ARCHIVE NUMBER SEVENTEEN
News Flash: Autumn 2003
Too Much and Too Little
When the first outbreak of the "revival" came, many people likened it to a flood wave. It struck the world with great force and spread out rapidly, swamping everything in its path.
Over the years, ten long years since since 1993, further massive waves of deception have been expected - and experienced. They came slowly at first, and then gathered speed and strength (rather like the successive waves of contractions during the birth of a baby.)
Many of us spoke of the tide coming in, and recently these conversations came back to me as I watched the escalating delusion and spiritual devastation in the churches all around the world. We are no longer WAITING for the flood tide - THE TIDE IS IN.
And these waves have come upon us so thick and fast lately that there's been no time to respond. When the process began, years ago, there was one obvious wave of deception and those who knew the bible, and knew the Lord, responded by examining at length what was being said and done. They wrote books, pamphlets and articles to warn Christians, and organised debates and seminars and conferences. There was time to research and examine the evidence, and to write at length a variety of responses.
Now, one fad follows another in such quick succession, and they are so short-lived and diverse, that by the time they become known they have fizzled out and people have moved on to the next titillating bit of excitement.
There are SO MANY "waves" (but not notable or significant ones) being driven onto the beach that we find ourselves surrounded by this "water" with no time and little energy left to respond. To make a full and reasoned response to every little error would be impossible, and the deception is now so deep and so well-entrenched everywhere that it cannot be halted. Nothing is sufficiently earth-shattering to wake up the sleeping Church, but everything contributes little by little to the rot and destruction.
People are being taught, little by little, to expect the unusual and supernatural without checking that it's biblical or from God; they are being taught to turn away from God's word to "new revelations" and they are being schooled in mindless robotic obedience to all that their leaders say. What a set-up for the Antichrist!
Everywhere we go, everything we hear, everyone we meet seems in some way to be connected to this flood tide. Sometimes it seems we can't see anything but this revival water (even though we know that pockets of faith exist, with genuine churches and believers. Even so, their number seems pitifully small at times.)
No doubt the revivalists believe this is the "work of God" overpowering its opponents. Quite the reverse! The bible actually predicts that God would ALLOW a massive deception to arise in order to test the hearts of his people, and to sift the wheat from the chaff. Any success is merely the inevitable process of apostasy - as predicted in many places in God's word - working itself out in real everyday terms.
The work of sounding the warning has been directed by God, so that Christians are not left without advice, but now that the tide is almost completely covering the land, what remains to be done?
In a day when there is almost TOO MUCH to cope with, and too much to bear, strangely there is TOO LITTLE going on in genuine spiritual terms to make the waiting worthwhile. Nothing much happens that is in any way new, unique, rousing, startling - it's all much of a muchness. Just like watching waves drive into the beach - one after another, wave upon wave, wave upon wave... hypnotic and boring and endless.
Just like the servants of the household that Jesus warned to "stay awake" to await the Master's return, we are tempted to nod off. There seems no end to the waiting for the Lord to act decisively - yet he WILL. His promises hold true, no matter what.
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:7-8
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:9-10
Longing For Fellowship
One of the most common enquiries I receive by e-mail is the request to put people in touch with a good, sound church, or provide names of people for fellowship. This is something I know is very needed, but unfortunately it's beyond my abilities to do it. I wish I could help, but there is no way one person can know that many churches! Even if I did, that would not necessarily mean I knew their character - whether they were truly sound or not. Nor whether their particular type of worship style would suit the correspondent. So you see, there is little point asking me this question. I'm sorry to disappoint you.
It's a nice pipe-dream (but totally impractical) to think of some kind of Remnant Dating Agency that puts isolated believers together. But just think it through - how could it possibly work, outside of God's perfect knowledge and direction? Even if a name was suggested as a local contact, how could you know you wouldn't end up with a no-hoper, or a nutcase, or somebody who secretly held to strange doctrines? Nobody can put you in touch with people or churches. ONLY God knows your needs and knows how to fulfill those particular needs.
