A WordPress Blog-THE CHURCH MILITANT Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse. ALL CONTENT FROM HTTPS://RATHEREXPOSETHEM.BLOGSPOT.COM MOVED TO THIS NEW BLOG, MAY 2020
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
In an effort to sign up as many consumers as possible for insurance under the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare), the Obama administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to partner with churches and other faith-based groups, even publishing sample church bulletin inserts, flyers, and scripts for announcements, as well as “talking points.” These materials are part of the “Second Sunday & Faith Weekend of Action Toolkit,” which is available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
From the beginning, HHS has sought to develop partnerships with faith-based organizations to promote the Obamacare. This “toolkit” has been available since 2013. However, the details of these partnerships have largely escaped the attention of the national media. The Second Sunday & Faith Weekend of Action program encourages churches to use the second Sunday of each month during open enrollment to hold informational meetings and sign-up events. The sample bulletin insert appears as follows:
The suggested announcement includes insertion points for the name of the church promoting the event:
The materials also include two full pages of “talking points,” which end with an admonition to churches that “[y]ou are trusted messengers in this community. We hope you share this information with those around you so they can be connected with the care they need.”
Non-profits such as Community Health Connectors have also brought togeather churches and faith-based organizations with government officials for information regarding the ACA, recently even hosting an “off the record” conference call with First Lady Michelle Obama “to discuss how the Affordable Care Act is impacting the lives of your congregation members.”
HHS also offers to make officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) available to speak at church events. The CMS “2nd Sunday HIM [Health Insurance Marketplace] Enrollment for Faith and Community Event” form asks for contact information, desired topics and dates, and an audience profile, including if any “other CMS, HHS, Congressional Members or any other VIP officials expected to attend.”
In at least one case, a marketplace even invoked scripture as part of the enrollment push. In March 2014, D.C. HealthLink, the insurance marketplace for the nation’s capital assigned a theme to their Weekend of Action, “The Body is a Temple and it Must Be Insured,” drawing on I Corinthians 6:19, which says that “your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”
According to a recent blog post on the HHS website, more than 5,500 faith leaders have “promoted health insurance enrollment within their communities through efforts like the Second Sunday program.” The deadline for open enrollment for 2015 coverage is Sunday, February 15.
Leviticus 18:22 – Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Leviticus 20:13 – If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them. Romans 1:26-28 – For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: Exodus 22:19 – Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. Romans 1:26 – For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Daniel 3:14-18-“Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? “Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Liberal News Anchor, Chris Cuomo:
“Our Rights Do Not Come From God”
NATURAL RIGHTS DENIED
A COLLECTIVIST, SECULAR HUMANIST, SOCIALIST MINDSET
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” These words are probably the best known in the Declaration of Independence, but perhaps not by CNN anchor Chris Cuomo (shown). Either that, or he simply doesn’t believe them. Because while debating the constitutionality of faux marriage Thursday morning, he said that our rights do not come from God, but man.
Toward the end of a passionate exchange with Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in which the latter asserted that rights cannot be a product of man, Cuomo made his remark, saying, “Our rights do not come from God. That’s your faith, that’s my faith, but that’s not our country. Our laws come from collective agreement and compromise.”
Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, might be surprised to hear this. And there may be some who’d lament that the Founding Fathers didn’t have Chris Cuomo around to set them straight before ol‘ Tom put pen to paper. But others might note that Cuomo’s opinion was a very shallow statement that gets at some very deep issues.
First, the newsman seems to be confusing “laws” with “rights.” If our rights are from God, they exist apart from governmental laws, which man does create. And then one of the main purposes of law is to recognize and protect those rights. This is why the Declaration states, immediately after the pronouncement on Creator-endowed rights, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” These rights are secured by government via the creation and enforcement of just law.
Why did the Founders emphasize rights’ divine origin? Because He (or he) who giveth can also taketh away.
As a related example, I’ve often made the point that if what we call “morality” comes from man, it then is illusory and will change with the winds of convenience. As I wrote at The New American in 2013:
To say that society determines “morality” is to simply put lipstick on the pig of man’s preferences about behavior. To analogize the matter, if we learned that 90 percent of the world preferred vanilla to chocolate, would this somehow make chocolate “wrong” or “evil”? No, it would simply be an issue of taste. But then how does it make any sense to say that murder is “wrong” if the only reason we do so is that the majority of the world prefers that one not kill in a way the majority calls “unjust”? If this is all it is, then murder falls into the same category as flavor: taste.
Of course, since our preferences masquerading as “morality” and minted as “values” would be created by man, it follows they can be recreated by him. And then the “creator” becomes the highest worldly power, be he a Hitler, Mao, Stalin, or tomorrow’s tyrant.
The same is true of marriage, mind you. Ignored in the debate surrounding it is that the stage was set for faux marriage ages ago, when the wider society accepted that marriage could be just a governmental contract rubber-stamped by a justice of the peace. Note that the long-held position in Christendom (when it really could be called Christendom) was that a man and woman were joined in matrimony by God; this is why many churches consider marriage a Sacrament. It then followed that “what God hath joined, let no man put asunder.” Once we began to believe marriage was a human creation, however, this became, “What man hath joined, he may put asunder.” This first led to easy divorce. Now the very definition of marriage itself is being put asunder.
It is no different with rights. The Founders emphasized that our rights come from God because then no person,with credibility and weight of moral force, could put them asunder. But if they’re minted by man — if the collective is their “creator” — man can recreate them. The collective can take them away.
Returning to Cuomo, his statement reflects something I addressed yesterday and that is all too common today: a denial of objective reality. For when he said, “Our rights do not come from God. That’s your faith, that’s my faith, but that’s not our country,” he implied that faith is a mere flavor, a preference, that it can have no basis in reality and thus should not influence law. You say potāto and I say potăto, you like vanilla and I like chocolate (harking back to my earlier analogy), but these are mere tastes, and we don’t enforce tastes via law. Those are your likes — don’t impose them on me.
This certainly is the fashionable view today. Secularists will say, “Separation of church and state! Keep your faith out of my government!” But not only is the “separation of church and state” not in the Constitution, there can be no true separation of church and law — if that law is to be just. I’ll explain.
Although it’s also fashionable to say now, “You can’t legislate morality,” all just laws do so; they impose right and wrong or a corollary thereof. Think about it: Would you create a law prohibiting something that wasn’t wrong? Would you create a law mandating something that wasn’t a moral imperative? There are laws that do so, unjust laws; and there are people who do so, tyrants. In these cases laws can become capricious, with preference and taste supplanting principle and Truth as the stuff of official decree. This isn’t to say that all, or even most, wrongs and moral imperatives should be legislated, only that all just legislation reflects wrongs and moral imperatives.
So when making laws, we must legislate morality. But what is morality? Getting back to my block-quoted example, if at issue is just man’s invention, then we’re not talking about morality but mere human preference, that stuff of tyrannical laws. To be morality, properly understood, it must be an unchanging, universal, and eternal yardstick determining right and wrong that exists apart from man; in other words, God’s law.
So, simply put, for man’s laws to be just they must be based on morality, and for morality to be morality it must be God’s law; therefore, man’s laws must be based on God’s law. What is the only other alternative? That they will reflect someone else’s.
This is why, in reality, while we certainly can have a Congress that “shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” it’s impossible to have a just government coupled with that very different thing: true separation of church and state. This is why Founder Gouverneur Morris wrote, “Religion is the only solid base of morals and … morals are the only possible support of free governments.” It is why Founder James Wilson counseled, “Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine…. Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other.” And it is why early American speaker of the U.S. House Robert Winthrop outlined the two alternatives thus: “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”
Then again, we could just listen to CNN and Chris Cuomo.
PREPARING THE WAY FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE APPROVAL SOON: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Same-Sex Marriage, Women’s Rights, Health _________________________________ SEE: http://pflagdetroit.org/Friends_Web_Links.html
QUOTE FROM ABOVE LINK:
“Ford Globe’s goals are mutually beneficial between GLOBE members and
Ford Motor Company. By helping to maintain a safe, supportive work
environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people at Ford,
enhancing their loyalty and productivity, Ford GLOBE helps Ford Motor
Company to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s premier automotive
informational, educational, and research purposes:
DEARBORN, Mich. – A former contractor for Ford Motor Company has filed a religious discrimination complaint, alleging that he was fired for speaking against the company’s support of homosexuality.
Thomas Banks has worked as a design and release engineer for Ford since 2011—that is until last August when he was fired on an accusation that he had violated the company’s “anti-harassment” policy for responding to an email employee newsletter from the company. The newsletter contained an article regarding the 20th anniversary of Ford’s Gay, Lesbian Or Bisexual Employees advocacy group (GLOBE).
Banks replied with a comment to express disagreement.
“Endorsing and promoting sodomy is of benefit to no one,” he wrote. “This topic is disruptive to the workplace and is an assault on Christians and morality, as well as antithetical to our design and our survival. Immoral sexual conduct should not be a topic for an automotive manufacturer to endorse or promote.”
“Heterosexual behavior creates life—homosexual behavior leads to death,” Banks continued.
But after submitting the comment, the contractor received an email from a human relations representative, requesting a meeting to “discuss something that was brought to my attention.” When Banks met with the individual, he was informed that he might have violated the company’s anti-harassment policy because of the comment he submitted.
He later received a voicemail informing him that he had been fired.
“I was stunned to realize that I was fired over expressing my faith in a single comment,” Banks said in a statement. “It felt like Ford was saying, ‘Even if you are respectful, your faith, and you as a Christian, are unwelcome at Ford.’”
Ford has also released a statement on the matter, but hasn’t commented on the specific complaint.
“[W]e believe this matter ultimately is between the individual and their agency employer,” it wrote. “Ford’s anti-harassment policy was created to foster a respectful, inclusive work environment for all, and we expect employees and agency personnel to act in accordance with this policy.”
With the assistance of the Liberty Institute in Texas, which provides legal services free for clients, Banks filed a complaint last month with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, contending that Ford had violated Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
“If you read harassment to mean disagreement—which is what a lot of companies and people are increasingly starting to do—they’re saying, ‘If you disagree, you must hate,’” attorney Steve Cloty told reporters. “If we do that, there’s no freedom at all. We’re not diverse, we’re not tolerant, we’re not inclusive. We’ve just said, ‘Nobody can disagree,’ which is a scary thought.”
“We are shocked that Ford Motor Company would terminate one of their employees simply because he expressed his faith,” added Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute Director of Litigation. “If Ford is allowed to get away with firing Mr. Banks over this comment, we fear that every person of faith will be punished for talking about his or her faith in the workplace. At Ford, if you speak about your faith as it relates to the company, even to the company, you may be terminated.”
I remember watching cowboy and Indian movies when I was a little kid and the Indians would say something like, “White man speak with forked tongue.” Yesterday President Obama delivered another statement on his “strategy” for ISIS and all I could think about is “black man in White House speak with forked tongue.”
The analogy is with a snake (never a complement) and means to deliberately mislead – saying one thing, and meaning another. As Obama was delivering his weak message — which we heard back in August last year to which I responded here — there were individuals from his own administration contradicting his words.
President Obama said ISIS morale is low? Hmm, doesn’t seem that way to most of us. And just so you all know, there is only one time in U.S. military history when air power defeated an enemy. That was in the Pacific theater of operations when two bombs were dropped – on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
I recall countless bombings during the Vietnam War — Linebacker I and II – and I don’t think we defeated Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Cong, or the NVA. As a young captain during Desert Shield and Storm, I watched the skies as a real air armada and campaign was waged — I mean hundreds of sorties (flights) a day. But against ISIS we are averaging around six.
So Obama came out sounding tough and once again told the enemy what he was NOT going to do and what this is NOT going to be. And he also told the enemy that we’re just going to do this for three years — and then I guess we’ll just quit and go home. What a coincidence, Obama is only around for two more years.
Back in August we were told ISIS would be degraded, defeated, and destroyed — yeah, right. President Obama is “banning” any enduring offensive ground operations. What in the Sam Hill does that mean?
However, as Obama was speaking there was a revelation emanating out of Yemen — remember, that strategic success story – which is utterly disturbing.
As reported by the Business Insider, “Armed Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sanaa seized US embassy vehicles after the ambassador and diplomats left the country on Wednesday, local members of embassy staff told Reuters.
“The employees said that more than 20 vehicles were taken by the fighters after the Americans departed from Sanaa’s airport. Yemen-based analyst Haykal Bafana tweeted that US personnel surrendered 30 vehicles to Houthi militants. CNN is reporting that Houthi militants took “all US Embassy vehicles” parked at Sanaa’s airport as US personnel left the country and confiscated weapons from departing US Marines. If this is true, then forbidding American embassy security to travel with their weapons represents a major breach of diplomatic protocol on the part of Houthi rebels, who are now one of the country’s dominant political forces after the fall of Yemen’s government last week.”
The updated report from the US Marine Corps is that the State Department ordered them to render their personal weapons inoperable while they destroyed the “crew served weapons” — in other words machine gun-type weapons. Also, these Marines were not evacuated on military aircraft such as the Osprey, which were right off shore. Instead they were flown out on private aircraft. This situation marks one of the most embarrassing episodes in US Marine Security Guard history. This is the same State Department that met with Muslim Brotherhood officials two weeks ago.
Ok, let me explain something, I served a three-year joint assignment with the Marines. Every Marine is an infantryman, a fighter, warrior first, and they are damned proud to tell you that is their distinction. For someone to order a Marine to render his weapon inoperable is unconscionable.
