Rather Expose Them Christian News Blog

LIBERTY BAPTIST DELAWARE: THUMBS DOWN ON “MOMS’ NIGHT OUT” (COMEDY) DINNER SHOW OUTREACH~SECULAR WORLD FOUND THIS MOVIE OFFENSIVE; HOW COME CHRISTIANS THINK IT’S GREAT?

“DRIVEN ON PURPOSE”

LOW RATED TRASH ENTERTAINMENT
AT YOUR LOCAL EMERGING CHURCH
(BUT CHRISTIANS DON’T KNOW IT’S TRASH)
OFFENSIVE GOSPEL NOT HERE ON PURPOSE

LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH, BEAR, DELAWARE IS NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP ON ITS WARREN/HYBELS SEEKER SENSITIVE GIMMICKS TO ATTRACT THE UNREGENERATE,
THEN BIND THEIR CONSCIENCES
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS:



NOW AN UNDER THE RADAR DINNER & MOVIE “OUTREACH” TO CELEBRATE THE END OF THE 21 DAY “DANIEL FAST”, WITH ALL THE USUAL UNHEALTHY “CHRISTIAN” FOOD: (ONLY MEMBERS ARE TO KNOW IT’S AN OUTREACH, TO PROTECT THE UNSUSPECTING):

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM, YOU ASK?
WELL, THE DINNER FOLLOWS ON THE HEELS OF THE WORKS BASED 21 DAY “DANIEL FAST”, 
CATHOLIC STYLE SELF DENIAL FOR INDULGENCES:
In fasting we worship God through sacrifice, demonstrating that we love Him more than His gifts.” (http://libertybaptist.net/thedanielfast/).

This is blatantly unbiblical and disobedient to the Lord:
Matthew 9:13-Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Hosea 6:6-For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

MORE TROUBLING IS THE MOVIE CHOSEN FOR 

THIS CHURCH MINISTRY MARKETING EVENT:

“MOMS’ NIGHT OUT”

STARRING THOSE WHO NEVER WERE AND STILL AREN’T 
BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS AS ROLE MODELS

STARRING PATRICIA HEATON, COMEDIAN?

Moms’ Night Out: Patricia Heaton Official Interview:

FROM: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/theater/31gree.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
“In college, and especially during eight subsequent years of hapless struggle in New York, that distance became a kind of no-man’s-land she had to traverse daily, from bad job to binge to church and back again. The churches varied: Catholic, Calvinist, New Age cult.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Heaton;

QUOTES:
Patricia Heaton was born in Bay Village, Ohio, the daughter of Patricia (née Hurd) and Chuck Heaton, who was a sportswriter for the Plain Dealer. She was raised as a devout Roman Catholic.
Heaton’s feature films include  The New Age (1994), “In order to find meaning to their empty lives, they follow various New Age gurus.” (SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Age_(film)
Heaton has been married to British actor David Hunt since 1990; it is her second marriage. Her first marriage (1984–1987) ended in divorce. 
Although she and her family attend a Presbyterian Church, Heaton says she is still a Catholic.
Heaton is a “consistent life ethicist and is supportive of pro-life groups and causes, opposing abortioneuthanasia, and the death penalty
(QUOTE: “The consistent life ethic, or the consistent ethic of life is an ideology that opposes abortioncapital punishmentassisted suicide, and euthanasia. Adherents are opposed, at the very least, to unjust war, while some adherents also profess pacifism, or opposition to all war. The term was coined in 1983 by the Catholic Cardinal Joseph Bernardin to express an ideology based on the premise that all human life is sacred and should be protected by law. Though most prominently professed by people of faith, the consistent life ethic is neither a religious nor a political ideology.”)
Heaton openly supports gay rights, and has publicly stated that she is not against same-sex marriage.
_______________________________________________________________
SECULAR FILM REVIEWS ARE MOSTLY NEGATIVE:
QUOTES: 

“A shrill feature-length sitcom for the faith-based family values crowd, if nowhere near as good as that sounds. There’s nothing wrong with “Moms’ Night Out” that couldn’t be fixed by a massive rewrite, preferably one that involves a lobotomy for the main character.”

QUOTES: 
“Cheap-looking, unfunny, and kind of sexist to boot, Moms’ Night Out is a 

disappointment from start to finish.”

“The critics got it right. The movie is awful. Having a popular star like Patricia Heaton in this movie is not enough to save it. The mothers and fathers depicted in this movie are mostly idiots and should never have had children. The script wouldn’t have been approved for an ABC afternoon special because it’s so poor.”

QUOTES: 
“Depressingly regressive and borderline dangerous, “Moms’ Night Out” peddles archaic notions of gender roles in the name of wacky laughs. But it also wants to be “About Something.” It wants to inspire as well as entertain. It’s “The Hangover” aimed at Christian audiences, and if that sounds like an impossible prospect, well, that’s because it is.
“Moms’ Night Out” is just as afraid to let loose as its characters are. Then again, the people who populate this picture are more like clichéd, cardboard types: the frazzled, stay-at-home mom; the well-meaning, absent dad; the flighty best friend; the snooty restaurant hostess. Why must faith-based offerings be so lame and—worst of all—so out of touch with reality?
Basically, the moral of the story is: Don’t go out. Because if you do, all hell will break loose—or rather, all heck.”
QUOTES:
“Mothers deserve a much better break than the hectic, shrill and dismally unpleasant Moms’ Night Out (* out of four; rated PG; opening Friday in select cities). Ads make it look like a wacky outing featuring fun-loving moms and clueless dads. But there’s no fun to be had — and not a drop of originality — in this chaotic and contrived mess. Outlandish high jinks are underscored by an inspirational message that seems out of place in this slapstick misfire. The gently religious message might have come across better if the film had been even remotely subtle. What follows is unadulterated idiocy. The story feels cobbled together from other movies. Its view of harried moms and hapless dads is stereotypical and simplistic. So much of the story is clichéd and derivative. An early scene of the moms walking in slow motion a là Reservoir Dogs is ridiculously played out. Worse, the tone is jarring, careening between raucous physical gags and potential tragedy as if they’re equal on the zany shenanigans scale.”
___________________________________________________
BUT THE APOSTATE “CHRISTIAN” FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 
“PLUGGED IN” WEBSITE HAS A POSITIVE REVIEW:
QUOTES:
“In fact, this pic works so well that I’ve got a feeling Moms’ Night Out will make many a real-world date night or girls’ getaway into a chuckle-worthy time … while keeping sweet thoughts of the kids right there at the heart of things.”


“PLUGGED IN” HAS MORE RECENTLY BEEN CRITICIZED/CONDEMNED FOR REVIEWING THE PORNOGRAPHIC/SEX ABUSIVE FILM “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY”
http://christiannews.net/2015/02/14/christians-concerned-as-focus-on-the-family-watches-reviews-porn-film-50-shades-of-grey/
“Should Christians visit porn sites so they can examine the content in order to warn others about the dangers of pornography?” wrote evangelist Shane Dodson in a blog post about the matter. “The Scriptures warn us to ‘flee from sexual immorality,’ not run toward it in the name of evangelism. Even the lost knows that this material is trashy, why is it that a supposed mature Christian ministry hasn’t quite figured it out?”
“Plugged In—in their unfortunate choice to bring pornographic films into their scope of film criticism—have committed the error of conflating porn as art. I hope and pray that those in control of such things repent of their blasphemy and of causing brothers and sisters to stumble,” Dodson said. “The Lord Jesus Christ warned of a horrible fate for those who would cause a believer to stumble (Mark 9:42). Focus on the Family should heed that warning, because there is more than just their credibility on the line here.”
___________________________________________________


THESE ARE NOT CHRISTIAN ROLE MODELS 

FOR THE CHURCHED OR UNCHURCHED

A) SARAH DREW: 
FREED FROM THE “PRISON OF PERFECTIONISM”
“ROMPING THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL MESS WE CALL PARENTHOOD”
VIDEO FROM THE APOSTATE “CHRISTIAN” GUIDEPOSTS YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
THEN:

Sarah Drew From Grey’s Anatomy Talks About Hunky Co-Stars:

Published on May 15, 2014
Sarah Drew from “Grey’s Anatomy” talks about hunky co-stars she wouldn’t mind sharing the sack with.

Her father, Rev. Charles Drew, is the senior pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York City. (PCA “REFORMED”)
UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED AND LOVED BY THE WORLD? (HINT: THEN YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN):
I’ve met Christians everywhere I go, I’ve met Christians on every set I’ve been on, in the crew, the cast, everywhere. I’ve met producers who are Christians and are producing secular shows. So much beauty and truth can be found in every, in every different show that’s there. It might not be appropriate for children, for people of all ages, but I do think that, um, that that truth is a beautiful truth that people want, stories people want to tell. I’ve found it everywhere. I have.”
(HINT: THESE ARE THE “CHRISTIANS” IN NAME ONLY, IF EVEN THAT)
___________________________________________________
B) TRACE ADKINS
Adkins then moved on to playing in honky tonk bars around Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1990s. It was followed by “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk“, which became a highly successful crossover hit, bringing Adkins into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time.  “Ladies Love Country Boys” became Adkins’ second Number One single on the country charts and his first since “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” in 1997. Trace released his first book, entitled A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking RoughneckIn April 2011, Adkins revealed that he had a crush on the Baylor Lady Bears‘ head coach, Kim Mulkey, while the two were in college at Louisiana Tech, then dedicated his performance of “One in a Million You” to her. In February 2012, Adkins appeared as a guest vocalist on Meat Loaf‘s album Hell in a HandbasketAdkins has two daughters, Tarah and Sarah, with his ex-wife, and three daughters with current wife. He has also experienced a number of serious injuries as an adult, including being shot by his ex-wife in 1994. In early 2014, Adkins checked into rehab for alcoholism after getting into an altercation on a cruise ship. In March 2014, Trace Adkins and his wife Rhonda filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. According to Rhonda’s Twitter account, they are still married.

_______________________________________________________________

C) SEAN ASTIN


FROM WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Astin

Astin was born Sean Patrick Duke in Santa Monica, California, the son of actress Patty DukeAt the time, it was reported that entertainer Desi Arnaz, Jr. was his biological father. In 1994 Astin discovered that his biological father is actually Michael Tell, a music promoter and writer, and publisher of the newspaper The Las Vegas Israelite; Tell was married to Patty Duke for 13 days in 1970. Astin experienced a career breakthrough with his role as Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings film trilogyAstin is currently the voice of Raphael in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series on NickelodeonAstin portrays the role of Matthew in The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio version of the New Testament, which uses the RSV-CEAstin has a tattoo on his ankle of the word “nine” written with the Tengwar script, commemorating his Lord of the Rings involvement and his character’s membership in the Fellowship of the Ring

LIBERAL POLITICS:
During the 2004 United States presidential election, Astin backed Senator John Kerry and participated in Kerry’s campaign rally in Portland, Oregon, as the opening speaker. In the 2008 presidential election, Astin lent his support to Senator Hillary Clinton and made multiple campaign appearances on her behalf, including joining Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, at some stops.
Astin is a vegetarian. He attended Catholic school and is a Protestant Christian, attending a Presbyterian church in Bel Air, California, US. Astin studied Nichiren BuddhismJohn Astin‘s faith, for a time. Sean’s mother, of German and Irish ancestry, is Catholic, and Sean’s biological father, Michael Tell, is of Austrian Jewish descent.


NOTE ON JOHN ASTIN, SEAN’S FATHER FROM WIKIPEDIA:
He practices Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International. (SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soka_Gakkai).


NOTE ON NICHIREN BUDDHISM FROM WIKIPEDIA: 


Nichiren Buddhism (Japanese), a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282) and belongs to the schools of so-called “Kamakura Buddhism“. Nichiren Buddhism is generally noted for its focus on the Lotus Sutra and an attendant belief that all people have an innate Buddha nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime. It is also noted for its opposition to any other form of Buddhism, which Nichiren saw as deviating from the Buddhist truth he had discovered. Nichiren Buddhism is a comprehensive term covering several major schools and many sub-schools, as well as several of Japan’s new religions. Its many denominations have in common a focus on the chanting and recital of the Lotus Sutra, which is thought to hold “extraordinary power”.

Sean Astin Describes His “Christian Faith”; A Mixture of Catholic, Protestant and Buddhist, Coupled With the “Apocrypha” books:

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-wQC6GbNZw


Elijah & Sean Discuss Their “9” Tats;
(Nichiren Buddhist Tengwar “Nine” Tattoo):

_________________________________________________________

EWTN, (GLOBAL CATHOLIC NETWORK) CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY
SEEKS OUT & INTERVIEWS THE CAST & DIRECTOR TO ELICIT THEIR PSEUDO “CHRISTIAN” TESTIMONIES. (HINT: CATHOLICS ARE PSEUDO-CHRISTIANS PRACTICING ADAPTED PAGANISM):
IF ANY OF THE CAST & CREW WERE REAL CHRISTIANS THEY WOULD PREFER NOT TO VALIDATE CATHOLICISM BY BEING INTERVIEWED BY EWTN, WHO IN TURN VALIDATES THEM AS REAL CHRISTIANS.
NOT SO!

_______________________________________________________

ONE WORLD CHURCH & GOVERNMENT 

PORTRAYED & ENCOURAGED

SO, THE ONLY CONCLUSION WE CAN DRAW IS THAT THE EMERGING CHURCHES, SUCH AS LIBERTY BAPTIST, WANT TO ATTRACT PEOPLE 
OF LIKE MIND, THAT IS, IGNORANT, UNDISCERNING, AND COMPLIANT. 

LIKE RICK WARREN, THESE CHURCHES HAVE NO PROBLEM IDENTIFYING WITH FALSE CHRISTIANS, CATHOLICS, AND/OR BUDDHISTS; IN THIS CASE, THE CAST AND CREW BEING ROLE MODELS.
THAT IS A PERFECT FIT WITH THE COLLECTIVIST/SOCIALIST STATE BEING CREATED BEFORE OUR VERY EYES, ULTIMATELY UNITING UNDER ROME AND THE POPE.

GOD HELP US!


























BILL JOHNSON’S LEGACY: “JESUS CULTURE” NEXT GENERATION OF DOMINIONIST HERETICS ON A CRUSADE


EXCELLENT: John MacArthur speaks about NAR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CeW4Itv5Wc



“JESUS CULTURE”

The Next Generation of Heretics



With a Mission




Published on May 31, 2014
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. 


For more on Bill Johnson: http://www.apostasywatch.com/Wolves/W…
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/…


Bethel: http://jesuscultureawakening.blogspot…


Dominion Theology: http://www.arcapologetics.org/article…


Reinhard Bonnke: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/r… http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/b…


False Annointing: http://www.spiritual-research-network…


John Wimber/Vineyard: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/j…


TD Jakes: http://carm.org/td-jakes


Todd Bentley: http://www.gotquestions.org/Todd-Bent…


Toronto Blessing: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/b…


Third Wave Movement: http://www.gotquestions.org/Third-Wav…


How to Interpret the Bible: http://alwaysbeready.com/hermeneutics


Healing Rooms: http://www.rejoicenow.nl/page/healing…


Other helpful links and resources: http://www.4discernment.com/links—r…


View Complete Videos:


Lakeland: The Movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDEsXV…


Todd Bentley’s Wife and her vision of Wild Elephants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjMYq…


Chuck Pierce and The New Apostolic Reformation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfkkW…


Episode 62 No Compromise Radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCG0b-…
______________________________________________________________



The New Apostolic Reformation:
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0S6YR7WQYY


M’Kayla Kelly:

Published on Oct 29, 2013

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….

An Insider’s View of the 2015 Jesus Culture Conference Themed: “One Encounter Changes Everything”

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=16933;

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.
JCSac2015_05The 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!
JCSac2015_11Their 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 RODRIGUEZHe 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.
JCSac2015_17Sam 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 . . .JCSac2015_12
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!
Endnote:
  1. http://apprising.org/2014/05/30/rick-warren-and-nars-samuel-rodriguez-headline-erlc-at-the-sbc
Related Material:

The Apostolic and Prophetic Movement

by  on November 10, 2012 in Aberrant Christianity SEE: http://arcapologetics.org/2012/11/the-apostolic-and-prophetic-movement/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

A Very Brief Introduction

Issues of Concern

The Decline of Doctrine

The Nature of God and the Person of Christ

Conclusion



EX-“CHRISTIAN” KATY PERRY PROMOTES DARK MAGIC AND LGBT AGENDA AT 2015 SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW~RIDES THE BEAST OF REVELATION?

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:


2) KATY PERRY SATANIC PERFORMANCE: NATALIE GRANT CHRISTIAN SINGER WALKS OUT OF “GRAMMYS”:

3) GRAMMYS 2014-ILLUMINATI SATANIC CELEBRATION~FREEMASONRY MIXED WITH WITCHCRAFT:

4) ATHEIST KATY PERRY: “DARK HORSE” DEMONICALLY INSPIRED ILLUMINATI THEMED MUSIC VIDEO EXPOSED:
EX-“CHRISTIAN” KATY PERRY PROMOTES 
DARK MAGIC AND LGBT AGENDA AT 
2015 SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW

A GREAT WAVE OF SPIRITUAL DARKNESS SETTLING IN OVER AMERICA

 | February 1, 2015
SEE: http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=30418; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
“When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, 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.
katy-perry-illuminati-princess-super-bowl-2015-new-world-order-nwo-pyramid-symbol-riding-monster
“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.
MASONS & CHESS BOARD FLOORS














VIDEO OF KATY PERRY AT HALF TIME SHOW 2015
(BEST QUALITY FOUND);
INCLUDES OBSCENE SONG WITH 
LESBIAN RAPPER MISSY ELLIOTT
&
PERVERSE APPEAL TO YOUNG CHILDREN 
USING CARTOON FIGURES
_______________________________________________________


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.” 

VIDEO:
_________________________________________________________



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:


SUBLIMINAL SUPER BOWL ILLUMINATI SECRETS REVEALED

Pop singer has admitted to selling soul to Satan
EXCERPTS:
10955725_519391611535546_5682779793974536029_o
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.
checkerboard-pattern
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.”
masonfloor
“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.


To learn more about our ministry, please visit:
http://www.goodfight.org


Katy Perry: 2015 Super Bowl Dark Horse Decoded:





EBOLA: MICROBIOLOGIST CALLS OUT CDC LIES~DOGS EATING FLESH OF EBOLA CORPSES SPREADING DISEASE

Microbiologist Calls Out CDC Lies

Published on Oct 4, 2014



Paul Joseph Watson and David Knight take the studio for Alex Jones and talk with Dr. Gil Mobley about the continued failures of the CDC. http://www.infowars.com/doctor-dons-e…
http://www.infowars.com/cdc-argues-ag…


Doctor Dons Ebola Protection Suit to Protest CDC:

Published on Oct 3, 2014



Two days after a man in Texas was diagnosed with Ebola, a Missouri doctor Thursday morning showed up at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport dressed in protective gear to protest what he called mismanagement of the crisis by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Dr. Gil Mobley checked in and cleared airport security wearing a mask, goggles, gloves, boots and a hooded white jumpsuit emblazoned on the back with the words, “CDC is lying!”
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/doctor-b…
Ebola Rolls Out Exactly As Predicted:




Published on Oct 4, 2014



Alex Jones has been talking about Fema Camp preparations due to indisputable documentation for years. This brief timeline of predictions and observations should serve as a warning. Tell your friends,family, and fellow humans….Infowars has been telling you the straight facts about the takeover roll out all along. Please check out the latest from guest host Paul Watson and David Knight to inform yourself and family. We can still be the “master of our own house” in the words of JFK if we ACT NOW!
http://www.infowars.com/cdc-argues-ag…

Breaking: Dogs Eat Flesh of Ebola Victims, Spread Disease:

Published on Oct 3, 2014

In a new article on WND. Jerome Corsi says dogs are eating Ebola victims flesh and can spread the disease to humans and other animals by licking and biting.
http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/dogs-eatin…

America : Judge Jeanine gives her take on 

how President Obola is handling the Crisis (Oct 05, 2014):

CDC Incompetence Continues Days After Ebola Outbreak:

CDC Has Done Nothing To Check Spread Of Ebola:











FORMER MENNONITES PLUNGE INTO APOSTATE WATERS & RIDE THE WAVE OF GNOSTIC DOMINIONIST CHARISMANIA WITH ZERO DISCERNMENT

UPDATE DECEMBER 29, 2015 TO THIS POST

1 Timothy 4:1-“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”
2 Timothy 4: 3-4-“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
C. PETER WAGNER

BORN OUT OF REBELLION
TO GOD’S WORD, BUT 
“WHERE THE CHARISMATIC GIFTS ARE ALLOWED TO OPERATE”

END TIMES DECEPTION OF 
GNOSTIC EXPERIENTIAL CHRISTIANITY
FORMER MENNONITES DRINKING FROM 
THE POLLUTED WATERS OF MAINLINE PROTESTANT APOSTASY, CHARISMATIC WORD FAITH DOMINIONISM, 
AND CATHOLIC GNOSTIC CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM

Matthew 7: 26-27-“”But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Luke 6: 49-49-“He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
2 Chronicles 7:14-“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
SEE OUR RECENT POST:

MENNONITES INTRODUCE SUNDAY SCHOOL REPLACEMENT FOR KIDS: 

ANTI-AMERICAN CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION

WHAT APPEARS TO BE 
“CHILD FRIENDLY CHRISTIAN CURRICULUM” 
IS A SUBTLE INDOCTRINATION INTO IDOLATROUS 
CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION PRACTICES
AND COLLECTIVIST/SOCIALIST IDEOLOGY

We will expand on the above post and show the extent to which some break away Mennonites have left their former affiliations with the Mennonite denomination and sailed off into the deep unchartered waters of apostasy, relying on their “wisdom”, while presuming that the Holy Spirit is their guide and compass. Here is an unfortunate example of what happens when anything and everything that purports to be “Christian”, and is accepted as such, takes over the undiscerning hearts and minds of otherwise well meaning Christians who feel no responsibility or need to “test the spirits”, deferring to the alleged “wisdom” of an unbiblical apostolic priestly class of elders/intercessors passionately pursuing church growth at any cost, using the corrupt methods of the emerging churches and worldly business models. When the proof is in the numbers, why stop the party?
FOR EXAMPLE:

Hopewell Christian Fellowship

FORMERLY HOPEWELL MENNONITE CHURCH,
A BREAK AWAY FROM FRANCONIA MENNONITE CONFERENCE, SOUDERTON, PA,
WHICH HAD ITS OWN FORM OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION OF BISHOPS;
LOCATED IN THE ONCE BUCOLIC PARTS OF MONTGOMERY & BUCKS COUNTIES
OUTSIDE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA;
CONTINUES IN THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION OF THE MOTHER CHURCH,
BUT DELVES INTO PENTECOSTAL/CHARISMATIC SIGNS & WONDERS
IN WILLING IGNORANCE:
TELFORD, BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA;
AFFILIATE OF THE

QUOTE: “Hopewell Network of Churches is a fellowship of churches empowered by the Holy Spirit to advance Christ’s Kingdom by preparing leaders for ministry and mission. The Hopewell Network of Churches had its beginning back in the charismatic outpouring. The first church was built on Hopewell Road in Elverson in the mid 1970’s by a small number of families. Within approximately 10 years, the founding congregation, called Hopewell Mennonite Church, had grown to about 900 people, had undergone numerous additions to the original building, and had planted 10 churches. These daughter churches also began to plant churches and these became the Hopewell Network in 2001.”

PUBLIC REVIEW FROM: 
http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3720746596/hopewell-christian-fellowship-telford; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
QUOTE:
    “Worship is superficial. I find this church to be very liberal. They have a different “prophet” (profit) through every other week. These “prophets” “Speak forth” lies into lives of the congregants. The Pastor of this “church,” Curt Malizzi, claims to be an apostle so you can see the cult like practices. If you read their by-laws they expect you to sign a “covenant card” relinquishing many Constitutional rights. I believe this church to be a cult. 
    In 2008 Hopewell encouraged the following of the “Lakeland Outpouring” lead by Todd Bentley, a confessed Alcoholic who was having an adulterous affair with a woman he eventually married to the demise of his wife and child. Todd was “commissioned” by Pastor Curt Malizzi’s senior, C. Peter Wagner, Presiding apostle of the ICA (International Coalition of Apostles.) 
    Wagner “commissioned” Bentley BEFORE it was discovered that he was an adulterer. Wagner claims to be a prophet also. Any way, Hopewell christian is a false church and very dangerous. DO NOT GO THERE, if you do, you go at your own peril.”
___________________________________________________________
RELATED LINK TO ICA MENTIONED ABOVE: 
http://www.coalitionofapostles.com/about-ical/definition-of-apostle/
CONNECTION TO THUNDER OUTREACH OF SON MARK MALIZZI, INFLUENCED BY THE “LAKELAND OUTPOURING”:
http://www.thunderoutreach.com/churches.htm
APPRISING.ORG ARTICLE ABOUT TODD BENTLEY: 

TODD BENTLEY: DENIED, BANNED, AND CANCELLED“:

____________________________________________________________________________

QUOTE FROM: 
“Hopewell Christian Fellowship was birthed out of what was formerly known as Hopewell Mennonite Church in Elverson, PA and is part of the Hopewell Network of Churches, an apostolic network of 15 churches. As a contemporary Bible teaching church, Hopewell Christian Fellowship was touched by the work of the Holy Spirit and has risen to its calling as a place where the manifest presence of God is welcomed and charismatic gifts are allowed to operate.”
CURT & ANITA MALIZZI, “CO-PASTORS/APOSTLES” 
DOMINIONIST/EMERGING CHURCH STYLE:
SEE: 

THE OTHER SIDE OF EMERGENT: 

THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION“: 

http://apprising.org/2010/07/08/the-other-side-of-emergent-the-new-apostolic-reformation/;

EXCERPTS:
Characteristic of all of these recent emerging convergences, a MANIFESTO accompanies the agenda being promoted jointly by Sweet and Viola. It is called “A Magna Carta for Restoring the Supremacy of Jesus Christ a.k.a. A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century Church.” This Manifesto does not hearken back to the written Word of God in order to follow Jesus or His teachings. Instead it speaks of “implantation and impartation” and “incarnation.” This is based on imaging, imagining, visualization, meditation, and following a “Presence,” even using the term “cosmic Christ.”
It was inevitable that the NAR would eventually openly connect with the Emergent Church. First, they are related historically in many diverse ways, some of which we have previously documented on this blog.[16] Second, and more obviously, the aberrant beliefs of the New Apostolic Reformation are nearly identical to those of the emerging church movement in some of the following ways:
  • The same Gnosticism, mysticism and altered states of consciousness. The belief that we are evolving to a higher order body of believers here on earth, and that if we would just jump through various mystical or restructuring hoops, paradise or “culture” would be renewed.
  • The belief that we can transform the Earth and restore it to pre-Fall conditions — either via a green environmentalism return to paradise (George OtisJames Rutz,Ralph Winter), or by building the kingdom of God on earth where Christians will reign and rule and finally “get it right” by imposing their kingdom authority on the whole planet (Dominionism).
  • The belief that God has assigned certain men with special abilities or supernatural powers to be rulers and kings, Apostles and Prophets (aka “leaders”) now on earth, in this present age.
  • The belief that the church should realign into a networking downline marketing “apostolic”/cells/small groups for a more “authentic”or “original” New Testament structure.
  • The deconstruction (de-emphasis, denigration or mangling) of solid biblical theology and practice, and the concoction of new theologies augmented with old/new extra-biblical practices.
  • The belief that God is giving his church new revelations, new understandings, or “fresh words” for these times, especially by including old manuscripts, mystical writings, supernatural incidents, extra-biblical traditions and sources, etc.
  • The idea that we are somehow responsible for bringing back Jesus either literally and physically, or that we are evolving or “incarnating” into little christs and/or one big cosmic Christ.
  • The idea that onerous and manipulative psycho-socio and scientific technologies are benevolent tools to bring in the kingdom on earth, including even altering the basic nature of man.

__________________________________________________________________
“LIFE GROUPS”:

HERE ARE THREE THAT POINT IN THE DIRECTION OF GROSS APOSTASY:

1) School of the Holy Spirit: 
We will be studying Bill Johnson’s book “Hosting the Presence”. Meeting on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellow-ship Hall. Begins September 4. If you would like a book, write the word “Book” next to the sign up area on your Connection Card.
BILL JOHNSON, PASTOR OF BETHEL CHURCH, REDDING, CALIFORNIA:

“Hosting the Presence” Book Promo by Bill Johnson:

Published on May 28, 2012: “Let the Spirit live inside you! Are you hungry for an encounter with Jesus? Do you want to make an impact on the world? In this power-packed book, Bill Johnson discusses how you can be a person who hosts the Presence of God. Though all believers obviously have the Spirit of God within them, there is more that enables you to be so full that you overflow His Spirit into your world. Take a journey and meet many great prophets and kings from the Old Testament who were known as people of the Presence—people who, in Johnson’s words, “God wanted to be with.” In this succinct and powerful book, Johnson encourages you toward a pursuit of the Presence of God above all else.”

BILL JOHNSON AND HIS WIFE VISIT THE TORONTO AIRPORT CHURCH WHERE THERE WAS A PENTECOSTAL REVIVAL OF SORTS:
VIDEO: 


SEE OUR & OTHERS’ POSTS: 
RANDY CLARK & BILL JOHNSON” AT:
EXCERPT:
Birthpangs has a 4-5 part article on Bill Johnson which is excellent:

http://birthpangs.org/articles/latterrain/bill_johnson1.html.
    Crosswise/Walking in the Truth (Craig) at http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/, has sections of his website on the Latter Rain Movement, Bill Johnson, Bethel Church (Redding, CA), New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Beyond Grace blog has similar resources: http://beyondgrace.blogspot.com/, and specifically about Bill Johnson and Bethel here: https://ratherexposethem.org/p/bill-johnson-bethel-church-redding.html.