I hear the pain in your enquiries and sense the desperation for good fellowship. I sympathise with you. We are ALL feeling isolated, weary and in need of support. Most of those who have come out of their churches have not found anywhere else to go. Most "organised" Christianity has been organised around the revival, or globalist activities, or various man-made empires .I don't have any inside knowledge, or access to any church data that the rest of you do not have.
I don't visit or hear from sound churches either. Like you I just have my circle of trusted friends and colleagues with whom I fellowship. Almost everyone I know is asking WHERE do we go? If they DO go to a church somewhere it often turns out to be a disappointment, or dead, or just as much in error as the previous one.
It's disheartening, I know. But have you ever considered what God is doing? GOD is the one who is allowing this testing time, for us to drive our roots deeply into the genuine ROCK; so that we are no longer "building on sand"; so that our "anchor holds in the storms of life" and so that we are not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
This is in fact an act of love, whereby God is drawing close to us as individuals, taking time with each one for healing, uplifting, restoration, spiritual growth, maturity - all the things that were taking so long to happen in conventional churches (or, would never happen at ALL.)
"Outside the Camp" we have the chance to spend quality time both with God and our families, and with people who truly love and honour God. We have been cut free of time-wasters, scoundrels, scroungers, abusers, and those who used up our energy and goodwill for nothing. See this as a time of opportunity therefore, and make good use of the time - even if you are on your own - to develop a rich, freely-flowing, Spirit-led and God-inspired style of worship that is not hindered by man's restrictions or fears.
See it as a time of ministry outside the normal "evangelistic" models, where you can simply chat and share your faith with others, without the need for complicated video sessions, books, studies and all the paraphernalia that Jesus and the Apostles never needed. Now, you can develop the ability to hear God and know his guidance, and be directed by HIS SPIRIT instead of church programmes and the Pastor's sermon.
Now you have the chance to get before God, one to one, looking into His word and hearing from His Spirit so that you can grow, and not be dependent on others.
So - in a way - I think ending the isolation by going back to the same old meetings we had in the past would be a retrograde step. I believe God wants more for us than that. BUT - at this point I have to issue a warning against the various ministries and individuals who have been preaching a "restorationist" or "sonship" style of renewal. Or, just an organised "getting-together" but outside of God's timing and will. All this can seem VERY seductive to anyone who is pining for fellowship. But the dangers are terribly real - imagine the penalties for getting it wrong and stepping out of God's plan!
Is There Going to be a Restoration?
Some people are pushing for a purification of the saints and a renewal of the Church that sounds very attractive, but in fact they are drawing on the old-time sonship fallacies of the Holiness groups and Deeper Life groups of the 19th century. They may not even know the source of their inspiration, and may be sincere and godly, but they are missing the mark none the less.
Some men, such as Andrew Strom or David Wilkerson for example, (in their different ways) sometimes have useful things to say. There are a few gleanings of thought-provoking and even inspired messages, but in the end it's still unbiblical - because they have a grand vision for a New Church, reorganised and restored, that is not according to scripture. Often this also means following the New Apostles and Prophets of the day - Andrew Strom cheerfully hosts the material of Rick Joyner, Paul Cain and other "prophets" and in a recent message to his mailing list commended the notorious Kansas City Prophets as being the launch-pad for "God's restoration of the prophetic into today's church"
"God was restoring the 'Prophetic' ministry to the church. In fact, I regard this as the founding of the modern Prophetic movement as we know it today. ... it is very clear to me that the "foundations" of today's Prophetic movement, and the great explosion that we have seen in the Prophetic ministry over the last 20 years, stem directly back to Kansas City. This was the founding movement, the watershed-event that God used to kick-start the whole thing in modern times."
So it is worthy of note that the path Strom took to his present position entailed abandoning the "wilderness experience" outside the church system, and turning back to organised religion. Strom underwent a change of heart in 1993 (when the so-called revival began at Toronto Airport) that changed his attitude to "out-of-church" wilderness Christians. He now calls for Christians to get back under authority, and into organised church bodies.