So we are to believe an Obama administration that orders Marine Embassy Security Guards to scurry out the back door is supposed to defeat ISIS? Do you know what the message must be across the jihadist websites and chat rooms right now? What an embarrassment, and just imagine how those Marines felt.
“CNN added that Embassy staff “destroyed weapons that were inside the embassy’s storage warehouses” along with “tens of thousands of documents.” This is hardly the first time that US equipment in the country may have fallen into the wrong hands. Earlier this month, an unnamed US defense official told The Guardian that the US had only a limited ability to perform end-use checks on the $400 million worth of equipment and other military aid Washington has sent to Yemen since 2006.”
So we now have another Islamic terrorist organization armed with American combat equipment — ISIS being the other.
Here’s a discomfiting thought: Iranian-backed Islamists control the capitol cities of Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and are causing issues in Bahrain. We can expect another Hezbollah/Hamas style entity to gain strength, something that cannot please Saudi Arabia.
Business Insider writes, “Yemen is home to the al-Qaida branch considered most capable of attacking external targets and that took credit for the January attack on the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. And the Houthis are a Shi’ite militia movement allied with Iran. The absence of the US from Yemen during a time when a Tehran-backed group is consolidating power will hardly reassure American allies in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia. The Sanaa embassy is also reportedly the site of a CIA station whose capabilities might be curtailed now that its diplomatic cover has been lost.”
I wonder if the CIA covert operators were forced to destroy their weapons as well?
Does President Obama have any credibility to fight ISIS? That’s not for you to answer — I pose the question to our enemies, as they have the ultimate vote. And they are voting loudly. Just ask the families and friends of the four Americans who’ve been killed.
We are allowing evil to exist and persist. Sir Edmund Burke stated, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” And no, Congressional authorization for Obama won’t do anything to change the evil of Islamic terrorism. Why? Because some inane liberal progressive socialist will make a foolhardy decision to make our Warriors lay down their weapons.
Marines ordered to destroy weapons while fleeing US
embassy in Yemen; Obama broadcasts everything he’s not going to do against ISIS
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
A police officer Abbas Husain talking to eighth graders during community day at
Herbert Hoover School in Edison in this 2010 file photo (Alexandra Pais/For The
Star-Ledger)
Matt Friedman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Matt Friedman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on February 10, 2015 at 8:30 AM, updated February 10, 2015 at 10:46 AM
TRENTON — New Jersey schools would be required to teach students how they should interact with police officers under proposed legislation a sponsor says could protect both kids and cops.
The bill, (A4130), introduced last week, would require school districts to come up with instructions for students as part of their Social Studies Core Curriculum Content Standards that would include “the role and responsibilities of a law enforcement official in providing for public safety” and “an individual’s responsibilities to comply with a directive from a law enforcement official.”
One of the sponsors, state Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), said the bill was inspired partly by recent incidents of police shootings around the country, including the death of Michael Brown in Ferugson, Mo.
“Kids have to learn how to behave when they’re being investigated or talked to, because they could put themselves in jeopardy,” Caputo said. “It’s also a good effort to protect the police. Kids have to recognize their authority when they’re being questioned and how to conduct themselves.”
Caputo said the legislation takes no sides as to who was right and wrong in the incidents. It just seeks to stop altercations before they start.
“When a kid jumps out of a car, he may appear to be threatening but he’s not – he just may not understand what those protocols are,” Caputo said.
In New York City, a high school principal brought New York Civil Liberties Union representatives into the classroom to coach kids on what to do. The group instructed students to be polite and keep their hands visible, according to reports, as well as on their constitutional rights. And school officials in Linwood, in south Jersey, told the Press of Atlantic City last month that they were considering how to teach students safe interaction with police.
Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Essex), a co-sponsor, said that the teaching could “break down any misconceptions that children might have from either misinformation or just the wrong portrayal of police officers through media.”
Spencer is a municipal prosecutor in Newark and has a brother on the city’s police force, as well as another who is a retired from the force.
“Not every police officer is bad. Not every police officer is necessarily good. However, there are certain things that you should and should not do when you encounter the police that will not cause a situation to escalate into something that could become dangerous for either person involved,” she said.
Although the legislation leaves it up to the district to come up with the curriculum, which would be taught from elementary through high school, it should be characterized by “mutual cooperation and respect.”
Pat Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, said he agrees with the idea behind the bill, though he would like to know more about how it would be implemented.
“I kind of wish they’d have reached out to us in the beginning,” Colligan said. “I think any dialogue is positive dialogue. I’d be all for it as long as it’s a well-rounded class and people understand some of the limitations that we have when we’re dealing with a deadly force situation … It’s usually time. People seem to think we have this 10 minute period to think out what we’re going to do when you’re given that short amount of time and short distance.”
Ari Rosmarin, public policy director for the New Jersey ACLU, said the legislation is missing a critical component.
“The bill calls for education on young peoples’ roles and responsibilities, but it’s missing the third R: rights. The classroom is the appropriate place for a know-your-rights education,” Rosmarin said. “Recent events make a strong case for New Jersey’s young people being made aware of their rights and how to protect them when interacting with the police.”
Rosmarin said his group hopes to work with the sponsor to include those provisions, and that “we hope to see officers receive equally robust training about interacting with young people in New Jersey’s community.”
The chief sponsor of the bill, Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), did not respond to requests for comment. The measure has nine sponsors in total, seven from Essex County and two from Passaic County.
Janet Malone, 68, of Dubuque, is facing civil and criminal proceedings under a law intended to help investigators track large sums of cash tied to criminal activity such as drug trafficking and terrorism. But some members of Congress and libertarian groups have complained that the IRS and federal prosecutors are unfairly using it against ordinary people who deposit lawfully obtained money in increments below $10,000.
At issue is a law requiring banks to report deposits of more than $10,000 cash to the federal government. Anyone who breaks deposits into increments below that level to avoid the requirement is committing a crime known as “structuring” — whether their money is legal or not.
The IRS has increasingly used civil forfeiture proceedings to seize money from individuals and small businesses suspected of structuring violations, according to a review by the Institute for Justice, a libertarian group. The agency seized $242 million in 2,500 cases from 2005 to 2012 — a third of which arose from nothing more than cash transactions under $10,000. Nearly half was returned after owners challenged the action, often a year later.
Some of the depositors had broken up the deposits to save their bankers from having to submit paperwork or because they mistakenly believed it was a way to avoid unwarranted government scrutiny. The Treasury Department receives millions of reports every year, and deposits above the $10,000 threshold incur no additional fees or taxes.
Facing criticism of the practice, the IRS announced in October that investigators would no longer seize funds in cases involving legal sources of money “unless there are exceptional circumstances” and would focus on illegal sources. A U.S. House subcommittee is expected to hear testimony about the practice Wednesday, at a hearing called, “Protecting Small Businesses from IRS Abuse.”
Larry Salzman, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, criticized the government’s case against Malone given its declared shift in practice.
“This is shocking because it demonstrates that prosecutors are not taking seriously the IRS’ alleged policy change not to prosecute legal source structuring,” he said.
After the policy change, federal prosecutors in Iowa agreed to return money the IRS seized from two people accused of structuring, including a restaurant owner who had $33,000 taken and a doctor who fought to get back $344,000 in earnings from his medical practice. But prosecutors declined to drop the civil forfeiture case over $18,775 the IRS seized from Malone.
Instead, they added a misdemeanor criminal charge last week alleging she willfully violated the law, after her husband had been warned about the practice four years ago. Malone is expected to plead guilty next week and let the government keep the money, under a plea agreement filed Monday. The charge carries up to one year in jail and a $250,000 fine.
IRS agent Jeff McGuire first went to Malone’s home in 2011 to investigate alleged structuring by Ronald Malone, who was dying of cancer, records show. Ronald Malone admitted that bank deposits totaling $35,500 he’d made could appear to be structured and signed a form acknowledging he’d been warned about the law; no charges were filed. Janet Malone was present for part of the meeting.
Shortly before his death in October 2011, Ronald Malone told his wife about a briefcase containing $180,000 cash from his job as a publishing executive, gambling winnings and investment income. She deposited some of it in increments between $5,800 and $9,000. The IRS obtained a warrant to seize it based on suspicion that the transactions were meant to avoid reporting requirements.
Janet Malone was irate when she learned of the 2013 seizure, noting that she didn’t sign the form warning her husband and didn’t remember details of the earlier visit because “she was in a state of despair over her husband’s health,” according to an IRS affidavit.
“You won’t prosecute a widow,” Malone said, according to the affidavit. McGuire responded that the family had been given a pass from the IRS once.
Spokesmen for the IRS and U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to talk about how the case fits with the new policy. Malone’s attorney declined to comment.
Next week, Janet Malone of Dubuque, Iowa, is expected to give up her quest to recover nearly $19,000 that was stolen from her bank account two years ago. And to add insult to injury, Malone, who obtained her money legally and harmed no one, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor while the thieves go scot-free.
Malone, 68, is accused of the so-called crime of “structuring”: depositing a portion of $180,000 in cash left her by her late husband into her bank account in increments smaller than $10,000, the amount that triggers automatic reporting of a deposit to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As a result, reported the Associated Press, “the IRS obtained a warrant to seize [$18,775 in the account] based on suspicion that the transactions were meant to avoid reporting requirements.”
Over a nearly three-year period, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rehired “hundreds of former employees” who had “prior substantiated conduct or performance issues,” including failing to file their own federal tax returns, gaining unauthorized access to taxpayers’ information, and taking time off without authorization, according to a recent audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). What’s more, noted TIGTA, many of these employees went on to repeat their bad behavior after they were rehired.
4Discernment Presents: Jesus Culture: The Next Generation of Heretics http://www.4discernment.com/jesus-cul… Jesus Culture is apart of the New Apostolic Reformation Movement.
Jesus Culture is not just a popular Christian band but a movement which appeals to the younger generation of Christians. Jesus Culture started as a youth group at Bill Johnson’s church Bethel in Redding California. Now they travel the world encouraging Christians to seek encounters with God, His love and equipping them in the realm of the supernatural in order to raise up a new breed of revivalists. If this doesn’t sound mystical and ring your discernment alarm bells, it should.
Despite the few beneficial pockets of insight one could glean from listening to a message from Jesus Culture, they promote a Dominion or Kingdom Now Theology with an emphasis on signs and wonders. From their music to podcasts to conferences to curriculum their underlining message is that Christians have a mandate to usher in the reign of Jesus by signs and wonders. They claim to be apostles and prophets who see dreams and visions. Jesus Culture elevates experience above the authority of God’s Word, thus opening the door for mystical experiences that no one can question.
Jesus Culture appeals to young unsuspecting Christians who most of the time are unfortunately unaware of the well known heretics who have infiltrated Christianity and heretical movements which have come and gone. Because of their extreme emphasis of experience over sound doctrine and an unbalanced view of signs and wonders, Jesus Culture can be considered as a counterfeit revival which branched from the Third Wave Movement.
Escaping & Exposing the trap and darkness of Bethel Church, Bill Johnson and Jesus Culture.
An in-depth testimony by M’Kayla Kelly, a former “Seer Prophet” tells her story and helps to expose the false teachings of Bill Johnson, Todd Bentley, John Paul Jackson and others (http://mkayla.wordpress.com). This interview was from Escape the Lie (http://www.escapethelie.com) and she talks about her time in the false signs & wonders movement. Among the topics: Bill Johnson, Todd Bentley, soaking prayer, healing rooms and more….
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
By L. Sharp
Lines were wrapped around the ARC Pavilion, which holds a maximum capacity of about 8,000. There were banners with the UC Davis theme: ONE DAVIS, ONE WORLD. The conference was sold out. 10 nations (aside from the U.S.) were represented. There was much emotional excitement in the air as people were waiting with great anticipation to get into the “Jesus Culture” event. About one third of the attendees were 30-40 years of age. The rest were mostly 20 or younger.
Attendees were also given a conference program. The front page said: “ONE ENCOUNTER CHANGES EVERYTHING” and had an intro section written by director of Jesus Culture, Banning Liebscher (former youth pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, CA).
The intro read:
Throughout history there have been momentous gatherings where the people of God came together to seek His Presence, to see Him show up in power and in love. One thing we know: when God shows up everything changes.
In Acts 9, the Apostle Paul has such an encounter on the road to Damascus, God shows up and surrounds Paul in His light, changing his life and forever making history.
We are believing God to come again like that in these next 2 days. We are believing for such an encounter for you. For your friends. For your family. For Sacramento. We have invited some of the most significant church leaders, speakers, and worship leaders to come to Jesus Culture Conference Sacramento.
Our prayer is that everyone would meet God, encounter His love, and live forever changed. That they would in turn live a life to see their city and region transformed through God’s love and power. This is what will bring revival. This is what we are burning for.
The major themes of “burning hearts for Jesus,” “awakening,” “glory,” “burning with passion,” “burning fire,” “revival,” “one voice,” etc. were prevalent throughout the songs of the conference.
Jesus Culture is a “Christian” worship band that began as a younger generation offshoot of Bethel Church’s worship ministry. It has only been in recent years that the Jesus Culture band has exploded in popularity around the world. Though based in Sacramento, the Jesus Culture band tours the world regularly and draws crowds in the tens of thousands, filling arenas around the world. The Jesus Culture band has also recorded many albums and continues to grow exponentially in popularity worldwide. The Jesus Culture Facebook page has over 2 million followers!