“BETHEL CHURCH, REDDING, CA-BILL JOHNSON’S “HOUSE OF GENERALS” MUSEUM OF REVIVALISTS”

Bethel Church, Redding, CA, home of Jesus Culture, is building a library/museum of Pentecostal/Word of Faith/etc. revivalists, called the “House of Generals“, as he points out in the Vimeo video:
http://vimeo.com/17658114
AND: 

“HERESCOPE: PASSION OF THE PRESENCE & PURPOSE OF THE PASSION~NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION & INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER”:

AND ARTICLES ABOUT JOHNSON AT APPRISING.ORG:

AN INVASION OF ERROR: A REVIEW OF BILL JOHNSON—WHEN HEAVEN INVADES EARTH:


AND BOB DEWAAY’S ARTICLE AT ECHOZOE.COM: 
“Bob DeWaay: Bill Johnson, IHOP, & Ancient Heresy Reborn”
AND THIS EXCELLENT AND THOROUGH OVERVIEW:
“BILL JOHNSON, JESUS CULTURE AND BETHEL CHURCH” AT:
http://redeemingmoments.com/2013/08/22/bill-johnson-jesus-culture-and-bethel-church/


AND: “THE PASSION OF THE PRESENCE & THE PURPOSE OF THE PASSION” (3 PARTS):
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/01/the-passion-of-presence.html

____________________________________________________________________
2) Kolb’s Life Group “The Story of Marriage” 
DVD based study by John & Lisa Bevere. Marriage is God’s masterpiece. He created it to express a much bigger story: His relentless, loving commitment to bring out the best in us. 
WHO IS LISA BEVERE?

Lisa Bevere is the author of such books as Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World, The True Measure Of A Woman: Discover Your Intrinsic Value and See Yourself as God Does, and Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry: Why Women Lose When We Give In. We learn more about Bevere from this video posted on her own YouTube channel:

Note some of the interesting claims and teachings Bevere espouses:

It’s your time. It’s time for the gift of God in your life to come forth. It’s time for the things that you have in your life to be released. Father, I speak to the gifts. I speak to the talents. I speak to the anointing. I speak to what you have given them to steward. I speak release. I bless these hands, Father, with the power of dominion.
Dominion? What does Lisa Bevere mean when she says this? Perhaps this clip will help us to understand.

Lisa Bevere with Her Definition of ‘Dominion’:

Bevere appears here to mishandle Luke 19:10, wherein Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This verse concludes the story of the conversion of Zacchaeus, and in the broader context, it is evident that Jesus Christ is declaring not only what becomes the theme of Luke’s gospel, but what is the purpose of Christ’s incarnation and ministry: to save lost sinners. Of this verse, Dr. John MacArthur notes:

Verse 10 states THE most blessed truth, no truth more wondrous, more beneficial than this one. This is at the very heart of the existence of the universe. God actually created the universe so that in the universe He could create the Earth so that on the earth He could create the human race so that out of the human race He could seek and save lost sinners…this for His own everlasting joy and glory. This is what it’s all about. What’s going on on Earth is not incidental in the infinity of this universe, it is the focal point of this entire universe. It is true that the vast and infinite heavens declare the glory of God and the rest of the creation shows His handiwork, and that all together collectively it manifests His mighty power and Godhead.
So when you ask the question, “Why is the universe here? And why is the Earth here? And why is the human race here?” The answer is so that God might for His own eternal joy and glory seek and save lost sinners. This again reminds us that God is by nature a saving God.
Later in this same sermon, Bevere claims to receive a message directly from the Holy Spirit. Divine, personal prophecy? It seems as though Lisa Bevere’s Bible may not end with Revelation 22:21.

The Holy Spirit Talks to Lisa Bevere:

We’ve not heard what Bevere specifically taught this week in Thessaloniki, but according to Christine Caine, the perky speaker spoke “powerful & prophetic words into this region.”


John Bevere – Unbiblical Teachings 

SEE: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/bevere.html

__________________________________________________________

3) “Spiritual Equipping for the Prophetic” 

Meeting the 1st Wednesday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Hopewell. Also meeting Wednesday for those enrolled in the Understanding Dreams and Visions Online School, 7 to 8:30. 
JOHN PAUL JACKSON:
SEE: John Paul Jackson’s Dream Interpretation Website:

All New Dreamipedia Now Online at StreamsMinistries.com:

Streams 101: The Art of Hearing God (Extrabiblically):

__________________________________________________________________

What is a LifeGroup? (WARNING: From an Emerging Communitarian Consensus Building Point of View; Not So Much a Bible Study Than a Fun Time):

____________________________________________________________________________
BRUCE LATSHAW OF VINEYARD CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, LANDENBERG, PENNSYLVANIA 
EXPORTS JOHN WIMBER’S “HEALING ROOMS”
(ORIGIN: JOHN G. LAKE-PENTECOSTAL LEADER) 
TO HOPEWELL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP:

SEE HOPEWELL’S LISTING AS A HEALING ROOM LOCATION HERE:

SEE OUR POST:
EXCERPT:
At Sermondrop, the “healing rooms” training sermons of Clark and Johnson are here for your listening pleasure: http://sermondrop.com/series/1669-Healing-Rooms-Training/sermons.
    What is a “healing room”? Well these videos give only the public face of the ecumenically involved folks who use what they believe are Holy Spirit given gifts in a “deliverance ministry” to cast out demons in those “rooms”. 
    John Wimber’s Vineyard Church has been a major proponent of “healing rooms” as well as affiliated Vineyard churches and pastors such as Bruce Latshaw of Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Landenberg, PA:

http://www.vcfbarn.com/service/healing-rooms/ and Latshaw (of Jesus People origin) himself: http://www.brucelatshaw.com/index.html, where he is spreading it locally, using the same methods and philosophy of John G. Lake, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Lake, a faith healer who dates back to the Azusa Street pentecostal revival in Los Angeles, California around 1907.
    See also: http://miraclehealingrooms.com/ and John G. Lake Ministries now headed by Curry Blake at: http://www.jglm.org/.

VIDEOS: 

Healing Rooms Ministries explained by Cal Pierce:


Johnson’s Bethel Church Healing Rooms YouTube Channel:



Creating a Supernatural Mindset – Bill Johnson:









Bethel Church and the “glory cloud” (Hysteria):




Exposing the False Teaching of Bill Johnson at Bethel Church in Redding, CA.-(THE GOLD DUST “GLORY CLOUD”~THE “SIGNS THAT MAKE YOU WONDER”):

Tony Miano, Street Evangelist: Why I Must Speak Out Against the NAR and Bethel Church; Calls It a Cult Demanding Absolute Submission to Its Leaders:

___________________________________________



WHAT EVERY EMERGING CHURCH DOES: 
THE BUILDING PROGRAM THAT NEVER ENDS
SEE: http://hopewellchristianfellowship.com/about-us/building-for-eternity/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Our vision is not only to maintain that which God has already given us, but to effectively steward for His increase in preparation for the coming harvest.
Our building is currently filled to capacity in many respects, being utilized for ministry nearly every day of the week all year long. The new ministry center will greatly expand our facility. We will approximately double the size of our current meeting area, add offices, restrooms, children’s ministry classrooms and a new fellowship hall.
We recently added the new parking areas and site improvements necessary for construction. The next building phase will begin as funds are available.
UPDATE – December 16, 2012:
Dear Congregation,
We are excited to be Building for the Harvest!
In August of 2012, the Lord spoke to me during a 4-day personal retreat and said “Prepare for growth!” Just as Noah had to move ahead and prepare for what God was about to do, so we as the leadership of Hopewell Christian Fellowship feel the need and the momentum now to prepare to grow.
To accommodate this vision for growth the Elders and Pastors are delighted to present a new plan for a next phase building expansion (i.e. Phase 1) which would be constructed to the right side of our current building. This will then be followed at some time in the future by our existing plans for a “connector wing” (Phase 2) and finally a very large sanctuary (Phase 3) both to the left side of our current sanctuary. At that point in time the Phase I building would become a youth ministry / community center.
This new proposed Phase 1 addition would provide a new sanctuary area for 500 + seats, 5 offices, 4 nursery/ preschool classrooms, new restroom facilities, and a warm-up kitchen. The current thought is to build a single floor, slab on grade, pre-engineered steel structure for this next phase of growth which would be easier, faster and less cost-ly to build than to the left.
The new building footprint to the right as proposed will maximize the area available and is physically bounded by our well, driveways and the current building. At our congregational meeting on Sunday December 16, 2012 this new concept of a building expansion to the right was approved by 98% of the attending congregation. We are considering the suggestions that are being brought up by our congregation to optimize this building as best as possible. One suggestion was made to consider a basement beneath the proposed building which could accommodate a fellowship area and kitchen. We are asking the architect to evaluate feasibility of that suggestion and give us an estimate of additional construction cost by the 2nd week of January. We will soon form a building committee with expertise in certain areas of construction and facilities to work with the Elders and determine the fine details.
I welcome your prayers for us, as well as helpful thoughts and ideas which you can submit to any of the Pastors or Elders. We will try to evaluate as many suggestions as possible as we receive them. I would also like to plan a second congregational information meeting in January to provide more details of how we would plan to move ahead.
We currently estimate this project to cost about $2,000,000. We have recently received a number of substantial gifts towards the building project, including a gift of $18,000 and then a gift of $300,000. We praise the Lord and are extremely grateful for these gifts! In addition we have received a promise of $700,000 given as a matching grant. As our congregation gives toward the building project, each dollar will be matched up to $700,000.
We can therefore see how $1,700,000 can be raised and even the full $2M rather quickly to begin construction. This is absolutely do-able! I believe all Township/ Pa DEP/ Dept. of Health approvals can be obtained by mid 2013 or at the latest by the end of September 2013 … and therefore as soon as finances are available we can start to build!
So keep praying and we know the Lord is faithful to fulfill what He says. May He guide us with His joy and peace as we follow and trust in Him to “Build for the Harvest”!
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Curt

____________________________________________________________________

                                  VINESONG GROUP FROM THE U.K.:
WHAT EVERY EMERGING CHURCH ALSO DOES: 
INVITE ECUMENICAL CONTEMPORARY 
“CHRISTIAN” MUSICIANS
WHO WERE AT THE ECUMENICAL APOSTATE 
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, AND THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT/RELIGION UNITED NATIONS
AND: 

Vinesong Promotional Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAQ29ftbUw0
_________________________________________________________________

THE POISONING OF YOUTH BY WILL HART, 

A YOUNG ASSOCIATE OF RANDY CLARK’S 
DOMINIONIST/PENTECOSTAL, ECUMENICAL 
“HEALING MINISTRY”
SEE: http://hopewellchristianfellowship.com/will-hart/


Randy Clark Endorses Will Hart (& Heidi Baker); Claims Hart Healed Monks in a Monastery:

VIDEO: 

Bill Johnson Endorses Will Hart:

WILL HART: “Holy Spirit Says Hit Kid To Heal Him” (Imitates Todd Bentley’s Physical Violence in the Name of Healing):

Published on Apr 29, 2014



Global Awakening with guest Will Hart. The Holy Spirit told him to hit kid to heal him. Just like Todd Bentley was told to hit old lady to heal her. 
VIDEO:


ONLY SOME OF TODD BENTLEY’S TATTOOS:
EXCERPTS:
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND:
“Even though the criminal records of juvenile offenders in Canada are normally protected from public disclosure, in 2001, the now-defunct Report News magazine disclosed that at age 15, Bentley was convicted for sexually assaulting a young boy, calling his behavior “heinous.” Bentley later said that the Report News magazine article was, in substance, true: “‘They were sexual crimes,’ Bentley admits. ‘I was involved in a sexual assault ring. I turned around and did what happened to me. I was assaulted too.'””
“At 17, Bentley was hospitalized after an overdose of amphetamines and hallucinogenic pills.”
“On 9 July 2008 ABC News‘ Nightline broadcast an investigative report on Bentley focusing on his faith healing claims, finances, and criminal past.”
ALLEGED “CHRISTIAN” EXPERIENCES THE DEMONIC (JUST SUBSTITUTE DEMON FOR ANGEL BELOW):
“Bentley’s testimony includes an account of visiting Heaven and meeting with Paul the Apostle. He has also preached about an encounter with an angel he called ‘Emma’ at an Assemblies of God church in 2001. The female angel gave him a vision of gold coins, and Bentley states this was a sign of his future financial stability. In response to criticism about the Biblical inspiration of a female angel, Bentley wrote that it was God’s choice, and not his own, that an angel appeared to him in that manner. Bentley explained “You know, I told the Lord, ‘Why can’t I just move in healing and forget talking about all that other stuff?’ He said, ‘Because, Todd, you gotta get the people to believe in the angel.’ I said, ‘God, why do I want people to believe in the angel, isn’t it about getting the people to believe in Jesus?’ He said, ‘The people already believe in Jesus, but the church doesn’t believe in the supernatural.’ The church has no problem believing in Jesus. But what we don’t believe in is the supernatural.” According to Bentley, God didn’t want more preaching about salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.”
_________________________________________________________


Todd Bentley’s Violent “Ministry” (WOTMR) [1of2]:



Todd Bentley’s Violent “Ministry” (WOTMR) [2of2]:





Justin Peters, Evangelist/Pastor 




(ON CRUTCHES WITH CEREBRAL PALSY); 




See: http://justinpeters.org/personal-testimony/




Calls out & Challenges Todd Bentley:









Todd Friel & Justin Peters On Todd Bentley’s Revival Part 1:









Todd Friel & Justin Peters On Todd Bentley’s Revival Part 2:










Todd Bentley Blessed by Apostles:





DOCUMENTARY: Lakeland: The Movie (feature-length film on Todd Bentley & the Florida Outpouring):



___________________________________________________________________________


EXCERPTS ABOUT RANDY CLARK, ECUMENICAL FAITH HEALER:
After months of prayer and fasting, Randy was touched by the Lord mightily. On January 20, 1994, this unassuming pastor from St. Louis walked into a small storefront church near the Toronto airport. His anointing for healing is strong. Because of his uncanny humility, Randy’s ministry crosses denominational lines. From the Westminster Chapel in London, to the St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Australia, Randy has been welcomed into a plethora of different streams. 
_______________________________________________________________

Randy Clark is a “course developer” at his 
“Christian Healing Certification Program”: 

http://healingcertification.com/course-developers/randy-clark. This is a promo video from Global Awakening inviting you to the courses run by 12 “teachers of deliverance ministry” which helps you deal with the demonic realm, using high tech:
VIDEO: 

Christian Healing Certification Program

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vFp2926XIY

Patricia King Introduces Extreme Prophetic – 

Randy Clark’s Mystical “Shekinah Glory Prophecy”:








CHUCK BALDWIN: FERGUSON, MISSOURI-A PREVIEW OF AMERICA’S BURGEONING POLICE STATE~ARMY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTERS HAVE BEEN FLYING VERY LOW OVER MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS

FAA PRETENDS THERE IS NO RECORD OF THESE FLIGHTS 
OVER MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL OR ANY OTHER CITIES
SEE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WHICH CATALOGS
MANY INSTANCES OF ARMY HELICOPTERS FLYING LOW
OVER MAJOR U.S. CITIES:

ARMY TO CONTINUE ‘BLACK HELICOPTER’ TRAINING 

OVER TWIN CITIES DESPITE ANGER

Unannounced drills blasted as “outrageous” by city councilor

Ferguson: A Preview Of America’s Burgeoning Police State, by Chuck Baldwin, August 21, 2014 


Even America’s smallest towns can be instantly turned into occupied territories as local police agencies quickly transform themselves from peacekeepers into occupying military forces. The small town of Ferguson, Missouri, is living proof of that.
The London Guardian covers the story:
“Michael Brown was shot dead by an officer from a police force of 53, serving a population of just 21,000. But the police response to a series of protests over his death has been something more akin to the deployment of an army in a miniature warzone.
“Ferguson police have deployed stun grenades, rubber bullets and what appear to be 40mm wooden baton rounds to quell the protests in a show of force that is a stark illustration of the militarization of police forces in the US.
“‘I’m a soldier, I’m a military officer and I know when there’s a need for such thing, but I don’t think in a small town of 22,000 people you need up-armor vehicles,’ Cristian Balan, a communications officer in the US army, who was not speaking on behalf of the US military, told the Guardian. ‘Even if there’s an active shooter–are you really going to use an up-armor vehicle? Do you really need it?’
“In the eyes of the government, the answer increasingly seems to be a resounding yes.
“Since 2006, state and local law enforcement have acquired at least 435 armored vehicles, 533 military aircraft and 93,763 machine guns, according to an investigation by the New York Times published in June. This was made possible under a department of defense program that allows the agency to transfer excess military property to US law enforcement agencies. More than $4.3bn worth of gear has been transferred since the program was created in 1997, according to the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO).
“The ACLU said there are no ‘meaningful constraints’ to what a local police force could acquire, meaning that even a 10,000 person town with no history of major violence could request and receive a mine-resistant vehicle, like those that are currently available on the LESO site.”
The report continued saying, “The increasing militarization of US police is also attributed to the skyrocketing proliferation of Swat teams across the US. There has been a more than 1400% increase in the amount of Swat deployments between 1980 and 2000, according to estimates by Eastern Kentucky University professor Peter Kraska.”
The report also said, “‘As we’ve seen in Ferguson, the militarization of policing tends to escalate the risk of violence to the communities,’ said Kara Dansky, senior counsel with the ACLU’s Center for Justice and the prime author of its June 2014 report on the militarization of US police. ‘We think that historically, the police and the military have had different roles and that American neighborhoods aren’t war zones and police officers should not be treating us like wartime enemies.’”
See the report here:
Indeed, the militarization of U.S. police agencies has been escalating for decades. Can anyone remember when federal police and U.S. military personnel collaborated to slaughter scores of American citizens outside Waco, Texas, in 1993, and when federal police agents assassinated American citizens at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992? These two episodes are a blight on American justice, an affront on the constitutional rule of law, and the worst kind of insult to the American conscience. And, notice, it did not matter one bit whether a Democrat or Republican was in the White House. A Republican (George H.W. Bush) was President when government agents murdered the Weavers at Ruby Ridge; and a Democrat (Bill Clinton) was President when federal agents and military troops murdered the Branch Davidians.
Those two events seemed to be the catalyst for the emerging American Police State. But it was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the implementation of the PATRIOT Act under G.W. Bush that has propelled the police-state mentality throughout America’s heartland.
As noted in the Guardian report above, the Pentagon has been turning local police agencies into quasi-military units for decades. And the DHS is routinely supplying police-state style training for practically every local police agency in the United States–and has been for years.
And when it comes to the two major parties in Washington, D.C., the Republican Party has been the most aggressive in the creation of the American Police State. In the name of “law and order” and “national security,” conservative Republican legislators and Presidents have enacted a multitude of laws abridging the protections of liberty contained in the Bill of Rights. For all intents and purposes, the two administrations of G.W. Bush, coupled with six long years of the Republican Party controlling the entire federal government (2001-2006), virtually expunged most of the Bill of Rights. In fact, everything that President Barack Obama is now utilizing to abridge constitutional liberties was handed to him on a silver platter by G.W. Bush and his fellow neocon Republicans in Washington, D.C. And if Montanans send the quintessential neocon, Ryan Zinke, to Congress this fall (and other states do likewise), America’s collapse into a Police State will accelerate even faster.
There are two things that neocon Republicans love: foreign wars abroad and a Police State at home. And, sadly, it seems that a majority of America’s conservative Christians are right there with them.
If America’s pastors would start taking a stand against this burgeoning Police State, it would die almost instantly. But when is the last time you heard your pastor say one word of protest against the way our policemen are being turned into soldiers? When has he said a peep about the abridgment of our Bill of Rights by these power-hungry, would-be tyrants from both parties in Washington, D.C.? Under Presidents Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama, the right of Habeas Corpus, the 4th Amendment, 5th Amendment, 6th Amendment, 7th Amendment, and 8th Amendment are, for all intents and purposes, eviscerated. Kaput! Gone! Wiped out! And the vast majority of our good pastors have not said one word–not one word!
You see this silent, passive pastor as a good man; you believe him to be kind and compassionate; you think he is godly and sincere. But, by his silence, he is helping to put the chains of tyranny around the necks of your children and grandchildren. By his silence, he is facilitating the collapse of America into a Police State as surely as the sun sets in the west. This is not godliness; it is cowardice!
The founder of Lutheranism, Martin Luther, is credited with saying, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be steady on all the battlefields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
Ladies and gentlemen, where the battle rages–and the point at which the world and the devil are at this moment attacking–is the creation of an American Police State (as well as the invasion of criminals and potential terrorists across our southern border, of course). Therefore, if your pastor is not on the battlefield at this point, he is not “confessing Christ” and has fled his post and disgraced his calling.
The Boston Marathon bombing brought out Gestapo-like tactics of the Boston police. Now, the little town of Ferguson, Missouri, has been subjected to the same thing. And now that the U.S. Justice Department has sent hundreds of federal agents to Ferguson, one can only imagine the kind of martial law and abridgments to personal liberties that will be enacted. One Democrat U.S. Congressman is already calling for martial law. Yes, the Feinstein/Schumer wing of the Democrat Party loves the Police State, as well.
Realize this, my friends, what we saw take place at Waco, Ruby Ridge, Boston (and in hundreds of obscure places all over the country), and now Ferguson is a preview of America’s burgeoning Police State.
Are people with pure political agendas such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al. taking advantage of the situation in Ferguson? You bet! Are race-baiters taking advantage of Ferguson? Without a doubt. And I strongly suspect that the federal government is using paid provocateurs to further inflame the situation and give the federal government an opportunity to impose federal intervention in the area. Regardless, the escalation of an American Police State is undeniable; and the American people had better start paying attention.
This is not a Republican or Democrat issue; it is not a liberal or conservative issue; it is not a black or white issue; it is not a Christian or secular issue. It is a liberty or slavery issue! A freedom mindset and a police-state mindset cannot coexist. They cannot! We will either have one of the other. The American people better make up their minds quickly which one it will be, because, if we do nothing, our very own and very real Police State is just around the corner.
P.S. I am now engaged in scheduling meetings, through which we will help establish non-501c3 churches and Christian fellowships. The fall calendar is starting to fill up. I encourage those folks who are tired of the silence and cowardice of these establishment, government-intimidated churches and who sincerely desire to help start or support a true liberty church and patriot pulpit that is unencumbered by the 501c3 non-profit government corporation status to go to my Liberty Church Project website and fill out the online application. Our goal is to help people all over the country start scores and hundreds of liberty-oriented, non-501c3 churches and fellowships. We are accepting applications NOW. Go here:

FERGUSON POLICE VIA OBAMA FOMENT PROTEST THEN BRING OUT THE MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO CRUSH IT~THE SAME POLICE WHO FAILED TO RESPOND TO LOOTERS

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FERGUSON RIOTS & MARTIAL LAW

They want riots, they want martial law. 
Ferguson is a trial balloon for the entire country

Infowars Reporters Gassed, Shot and Blocked On Facebook:



THE BIG LIE OF THE POLICE,

ALSO KNOWN AS “YOUR FAULTY MISPERCEPTION” 
TWISTS THE FACTS
EXCERPTS:
Riot police in Ferguson, Mo., did not attack journalists, nor confiscate camera equipment last night, as reported, but rather they “assisted” reporters and made efforts to move “media personnel to a safer area,” according to a statement put out by the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Dept.
On Thursday, images and video of police firing rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and flash bang grenades at protesters and journalists prompted outcries that Ferguson SWAT teams were engaged in suppression of the First Amendment.
POLICE DISMANTLE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ EQUIPMENT & CHASE THEM AWAY WITH RIFLE
But despite footage and multiple eyewitness accounts detailing how cops pointed weapons at and literally shot journalists, tore down news crews’ camera equipment and arrested reporters in nearby restaurants, police insist they were merely helping the media “with their consent,” and that reporters “thanked their officers.”
“In fact, last night the SWAT Team officers were assisting the media in moving their camera equipment and media personnel to a safer area with their consent so that they could continue to cover the event,” a press release from the sheriff’s department states, according to multiple sources.
Furthermore, the sheriff’s department insisted that Al Jazeera journalists, filmed fleeing from their expensive camera equipment, were actually escorted into an armored vehicle, and that photos actually showed riot police helping them by dismantling their equipment.
The statement ludicrously went on to claim that the sheriff’s department “supports the freedom of the press,” and that it did not in any way attempt “to prevent media coverage.”
Here’s more of the statement from Fox2Now:
On Wednesday, August 13th, video footage was taken of St. Charles County SWAT officers handling media camera equipment. The position of the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department is that the media has the right to cover these events and supports the freedom of the press, and the SWAT Team has not been any part of attempting to prevent media coverage.
The department’s attempts to smooth over the situation is humorous given the abundance of evidence showing police did in fact attack journalists.
Infowars reporters Josh Owens, Jakari Jackson and Joe Biggs can all attest that police did not have anyone’s First Amendment in mind and were definitely not there to “assist” them, as the statement claims.
The blatant disconnect between the department’s statement and what actually took place is reminiscent of scenes out of Tim Burton’s film Mars Attacks!, in which Martians chased and slaughtered civilians, all while professing “We come in peace,” and “Don’t run, we are your friends.”
________________________________________________________
“LIAR IN CHIEF” OBAMA, “THE PEACEMAKER”
DISINGENUOUS (LYING) STATEMENT;
WHILE CRUSHING PEACEFUL PROTEST
THROUGH HIS THUG AGENTS

FERGUSON RIOT POLICE 

WOUND REPORTER IN ATTACK 

ON PROTESTORS

Police use MRAPs, helicopters to 
hunt down journalists in Ferguson, Missouri
EXCERPTS:
In Ferguson, Missouri, Infowars reporter Joe Biggs was shot in the kidneys Wednesday night by St. Louis Co. Police using flash bangs and rubber bullets during protests over the police shooting of an unarmed teenager four days ago.
Additionally, the police were hunting down journalists amongst the demonstrators after arresting two prior to the assault.
The militarized police, equipped with combat armor and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, unloaded on the media and demonstrators near the burnt down QuikTrip gas station on West Florissant Ave. around 9pm Central after someone threw a Motolov cocktail on top of a nearby car wash, lighting it completely on fire.
“I got shot in the kidneys with one of those rubber rounds and had two gas canisters come right at me,” Biggs reported. “When I got up, I couldn’t see so I went in one direction and lost [Infowars reporter] Jakari Jackson and [Infowars cameraman] Josh Owens.”
Owens made it inside of a car with a reporter from Vice News but police pinned down their vehicle and shot flash bangs and tear gas at them.
Prior to the attack, police used an MRAP to get within firing range of the protestors.
“You must leave the area immediately,” the police barked over a megaphone. “Failure to do so will subject you to arrest.”
Not long after, the demonstrators on West Florissant Ave. were assaulted.
“We all got split up when a SWAT Team approached us and started throwing flash bangs and shooting tear gas and all kinds of [so-called] non-lethal rounds at us,” Biggs said, who was dropped to his knees by the round that hit him. “That took my breath away but when I was finally able to take a breath, I took in a nice helping of tear gas.”
The police also used helicopters as forward observers for the MRAPs crawling through clouds of tear gas like tanks during World War I.
“They are shutting down the entire road and there’s word that they are looking specifically for journalists to arrest them,” Biggs revealed. “Why? Because they don’t want the truth about what’s going on to come out.”
On Saturday, Michael Brown, 18, died after being shot by a Ferguson police officer, the shooting of which sparked off mass protests over the past several days in the St. Louis suburb of around 21,000.
_________________________________________________________________

Reporters Expose Law Enforcement and Mainstream Media Lies; 

Actual Video of Photographers Being Shot At With 

Rubber Bullets & Tear Gassed:

Infowars Reporters Call Out Local Media Lies:


BLACK RESIDENTS OF FERGUSON CURSE OBAMA & AL SHARPTON:

Marine Vet Speaks Out Against Police State:



1500+ March Peacefully In Ferguson, MO:





REPOSTED: JEFF PINDER’S FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH EPIC FAILURE: “GOD’S NOT DEAD” MOVIE A TRASHY & POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR BIBLE APOLOGETICS & OUTREACH

JEFF PINDER’S FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH EPIC FAILURE: “GOD’S NOT DEAD” MOVIE A TRASHY & POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR BIBLE APOLOGETICS & OUTREACH

“God’s Not Dead”
A Hypocritical Appeal To 
Man’s Reason, Not Scripture;
Teaches False Gospel, False Doctrines,
False Quick Prayer Salvation,
False “Big Bang Theory” of Creation,
False Theistic Evolution,
Ecumenism with Catholic Church

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” Luke 4:12, (ESV)
ROMANS 1:18-25-
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
_____________________________________________________________________________
MARTIN LUTHER: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.” 
____________________________________________________________________
“We must be willing to leave any group or teaching, even if it goes by the name “Christian,” if and when we find it does not correspond to God’s will found in the New Testament.” 
UNIVERSALISM:
POP PSYCHOLOGY:
FEELINGS BASED, NOT SCRIPTURAL BELIEFS:
CATHOLIC PERCEPTION OF UNIVERSALISM 
& LIBERAL COLLECTIVIST POLITICS
EPIC FAILURE ON MULTIPLE LEVELS
JEFF PINDER’S FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 
THINKS IT CAN ATTRACT THE UNSAVED 
AND BRING THEM TO CHRIST 
USING LOW RATED “CHRISTIAN” CINEMA FOLLOWING A “COOK OUT”