This distrust of isolation and command to come under leadership is also evidenced in David Wilkerson's material albeit in a more subtle fashion. Because he has denounced the Brownsville and Toronto Blessing deceptions, he has made many friends amongst the "Remnant". He often writes in a supportive and encouraging way for them, recognising the pains and sufferings of today's isolated believers. At the same time he proposes a restoration of the Church that could be taken from a Latter Rain text book.
"GOD IS ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING NEW" David Wilkerson (1 Sept 2003).
"Recently, I have been preaching that God is about to do something new and glorious. This new thing is beyond revival, beyond an awakening. It is a work of God that He alone initiates when He can no longer endure the polluting of His holy name. ... God is going to do two mighty works. First, He is going to purge the nations and His church with awesome redemptive judgments. He is going to stop the invasion into His house by homosexuals and charlatans - and He is going to purify and cleanse the ministry and raise up shepherds after His own heart.
Second, God is going to glorify His holy name with a great intervention of mercy. In the throes of judgments being fulfilled, God is going to save the day by a supernatural "turning" of a remnant back to Himself. What He did for Israel when they were judged, He will do again in the days ahead. You can read it all in Ezekiel 36:21-38. (Also see Ezekiel 20:22,44.)
For God's people, glorious days are ahead. Do not fret. God's holy name, and His pure Word, will be vindicated. Something greater than revival is coming. God says, "I will do a new thing." It has to do with restoring the glory of His Name - the glory that is in Christ, the Lord."
Taken on a certain level, this could be an accurate (and welcome) depiction of endtimes events, but I believe the emphasis is on the "new thing" of the Latter Rain restoration/revival rather than the Lord's Coming. (See the "New Thing" teaching examined on this website.)
Once again, there is a desire to set up a New Church - purified, restored, cleansed, revived - a Church we all long for, but a Church that is at odds with the apostate situation the bible predicts.
The bible tells us that MANY supposed believers will fall away under testing (Matt 24:11-13/ 2 Peter 2:2); that the Church will be decimated and broken down almost to nothing. Apostasy will increase, and climax in the wholesale worship of the Antichrist by a Church that has become a Harlot (instead of the Lord's Bride.) At what point, therefore, can there be a "glorious days ahead" and a "great intervention"?
Too many years ago, in the bygone days when I also held to an endtimes glorious revival, I was praying about this very thing and after listening to my passionate prayers for some time the Lord spoke clearly to my heart: "It is not REvival but SURvival that you need to be concerned about." I have never forgotten that quiet authoritative voice of the Lord into my spirit. At the time I doubt I understood a quarter of what it might mean in the years to come - but surviving as a Christian today with all the pressures and temptations and manipulations and deceptions is no easy matter. And it's not over yet.
The days in the wilderness were not days of rejoicing and plenty - they were not days of "glory" but of deprivation, testing and hardship. Only when God's people passed the test of faith and came into the Promised Land did they experience "REST".
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people
of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath
ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief. (Heb 4:9-11)
Like the Israelites in the wilderness we tend to look for short-cuts and easier options, and something to ease the load. God forbid that we should - like them - become so desperate for a recognised form of organised worship that we turn to the worship of various golden idols that represent security and familiarity. People love to see and feel something, to focus on some tangible reward, rather than hanging on for God in faith. People love to be organised! It's more comfortable, less stressful, and it takes the pressure off, if somebody else is responsible for worship and teaching.
We have to beware of attempts to "organise" God into re-forming his church, a task he wants to do Himself I believe. If there is to be a miraculous re-gathering, then only God can achieve it, because only he knows HOW to do it, WHEN to do it and with WHOM. In particular it won't be man-led! Forget the idea of self-appointed "specially anointed" super-leaders breathing down your neck.
The only way for God to re-establish genuine truth and worship, is for each INDIVIDUAL believer to come into a new appreciation of God, and to make a recommitment to Him. Yes, God needs to deal with us. Yes, like many I long to see God honoured amongst believers, and to see true worship, genuine scriptural teaching, powerful evangelism - but I'm not prepared to accept a substitute, nor to stop short of GOD'S ANSWER.
"And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times." (2 Kings 13:15-19 NKJV)
How determined are YOU to see God's full work
accomplished?