Their main draw is their talented young musicians who all grew up in Redding’s Bethel Church spiritual environment, so for them, everything about God is always experienced through the senses. This is seen through the full-on sensory musical experiences provided during each Jesus Culture performance. Also, on occasion, the band leaders may “prophesy,” “declare,” etc. to this young generation and may lead the attendees into “deeper levels of ‘intimacy’ with God” through their musical-leading techniques.
The Jesus Culture band is drawing young people in the California area away from their conservative Bible-teaching churches. They are doing this (as evidenced by their 2015 Sacramento conference) by creating a mentality that “Jesus Culture” is spiritual, experiential, passionate for Jesus, and any conservative Bible-teaching church and its music is “religious,” “unspiritual,” “dead,” and “lacking passion for Jesus.” In September 2014, Banning Liebscher started a Jesus Culture church plant in Sacramento.
Liebscher kicked off the conference with this theme, which permeated the entire conference:
Jesus Culture is all about raising up revivalists, leaders, catalysts . . . In these next 27 hours, God is going to mark things. We believe ONE ENCOUNTER with God will change your lives. I believe God is raising up a generation who is willing to lay themselves down, to exalt Jesus. In the next 27 hours, we are praying that you would be marked, that in 10, 20, 40 years, you would still be marked by what God will do in the next 27 hours. We believe tonight we are here for God, and we are here for God to mark us with His Presence.
The music, combined with flashing colored streamed lights, white blinding lights, and synthesizers brought attendees to a heightened musical-sensory, near mind-altering state. Fog lights were used on occasion to try and create the “sense” of God’s presence in a visual “glory cloud.” There were also rotating circular white or colored lights shone on the walls during some songs (like the hippie days of psychedelic experiences).
The 8,000 attendees embraced it all: lifted up their hands, swayed their bodies to the music, jumped up and down, sang, shouted, and willingly entered into an almost trance-like state at times.
At the end of the first night’s music time, Banning Liebscher concluded with this:
I remember being baptized at age 5. At 17, I encountered Jesus. Everything changed. I met Jesus. I got introduced to revival, where the Holy Spirit gets poured out . . . You will never do this (bring revival) without ENCOUNTERING THIS BURNING, PASSIONATE LOVE for Him. This is not birthed out of obligation or a sense of duty. WE NEED TO HAVE ENCOUNTERED GOD, who passionately loves us, and in response to that revelation, we surrender! I believe we will see revival in cities, in this nation, in the nations! The same spirit that possessed the Reformers, Moravians, and other revivalists will possess you. Lord, I pray You would possess them.
The speakers for the 2 days conference included:
1) JOHN GRAY: according to his own website (www.johngrayworld.com), he currently serves as an Associate Pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas under the leadership of pastor Joel Osteen. In September 2000, while youth pastoring in New, John felt he had found the call of God on his life: to impact youth and young adults with the Word of God through music, comedy, and preaching—all at the same time. John’s talk in a nutshell had 2 main points:
1) John claimed in Matthew 24, ” Jesus said there would be these things (earthquakes, famines, etc.), but before it all goes down, a generation will rise with passion and purpose!”
2) John then went on to “teach” on Mark 2:1-10 (the narrative of the paralytic, whose friends brought him in through the roof, for Jesus to heal him). According to John Gray, the friends of the paralytic were the “they” in the paralytic’s life, because they brought him to Jesus and supported him until he got his healing. The “religious” people who hindered him from coming to Jesus were the “them” in his life. John then said: “You need to identify who the “they” people are in your life, who will bring you to Jesus. Banning, and those in Jesus Culture are my “they.” I need people who can bring me to Jesus. Think about the people in your life . . . Who are the “they” who bring you Jesus? Who are the “them” who prevent/hinder you from coming to Jesus? . . .The “they” are relational and loving. The “them” are religious and judgmental. . . .There is power in having the “they.” There is power in community.”
2) SAM RODRIGUEZ: He is leader of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference representing more than 40,000 churches. He also pastors New Life Christian Worship Center locally in Sacramento. He was announced at the conference as the new Hispanic pastor at the Jesus Culture church plant in Sacramento. In December of 2014, Sam was flown to Washington D.C. to consult with President Obama to discuss Obama’s immigration reform strategy. Rodriguez is also a member of ICAL (International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders) and also part of the NAR [New Apostolic] movement.1 His wife Eva Rodriguez and Sam’s sister were part of Roma Downey’s “Women of the Bible” television 2-hour event in December 2014.
Sam began with this: “Gideon, in Judges 6, went in one chapter, from failure, to surviving, to thriving! He emerged as leader of his people . . . I believe this generation will have an ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. Not known for failure, this generation will be known for its cry for His glory. We are in one of these 3 states:
1) Failure (in Egypt)
2) Surviving (in the desert)
3) Thriving (in the promise)
Sam continued with:
Everyone occupies one of these 3 spaces. Repeat after me: Failure, survive, thrive. Everyone has to go through a process. The idea is not to get stuck. Prophetically I declare that your season of failure is over! You must be defined by the heaven you are headed to, not your past failure. . . .When Gideon in Judges 6 is hiding at the threshing floor, Heaven shows up and says: ‘You are a mighty warrior.’ When you have a legitimate encounter with God, you understand your true identity.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD REVEALS YOUR TRUE IDENTITY . . .
You are defined by God’s spirit inside of you. Raise your hands and say: “I AM that I AM” says that “I am . . .” ( “I am a mighty warrior, I am a chosen generation, etc. . . .”)
The crowd was starting to get louder and more excited as they cheered loudly . . .
Sam then shared a 2006 testimony of the healing and conversion of an 80-year-old Muslim cleric in Pakistan. Sam said, “In the Bush administration, I was invited to speak in Pakistan to a gathering of about 17,000 people.”
Sam then shared the dramatic testimony of this Muslim cleric’s healing of blindness and resultant conversion, and Sam concluded with: “AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CHANGES YOU!” Sam had the attendees repeat in a mantra-like fashion: “If you know who you are, and what you have, nothing is impossible . . . If you know who you are, and what you have, nothing is impossible . . .” He then pointed to the guy on stage with an axe, getting ready to cut down a wooden pole. Sam explained the wooden pole represents (for the attendees) the Asherah pole in the Judges 6 narrative of Gideon. That Asherah pole reminded Gideon of his past failures. Sam went on to say: “Gideon had an encounter with God, and he learned: 1) Who he was (a mighty warrior) 2) What he had (God’s strength and favor) 3) His purpose (defeat the Midianites) 4) He realized he had to cut down reminders of what the Enemy had built in his life, and use that wooden debris, to fuel the fire that would propel him forward into his destiny of thriving! Sam dramatically set up the guy with axe with this: “So goes the Asherah pole, so goes Sacramento . . . So goes Sacramento, so goes California . . . So goes California, so goes America . . . So goes America, so goes the world!! Here comes your breakthrough!!”
Right then, the guy on stage used his axe and started cutting down the Asherah (wooden) pole. It took about 5 seconds, and then there was loud cheering and a huge uproar from the crowd of 8,000! This was meant to be a “prophetic” act, similar to when the Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah were told by God to do certain acts as prophetic symbols of real future events (e.g. pointing to the future invasion by Babylon, destruction of Jerusalem, etc.)
Sam then said, “I have declared your season of failure is over. We will thrive! No more failures.” Then, the “failure” sign on stage was torn. Then the “survive” sign on stage was torn. On stage, the attendees saw visually a threshed wooden pole with its remnants scattered on stage and one solitary sign remaining: “THRIVE.”
“Your failure season is over. Jesus Culture, get ready to thrive!!” And, with this, great shouts and loud uproars from the crowd ensued. Sam then told the attendees to pray: “Jesus define me. It is You in me. We will build shalom. We will cut down the Asherah pole. We will change the world!”
3) BANNING LIEBSCHER
Scott Thompson (who had spoken earlier in the day and runs Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry in Atlanta, GA), spoke quite a bit before Liebscher got up to speak. Here is some of what Scott had to say:
God loves your city, your state, your nation. He wants to bring heaven to earth. He wants fire to fall from heaven. Put a hand on your heart. Let’s pray a dangerous prayer together: “Jesus, here I am. Point heaven into my life. Show off through me, that people would look at my life and glory in my Father. Send me back as a pillar of fire, a fire in my eyes, a fire in my bones, a fire in my belly, that can’t be controlled by my surroundings . . . Jesus, make Your name famous through me . . . We thank You Lord that 2015 is the year heaven is seen on earth.”
Banning Liebscher started the final talk of the conference. Liebscher highlighted four things that needed to be “accessed” with regards to the Holy Spirit in order to experience revival:
1) We need to access the Holy Spirit as the seal of our salvation or as the promise of our salvation
2) We need to access the Holy Spirit as the One who takes, guides, and leads us into experiencing the deeper things of God.
3) We need to access the Holy Spirit’s empowerment that enables us to become like Jesus.
4) We need to access the Holy Spirit’s empowerment that enables us to do the works of Jesus.
He continued with: “You have to access and activate all four of these attributes of the Holy Spirit. God calls us to impossible things, but He doesn’t leave us alone. He gives us the Holy Spirit to enable us to do the impossible. For 20 years I’ve been calling a generation to revival, but we need the Holy Spirit to enable us to become revivalists!”
After a brief alter call, the conference ended. God’s mercy was seen that last night with a good number (several hundred) leaving the conference even before the final talk ended and a larger number leaving even before the final altar call started. Out of the 8,000 attendees, perhaps God will rescue some. One thing is for sure, Jesus Culture is not going away anytime soon, and the band and its conferences are attracting more and more Christian young people around the world . . . Over 2.1 million Facebook followers and growing!
“ I heard what I call the internal audible voice of the Lord…It was as clear as crystal. I heard the actual words. There was no guess-work. It was not impressions. It was the word of the Lord came to me. And the Lord said this, ‘I am going to change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the whole world in one generation.’”[1] -Mike Bickle
The majority of the Church has not taken seriously the claims of the modern apostles and prophets to be introducing a new paradigm into the Body of Christ. These claims are far more than idle boasts. Indeed the paradigm shifts have already begun in many segments of Christianity. To say that the movement has grown rapidly would be a gross understatement. The issues raised go far deeper than a mere debate over the cessation or continuation of spiritual gifts. Without intending to be alarmist, it is the contention of this article that many of the statements and teachings of leaders within this movement strike at the very heart of essential Christian doctrine and the nature of Christianity. This is no longer a Charismatic vs. Non-Charismatic issue.
In this article we will attempt to evaluate this movement. It is not the intention of this article to insinuate that these teachers are not believers in Christ but only to bring a corrective to much of their doctrine and a warning to the church at large. It must be noted that space constraints will require this evaluation to be overly general in nature. The movement itself is loosely affiliated and contains great diversity. However there are some common themes that may be noted.
A Very Brief Introduction
The roots of the movement go back to the precursors of the Pentecostal Movement. They can be seen even more prominently in the doctrines of the Latter Rain teachings of the 1940’s to 1950’s. However for the purpose of this article, we will look at more recent developments.
Though no specific date can be given for the beginning of the prophetic movement, it began to emerge on a world-wide level in the 1980’s. In 1982, Mike Bickle began Kansas City Fellowship, the home of the controversial Kansas City Prophets. At the same time, other prophetic ministries were gaining prominence throughout the Church. On October 23, 1987, Bill Hamon hosted and sponsored the first “National Prophet’s Conference” with over 700 people in attendance.[2] Today the movement has literally hundreds of thousands of adherents. The Elijah List, an email newsletter publishing the words of many of today’s new prophets, is received daily by over 130,000 people.[3]
Emerging out of the Prophetic Movement, the Apostolic Movement began in earnest in the 1990’s. In 1999, in Singapore, a group of apostles gathered and laid the foundation for what has become the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA). Shortly thereafter, C. Peter Wagner was asked to lead the group.[4] This organization, which is perhaps the most visible arm of the New Apostolic Reformation, now boasts a membership of over 440 individuals all claiming apostolic status.[5] These apostles claim to have been given their office, not merely on grace alone, but in response to their works for God. The ICA official definition states the following, “However an office, such as the office of apostle, is not given by grace alone, but given as a result of works that have demonstrated faithfulness in stewarding the gift.”[6]
It is important to understand that these movements consider themselves to be absolutely essential in the preparation of the church for the coming of Jesus Christ. Notice the role that these modern apostles are to play according to the ICA,” An apostle is a Christian leader gifted, taught, commissioned, and sent by God with the authority to establish the foundational government of the church within an assigned sphere of ministry by hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches and by setting things in order accordingly for the growth and maturity of the church.”[7] Notice that these leaders are to “establish foundational government within the church”. In other words, the rest of the Body should be submitting to them and indeed will submit to their leadership as the church matures.
Apostle Bill Hamon is even more direct when he writes, “…apostles and prophets must be restored before the Church can fulfill its predestinated end-time purpose on earth.”[8] He continues later in the same work, “The full restoration of apostles and prophets back into the Church will then bring divine order, unity, purity and maturity to the corporate Body of Christ….That will in turn bring about the end of this world system of humanity and Satan’s rule. The fulfillment of all these things will release Christ, who has been seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, to return literally and set up His everlasting kingdom over all the earth.”[9]
With the roots of the current movement planted firmly in the Manifest Sons of God teaching of the Latter Rain Movement, many of these teachers boldly proclaim that the church will conquer the world for Jesus Christ and establish His government by subduing the nations. A few, like Hamon, still teach that the church reaches glorification and immortalization (victory over death) before Jesus returns.
Issues of Concern
Though many red flags should have already been raised, the remainder of this article will examine the teachings of the new apostles and prophets and their ramifications related to several key doctrinal areas.