We have previously shown on this blog all the gimmicks that Faith Baptist Church has been desperately trying to foist on its members to get its attendance and cash flow up. This is the latest example of one more of its unbiblical and ineffectual approaches to “get people saved” wherein the “end justifies the means”, even if that means drawing on the input of gays, apostates, heretics, and Catholics for wisdom and direction. Pinder, after all, did announce that “church is not for believers”, substituting a twisted form of “servant evangelism” which unfortunately suppresses and/or disguises the real gospel.
    So now we present our analysis of what intelligent, discerning, and professional commentators are saying about the movie “God’s Not Dead” which will be shown at Faith Baptist on August 10 and 24, 2014, with a cook out and “outreach opportunity” added on August 24. These commentators are both “Christians” and secular. So a broad enough picture will be painted to demonstrate the gross lack of discernment, care, foresight, biblical knowledge, apologetics, understanding, intelligence and sensitivity towards the unregenerate world that is rampant throughout this amateurishly produced and directed movie. 
    However, a warning here. 
    Faith Baptist Church is only one example of the sizable portion of the Christian community at large that has gushed over this D and F rated juvenile production, and in their willing ignorance believe that we should all sit through this garbage in the remote hope that at least someone may be saved by and through its less than biblical message and unbelievable, unlikely, improbable plot(s). 
    The theory being, for the likes of Pinder, Faith Baptist, and other emergent types that the dumber the presentation (Common Core style), the easier it is for the world’s kind to understand, appreciate and relate to. Not so with this “Christian” insulting, condescending propaganda piece, which for those millions of secular humanists, atheists, former church attenders, and/or adherents to apostate and pagan religions, is nothing more than a ludicrous, laughable reason to stay in their current unregenerate state. Even the most uneducated among these can appreciate its offensive, incoherent messages, which carefully and meticulously avoids man’s sin nature.
    Unfortunately for the emergent types, omitting the Word of God and biblical apologetics regarding the existence of God and creation is compromising, to say the least, not making a clear stand for Christian beliefs. This movie provides plenty of excuses for the church to back away from biblical truths for expediency, and at the same time an excuse for those unsaved to remain so. 
    This kind of “servant evangelism” is nothing of the sort. It is an unacceptable and inexcusable abuse/misuse of church resources and ministry. Most of all it is an insult to God.
_______________________________________________________
Faith Baptist Church Bulletin Announcement of Movie located here:
_________________________________________________
Lifeway Publishing (Southern Baptist) Promotion:
_________________________________________________

VIDEO: God’s Not Dead Excellent 

Negative Review 1 Out of 5 Stars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfH5qRdTtGY
__________________________________________________________
“God’s Not Dead… but Christian Films are on Life Support”
by Debbie Holloway, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
SEE: http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/movies/gods-not-dead-movie-review.html?ps=0; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Family
Run Time: 112 min.
Director: Harold Cronk
Cast: Willie & Korie Robertson, Kevin Sorbo, David A.R. White, Shane Harper, The Newsboys

As unfortunate as it may be to admit, “Christian movies” have something of a track record.
Often the purpose of the filmmaker is clear, if not bluntly stated: to win souls, bolster the faith of believers, or even simply to get the name of Jesus to a theater near you. All too often, however, these well-meaning Christian films are marked by substandard acting, careless plot-holes, and contrived situations. Christian audiences flock to see such films, forgiving shortcomings and encouraging friends and family to support the Christian film industry by going out to see it and talking it up on Facebook.
And yes, the end result of proclaiming the Gospel is a worthy one. After all, who knows what soul may be touched by the story presented? If even one person comes to seek Christ in a deeper way, many argue, the film has been worth it – no matter how poorly made or artistically subpar.
But this artist and critic has begun to wonder, is the end truly justifying the means?
I would love to say that PureFlix Entertainment’s God’s Not Dead accomplishes its goals through strong storytelling, a clever script, and well-rounded, well-acted characters, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Though this Christian-celebrity-cameo-filled affair tries to make a profound statement about bold faith, it falls prey to several predictable blunders.
The film begins harmlessly enough, with an opening montage that introduces several unconnected characters, the most prominent being a freshmen couple at a college campus preparing to begin their foray into the world of university academics. Kara (Cassidy Gifford) is excited about their future; she and Josh have been a couple for six years, and she seems to have the next 60 planned out too. Josh (an underwhelming, brooding Shane Harper) is more laid back, and is thrown a curve ball on his first day of Philosophy class. This kind, Newsboys-loving, Christian teen has landed in the classroom of a militant atheist professor, one who wastes no time in proclaiming to his class of freshmen, “God is dead.”
In an attempt to bypass conventional philosophical debate over the existence of God, Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) passes out blank pieces of paper to his classroom and instructs them all to write “God is dead” and sign their names. Josh, obviously, falters under this directive, and explains to his professor that, as a Christian, he cannot sign such a statement. The aggressive, controlling Radisson insists that if Josh won’t do it, he has three chances to prove God’s existence to the classroom or risk a failing grade. Josh accepts the challenge, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, and the story sets off from there.
The earnest young Christian standing up for his faith is a plot Christian audiences will relate to. After all, we live in an age of plurality and political correctness where lawsuits abound and there’s a lot of negativity associated with Christianity. The film comes across as self-satisfied, however, in a way that would likely feel polarizing and incomplete to a non-believer. Regrettably, most moments of poignancy and nobility this film can claim are overshadowed by this simplicity and a few other major flaws.
One such example is that the film gives an underly-dynamic presentation of its characters. Every non-Christian character in the film is amoral, disrespectful, and vicious. One wonders: do the script writers view all non-Christians as being incapable of the barest common decency? Alternately, every Christian character somehow ends up at the same Newsboys concert at the end of the film. Is this because these filmmakers think all Christians go to the same Christian concerts in this manner, or is it simply a lazy way for writers to further the story for their own purposes? And why must every sad and sobering moment in movies take place in the rain?
With these tropes and unrealistic scenarios, it’s difficult to take much of the film seriously. But even the predictable plot and one-dimensional characters would be salvageable if only the characters would behave and speak in ways that make sense – in ways that people in real life behave and speak. Unfortunately, this crucial element is sorely lacking from God’s Not Dead.
For example, when a young liberal reporter (a caricature of a role played by Trisha LaFache) accosts Willie and Korie Robertson (playing themselves), the scene is cartoon-like. She wields her recording device in a clenched hand and a nearly hyper-flexed arm straight toward the friendly couple, as if she’s afraid to get too close and catch what they’ve got. When they graciously agree to an impromptu interview, she begins with a snide jab at Korie, saying she’s “surprised to see her” (even though the family is clearly just walking into church) and that she would have expected Korie would be at home “barefoot and pregnant.”
The list goes on and on. Couples break up in public places with bizarre, stilted dialogue. When a woman is told she has cancer by her doctor, her immediate response is “I don’t have time to have cancer. I’m too busy.” Two men about to embark on a 12-hour road trip are unable to start their car, so they call for a rental car (which doesn’t come ‘til the end of the day), and then when the rental is a dud… they decide to wait til the next morning for another rental (somehow, none of the adult men involved thinks to have the car towed to a mechanic and simply have the battery replaced). Logic is sacrificed again and again for the sake of moving the plot forward. But because everyone’s dialogue and actions are so devoid of coherence, the plot feels forced. Many scenes that should be touching, or moments that should evoke empathy, leave you scratching your head, wondering, “Why did that just happen?”
Yes, God’s Not Dead will make you feel supported, possibly even inspired. You’ll get to see Willie Robertson and Michael Tait wax poetic on their love for Jesus Christ. You’ll get to see a dozen different characters turn their lives toward Christ (if you can manage to keep them all straight enough to care deeply about any of them).
But is it really worth it? Is this pat-on-the-back type of inspiration worth the inevitable dismissal by non-Christians for its cheesy script and manufactured plot? Is it a “necessary evil” to support such lackluster films for the cause of Christ? Do the noble ends justify the means to get there? Perhaps more importantly, is it even possible for movies about God to simultaneously be movies that are good art?
Yes. It’s been done many times. Movies like The Prince of Egypt and The Tree of Life come to mind as two of the most well-crafted, star-studded, magnificent films in recent years which also happen to be incredible stories of faith.
At the end of God’s Not Dead, viewers are encouraged to send a text message to everyone in their contact list proclaiming “God’s Not Dead.” You can do this, if you think it will spread the love and message of Christ to your friends and family. If, however, you live in a more nuanced reality, one where actions and conversations and relationships with real people take time and patience to grow, maybe you’ll pray for them instead. Maybe you’ll send a text to just one person saying “I’m thinking of you, let me know if you ever need anything.”
Or maybe you’re an artist, and you’re just waiting for the right time to unleash your creativity and passion in a way that will not only point to God, but will be thoughtful, well-crafted, and carried by a story that connects to the human heart.
After all, our God is alive – and the ultimate artist. Doesn’t he deserve thoughtful, worthy art attached to his name more than just an on-screen-tract?
CAUTIONS (may contain spoilers):

  • Drugs/Alcohol: People are shown drinking wine
  • Language/Profanity: None
  • Sex/Nudity: None
  • Violence: A man is shown being hit by a car and killed; a young woman is slapped across the face by her father

Debbie Holloway is the Family Life Editor for Crosswalk.com.
Publication date: March 21, 2014
_________________________________________________________________________

“God’s Not Dead is a mess even by Christian film standards” (Rated “D-“)

EXCERPT:
“Even by the rather lax standards of the Christian film industry, God’s Not Dead is a disaster. It’s an uninspired amble past a variety of Christian-email-forward boogeymen that feels far too long at just 113 minutes. Resembling a megachurch more than a movie, it’s been designed not to convey any particular message, but to reinforce the stereotypes its chosen audience already holds. It weirdly fetishizes persecution, and many of its story decisions—like randomly tossing in Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson or concluding on an endless concert from popular Christian rock group Newsboys—seem designed to simply get butts in seats. To say God’s Not Dead preaches to the choir would be an understatement. It’s the pastor, staring in a mirror, preaching to himself.”
________________________________________________________________

God’s Not Dead Movie Review by Answers in Genesis:

EXCERPTS:
“In the first debate, Wheaton boldly declares to his classmates, “We’re going to put God on trial!” Think about that for a moment. A college freshman is going to place a group of teenagers who are willing to sign away their souls to please a philosophy professor they don’t even know as judge and jury over the omnipotent Creator God of the universe.
Wheaton could have agreed to the debate and used the Word of God as his foundation, as Jesus did in the wilderness temptation, but he chose to appeal to reason—the reason of fallen men and women whose minds are blinded by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:1–6). What’s more, as the debates play out, Wheaton uses a quote from Lee Strobel about the evolution of living things through the ages and a quote from the Roman Catholic astronomer Georges Lemaitre describing how the big bang corresponds to “let there be light” in Genesis 1:3 as his evidence for God’s existence. Rather than looking to God’s Word and character, the ideas of men developed a relatively short time ago form the basis for the case for God’s existence. Man’s words were elevated above God’s Word.2
In some instances, they may be unaware of the fact that this movie uses the big bang and the alleged evidence for the evolution of life on earth as major “proofs” of God’s existence. In other instances, the Christians endorsing the movie are happy to accept the big bang and biological evolution as proof of God’s work in the universe. In fact, the number of Christians insisting on that explanation is growing rapidly, and this film may serve to cause an inflation in those numbers. Regardless, this movie may cause people to think about God, but it will lead them away from the foundational truths of Genesis because of its unbiblical foundation. If this movie tells its viewers that they can’t trust Genesis as straightforward and foundational history, why then would they trust the rest of the Bible—including their need for a Savior—built on that shaky foundation?”
______________________________________________
RELATED: Georges Lemaitre-SEE: 
17 July 1894 – 20 June 1966) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priestastronomer and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Leuven. He was the first known academic to propose the theory of the expansion of the Universe, widely misattributed to Edwin Hubble. He was also the first to derive what is now known as Hubble’s law and made the first estimation of what is now called the Hubble constant, which he published in 1927, two years before Hubble’s article. Lemaître also proposed what became known as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the Universe, which he called his ‘hypothesis of theprimeval atom or the “Cosmic Egg”‘. By 1951, Pope Pius XII declared that Lemaître’s theory provided a scientific validation for existence of God and Catholicism.
___________________________
“Veritas Seminary Conference Teacher, Lee Strobel, a “Supporter” of Son’s Heavily Contemplative Ministry”; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
“Lee Strobel is one of the most well-read Christian authors today. He is also one of the conference speaking teachers for Veritas Evangelical Seminary (co-founder Norm Geisler *see bottom of post), which is located on the Calvary Chapel Bible College grounds in California. Strobel is also a strong supporter of his son’s (Kyle Strobel) very contemplative ministry called Metamorpha. On the Metamorpha website, Lee Strobel is listed as a “supporter” of Metamorpha. Strobel’s public support of Metamorpha will bring much attention to Kyle’s ministry and in turn pointing many unsuspecting people toward contemplative spirituality. Certainly having his father listed as a “supporter” will give much credibility in the eyes of many Christians to Kyle Strobel’s work. Incidentally, also on the Metamorpha site, it lists InterVarsity Press as a “sponsor” of Metamorpha, and Biola’s Institute of Spiritual Formation is named as a “partner.” To give even more recognition to his son’s organization, Lee Strobel mentions Metamorpha, the book by his son, on his own website
Kyle Strobel grew up at Willow Creek Church and later studied at Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, where he received 2 Masters Degrees. Today, he is helping to pave the contemplative way by touting the works and practices of mystics, contemplatives, and emergents. Metamorphais called “an online community for Christian spiritual formation” and lists several contemplative practices, including repetitive prayers, lectio divina, and Ignatian exercises. Recommended books on the site are a who’s who of contemplative prayer proponents such as Dallas Willard, Thomas Merton, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Adele Calhoun, Thomas Kelly, and several others.
In an article on Metamorpha, specific instruction for Ignatian exercises (named after St. Ignatius of Loyola) is given. In the Metamorpha article, it says that the “imagination is key in Ignatian prayer…. Ignatian meditation involves several key spiritual disciplines: lectio divina, Ignatian contemplation, reminiscence, and the examination of consciousness (notice: not conscience).”
A video on Metamorpha by Richard Foster titled “What role do the ancient Christians play in life of believers today?” is quite revealing. Foster lists several ancient mystics as those we should turn to for spiritual direction. One he named is Jean Pierre de Caussade (from the 1700s), a mystic and the author of Abandonment to Divine Providence. Foster also names panentheist Thomas Kelly who Foster quotes in one of his books as saying there is a divine center in every person (see Streams of Living Water). Foster also tells readers to practice meditation exercises such as lectio divina.
There is no question that Kyle Strobel is following the contemplative path. He resonates with numerous mystics whom Lighthouse Trails has critiqued in the past, as well as emergents like Leonard Sweet and Dan Kimball. It is hard to know whether his interest for the mystical began at Willow Creek or Biola – both promote it. But in his book, Metamorpha Kyle gives credit to Biola professor and contemplative advocate John Coe for helping him come to his present spiritual understanding (see footnote section of Metamorpha where Coe is mentioned several times for his contribution in Kyle’s life). Coe is the founder of Biola’s Institute of Spiritual Formation where contemplative prayer is openly promoted.
One of the mystics Kyle recommends is Thomas Merton. The following three quotes are very indicative of Merton’s spiritual affinities and should not be ignored:
“I’m deeply impregnated with Sufism.” Thomas Merton, The Springs of Contemplation, p. 266
“And I believe that by openness to Buddhism, to Hinduism, and to these great Asian traditions, we stand a wonderful chance of learning more about the potentiality of our own traditions, because they have gone, from the natural point of view, so much deeper into this than we have.” Quote by Merton from the book, Lost Christianity by Jacob Needleman
“Isn’t it a pity that people are going into LSD to have spiritual experiences, when we have a tradition in the Church [contemplative prayer] which no one knows anything about?” Read the Interview in which Matthew Fox quoted Merton.
In 2009, Relevant magazine asked Kyle to name ten books he believes “all Christians should read.” Two of them are written by Henri Nouwen (who Kyle calls a “prophet”), one by Brother Lawrence, and one by Thomas a’ Kempis – all three had mystical propensities. He also includes Karl Barth in his list of “should read” books, calling Barth (who rejected biblical inerrancy) ” the most important modern theologian.”
Conversations Journal is also named on the Metamorpha website, as a “partner”.Conversations Journal offers articles by some of the most blatant eastern-style mysticism teachers including Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, Basil Pennington, and Tilden Edwards. It was Tilden Edwards who said: “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality” (Spiritual Friend, p. 18), and Basil Pennington who said:
We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and capture it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible … Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices. (Finding Grace at the Center , pp. 5-6, Keating/Pennington, from A Time of Departing)
It seems a paradox that Lee Strobel is a “supporter” of an extremely contemplative ministry and yet also a speaker for conferences at Veritas Evangelical Seminary, which carries a statement on its website that states  it rejects contemplative spirituality. How can this be so? If Lee Strobel supports contemplative spirituality, why is he teaching students on the Calvary Chapel campus at Veritas? Both Veritas and Calvary Chapel have made statements in the past that they reject contemplative mystical spirituality. But by including a contemplative  supporter for teaching, doesn’t that neutralize those previous statements, and doesn’t it further confuse matters for the body of Christ?”

Lee Strobel, while a pastor on the staff of church growth guru Bill Hybels‘ Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois (he is now a pastor at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Valley Community Church), authored a number of heretical books, one being a 1993 book titled Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary: How to Reach Friends and Family Who Avoid God and the Church. The book is endorsed in its Foreword by Bill Hybels, and on the jacket is endorsed/recommended by thirteen even more neo-evangelical psychologizers, including Max LucadoTony CampoloHoward HendricksStuart Briscoe, C. Peter Wagner, Joseph Stowell, Elmer Towns, Bill Bright, and Gary Collins. In this book, Strobel makes it clear that he was drawn to Hybels’ church, not by the message of truth, but by the music of the world. After he found himself comfortable with the music and modern style of worship, he simply reasoned his way to a conversion experience. Strobel is completely geared to a needs based religion. His purpose is to meet man’s needs, based on his own perception, rather than honoring man’s obligation to worship and glorify God. Strobel’s purpose is to find out what works, and not to find out what is Biblical. His purpose is to please lost, unregenerate men, and not to please God. To read Strobel’s book (and by nature of endorsement, Max Lucado’s thoughts also) you come up with the idea that the problem with people is that they are simply unchurched. To the contrary, they need to be seen as lost and in need of a Savior. (Source: 1/96, Plains Baptist Challenger, pp. 5-7.)

_________________________________________________________________________

God’s Not Dead movie review

A ‘feel-good’ movie that sadly did not make us feel good at all!

SEE: http://creation.com/gods-not-dead-reviewrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

“Today, Christianity is under attack more than ever. Christians with a biblical worldview seem to be the ‘underdogs’ in the university, culture, and media. So when a film affirms a Christian worldview in any sense, it’s hard not to be excited. When we viewed the trailer forGod’s Not Dead, we hoped that it would be an example of how to argue for one’s faith in the university, as the stats show that this is one area where young Christians struggle and even lose their faith.
God’s Not Dead does not completely meet the stereotypes people assume about Christian movies being the lowest quality. Indeed, the production quality was good for a Christian themed movie, and we would have dearly liked to give this feature film our endorsement. Unfortunately, the content of the film has many problematic areas, so it is with a heavy heart that we feel we need to clearly report our concerns. Christians need to be aware of the problem areas, so if they do decide to view the movie, they can do so with discernment.
There are multiple subplots in the movie which are all introduced in its first few minutes, but not developed immediately, and it seems to take a while before the details emerge allowing the viewer a chance to catch up. However, the main story is that Josh, a college freshman, is taking an Introduction to Philosophy class from an infamously atheistic professor, Dr. Radisson (played by Kevin Sorbo who is known for his role on the TV show Hercules, among other roles). The very first class, the professor stands up and gives a short discourse about the virtues and intellectual superiority of atheism. He then gives the class their first assignment. He passes out blank papers, and demands that each student write “God is dead” and sign their names in order to get a passing grade. Josh refuses, so the professor forces him to take an alternate assignment; Josh will be given time in the next three lectures to prove the existence of God. If the students in his class are convinced, he passes the assignment. If not, he fails the semester, and thus his chances at a prestigious law degree.

Weak apologetic arguments due to compromise

This is where we anticipated the movie could have made its major ‘equipping’ contribution, but unfortunately, each of the points Josh tries to put forward to prove God’s existence are arguments that atheists would easily refute. In the first session, Josh equates the big bang to what we would expect if God spoke the universe into existence. Of course, CMI has long demonstrated how the big problem with the big bang theory is that it is supposed to have happened billions of years ago. With the sun allegedly appearing millions of years before the earth, for example, it stands in complete opposition to the very creation passages in Genesis which Josh is supposed to be defending. He even affirms an age of the universe of billions of years, which clearly stands contrary to the biblical account. To be fair, he does give a good answer to “Who created God?”, which is perhaps the only solid apologetic in this section.
In the second section, Josh talks about the problems of life coming from non-life, but then implies that God could be behind the seemingly-random process of evolution. But an informed atheist could respond that evolution is a wasteful, cruel process; why would anyone worship God if He used a cruel wasteful evolutionary process? Perhaps the producers have not realized that most atheistic evolutionists don’t really respect Christians who believe in evolution. Just ask the ‘high priest’ of atheistic evolution, Professor Richard Dawkins, who once said that theological attempts to marry the Bible and evolution are “seriously deluded.” In this sense, who is the movie trying to win over?
In the third and final lecture, Josh tackles the problem of evil by saying that it is a necessary consequence of free will. But the very biblical creation account Josh claims to be defending is clear that evil is a consequence of sin, not a necessary companion to free will.

Spoiler alert

These weak arguments are presented as overtly intimidating to the ‘infamously stout’ atheist professor and predictably, the stereotypical triumph of Josh’s arguments over the confounded professor leads to what seems to be the dramatic conversion of the entire class. This is not a realistic scenario. Given these somewhat basic and flawed arguments, they would not be at all convincing to an informed opponent, and no atheist of Professor Radisson’s supposed caliber would be unfamiliar with them. The danger we fear is that hapless college students may take these weak arguments, try to use them, and get shot down. Instead of concluding that there is something wrong with the arguments, they could think that Christianity is false, and it would damage their faith.

Paper-thin subplots

There are countless sub-plots, and each takes every available chance to unfortunately stereotype, almost to the point of offensiveness, every people group represented. First: the atheists are portrayed as being one-dimensional and evil. The journalist character is career-driven and rude; ambushing her Christian interview subjects (Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson and his wife Korie in one encounter, and the band Newsboys, in another) to ask them offensive questions. For example, she asks, “Why aren’t you barefoot and pregnant?” in the first interview.
A businessman is portrayed as the most self-centered and callous person imaginable. He does not visit his mother because she is suffering from dementia, and he breaks up with his girlfriend when she reveals she is suffering from a fatal cancer, accusing her of “changing our agreement … breaking our deal.”
But the journalist and the businessman are nothing compared to Professor Radisson, who is possibly the most self-centered narcissist you would ever meet. He is a tyrant in the classroom and in his personal life. He mocks and threatens his students, and publicly humiliates his girlfriend. His militant atheism and hatred of God is driven by the death of his Christian mother from cancer, and perhaps the only moment when he seems like a plausible human being is when he is reading a loving letter from his mother, written shortly before her death.
The strict Muslim family is stereotypically portrayed as well, but with critical errors. First, the daughter is required to wear a scarf covering the lower half of her face, but inexplicably is allowed to wear a low-cut, short-sleeved shirt. And she is shown listening to music on an iPod, but strict Muslims also believe that music is ungodly, and they do not allow it. The father, when he finds out his daughter is no longer a Muslim, beats her and physically throws her out of the house and onto the streets weeping.
A Chinese student’s father shows no interest in his son’s life, and when he starts talking about God, his father’s angry reply is to be careful because ‘someone’ might be listening, and it could jeopardize his brother’s chances of studying at a foreign university.
These character portrayals of atheists and other religions will generally be found to be unbelievable by viewers, whether Christian or not. And worse still, for a professing Christian movie to portray them so unreasonably is very uncharitable. Weaker brethren may even find these portrayals believable and if so, it will do nothing to engender Christian love to those who are outside of Christ. We (Christians) do not like to be caricatured in this way, and certainly believers should apply the admonition to “do unto others”.

Real Christians?

But the Christians are perhaps the most stereotyped of all. Josh’s girlfriend promptly breaks up with him the moment he shows some backbone (just after celebrating their 6-year anniversary, which means they would have been dating since the age of 12). The professor’s ‘Christian’ girlfriend, whom he started dating while she was a student in his class, stays with the most unlikable guy in the entire movie for some inexplicable reason until she has one shallow conversation with the pastor.
An American pastor and an African missionary are both caricatured. The pastor is lukewarm and dissatisfied (until called on to assist in the deathbed conversion of one of the major characters). And the African missionary is there to contrast by smiling in the face of minor inconveniences and exhibit faith that God will allow a car to start. Neither is developed enough to allow their faith to be more than one-dimensional. Most pastors would not be flattered by such a depiction.
There are cameo appearances of members of the now-popular Duck Dynasty cast, and ‘product placement’ for the Christian band Newsboys throughout the film. And all the major characters inexplicably converge at a Newsboys concert at the film’s climax.
_________________________________________________________________
“Directory of Contemporary Christian Musicians”:
NEWSBOYS
The Newsboys’ music “has run the gamut from punkish rock to a turn at rap and Euro-favored techno pop.” Their fourth album, Not Ashamed (1992), sold 400,000 and received a Grammy nomination. Formed in the early 1980s in Australia, the Newsboys were “infuenced by everyone from the Police, Cure, and Rolling Stones to Keith Green and Jimmy Swaggart” (Jesus Rocks the World: Te Defnitive History of Contemporary Christian Music, vol. 2, p. 101). The original members were John James, Peter Furler, Corey Pryor, and Sean Taylor. “Initially they played for the rowdy patrons of the local clubs and pubs, who threw beer bottles at them if they didn’t meet their standards” (Jesus Rocks the World, vol. 2, p 100). In 1990 they signed with the Christian label Star Song, and in 1996 they signed with the secular label Virgin Records, which also produces for the Rolling Stones. From 1991 to 1996 their albums were produced by Steve Taylor. In a 1996 interview Peter Furler said: “Our first three or four records weren’t very deep, but neither was our experience in the faith” (CCM Magazine, February 1996). The 1998 album, Step Up to the Microphone, was promoted both in Christian (via Star Song) and in secular markets. The latter was done through Virgin Records. Danny Goodwin, Vice President of A&R for Virgin, describes their philosophy of music: “Our position is, whether these artists are Christians, Jews, Moslems, black, white, Albanian or whatever, they’re making great music. And that’s what Virgin does—we’re in the market to sell what we call quality music to the largest number of people we can” (CCM Magazine, August 1998, p. 25). Many CCM musicians are comfortable working hand in hand with people who produce and distribute the vilest rock and roll, whereas the Bible says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17). Newsboys concerts feature many of the same things found at secular rock concerts: sensual dancing, moshing, stage diving, crowd surfing. There have been numerous accidents relating directly or indirectly to moshing at their concerts (“To Mosh or Not to Mosh,” CCM Magazine, February 1996). Newsboys founding member Pete Furler loves the writings of Frederick Buechner, a neo-orthodox theologian and writer who was trained at the ultra liberal Union Teological Seminary under heretics such as Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich, who rejected Christ’s divinity, virgin birth, and bodily resurrection. Tillich called the Christmas story a “legend” in the December 1977 issue of The Lutheran. Buechner was “inspired to ordination” by George Buttrick while attending Buttrick’s Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. In his book The Christian Fact and Modern Doubt, Buttrick wrote: “Literal infallibility of Scripture is a fortress impossible to defend. … In retrospect it seems incredible that the theory of literal inspiration could have ever been held” (pp. 162, 167). Literal inspiration is not a theory; it is a doctrine taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, who said “the Scripture cannot be broken” (Jn. 10:35). In 1997 Newsboys’ Phil Joel joined Roman Catholic Kathy Troccoli and 40 other CCM artists to record Love One Another, a song with an ecumenical theme: “Christians from all denominations demonstrating their common love for Christ and each other.” The song talks about tearing down the walls of denominational division. The broad range of participants who joined Troccoli in recording “Love One Another” demonstrates the ecumenical agenda of Contemporary Christian Music. In July 2012, Newsboys was one of the bands featured at the 14th annual Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Christian rock’s one-world church building enterprise was in full steam at this event. Other popular groups and artists participating were Switchfoot, Underoath, Building 429, Norma Jean, Steven Curtis Chapman, Tammy Borden, Love & Death, Casting Crowns, and Disciple. 15,000 enthusiastic fans gathered to celebrate ecumenical unity through the sensual power of rock & roll. Participants could choose from three worship services, including a Catholic Mass led by Bishop David Ricken, who officially approves of the “Marian Apparitions” at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in northern Wisconsin. The apparition appeared to Adele Brise in 1859 and said, “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners,” plainly identifying itself as a demon, since the only Queen of Heaven mentioned in Scripture is an idolatrous goddess that was condemned by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 7:18). That Christian rock is intimately associated with such things is clear evidence of its apostasy. Peter Furler attends the charismatic Bethel World Outreach Center in Brentwood, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Pentecostal Every Nation Ministries. Peter Wagner lists Every Nation as part of the New Apostolic Reformation that seeks to restore the offices of prophet and apostle to the churches.”
__________________________________________________________________
A missed opportunity
Given the theme of this film, we began viewing with high anticipation for the potential that could have been, but as the film progressed, our expectations were doused. CMI has produced films, and are currently editing a new major documentary, so we empathize that filmmakers spend not only a lot of money to make a quality production, but it takes countless months of planning and development to make the final product as effective as possible. In this case, the filmmakers went out on a limb to address some of the most foundational questions that plague the minds of so many in our culture, but we are staggered at how poorly they answered them. It’s not as if there is not good information available, in fact, more than ever before. Yet they chose to not consult any good creation organizations for guidance on strong, up-to-date apologetic arguments. For example, CMI employs Ph.D. scientists around the world, from many different scientific disciplines, and we have focused on addressing these very issues for decades. In this arena, we, as well as other major creation organizations, have taken a firm stand on the Bible and how the scientific evidence supports the Bible’s historical account, so as you can imagine, we have constantly been challenged by the likes of opponents far more formidable than this film’s ‘Dr. Radisson’.

