A deeply unsettling video has gone viral showing a self-described prophet named Kevin Leal tearing a page from the Bible and compelling a teenage boy to eat it during a live church service.
In the footage, Leal instructs the teen to turn to the Book of Proverbs before ripping out a page and handing it to him. “Eat it,” Le commands. “When you eat this, the power of God is going to go inside of you.” He then repeatedly shouts “Swallow it” while telling the boy “The power of God is coming on you” over and over as music plays in the background.
Leal also tells the teenager, “It’s coming over your whole body right now, son…. This is a life-changing anointing just happening to you.”
Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk reacted to the video with alarm, calling for an immediate investigation into Leal. “I need an investigation into this dude immediately. Pronto stat,” Kulinski said. “These people are not right in the head. Every last one of them is one version or another of a massive criminal.”
Kulinski pointed out the language Leal used throughout the encounter, noting that commentator Luke Beasley made a salient observation: “Anytime you’re a Christian pastor and you find yourself saying to a teen, eat it and swallow it in any context, unacceptable.”
Beyond the specific incident, Kulinski used the clip to raise questions about the state of right-wing American Christianity, drawing a contrast with what he sees as the religion’s core purpose.
“If you’re a Christian, shouldn’t you be advocating for homeless people to get a roof over their head? Shouldn’t you be advocating to end poverty, give people healthcare, give people education, or go help people hit by a natural disaster? Shouldn’t that be your focus?” he asked.
Kulinski also took aim at prosperity gospel preachers, citing figures like Joel Osteen and Creflo Dollar as examples of a pattern where faith is weaponized for financial gain.
“It’s the prosperity gospel where it’s like Jesus wants you to be rich,” he said, contrasting that approach with Christian communities in other countries that focus on feeding the poor and caring for the sick.
Leal, who refers to himself as a prophet, claimed during the service that a similar ritual had taken place “15 years ago in Brazil,” framing the act as a legitimate spiritual practice. Critics, however, have described the footage as cult-like behavior that should prompt serious questions about the oversight and accountability of religious leaders who operate with little regulation or transparency.