News Snippets:
Archbishop of Canterbury Kneels to Pope:
The Archbishop of Canterbury knelt and kissed the Pope's ring in a mark of homage during his visit this week (5th October 2003) as they met to discuss Church Unity. Onlookers who gathered to witness the event were shocked to see the deterioration in the Pope's health and it is now rumoured that he might be dying.
The Archbishop, newly-elected Dr.Rowan Williams, has always been attracted to Catholic doctrine and worship and almost himself became a Catholic Priest. Dr Williams, although grey-haired, looked almost young beside the Pope with his hunched back and shaking hands. The Pope's voice, despite the use of a microphone, was barely audible. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the 6ft 3in Archbishop of Westminster (Roman Catholic), who had accompanied Rowan Williams on the visit to Rome, is seen here in in black and red robes smiling approvingly at the scene.
The meeting lasted 25 minutes, during which the Pope mentioned the divisions between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church over the ordination of homosexual clergy: "As we give thanks for the progress that has already been made," he said, "we must also recognise that new and serious difficulties have arisen on the path to unity. These difficulties are not all of a merely disciplinary nature; some extend to essential matters of faith and morals."
With the prospect of a new Pope on the horizon, however, how much longer will the obstacles to "Church Unity" persist, for a new and more liberal Pope could pave the way for Anglican-Catholic union despite the issues of gay clergy and women priests.
McCARTNEY TO RESIGN PROMISE KEEPERS:
Former U. of Colorado football coach Bill McCartney is to resign as head of Promise Keepers, effective October 1, to spend more time with his family. He has been on board-approved leave since March caring for his wife who suffers from a severe respiratory illness. McCartney informed the PK board of his decision last week, telling members that during his leave he had sensed his leadership of the organization was coming to an end and that God had assigned him to the role of husband and grandfather.
Tilton Back to his old Scam:
Remember TV preacher Robert Tilton who was discredited by scandal in 1991 by ABC-TV's "Prime Time Live" which accused him of discarding thousands of viewer prayer requests that he claimed to pray over? Well, since then a jury found him guilty of fraud. And now the thrice-married Tilton is back to babbling in "tongues" and badgering viewers for $1,000 vows just like the old days (8/17 Dallas Morn. News). Amid reports by his second ex-wife of drunken rages, he has now paid $1.4 million for an ocean-front lot and is building a new home on it. He uses reruns from a 1999 video and an automated phone menu, and visualizes viewers who "need to give to receive…."
Former Rodney Howard Browne Associate fails to laugh off Major Fraud:
South African Rodney Howard-Browne who became a naturalized American and taught that "sheep needed to be fleeced or they would have too much hair and could not see where they are going.. It was the pastor’s job to fleece the sheep " is going to be at Carpenter’s Home Church, Lakeland, Florida for a ten year revival reunion on October 31, 2003. Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne had been credited with bringing the laughter revival to America. But what really happened in Carpenter's Home Church in 1993 and 1994 was not much of a revival.
One elderly couple, Roy and Patricia Aldrich of Lakeland, who were members of the Assembly of God and Carpenter's Home Church, Lakeland, Florida claimed that they had been defrauded out of their life's savings of $ 100,000.00 by lies and deceit, and said the thefts "have forced us to sell our house and most of our personal possessions and move into a trailer."
The leadership of the Assembly of God denomination both in Lakeland and Missouri would not accept their testimony. But the State of Florida who cared about justice, righteousness and truth accepted the words and testimony of Roy Aldrich. The Florida State prosecutors proved their case and convinced the jurors that Dan Strader, the son of the senior pastor Karl Strader, devised an elaborate scheme to attract cash in the real-estate and mortgage investments.
Daniel Strader, 37, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August 1995. He was convicted of 238 felony counts for bilking 57 mostly elderly investors, some members of the church, out of $2.3 million by selling investments in properties that didn't exist or already had liens against them.