“When your faith is tested, can you explain what you believe?”

This phrase was taken directly from the film’s dedicated website, yet it aptly summarizes a major aspect of the mission of Creation Ministries International. You see, although Dr. Radisson’s blatant requirement to reject one’s faith in writing seems hard to believe in even today’s secular culture, the reality is that many Christian students are facing similar experiences to the one Josh faces in this film. In the case of a professor of biology at Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas, USA), the professor demonstrated his religious bigotry in public by denying his recommendation to any creationist student who would deny the ‘fact’ of evolution.
In another case, a college-aged CMI–US staff member told of her first biology class and that her professor told all the Christians to rethink taking his class because “It will destroy your faith.” Our speakers can also testify firsthand to the open hostility and rudeness of teachers on campuses all around the world.
Even outside of the university setting, whether it be TV programs, magazines, textbooks, documentaries, movies, etc., all everyone seems to hear is that evolution is a fact. So if so few believers are equipped with and boldly share a viable defense for the biblical worldview, is it any wonder that people might ultimately conclude that ‘science’ has proven that the Bible is just a bunch of stories, and thus, “God is dead”?
If anything, the plot of this film dramatizes the reality that our speakers are facing on the road. After one of our presentations in churches around the world, it is common for a parent to approach us with a pained look on their face, explaining how their children have abandoned the faith when they left their homes. However, while living under their parents roof, if children are equipped with a strong apologetic, specifically in the creation/evolution arena, the very area where the Bible is being attacked more than any other, then things are very different. Not only is their faith in God’s Word strengthened, but they become God’s vehicle, like the fictional Josh, boldly sharing their faith and truth with others—but with good solid information that can refute the skeptics.

Yup, God’s not dead!

1 Peter 3:15 commands all believers to “ … always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you … ”. Fulfilling the role of a ‘defender of the faith’ requires a little effort. So take action today and equip yourself and your family with the readily-available resources that will make a difference not only for your and your children’s future, but in their ability to confidently and boldly defend their faith and share the Gospel. The sidebar of this article links to our most foundational resources that will begin you and your family on the path to becoming a real, yet effective, ‘Josh’. While you are at it, find out how easy it is to invite a CMI speaker to your church so that believers in your community will be equipped to share the truth with their family, friends and coworkers.
Although we regrettably cannot recommend this movie, it highlighted to us that so much work needs to be done to equip believers and their families. To be blunt, if this were the best that Christians can come up with, we would be in serious trouble and it is likely we would not convince anyone of the truth. But the good news is you can get equipped with a biblical, scientific and effective apologetic that you can boldly use to impact your family, friends and community as you stand up for the truth and authority of God’s Word. Just don’t expect a ‘fictional’ movie to do it for you.”
________________________________________________________________
“‘God’s Not Dead’ Review: 
Perhaps, But Logic May Be”
EXCERPTS:
There’s some initial intrigue in the film’s premise, but the film quickly shifts and shapes into a sort of theological Crash, interspersing a series of tangentially connected subplots in which various people examine and evaluate their relationship with God. However, any grand illusions the viewer may have of finding substance here are immediately destroyed.
Dubious religious content aside, God’s Not Dead is, above all, a dismal piece of film making. The characters are written as vapid outlines masquerading as human beings. The camerawork is sophomoric – moving in and out of each scene with a type of slow motion effect employed in cheesy ’80s action films. The music, which jaggedly alternates between dramatic piano pieces and on the nose Christian rock, is only used to signify how we should think and feel at any particular moment.
___________________________________________________________________

“God’s Not Dead”: A Movie Review

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.
Kyle Butt, M.A.

SEE: 

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
“On March 21, 2014, the movie God’s Not Dead was released in 780 theaters across the country. Since then, more than 1,000 other theaters began showing the film, which grossed over $41 million in less than one month—pretty good for a movie with a budget of only $2 million (God’s Not Dead, 2014a).
Though many Christians and pro-Christian organizations around the country have been fairly complimentary of the film, general reviewers have not been so kind. RottenTomatoes.com rated the movie with one star, as only 15% of the Web site’s approved critics gave the movie a positive review (God’s Not Dead, 2014b). Although the Hollywood Reporter had a few positive things to say about the movie, in their “bottom line” they referred to it as a “simple-minded sermon” (Farber, 2014). Claudia Puig of USA Todayhas alleged that “the contrived premise of God’s Not Dead is anything but credible.” Puig dismissed the idea of a professor at a respected academic institution ever criticizing religion as “primitive superstition,” saying, “Even if a teacher believed this, it’s highly unlikely he would declare it to a class full of students” (2014, emp. added).
The fact of the matter is, belligerent criticism of theism and Christianity has been occurring on college campuses all over the country for years, and it is very appropriate for God’s Not Dead to raise awareness of such bullying from various intolerant, liberal professors. Sometime ago a gentleman, who had been a student at a well-known university in the southeastern United States, visited with us after one of our lectures and recounted how, at the beginning of one particular semester, a science professor asked students in the class to stand up if they believed in God. Seven individuals out of a fairly large class rose from their seats. The professor then went on to say that by the end of the semester not one of them would stand up when he asked that question. Sure enough, toward the end of the semester the professor posed the question again, “How many of you believe in God?” Only one student stood up. Several months later, another student from the same university confirmed that the same thing happened in one of her classes. There was obvious bullying and intimidation taking place. The often-overlooked fact is, theistic, creationist, and Christian-oriented students and professors are frequently the target of liberal, atheistic, and/or evolutionary professors and department heads (e.g., Kingkade, 2013; Bergman, 2008; Stein and Miller, 2008; see also Miller, 2011).
Perhaps the most powerful and pervasive message of God’s Not Dead is that any person who calls himself or herself a Christian must be willing to sacrifice everything for Christ. The hero of the movie, a young university freshman named Josh Wheaton, is willing to sacrifice his relationship with his fiancée, his university career, his future job, and his reputation to stand up for God’s existence. In a subplot, a young Muslim student is willing to sacrifice her family relationships for her belief in Christ. A freshman student from China is consistently urged by his father to stop thinking about “foolish” religious ideas and concentrate on his grades, but the young man refuses. And the girlfriend of the antagonistic atheistic professor breaks off their relationship because of her religious convictions.
This message of sacrifice is both biblical and extremely important in our increasingly self-centered society. Jesus said: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me…. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34,38). In all of our years as Christian apologists, we have seen countless “Christians” bowing to the secular standards of our day, afraid to stand for the truth of the Bible and God’s existence. We could recount stories of college freshmen too afraid of ruining their reputations or of getting a bad grade to stand up for their belief in God. We could tell of university professors who were so very concerned about tenure, their salary, or their teaching positions that they refused to speak or write about their faith in Christ because of the possible repercussions. How many school teachers have allowed their Christian influence to be silenced because they might lose their job? It truly is a shame to see the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and the complete dedication of His early followers who “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41), and then witness certain “Christians” today who will not even acknowledge in public that they believe in God or His Word. Any faithful Christian would have to say “Amen,” to the movie’s main message that following Jesus requires complete sacrifice to His Will.
Unfortunately, the main message of the movie is overshadowed at times by the failure of the movie to accurately apply it. For instance, although Josh, the hero, is to be commended for his study and some of the effective arguments he used in class, at times during his defense he affirms error. For example, he implies that the Big Bang is scientifically and biblically credible, and that God could have used evolution as the process by which all life (including humans) came into existence. Not only is the Big Bang an unscientific idea (May, et al., 2003a), it is an unbiblical idea as well (May, et al., 2003b; Lyons, 2003). Additionally, the idea that God directed the process of evolution to produce life is equally unbiblical and antiscientific (Houts, 2007), though it is very appealing to our secular culture. In their attempt to make belief in God more palatable (by not making Josh, what Screenit.com calls, “a simple-minded believer who thinks the Earth was created…in just under a week”—God’s Not Dead, 2014c), the producers of the film fail to stand courageously against the foolish theories of cosmic and biological evolution and stand unashamedly for the truthfulness of the biblical account of Creation.
Furthermore, the movie completely misrepresents how God has commanded people to be saved. The clearest example of this false teaching comes at the end of the movie. In a tragic accident, the atheistic professor is struck by a car and is about to die. It just so happens that a denominational minister is on the scene. The minister begs the atheistic professor to call on the Lord, say a version of the “sinner’s prayer,” and receive Jesus into his heart. Yet such teaching is never found in the Bible (Lyons, 2004; Jackson, 2014). God requires faithful obedience to the Gospel plan of salvation in order to receive the gift of salvation (Lyons and Butt). Paul informed the Thessalonians that at the end of time Jesus Christ will be revealed from heaven “with His Mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, emp. added). What the atheistic professor did in the movie to be “saved” is not what the New Testament means when it says to “obey the Gospel” (cf. Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 7:21). Thus, in the very process of claiming to teach that people should be willing to sacrifice everything for Christ, the movie producers failed to heed their own message. Not only must we be willing to sacrifice our reputations, careers, and families, we must be willing to sacrifice any manmade doctrine that is not taught in Scripture. We must be willing to leave any group or teaching, even if it goes by the name “Christian,” if and when we find it does not correspond to God’s will found in the New Testament.
Overall, we believe that God’s Not Dead effectively highlights a serious problem in universities across the United States—showing some of the challenges that many Christian students face. We also believe that Christians should take to heart the overall message of the movie: the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Christ and the cross. We would greatly caution viewers, however, to understand that the producer’s application of the theme is occasionally lacking. Yes, the movie’s approach to a defense of God’s existence is rational and biblical at times, but then at other times it is both biblically and scientifically unsound. What’s more, the film’s presentation of how God has instructed people to become Christians is at odds with the Bible. We all need to be reminded of the importance of sacrificing everything for Christ, including compromises with the world and any long-held false religious ideas.”

REFERENCES

Bergman, Jerry (2008), Slaughter of the Dissidents: The Shocking Truth about Killing the Careers of Darwin Doubters (Southworth, WA: Leafcutter Press).
Farber, Stephen (2014), “God’s Not Dead: Film Review,” The Hollywood Reporter,http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/gods-not-dead-film-review-690393.
God’s Not Dead (2014a), Box Office Mojo, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=godsnotdead.htm.
God’s Not Dead (2014b), Rotten Tomatoes,http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead/#contentReviews.
God’s Not Dead (2014c), Screen It,http://www.screenit.com/ourtake/2014/gods_not_dead.html.
Houts, Michael (2007), “Evolution is Religion—Not Science [Part 1],”http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=97&article=2299.
Jackson, Wayne (2014), “The Sinner’s Prayer—Is it Biblical?”https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/368-sinners-prayer-is-it-biblical-the.
Kingkade, Tyler (2013), “Deandre Poole Keeps FAU Job After ‘Stomp on Jesus’ Controversy,”Huffington Post, June 24, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/deandre-poole-fau-stomp-on-jesus_n_3490263.html.
Lyons, Eric (2003), “Man Has Been on Earth Since…,”https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=538&topic=56.
Lyons, Eric (2004), “Calling on the Name of the Lord,”http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=775&topic=379.
Lyons, Eric and Kyle Butt (n.d.), Receiving the Gift of Salvation,http://www.apologeticspress.org/pdfs/e-books_pdf/Receiving%20the%20Gift%20of%20Salvation.pdf.
May, Branyon, Bert Thompson, and Brad Harrub (2003a), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique,” https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1453&topic=57.
May, Branyon, Bert Thompson, and Brad Harrub (2003b), “The Big Bang Theory—A Biblical Critique,” http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=12&article=56.
Miller, Jeff (2011), “Expelled—Again,” https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=3655.
Puig, Claudia (2014), “In ‘God’s Not Dead,’ Message is Lost Amid Melodrama,” USA Today, April 8, http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/04/08/review-gods-not-dead/7457995/.
Stein, Ben and Kevin Miller (2008), Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Premise Media).
__________________________________________________________________






LILA ROSE LIVE ACTION VIDEOS EXPOSE PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S TEACHING PERVERTED SEX PRACTICES TO CHILDREN

WARNING: NOT FOR CHILDREN

SEXED: Dangerous Sex Advice for Kids (Episode 1):

Published on Jun 11, 2014


What does Planned Parenthood teach kids about torture sex and other dangerous sexual practices?
In Episode 1, Live Action goes undercover in a Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis, IN. 


SEXED: Dangerous Sex Advice for Kids (Episode 2):


Published on Jul 15, 2014


A Planned Parenthood employee advises an undercover investigator, posing as a 15-year-old girl, on how to experiment with sexual bondage/sadomasochism, including gagging, whipping, defecation, emulating pornography, and going to sex stores to “get educated.” Footage was obtained by Live Action at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Littleton and Lakewood, Colorado. 


SEXED: Dangerous Sex Advice for Kids (Episode 3):

Published on Jul 23, 2014



A Planned Parenthood employee instructs an undercover investigator, posing as a 15-year-old girl, on the different ways to practice kinky sex. The worker suggests activities including being hit, whipped, or tied to a tree, role-playing “the baby thing” with her partner, using handcuffs, and encourages her that porn can be “educational”. Footage was obtained by Live Action at a Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette facility in Portland, Oregon.


Abortionists’ $Millions to Buy Texas Governorship

As the majority of all abortion clinics close in Texas because of recent pro-life legislation, Planned Parenthood has made a business decision to invest at least $3 million in an effort to purchase the governorship for Democrat candidate Wendy Davis who has promised to increase business for the abortion industry in order to meet budgeted quotas.

“While the murder of any unborn child is appalling, even more criminal is the establishment of a target to kill over 1,100 innocent Texas children in order to meet financial targets.”
— Congressman Bill Flores (R-TX)

______________________________________________________________________________

ALSO SEE:

Planned Parenthood Hoping to Buy Texas Governorship, Other Key State Races

CECILE RICHARDS,
PRESIDENT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD
EXCERPT:
“In an apparent effort to defend its gruesome (and failing) business interests in the state, abortion giant Planned Parenthood announced that it will spend $3 million to try to buy the Texas governorship and other key offices for pro-abortion Democrat candidates in the 2014 elections. At the head of line for some of the bloody millions is pro-abortion gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, who is up against Republican, pro-life opponent Greg Abbott, currently the state’s attorney general.”
_____________________________________________________________

TONY MIANO STREET EVANGELIST 

WITH CHURCH LEADERS


Father’s Day Abortuary Event at Tempe (AZ) Planned Parenthood:

Published on Jul 24, 2014

Led by Rob-roy Nelson of Grace Covenant Church, in Gilbert, AZ, more than 50 Christians, mostly men, pleaded with parents not to murder their children outside the Planned Parenthood in Tempe.
This video provides an overview of the event, as well as a plea for Christians to get involved.


“Happy Father’s Day!”: Tempe Planned Parenthood:


Published on Jul 20, 2014

On Saturday, June 14, 2014, Tony joined some 40 other men outside the Planned Parenthood abortuary in Tempe, AZ, to please with mothers and fathers not to murder their children. This video is a segment of one of Tony’s open-air messages during which he focuses his attention on a man sitting in his truck while the woman he brought to the abortuary murders his son or daughter.


Preaching at the Tempe Planned Parenthood:

Published on Apr 19, 2014

This video was filmed and produced by director, cinematographer, and photographer Matt De Jesus (matt@filmandvideo.com).
Tony and Matt joined Pastor Jeff Durbin and his team from Apologia Church (http://www.apologiachurch.com/) outside the Planned Murderhood abortuary in Tempe, AZ.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Police Watch Idly as Business Owner 

Steals Pro-Life Signs from Public Sidewalk:

EXCERPTS:
“JACKSON, Miss. – Police in Mississippi watched idly this week as a business owner stole pro-life signs that were displayed on the public sidewalk during an awareness outreach, according to video footage from a Christian ministry.
As previously reported, numerous Christians have been arrested and charged while conducting peaceful outreach outside of Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Cal Zastrow, a missionary who often reaches out to pregnant mothers at the facility, was arrested twice last year—in one instance for allowing the sign he was holding to touch the ground, and in another instance for sitting on a stepladder on the sidewalk. A police officer also confiscated one of his signs as he stood on the public sidewalk.”












JEFF PINDER’S FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH EPIC FAILURE: “GOD’S NOT DEAD” MOVIE A TRASHY & POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR BIBLE APOLOGETICS & OUTREACH

“God’s Not Dead”
A Hypocritical Appeal To 
Man’s Reason, Not Scripture;
Teaches False Gospel, False Doctrines,
False Quick Prayer Salvation,
False “Big Bang Theory” of Creation,
False Theistic Evolution,
Ecumenism with Catholic Church

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” Luke 4:12, (ESV)
ROMANS 1:18-25-
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
_____________________________________________________________________________
MARTIN LUTHER: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.” 
____________________________________________________________________
“We must be willing to leave any group or teaching, even if it goes by the name “Christian,” if and when we find it does not correspond to God’s will found in the New Testament.” 
UNIVERSALISM:
POP PSYCHOLOGY:
FEELINGS BASED, NOT SCRIPTURAL BELIEFS:
CATHOLIC PERCEPTION OF UNIVERSALISM 
& LIBERAL COLLECTIVIST POLITICS
EPIC FAILURE ON MULTIPLE LEVELS
JEFF PINDER’S FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 
THINKS IT CAN ATTRACT THE UNSAVED 
AND BRING THEM TO CHRIST 
USING LOW RATED “CHRISTIAN” CINEMA FOLLOWING A “COOK OUT”

We have previously shown on this blog all the gimmicks that Faith Baptist Church has been desperately trying to foist on its members to get its attendance and cash flow up. This is the latest example of one more of its unbiblical and ineffectual approaches to “get people saved” wherein the “end justifies the means”, even if that means drawing on the input of gays, apostates, heretics, and Catholics for wisdom and direction. Pinder, after all, did announce that “church is not for believers”, substituting a twisted form of “servant evangelism” which unfortunately suppresses and/or disguises the real gospel.
    So now we present our analysis of what intelligent, discerning, and professional commentators are saying about the movie “God’s Not Dead” which will be shown at Faith Baptist on August 10 and 24, 2014, with a cook out and “outreach opportunity” added on August 24. These commentators are both “Christians” and secular. So a broad enough picture will be painted to demonstrate the gross lack of discernment, care, foresight, biblical knowledge, apologetics, understanding, intelligence and sensitivity towards the unregenerate world that is rampant throughout this amateurishly produced and directed movie. 
    However, a warning here. 
    Faith Baptist Church is only one example of the sizable portion of the Christian community at large that has gushed over this D and F rated juvenile production, and in their willing ignorance believe that we should all sit through this garbage in the remote hope that at least someone may be saved by and through its less than biblical message and unbelievable, unlikely, improbable plot(s). 
    The theory being, for the likes of Pinder, Faith Baptist, and other emergent types that the dumber the presentation (Common Core style), the easier it is for the world’s kind to understand, appreciate and relate to. Not so with this “Christian” insulting, condescending propaganda piece, which for those millions of secular humanists, atheists, former church attenders, and/or adherents to apostate and pagan religions, is nothing more than a ludicrous, laughable reason to stay in their current unregenerate state. Even the most uneducated among these can appreciate its offensive, incoherent messages, which carefully and meticulously avoids man’s sin nature.
    Unfortunately for the emergent types, omitting the Word of God and biblical apologetics regarding the existence of God and creation is compromising, to say the least, not making a clear stand for Christian beliefs. This movie provides plenty of excuses for the church to back away from biblical truths for expediency, and at the same time an excuse for those unsaved to remain so. 
    This kind of “servant evangelism” is nothing of the sort. It is an unacceptable and inexcusable abuse/misuse of church resources and ministry. Most of all it is an insult to God.
_______________________________________________________
Faith Baptist Church Bulletin Announcement of Movie located here:
_________________________________________________
Lifeway Publishing (Southern Baptist) Promotion:
_________________________________________________

VIDEO: God’s Not Dead Excellent 

Negative Review 1 Out of 5 Stars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfH5qRdTtGY
__________________________________________________________
“God’s Not Dead… but Christian Films are on Life Support”
by Debbie Holloway, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
SEE: http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/movies/gods-not-dead-movie-review.html?ps=0; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Family
Run Time: 112 min.
Director: Harold Cronk
Cast: Willie & Korie Robertson, Kevin Sorbo, David A.R. White, Shane Harper, The Newsboys

As unfortunate as it may be to admit, “Christian movies” have something of a track record.
Often the purpose of the filmmaker is clear, if not bluntly stated: to win souls, bolster the faith of believers, or even simply to get the name of Jesus to a theater near you. All too often, however, these well-meaning Christian films are marked by substandard acting, careless plot-holes, and contrived situations. Christian audiences flock to see such films, forgiving shortcomings and encouraging friends and family to support the Christian film industry by going out to see it and talking it up on Facebook.
And yes, the end result of proclaiming the Gospel is a worthy one. After all, who knows what soul may be touched by the story presented? If even one person comes to seek Christ in a deeper way, many argue, the film has been worth it – no matter how poorly made or artistically subpar.
But this artist and critic has begun to wonder, is the end truly justifying the means?
I would love to say that PureFlix Entertainment’s God’s Not Dead accomplishes its goals through strong storytelling, a clever script, and well-rounded, well-acted characters, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Though this Christian-celebrity-cameo-filled affair tries to make a profound statement about bold faith, it falls prey to several predictable blunders.
The film begins harmlessly enough, with an opening montage that introduces several unconnected characters, the most prominent being a freshmen couple at a college campus preparing to begin their foray into the world of university academics. Kara (Cassidy Gifford) is excited about their future; she and Josh have been a couple for six years, and she seems to have the next 60 planned out too. Josh (an underwhelming, brooding Shane Harper) is more laid back, and is thrown a curve ball on his first day of Philosophy class. This kind, Newsboys-loving, Christian teen has landed in the classroom of a militant atheist professor, one who wastes no time in proclaiming to his class of freshmen, “God is dead.”
In an attempt to bypass conventional philosophical debate over the existence of God, Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) passes out blank pieces of paper to his classroom and instructs them all to write “God is dead” and sign their names. Josh, obviously, falters under this directive, and explains to his professor that, as a Christian, he cannot sign such a statement. The aggressive, controlling Radisson insists that if Josh won’t do it, he has three chances to prove God’s existence to the classroom or risk a failing grade. Josh accepts the challenge, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, and the story sets off from there.
The earnest young Christian standing up for his faith is a plot Christian audiences will relate to. After all, we live in an age of plurality and political correctness where lawsuits abound and there’s a lot of negativity associated with Christianity. The film comes across as self-satisfied, however, in a way that would likely feel polarizing and incomplete to a non-believer. Regrettably, most moments of poignancy and nobility this film can claim are overshadowed by this simplicity and a few other major flaws.
One such example is that the film gives an underly-dynamic presentation of its characters. Every non-Christian character in the film is amoral, disrespectful, and vicious. One wonders: do the script writers view all non-Christians as being incapable of the barest common decency? Alternately, every Christian character somehow ends up at the same Newsboys concert at the end of the film. Is this because these filmmakers think all Christians go to the same Christian concerts in this manner, or is it simply a lazy way for writers to further the story for their own purposes? And why must every sad and sobering moment in movies take place in the rain?
With these tropes and unrealistic scenarios, it’s difficult to take much of the film seriously. But even the predictable plot and one-dimensional characters would be salvageable if only the characters would behave and speak in ways that make sense – in ways that people in real life behave and speak. Unfortunately, this crucial element is sorely lacking from God’s Not Dead.
For example, when a young liberal reporter (a caricature of a role played by Trisha LaFache) accosts Willie and Korie Robertson (playing themselves), the scene is cartoon-like. She wields her recording device in a clenched hand and a nearly hyper-flexed arm straight toward the friendly couple, as if she’s afraid to get too close and catch what they’ve got. When they graciously agree to an impromptu interview, she begins with a snide jab at Korie, saying she’s “surprised to see her” (even though the family is clearly just walking into church) and that she would have expected Korie would be at home “barefoot and pregnant.”
The list goes on and on. Couples break up in public places with bizarre, stilted dialogue. When a woman is told she has cancer by her doctor, her immediate response is “I don’t have time to have cancer. I’m too busy.” Two men about to embark on a 12-hour road trip are unable to start their car, so they call for a rental car (which doesn’t come ‘til the end of the day), and then when the rental is a dud… they decide to wait til the next morning for another rental (somehow, none of the adult men involved thinks to have the car towed to a mechanic and simply have the battery replaced). Logic is sacrificed again and again for the sake of moving the plot forward. But because everyone’s dialogue and actions are so devoid of coherence, the plot feels forced. Many scenes that should be touching, or moments that should evoke empathy, leave you scratching your head, wondering, “Why did that just happen?”
Yes, God’s Not Dead will make you feel supported, possibly even inspired. You’ll get to see Willie Robertson and Michael Tait wax poetic on their love for Jesus Christ. You’ll get to see a dozen different characters turn their lives toward Christ (if you can manage to keep them all straight enough to care deeply about any of them).
But is it really worth it? Is this pat-on-the-back type of inspiration worth the inevitable dismissal by non-Christians for its cheesy script and manufactured plot? Is it a “necessary evil” to support such lackluster films for the cause of Christ? Do the noble ends justify the means to get there? Perhaps more importantly, is it even possible for movies about God to simultaneously be movies that are good art?
Yes. It’s been done many times. Movies like The Prince of Egypt and The Tree of Life come to mind as two of the most well-crafted, star-studded, magnificent films in recent years which also happen to be incredible stories of faith.
At the end of God’s Not Dead, viewers are encouraged to send a text message to everyone in their contact list proclaiming “God’s Not Dead.” You can do this, if you think it will spread the love and message of Christ to your friends and family. If, however, you live in a more nuanced reality, one where actions and conversations and relationships with real people take time and patience to grow, maybe you’ll pray for them instead. Maybe you’ll send a text to just one person saying “I’m thinking of you, let me know if you ever need anything.”
Or maybe you’re an artist, and you’re just waiting for the right time to unleash your creativity and passion in a way that will not only point to God, but will be thoughtful, well-crafted, and carried by a story that connects to the human heart.
After all, our God is alive – and the ultimate artist. Doesn’t he deserve thoughtful, worthy art attached to his name more than just an on-screen-tract?
CAUTIONS (may contain spoilers):

  • Drugs/Alcohol: People are shown drinking wine
  • Language/Profanity: None
  • Sex/Nudity: None
  • Violence: A man is shown being hit by a car and killed; a young woman is slapped across the face by her father

Debbie Holloway is the Family Life Editor for Crosswalk.com.
Publication date: March 21, 2014
_________________________________________________________________________

“God’s Not Dead is a mess even by Christian film standards” (Rated “D-“)

EXCERPT:
“Even by the rather lax standards of the Christian film industry, God’s Not Dead is a disaster. It’s an uninspired amble past a variety of Christian-email-forward boogeymen that feels far too long at just 113 minutes. Resembling a megachurch more than a movie, it’s been designed not to convey any particular message, but to reinforce the stereotypes its chosen audience already holds. It weirdly fetishizes persecution, and many of its story decisions—like randomly tossing in Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson or concluding on an endless concert from popular Christian rock group Newsboys—seem designed to simply get butts in seats. To say God’s Not Dead preaches to the choir would be an understatement. It’s the pastor, staring in a mirror, preaching to himself.”
________________________________________________________________

God’s Not Dead Movie Review by Answers in Genesis:

EXCERPTS:
“In the first debate, Wheaton boldly declares to his classmates, “We’re going to put God on trial!” Think about that for a moment. A college freshman is going to place a group of teenagers who are willing to sign away their souls to please a philosophy professor they don’t even know as judge and jury over the omnipotent Creator God of the universe.
Wheaton could have agreed to the debate and used the Word of God as his foundation, as Jesus did in the wilderness temptation, but he chose to appeal to reason—the reason of fallen men and women whose minds are blinded by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:1–6). What’s more, as the debates play out, Wheaton uses a quote from Lee Strobel about the evolution of living things through the ages and a quote from the Roman Catholic astronomer Georges Lemaitre describing how the big bang corresponds to “let there be light” in Genesis 1:3 as his evidence for God’s existence. Rather than looking to God’s Word and character, the ideas of men developed a relatively short time ago form the basis for the case for God’s existence. Man’s words were elevated above God’s Word.2
In some instances, they may be unaware of the fact that this movie uses the big bang and the alleged evidence for the evolution of life on earth as major “proofs” of God’s existence. In other instances, the Christians endorsing the movie are happy to accept the big bang and biological evolution as proof of God’s work in the universe. In fact, the number of Christians insisting on that explanation is growing rapidly, and this film may serve to cause an inflation in those numbers. Regardless, this movie may cause people to think about God, but it will lead them away from the foundational truths of Genesis because of its unbiblical foundation. If this movie tells its viewers that they can’t trust Genesis as straightforward and foundational history, why then would they trust the rest of the Bible—including their need for a Savior—built on that shaky foundation?”
______________________________________________
RELATED: Georges Lemaitre-SEE: 
17 July 1894 – 20 June 1966) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priestastronomer and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Leuven. He was the first known academic to propose the theory of the expansion of the Universe, widely misattributed to Edwin Hubble. He was also the first to derive what is now known as Hubble’s law and made the first estimation of what is now called the Hubble constant, which he published in 1927, two years before Hubble’s article. Lemaître also proposed what became known as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the Universe, which he called his ‘hypothesis of theprimeval atom or the “Cosmic Egg”‘. By 1951, Pope Pius XII declared that Lemaître’s theory provided a scientific validation for existence of God and Catholicism.
___________________________
“Veritas Seminary Conference Teacher, Lee Strobel, a “Supporter” of Son’s Heavily Contemplative Ministry”; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
“Lee Strobel is one of the most well-read Christian authors today. He is also one of the conference speaking teachers for Veritas Evangelical Seminary (co-founder Norm Geisler *see bottom of post), which is located on the Calvary Chapel Bible College grounds in California. Strobel is also a strong supporter of his son’s (Kyle Strobel) very contemplative ministry called Metamorpha. On the Metamorpha website, Lee Strobel is listed as a “supporter” of Metamorpha. Strobel’s public support of Metamorpha will bring much attention to Kyle’s ministry and in turn pointing many unsuspecting people toward contemplative spirituality. Certainly having his father listed as a “supporter” will give much credibility in the eyes of many Christians to Kyle Strobel’s work. Incidentally, also on the Metamorpha site, it lists InterVarsity Press as a “sponsor” of Metamorpha, and Biola’s Institute of Spiritual Formation is named as a “partner.” To give even more recognition to his son’s organization, Lee Strobel mentions Metamorpha, the book by his son, on his own website
Kyle Strobel grew up at Willow Creek Church and later studied at Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, where he received 2 Masters Degrees. Today, he is helping to pave the contemplative way by touting the works and practices of mystics, contemplatives, and emergents. Metamorphais called “an online community for Christian spiritual formation” and lists several contemplative practices, including repetitive prayers, lectio divina, and Ignatian exercises. Recommended books on the site are a who’s who of contemplative prayer proponents such as Dallas Willard, Thomas Merton, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Adele Calhoun, Thomas Kelly, and several others.
In an article on Metamorpha, specific instruction for Ignatian exercises (named after St. Ignatius of Loyola) is given. In the Metamorpha article, it says that the “imagination is key in Ignatian prayer…. Ignatian meditation involves several key spiritual disciplines: lectio divina, Ignatian contemplation, reminiscence, and the examination of consciousness (notice: not conscience).”
A video on Metamorpha by Richard Foster titled “What role do the ancient Christians play in life of believers today?” is quite revealing. Foster lists several ancient mystics as those we should turn to for spiritual direction. One he named is Jean Pierre de Caussade (from the 1700s), a mystic and the author of Abandonment to Divine Providence. Foster also names panentheist Thomas Kelly who Foster quotes in one of his books as saying there is a divine center in every person (see Streams of Living Water). Foster also tells readers to practice meditation exercises such as lectio divina.
There is no question that Kyle Strobel is following the contemplative path. He resonates with numerous mystics whom Lighthouse Trails has critiqued in the past, as well as emergents like Leonard Sweet and Dan Kimball. It is hard to know whether his interest for the mystical began at Willow Creek or Biola – both promote it. But in his book, Metamorpha Kyle gives credit to Biola professor and contemplative advocate John Coe for helping him come to his present spiritual understanding (see footnote section of Metamorpha where Coe is mentioned several times for his contribution in Kyle’s life). Coe is the founder of Biola’s Institute of Spiritual Formation where contemplative prayer is openly promoted.
One of the mystics Kyle recommends is Thomas Merton. The following three quotes are very indicative of Merton’s spiritual affinities and should not be ignored:
“I’m deeply impregnated with Sufism.” Thomas Merton, The Springs of Contemplation, p. 266
“And I believe that by openness to Buddhism, to Hinduism, and to these great Asian traditions, we stand a wonderful chance of learning more about the potentiality of our own traditions, because they have gone, from the natural point of view, so much deeper into this than we have.” Quote by Merton from the book, Lost Christianity by Jacob Needleman
“Isn’t it a pity that people are going into LSD to have spiritual experiences, when we have a tradition in the Church [contemplative prayer] which no one knows anything about?” Read the Interview in which Matthew Fox quoted Merton.
In 2009, Relevant magazine asked Kyle to name ten books he believes “all Christians should read.” Two of them are written by Henri Nouwen (who Kyle calls a “prophet”), one by Brother Lawrence, and one by Thomas a’ Kempis – all three had mystical propensities. He also includes Karl Barth in his list of “should read” books, calling Barth (who rejected biblical inerrancy) ” the most important modern theologian.”
Conversations Journal is also named on the Metamorpha website, as a “partner”.Conversations Journal offers articles by some of the most blatant eastern-style mysticism teachers including Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, Basil Pennington, and Tilden Edwards. It was Tilden Edwards who said: “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality” (Spiritual Friend, p. 18), and Basil Pennington who said:
We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and capture it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible … Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices. (Finding Grace at the Center , pp. 5-6, Keating/Pennington, from A Time of Departing)
It seems a paradox that Lee Strobel is a “supporter” of an extremely contemplative ministry and yet also a speaker for conferences at Veritas Evangelical Seminary, which carries a statement on its website that states  it rejects contemplative spirituality. How can this be so? If Lee Strobel supports contemplative spirituality, why is he teaching students on the Calvary Chapel campus at Veritas? Both Veritas and Calvary Chapel have made statements in the past that they reject contemplative mystical spirituality. But by including a contemplative  supporter for teaching, doesn’t that neutralize those previous statements, and doesn’t it further confuse matters for the body of Christ?”

Lee Strobel, while a pastor on the staff of church growth guru Bill Hybels‘ Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois (he is now a pastor at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Valley Community Church), authored a number of heretical books, one being a 1993 book titled Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary: How to Reach Friends and Family Who Avoid God and the Church. The book is endorsed in its Foreword by Bill Hybels, and on the jacket is endorsed/recommended by thirteen even more neo-evangelical psychologizers, including Max LucadoTony CampoloHoward HendricksStuart Briscoe, C. Peter Wagner, Joseph Stowell, Elmer Towns, Bill Bright, and Gary Collins. In this book, Strobel makes it clear that he was drawn to Hybels’ church, not by the message of truth, but by the music of the world. After he found himself comfortable with the music and modern style of worship, he simply reasoned his way to a conversion experience. Strobel is completely geared to a needs based religion. His purpose is to meet man’s needs, based on his own perception, rather than honoring man’s obligation to worship and glorify God. Strobel’s purpose is to find out what works, and not to find out what is Biblical. His purpose is to please lost, unregenerate men, and not to please God. To read Strobel’s book (and by nature of endorsement, Max Lucado’s thoughts also) you come up with the idea that the problem with people is that they are simply unchurched. To the contrary, they need to be seen as lost and in need of a Savior. (Source: 1/96, Plains Baptist Challenger, pp. 5-7.)

_________________________________________________________________________

God’s Not Dead movie review

A ‘feel-good’ movie that sadly did not make us feel good at all!

SEE: http://creation.com/gods-not-dead-review; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

“Today, Christianity is under attack more than ever. Christians with a biblical worldview seem to be the ‘underdogs’ in the university, culture, and media. So when a film affirms a Christian worldview in any sense, it’s hard not to be excited. When we viewed the trailer forGod’s Not Dead, we hoped that it would be an example of how to argue for one’s faith in the university, as the stats show that this is one area where young Christians struggle and even lose their faith.
God’s Not Dead does not completely meet the stereotypes people assume about Christian movies being the lowest quality. Indeed, the production quality was good for a Christian themed movie, and we would have dearly liked to give this feature film our endorsement. Unfortunately, the content of the film has many problematic areas, so it is with a heavy heart that we feel we need to clearly report our concerns. Christians need to be aware of the problem areas, so if they do decide to view the movie, they can do so with discernment.
There are multiple subplots in the movie which are all introduced in its first few minutes, but not developed immediately, and it seems to take a while before the details emerge allowing the viewer a chance to catch up. However, the main story is that Josh, a college freshman, is taking an Introduction to Philosophy class from an infamously atheistic professor, Dr. Radisson (played by Kevin Sorbo who is known for his role on the TV show Hercules, among other roles). The very first class, the professor stands up and gives a short discourse about the virtues and intellectual superiority of atheism. He then gives the class their first assignment. He passes out blank papers, and demands that each student write “God is dead” and sign their names in order to get a passing grade. Josh refuses, so the professor forces him to take an alternate assignment; Josh will be given time in the next three lectures to prove the existence of God. If the students in his class are convinced, he passes the assignment. If not, he fails the semester, and thus his chances at a prestigious law degree.

Weak apologetic arguments due to compromise

This is where we anticipated the movie could have made its major ‘equipping’ contribution, but unfortunately, each of the points Josh tries to put forward to prove God’s existence are arguments that atheists would easily refute. In the first session, Josh equates the big bang to what we would expect if God spoke the universe into existence. Of course, CMI has long demonstrated how the big problem with the big bang theory is that it is supposed to have happened billions of years ago. With the sun allegedly appearing millions of years before the earth, for example, it stands in complete opposition to the very creation passages in Genesis which Josh is supposed to be defending. He even affirms an age of the universe of billions of years, which clearly stands contrary to the biblical account. To be fair, he does give a good answer to “Who created God?”, which is perhaps the only solid apologetic in this section.
In the second section, Josh talks about the problems of life coming from non-life, but then implies that God could be behind the seemingly-random process of evolution. But an informed atheist could respond that evolution is a wasteful, cruel process; why would anyone worship God if He used a cruel wasteful evolutionary process? Perhaps the producers have not realized that most atheistic evolutionists don’t really respect Christians who believe in evolution. Just ask the ‘high priest’ of atheistic evolution, Professor Richard Dawkins, who once said that theological attempts to marry the Bible and evolution are “seriously deluded.” In this sense, who is the movie trying to win over?
In the third and final lecture, Josh tackles the problem of evil by saying that it is a necessary consequence of free will. But the very biblical creation account Josh claims to be defending is clear that evil is a consequence of sin, not a necessary companion to free will.

Spoiler alert

These weak arguments are presented as overtly intimidating to the ‘infamously stout’ atheist professor and predictably, the stereotypical triumph of Josh’s arguments over the confounded professor leads to what seems to be the dramatic conversion of the entire class. This is not a realistic scenario. Given these somewhat basic and flawed arguments, they would not be at all convincing to an informed opponent, and no atheist of Professor Radisson’s supposed caliber would be unfamiliar with them. The danger we fear is that hapless college students may take these weak arguments, try to use them, and get shot down. Instead of concluding that there is something wrong with the arguments, they could think that Christianity is false, and it would damage their faith.

Paper-thin subplots

There are countless sub-plots, and each takes every available chance to unfortunately stereotype, almost to the point of offensiveness, every people group represented. First: the atheists are portrayed as being one-dimensional and evil. The journalist character is career-driven and rude; ambushing her Christian interview subjects (Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson and his wife Korie in one encounter, and the band Newsboys, in another) to ask them offensive questions. For example, she asks, “Why aren’t you barefoot and pregnant?” in the first interview.
A businessman is portrayed as the most self-centered and callous person imaginable. He does not visit his mother because she is suffering from dementia, and he breaks up with his girlfriend when she reveals she is suffering from a fatal cancer, accusing her of “changing our agreement … breaking our deal.”
But the journalist and the businessman are nothing compared to Professor Radisson, who is possibly the most self-centered narcissist you would ever meet. He is a tyrant in the classroom and in his personal life. He mocks and threatens his students, and publicly humiliates his girlfriend. His militant atheism and hatred of God is driven by the death of his Christian mother from cancer, and perhaps the only moment when he seems like a plausible human being is when he is reading a loving letter from his mother, written shortly before her death.
The strict Muslim family is stereotypically portrayed as well, but with critical errors. First, the daughter is required to wear a scarf covering the lower half of her face, but inexplicably is allowed to wear a low-cut, short-sleeved shirt. And she is shown listening to music on an iPod, but strict Muslims also believe that music is ungodly, and they do not allow it. The father, when he finds out his daughter is no longer a Muslim, beats her and physically throws her out of the house and onto the streets weeping.
A Chinese student’s father shows no interest in his son’s life, and when he starts talking about God, his father’s angry reply is to be careful because ‘someone’ might be listening, and it could jeopardize his brother’s chances of studying at a foreign university.
These character portrayals of atheists and other religions will generally be found to be unbelievable by viewers, whether Christian or not. And worse still, for a professing Christian movie to portray them so unreasonably is very uncharitable. Weaker brethren may even find these portrayals believable and if so, it will do nothing to engender Christian love to those who are outside of Christ. We (Christians) do not like to be caricatured in this way, and certainly believers should apply the admonition to “do unto others”.

Real Christians?

But the Christians are perhaps the most stereotyped of all. Josh’s girlfriend promptly breaks up with him the moment he shows some backbone (just after celebrating their 6-year anniversary, which means they would have been dating since the age of 12). The professor’s ‘Christian’ girlfriend, whom he started dating while she was a student in his class, stays with the most unlikable guy in the entire movie for some inexplicable reason until she has one shallow conversation with the pastor.
An American pastor and an African missionary are both caricatured. The pastor is lukewarm and dissatisfied (until called on to assist in the deathbed conversion of one of the major characters). And the African missionary is there to contrast by smiling in the face of minor inconveniences and exhibit faith that God will allow a car to start. Neither is developed enough to allow their faith to be more than one-dimensional. Most pastors would not be flattered by such a depiction.
There are cameo appearances of members of the now-popular Duck Dynasty cast, and ‘product placement’ for the Christian band Newsboys throughout the film. And all the major characters inexplicably converge at a Newsboys concert at the film’s climax.
_________________________________________________________________
“Directory of Contemporary Christian Musicians”:
NEWSBOYS
The Newsboys’ music “has run the gamut from punkish rock to a turn at rap and Euro-favored techno pop.” Their fourth album, Not Ashamed (1992), sold 400,000 and received a Grammy nomination. Formed in the early 1980s in Australia, the Newsboys were “infuenced by everyone from the Police, Cure, and Rolling Stones to Keith Green and Jimmy Swaggart” (Jesus Rocks the World: Te Defnitive History of Contemporary Christian Music, vol. 2, p. 101). The original members were John James, Peter Furler, Corey Pryor, and Sean Taylor. “Initially they played for the rowdy patrons of the local clubs and pubs, who threw beer bottles at them if they didn’t meet their standards” (Jesus Rocks the World, vol. 2, p 100). In 1990 they signed with the Christian label Star Song, and in 1996 they signed with the secular label Virgin Records, which also produces for the Rolling Stones. From 1991 to 1996 their albums were produced by Steve Taylor. In a 1996 interview Peter Furler said: “Our first three or four records weren’t very deep, but neither was our experience in the faith” (CCM Magazine, February 1996). The 1998 album, Step Up to the Microphone, was promoted both in Christian (via Star Song) and in secular markets. The latter was done through Virgin Records. Danny Goodwin, Vice President of A&R for Virgin, describes their philosophy of music: “Our position is, whether these artists are Christians, Jews, Moslems, black, white, Albanian or whatever, they’re making great music. And that’s what Virgin does—we’re in the market to sell what we call quality music to the largest number of people we can” (CCM Magazine, August 1998, p. 25). Many CCM musicians are comfortable working hand in hand with people who produce and distribute the vilest rock and roll, whereas the Bible says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17). Newsboys concerts feature many of the same things found at secular rock concerts: sensual dancing, moshing, stage diving, crowd surfing. There have been numerous accidents relating directly or indirectly to moshing at their concerts (“To Mosh or Not to Mosh,” CCM Magazine, February 1996). Newsboys founding member Pete Furler loves the writings of Frederick Buechner, a neo-orthodox theologian and writer who was trained at the ultra liberal Union Teological Seminary under heretics such as Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich, who rejected Christ’s divinity, virgin birth, and bodily resurrection. Tillich called the Christmas story a “legend” in the December 1977 issue of The Lutheran. Buechner was “inspired to ordination” by George Buttrick while attending Buttrick’s Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. In his book The Christian Fact and Modern Doubt, Buttrick wrote: “Literal infallibility of Scripture is a fortress impossible to defend. … In retrospect it seems incredible that the theory of literal inspiration could have ever been held” (pp. 162, 167). Literal inspiration is not a theory; it is a doctrine taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, who said “the Scripture cannot be broken” (Jn. 10:35). In 1997 Newsboys’ Phil Joel joined Roman Catholic Kathy Troccoli and 40 other CCM artists to record Love One Another, a song with an ecumenical theme: “Christians from all denominations demonstrating their common love for Christ and each other.” The song talks about tearing down the walls of denominational division. The broad range of participants who joined Troccoli in recording “Love One Another” demonstrates the ecumenical agenda of Contemporary Christian Music. In July 2012, Newsboys was one of the bands featured at the 14th annual Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Christian rock’s one-world church building enterprise was in full steam at this event. Other popular groups and artists participating were Switchfoot, Underoath, Building 429, Norma Jean, Steven Curtis Chapman, Tammy Borden, Love & Death, Casting Crowns, and Disciple. 15,000 enthusiastic fans gathered to celebrate ecumenical unity through the sensual power of rock & roll. Participants could choose from three worship services, including a Catholic Mass led by Bishop David Ricken, who officially approves of the “Marian Apparitions” at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in northern Wisconsin. The apparition appeared to Adele Brise in 1859 and said, “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners,” plainly identifying itself as a demon, since the only Queen of Heaven mentioned in Scripture is an idolatrous goddess that was condemned by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 7:18). That Christian rock is intimately associated with such things is clear evidence of its apostasy. Peter Furler attends the charismatic Bethel World Outreach Center in Brentwood, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Pentecostal Every Nation Ministries. Peter Wagner lists Every Nation as part of the New Apostolic Reformation that seeks to restore the offices of prophet and apostle to the churches.”
__________________________________________________________________
A missed opportunity
Given the theme of this film, we began viewing with high anticipation for the potential that could have been, but as the film progressed, our expectations were doused. CMI has produced films, and are currently editing a new major documentary, so we empathize that filmmakers spend not only a lot of money to make a quality production, but it takes countless months of planning and development to make the final product as effective as possible. In this case, the filmmakers went out on a limb to address some of the most foundational questions that plague the minds of so many in our culture, but we are staggered at how poorly they answered them. It’s not as if there is not good information available, in fact, more than ever before. Yet they chose to not consult any good creation organizations for guidance on strong, up-to-date apologetic arguments. For example, CMI employs Ph.D. scientists around the world, from many different scientific disciplines, and we have focused on addressing these very issues for decades. In this arena, we, as well as other major creation organizations, have taken a firm stand on the Bible and how the scientific evidence supports the Bible’s historical account, so as you can imagine, we have constantly been challenged by the likes of opponents far more formidable than this film’s ‘Dr. Radisson’.

“When your faith is tested, can you explain what you believe?”

This phrase was taken directly from the film’s dedicated website, yet it aptly summarizes a major aspect of the mission of Creation Ministries International. You see, although Dr. Radisson’s blatant requirement to reject one’s faith in writing seems hard to believe in even today’s secular culture, the reality is that many Christian students are facing similar experiences to the one Josh faces in this film. In the case of a professor of biology at Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas, USA), the professor demonstrated his religious bigotry in public by denying his recommendation to any creationist student who would deny the ‘fact’ of evolution.
In another case, a college-aged CMI–US staff member told of her first biology class and that her professor told all the Christians to rethink taking his class because “It will destroy your faith.” Our speakers can also testify firsthand to the open hostility and rudeness of teachers on campuses all around the world.
Even outside of the university setting, whether it be TV programs, magazines, textbooks, documentaries, movies, etc., all everyone seems to hear is that evolution is a fact. So if so few believers are equipped with and boldly share a viable defense for the biblical worldview, is it any wonder that people might ultimately conclude that ‘science’ has proven that the Bible is just a bunch of stories, and thus, “God is dead”?
If anything, the plot of this film dramatizes the reality that our speakers are facing on the road. After one of our presentations in churches around the world, it is common for a parent to approach us with a pained look on their face, explaining how their children have abandoned the faith when they left their homes. However, while living under their parents roof, if children are equipped with a strong apologetic, specifically in the creation/evolution arena, the very area where the Bible is being attacked more than any other, then things are very different. Not only is their faith in God’s Word strengthened, but they become God’s vehicle, like the fictional Josh, boldly sharing their faith and truth with others—but with good solid information that can refute the skeptics.

Yup, God’s not dead!

1 Peter 3:15 commands all believers to “ … always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you … ”. Fulfilling the role of a ‘defender of the faith’ requires a little effort. So take action today and equip yourself and your family with the readily-available resources that will make a difference not only for your and your children’s future, but in their ability to confidently and boldly defend their faith and share the Gospel. The sidebar of this article links to our most foundational resources that will begin you and your family on the path to becoming a real, yet effective, ‘Josh’. While you are at it, find out how easy it is to invite a CMI speaker to your church so that believers in your community will be equipped to share the truth with their family, friends and coworkers.
Although we regrettably cannot recommend this movie, it highlighted to us that so much work needs to be done to equip believers and their families. To be blunt, if this were the best that Christians can come up with, we would be in serious trouble and it is likely we would not convince anyone of the truth. But the good news is you can get equipped with a biblical, scientific and effective apologetic that you can boldly use to impact your family, friends and community as you stand up for the truth and authority of God’s Word. Just don’t expect a ‘fictional’ movie to do it for you.”
________________________________________________________________
“‘God’s Not Dead’ Review: 
Perhaps, But Logic May Be”
EXCERPTS:
There’s some initial intrigue in the film’s premise, but the film quickly shifts and shapes into a sort of theological Crash, interspersing a series of tangentially connected subplots in which various people examine and evaluate their relationship with God. However, any grand illusions the viewer may have of finding substance here are immediately destroyed.
Dubious religious content aside, God’s Not Dead is, above all, a dismal piece of film making. The characters are written as vapid outlines masquerading as human beings. The camerawork is sophomoric – moving in and out of each scene with a type of slow motion effect employed in cheesy ’80s action films. The music, which jaggedly alternates between dramatic piano pieces and on the nose Christian rock, is only used to signify how we should think and feel at any particular moment.
___________________________________________________________________

“God’s Not Dead”: A Movie Review

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.
Kyle Butt, M.A.

SEE: 

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
“On March 21, 2014, the movie God’s Not Dead was released in 780 theaters across the country. Since then, more than 1,000 other theaters began showing the film, which grossed over $41 million in less than one month—pretty good for a movie with a budget of only $2 million (God’s Not Dead, 2014a).
Though many Christians and pro-Christian organizations around the country have been fairly complimentary of the film, general reviewers have not been so kind. RottenTomatoes.com rated the movie with one star, as only 15% of the Web site’s approved critics gave the movie a positive review (God’s Not Dead, 2014b). Although the Hollywood Reporter had a few positive things to say about the movie, in their “bottom line” they referred to it as a “simple-minded sermon” (Farber, 2014). Claudia Puig of USA Todayhas alleged that “the contrived premise of God’s Not Dead is anything but credible.” Puig dismissed the idea of a professor at a respected academic institution ever criticizing religion as “primitive superstition,” saying, “Even if a teacher believed this, it’s highly unlikely he would declare it to a class full of students” (2014, emp. added).
The fact of the matter is, belligerent criticism of theism and Christianity has been occurring on college campuses all over the country for years, and it is very appropriate for God’s Not Dead to raise awareness of such bullying from various intolerant, liberal professors. Sometime ago a gentleman, who had been a student at a well-known university in the southeastern United States, visited with us after one of our lectures and recounted how, at the beginning of one particular semester, a science professor asked students in the class to stand up if they believed in God. Seven individuals out of a fairly large class rose from their seats. The professor then went on to say that by the end of the semester not one of them would stand up when he asked that question. Sure enough, toward the end of the semester the professor posed the question again, “How many of you believe in God?” Only one student stood up. Several months later, another student from the same university confirmed that the same thing happened in one of her classes. There was obvious bullying and intimidation taking place. The often-overlooked fact is, theistic, creationist, and Christian-oriented students and professors are frequently the target of liberal, atheistic, and/or evolutionary professors and department heads (e.g., Kingkade, 2013; Bergman, 2008; Stein and Miller, 2008; see also Miller, 2011).
Perhaps the most powerful and pervasive message of God’s Not Dead is that any person who calls himself or herself a Christian must be willing to sacrifice everything for Christ. The hero of the movie, a young university freshman named Josh Wheaton, is willing to sacrifice his relationship with his fiancée, his university career, his future job, and his reputation to stand up for God’s existence. In a subplot, a young Muslim student is willing to sacrifice her family relationships for her belief in Christ. A freshman student from China is consistently urged by his father to stop thinking about “foolish” religious ideas and concentrate on his grades, but the young man refuses. And the girlfriend of the antagonistic atheistic professor breaks off their relationship because of her religious convictions.
This message of sacrifice is both biblical and extremely important in our increasingly self-centered society. Jesus said: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me…. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34,38). In all of our years as Christian apologists, we have seen countless “Christians” bowing to the secular standards of our day, afraid to stand for the truth of the Bible and God’s existence. We could recount stories of college freshmen too afraid of ruining their reputations or of getting a bad grade to stand up for their belief in God. We could tell of university professors who were so very concerned about tenure, their salary, or their teaching positions that they refused to speak or write about their faith in Christ because of the possible repercussions. How many school teachers have allowed their Christian influence to be silenced because they might lose their job? It truly is a shame to see the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and the complete dedication of His early followers who “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41), and then witness certain “Christians” today who will not even acknowledge in public that they believe in God or His Word. Any faithful Christian would have to say “Amen,” to the movie’s main message that following Jesus requires complete sacrifice to His Will.
Unfortunately, the main message of the movie is overshadowed at times by the failure of the movie to accurately apply it. For instance, although Josh, the hero, is to be commended for his study and some of the effective arguments he used in class, at times during his defense he affirms error. For example, he implies that the Big Bang is scientifically and biblically credible, and that God could have used evolution as the process by which all life (including humans) came into existence. Not only is the Big Bang an unscientific idea (May, et al., 2003a), it is an unbiblical idea as well (May, et al., 2003b; Lyons, 2003). Additionally, the idea that God directed the process of evolution to produce life is equally unbiblical and antiscientific (Houts, 2007), though it is very appealing to our secular culture. In their attempt to make belief in God more palatable (by not making Josh, what Screenit.com calls, “a simple-minded believer who thinks the Earth was created…in just under a week”—God’s Not Dead, 2014c), the producers of the film fail to stand courageously against the foolish theories of cosmic and biological evolution and stand unashamedly for the truthfulness of the biblical account of Creation.
Furthermore, the movie completely misrepresents how God has commanded people to be saved. The clearest example of this false teaching comes at the end of the movie. In a tragic accident, the atheistic professor is struck by a car and is about to die. It just so happens that a denominational minister is on the scene. The minister begs the atheistic professor to call on the Lord, say a version of the “sinner’s prayer,” and receive Jesus into his heart. Yet such teaching is never found in the Bible (Lyons, 2004; Jackson, 2014). God requires faithful obedience to the Gospel plan of salvation in order to receive the gift of salvation (Lyons and Butt). Paul informed the Thessalonians that at the end of time Jesus Christ will be revealed from heaven “with His Mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, emp. added). What the atheistic professor did in the movie to be “saved” is not what the New Testament means when it says to “obey the Gospel” (cf. Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 7:21). Thus, in the very process of claiming to teach that people should be willing to sacrifice everything for Christ, the movie producers failed to heed their own message. Not only must we be willing to sacrifice our reputations, careers, and families, we must be willing to sacrifice any manmade doctrine that is not taught in Scripture. We must be willing to leave any group or teaching, even if it goes by the name “Christian,” if and when we find it does not correspond to God’s will found in the New Testament.
Overall, we believe that God’s Not Dead effectively highlights a serious problem in universities across the United States—showing some of the challenges that many Christian students face. We also believe that Christians should take to heart the overall message of the movie: the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Christ and the cross. We would greatly caution viewers, however, to understand that the producer’s application of the theme is occasionally lacking. Yes, the movie’s approach to a defense of God’s existence is rational and biblical at times, but then at other times it is both biblically and scientifically unsound. What’s more, the film’s presentation of how God has instructed people to become Christians is at odds with the Bible. We all need to be reminded of the importance of sacrificing everything for Christ, including compromises with the world and any long-held false religious ideas.”

