The Voice Behind the Pulpit: Pastor Paul Van Noy’s Political Double Life Exposed

When Faith Meets Power in Kootenai County

For years, Candlelight Christian Fellowship’s Pastor Paul Van Noy has maintained that he’s not politically involved by choice, but that he only gets involved politically when it’s at the intersection of politics and Christianity. He claims to avoid partisan bias and doesn’t use the pulpit to influence elections. But audio recordings and transcripts from a private phone call paint a very different picture, one of a man who uses his position of spiritual authority to influence political outcomes while pretending to stand above the fray.

The call, recorded in mid-2024, features Van Noy speaking to a congregant from his church. The conversation, which lasted nearly 30 minutes, reveals a clear pattern of manipulation including spiritual authority being leveraged to shape political loyalty and silence dissent.

What follows is a breakdown of that conversation, its implications, and why this moment matters for the integrity of both local religion and local government in Kootenai County.

Inside the Call: What the Audio Reveals

In the call, Van Noy discusses the Kootenai County sheriff’s race between incumbent Sheriff Bob Norris and challenger Dan Wilson. Throughout the conversation, Van Noy toggles between playing the role of the impartial pastor and the behind-the-scenes power broker, praising Norris as “a friend,” dismissing Wilson as unqualified, and describing how “every politician comes to me.”

While Van Noy frames himself as reluctant to get involved, the call reveals otherwise. He outlines which candidates have his ear, which ones are wasting their time, and how he has already attempted to organize (or block) a public debate between the sheriff and his challenger. At one point, Van Noy claims the sheriff “has never let [him] down,” while also acknowledging that Norris “has made mistakes.” He rationalizes these actions not as political loyalty, but as personal conviction, a familiar justification among political pastors.

The Performance of Impartiality

Van Noy’s conversational style in the recording is revealing. He presents himself as the reluctant authority, the one burdened by influence he never asked for, but simultaneously reminds the caller how much power he wields. He tells them that if candidates “want to get to [him], they have to get to [him] the right way.”

That single statement encapsulates the psychology of control at play. Van Noy is not claiming neutrality, he’s establishing hierarchy.

By pretending to be detached from politics while privately steering the narrative, he creates an illusion of spiritual impartiality while exercising very real political influence. It’s a technique common among religious power brokers who blend faith and politics: present humility in public, wield influence in private.

Dissecting the Conversation: How Power Is Exercised

The conversation reads like a slow-moving psychological play.

Here’s what’s happening beneath the surface:

1. Establishing Authority

From the beginning, Van Noy frames himself as the gatekeeper. He explains that every political candidate meets with him, that his voice carries weight in the county, and that he has “friends in high places.” By setting this tone, he puts the caller in a subordinate position, someone seeking access, not equality.

2. Framing “Loyalty” as Wisdom

When discussing Sheriff Norris, Van Noy describes him as “not perfect” but “loyal,” while labeling Wilson as “unqualified” and “antagonistic.” He reinforces that his personal relationship with Norris matters more than the facts surrounding the sheriff’s controversies.
This kind of framing conditions congregants to equate personal loyalty with moral discernment, a dangerous precedent when applied to civic leadership.

3. Undermining Opposition Without Evidence

At multiple points, Van Noy claims “everyone who knows law knows Dan doesn’t”, but offers no supporting detail. He uses repetition, authority, and religious phrasing (“whatever makes manifest is light”) to sound definitive. It’s a rhetorical sleight of hand, cloaking gossip in the language of moral certainty.

4. Emotional Control Through Conditional Acceptance

The caller, younger than Van Noy and respectful, approaches the pastor with care, seeking clarity and possibly reconciliation between factions. Rather than engage openly, Van Noy establishes conditional approval: he agrees to “consider” meeting again but insists that if anyone wants his time, they must do so on his terms. This subtly reinforces dependency, the congregant is left feeling both heard and dismissed, conditioned to seek Van Noy’s favor rather than challenge his conclusions.

The Broader Implications: Religion as a Political Tool

In Kootenai County, churches like Candlelight Christian Fellowship have become more than places of worship, they are now political engines. Pastors like Van Noy shape local elections not just from the pulpit, but through social influence networks, nonprofit collaborations, and personal endorsements cloaked in “pastoral advice.”

The recording underscores a pattern long suspected by community observers: that faith leaders with vast influence over congregations are quietly mobilizing political action under the guise of moral guidance.

Van Noy’s own words betray the strategy, he claims disinterest, yet outlines political moves with the precision of a campaign operative. It’s not merely hypocrisy. It’s the weaponization of faith to manufacture political compliance.

The Caller’s Role: A Study in Courage

The caller, whose identity is protected in the redacted version, approached Van Noy with genuine concern. They asked informed, difficult questions about accountability, transparency, and the moral implications of the sheriff’s behavior.

Rather than engage honestly, Van Noy subtly redirected the conversation away from facts and toward personal loyalty, away from systems and toward relationships. The dynamic is textbook manipulation: when challenged, the influencer reframes the discussion as a test of respect rather than substance. Yet, the caller persisted respectfully, a rare act of courage in an environment where questioning authority often means social exile.

Why This Matters Now

As new political and religious organizations continue to rise in Kootenai County, from Turning Point USA’s Faith Hubs to church-affiliated PACs, this recording serves as a warning. It illustrates how religious authority can be co-opted into partisan machinery, where pastors become political strategists and faith becomes currency.

Paul Van Noy’s dual persona, the apolitical pastor in public and the power broker in private, is not unique. It’s a model replicated across North Idaho and beyond. But unlike a sermon, this audio doesn’t fade when the lights go down. It’s documented, timestamped, and revealing, and it demands accountability.

Listen to the Audio

Conclusion: Truth From Behind the Curtain

The myth of neutrality has been shattered.
The evidence is clear: Pastor Paul Van Noy is not a detached observer, he is an active political influencer cloaked in spiritual authority. His words betray the truth he works so hard to conceal: that faith, in the wrong hands, becomes a tool for manipulation, not salvation.

The community of Kootenai County deserves transparency, accountability, and spiritual leadership that uplifts truth rather than distorts it for power.