The Scriptures
Without a doubt the most pervasive assaults by the modern apostles and prophets occur with regard to the inspiration, inerrancy, sufficiency and perspicuity of the Word of God. In order to be fair, it must be noted that the vast majority of these teachers are completely orthodox concerning the Scriptures if one only reads their doctrinal statements. When one examines their actual teachings however, a completely different picture results.
Inspiration and Inerrancy. In his extremely popular book, “The Final Quest”, Rick Joyner postulates four different levels of inspiration ranging from impressions (lowest), to open visions and trance states (highest). In this discussion, Joyner places the epistles of the New Testament at only the second level of inspiration. Concerning this level Joyner writes, “The next level of inspiration is a conscious sense of the presence of the Lord, or the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which gives special illumination to our minds. This often comes when I am writing, or speaking, and it gives much greater confidence in the importance or accuracy of what I am saying. I believe that this was probably experienced by the apostles as they wrote the New Testament epistles. This will give us great confidence, but it is still a level where we can still be influenced by our prejudices, doctrines, etc.”[10] (emphasis added)
Notice that Joyner, in this alarming statement, has completely undermined the absolute authority of the epistles. While, according to Joyner, we can have greater confidence in them than if they were given by mere impressions, these epistles may still contain information that comes from the apostle’s own prejudices and personal doctrines. This would mean, at least theoretically, that we as believers now have the task of discerning which parts of the apostolic message are actually the work of God and which are the result of the apostle’s flesh. Technically then, a believer would have the responsibility to set aside those parts of the New Testament that he determines to be from the apostle’s prejudice as opposed to the Word of God. Not only this, but Joyner claims that this level of inspiration frequently occurs for him when he writes and speaks. This would mean that many of Joyner’s words are on parallel with the New Testament itself. But it gets worse, for Joyner will also claim that he receives much of his information from the two levels of inspiration that are higher than that which the apostles received in penning the epistles. Though Joyner doesn’t draw the obvious conclusion, this would mean that the words of Joyner in works like “The Final Quest” actually possess greater authority than parts of the Bible itself. The result is shocking for if Joyner is correct, we can no longer evaluate his teachings based on the words of scripture but should actually evaluate some of the writings of scripture according to the standard of Joyner’s visions and trances.
How far are Joyner’s comments from the writings of the true apostles, “Knowing this, that no prophecy is of any private interpretation. For prophecy did not originate with man but holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. (2 Pet. 1:20)
Joyner is not alone in placing his words alongside scripture in authority. In her book, “Heaven is So Real”, supposedly based on actual visits to heaven, Choo Thomas claims the following, “Like John, I had been called to write, and my mission was the same as his—to let people know that the marriage supper of the Lamb has already been prepared, and blessed are those who are invited to be there on the last day.”[11] Elsewhere in the same book she writes, “Every word in this book is true. The words of Jesus have been transcribed exactly as He said them to me.”[12]
Sufficiency. In a variety of ways, the modern apostles and prophets attack the sufficiency of scripture. Obviously, if the quotes already given by Joyner and Thomas are true, then the scriptures are not sufficient and the Canon is not closed. Among prophetic teachers, doctrines are being invented on an almost weekly basis that have little or no foundation in the Word such as spiritual mapping, heavenly portals, spirit-ties, spiritual inheritances, judicial intercession, soaking and the list goes on and on. This occurs, despite claims by nearly all the leaders that doctrine should be based on Scripture and not on modern revelation.
In some cases, the attacks are even more direct. For instance, Choo Thomas claims the following, “He wants me to serve as living proof of the Bible and His prophecies, because many people do not believe what they read in the Bible, nor do they believe that He is coming soon for His people.”[13] Elsewhere she writes, “He had shown me how desperate many people are to know the truth about heaven, and I realized emphatically that my book would be the means whereby they could really know.”[14] Examine the words of Thomas closely. Her words will do what the Bible is insufficient to do. Those unconvinced of the truth by the gospel will be convinced by Thomas’s testimony. Those desperate to know the truth about heaven will not find their hunger satisfied in the pages of Holy Scripture but in the writings of Thomas. Sadly, she is not the exception.
Perspicuity. The teachings of the modern apostles and prophets are destroying the churches traditional understanding of the Bible. They have, in large part, rejected the historical-grammatical form of interpretation and have substituted a prophetic hermeneutic which allows the Bible to mean whatever the prophet says it means today. In this way, the Bible is no longer able to fulfill its function as the basis for truth and corrective against error but rather becomes merely the puppet of the apostle/prophet to advance his agenda. Therefore Mike Bickle can find in Micah 2:12-13 justification for the “breaker anointing”[15], a doctrine completely unknown for the 2,000 year history of the church. Shawn Bolz can read Proverbs 6:31 and find authority to break off a poverty spirit.[16] Key doctrines of the new movement such as the restoration of the tabernacle of David, enthroning God through worship, spiritual mapping and countless other examples are all based on a poor approach to interpretation.
The Decline of Doctrine
In addition to the undermining of core doctrines, within the apostolic/prophetic movement there is an overall disdain for doctrine in general. Doctrine is unimportant. Doctrine is minimized. Doctrine is seen as that which divides. We simply need to follow Christ. Substantive teachings on the fundamental doctrines of the faith is virtually absent from the works of most of the apostles/prophets.
What they fail to appreciate is that doctrine is that which is believed to be true. To say that doctrine is unimportant is tantamount to claiming that truth is unimportant. While it is certain that some doctrines are more central than others and that the church has been too quick to divide, the answer can not be found in minimizing doctrine altogether. Surely this is a case of the cure being as bad as the disease.
Additionally, the Christian faith has content. That is to say that when we affirm, for instance, that believing in Jesus saves, we are also understanding that there is a certain amount of content contained within such a profession. It is the Jesus of the Bible, the virgin-born, sinless, Son of God, who died and rose again, who saves as opposed to the Jesus of the cults. Cults and even other world religions may speak of Jesus but the content they attach to the name is different.
Sound doctrine is vital to the health of the individual and the church. Our relationship with God must be founded upon truth. It is for this reason that the scriptures place a premium upon doctrine. Paul writes, “Take heed to yourselves and to the doctrine for in so doing you will save both yourself and them that hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
Yet today’s teachers consistently downplay the importance of sound doctrine. Consider a couple of examples from Mike Bickle in discussing prophets in general and William Branham in particular. First, Bickle writes, “Yes, prophetic people must be clear about major doctrines like the person and work of Christ and the place of the Scriptures. But on lesser points of doctrine, they might be misinformed.”[17] This statement doesn’t sound too bad, although it should be pointed out that if one were to consistently apply the standard of proper understanding of the place of scriptures to the modern prophets most of them would be rejected out of hand. But notice how Bickle equivocates as he discusses William Branham, “Branham ended up in some doctrinal heresy, although never to the extent of denying Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or doubting the authority of the Scriptures. While affirming the deity of Christ, he denied the Trinity.”[18]
So apparently to Bickle, the Trinity is one of those lesser doctrines around which a true prophet may be misinformed. Further study of Branham reveals that Branham taught that God gave His Word in three forms, the Bible, the zodiac and the pyramids. He taught the serpent-seed doctrine and a host of other heresies. But none of these issues disqualify him as a true prophet in the eyes of Mike Bickle or other prophetic personalities.
Another example of Bickle’s lack of appreciation for sound doctrine can be seen when he writes, “True Christianity is a dynamic relationship with a living God, and it cannot be reduced to formulas and dry orthodoxy. We are called to embrace the mystery of God and not to lust after neatly tying up every doctrinal or philosophical loose end that we encounter.”[19]
Here Bickle sets up a false dichotomy. It is true that we do not want a dry orthodoxy but we should still desire orthodoxy. It is true that we cannot tie up every loose end but we can know some things for certain. We are called to a dynamic relationship but this relationship must be based on the truth that God has revealed lest we find ourselves worshipping a God of our own creation. And given the number of strange practices that Bickle has endorsed in the past such as the Toronto Blessing, one can only wonder how many aberrant things may be covered under the “mystery of God”.
The Nature of God and the Person of Christ
There can be no more fundamental area of doctrine than that of the nature of God in general and the Person of Christ in particular. Even here one finds problems in the teachings of the modern apostles and prophets. We have already examined the willingness of those in this movement to endorse those who deny the Trinity. But sadly this is not all.
The Weak God. Consistently, the picture of God painted by these new leaders is less than the majestic, sovereign God of the Bible. Shawn Bolz for instance, tells of a God who has had some of the inventions He intended for His children stolen by those practicing witchcraft.[20] Spiritual mapping advocates imply that God alone is not mighty to save unless the church first clears the spiritual atmosphere. Numerous members of this movement subscribe to the faulty views of E.W. Kenyon that God somehow lost dominion over the earth in the fall.
A classic example of this weak God can be found in the writings of ICA member Dutch Sheets. Sheets writes, “Recently, I believe the Lord showed me what sometimes happens when we come to Him with a need, asking Him to accomplish what He says in His Word. In answer to our requests, He sends His angels to get our bowls of prayer to mix with the fire of the altar. Butthere isn’t enough in our bowls to meet the need! We might blame God or think it’s not His will or that His Word must not really mean what it says. The reality of it is that sometimes He cannot do what we’ve asked because we have not given Him enough power in our prayer times to get it done. He has poured out all there was to pour and it wasn’t enough! It’s not just a faith issue, but also a power issue.”[21]
Pay close attention. Notice that Sheets indicates that our prayers can line up with what God has already promised in His Word, may be according to His will, and that God may actually attempt to answer our prayer but be unable to do so because we have not given Him enough power through our prayers in order for Him to accomplish His will. So apparently God is not able to keep His own promises without our help. We have to give God the power to act.
The Nature of Christ. Modern apostles and prophets show a consistent confusion with regard to the person and work of Christ. For instance Rick Joyner states, “There is a tendency to continue relating to Him as ‘the Man from Galilee.’ Jesus is not a man. He was and is Spirit. He took the form of a servant and became a man for a brief time.”[22]
Joyner’s statement is a complete rejection of the hypostatic union. Orthodox Christianity has understood for centuries that when the Second Person of the Trinity took to Himself a human nature, this was a permanent union. Jesus is forever the God-man, fully God and fully man. Jesus did not come in some sort of rent-a-body that He discarded after the crucifixion. Either Joyner does not understand this or he is denying it. Further, Joyner’s statements have serious implications for the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Jesus for if Jesus is no longer man then in what way did He resurrect? Additionally, the scriptures link the ongoing work of Christ as intercessor to his humanity. (see 1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 7:23-23 among others)
Conclusion
In our brief discussion we have seen that current trends within the Apostolic and Prophetic Movement are undermining the historic Christian faith in regard to the place of Scriptures, the importance of doctrine and the nature of God and Person of Christ. If space permitted we could document similar issues with regard to the Person of the Holy Spirit, the atonement and the nature of the church. And we haven’t even mentioned the myriad of false prophecies made in the Name of our Lord.
These are not incidental issues. The church can no longer be silent. The new Apostles and Prophets were not speaking in hyperbole when they promised to bring a new understanding of the Christian faith. If the Church does not begin to respond, the Christianity that is passed on to our children will bear little resemblance to the faith of our fathers. A.W. Tozer wrote, “The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him. We do the greatest service to the next generation y passing on to them undimmed and undiminished that noble concept of God which we received from our Hebrew and Christian Fathers of generations past.” God enable us to “contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”
Notes
“Our Prophetic History” CD series. CD #1. Mike Bickle, 2002 Friends of the Bridegroom.
Hamon, Bill, “Prophets and the Prophetic Movement”, 1990 Destiny Image Publishers (Shippensburg, PA) page 94
Joyner, Rick “The Final Quest” 1996 Whitaker House (New Kensington, PA) page 10 On page 133 of this same book, Joyner relates an encounter that he had with the apostle Paul that supposedly took place in heaven where Paul tells Joyner that the words in his epistles do not carry truths as powerful as the words of Jesus in the gospels. Essentially Paul says that his letters are not as inspired as the Gospels.
Thomas, Choo, “Heaven is so Real” 2003 Charisma House (Lake Mary, FL) page 129
Ibid page 153
Ibid page 177
Ibid page 124
Bickle, Mike “Contending for the Power of God” CD #4 2003 Friends of the Bridegroom
Bolz, Shawn “The Keys to Heaven’s Economy” 2005 Streams Publishing House (North Sutton, NH) page 88
Bickle, Mike “Growing in the Prophetic” 1996 Charisma House (Lake Mary, Fla) page 51
Ibid page 63
Ibid page 77
Op. Cit Bolz page 73
Sheets, Dutch “Intercessory Prayer” as quoted in “The Worship Warrior” by Chuck D. Pierce and John Dickson 2002 Regal Books (Ventura, CA) page 211
Joyner, Rick, “There Were Two Trees in the Garden” 1992 Whitaker House, (New Kensington, Pa) page 59 emphasis in the original
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has established a hotline so that illegal immigrants who think that their apprehension and pending deportation might not be in compliance with the new Obama administration amnesty “priorities” may call and tell CBP about their experience.
A message posted on the CBP website reads:
If you (or a family member) were apprehended and processed by a CBP officer or Border Patrol agent and then placed into removal proceedings and you believe that you do not fall within the DHS enforcement priorities, please tell us about your experience by contacting the CBP INFO Center at: [phone numbers follow]
CBP lists several categories of illegal immigrants who might wish to avail themselves of this service, including “individuals in CBP custody,” “individuals with removal orders who are scheduled for removal and are not in CBP custody,” and “individuals who wish to file a complaint regarding a CBP removal encounter.”