Karl Strader, 72, has been pastor of Carpenters Home for 35 years and has ministered at various churches nationwide. A Pentecostal church under the Assemblies of God denomination, Carpenters Home has owned radio stations, hosted concerts and conferences featuring big names in Christianity, such as evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, gospel singer CeCe Winans and Christian music artists Jars of Clay and Michael W. Smith. At one time membership rolls swelled to about 5,000. Strader and a jubilant congregation had the 10,000-seat auditorium built, believing that in time it would be filled to capacity. Instead, attendance dwindled. (St. Petersburg Times August 12, 2002)
But over the past 15 years the church has been no stranger to controversy. Some Assemblies of God leaders, including televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, have publicly questioned Strader's theological teachings, according to the Lakeland Ledger.
Dr Rodney Howard Browne used his influence and powers to raise money at Carpenter's Home Church to buy the senior pastor Karl Strader his 'much needed' second Lincoln Town Car. But when Rodney was requested to use his influence and power to raise money for the unfortunate elderly victims of Dan's Strader, he refused.
During the trial of Daniel Strader, his family wrote a letter begging for funds to support him. The letter didn't talk about the real victims of Dan's crimes but stated:
"Dan is facing bankruptcy and life imprisonment because of mistakes he made in his business. Because of these mistakes and the economy, some of Dan's business clients have suffered losses. While many of these good people have been willing to give Dan the opportunity to recovery financially, others have been unwilling or unable to give Dan more time to make things right. ...Being human, Danny has made mistakes, but he is sincere in his desire to make things right. He wants all of his investors and business associates to be made whole...Our reasons for contacting you is to let you know about this trouble, because we know that you will want to show your love and support to our parents. We also want you to know how critical this situation is. Dan has no money, and cannot afford to pay a qualified lawyer to defend himself. Our parents cannot afford to handle the expenses of Danny's defense by themselves."
Dan's parents, the Straders, lived in a debt free $400,000 home on a lake next to a golf course, drove two luxury towncars and made a salary in the six figure bracket not including special perks.
While other parents, who sold their homes and possessions to help one of their daughters or sons in their time of trouble, the Straders in their usual style asked others to contribute and made only small token contributions themselves. For their other children protested that dad was not to spend their inheritance in defending Dan.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Matt 7:15-16 NKJV
Tampa church imperiled by pastors' bitter divorce
Rodney Howard Browne was also a friend of Ronald Clark and his wife Belinda, and ministered at their church, Living Water Church of Tampa, Florida. They seem to have fared little better than Pastor Karl Strader and family, now being embroiled in an acrimonious divorce. Ronald Clark's sister Linda Gestrin said he revealed his plan to her in a phone call in February, saying [Belinda Clark] was "crazy" and "out of control," and adding that his plan would cut Belinda out of alimony, leaving her "half of nothing."
The bitter divorce battle has chased away church members, undermined church finances and left its future in doubt. The Clarks' conflict has spawned a domestic violence petition, a criminal complaint about missing church donations, a slander suit, a lien on the church to prevent its sale and a lawsuit aimed at dissolving that lien.
At the centre of the dispute is the valuable church property. Belinda Clark has taken the unusual action of asking a judge to declare the property a marital asset, so that she can share in the distribution of funds earned from the property. Her success would likely end the Living Water Church in its current location, and might trigger landmark tax consequences. The church property is owned by a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation and run by a board of trustees. If the property is determined to be an asset of the Clarks, church leaders worry, then its tax exemption might be void, and the exemption for all donations to the church over the years might be void, too.
Ron Clark, who received a doctorate from Oral Roberts University, is the author of "Sailing Through the Storms of Life" and "Can a Christian Love a Muslim?" Belinda Clark, 41, served as an associate pastor at the Living Water Church for 10 years, but was fired from her $70,000-a-year job by the board of trustees in March. Ronald Clark last year received a salary of $68,000 and a housing allowance of $70,000. That allowed the couple to own an estate on Fort King Road in Dade City valued at $500,000, according to Mrs. Clark's financial affidavit. Records show the couple took out $450,000 in mortgages on the 3,618-square-foot home and horse farm a year ago. The couple also own a second home in Celebration worth $275,000.