REFERENCES

Bergman, Jerry (2008), Slaughter of the Dissidents: The Shocking Truth about Killing the Careers of Darwin Doubters (Southworth, WA: Leafcutter Press).
Farber, Stephen (2014), “God’s Not Dead: Film Review,” The Hollywood Reporter,http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/gods-not-dead-film-review-690393.
God’s Not Dead (2014a), Box Office Mojo, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=godsnotdead.htm.
God’s Not Dead (2014b), Rotten Tomatoes,http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead/#contentReviews.
God’s Not Dead (2014c), Screen It,http://www.screenit.com/ourtake/2014/gods_not_dead.html.
Houts, Michael (2007), “Evolution is Religion—Not Science [Part 1],”http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=97&article=2299.
Jackson, Wayne (2014), “The Sinner’s Prayer—Is it Biblical?”https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/368-sinners-prayer-is-it-biblical-the.
Kingkade, Tyler (2013), “Deandre Poole Keeps FAU Job After ‘Stomp on Jesus’ Controversy,”Huffington Post, June 24, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/deandre-poole-fau-stomp-on-jesus_n_3490263.html.
Lyons, Eric (2003), “Man Has Been on Earth Since…,”https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=538&topic=56.
Lyons, Eric (2004), “Calling on the Name of the Lord,”http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=775&topic=379.
Lyons, Eric and Kyle Butt (n.d.), Receiving the Gift of Salvation,http://www.apologeticspress.org/pdfs/e-books_pdf/Receiving%20the%20Gift%20of%20Salvation.pdf.
May, Branyon, Bert Thompson, and Brad Harrub (2003a), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique,” https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1453&topic=57.
May, Branyon, Bert Thompson, and Brad Harrub (2003b), “The Big Bang Theory—A Biblical Critique,” http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=12&article=56.
Miller, Jeff (2011), “Expelled—Again,” https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=3655.
Puig, Claudia (2014), “In ‘God’s Not Dead,’ Message is Lost Amid Melodrama,” USA Today, April 8, http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/04/08/review-gods-not-dead/7457995/.
Stein, Ben and Kevin Miller (2008), Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Premise Media).
__________________________________________________________________













DECLARATION AGAINST THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF AMERICA JULY 4, 2014

Declaration Against The Illegal Invasion Of America: 

July 4th Special Report

Published on Jul 4, 2014
Infowars reporters Lee Ann McAdoo, Sgt. Joe Biggs, Jakari Jackson, and Jon Bowne weigh in on the evidence gathered that sheds light on what mainstream media will not tell you. We are being invaded by illegal aliens with the help of our federal government and your tax dollars. Alex Jones breaks it all down in a this important transmission.

FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH WILMINGTON DELAWARE: JOE GIBBS CHURCH BREAKFAST SUCCESS STORIES LACKING THE REAL GOSPEL~REPLACED WITH UNREPENTANT “QUICK PRAYERISM” & PSYCHOHERESY

THE “MENTOR/COACH”
APPROACH TO SALVATION
ANOTHER OUTREACH IDEA OF 
PASTOR JEFFREY PINDER; 
FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH INVITES
JOE GIBBS
TO SELL
“THE GOSPEL OF WINNING”
(Pop Psychology Mixed With Easy Believism)
MARKETING CHRISTIANITY FOR SUCCESS;
HIS AND MAYBE YOURS?
DID JESUS CHRIST IDENTIFY AS A 
“TEAM COACH” OR 
“SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR”?
GIBBS: “You and I are the players, God’s our head coach and we’re all playing the biggest game of all.”
(Eternal Salvation or Damnation 
Is Not a Game)
FROM: 
WHO REALLY IS JOE GIBBS?
HAS SUCCESS & MONEY BOUGHT CREDIBILITY AMONG CHRISTIANS?
1) WE KNOW HE ASSOCIATES WITH ECUMENISTS.
2) SOME SAY HE IS A PASTOR.
3) DID HE ATTEND SEMINARY?
4) GREW UP BAPTIST, BUT WHICH CHURCH?
5) SOME SAY HE PREFERS “BIBLE BELIEVING” CHURCHES, BUT WHICH ONE DOES HE ATTEND, IF ANY?
6) CLAIMS TO HAVE RETURNED TO BELIEF IN CHRIST BUT ONLY PRIVATELY.
7) DOES HE HAVE A PUBLIC TESTIMONY OF SALVATION FROM SIN, BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, AND WITH REPENTANCE?
8) DOES HE BELIEVE IN THE TRUE GOSPEL AS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, OR IS IT DIFFERENT FOR EVERY PERSON?
9) WHAT ARE HIS BELIEFS, THEOLOGICAL POSITIONS, AND DOCTRINES?
10) WAS HE EVER DISCIPLED OR MENTORED AFTER “SALVATION”?
11) DOES HE GIVE “SERMONS” OR RATHER “INSPIRATIONAL PEP TALKS”?
12) CLAIMS TO BE “SECOND” TO GOD. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN THEOLOGICALLY?
13) IS AN “INCOME STREAM” THE MEASURE OF A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN?

FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 
WILL HAVE “BREAKFAST WITH JOE GIBBS”, 
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 
AND EXPOSE THE UNSAVED
TO HIS FALSE GOSPEL OF DECISIONISM

From Chuck Colson’s website:

Game Plan for Life (Joe Gibbs)
“Coach Joe Gibbs has seen a lot of success failures. He’s seen the wealthy real estate tycoon who is successful on the outside, but on the inside he is living with a broken marriage and kids who want nothing to do with him. He’s also seen the guy who made it to the top of the company only to lose his position when the firm is sold. Now he’s devastated and wondering what’s next. Coach Gibbs has experienced significant success and failures himself. That’s why he developed the Game Plan for Life.”

JOE GIBBS’ “GUARANTEE”: “The Game Plan for Life is a fail proof, long-term approach that will change you from the inside and impact every area of your life—from relationships to finances to your view of what winning really means. You’ll find true success, relevance and lasting peace if you follow it.  We hope you join us in this project and learn what true success and relevance are in your life!”
SEE ALSO JOE GIBBS’ “TEAM” comprised of pop psychologists and Arminian easy believers; (EXPLAINED FURTHER BELOW) FROM:
_____________________________________________________________
Chuck Colson, Ecumenist/Catholic Sympathizer; GeneralTeachings/Activities:

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes: 
Chuck Colson’s world collapsed when he was trapped in the Watergate scandal. He was an Episcopalian with no understanding of saving faith. A man by the name of Tom Phillips pointed him to Christ. When left alone he humbly cried out, “God, take me as I am.” Shortly after, he was sentenced to prison (Colson’s testimony as reported in New Neutralism II, p. 68). After his release from jail (he served seven months of a one-to-three-year federal prison sentence), Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM) to help “meet the needs” of the kind of men he met in prison. PFM now operates programs in more than 80% of the prisons in the U.S. 
Colson started a daily four-minute radio program, Breakpoint, in 1991, which now airs on more than 1,000 stations nationwide with more than 3 million listeners. He is also a syndicated columnist and has also authored 38 books (over 5 million books sold). In 1989, Colson expanded Prison Fellowship by adding Neighbors Who Care, a community-based support system for victims of crime. PFM states its vision as: “That God’s kingdom will be manifested as the redemptive grace and peace of Jesus Christ are experienced by those impacted by crime”; and its mission statement as: “To exhort, equip, and assist the Church in its ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, and their families, and in its promotion of biblical standards of justice in the criminal justice system.” (Source: 10/00. Internet web site.)
–  Colson claims to have been converted in 1973 by reading C. S. Lewis (Lewis’ theology is a garbled mixture of some ideas from the Bible, more from the Anglo-Catholic Church, and many from pagans), and Colson was later tutored in theology by R. C. Sproul, among others. Lewis was a member of the apostate Church of England, an institution whose history is based largely on theological compromise with Rome, and R. C. Sproul clings tenaciously to Aristotelian and Roman Catholic philosophy, while preaching the sovereignty of God, apparently believing that a mind divided against itself can too stand. (Source: 4/98, The Trinity Review.) Colson also credits Dietrich Bonhoeffer‘s writings with influencing his life. From this beginning, it is not difficult to see from where Colson learned his twisted theology and ecumenical philosophy.
–  Until recently, Colson (born in 1931) was president of PFM. (Mike Timmis, a Roman Catholic and former Promise Keepers board member, is now president — see below.) Next to Billy Graham, Colson is probably the most responsible for the growing acceptance of Roman Catholics on the part of professing evangelicals. PFM uses about 50,000 volunteer workers, and employs 21 Directors (some of whom are Roman Catholics) in PFM offices in 83 countries. (Over 70% of PFM’s chaplains are Roman Catholic.) He has an ecumenical record of praising liberals, Roman Catholics, and charismatics, and opposes the death penalty. He has even gone so far as to praise “Mother” Teresa as “the ultimate example of holiness for me” (Christian American, May-June 1993, p. 16). By profession, he is a Southern Baptist. [Colson’s wife, Patty, is a practicing Roman Catholic, but teaches a women’s Bible study in his Southern Baptist church! (6/15/91, Calvary Contender). See also the review by John Robbins of Colson’s book, Life Sentence.] 
–  In July of 1998, Detroit businessman Michael Timmis was named chairman of PFM, succeeding founder Chuck Colson who remains on the board as Chairman Emeritus. Timmis is a Roman Catholic. Colson, Timmis, and Jim Berlucchi (Promise Keeper’s Catholic evangelist) were scheduled speakers along with two Catholic priests at the “Catholic Men’s Conference” June 9-11 at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, which is heavily involved with Marian apparitions and with PK (6/00, The Berean Call).
Colson seems to have a policy of speaking anywhere, anytime, regardless of the heresy or apostasy emanating from the pulpit he accepts (e.g., recipient of the 21st “Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion” (8/93), R.C. Sproul‘s 2/92 “Hunger for Significance” conference, NAE‘s 3/90 annual convention, Dallas Seminary’s 1990 commencement, Wheaton College’s 5/82 commencement [also received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Wheaton], 1985 Moody Founder’s Week, numerous James Dobson‘ Focus on the Family radio programs, etc.)
–  Colson’s Prison Fellowship appears to be a money-hungry group that milks its members. In the summer of 1993, Colson sent out a computer-generated, fundraising letter to his thousands of followers. In the letter, Colson tearfully appealed for an immediate $800,000 or, he claimed, Prison Fellowship wouldn’t be able to pay its summer bills. This letter was sent just after Colson’s group had pocketed over $1 million he had received in May from the “Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.”
–  In the Foreword to Keith Fournier’s book Evangelical Catholics (see the end of this report for Fournier’s teachings in Evangelical Catholics), Colson wrote a glowing endorsement. This book is a plea for Protestants to join Catholics in a joint evangelization effort (i.e., an “evangelistic endeavor” that will “evangelize” the world by the year 2000). Fournier, former Ohio prosecutor, is one of the new breed of charismatic Catholic activists. He is executive director of Pat Robertson‘s American Center For Law and Justice, and the former Dean of Evangelism and legal counsel at the Roman Catholic (Franciscan) University of Steubenville in Ohio. He pleads for Protestant/Catholic unitywithout concern for doctrine (a policy with which Colson has never had a problem). Rather than recognize that the false gospel of Catholicism is what separates Protestants from Catholics, Fournier and Colson want to gloss over the differences and unite in love. Christ’s love, however, compels us not to “accept Catholics,” but to inform them where and why Catholic dogmas and traditions contradict God’s Word. (Excerpted in part from the 2/91, CIB Bulletin.)

Colson’s thesis is that secularism is the great enemy of our age and about to overwhelm us all. Since EC’s (evangelical Catholics) and EP’s (evangelical Protestants) share “belief in the basics” and “the same mission,” we should put aside “minor differences” (since we are all “whether Catholic or Protestant part of the same Body”) and work together for the evangelization of the world. Colson’s hope is that Fournier’s book will be a “bridge across many historic divisions,” and bind us together “against the encroaching armies of secularism … it’s high time that all of us who are Christians come together regardless of the difference of our confessions and our traditions and make common cause to bring Christian values to bear in our society” (Evangelical Catholics, p. vi). (Emphasis added.)

–  In Colson’s 1993 book, The Body: Being Light in Darkness, he calls on evangelicals to join forces with orthodox Catholics and charismatics in the “common cause to combat cultural relativism [atheism & secularism].” He says “the body of Christ, in all its diversity, is created with Baptist feet, charismatic hands, and Catholic ears — all with their eyes on Jesus.” In an 11/23/92 Christianity Today interview, he criticized those evangelicals who would write-off and not join with Roman Catholics in the “cosmic battle.” Colson, ever ecumenical, praises the Catholic chain of command and includes the Catholic Church as a part of the body of Christ. (Reported in the 12/15/92, Calvary Contender.) [Colson has also made a two-part video series on The Body.] According to the 12/28/92 Christian News, the bottom line of The Body is: 

“… the Catholic Church runs a tight ship and he approves a Southern Baptist sounding at times like a Catholic traditionalist. praising the Catholic chain of command. Some of Colson’s comments in The Body sound like a blueprint for ‘stealth campaigns’ by the Christian Religious Right. An effective army, he argues, ‘infiltrates small units to disrupt the enemy’s communications and attack strategic targets.’ [He argues that] this is, in fact, what Christians must do in a ‘post-Christian culture’ dominated by the TV feel-good values of Donahue and Oprah.” [The book has been endorsed by Jerry FalwellPat Robertson, Carl F.H. Henry, James Montgomery Boice, Jack Hayford, Adrian Rogers, Vernon Grounds, and Catholic priest Richard John Neuhaus; a 7/19/93 Christianity Today advertisement carried additional endorsements from Roman Catholic John Cardinal O’Connor, neo-evangelicals J.I. Packer and Kenneth Kantzer, and psychoheretic, “church growth” guru Bill Hybels.]

Colson’s appeal for unity with Rome is based upon gross misinformation provided to his readers. For example, after explaining that a major catalyst for the Reformation wasLuther‘s revulsion for the practice of selling indulgences, Colson writes: “The Reformers, for example, assailed the corrupt practice of indulgences; today they are gone” (p. 271). Indulgences “are gone”? Absolutely not! Vatican II’s Indulgentarium Doctrina by Pope Paul VI devotes 17 pages to indulgences. This document declares that the Roman Catholic Church commands that the usage of indulgences be kept in the Church; and it condemns with anathema those who say that indulgences are useless! (Adapted from the 4/93, Berean Call.)

Colson finds fault with various segments of the evangelical church, but not with today’s Catholic Church. And the praise he gives Rome is often so blind as to be embarrassing, such as his statement that “the Catholic Church, to its great credit, does call heretics to account” (p. 132). Indeed she does, having burned more than a million at the stake! And to this day both Trent and Vatican II condemn evangelicals as heretics for holding beliefs to which Colson subscribes. Surely he must know this! [As an example of Rome’s censure of heretics, Colson commends Pope Urban VIII for declaring “that anyone in the New World who kept Indian slaves would be excommunicated” (p. 133). But he fails to mention that this same Pope condemned some heretics to the most horrible slavery of all — the galleys for life! Nor does he tell us that Urban VIII also threatened an elderly and very ill Galileo with torture for saying that the earth revolved around the sun, and had him on his knees in front of the Inquisition recanting of this “heresy” in fear of his life! Calling heretics to account, indeed!] (Adapted from the 4/93, Berean Call.)
–  In an article in the Religious News Service (October 16,1995), Colson described his October meeting with the Pope in New York City. He depicted the Pope as a great moral leader and a friend of Biblical orthodoxy. Consider an excerpt:

“As one of the evangelicals present, I left with one conclusion: Those who defend eternal moral truths and Christian orthodoxy have taken their stand on common ground.  The pope made it quite clear that he fully supports those of all persuasions who recognize, and work to counter, the enormous problems resulting from our society’s flight from the truths of orthodoxy. When my eyes met the pope’s, we stared across centuries of distrust and suspicion and found common ground. … Orthodoxy is nothing less than that thread that connects the present to the past and the past to the future — and that is the thing that really bothers our adversaries.” 

Colson’s blindness is incredible. Only Biblical prophecies of last days apostasy can explain such blindness. The Pope of Rome, a defender of Christian orthodoxy?! Why, everything he stands for uniquely as the Pope is contrary to the Bible. He claims to be the head of all the churches. He claims to be able to turn the bread and juice of the Lord’s Supper into the very body and blood of Christ. He claims to be a spiritual father to all Christians. He claims, as a priest, to mediate between God and men. He claims to be able to influence the eternal destinies of men through his unscriptural sacraments. He claims that Mary is the Mother of God. He prays to her and adores her, and he thanked her for saving him when an assassin’s bullet almost ended his life. He has “all yours” embroidered on his garments, and he admits that it refers to Mary. He claims that the blood of Christ was not sufficient to give men eternal life but that they also need Roman masses and baptisms and other rituals. In fact, he claims that even all of this might not be sufficient, and that even “the faithful” might have to go to a place called purgatory where their sins will finally be expunged.

The last statement we cited by Colson is telling. Colson claims that he has found common ground with Roman Catholicism. This is not because Romanism has changed, but it is because he himself represents an apostate form of Christianity known as modern evangelicalism that is so nonchalant about the truth that it cannot resist error. Colson says orthodoxy is the thread which connects the present with the past and the future. Not so. In relation to the Pope, it is not orthodoxy which connects the past and the future, but heresy. John Paul II represents ancient heresies which were affirmed by the anathemas of Trent; at the same time he represents that final apostate Mother of Harlots foretold in Revelation 17. Those who yoke together with the Pope are yoked together with his blasphemies and heresies (Revelation 18:4). (Source: FBIS)

–  Announced at a press conference on 3/29/94 was an ecumenical declaration titled “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” (ECT). The negotiations toward the declaration were initiated in 9/92 by Chuck Colson and Richard Neuhaus (former Lutheran clergyman turned Catholic priest) under the auspices of the ecumenical and theologically liberal Institute on Religion and Public Life (headed by Neuhaus). The declaration starts with “We are Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics who have been led through prayer, study, and discussion to common convictions about Christian faith and mission.” It goes down-hill from there. The coalition specifically called for an end to aggressive proselytizing of each other’s flocks (in effect, a mutual non-aggression pact), and even confessed their past sins against unity. 

The declaration said: “All who accept Christ as Lord and Savior are brothers and sisters in Christ.” This conveniently ignores the fact that Catholics espouse a works-salvation false gospel! In a revealing admission of what brought these groups together, some signers said it was the experiences of worshiping together in the Charismatic Movement and working together in political causes such as anti-abortion [Moral Majority for example]. In fact, one writer correctly assessed that the declaration “amounts to a truce on theological issues so that the parties can continue to cooperate on political issues.”
Forty people signed or endorsed the document, including Protestants J.I. Packer, Pat Robertson, John White (of NAE), Bill Bright (of Campus Crusade), Os Guinness, and Mark Noll (a historian at Wheaton College who said, “Evangelicals can no longer consider Catholics as ogres or anti-Christs”). Catholic endorsers included six priests, three bishops, one Archbishop, and one Cardinal. By joint declaration, Colson and friends have, in effect, declared the Protestant Reformation a tragic mistake!

–  Dr. Bill Jackson, president of the Association of Fundamentalists Evangelizing Catholics (AFEC), prepared a 6/18/99 statement on “The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration” (EC) (see the 6/14/99 Christianity Today for the full text of the EC). This document has been endorsed by Charles Colson, Bill Bright, and J.I. Packer, all of whom also signed the controversial ECT documents of 1994 and 1997; as well as endorsed by R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur and D. James Kennedy, all of whom publicly [albeit weakly] challenged and criticized them for signing the ECT documents. There are a number of helpful statements in this latest document which deal with areas which were not fully dealt with in the ECT documents (e.g., imputation is now dealt with favorably, but has been consistently opposed by Roman Catholic Councils and Catechisms). EC says, “We cannot embrace any form of doctrinal indifferentism by which God’s truth is sacrificed for a false peace.” But there is certainly no better example of “doctrinal indifferentism” than the ECT documents themselves (James 1:8)! Because ECT I stated that “Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ,” in order to be relevant the new EC document should be submitted to the Roman Catholics who signed ECT I and II. It is difficult to see how a person could subscribe to both ECT and EC. The only logical conclusion is for all who signed EC to remove their names from ECT. It also appears that the so-called “evangelical” ECT endorsers have been “let off the hook” by former critics. We believe EC will be used to rehabilitate those who erred in 1994 and 1997, without their having to admit or ask forgiveness for their error. (Source: 7/15/99, Calvary Contender.) [Other “evangelical” endorsers of EC among the 15 members of the Drafting Committee and 114 members of the Endorsing Committee includeJohn Ankerberg, Kay Arthur, Tony Evans, Jerry Falwell, Bill Hybels, David Jeremiah, D. James Kennedy, Max Lucado, Woodrow Kroll, Tim & Beverly LaHaye, Erwin Lutzer, Bill McCartney, Luis Palau, Pat Robertson, Ronald Sider, Charles Stanley, John Stott, Joseph Stowell, Chuck Swindoll, and Ravi Zacharias; also endorsing EC were hyper-charismatics Jack Hayford, Steven Strang, and Bruce Wilkinson.] 
However ignorant Colson and fellow endorsers may be of all this, his participation in EC makes him a party to its consequences. It is also important to note that the EC document (which is supposed to be a definitive and comprehensive statement of the true saving Gospel of Christ) never mentions repentance for salvation, and never mentions the total depravity of man (thereby leaning towards a decisional regeneration). Moreover, the EC promotes an ecumenical unity (via “trans-denominational cooperative enterprises”) with all professing believers who attest to the EC’s “essentials” of the faith). But this is not the unity of the faith taught in Ephesians. While we are instructed by Scripture to be of one mind, the evangelical today scoffs at the idea of true Biblical unity based on complete agreement with, and submission to, God’s holy Word. The only use of the word “unity” in the New Testament is found in Ephesians chapter four. It is a “unity of the Spirit” (v. 3), not of men. It is a “unity of faith” (v. 13) based on sound doctrine for which believers are to contend, not water down nor reclassify into essentials and non-essentials (Jude 3). No real spiritual unity can exist apart from doctrinal unity, and we are to “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17).
–  On 10/31/98, Colson spoke at Calvin College chapel. Calvin Theological Seminary and the Roman Catholic Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan collaborated on a symposium titled “Over One Hundred Years of Christian Social Teaching: The Legacy of Abraham Kuyper and Leo XIII.” Colson presented his lecture “Building Common Ground in the Christian Church for the Culture of Life.” A handful of Roman Catholic priests milled about greeting those who had come. Vietnamese Archbishop Van Trang, a cabinet member at the Vatican on the Commission of Peace and Justice (introduced as “Your Excellency”), was also present. Colson came to the platform to rousing applause and began his lecture by commending the seminary for a conference that brought together Calvinists and Catholics on the eve of celebrating the Reformation. Relating the 1994 release of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), Colson said the message of the document was “something I believe in very deeply.” He went on to commend the pope, saying John Paul II, a man he called the “Holy Father,” would be known as “John Paul the Great,” and he thanked the pope for his positive movement in bringing social change. 
The theme of Colson’s lecture was linking ECT with the Reformed tradition as expressed a century ago by the Dutch scholar and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). Colson’s intent was to show the existence of a historic Reformed basis for ECT and thus justification for continuing to build a Roman/Reformed consensus and apologetic for ECT and “The Gift of Salvation” (1997).  First stating the problem, Colson illustrated the moral decline of America both in contemporary culture and in the political arena. To be a fundamentalist or a separatist, which includes not engaging contemporary culture with the Bible, he said, is the “greatest sin.” After thirty years of cultural autonomy and its dismal failure, he argued that it is time to identify with John Paul II and his statement that the new millennium will be a “springtime of the Christian faith.” Evangelicals and Catholics together, according to Colson, have a historic opportunity upon the demise of humanism to join ranks and create a driving force for implementing world change.(Source: 3/99, The Trinity Review.)

–  Charles Colson is clearly one of the leaders of the ecumenical movement. He has expressed his fundamental ecumenical idea in these words (“Foreword,” Evangelical Catholics):

“The pain and distrust between Catholics and Protestants goes [sic] back centuries. The church has often been plagued by wars within her walls, crippling her in her battle against the encroaching armies of secularism. But at root, those who are called of God, whether Catholic or Protestant, are part of the same Body. What they share is a belief in the basics: the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, His bodily resurrection, His imminent return, and the authority of his infallible Word. They also share the same mission: presenting Christ as Savior and Lord to a needy world. … It’s high time that all of us who are Christians come together regardless of the differences in our confessions and our traditions and make common cause to bring Christian values to bear in our society. When the barbarians are scaling the walls, there is no time for petty quarreling in the camp.”

Colson first asserts that “the church” has been crippled by wars within her walls. He says that Romanists and Protestants are part of the same church. What makes them part of the same body is their common doctrine, and Colson lists five fundamental doctrines held in common. But his fundamental doctrinal unity between the systems of Romanism and Protestantism does not exist. Take, for example, the single issue of Scripture: Colson calls the common doctrine “the authority of His infallible Word.” But what is common about it? Romanism and historic Protestantism have different Bibles; Rome says there are 73 books and a few fragments; historic Protestantism says there are 66 books and no fragments. Second, Rome says that she wrote the books of Scripture, and not only did she write them, she approves and authenticates them. Historic Protestantism says that the books of Scripture are prior to the church, they called forth and created the church; and they judge and authenticate the church. Third, Romanism denies the sufficiency, inerrancy, historical reliability, scientific accuracy, and clarity of Scripture; historical Protestantism asserts all these. Romanism and historic Protestantism have nothing in common on the doctrine of Scripture. Those who assert that they do — such as Charles Colson — simply display their ignorance of what both Rome and the Scriptures teach.

Colson goes on to say, after asserting that Protestants and Romanists have fundamental doctrines in common, that we should put aside the remaining minor doctrines and unite to fight secularism. Why does Colson find secularism a greater threat than false religions? The greatest enemies of Christianity have always been false religions. It was not secularists who crucified Christ; it was false religionists. It was not secularists who persecuted Christians in the first century; it was false religionists. It was not secularists who ruined ancient Israel; it was false religionists. The ancient prophets denounced the false religions of their times. Quite frankly, friends, the eighteenth century Enlightenment did less harm to Christianity than Romanism or twentieth century modernism. Colson, being a political animal, calls for a united front against the barbarians scaling the walls. He denies that the barbarians are already within the walls, that barbarians ruled and ruined virtually all the churches for a thousand years — and for the past 500 years, most of the churches professing to be Christian. 

In Colson’s circle, the Cultural Mandate has been substituted for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the United States it has become the conservative counterpart to the liberal social gospel. The Western civilization that Charles Colson and his ilk are attempting to save cannot be saved by the cultural gospel, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Only the preaching of the Gospel can defeat those principalities and powers. Western civilization is a by-product of the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, in the name of saving what is left of Western civilization, Colson and his ilk demand that we make a theological, social, and political alliance with the Roman State-Church, and battle the barbarians scaling the walls. Mr. Colson is ill-educated. His many ghostwriters have not served him well. He neither understands the source of Western Civilization nor what is required to save it. Just as the individual’s eternal salvation is entirely in the hands of Christ, so a civilization’s temporal salvation depends entirely on Christ, and if his Gospel is ignored, disbelieved, or despised, as Colson and his tribe despise it, then Christ will surely abandon that culture. All power in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Christ. (Source: “Bleating Wolves: The Meaning of Evangelicals and Catholics Together,” 10/98, No.164,  The Trinity Review.)–  In endorsing ecumenical evangelist Luis Palau‘s 1991 book Say Yes!, Colson says: “He preaches with a powerful, convicting spirit and with a wonderful ability to have all people of all backgrounds relate to him. He’s been anointed to preach the Gospel.” Palau is a Catholic sympathizer whose ecumenical message is heavily diluted with pop psychology and Arminian easy-believism. (Colson and Palau were elected as trustees of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, effective May 1, 1999. As pro-Catholic ecumenicals, they should fit well with G-C’s new-evangelical stance.)
–  When Prophets of PsychoHeresy II (a book which critiqued the teachings of Dr. James C. Dobson) was published in 1990 (republished and revised in 1998 as James’s Dobsons Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychology), Colson consoled Dobson by saying, “Jim, God has called you to do a work for Him. Don’t look to the right or left. Just go get it done.” (Colson also served on the National Advisory Committee of the 1993 National Day of Prayer, chaired by Dobson’s wife, Shirley; also, a Jewish rabbi and Catholic cardinal were listed with Dr. D. James Kennedy as “Committee Liaisons.” James Dobson has also endorsed PFM and Colson has appeared many times on Dobson’s Focus on the Familyradio program.)
In 1997 there was an award established for “Service in Christian Psychology.” The award will be presented annually to recognize Christian psychologists who are engaged in “sacrificial Christian service.” Six recipients were initially recognized and awarded $2,500 each: Elizabeth Dole, James Dobson, Art Linkletter, D. James Kennedy, Gary Collins, E.V. Hill, Clyde Narramore, and Charles Colson. (Source: 12/29/97, Christian News.) So, along with his other “achievements,” Colson is now also recognized as a “sacrificial” psychobabbler.

–  Colson was a supporter of the Williamsburg Charter Foundation (WCF), an ecumenical amalgamation of professing Christians, humanists, atheists, New Agers, Eastern religionists, etc., whose stated goal was religious pluralism and tolerance in education, but all the while was promoting a new one world religion. Other “evangelical” signators and/or supporters with Colson were James Dobson, Beverly LaHaye, and Billy Graham. [WCF no longer exists, but the curriculum has been passed on to a “new” organization, “The First Liberty Institute,” an organization headed up by New Ager Dr. Charles C. Haynes. (First Liberty is located at George Mason University, which was originally designated as “national teacher training and outreach center” for the Williamsburg Charter Foundation. Its New Age/One World curriculum, “Living With Our Deepest Differences: Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society,” is being offered to the nations’ public schools by the National Council on Religion and Public Education, a Liberty Institute organization, and has been accepted by the California State Board of Education.)]

–  Colson endorsed R.C. Sproul‘s 1991 polemic for self-love, The Hunger For Significance (the revised edition of Sproul’s 1983 book, In Search of Dignity). Sproul had this to say about his own book:

“Every person needs to feel significant. We want our lives to count. We yearn to believe that in some way we are important and that hunger for significance — a drive as intense as our need for oxygen — doesn’t come from pride or ego. It comes from God because he wants each of us to understand how important we are. … We must seek our roots, our origin, and our destiny so that we can know our present value. …Written for anyone who shares the hunger for significance. This book explores the human cry for dignity, the hallowed longing for love and respect. … Wherever people come together, we can help each other discover our self-worth. We can help each other realize that we are persons of significance being made in the image of God.” (Emphasis added.)