The decision drew immediate response from Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, the labor union that represents CBP agents and support staff.
“Instead of supporting our agents, this administration has decided it is more important to find new ways to solicit complaints and invite ridicule against them,” Moran told the Washington Times. “We demand that this administration spend more time defending the men and women defending our nation and less time promoting the extreme agendas of pro-illegal-immigration organizations.”
Moran said he would rather see the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set up a complaint line for agents instead, so they could register their concerns over the Obama administration’s “failure to fully enforce our immigration laws.”
To make it easier for illegal immigrants to take advantage of the Obama administration’s new executive action policies, the CBP page gives people the ability to complain online, by clicking on a “Submit a Complaint” button. The person filing the complaint is instructed to “include all relevant details including your name, where and when the incident happened, and a full explanation for further review of why you believe you or your family member was incorrectly detained contrary to the new DHS enforcement priorities.” (Emphasis in original.)
Once clicking on the button, the user has the option of giving his or her name and receiving a reply or remaining anonymous. Those who select the “anonymous” option are encouraged to “include, as applicable, where this occurred (i.e. port of entry, Border Patrol Sector, etc) the date and time, and the name(s) or description(s) of any CBP personnel involved.”
This anonymity feature turns the concept of an “anonymous tip line” on its head, allowing those who have admittedly broken our laws to anonymously name and complain about our law enforcement agents!
A notice posted on the CBP website correctly states that last November 20, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson “announced new immigration enforcement priorities and guidance on the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in a memorandum entitled Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants.”
As was noted in The New American article on January 13, Johnson’s memorandum effectively lets non-criminal illegal immigrants off the hook. It states:
Under this revised policy, those who entered illegally prior to January 1, 2014, who never disobeyed a prior order of removal, and were never convicted of a serious offense, will not be priorities for removal. This policy also provides clear guidance on the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. [Emphasis added.]
Note that the memo does not say the non-criminal illegals will have a lower priority for removal, but that they willnot be priorities for removal, period.
Furthermore, those who have committed no crimes other than crossing the border illegally (which, seemingly, is no longer regarded as a crime by DHS) will not only have their priorities for removal reduced to zero, but they could also be eligible for the deferred action program outlined by President Obama in his November 20 address. The memorandum notes, in part:
DHS will extend eligibility for deferred action to individuals who (i) are not removal priorities under our new policy, (ii) have been in this country at least 5 years, (iii) have children who on the date of this announcement are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and (iv) present no other factors that would make a grant of deferred action inappropriate. These individuals will be assessed for eligibility for deferred action on a case-by-case basis, and then be permitted to apply for work authorization, provided they pay a fee.
As we noted earlier, this lack of enforcement of our immigration laws does not sit well with CBP agents. An agent who spoke with Breitbart Texas in January commented on the vast changes in immigration policy that the new executive actions have ushered in:
Before these changes, all illegal aliens arrested by Border Patrol were required to enter the deportation system where they would be scheduled for a deportation hearing at a future date. Under this new system, the illegal aliens are not even required to show up for a hearing ever. Not only are we releasing these people with no hearings scheduled, no notice to appear, but the DHS is forcing Border Patrol to prepare the initial paperwork for the illegal aliens’ work permits.”
The Border Patrol has apparently gone from being a law enforcement agency to a group of social workers. And, with the institution of the CBP hotline, illegal immigrants can now lodge complaints against the agents who are trying to do their jobs by enforcing our immigration laws, and they don’t even have to give their names when doing so.
“I pledge to call 911 if I see someone suspicious in my neighborhood”
Mikael Thalen Prison Planet.com February 9, 2015
A church hosting a law enforcement appreciation sermon asked its followers to pledge their allegiance to government this weekend, arguing that all state authorities throughout history have been ordained by God.
According to an anonymous visitor of the Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek, Washington; (http://goldcreek.org/) who provided exclusive photos to Infowars, attendees were ordered to submit to the state without question.
“They had police worship today and last week was military worship where they played clips of American Sniper…” the source said. “They were telling people to basically worship government and worship police no matter what. No mention of police brutality, no mention of the stingray systems grabbing our data here in the Seattle area.”
The church’s pastor, Dan Kellog, who is also reportedly a police chaplain, used the Romans 13 bible verse to justify his position. As noted by Infowars Paul Joseph Watson, Romans 13 has long been used by authoritarian regimes to force compliance.
“Romans 13 has routinely been cited by tyrants throughout history in an attempt to prevent Christians from opposing their rule, indeed, it was Hitler’s favorite bible verse,” Watson wrote. “Religious groups such as the Catholics in 1930’s Germany also used the verse as an excuse not to rise up against the Nazis when they were still a minority political party.”
Near the end of the sermon, members of the congregation were asked to raise their right hands and make a pledge, which included the promise to call 911 on “suspicious” neighbors.
“I pledge to call 911 if I see someone suspicious in my neighborhood,” the pledge stated.
While working with law enforcement to create a safer community is a noble cause, the sermon made no mention of the duty of Americans to oppose and protest unconstitutional legislation and dictates.
The sermon’s content is eerily similar to a 2009 document passed out to churchgoers in Ohio that told Christians to support President Obama due to his status as “God’s minister.”
Since at least 2006, the Department of Homeland Security has used Romans 13 under a FEMA program to train pastors to become literal secret police. Pastors are tasked with teaching their congregations to submit to every government action including forced relocation under martial law.
During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, pastors were used to quell dissent as police and military carried out unconstitutional gun confiscation.
VIDEO: PASTOR CHUCK BALDWIN ON PASTORS MISUSING ROMANS 13:
“Puppets For The New World Order”
by Chuck Baldwin,Published: Thursday, February 12, 2015:
America’s Founding Fathers wisely instituted a federal government with three separate branches with the intention of creating built-in checks and balances designed to protect the liberties of the American people and the independence of the sovereign states. Each branch of government was given authority to check the other branches when they became oppressive or unconstitutional. In addition to the checks and balances built in to the federal government, they assumed that additional checks to power outside the federal government would serve to protect the people’s liberties. Namely, our founders expected that free and independent states, a free and independent press, and free and courageous pulpits would further serve as diligent watchdogs of liberty.
However, only the most naïve among us do not recognize that, for all intents and purposes, the governmental checks and balances in Washington, D.C., are virtually non-existent. For the most part, the three branches of the federal government and the two major political parties in Washington simply facilitate the decisions of the existing power base–especially when it comes to the expansion of federal intrusion and oversight.
All of the political wrangling over the differences between Republicans and Democrats notwithstanding, when it comes to increasing the size and scope of the federal government, the two parties inside the Beltway are practically identical twins. And nowhere is this more clearly observed than in all things said to be for the sake of “national security.”
With very few exceptions, America’s newspapers regurgitate the federal government’s solutions for “national security.” With very few exceptions, a majority of the talking heads on television from both the left and the right embrace America’s military interventionism in the Middle East and the burgeoning Police State currently mushrooming inside the United States. And, again, the banner flying high above all of this warmongering and domestic enslavement is “national security.”
For the sake of “national security,” the Church, too, enthusiastically embraces a domestic Police State and wars of aggression abroad–especially in the Middle East.
Anything that falls under the rubric of “national security” is enthusiastically embraced by most Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and Christians and unbelievers. This almost always translates into more global intervention by the U.S. military and increased power by federal, State, and local police agencies in America’s heartland.
The shadows of power that have mostly controlled the federal government (with rare exceptions) since at least the Woodrow Wilson administration are experts at creating Boogeymen for America to hate. And, of course, fighting these Boogeymen serves as a justifiable reason for the federal government to expunge more and more liberties; it’s in the interest of “national security.” But since 9/11, the American people have been more manipulated since perhaps any other time in our nation’s history.
Take a look at this recent report:
“A church hosting a law enforcement appreciation sermon asked its followers to pledge their allegiance to government this weekend, arguing that all state authorities throughout history have been ordained by God.
“According to an anonymous visitor of the Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek, Washington, who provided exclusive photos to Infowars, attendees were ordered to submit to the state without question. ‘They had police worship today and last week was military worship where they played clips of American Sniper…’ the source said. ‘They were telling people to basically worship government and worship police no matter what. No mention of police brutality, no mention of the stingray systems grabbing our data…’
“Near the end of the sermon, members of the congregation were asked to raise their right hands and make a pledge, which included the promise to call 911 on ‘suspicious’ neighbors.”
Of course, the justification that the pastor used for this type of state worship was Romans 13. This devilish misinterpretation of Romans 13 has done more to enslave the minds of America’s pastors and Christians than anything I can think of. That’s why my son and I co-authored the book, “Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission.”
The infowars report also included a local television news report on how pastors and churches are conditioning their parishioners to become sheepish slaves of the state under the rubric of Romans 13:
Ladies and gentlemen, this kind of report could have been repeated throughout the entire country of Germany during the rise of the Third Reich.
Of course, many of the pastors who are regurgitating this form of state worship are not conscience of what they are doing. They have been indoctrinated in our nation’s seminaries, Bible colleges, Christian universities, etc., to the point that they actually believe they are being both patriotic and spiritual. They are completely blind to the fact that they have become puppets for the New World Order power elite.
Our pastors are in the same boat as many of our military personnel and police officers. They believe that by being willing to submit to any order, no matter how unconstitutional or unrighteous, they are “serving God and country.” Remember, without this ongoing “war on terror” overseas, America’s growing domestic Police State would come crashing down. A domestic Police State is TOTALLY dependent upon the international “war on terror.”
AND:https://ratherexposethem.org/2009/11/tattooshipping.html; EXCERPT: “The sight of a woman being tattooed live on the altar accompanied by the sound of a buzzing ink gun provided a startling backdrop to Sunday’s evangelical sermon.
Your parent’s church service this was not. In the drive to stay relevant, the Gold Creek Community Church has been hosting a series called “Permanent Ink” that featured Sunday’s live-tattoo finale.” (from The Seattle Times article entitled,Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul – November 23, 2009)
“Here’s something that many Americans — including some of the smartest and most educated among us — don’t know: The official unemployment rate, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, is extremely misleading.” SEE: http://allenbwest.com/2015/02/gallup-chairman-admits-unemployment-rate-bs-video/; EXCERPT: “Right now, we’re hearing much celebrating from the media, the White House and Wall Street about how unemployment is “down” to 5.6 percent. The cheerleading for this number is deafening. The media loves a comeback story, the White House wants to score political points and Wall Street would like you to stay in the market. None of them will tell you this: If you, a family member or anyone is unemployed and has subsequently given up on finding a job — if you are so hopelessly out of work that you’ve stopped looking over the past four weeks — the Department of Labor doesn’t count you as unemployed. That’s right. While you are as unemployed as one can possibly be, and tragically may never find work again, you are not counted in the figure we see relentlessly in the news — currently 5.6 percent. Right now, as many as 30 million Americans are either out of work or severely underemployed. Trust me, the vast majority of them aren’t throwing parties to toast “falling” unemployment.”
Pastor Kent Hovind (shown), a powerful advocate of biblical creationism who has already served almost 100 months in federal prison as part of what his supporters say amounts to a ruthless government campaign of religious persecution, is now potentially facing up to 100 years behind bars. As federal prosecutors prepare to make their case for keeping Dr. Hovind incarcerated for the rest of his natural life, however, a growing grassroots campaign across America is demanding that he be set free — and that those responsible for allegedly railroading him be held accountable, including potentially the judge, who has developed a reputation among those following the case as having a strong anti-Christian bias.
With the IRS now embroiled in escalating scandal surrounding politically motivated attacks against conservatives and Tea Party groups, analysts say Hovind’s case is now especially important and ought to be probed by Congress. There are also a number of irregularities in every step of the process that resulted in the pastor landing behind bars, his supporters say. Meanwhile, a Justice Department attorney who helped secure Hovind’s original conviction was arrested for attempting to rape a child shortly after he won the case against the pastor. Critics of the prosecution cite that, and other facts, as further evidence that Hovind was targeted for his beliefs and his effectiveness in challenging the evolution theory and other key elements of the secular faith, rather than for actual tax violations.
Dr. Hovind’s original case, which resulted in the first 10-year prison sentence, had raised eyebrows nationwide long before the latest twist in the ordeal. After reportedly going through multiple grand juries to finally get to a trial, with a judge whom critics said displayed blatant hostility against Christians, Hovind was convicted of a number of “financial crimes.” Taxation-focused analyst Peter Reilly, following the case in Forbes, suggested Hovind may have followed bad advice from a “tax protester.” Hovind, though, has consistently maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and growing numbers of supporters across America agree with him. Even if he were in fact guilty of the charges, which Hovind and his supporters deny, critics of the prosecution and court case have been pointing out that the average jail time for those convicted of tax-related crimes in 2013 was 14 months. Many simply pay a fine.
Obama ally and race-monger Al Sharpton, for example, who still owes millions in back taxes, has visited the White House dozens of times in recent years. Timothy “TurboTax” Geithner, who failed to pay his taxes despite signing an agreement indicating that he needed to and understood that, was even selected to be Obama’s Treasury Secretary. Democrat Representative Charlie Rangel, who for years served as the chairman of the congressional committee in charge of writing the federal tax code, came under major fire after failing to pay taxes on rental income from a villa he owned in the Dominican Republic. As of September 2013, over 318,000 federal employees owed some $3.3 billion in back taxes. Not one of them is in prison for failure to pay.