In her counter-petition in the divorce case, Belinda Clark seeks custody of the couple's two children, the proceeds from the Living Water Church and title to the marital home in Dade City, an estate on Fort King Road that includes an 8-acre horse farm. She says her husband slandered her during services at the Living Water Church by telling others she was mentally ill, guilty of adultery and morally unfit to be an associate pastor. In seeking a temporary restraining order against her husband, Belinda Clark told a Pasco County sheriff's deputy that her husband had threatened her and said, "I hope you enjoy living in hell."
On May 23, the couple appeared in a court hearing in Dade City to offer testimony in a petition for a permanent domestic violence injunction sought by Mrs. Clark. Psychologist Timothy Foster, a $250-an-hour counselor paid by the church to see the Clarks, said he saw so much anger "that it became obvious to me this was going to resolve not in the counseling room but in divorce court." Ronald Clark gritted his teeth as he was asked to recount what his wife had said to him in a March phone call. "She said she would crush my head, she said she would cut off my b----, she said she would f------ destroy me," Ronald Clark testified. (St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jun 3, 2003)
TELEVANGELIST INVESTIGATIONS
Extracts from "Corruption
in Televangelism and Paganism in the American Church",
A speech presented Sept. 23, 1994, at the Philadelphia
Conference on Cults, the Occult and the Word Faith Movement"
By Ole Anthony; President, Trinity Foundation, Inc.
The Dominican monk Johann Tetzel was only one of many sent
out by the Pope to sell indulgences in an attempt to raise
money to rebuild St. Peter's Cathedral and pay off some debts.
His message was simple: give money and your sins will be forgiven.
Like the televangelists, Tetzel went overboard. His appeals
were so vulgar and mercenary that everyone was appalled, not
just the monk Martin Luther. There was also a sleazy bank connection,
as there is with some of the televangelists we have investigated.
The Fugger firm of bankers in Augsburg had its representative
who accompanied Tetzel and took charge of the receipts.
Is the same thing happening with the televangelists? Many of
the current word-faith televangelists are certainly Tetzel-like
outrages, as were Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker before them.
The church should be shocked by the televangelists' blatant
parade of pagan ideas and their "gimme gospel of greed."
The church should be ashamed for allowing a $2.5 billion business
to prey on the elderly, the poor and the desperate and do it
in the name of God. I'm calling this paganism, because if you
take the cross out of Christianity, nothing is left but paganism--even
if it looks like a church. And the cross is nowhere to be found
in these broadcasts.
Sadly, the only picture many people have
of God is through these televangelists' TV shows.
Trinity Foundation has been monitoring the activities of these
"men of God" since 1973. ... Our estimate of the
total number of television and radio evangelists in the United
States is 2,500. We found these TV and radio evangelists are
vying for a donor pool of about five million people. Fifty-five
percent of these people are elderly women. Another 35 percent
is made up of what we call the desperation pool. These are
the poorest and neediest members of society.-- those whose
child has AIDS, whose spouse has cancer, those about to be
homeless, those who are experiencing the worst kinds of suffering.
Some are so needy that they often send in their food stamps
or their wedding rings.
In 1988 we began The Dallas Project, a program to challenge
churches to meet the needs of the homeless by members taking
needy people into their homes. The attendant publicity resulted
in our being swamped with homeless people. We discovered that
many of them had given their last dollars to one of the "word-faith"
televangelists, betting on a spiritual roll of the dice to
get them one last break.
We also received calls from many other ministries that had become the dumping ground for the discarded fruit of the televangelists. One woman, we learned, had received an inheritance of $53,000. Over time she had sent one of the word-faith televangelists $49,000. When she fell on hard times, she came to his church and asked for help. He told her to go to a social service agency. We couldn't understand that kind of callousness from someone naming the name of God. But also, we wondered how any scripturally grounded believer could give money to these empty purveyors of cotton candy theology.
This tendency toward paganism that lies just beneath the surface in the Church in America is glaringly apparent in the activities of the televangelists. One reason is that there is no accountability for televangelists. They are insulated from their audiences, and many times surrounded by body guards. No one is able to compare their private lives with their preaching, to see if it matches. Sometimes their boards of directors consist only of themselves, their wife and the secretary.
Another of their hallmarks is that they lie a lot. They falsify testimonials on their broadcasts. They conceal their health problems, while preaching that to be sick reveals a lack of faith. I often wonder what Jesus or Paul would say to these men.