Colson had no problem endorsing the book: “This book is powerful. It speaks in understandable terms to one of the most critical issues of our day — the dignity and worth of man — and equips the believer in the living God with magnificent insight and answers for a world desperately yearning for meaning.” [Colson also spoke at Sproul’s 2/92 “Hunger for Significance Conference” in Orlando, Florida.]

–  Colson endorsed Bill Hybels‘ book Honest to God. “Bill Hybels, one of the bright stars in today’s evangelical world, has performed a great service in Honest to God. He helps Christians deal with unrecognized sin inhibiting our witness in today’s secular struggle for a more authentic faith.” (Hybels is a psychologizer [e.g., he extols the virtues ofJungian personality theory in Honest to God] and is one of the leaders in the unbiblical “church growth” movement.)
–  Colson also appears to have difficulty recognizing the seriousness of allowing children to read books with occult fantasy themes. In a May, 2000 radio commentary, Colson opined on the Harry Potter phenomenon:

“It may relieve you to know that the magic in these books [more than eight million of them] is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. That is, Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals — but they don’t make contact with a supernatural world.”

What spiritual ignorance! There can be nothing more occultic than crystal balls (divination), casting spells, and demonic alteration of oneself into an animal-like creature. Yet Colson sees this as mere innocent child’s play. (Source: 6/00, The Berean Call.) [See the following four linked reports on the danger of the Harry Potter books: Report1;Report2Report3Report4.]
–  Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days during the summer of 1994, during which he claims to have received a “prophecy from God” that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando 12/5/94-12/7/94 to fast and pray for revival. An Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics was formed. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC’s Bill Bright cites “a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20).” This ecumenical “linking” is in the “spirit of Jehoshaphat” indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he “linked” with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender.) [Another three-day “Fasting & Prayer” conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles; it attracted 3,500 “evangelicals” and charismatics. The Invitation/Host Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference was held 11/14/96-11/16/96 in St. Louis. New additions to the Host Committee included Max Lucado, Henry Blackaby, Loren Cunningham (YWAM), Greg Laurie, Dennis Rainey, Randy Phillips (Promise Keepers), Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, Howard Hendricks, and Neil Anderson. (Conferences have been held every year now, but there is an uncertain future with Bill Bright’s planned retirement (August, 2001) from Campus Crusade.)]
–  Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) “men’s movement” among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK’s contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a “phallic messiah” tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Colson is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men’s movement — Colson has been a speaker at PK men’s conferences and has written numerous daily “devotionals” for publication in PK’s bi-monthly Men of Integrity (“your daily guide to the Bible and prayer”). 

–  More than 6,000 delegates to the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PWR) met in Chicago from 8/28/93-9/5/93. Nearly every demonic false Christ-worshipping cult, Scripture-twisting counterfeit, and apostate Christian group in the world was gathered at the Palmer House for a week of plenary sessions and over 500 meetings and workshops. Prior to the Chicago meetings, a committee made up of the leaders of the world’s five major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) met and chose Chuck Colson as the 21st recipient of the million dollar “John M. Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion — “for showing “extraordinary originality in advancing humankind’s understanding of God.” (The “Prize” was established in 1972 by New Age pantheist/science-of-mind universalist/investment guru John Marks Templeton.) Colson not only agreed to take the money (which actually came to more than $1.2 million for 1993), which he claimed would be used to further the aims of his Prison Fellowship Ministry, but also agreed to attend and speak at the Chicago PWR event. (Although the presentation of the Templeton Prize was not an “official act” of the PWR, the timing for the public presentation — a ceremony that was held on 9/2/93 in the Rockefeller Chapel of the University of Chicago — was meant to coincide with the PWR’s meetings, and the ceremony itself was listed on PWR’s 9/23 schedule of events.) There, in the presence of some of the most evil and diabolical men and women on the face of the earth, Colson expressed his gratitude to them in his formal acceptance speech.

Among the attendees with Colson in Chicago were a Hindu swami who heads the Divine Life Society of India (Chidananda Saraswati); the secretary-general of the Muslim World League (Abdullah Omar Naseef); the exiled “god-king” of Tibetan Buddhism (the Dalai Lama); the feminist director of the National Council of Churches (Joan Campbell); several Roman Catholic dignitaries such as liberal theologian Hans Kung, the Archbishop of Chicago (Joseph Cardinal Bernardin), a goddess advocate (Dr. Rosemary Reuther), a worshipper in Hindu temples who dresses in robes of a Hindu guru (Dr. Bede Griffiths), and even the Vatican’s official representative (Francisco Gioia of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue); representatives of the Eastern Religions of Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism; officials of the satanic Lucis Trust; Zoroastrian sun god worshippers; witchcraft priestesses, santeria/voodoo high priests, and various shamanists and animists; apostate “Christians”; Freemason higher-ups; serpent charmers; liberal Jewish rabbis; assorted New Age “dignitaries”; and Druid priests! Even the American Humanist Association was represented. In all, occultists and religionists from over 130 countries came to celebrate their “Unity in Diversity.”

The joint goal of PWR is Unity — it “seeks to encourage understanding of the benefits of each of the great religions,” and ultimately, to bring all the world’s faiths and religions together as one. As a result, PWR is made up of a gaggle of deceived and misguided zealots blindly following the pied pipers of ecumenism. The 4/19/93 Christian News said: “The World Parliament of Religions promotes an anti-scriptural universalism, the notion that all religions worship the true God and that Christianity is not the only true and saving faith.” This intent was reiterated by Templeton himself at the first news conference (2/17/93 in New York), where he announced that Colson, who was present, was the 1993 Prize recipient. In response, Colson said, “I salute Sir John for establishing this award …” [One researcher asks, “Would Elijah have complimented the priests of Ashtoreth, Baal, Dagon, Molech, et al. for establishing a ‘progress in religion’ prize and have accepted it? Would Paul have accepted such a prize offered by the pagan leaders of his day? Then why excuse Colson?” How can anyone really justify a professing evangelical commending and accepting the “Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion”? Is Christianity merely another religion? Do Christians help false religions progress? Religious leaders nailed Christ to the cross. To accept an award from Christ-rejecting Muslims, Hindus, et al. for “progress in religion” is to deny Christ and His gospel! (11/93, Berean Call).]

Perhaps Colson was picked for this high “honor” precisely because of his devotion to the ecumenical movement. In later press releases, Colson announced his pleasure in being selected for the “Templeton Prize.” Colson noted that Mother Teresa and Billy Graham were past recipients. What he failed to mention was that other past recipients also include India’s Hindu guru, Baba Amte; Japanese Buddhist teacher and founder of the world’s largest Buddhist lay organization, Nikkyo Niwano; the secretary-general of the World Muslim Congress, Dr. Inamulla Khan; evolutionist Alister Hardy; Unitarian Ralph Burhoe; the former president of India (Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan), who was awarded the Prize for his contribution to Hinduism; and the Dalai Lama. The 6/1/93 Calvary Contender stated: “‘Evangelical’ Colson, by participating in such an interfaith worship/dialogue parliament featuring New Agers and adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Islam, etc., will confuse his followers and bring great reproach to the cause of Christ. Even his Watergate deeds, not done in the name of religion, could hardly be so shameful.”

Is Chuck Colson, then, a wolf in sheep’s clothing — a “born again” New Ager disguised as an evangelical Christian? Whatever he is, the Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans (witches), Moslems, and other false religionists and cultists must have been deliriously happy that the famous Chuck Colson appeared in Chicago to bless their devilish affair. [Portions of the above were also adapted from a 6/93 Flashpoint article and an 8/93 Media Spotlight article.]

[More on the Parliament of the World’s Religions/Chuck Colson: In the “business” sessions of the PWR, it’s chairman proposed a “United Nations” of religions be established that would dispatch mediators to help defuse inter-religious tensions. (A Zoroastrian, a Muslim, and a Buddhist actually prepared a charter. The General Council plans to meet annually and form an Executive Council, which will meet often throughout the year. The plan is for religious leaders to work with the United Nations on all world affairs, including war.) The Jewish ADL pulled out of the event after Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan was invited to speak. Pagans swayed and chanted “We are one with the soul of the Earth.” A Global Ethic document, drafted by Catholic theologian Hans Kung, was signed. It made no mention of God, but called for human rights, respect for the environment, gender equality, and a culture of peace (10/15/93, Calvary Contender).

Colson’s award ceremony began with a Muslim’s speech and chant (Dr. Ghulan-Haider Aasi of the American Islamic College of Chicago). After Colson’s talk, a Buddhist (Dr. Chuen Phangcham of the American Buddhist Congress) led the audience in a “meditation,” during which he and some of the audience went into a trance, and what he was saying became unintelligible. A Roman Catholic Church leader closed with final remarks. Colson’s office claimed that accepting the Prize gave Colson “a marvelous opportunity, not unlike that of Paul on Mars Hill, to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and powerfully to … many who have perverted the truth.” Sadly, in none of his news conferences or speeches did he fulfill this ideal. Moreover, it would be the height of hypocrisy and confusion to accept an award designed to promote all religions and at the same time to charge that all religions are false and that Christ alone saves. No wonder the gospel was not made plain on any of these occasions.

In Colson’s formal acceptance speech, the full Gospel was not preached, but instead he used language that would not offend his hosts. This was by design, to emphasize the interfaith, ecumenical nature of the event. Nowhere in his speech did Colson make it clear that we are sinners facing God’s wrath and that Christ’s death paid the penalty demanded by God’s justice against sin so we could be forgiven. In fact, Colson obscured that vital truth with his final story of a prison cell occupied solely by a crucifix, which a prisoner explained as, “He’s doing time for all the rest of us” — an appealing, but false Catholic gospel. Christ is not “doing time” for us. He is no longer on the cross. The debt has been paid in full! (10/93, Flashpoint;11/93, Berean Call).

It is equally alarming that not only Colson, but also other professing evangelicals would imagine that he had actually presented the gospel, when its primary elements were missing. Colson came just close enough to the gospel for Christians to interpret his ambiguous language as meaning what they believe; and he missed it by enough so as not to offend too badly the followers of the world’s false religions or to convert them (11/93, Berean Call).]

–  Colson claims to be conservative and orthodox, but his actions speak louder than his words (from 10/93, Flashpoint):

(a) Colson has unhealthy connections with the United Nations. In 1986, he and Prison Fellowship reportedly endorsed the New Age movement‘s World Day of Healing — also known as Global Mind-Link — then hastily withdrew its endorsement after receiving criticism from concerned Christians.

(b) In a 1993 newsletter, Colson bragged that Prison Fellowship’s proposal to release over half of all criminals now in prisons from their cells, and return these convicts to their local communities, had been adopted by Janet Reno, Bill Clinton’s attorney general. Reno has also expressed support for Colson’s campaign to end capital punishment and abolish the death penalty. Colson and Prison Fellowship are in bed with radical liberals on both these issues.

(c) Colson has encouraged Christians to read the works of fiction writer Madeleine L’Engle, in spite of the fact that L’Engle’s writings are laced with occultism and New Age imagery. He has also enthusiastically promoted President George Bush’s “Thousand Points of Light” program, which has been proven to be a project of the New Age group, Secret Brotherhood.

(d) In the early-1990s, the ultra-liberal newspaper, The Washington Post, “invited” Colson to write a guest article. In the article, Colson blasted pro-life Christians, accusing them of “inflammatory rhetoric.” Pro-lifers, said Colson, must “seek common ground” with the abortionists. Moreover, “the Religious Right,” Colson wrote, “must accept the fact that America is the pluralist nation.”

–  See the reviews [“The Counterfeit Gospel” (Book Reviews)] of various Colson’ books for more on Colson’s false Roman Catholic gospel, his praise of Catholicism, his moral/religious relativism, his social activism, etc.

Keith Fournier’s Teachings in Evangelical Catholics

–  Fournier’s “new birth” experience in adulthood, after he gained full knowledge of the “true Faith,” is declared to be merely a “renewing” of his “baptism vows” and infant baptism. Fournier states, “We need to insure … that those who occupy our churches have met Jesus Christ personally. For some of us that will mean reaffirming our baptism as children” (p. 181). Conversion is declared to be a continual process that takes place, not a “once for all” experience.

–  In one and two sentence statements interspersed throughout the book, Fournier indicates acceptance of and adherence to every pagan Romish doctrine. He accepts infant baptismal regeneration (pp. 101-102, 134, 181), he believes in using statutes as an aid to prayer (p. 26), that the Roman Catholic institution is the “ark” of spiritual safety and the “mother church” (pp. 45, 46, 49, 165), and that it is in this “church” through which God makes known his will (p. 49). He also adheres to the Rosary (p. 95), Mariolatry[calling Mary the “second Eve”] (p. 125), and the Eucharist as becoming the literal body and blood of Christ (according to Fournier, it is the “heart of the Christian life”) (p. 42).

–  Fournier accepts all seven Roman Catholic sacraments as means of grace (p. 17), and he believes in the supremacy and full authority of the papacy (pp. 18, 204), never questioning the pope’s position or theology. And of course, the Roman Catholic “church” is the one true world-wide ecumenical church (pp. 65, 143, 165). These doctrines are carefully and subtlety “slipped in,” while promoting an “evangelical” line. (Reported in the March-April 1992, Fundamentalist Digest.)

NOTE I: Colson’s conclusion about the author is: “Keith Fournier stands in the breach — truly orthodox in his adherence to Catholic doctrine and fully evangelical in his relationship to Christ and His creation.”

NOTE II: Fournier says concerning Colson: “Several years ago we honored Chuck with our Poverello Medal, our highest award given annually to the man, woman, or organization which most reflects the spirit of Saint Francis in his simple love for Jesus Christ [p. 205] The Prison Fellowship Ministries staff and volunteers simply want to touch unbelievers and fellow Christians with the love of Christ. So when their work takes them to predominantly Catholic countries and Catholic environments, they strive to work with Catholic Christians” (p. 202). Throughout the book, Fournier’s foremost Christian heroes appear to be Mother Teresa and Charles Colson.

NOTE III: Foundation for March-April 1990, in reference to Colson stated: “When questioned as to any doctrinal requirements for participation in his Prison Fellowship Ministries, he explained that because of its nature and scope, it is necessary to make no distinctions on the basis of either religion or race.” After reading the revelations in Fournier’s book, it is understandable how Colson could make that statement. He simply sees no differences based on doctrine. This is tragic. It is obvious that Colson was trained as a lawyer, not as a theologian (New Neutralism II, pp. 68-70).

NOTE IV: Fournier lists nine current areas of cooperative effort between the evangelical- ecumenical Roman Catholic and the evangelical-ecumenical Protestant that are expediting the “back to Rome” process: These included (a) social ecumenism [joint social action projects]; (b) evangelistic ecumenism [ecumenical evangelism] and (c) moral ecumenism [joint action in the anti-abortion effort]. Through the Fournier/Robertson ACLJ, professing fundamentalists, in their desire to retain/regain essential constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, are being conned into an ecumenical mesh from which they may be unable or unwilling to extract themselves. In the future, they could wind up regaining/maintaining the right to publicly exercise a faith which they no longer possess that faith having been lost in an ecumenical planning for legal justice. It has been said  that “It’s never right to do wrong, in order to get a chance to do right.” This certainly appears to be applicable here. Fighting for religious liberty does not justify forging ecumenical ties!  [Return to Text]
________________________________________________________________________

EXCERPT:
Charles Colson was a leader and drafter of the 1994 document Evangelicals and Catholics Together. In essence, this document undermined the Reformation as it affirmed that there was little difference between the gospel of Roman Catholicism and the gospel of the Reformation (i.e., the Biblical Gospel). 
In 2009, Colson appeared at the helm of the drafting of another ecumenical document, The Manhattan Declaration. This document, though standing against social ills such as homosexual marriage and abortion, did so at the expense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
In his response to The Manhattan Declaration, John MacArthur explains:
Instead of acknowledging the true depth of our differences, the implicit assumption (from the start of the document until its final paragraph) is that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant Evangelicals and others all share a common faith in and a common commitment to the gospel’s essential claims. The document repeatedly employs expressions like “we [and] our fellow believers”; “As Christians, we . . .”; and “we claim the heritage of . . . Christians.” That seriously muddles the lines of demarcation between authentic biblical Christianity and various apostate traditions.
The Declaration therefore constitutes a formal avowal of brotherhood between Evangelical signatories and purveyors of different gospels. That is the stated intention of some of the key signatories, and it’s hard to see how secular readers could possibly view it in any other light. Thus for the sake of issuing a manifesto decrying certain moral and political issues, the Declaration obscures both the importance of the gospel and the very substance of the gospel message. (Source)

_________________________________________________________ 

Ron Blue; General Teachings/Activities

SEE: http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/blue/general.htm; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Ron Blue is the head of Ronald Blue & Co., a financial advisory firm with offices in Atlanta, Orlando, and Indianapolis. He is also founder and owner of Christian Financial Management. He is a C.P.A. and holds an MBA degree from Indiana University. Blue’s wife, Judy, who has co-authored two books with him (Money Matters for Parents and their Kids and A Woman’s Guide to Financial Peace of Mind) has a degree in Speech & Hearing Therapy from Indiana University, as well as an M.A. in Counseling & Guidance.

–  Ron Blue is one of the two so-called “Christian financial experts” so popular today (the other being Larry Burkett). Blue is probably best known for his book and video series,Master Your Money. He is also the popular author of several other books on financial management — The Debt Squeeze [now renamed Taming the Money Monster], Money Matters for Parents and their Kids, Raising Money-Smart Kids, A Woman’s Guide to Financial Peace of Mind, Sneakers From Heaven, and Storm Shelter. One of Blue’s books (Money Matters for Parents and their Kids) has been endorsed by Gary Smalley (of left-brain/right-brain pseudoscience fame), another (Sneakers From Heaven) by Chuck Swindoll (pop-psychologizer and recommender of books by occultists and New Agers), and another (the 1991 edition of Master Your Money) by both Swindoll and Howard Hendricks (self-love advocate). In addition, Blue not only appears regularly on James Dobson‘s radio program (as well as being published by Focus on the Family Publishing –The Debt Squeeze:1989), but also serves on the board of directors for Swindoll’s Insight for Living and for Promise Keepers (see later in this report).

–  As for Blue himself, it is almost humorous the way he incorporates pop psychological ideas into his explanations of financial and economic phenomena. For example:

(a) In a February 1992 Moody Monthly article, Blue discusses the problems associated with the huge amount of consumer debt outstanding. A logical question for Christians would be, “How can I avoid getting into debt, and what are the causes of people overspending?” Blue has the answer: “If we look beyond overspending tothe root cause, we often find a low self-esteem [Dobson], or a need for significance or approval [Crabb], which can trigger materialism” (“The Middle Income Muddle,” p. 30). (Emphasis added.)

(b) In the August 1991 Focus On The Family magazine, Blue co-authored an article with his wife titled “A Woman’s Guide to Financial Peace of Mind.” In that article, adapted from the Blue’s book by the same name, the Blues incorporate Larry Crabb‘s “need theology” into their idea of why men and women invest the way they do: “Women tend to be security-oriented in their attitude toward money, whereas men tend to be more motivated by a desire for significance. It’s common, for example, for a husband to want to invest in the stock market while the wife wants to pay off the home mortgage. Men are driven more by the need to build something of significance than by the [woman’s] desire to provide short-term security for their families” (p. 12). (Emphasis added.)

(c) In the February 1995 In Touch magazine (Charles Stanley‘s publication), speaking of his latest book at the time (Storm Shelter), Blue exhibits more Larry Crabb terminology: “The Christian who struggles with his or her finances needs to stop and ask: ‘Where does my security and significance come from?…'”

–  Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) “men’s movement” among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK’s contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a “phallic messiah” tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Ron Blue is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men’s movement — he has spoken at PK conferences, has written articles for the PK monthly newsletter, PK promotes his books, and he is a member of PK’s Board of Directors in 1996.

–  Blue is quite ecumenical in his associations and speaking appearances. Besides the previously detailed affiliation with Promise Keepers, Blue was also a scheduled speaker at CBN’s (Pat Robertson‘s) 11/10/94-11/13/94 “Financial Success in the ’90s” Conference (10/92, Charisma, p. 11; 4/1/96, Calvary Contender).

In addition, in endorsing ecumenical evangelist Luis Palau‘s 1991 book Say Yes!, Blue says: “I consider Luis Palau and the LPEA to be one of the vital forces in world evangelization today. … The world needs more examples of men like Luis who with boldness and integrity communicate the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Palau is a Catholic sympathizer whose ecumenical message is heavily diluted with pop psychology and Arminian easy-believism.
___________________________________________________________________________

RAVI ZACHARIAS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES EMBRACING CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM

SEE: http://apprising.org/2009/01/02/ravi-zacharias-international-ministries-embracing-contemplative-spiritualitymysticism/


ALSO SEE: 

RAVI ZACHARIAS CALLS UNIVERSALIST HENRI NOUWEN 

“ONE OF THE GREATEST SAINTS”

AND:

RAVI ZACHARIAS CLARIFIES CALLING 

HENRI NOUWEN GREAT SAINT

http://apprising.org/2012/08/11/ravi-zacharias-clarifies-calling-henri-nouwen-great-saint/

________________________________________________________

Josh McDowell: General Teachings/Activities:

SEE: 

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/mcdowell/general.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

Once known for his apologetics (e.g., Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Answers to Tough Questions, and Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity — three of the more than 30 books McDowell has authored or co-authored), McDowell years ago converted to a different gospel, one that “sells better”: the humanistic gospel of self-love/self-esteem. Rather than his former message, i.e., that the evidence for Christianity demands that lost sinners repent and believe in Christ, his new message can best be summarized as: (a) poor self-image, rather than sin, is the cause of man’s problems, and (b) improved self-image reduces or eliminates man’s problems. (Confirmation of McDowell’s adherence to this new gospel was evidenced on his television program on TBN [“Issue of Truth,” 5/13/94]: “… self-image is one of the greatest crises we face in the 20th century,” says McDowell.) [McDowell also has a 30-minute radio program, “Telling The Truth.”]

McDowell’s espousal of this false gospel has been massive. In his 35-plus years of “ministry,” since graduating from Wheaton College and Talbot Theological Seminary (1964) (all of which has been affiliated with the ecumenical, psychologically-oriented Campus Crusade for Christ; he also heads the Josh McDowell Ministry International), McDowell claims to have given over 18,000 talks to over eight million high school and college students on over 900 campuses in 84 countries. And what was the primary message of these talks? — On the 12/12/93 John Ankerberg Show, McDowell gave a testimony as to why the Scriptures are important to him — Josh said the Scriptures have shown him “how to love myself in a Biblical way.” [McDowell has apparently signed-on to the Jack Hyles‘ school of new math — 18,000 talks in 35 years is three talks every two days for 35 years!] 

–  McDowell’s most popular book, Why Wait?, is a polemic for good self-image/high self-esteem as the primary motivating force for sexual abstinence before marriage. According to McDowell, why should teens wait until marriage? — because sexual activity before marriage will cause one to have low self-esteem later in life. McDowell gives only brief lip-service to God’s commands concerning sexual purity. Evidently, a desire to please God and to obey His commands is not a strong enough motivation for Christian teens, but instead, a dose of the world’s “What’s in it for me” philosophy (humanism) is required.

–  McDowell has devoted two other entire books to helping Christians develop their self-image, self-esteem, and sense of self-worth: Building Your Self-Image (Tyndale:1978) and His Image, My Image (Here’s Life:1984).

In His Image, My Image, McDowell presents three psychological essentials for a normal person: (1) a sense of belonging (acceptance by others); (2) a sense of worthiness (feeling good about oneself); and (3) a sense of competence (confidence in oneself). He didn’t learn these ideas from the Bible, but from humanistic psychology. In fact, most if not all of the heroes and heroines in the Bible lacked everything that McDowell says we need. [McDowell still promotes these teachings via an audiotape message he sells on his Internet web site (12/26/01).]

–  McDowell supports psychology’s self-esteem, self-worth, self-acceptance teaching with a blasphemous paraphrase from the Living Bible: “I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to Him” (Eph. 1:18, LB). Elaborating on McDowell’s erroneous interpretation, he is clearly saying that we should feel good about ourselves because God was enriched through gaining us as His children! The context of Eph. 1:18, however, is all about the blessings we receive from God, notthe blessings He receives from us. Clearly, the “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” refers to what God has given the saints, not to an inheritance the saints have bequeathed Him. Nowhere in the Bible is God enriched by man. It is man who is always benefited by God. Common sense makes that clear. God, being infinitely rich and needing nothing, cannot be enriched by anyone or anything. (Adapted from the 9/93, Berean Call.)

–  Regardless of which of the Bible versions a true Bible-believer might choose to use, all can agree that The Living Bible is not an acceptable “translation.” In July 1996, theNew Living Translation (NLT) by Tyndale House Publishers came out as a remake of Kenneth Taylor’s The Living Bible, which first appeared in a complete Bible in 1971 and which has sold more than 40 million copies. The advertisements tell us that “The New Living Translation provides a wonderful balance of readability and authority. … due to the careful work of 90 leading Bible scholars, it is accurate to the original Greek and Hebrew text.” The cover jacket of the NLT contains enthusiastic recommendations by Billy GrahamBill Hybels, and Josh McDowell, and was featured positively in the 10/28/96 edition of Christianity Today in an article, “The Living Bible Reborn.”

In truth, the NLT is a more worthless version than The Living Bible ever was. It is, again, a paraphrase, like The Living Bible, but its updating of the language and phrase additions make a mockery of the Word of God. Nevertheless, McDowell says, “Nothing illuminates the way God wants us to live more than the Bible. The New Living Translationis an excellent way to communicate God’s truth to people of all ages and spiritual backgrounds.”

–  Referring to Building Your Self-Image, psychologizers David and Karen Mains say, “… author Josh McDowell uses this book to describe his own battles with self-esteem and to provide practical and powerful answers to others who lack self-confidence” (2/93, The Chapel Newsletter). The following excerpts are from Chapter one of this book:

(a) “Yet each of us also carries another portrait with us, a picture far more important than any in our wallet. Psychologists have a name for it. They call that mental picture of ourselves, our self-image. … there’s always the person whose self-image is bent all out of shape, like a photo carried too long in a wallet.”

(b) “The person with a healthy, positive self-image tends to be out in front in the race of life. Whether we like it or not, our mental self-portrait, that self-image, has a tremendous bearing on our emotional and spiritual well-being.”

(c) “Research has shown that we tend to act in harmony with our mental self-portrait. If we don’t like the kind of person we are, we think no one else likes us either. And that influences our social life, our job performance, our relationships with others. … That is why one writer styled the new insights about self-image ‘the most important psychological discovery of this century.'”

(d) “When did you get your mental portrait of yourself? How was it shaped? … For all of us the foundation begins to be laid the moment the doctor places us in our mother’s arms. … By the age of five or six our self-concept, the person we think we are in relationship to others, is so firmly established that we will resist efforts to change it.”

(e) “… your self-portrait … You can change it. You can develop a more accurate and healthy view of yourself. … The good news of the tremendous worth we have in God’s eyes can light up our inner self-portrait.”

(f) “Those of you who know me or who have read my biography, A Skeptic’s Quest, know what a pitiful foundation for a good self-image was laid in my life. If I let those experiences shape my view of myself, I would be overflowing with rage. … I now see myself more as Jesus sees me. More and more I like what I see in my self-portrait.”

(g) “You can have your self-image reprogrammed through understanding and applying Biblical principles. I want to help you see yourself as God sees you. I want to help you discover who you are, the special individual you have been created to be in the eyes of God (Rom. 12:3).”

(h) “The good news of the tremendous worth we have in God’s eyes can light up our inner self-portrait.”

–  Another McDowell book, The Secret of Loving, perhaps best details his philosophy of self-love/self-esteem; Chapter 3, “A Proper Self-Portrait,” contains the following key humanistic teachings (All emphases added):

(a) “This image (what psychologists call our self-image) alone daily determines how you and I perceive ourselves before other people … the opinions we hold of ourselves affect everything we do … It’s the way you think of yourself deep down inside … that motivates your actions” (pp. 21-22).

(b) A clear presentation of McDowell’s “shopping mall” theology — “You are special also because you are of great value and worth to God. … The value or worth of an object is usually determined by the price one is willing to pay to purchase or redeem it. It couldn’t be more true for you and me … I am worth the price God paid for me, which was ‘Jesus’ … the real basis for a healthy self-image is to understand and accept the value God has placed on you. … Christ’s loving actions on your behalf have demonstrated and documented forever the great value you have to God” (pp. 24-25). (First emphasis in original.) [This “shopping mall” theology — that the value of an object is equal to the price paid for it — has become quite a popular concept among the psychologizers in today’s professing church. This “theology” goes something like this: “The death of Christ on the cross is God’s price tag on the human soul; it means we really are somebodies, that we are of great value to God. After all, why would God pay such a great price if we’re not worth it?” On the contrary, the Bible teaches that Christ didn’t die for somebodies but for sinners. The price He paid on the cross does not establish my personal worth, but instead was required to meet the claims of divine justice. In fact, the greater the price, the costlier my sin, not the greater my worth! That the sinless Son of God had to die upon the cross to redeem me is not anything that should make me feel good about myself, but instead humbled and ashamed, for it was my sins that nailed Him there. How could that fact possibly build up my self-esteem? (Adapted from Beyond Seduction.)]

(c) According to McDowell, unconditional love and acceptance by others is essential to the development of a good self-image, but even more important is to accept yourself because, after all, “God can accept me just the way I am.” (p. 27) “God’s love, you see, is unconditional and His acceptance is unconditional” (p. 30). (See Brownback, The Danger of Self-Love, pp. 109-116, and Bobgan, Prophets of PsychoHeresy II, pp. 91-96 (reissued as James Dobson’s Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychology), for a proper, Biblical analysis of so-called unconditional love and acceptance.)