However, Pastor Hovind, often referred to as “Dr. Dino” due to his passion for dinosaurs, has been behind bars in 20 different prisons for over eight years so far on seemingly far less serious charges — and could remain there until death if prosecutors and the judge get their way. The latest charges surround an effort Hovind made from prison to contest the liens that were allegedly improperly placed on his ministry’s property by the federal government. He is being accused of “contempt of court” and alleged “mail fraud” for using the prison mail system to fight back against having the ministry’s assets seized by filing what has been described as a notice that litigation on the property was ongoing. The upcoming case to determine Hovind’s fate was supposed to take place next week, but has again been postponed by officials, this time until March, due to “family issues.”
“We need bold Christians to make a statement,” said Rudy Davis, a friend of Pastor Hovind who speaks with him daily and is working to raise awareness of what he says is relentless government persecution against Dr. Dino. “Mainstream media is ignoring Dr. Kent’s case…. We desperately need to speak up now.” According to Davis, who describes himself as a Bible-believing follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spiritual answer for why Hovind is being persecuted boils down to this: “Kent was exposing Satan’s kingdom and Satan’s deceptions.” Numerous Hovind supporters, including popular firebrand Reverend James David Manning and Southern Baptist leader Reverend Wiley Drake, have expressed similar sentiments, indicating that Hovind is indeed being persecuted.
“I along with so many others are deeply grieved in our hearts when we hear that they are trying to keep Kent Hovind in prison for the remainder of his life as people were looking forward to him being released in 2015,” Davis, one of Hovind’s most passionate supporters, told The New American. “I truly believe this is an innocent man in prison and a POW (Prisoner of War) in the spiritual warfare of Good vs Evil. God will get the glory in Kent’s case no matter what. As you may know, Kent will not compromise with the devil and has maintained his innocence the entire 99 months that he has been incarcerated…. We are asking that you educate yourself and take whatever action God leads on behalf of our brother in the Lord, Kent Hovind.”
In an e-mail to The New American about why the federal government would persecute Hovind, Davis pointed to a video where the pastor explores some of the horrifying atrocities perpetrated under cover of the evolution theory. Hovind, a former science teacher, firmly rejects the theory as an attack on the Bible and the Christian faith. For years, he traveled the nation exposing flaws in school textbooks on the issue. In the introduction to the video, Pastor Hovind declares that the evolution theory is “not only dumb, it’s dangerous.” Prior to being thrown in prison, the pastor was among the nation’s leading advocates for creation science. His seminars and debates against evolutionists had been viewed countless times online by people around the world, and supporters say he was quickly changing hearts and minds.
Then, the federal government launched its campaign to lock him up on tax charges. The first 12 counts surrounded Hovind’s alleged failure to withhold taxes from employees of his Christian ministry. “First of all, we didn’t have any employees,” Hovind explained in a recorded interview posted on YouTube, adding that all the missionaries and volunteers were independent contractors responsible for their own tax filings. “Churches are not obligated to withhold anyway, and I showed all the laws in a 2005 affidavit.” He also said he asked the IRS what he should do. The agency never responded, until showing up to arrest him with a heavily armed SWAT team in what critics say was extreme overkill — to put it mildly, considering that his wife was dragged out of bed at gunpoint and not even allowed to get dressed. One video urging Hovind’s release cited 20 attacks on the pastor that “North Korea would welcome.”
The second set of charges involved “structuring,” which, as Hovind put it in the online interview, “I had never heard of,” just like the overwhelming majority of Americans. Essentially, the controversial statute in question — written primarily for drug dealers and organized crime syndicates, not churches or pastors — makes it a crime to take out over $10,000 per day from a bank account in multiple rounds, if the intent is to prevent the creation of federally mandated records used for spying on Americans’ financial activities in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Hovind says he did no such thing.
“After trial, the judge changed the jury instructions and told the jury ‘if you find out that the Hovinds took out less than $10,000, you have to find them guilty,’ which is not what the law says,” Hovind explained from prison, suggesting that the judge misled the jury. “The law says over $10,000. So the jury, of course, confused by all that, said, ‘yeah, they took out less than $10,000, that’s obvious.’” Then, using drug statutes, the Justice Department’s pedophile attorney on the case demanded that the church’s money be forfeited, and so sought to seize the ministry’s property under asset forfeiture schemes also designed for drug dealers and crime bosses.
Shortly after attempting to seize all of the ministry’s property, one of the U.S. government lawyers involved in prosecuting Pastor Hovind was arrested by the FBI in a sting operation in Detroit for trying to have sex with a five-year-old child. Assistant U.S. Attorney John David “Roy” Atchison, after being charged with “enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity using the Internet,” “aggravated sexual abuse,” and “traveling across state lines to have sex with someone under the age of 12,” ended up committing suicide by hanging himself in jail. The other assistant U.S. attorney on Hovind’s case, Michelle Heldmyer, was in the news in the early 1990s after her husband was reportedly found to be on the same mailing list for obscene pornography as a judge who killed himself after getting caught.
The final charge against Hovind, according to critics of the prosecution and the court, is also perhaps the most outlandish. According to prosecutors, Hovind allegedly “threatened” an IRS agent while the agent was doing his “duty.” The name of the agent and the nature of the threat have never been publicly revealed, but Hovind thinks he might know. “The only thing we could figure out, there was never anything on that, other than that I prayed for the guy on the radio after they raided the ministry,” Hovind said in the interview from jail posted on YouTube. “I was doing a radio program and I prayed for him, I said, ‘Lord, I’m your child, I want you to handle this’.” Hovind says he was essentially given three additional years in prison for praying on the radio.
While the prosecution was suspicious enough to critics, Hovind supporters also say U.S. District Judge Margaret Casey Rodgers improperly played a crucial role in helping the Justice Department lock Hovind away. Across the Internet, websites and videos dedicated to freeing Hovind declare the judge to have a strong “anti-Christian bias.” Among other evidence, they point to a 2009 case in which the judge threatened two school officials with prison time for saying a prayer before a meal at an athletic banquet. In Hovind’s trial, meanwhile, the judge was accused in multiple sworn affidavits by witnesses to have declared the pastor’s alleged crimes to be “worse than rape.” Even more troubling, perhaps, is that the transcripts were allegedly altered to remove the extreme biased-revealing statement, and the audio transcript has still not been released despite repeated requests, according to supporters. The same judge is scheduled to hear the upcoming trial, despite requests for a different judge.
Pastor Hovind, who still sounds upbeat and full of joy in phone interviews posted online, despite spending over eight years in federal prison, thinks a proper inquiry would be appropriate — and that a definite judgment will come eventually, even if it’s in the next life. “I welcome a full investigation before Congress,” said Hovind, who has always been open about his refusal to accept 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS because he believes it unconstitutionally interferes with his right to speak freely. “There will be a full investigation before God one of these days.”
With Hovind set to be back in court next month on charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life, supporters are encouraging Christians and all Americans to take action. Among other options, Hovind’s friend Davis urged people to pray, watch Hovind’s videos on YouTube, get educated about the case, sign petitions, donate to and support the Free Kent Hovind movement, write to or even visit Hovind in prison in the Florida panhandle, and educate others on the case. Other supporters are urging Americans to contact their elected representatives about the case and demand a thorough, impartial investigation. More information on the whole ordeal from Hovind supporters can be found at www.FreeKentHovind.com and www.2Peter3.com.
Kent Hovind is a creation-science evangelist and Baptist minister who has already served eight years of a ten-year prison sentence for alleged tax evasion. Kent has a master’s degree in education. He founded and operated Creation Science Evangelism and has traveled extensively presenting creation-science lectures. He has debated evolutionists in over one hundred debates across the country. Kent also operated Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, Florida. This was a very popular creation-science museum/theme park. Kent also produced scores of videos on the subject of creation-science that have circled the globe and been translated in over thirty languages. Many people affectionately refer to Kent as “Dr. Dino.” He and his wife have three children; and all three of their children (all grown) worked alongside of him in the ministry.
Kent and I were college classmates for one year in Michigan. I was a sophomore when Kent transferred to the school from Illinois. I transferred colleges after that year. Kent stayed and graduated from the college in Michigan. After graduation in 1975, my wife and I moved to Pensacola, Florida, to begin our ministerial work. Some years later, Kent and his family also moved to Pensacola. So, I’ve known Kent a long time.
Kent considered his ministry a church and the people who worked for him as missionaries. He did not incorporate under the 501c3 non-profit organization status. Of course, the Internal Revenue Code states that churches are not required to do so; that, as a church, they automatically have tax-exempt status. Accordingly, Kent believed his ministry was tax-exempt.
Nevertheless, in 2004, IRS agents raided Kent’s home and ultimately brought multiple counts of tax-evasion-type charges, including “structuring,” against him. “Structuring” means deliberately making cash deposits or withdrawals of just under the supposed reporting level of ten thousand dollars. (Egad! God forbid that the IRS not know the details of our banking transactions.) In 2006, Kent went to trial and was convicted on all counts and sentenced to ten years in federal prison. He has been there ever since.
But now the story gets bizarre. Federal prosecutors are currently bringing charges of mail fraud against Kent for using the mail system from inside prison to challenge the lien that the IRS placed upon his property. And, are you ready for this? They want Kent to serve an additional twenty to one hundred years in prison. Obviously, even if he received twenty years, this amounts to a life sentence.
By contrast, the Rev. Al Sharpton is reported to owe nearly $1.5 million in overdue taxes and penalties from many years ago. But our federal government doesn’t put Mr. Sharpton in the Big House; it invites him to the White House instead.
Regardless of where one comes down on the whole tax-exempt status issue for churches and non-profit organizations, here is a very relevant fact: the average time spent behind bars for tax “crimes” is between two to five years. For instance, Pete Rose served five months; Chuck Berry served four months; Aldo Gucci served one year; Sun Myung Moon served eighteen months; and Leona Helmsley served four years. Kent has already served much more time than any of those people did.
To help put it in perspective even further, the infamous Chicago gangster, Al Capone, was released after eight years in prison. And, as everyone knows, the only reason the government put him prison for tax evasion was because they couldn’t obtain the evidence they needed to convict him of murder, racketeering, bribery, etc. Yet, our federal government wants to keep a Christian minister–who never committed an act of violence against anyone–in prison for the rest of his natural life. In truth, there are thousands of people who have been convicted of some form of homicide who have not spent as many years in prison as Kent has already.
Back in 2001, restaurant owner, fisherman, and ship builder, Frank Patti (also of Pensacola, Florida) was indicted on 24 counts of tax evasion of more than $12 million. He was sentenced to 79 months in prison and released after serving but 39 months. Kent has already served almost 100 months.
After witnessing the Frank Patti case, I wrote this in 2002: “The prospect of local businessman Frank Patti spending 8 years in federal prison for tax evasion causes me to once again reflect upon the justness of throwing people in jail for nonviolent crimes.
“I believe it is past time for America to examine its practice of locking people up for nonviolent crimes. Even though the United States is far from being the most populous country in the world, we incarcerate more people than any other nation. According to recent reports, there are more than two million people behind bars in U.S. jails and prisons [now the number exceeds six million]. Many of these people are there for crimes in which no one was physically injured or killed and, therefore, pose little or no threat to society.
“Furthermore, it seems that this infatuation with locking people up serves more the interests of ever-burgeoning government bureaucracies than the interests of justice. A breadwinner behind bars means more welfare, more food stamps, and more dependence upon government, not to mention more government jobs, of course.
“With the federal government increasingly encroaching into the area of crime and punishment and with an exploding number of new laws continually being created, more and more people are losing their freedom over crimes that have more to do with offending the powers of government than injuring the lives of innocent people. Such a system hardly promotes justice.”
These comments do not even take into account the question as to whether refusing to pay personal income taxes to Uncle Sam should even be regarded as a crime at all. The income tax was initially sold to the American people as being a “voluntary” tax, remember? Regardless, the federal government treats the income tax as obligatory and most jurors have the attitude, “If I have to pay taxes, so does this defendant,” which is why most juries never acquit folks charged with tax evasion.
In Kent’s case, the argument was that his ministry was a church and as such should have been automatically tax exempt.
What Kent’s case does show is that the IRS can make its own decisions as to who and what owes taxes, the 501c3 non-profit organization status for churches notwithstanding. Charges of tax evasion are very subjective to the whims of the IRS–as Al Sharpton proves. And let’s not forget the Lois Lerner version of selective tax enforcement that targeted conservative organizations. And there is nothing new about that. The federal government has been using the IRS to intimidate or silence individuals or groups it does not like for many, many years under both Republican and Democrat administrations.
While I will not elaborate on this issue here (I’ve done so many times already in this column), this is just another example of the danger of the 501c3 tax exempt status for churches. With the way the IRS can subjectively interpret and enforce the tax code with impunity, a church or so-called non-profit organization that accepts tax-exempt status, can literally be “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” It’s mostly to do with politics. Remember, it is the IRS–NOT THE CHURCH–that ultimately defines whether an organization is qualified to be tax-exempt. What the Internal Revenue Code stipulates about churches being automatically tax-exempt means NOTHING to the IRS. You must remember that!
In the case of Kent Hovind, one has to wonder if he is actually being treated as a political prisoner. A life sentence for tax evasion? Whoever heard of such a thing?
Then again, I am reminded of the way our government treated former Idaho Congressman George Hansen. His book “To Harass Our People” (about the IRS) should be regarded as a must-read for every lover of liberty. Then, after you read the book, find out how our federal government railroaded him into a prison sentence and how it mercilessly tortured him afterward. It will make your hair stand on end.