The brazenness of these prophets of profit knows no end. One of their lawyers boasted that the U.S. Constitution gives them the "right to defraud" the public in the name of freedom of religion. When [the promised blessings] are not realized in the lives of their followers, when they don't get what is promised, whether it's healing or prosperity, the televangelists claim that those people just didn't have enough faith. Next, if you still complain, they tell you there is hidden sin in your life. If there's still no success, you must have a demon oppressing you.
The lives and messages of the televangelists reveal a progressively straying path toward paganism. But God has allowed them to come to prominence so the church can see the reflection of itself in them, and repent.
UNIVERSALISM:
A book titled "If Grace Is True; Why God Will Save Every Person", by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland is reviewed in the August 2003 issue of "Christianity Today". New Ager Madeleine L'Engle is quoted: "All will be redeemed in God's fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ." "There's a significant distinction between universalism-the view that all people will be saved, indeed, in some versions, that Satan himself will one day be redeemed-and the position often called 'inclusivism,'according to which people who have not knowingly accepted Christ may nevertheless be saved by his sacrifice on the cross, for God can read their hearts." But Jesus spoke of souls condemned to "outer darkness." In the authors' desire to emphasize the power of God's grace and His "infinite patience," they end up trivializing human freedom. The Pentecostal theologian Bishop Carlton Pearson of Tulsa, Okla., also preaches a gospel of inclusion. His preaching and television appearances have made fellow clergymen decry him as a heretic, and have led to reduced attendance, staff and funding for his congregation. Like Mssrs. Gulley and Mulholland, Dr. Pearson believes God will save everyone including Jews, Muslims and Hindus.
DANGERS OF NEW EVANGELICALISM
Reports on the National Religious Broadcasters and the National Association of Evangelicals conferences are now ready for mailing. Leaders of these ecumenical organizations have long been at the forefront of the New Evangelical movement. The NAE has invited Dr. Robert Schuller, a blatant apostate and universalist, to speak at its 2004 convention. NAE's new president, Dr. Ted Haggard, said its next convention deals with the megachurch and Schuller's Crystal Cathedral is such a church. (See articles on New Evangelicalism and Shuller, starting HERE)
Derek Prince Dies
Derek Prince died in his sleep September 24 2003, in Jerusalem, of heart failure following a prolonged period of declining health. Prince wrote over 45 books, including 'Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting' and 'The Spirit-filled Believer's Handbook' and taught on such controversial themes as generational curses, and demonology. Derek Prince is perhaps best remembered for his part in the Shepherding/Covering Movement of the 1970's when he became one of the "Fort Lauderdale Five". In 1968 he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and worked closely with Don Basham, Ern Baxter, Bob Mumford and Charles Simpson to promote covering authority over every believer. Towards the end of his life, Derek Prince affirmed that he still believed the shepherding principle was biblical, even though it had led to many abuses.
Hagin Senior Dies
The Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, who started preaching at age seventeen and grew his congregation into an international ministry, died Friday morning (19th September 2003) at a Tulsa hospital at age 86. Hagin had been hospitalized in a cardiac intensive care unit since Sunday, when he collapsed at home. An exact cause of death was not immediately known. Hagin's ministry included Rhema Bible Training Centers in 14 nations and Rhema churches in more than 110 nations. The Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, where his ministry was based, has 8,000 members. Hagin was part of an evangelist healing revival that swept the country in the 1950s and '60s. He moved from Texas to the Tulsa area in 1966. His ministry began in his teens when he said God miraculously healed him of a deformed heart and incurable blood disease. The ministry sponsors the annual Campmeeting, one of Tulsa's largest conventions, and distributes millions of books and tapes of Hagin's teachings. Hagin's son, the Rev. Kenneth Hagin Jr., is the Broken Arrow church's pastor.
