this community,’ he said on Sunday. ‘I am sorry for the distraction and division that this has caused.’