Then, after reading what our federal government did to one of its own congressmen, try to convince yourself that our federal government would NOT do almost anything to anyone. And if this is true for American citizens (and it is) imagine how our federal government (CIA, military Dark Ops, etc.) treats foreign governments–even those it once befriended. Come on, folks. Turn off FOX News long enough to start thinking for yourself a little bit.
If you would like to sound off regarding the obvious injustice being committed against Kent Hovind, there is a website set up for that purpose. See it here:
If enough people rally to Kent’s defense, the IRS might rethink its attempt to keep him in prison for the rest of his life. Like most dark forces, the IRS loves darkness and hates light. Whether you think Kent is guilty or not, eight years is enough! Please help spread a little light for Kent Hovind.
P.S. Once again, I am in touch with a group of patriot Christians near BRADENTON, FLORIDA, who very much desire to start a new non-501c3 fellowship. As soon as this group can grow a little more, I will take my team and conduct a Liberty Church Project conference for these folks. If you live in or near BRADENTON, FLORIDA, and would like to join this group, here is an email that you can use to connect with them. Hopefully, there will soon be enough people that we can see a brand new non-501c3 church established in BRADENTON, FLORIDA.
In 1984, while living in Maryland, she was introduced to the gospel and became a Christian. On her television show in July 2005, White recounted the vision she received from God shortly after conversion: “When I was just eighteen years old, the Lord gave me a vision that every time I opened my mouth and declared the Word of the Lord, there was a manifestation of his spirit where people were either healed, delivered, or saved. When I shut my mouth, they fell off into utter darkness and God spoke to me and said ‘I called you to preach the gospel'”.[4]
Paula White later on became a part of the National Church of God in Fort Washington under T.L. Lowery of Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), and a small church in Gaithersburg-Damascus, Maryland area.
PAULA WHITE & BENNY HINN VISIT ROME AND THE VATICAN FOR?
ONLY THE DOMINIONIST NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION (NAR)
HAS GNOSTIC GENERALS WITH SPECIAL ANOINTINGS, PROPHECIES, WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE, SUPERNATURAL GIFTS AND MANIFESTATIONS, COUPLED WITH A LAVISH LIFESTYLE:
“Thomas Lenier Lowery became a fiery Pentecostal Holiness pastor as a young man. After seeing some of the deliverance revivalists such as Branham and Coe he desired to launch out into his own healing ministry. Within a few short years the fiery young evangelist was criss crossing the nation in a 10,000 seat Gospel tent. Amazing miracles took place in a T.L. Lowery meeting! Believing himself to have the Gift of Faith he was fearless in the face of sickness and disease. His ministry gained international success with tremendous Gospel crusades around the world. Lowery later pastored two large churches and served as an assistant overseer for a major Pentecostal denomination. In his late 70s he formed the T.L. Lowery Global Foundation from which to release his years of experience into the lives of hungry, young ministers. Lowery was mightily used of GOD to restore the offices of the Apostle and Prophet to the church. T.L. Lowery served in every one of the Five Fold offices during his ministry and became a key figure in passing the torch of revival to a new generation.” LOWERY’S HONOR ROLE OF FAITH HEALING GENERALS SEE:http://www.empowering-faithministries.org/heritage-of-healing.html
“We employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, including data encryption, to secure consumers’ personal information and prevent unauthorised collection or use,” the company added.
However, when challenged by a blogger who called Samsung to find out more about the process, representatives seemed to be confused about the precise reason as to why voice data was being collected.
“Is that what this is, are you complying with a federal court order to record what’s going on in my living room?” asked Joe Fabeets, to which the Samsung representative responded, “Yes sir, exactly.”
PARDON THE CONDITION OF THIS POST; GOOGLE AND OBAMA’S ENABLERS ARE MESSING UP THE LAYOUT, VIDEOS, TEXT:
THE PRESIDENT’S BLATANT RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
WHAT THE MEDIA FAILED TO MENTION AS A RETORT:
DURING HIS TENURE AS THE SO-CALLED “PASTOR IN CHIEF”, HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATROCITIES OF ABORTION, GAY RIGHTS, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, UNILATERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS, THE CREATION OF A POLICE STATE, AND ALL OTHER SOCIALIST INITIATIVES THAT ARE ANTI-CHRISTIAN AND/OR PRO-MUSLIM.
ANTI-CHRISTIAN OBAMA: ‘STARTING POINT OF FAITH IS DOUBT’
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
“President Barack Obama sparked outrage among American Christians on Thursday when he decided to use the National Prayer Breakfast as a forum to lecture Christians not to get on their “high horse” in the wake of the burning of a caged live Jordanian pilot by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists.
“Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” Obama said. “In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.”
Obama went on to explain that it is his view that the essence of faith is not certitude about one’s beliefs, but instead the opposite: doubt.
“I believe that the starting point of faith is some doubt,” said Obama. “Not being so full of yourself and so confident that you are right and that God speaks only to us and doesn’t speak to others.”
[Editor’s Note: Contrast what Obama said above with what our Lord said “I am the way the truth and the life, no man cometh to the father but by me.”]
“There is grave danger in statements supporting moral equivalency and religious relativism. What happens is horrific behavior is excused because you have a certain recalcitrance in admitting the existence of evil.
President Barack Obama had the chance to affirm our Judeo-Christian faith heritage at the National Prayer Breakfast just days after the world was exposed to the savage and barbaric actions of ISIS in the burning to death of the captured Jordanian fighter pilot. But he did not.
As we reported yesterday, instead the Islamapologist-in-Chief attempted to find moral equivalency between the brutality of ISIS and Christianity, saying that violence rooted in religion isn’t exclusive to Islam, but has been carried out by Christians as well.
“Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” Obama said. “In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.””
“Talking about “faith being twisted and distorted,” Obama condemned the Islamic State jihadists as a “brutal, vicious death cult” and cited various Muslim terrorist acts as examples of using “religion” for nefarious ends. He then also said, however, “And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.”
The irony of citing the Crusades to balance criticism of Islamic jihad is that the Crusades were expressly designed as a defense against Islamic jihad. Unbeknownst to most, when Islam was born in 622 A.D., Christianity was the dominant religion in the Middle East and North Africa, with the latter having more Christians than Europe. So what happened?
The sword of Islam happened.
Beginning in 630, the Muslim hordes began their invasions; conquering the old Christian lands in short order, they swept through North Africa and then pushed into Iberia (present-day Spain and Portugal) and Gaul (France now). This incursion into Europe was finally halted at the Battle of Tours in 732, but the Muslims’ expansion would continue elsewhere for hundreds or years. And in 1095 they were attacking from the East, poised to move west into Greece itself or north into the Balkans — the “back door” of Europe.”
A STRAIGHT MESSAGE DELIVERED AT WHITE HOUSE BREAKFAST! KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DARRELL WALTRIP GAVE CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF OBAMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Zd-tz_YEs
“I got down off my high horse [and] got down on my knees. And Dr. Cortez Cooper and Stevie and I prayed that the Lord would come into my life and forgive me of my sins, and be my lord and savior,” he recalled. “And that was the greatest day of my life. That changed everything.”
Waltrip told his wife that night as they drove home that he felt like a “new man” and that he had been born again.
“When the Lord comes into your life, you’re going to be different. You have to be different,” he declared to those gathered. “If He comes into your life and you’re not different, you better go back and try it again, because the Lord changes you.”
his true colors at Prayer Breakfast, and true ignorance of history
“Ease back into your “typical diet.” This is especially true with caffeine, sugar, fatty foods, meat and dairy products. Small portions are wise and go slow, perhaps just one or two foods per day.”
http://www.choose-life-now.com/; QUOTE: “Susan Gregory is the CEO of Faith Driven Life, a training company dedicated to helping men and women of faith live the amazing life they can have because of Christ. She is an internationally known Christian Life Coach and Global Trainer.”
“Anthems are an expression of identity and create a way for communities to show support for a cause, belief, a heritage, or even a sports team,” says Cantus tenor Aaron Humble. “If you have once sung a song in a group, that music forever after will conjure the emotions of that moment for you: pride, identity, unity.”
“The music drift continues in ‘fundamentalism’ as Bob Jones University, under new head Steve Pettit, hosted the men’s music group Cantus for their Artist Series, Jan. 27, 2015. I called the school because I have friends and family that attend BJU, but no one would talk to me and my call has not been returned. Cantus’ web site contains information about the performers. Tenor Zachary Colby says the person he most admires is Oprah Winfrey. Tenor Blake Morgan said that his idea of a great evening is ‘sunsets and craft beer’ and he is ‘a huge fan of vocal jazz.’ Tenor Aaron Humble is a homosexual who commutes from Minneapolis, where he works, to Seattle, where his ‘husband’ lives with their two cats. Tenor Shahzore Shah lives in Saint Paul with his ‘husband,” and his most admired living person is Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist master.”
CONCLUDING NOTE FROM BRO. CLOUD: Someone wrote to Pastor Rogers with the following comment: “It is common knowledge that BJU has always had secular artist groups in as part of their Artist Series. This is hardly a ‘drift’ as it has been going on for decades. The University has a liberal arts philosophy that exposes the students to various classical expressions of art and culture. Whether you agree with it or not, it is nothing new and unsaved classical performers have always come to the campus for these events. … I believe the leadership also uses it as an opportunity to give the gospel to these accomplished performers.” In response to that I would say that I truly doubt that BJU has had open homosexuals with “husbands” as performers before. Therefore, this probably does represent a further drift and a sad milestone for the school. And though the “art” thing might explain their action, it doesn’t justify it before God. Sharing the gospel (assuming they do that) does not justify bringing unbelievers and mockers of God’s holy laws on campus to entertain Bible students. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).
“I got married in December but shortly there after my husband had to move to Seattle for his job.” “Lately, I’ve been pretty impressed with Pope Francis.”
“Shahzore lives in Highland Park, Saint Paul with his husband, Daniel.”
“Which living figure do you most admire? Thich Nhat Hanh – Zen Buddhist master of our time, philosopher, teacher and prolific writer on mindful living.”
EXCERPT (republished below verbatim, unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes):
“More proof that Christianity is being systematically destroyed comes to us in the form of the National Emergency Centers Act or HR 645 which mandates the establishment of “national emergency centers” to be located on military installations for the purpose of to providing “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster,” according to the bill.
The legislation also states that the camps will be used to “provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations”.
The bill also provides that the camps can be used to “meet other appropriate needs”, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security. This a carte blanche mandate that many fear could mean the forced detention of American citizens in the event of widespread rioting following a national emergency or a total economic collapse. Hence, we now have the Clergy Response Team run under the auspices of DHS.
On December 9, 2014, I conducted an exclusive phone interview with Pastor Mansfield who was recruited to become a member of the Clergy Response Team which would operate under the control of NOVAD and DHS. Mansfield’s revelations about his experiences are stunning and concerning at the same time.
Pastor Mansfield attended several briefings and he could barely believe his ears. He learned of the government’s plan to enact martial law as well as to implement forced population relocations. Mansfield emphasized that when martial law is enacted, the enforcement would be immediate. In other words, family members will be separated from each other and part of the training that the clergy received was how to comfort separated family members.
Pastor Mansfield emphasized that the FEMA/DHS drills were predicated on bioterrorism. The pastors were trained to go to homes were people refused to be relocated by the authorities and their immediate job was to convince the reluctant to willingly go to the relocation camps. Ostensibly, this was to be done in lieu of sending in the SWAT teams.
I asked Mansfield if FEMA camps were real and he stated that much of the clergy training focused around this scenario of pastors operating within the forced relocation centers. The main goal of a pastor assigned to a FEMA was to bring order and encourage compliance with DHS requests, hence, the emphasis on Romans 13.
The pastors were forced to sign non-disclosure. Interesting, the pastors were told not to quote Christian Scripture.The DHS document which was prepared for the pastors clearly stated that Scripture had been used to “oppress” people in the past and the presenters strongly discouraged the its use. Please see the following excerpt from one of the DHS training manuals:
Healing Scripture and Prayer In the Pastoral Crisis Intervention
“During a time of crisis people do go through a “crisis of faith.”
Sometime quick mention of God and scripture may not be helpful. As we all know the Scripture has been used to oppress, dominate and at the same time used for healing and reconciliation- renewing of relationship with God and people. If the pastor senses it is appropriate to use the scripture and prayer, it must carefully be done for healing of victims not to uphold pastoral authority.” (Page 14)
In other words, all legitimate pastoral authority was abrogated by the pastors who participated in the roundup of American citizens.
Also on page 14 of the same training document, pastors were admonished to avoid“Unhealthy God talk….” Specifically pastors are ordered to avoid using references to God when helping people cope with the loss of a loved one:
“4. God must have needed him/her more than you.”
“5. God never gives more than we can handle.“
Pastor Mansfield also revealed that pastors will be issued badges under the Clergy Response Team program. Any pastor not displaying the badge, indicating that they have been trained under these guidelines, will not be permitted into the established and designated “DHS safety zones”. This reminds me of the banishment of religious figures from Plymouth Colony who, in good conscience, refused to go along with some of the extremism of that day. Along these lines, the Clergy Response Team is also a “Kool-Aid drinking program”. Pastors are absolutely forbidden to publicly to speak about any aspect of the program. If you were to ask your pastor if they are a FEMA trained pastor, they will not likely tell you.
Disturbingly, Pastor Mansfield reiterated several times that the number one job of these pastors is to calm down people and encourage their compliance within the people’s new surroundings.