European super-region plan
Proposals are being put forward for the creation of a European super-region which could radically reshape the face of the Union. In what is being billed as a reworking of the Austro-Hungarian empire, regions spanning four countries - Austria, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia - want to create a region of closer integration. If it were to go ahead, the plan would pose significant problems for those countries in Europe who have traditionally sought to limit the powers of the regions, such as France and the UK. It may also serve as a catalyst for further integration projects. Jörg Haider, a far-right regional politician in Austria, is said to have agreed to the plan in principle, as have some Croatian authorities, while it is said to be under discussion by the Slovenian government. (http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?print=true&sid=9&aid=12780) Report from "Prophezine:The Bible Prophecy Website" www.prophezine.com.)
Collapse at the Temple Site in Jerusalem (1)
In a news report posted September 24, 2003 (© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com) we learn that an interior wall has collapsed near the Islamic Museum. The Islamic Waqf, which administers the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock shrines atop the Temple Mount, accused Israeli authorities of instigating the failure of the wall by preventing engineers from maintaining it.
Adnan al-Husseini of the Waqf said the failure was the result of "the Israeli intervention in our work and preventing us from maintaining it after we stated it was in urgent need for a rapid action to prevent its collapse," according to multiple news reports from Israel. Eliat Mazar, an Israeli archaeologist and Temple Mount expert and a leader of the committee for preventing the destruction of antiquities at the site said it looks terrible and "this collapse might cause a terrific series of collapses." She charged the Waqf with directing "unsupervised" work in and around the Temple Mount resulting in the loss of archaeological treasures.
Last December, WorldNetDaily reported a huge bulge had developed in an outer southern wall on the 37-acre Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Israel waited for Jordanian engineers to repair it. Despite the fact the Temple Mount is the only real estate in the world revered by Jews, Israel has turned over day-to-day administration of the area to the Waqf, an Islamic trust with close ties to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. A year-long dispute between Israel and the Waqf over who will fix the bulge was solved in October with a decision to involve the Jordanian engineers, who inspected and took a sampling of the protruding wall.
A report the engineers subsequently issued recommended replacing some of the eroding stones in the 2,000-year-old wall to prevent it from future collapse. Israeli archeologists believe the bulge and the new wall collapse are due to unauthorized Waqf construction at an underground area known as Solomon's Stables, located on the other side of the wall. Reports say Muslim authorities are constructing yet another mosque at the Jewish holy site.
"Newsweek" has called the southern wall "The Armageddon wall," because the old rocks help support an enormous stone platform that holds the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, among Islam's most sacred shrines. Should it collapse, some archeologists fear a doomsday effect – dead worshippers, perhaps in the thousands, riots throughout the Middle East and charges that Israel is responsible.
Temple Mount Wall Collapses (Report Sep 25, 2003) (2)
One side of a wall in the Temple Mount compound - completely visible to worshippers at the Western Wall - collapsed on Tuesday, uncovering an area of some 40 square meters of dirt and fill. The wall belongs to the Islamic Museum on the Temple Mount, a building to the right and above the worshipers at the Western Wall, identified by a small gray dome.
Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, a member of the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities, said that the collapse is connected with the illegal construction works being carried out on the Temple Mount by the Moslem Waqf. Speaking with Yisrael Medad on Arutz-7's "Freedom of Broadcast" program, Dr. Mazar said that these works have been ongoing for many years without supervision by either the Planning and Construction authorities or the Antiquities Authority.
"No one is concerned about preserving the ancient compound," she said, "nor has anyone mapped, surveyed or buttressed the hollow areas under the Temple Mount and under the mosques... It is frightening to think of this collapse, and of what could happen in the future when many tens of thousands of people visit the Temple Mount, and tractors and trucks - and all of this atop hollow areas that have never been professionally checked. This collapse should be a warning bell. If a catastrophe occurs, the whole world will blame Israel."
She said that opening the compound to Jewish visitors is "just the beginning; pressure must be exerted in order that the supervisory authorities do what they are supposed to. The press must get involved in this cause." (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=50321) [For photos, see starting HERE. Five photos by Yisrael Lowenstein show the wall before it collapsed (1m), after it collapsed (2.), from a different angle (3.), with a zoom (4.), and with a closer zoom (5.).]
"Therefore thus says the Holy one of Israel: "Because you despise this [MY] word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern." [Isa 30:12-14]
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