Pastor Mansfield also stated that pastors will be utilized as informants. This violates the legal privilege of confidentiality between pastor and church-goer, that is currently recognized by law. All church-goers can no longer trust the sanctity of personal confessions and revelations made to pastors, priests or rabbis’. This one illegal act by DHS completely undermines the Christian Church in America!
THIS IS THE ERADICATION OF CHRISTIANITY IN A DETENTION ENVIRONMENT AND IS THE PRECURSOR TO EXTREME METHODS OF PERSECUTION!
Pastor Mansfield felt strongly this was the government’s way of removing Jesus from America’s landscape and set the stage for the ushering in of a new-age religion.
It is mindboggling to fathom how so many reporters and media types deny the existence of FEMA camps under these circumstances. It is also disturbing that any pastor would agree to participate in a program in which Jesus and the Bible end up on the cutting room floor.
Summary
We have precedent for the beheading of Christians by radical Muslim forces, we have religious doctrine calling for the beheading of non-Islamic believers, we now have the “camps” where these acts could be perpetrated against American Christians and we have pastors hired to calm the people but they cannot mention Jesus or the Bible. We should all be connecting the dots.
People should be able to practice their religion without infringing on the rights of nonbelievers. However, when one doctrine demands beheadings for nonbelievers, then we have a problem. And when the United Nations is mandating that the U.S. must accept 70,000 Muslim immigrants, maybe we should all be paying closer attention.”
TO GET YOU ALIVE TO THE HOSPITAL, JAIL OR FEMA CAMP?
TANKBULANCE
(TANK & AMBULANCE)
WILL PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE AFTER BREAKING DOWN YOUR FRONT DOOR
Published on Feb 4, 2015
Infowars reporter Joe Biggs talks about California’s new police state Ambulance. The Tankbulance will be used to help you out after it drives through your wall in a no knock raid and injures your family for no reason
read more: CALIFORNIA CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ARMORED SWAT AMBULANCE, DESPITE PROTESTS
““What this armored vehicle allows us to do is transport medical personnel in it , have them protected, have law enforcement extract them, get them into that immediate care much quicker,” San Leandro Police Lieutenant Robert McManus told NBC Bay Area.”
““The police department here has constantly referred to it as an armored ambulance, but this ambulance comes with 11 gun ports,” described another man. “It comes with a roof hatch with a rotating gun turret and it comes with a battering ram that can deploy incapacitating gas. That’s not an ambulance.””
VIDEO:
San Leandro Votes To Purchase Armored Vehicle With $200,000 Federal Grant:
“The move for the government to control the Internet took an insidious new turn, as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler implied he would push harsher regulations that would categorize Internet service providers as public utilities.”
Ted Cruz (R-TX) said of Obama’s position, “It puts the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service and what types of products and services can be delivered, leading to fewer choices, fewer opportunities and higher prices for consumers. The Internet should not operate at the speed of government.”
“A few months ago Google and Twitter, along with a number of other high-profile Internet companies (Airbnb, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, LinkedIn, among others), started a massive social media campaign to pressure the FCC into adopting what the president has wanted all along. The Internet Association’s “comments,” carefully crafted to appear persuasive to the commission, comprise nothing more than a demand for government regulation of the free market.
Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers should be forced by government to treat all data on the Internet equally — that is, the government plays the role of enforcer by not allowing ISPs to discriminate or charge differentially by user, content, platform, application, type of … equipment, [or] modes of communication….”
______________________________________________________ FCC Moves to Tax and Control Internet
Published on Feb 3, 2015
David Knight reports: You’ve got a couple of hundred dollars a month to spare on new internet taxes, right? The FCC is moving to tax and control the internet, then, Barrett Brown speaks out about the trumped up, false charges against him and his 63 month jail sentence and $800,000 fine.
On any given school day, kids who “act up” in class can be pinned facedown on the floor, locked in dark closets, tied up with straps, bungee cords and duct tape, handcuffed, leg shackled, tasered or otherwise restrained, immobilized or placed in solitary confinement in order to bring them under “control.” Certainly, as John Whitehead argues in this week’s vodcast, the pathology that characterizes the American police state has passed down to the schools—andsomething needs to be done about it.
ABOVE: Video Shows School Police Officer Beating 13-Year-Old Girl With Baton
The U.S. Supreme Court: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State
Published on Jan 19, 2015 by John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute
The U.S. Supreme Court was intended to be an institution established to intervene and protect the people against the government and its agents when they overstep their bounds. Yet, as John W. Whitehead points out in this week’s vodcast, Americans can no longer rely on the courts to mete out justice. In the police state being erected around us, the police and other government agents can probe, poke, pinch, taser, search, seize, strip and generally manhandle anyone they see fit in almost any circumstance, all with the general blessing of the courts.
Schools Engaged In Totalitarian Power Grab:
Published on Feb 2, 2015
Alex Jones breaks down how the modern school system is being used to push totalitarian mind control onto children.
PERVERSE PERFORMANCE FILLED WITH OCCULT, PAGANISM, OBSCENITIES
REVELATION 9:20-21-“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries.
This word “sorceries” used in Revelation comes from the greek word pharmakaia. The word is translated into four meanings:
1) the use or the administering of drugs; 2) poisoning; 3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it; 4) metaphorically the deceptions and seductions of idolatry
KATY PERRY RIDES THE BEAST
(HER ROBOTIC, PRISMATIC, GOLDEN LION WITH RED EYES)
REVELATION 17:3-“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
FIRST READ OUR PREVIOUS POSTS:
1) BISEXUAL KATY PERRY’S DESCENT INTO DARKNESS: GOSPEL SINGER TO APOSTATE TO ATHEIST TO SATANIC WITCHCRAFT:
“When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is yourhour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53 (KJV)
In the recent years the Super Bowl, almost always the highest-rated and most-watched television broadcast on the planet, has given over it’s famed Halftime Show to trumpet the cause of the New World Order and the Illuminati. And as referenced in our opening bible verse at the top of the story, the Illuminati knows that it is “their hour”, and they are defiantly out in the open.
“So you wanna play with magic Boy, you should know what you’re falling for Baby do you dare to do this? Cause I’m coming at you like a dark horse Are you ready for, ready for A perfect storm, perfect storm Cause once you’re mine, once you’re mine There’s no going back”
Two years ago, you had Beyonce flashing the Illuminati Triangle Sign during Super Bowl XLVII, the year before that you had Madonna as a New Age goddess gyrating on a satanic throne, and last year had Bruno Mars shouted “Illuminati Now!” during his performance. This year, we had ex-Christian Katy Perry providing the “entertainment” for us. Perry, whom you may recall, famously renounced her Christian upbringing and has this to say about what her “faith” is like today:
“I don’t believe in a heaven or a hell, or an old man sitting on a throne. I believe in a higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable,” she told Marie Claire magazine recently. “Accountability is rare to find, especially with people like myself, because nobody wants to tell you something you don’t want to hear. I’m not Buddhist, I’m not Hindu, I’m not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God. I pray all the time – for self-control, for humility,” she told Marie Claire. “There’s a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying ‘thank you’ sometimes is better than asking for things.” source – Christian Post
So, let’s see how former Christian Katy Perry did compared to previous years:
Katy Perry opened riding a golden monster with glowing-red satanic eyes, singing the lyrics to her hit “Dark Horse”, partially quoted in the photo above. Read those words closely, it’s the Devil speaking, and he is coming for you if he can.
She performed her LGBT fan favorite “I Kissed A Girl”, leading as many young women as will follow her into experimentation with the LGBT perverted lifestyle.
Perry closed with another pro-LGBT song called “Firework” where she floated over the audience riding a shooting star with the LGBT rainbow as it’s tail.
The New World Order and Illumination agenda is being hammered into our children at a feverish rate, using catchy lyrics and a non-stop droning drumbeat with overwhelming power chords.
Parents, protect your children if you love them. All of this junk, every bit of it, is poisoning their minds and turning them away from God. Katy Perry is the perfect poster girl for the New World Order because she used to be a Christian, and now mocks the God she once served.
Just like Lucifer did as he was becoming Satan.
_________________________________________________
Katy Perry Super Bowl Halftime Show 2015 Live
FULL Performance NFL Super Bowl XLIX
Published on Feb 1, 2015
Pop songstress Katy Perry filled her Super Bowl XLIX halftime show with color, pageantry, whimsy and a too-much-isn’t-enough sensibility that meshed well with one of the most hyped sporting events of the year.
The 12-minute set opened with Perry riding on a giant golden lion across the field, singing “Roar,” followed by “Dark Horse” — performed atop a screen that turned the field into an M.C. Escher-esque chessboard.
Perry was joined for the outing by Lenny Kravitz, whose time spent in the Hunger Games hasn’t dulled his ability to rock out like it’s 1997. He took the lead on Perry’s first hit single, “I Kissed a Girl,” backed by pyrotechnics. (Girl on fire, indeed!)
Hit after hit found its way into the rundown, including “Teenage Dream” (backed by singing sharks and palm trees) and “California Gurls” (did we mention her beach-ball bustier)? Rapper Missy Elliott shared the spotlight with a brief medley of her hits “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control,” with Perry proving a playful backup dancer.
The solid set closed with “Firework,” as Perry circled the arena and actual fireworks launched from the field and the roof of the stadium, and dancers on the field lofted colored balls overhead.
Katy Perry: Pepsi UFO Halftime Masonic Temple On Stage Ritual
Published on Feb 1, 2015
Katy Perry has recently stated in a interview that she is using the NFL Pepsi Halftime Show to get to the next level! The song Dark Horse is used in this Masonic Ritual to show her loyalty to those that control her. She is in the process of going on a Worldwide Tour called Prism
and she said she is taking the “light” to the World! She means the Illuminati light. She a blind leader leading the blind masses into the New Age of Aquarius. This is what Hitler was about as well. They are continuing what Hitler started only on a Global Scale. The Antichrist will use PEACE to destroy!
Daniel 8:25-“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”
Katy Perry Super Bowl Illuminati Bisexual Halftime Show Review
Published on Feb 1, 2015
Mark Dice is a media analyst, author, and political activist who, in an entertaining and educational way, gets people to question our celebrity obsessed culture and the role the mainstream media and elite secret societies play in shaping our lives.
Mark’s YouTube channel has received over 100 million views and his viral videos have been mentioned the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News, the Washington Times, and other media outlets around the world.
He has been featured on the History Channel’s Decoded and America’s Book of Secrets, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Secret Societies of Hollywood on E! Channel, America Declassified on the Travel Channel, and is a frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM, The Alex Jones Show, and more.
Mark Dice is the author of several popular books on secret societies and conspiracies, including The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, The New World Order, Facts & Fiction, Inside the Illuminati, The Resistance Manifesto, and Illuminati in the Music Industry, which are all available in paperback on Amazon.com or e-book on Kindle, iBooks, Nook or Google Play.
While much of Mark’s work confirms the existence and continued operation of the Illuminati today, he is also dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories and hoaxes and separating the facts from the fiction; hence the “Facts & Fiction” subtitle for several of his books. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication from California State University.
He enjoys causing trouble for the New World Order, exposing corrupt scumbag politicians, and pointing out Big Brother’s prying eyes. The term “fighting the New World Order” is used by Mark to describe some of his activities, and refers to his and others’ resistance and opposition (The Resistance) to the overall system of political corruption, illegal wars, elite secret societies, mainstream media, Big Brother and privacy issues; as well as various economic and social issues. This Resistance involves self-improvement, self-sufficiency, personal responsibility and spiritual growth.
PERRY SINGS: “I KISSED A GIRL”,
(“WITH CHERRY CHAPSTICK“):
Katy Perry’s Super Bowl Pro Gay Message Controversy:
As expected, Super Bowl XLIX’s half-time performance had its share of Illuminati symbolism.
Ever since Janet Jackson’s 2004 “Nipple-gate” show, where boy band all-star Justin Timberlake tore Jackson’s dress, exposing a bare nipple festooned with a sun emblem on national television, the half time show has become a tool to broadcast powerful occult symbols into millions of unsuspecting football fans’ homes.
It’s widely theorized ancient symbols and archetypes affect the human psyche on a subconscious, metaphysical level, effectively inducing certain thought patterns.
Needless to say, pop star Katy Perry’s show this year didn’t let those reading between the lines down.
The 12-minute performance, sponsored by PepsiCo, began with Perry outfitted in a flame pattern dress, possibly representative of her right-hand role to the ruler of the underworld.
The mosaic design is closely linked to the Freemason secret society, a fraternity known for conducting strange initiation rites derived from British and French traditions ostensibly meant to create “better men.”
“The mosaic pavement is an old symbol of the Order,” explains Albert Mackey in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. “It is met with in the earliest Rituals of the eighteenth century. It is classed among the ornaments of the Lodge in combination with the indented tassel and the blazing star. Its parti-colored stones of black and white have been readily and appropriately interpreted as symbols of the evil and good of human life.”
Katy Perry Performed Illuminati Show at Super Bowl XLIX:
WARNING: DEMONICALLY
INSPIRED MUSIC AND LYRICS;
NOT FOR CHILDREN
Katy Perry (Hudson),
the Super Bowl and Satan
KATY PERRY BIOGRAPHY OF APOSTASY
Published on Feb 2, 2015 by Pastor Joe Schimmel:
Katy Perry has drawn in millions of unsuspecting, young fans into her web with her seemingly fun loving, innocent, bubble gum persona. But as with so many other leading artists in the satanically dominated music industry, there is far more to Katy Perry than meets the eye, as under her bright persona lies great darkness.