(d) McDowell’s teaching on self-appreciation seems to epitomize what Paul was warning against in 2 Timothy 3:2 — In the last days, men will be lovers of themselves. — “I can go back to the motel room, look in the mirror and say, ‘McDowell, you’re cool! I like you. …’ When one has a healthy self-image, you can do that” (p. 31).

(e) It’s okay for a Christian to buy flowers for himself or herself just, “Because I like myself …” McDowell then relates the story of being away from home, buying himself five dozen flowers, placing the flowers all over his room, “And every time I look at a dozen flowers, it’s going to be God saying to me, ‘Josh, I love you. Josh, I accept you. Josh, I forgive you. Josh, as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Josh, you’re special!‘ I’ll look at each dozen flowers and hear God saying, ‘Josh, you’re of great value. I created you in My image. Josh, you’re unique‘” (p. 34).

(f) McDowell recommends two books as “further helpful resources,” both of which teach a self-love gospel: Bruce Narramore, You’re Someone Special and Verna Birkey, You Are Very Special (p. 34).

[These gross heresies in The Secret of Loving (some would say blasphemies) make an utter mockery of the doctrines of grace and redemption! “The old rugged cross” has been robbed of both its shame and its glory. The cross is now viewed from the selfish prospective of what it did for me and what I get out of it. McDowell’s teaching on self-love/self-worth/self-esteem/self-ad nausea does epitomize what Paul was warning believers against in 2 Timothy 3:2 — “In the last days, men will be lovers of themselves.” This certainly does give new emphasis to the concept of narcissism! (See The Danger of Self-Love; The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image; and Beyond Seduction, pp. 146-189; for a Biblical analysis of the so-called “self-worth” issue.]

–  On 3/6/93, the First Baptist Church of Stanton, Michigan (General Association of Regular Baptist Churches) sponsored a massive “Christian rock” party. It was attended by more than 1,300 teens, and included sensuous dancing and lewd behavior during the party activities. The party was part of a national teen evangelism project (called “Operation Powerlink” —  billed as “the world’s largest pizza party”) sponsored by Sonlife Ministries and Josh McDowell Ministries. An estimated one million teens participated in the nationwide event connecting thousands of youth groups through a live, one-hour cable presentation. The presentation, called See You at the Party, aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). McDowell’s organization was expecting 150,000 “conversions” from among the nearly one million teenagers attending three-hour pizza parties at locations across the continent.

The “party” had a definite ecumenical and charismatic flavor, with 60 participating denominations. TBN, a hyper-charismatic, predominately blasphemous “Christian” TV network, “aired a one hour special in connection with the party [which] included a simultaneous broadcast via satellite linking teens from across the country,” including the Stanton party. The special featured CCM artists Petra, Michael W. Smith, and Carmen, “along with dramatic vignettes and the testimony of Josh McDowell.”

One observer at the Stanton “party” reported that the live band’s “music was so loud that it hurt to breathe,” and that it “was just like any other rock concert” with rising smoke, an elevated rotating drum section, and an incredible light show. [The female vocalist in the band even taught the crowd “dance moves to make with God”!] The associate pastor at the Stanton GARBC-affiliated church defended the “party” on the basis that (a) the church youth group had grown from 25 to over 100 in two months since the church “began playing Christian rock at their youth activities”; (b) there were “decisions” for Christ at the party [15 out of 1,300 in attendance]; (c) the GARBC seminary nearby had supported and commended the “party” by sending 50 students as counselors; and (d) the church was experiencing the beginnings of a mighty revival. (Reported in the July-August 1993, Fundamentalist Digest.) [On a number of occasions socialist radical Tony Campolo has also been a speaker with McDowell at “Christian” rock concerts around the country (1/25/94, A Christian View of the News).]

–  McDowell is also into “Christian” rap music for winning teens to Christ. On his 10/28/94 “Issue of Truth” program on TBN, McDowell had as guests three “Christian” gangster-rapper kids, who redefined their “music” as “hip-hop.” They said they were previously bad guys, but now they “hip-hop for God.” They also said that they let their clothes identify them with other hip-hoppers, not their Christian walk — “That’s the beauty of it. No one knows we’re Christians, until they hear our music.” McDowell also boasted that his 13 year-old daughter’s favorite music group is DC Talk, another “Christian” rap group (6/10/94, TBN — “Issue of Truth”).

This should not be surprising when one considers whom McDowell has employed as his publicist/public relations man — Fred Baye. Baye also represents the following people and/or groups: Jake “the snake” Roberts, a professional wrestler; Rebecca St. James, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Michael W. Smith, pop/contemporary “Christian” singers; John Schlitt, “Christian” rock soloist for the band Petra; Petra; Wellington Boone, writer/charismatic evangelist/reconstructionist/Promise Keepers conference speaker; DC Talk and the Newsboys, “Christian” rappers; and neo-evangelical psychologizers Billy Graham, Luis Palau, Pat Robertson, Jack Hayford, and Bill Bright. (Documented from the 12/26/01 Fred Baye & Company Internet web site.)
–  The co-host of McDowell’s “Issue of Truth” 30-minute television show aired on TBN is Steve Arterburn, a codependency guru and co-author of Toxic Faith. Arterburn is the CEO of New Life Treatment Centers (codependency treatment centers now affiliated with the Minirth/Meier Clinics), and teaches many of the same concepts as non-religious codependency guru John Bradshaw, only dressed up in Christian terminology. [Bradshaw is an unbeliever who defines codependency as the internalization of shame, and blames it in part on Christians who teach doctrines of original sin, total depravity, and eternal punishment, adding that a Christian’s problem results from “toxic shame” rather than sin. This theory holds that virtually everyone in the country is a product of a “dysfunctional family,” a whopping 96% of us, and that we have all experienced some form of traumatic abuse as children. In turn, this childhood “abuse” inevitably results in some form of adult dysfunctional behavior — often some form of addiction — the solution for which is a concerted effort to “heal the inner child” through 12-Step programs. This is the same John Bradshaw who “heartily recommends” Love is a Choice: Recovery for Codependent Relationships, a best-selling “Christian” recovery book which Frank Minirth and Paul Meier co-author with Robert Hemfelt (of Serenity Bible fame).]
–  An excerpt from McDowell’s 1994 book, Right From Wrong — What You Need To Know To Help Youth Make Right Choices, was featured in a cover story in Dr. James Dobson’s 11/94 Focus On The Family magazine. In his 2-page article, McDowell mentions sin only twice. And he mentions not at all either the Lord Jesus Christ or the necessity for repentance. McDowell does mention a 1994 survey he took of 3,795 kids (ages 11-18), from 13 denominations, in which they were asked 193 questions. More than 80% said they attended an “evangelical church” weekly, and 86% said they had made “a commitment to trust Christ as their Savior and Lord.” Citing a number of worldly activities these young people engage in, McDowell says this reveals “that many of our kids are not adopting our value system at all.” He asks: “What is happening to our kids?” Well, the answer here is painfully obvious, yet it seems not to have dawned on McDowell. The so-called “evangelical churches” are not producing real Christians! These kids are lying.

McDowell is also big on “honesty” —  which he never defines. He says we have to teach our kids that being “honest” gives them “unbroken fellowship with God.” But, it doesn’t!Sin is what broke this fellowship, and only faith and repentance will restore it. McDowell says nothing about being born-again. What Josh McDowell and his ilk must face is a very unpleasant truth: Their kind of preachy, feel-good-about-yourself moralizing is not working, has not worked, and never will work, because it is not the Gospel. (Excerpted and/or adapted from the Lofton Letter, as reprinted in the 11/14/94, Christian News.) [McDowell then appeared on Dobson’s 11/15/94 FOTF radio program to promote the book and his latest youth campaign — “Right from Wrong.”] [McDowell continues to be a regular on Dobson’s radio program, his latest area of expertise being how to “rescue the next generation” from the “cultural gap” between parents and youth (10/1-10/2, 2001, FOTF radio).] 

–  McDowell is also very ecumenically-minded. He was a speaker at the 55th annual NAE convention in 1997. He gave 12 keys to networking. He said that he is now working with 50 denominations in order “to resource families and reinforce the crumbling foundation of our young people.” He added, “We are all in the same boat. Unless we start rowing together we will all sink separately.” (Source: Ralph Colas NAE convention report.)

In 1996, Campus Crusade invited Russian Orthodox theologians and Russian doctors and professors to participate at a cult seminar, along with Josh McDowell and Ron Enroth. McDowell told Christianity Today that opportunities exist for Protestant and Orthodox Christians to work together on right-to-life, youth, and family-related issues. (Source: What in the World, Vol.16, No.7.)

In 2000, McDowell was part of the ecumenical Billy Graham Amsterdam 2000 extravaganza, where he taught a workshop on family relationships.
  McDowell is a member of COR (Coalition on Revival), a Reconstructionist/Dominionist organization dedicated to a social gospel/activism agenda that proposes to impose Biblical standards (e.g., Old Testament law) on unbelieving peoples and institutions. Though McDowell is no longer a Steering Committee member of COR, he has signed its Manifesto. COR has stated that “Unity of the Body of Christ in any city as non-optional,” thereby making it necessary to “rebuild [a] city’s entire society upon the Bible.” COR says that its founding documents (see below) were created “to give the Church a proper foundation,” and that “no denomination, church, organization, or mission can completely fulfill its God-assigned tasks unless it stands firmly on the biblical truths represented in these documents … the Church must stand on these truths or remain ineffective” (July 1997, “The Vision for the Coalition on Revival”). 
As an indication of what the people affiliated with COR believe, the following is from a brochure announcing the 12th Annual Northwest Conference for Christian Reconstruction. Does this not sound like a different gospel? (All emphases added):

“The Christian Reconstruction movement believes that the Bible contains not only a message of personal salvation through the blood of Christ shed on the cross, but also a comprehensive law structure which is alone able to provide a just basis for society. It is committed to the view that sovereignty and thus government belong to God, and that all delegated government, whether to family, church or state (civil government), is to be exercised in obedience to the law of God’s covenant.Furthermore, salvation involves every aspect of man’s life and thus also the relationship she sustains to the world around him. The exercise of dominion in accordance with the terms of God’s covenant is therefore basic and vital to the Christian faith. To neglect this is to deprecate the extent of Christ’s victory at Calvary.

That McDowell has no problem identifying with this movement is a bit disconcerting to say the least. (For details of COR’s unbiblical strategy for “taking the world for Christ,” see COR’ documents titled A Manifesto for the Christian ChurchForty-two Articles of the Essentials of a Christian World View, and Twenty-five Articles of Affirmation and Denial on the Kingdom of God. These three documents, along with COR’s 17 Sphere/World View Documents, make up what COR calls its “20 COR World View Documents.”)
–  McDowell appears to have also thrown-in with the charismatic fasting and revival crowd. Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days during the summer of 1994, during which he claims to have received a “prophecy from God” that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando 12/5/94-12/7/94 to fast and pray for revival. An Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics was formed. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC’s Bill Bright cites “a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20).” This ecumenical “linking” is in the “spirit of Jehoshaphat” indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he “linked” with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender.) [Another three-day “Fasting & Prayer” conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles; it attracted 3,500 “evangelicals” and charismatics. The Invitation/Host Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference was held 11/14/96-11/16/96 in St. Louis. New additions to the Host Committee included Max Lucado, Henry Blackaby, Loren Cunningham (YWAM), Greg Laurie, Dennis Rainey, Randy Phillips (Promise Keepers), Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, Howard Hendricks, and Neil Anderson. (Conferences have been held every year now, but there is an uncertain future with Bill Bright’s August 2001 retirement from Campus Crusade, and his 2003 death.)]
–  Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) “men’s movement” among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK’s contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a “phallic messiah” tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Josh McDowell is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men’s movement as evidenced by his speaking at PK events and by his writing numerous daily “devotionals” for publication in PK’s bi-monthly Men of Integrity (“your daily guide to the Bible and prayer”).
_________________________________________________________

Game Plan for Life Outreach Breakfasts

About the Coach

Joe Gibbs, former Head Coach of the Washington Redskins and 1996 Inductee into Pro Football Hall of Fame, currently owns Joe Gibbs Racing, which operates three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and three NASCAR Nationwide Series teams. Coach won three Super Bowls (Super Bowl XVII, Super Bowl XXII, & Super Bowl XXVI) as head coach of the Redskins and has captured three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championships as owner of JGR (2000, 2002 & 2005).

About the Event

A breakfast for approximately 1,200 people is usually held on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. The audience is generally men ages 25 and up, although women are certainly welcome to attend. Those under 25 are certainly welcome to attend as well, but we believe Coach’s message best speaks to a male audience that is 25 years of age or older. In addition, one of the most important aspects of his outreach breakfast is that we seek to have 80% non-believers to be in attendance.

Purpose of the Event

Coach Gibbs would like to share his testimony and lead people back to the Bible for their Game Plan for Life. Coach released his New York Times Best Seller, Game Plan for Life, in the summer of 2009 and as part of the corresponding ministry he now seeks to reach as many people as he can with its message. Coach assembled an amazing team of eleven experts to assist in writing Game Plan for Life. The book responds to the issues revealed by a national survey to be the most pressing in men’s lives. The results are a modern day Game Plan for a successful life based on God’s Word.

Strategy of the Event

We have found that relational ministry is the most effective way for Coach Gibbs to reach his intended audience. This has provided two key elements that we feel lead to having a powerful impact at this breakfast and beyond:
  1. Ensuring the audience is 80% non-believers with the other 20% being believers who invited the non-believers and are equipped to follow-up with them.
  2. Providing a system of follow-up with the guests that were invited.

How is this Strategy Implemented

We need a Leadership Committee of approximately 25 – 35 men from the community that feel inspired to assist in putting together this breakfast. These men typically consist of church leaders, ministry leaders, and Christian businessmen who share in Coach’s desire to reach non-believers. The Leadership Committee is responsible for the following:
  1. Recruit 100+ table hosts which is the KEY to the success of the event. Table Hosts need to be solid Christians that will not only commit to inviting eight non-believers, but will be willing to follow-up with each of them after the event. This follow-up is where the table host can help cultivate the seed that may have been planted by the Game Plan for Life event.
  2. Choose a venue and date for the event.
  3. Host a table of your own.

Cost of the Event

(SEE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR LINK TO AN EVENT WHERE THE COST PER TABLE WAS $250)

Game Plan for Life will provide a free book for each person in attendance, Coach Gibbs travel expenses to and from the event, and A/V needs (we like to use our own equipment and technician when possible).
We prefer to have the event at a nice hotel or convention center. Table Hosts are responsible for paying for the breakfast for each person at their table(s) and the cost, if any, to rent the space for the event.

Simple Invite

We seek to keep the program simple. The invitation should be to come hear Coach Gibbs speak about football, NASCAR & life; have a free breakfast and get a free copy of Coach’s book Game Plan for Life.

Timeline of the Event

Below is a typical timeline we have used for past breakfasts and while we are certainly open to suggestions and input we recommend something simple as to not discourage non-believers from attending and giving everyone the opportunity to still get to work at a reasonable time.
Typical Timeline:
    6:30 AM – Doors Open/Breakfast Served
    7:10 AM – Invocation
    7:15 AM – Introduction of Video
    7:16 AM – Introduction Video Plays
    7:20 AM – Coach Gibbs Speaks (stop all service – no waiters, etc)
    8:00 AM – Coach Gibbs Concludes (JGR chaplain gives instructions for filling out response cards)
    8:05 AM – Event Concludes and autographs begin
    _______________________________________________________________________

Game Plan for Life Resources:


I am Second® – Joe Gibbs


Gibbs Introduction Video Short;

A Life Filled With Football Coaching & NASCAR Racing;
Success Attributed to Being “Godly” 
But With No Public Testimony of Salvation From Sin 
Through Grace By Faith in Jesus Christ,
No Repentance From Sin;
Only A “Decision” for God

“The Single Most Important Decision” 

As Presented by Joe Gibbs;

All Without Repentance 
Is a False Gospel:
Coach Joe Gibbs Tells How The Bible 
“Turned His Life Around”
(P.S.: From Failure to Success?)
EXCERPT:
“Coach Joe Gibbs talks with ReadTheSpirit about his work on this new Bible. Here is a sample of the new Bible—Joe Gibbs’ introduction to the Book of James …
‘I decided to hop a plane to meet with my “spiritual father,” George Tharel, back in Fayetteville, Arkansas.’
‘Are you currently facing a career decision? Have you trusted God to direct your steps? My life is a testament to placing your career in God’s hands. It is the best move I ever made. No matter what He has called you to do in life, you can rely on Him to put you exactly in the right place that you need to be.'”

Game Plan for Life Intro Video


Facing Adversity; Joe Gibbs Chat 

With Ecumenist Chuck Colson



Joe Gibbs, Tony Evans, Game Plan for Life:










Joe Gibbs, Randy Alcorn, Game Plan for Life;



ALCORN: HEAVEN WITH FLESHLY BODIES, 



ENJOYING EVERYTHING WE HAD BEFORE ON EARTH:


FROM OUR PREVIOUS POSTS:
AND 
AND LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH: 

“RANDY ALCORN: On Alcorn’s website, under My Favorite Non-Fiction Books, he includes Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. Foster is the leading evangelical-type pioneer of contemplative spirituality (also known as the spiritual formation movement) and is considered to be a key player in the emerging church movement. 1 Alcorn has been a trusted name in Christian fiction.


Lighthouse Trails contacted Alcorn’s ministry and spoke with his assistant, who told us she spoke on Alcorn’s behalf when she said they saw nothing wrong with contemplative practices. She did agree to accept a copy of A Time of Departing and Faith Undone , which we have now sent, but said Randy Alcorn would likely not have time to read it.


IMPORTANT NOTE: On January 12, 2009, Randy Alcorn’s assistant contacted Lighthouse Trails and said that Randy has agreed to remove the recommendation to Foster. He did ask, however, that the following message be relayed to us: “[Randy] doesn’t believe in painting a broad brush over certain authors when we don’t agree with them in every area. For example, he has read three of Dallas Willard’s books, and while he doesn’t agree with him in certain areas, for the most part he found them to be very Christ-centered and biblical. So he strongly disagrees with the negative references to Willard in the books you sent.”  Alcorn’s assistant said she “looked through” the books we sent, but did not say whether Alcorn saw them or not. We hope he will find time to read A Time of Departing some day. P.S. A second contact from Randy Alcorn’s assistant to Lighthouse Trails on January 12th was made. We have been asked to post the following statement by Randy Alcorn:

“I do not give an overall endorsement for contemplative practices. There are many false and dangerous contemplative practices so it all depends on the context and what one is contemplating on. I do believe in meditating on Scripture and on our Lord, as this is explicitly commanded and commended.” — Randy Alcorn, 1/12/09


OUR COMMENT:  For anyone who has any doubts as to whether Dallas Willard embraces mystical spirituality, please note that he wrote the foreword to Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Invitation to Silence and Solitude, in which Barton encourages eastern-style (repeating a word or phrase) meditation. Barton was trained at the interspiritual, panentheistic Shalem Institute in Washington DC, and today trains pastors and leaders in contemplative spirituality at her Transformation Center. As for Dallas Willard, he has shown strong and clear affinity with those who teach eastern-style meditation.


2ND COMMENT: We appreciate Randy Alcorn’s concern about “dangerous contemplative practices.” However, it is very typical for people to say that contemplative practices can be OK “depend[ing] on the context” and “what one is contemplating on.”  Lighthouse Trails believes that even if the intent is to focus on Jesus and the Bible, there is never a time when the repeating of a word or phrase is safe … or biblical.”

Randy Alcorn’s Book Heaven Reviewed: The Not So Good:

Randy Alcorn’s Unbiblical Theory of “Intermediate Heaven vs. Eternal Heaven”:
________________________________________________________



Joe Gibbs – Former Coach – Washington Redskins



BY JOE GIBBS OCTOBER 30, 2010:



SEE: http://www.believe.com/testimonials/Faith/Joe-Gibbs/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:



Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how in the world you got to where you are? In school, I was the guy who sat in the front row, pointed at my letter jacket and said, “I need a C. I need to be eligible.” So how did I end up as coach of the Washington Redskins?
My path to success has been interesting—one full of people and significant events that have greatly influenced me along the way.
Searching for the Truth
While growing up in the hills of North Carolina, my mother and grandmother made certain that I was always in church. It helped shape my views as I had to choose between the Bible and what it said of how I was created versus the view being taught in school that I was formed when two amoebas happened to hit in a mud puddle a couple million years ago. At church I was hearing that God looked down and loved me enough to make me and put me on earth with special abilities. I started searching for the truth. I wanted proof for what I believed. As I looked around, I came to believe one thing for sure—since there was a world, there must be a world maker.
My pastor, grandmother and mother encouraged me to read the Bible. It provided me with added proof that God exists. Think about it. It was written by 35 authors over a period of 1,500 years with a perfectly consistent theme from beginning to end. You know how hard that is to do?
While coaching, I had to call plays from the press box by telling an assistant coach who told a player who eventually told the quarterback. It’s next to impossible to get the message right. But through the pages of the Bible, God has given man the truth—plain and simple.
God’s Game Plan or the World’s?
God created Adam and Eve, and you and me, for a purpose. He wants to have a relationship with us. So based on the truth of the Bible, at age nine I trusted Christ as my Savior and Lord.
As I grew older, I found there were other things the world wanted me to believe. You have one life to live and then you die, so you should do your own thing. Do whatever it takes to be happy and successful in life. I bought into the world’s game plan as my coaching career took off, thinking that were I to become a head football coach I would have all the money and prestige I would ever need. My drive to become a head coach became an obsession. I wanted the position more than anything else in life.
After a number of assistant coaching jobs, in 1972, while coaching at Arkansas, God placed a small, unassuming Sunday school teacher named George Tharel in my path. I was intrigued by his life and his teaching, amazed to find someone so at peace with himself and with God. I excel at being driven, but I have always envied people who could relax and enjoy life. As I observed his life, I started to see that there was another game plan. God’s plan was not based on money, position and winning football games. God was only concerned with me having a right relationship with Him.
Even though I had become a Christian at age nine, God had never been a priority. George helped me to see that; so one night in church I went forward and confessed in my heart, “God, I’ve known You since I was nine, but I have not been living for You. Tonight, I want to rededicate and commit my life to You.”
As I began to live out my faith, even through some trying circumstances, my life began to change for the better. Some of the changes were immediate, others have been a process.
This testimonial re-published courtesy of Athletes in Action and Beyond The Ultimate.
_________________________________________________________________

Joe Gibbs To Speak At 

‘Game Plan for Life’ 

Outreach Breakfast

FEBRUARY 18, 2013

The NASCAR championship team owner and former Redskins coach 

to share his testimony as a Christian

EXCERPT:
The event is an outreach breakfast with Gibbs sharing his testimony “and pointing people back to the Bible, and how to have victory in your life,” said Derrick Crawford, executive director of Game Plan for Life.
Game of Plan Life is the ministry side of Joe Gibbs Racing. The breakfast’s aim is to include practicing Christians as well as those who don’t go to church or are non-believers but may find inspiration in Gibbs’ speech. The group’s website said Gibbs’ message “best speaks to a male audience” ages 25 and older.
Guests will also receive a copy of Gibbs’ book, “Game Plan for Life.” He will sign copies of the book following the breakfast.
Tables cost $250 and include 10 tickets. 
__________________________________________________________
Winning, by God. 
Joe Gibbs’ Third Act: Evangelist
EXCERPT:
In a new edition of the New International Version of the Bible, “Game Plan for Life Bible, NIV: Notes by Joe Gibbs,” and a book of biblical devotions,“Game Plan for Life: Chalk Talks,” Gibbs writes frankly about many of his failures, about how just as his coaching career was soaring he was facing private calamities including a bad real estate deal that had him losing $35,000 a month and spiraling into bankruptcy.
Gibbs says he found comfort amid the turmoil in a renewal of his faith. A life-long Baptist, Gibbs says he’s not fond of denominational distinctions and says he and his wife have always gravitated toward, “Bible-believing churches.”
He became a Christian at a young age, “I made that decision when I was 9 but I spent a part of my life drifting, you know, I was on God’s team but I wasn’t playing for him.”
He says spiritual mentors like a Sunday school teacher in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and some of his Redskins players helped him get back on track with a deeper, more meaningful Christian faith even while the struggles were at their worst.
That is why he is sharing his private trials in this public way: so others can understand his belief that even winners lose when they lose their way. He regularly tours the country speaking about his faith at Game Plan for Life Outreach Breakfasts, designed so he can present his faith and help men by “getting off the sidelines and into the game,” the organization says.
“I really want to spend the rest of my life getting out this word, you know, ‘What is the right way to play the game of life?’ You and I are the players, God’s our head coach and we’re all playing the biggest game of all.”
But make no mistake: Joe Gibbs still preaches the gospel of winning and he still thinks that’s part of God’s plan for him, too.
_________________________________________________________________________
IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY, 
HOLD ON, THERE’S MORE!
There are other “Christian Coaching” Ministries:
Check out the following:

“Salvation Coach”: http://learnhowtobesaved.com/;
Salvation Coach is founded by MAKAIO and is part of MAKAIO Ministries(http://makaioministries.org/)  MAKAIO spent several years of his life searching for the truth and meaning of life. During this time he studied the popular religions and philosophies of the world. Through a course of events God led him down a path to discover the truth. He turned from the destructive path he had been on to pursue the way of God found in the Bible. He has never looked back as God continues to guide and bless his life.

Very early on in his walk with God, MAKAIO fell in love with sharing the Bible with others. He would literally spend hour after hour, day after day studying the Bible with anyone God would put in his path. He led group discussions and, in less than a year of being saved, found himself working full-time in the ministry and joining the staff of his local congregation. Since that time, MAKAIO has helped countless souls discover salvation.

In addition to helping people spiritually through Bible study, MAKAIO is also an artist who expresses himself through music and drama. He has written many songs that highlight his journey into the light and considers his art an equal part of his ministry efforts.

Please, feel free to contact us so we can get to know you better and please, get started with Salvation Coach today so we can become a part of your life and help your life be all that it can be.



“Makaio Ministries”: http://makaioministries.org/
“CMM Coaching”: http://www.cmmnet.org/
“Gospel Coach”: 
“Hooper Coaching”: 
“Coaching Foundations For Leaders”:

Overview

Coaching has become a very effective tool in the business and athletic world. We have introduced a new training called Coaching Foundations for Leaders (aka “CFL”). CFL is a course designed for anyone who wants to learn coaching principles and practices to shepherd others to glorify God. You are welcome to attend if you want to learn about coaching as an informal aspect of your ministry. Some of you want to be prepared for a formal role of coaching and CFL will certify you to do that. This training is fun, interactive and biblical in its approach. 
 Vision
To lay the foundation for 100 trained and certified coaches by May 2015 for discipleship and ministry leaders at Perimeter and for pastors we are partnering with around the world in strategic global cities.
 Pre-requisites
CFL is open to any Perimeter member who has completed Theological Foundations for Leaders (TFL). Ideally CFL is for anyone who has or is functioning or serving as a Life-on-Life Missional Discipleship Coach or Leader. Anyone who is in a leadership role in any ministry is welcome  to participate.
 Format
Based on the principles of adult learning, participants will experience reading, focused talks, triad coaching practice, feedback, and question and answer.
Part A: Classroom training and triad practice (10 weeks – September 8 to November 17)
Part B: Coaching two people, monthly learning community, and certification (5 meetings on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings)
 Text
Gospel Coach: Shepherding Leaders to Glorify God
by Dr. Scott Thomas and Dr. Tom Wood.
Zondervan 2012
For questions, please contact Rev. Charles Hooper, Jr.
charlesh@perimeter.org or 678.405.2133
“Coach Brian Williams”:
Spiritual background:
  • I once was lost but now am found – thank you Jesus for saving me
  • Raised Pentecostal and current attend and volunteer for ministry at Saddleback Church
  • Ordained Pastor
 Coaching Background:
  • Board Certified Coach through the Center for Credentialing and Education
  • Credentialed in all four key areas of coaching (including life, executive, wellness, etc.)
  • Certified Life Coach through the Institute for Life Coach Training
  • Faculty member of the Institute for Life Coach Training
  • Coached more than 1,000 people from all walks of life
  • Previously Director of Executive /Live Coaching division of national business training company
 Additional Career History:
  • Ordained Pastor
  • Author
  • Professional presenter of demo’s, wellness fairs, lunch and learns, church events, etc.
  • Presented to multiple Fortune 500 company executives
  • Top performer in various sales positions and sales leadership
  • Trainer in various settings, including business executives on leadership skills
  • Financial Planner for prestigious financial firm in Southern California
  • Previously licensed in securities with Series 7, 63, 24 and other licenses
  • Personal trainer background
  • Business experience as Internal Auditor
Financial Background:
  • BSBA in Accounting with a minor in Economics and Management
  • Previous security and insurance licensed (see above)
  • Financial planning background
  • Real estate investor and entrepreneur
Health Background:
  • Previously a personal trainer and trained for body building
  • Previously ranked AA in CBVA beach volleyball
  • Trained for volleyball with top professionals (including Karch Kirally)
  • Played games of volleyball against two Olympic gold medalists (and lost – Ha)
  • Wellness Coach for over four years with industry leading company
Relationships:
  • Happily Married to my beautiful wife Claudia for 14 years
  • Relationship coaching
  • Mentoring / spiritual counseling for couples
  • Couples small group leader for many years
 Motivational
  • Spoken in front of various groups to motivate and encourage to success
  • Worked for Get Motivated Seminars as Coach and Director of Coaching
 Recreation
  • Love to travel with my wife
  • Still life, run, swim and play volleyball
  • Try to learn Spanish (si, si)

“Institute For Life Coach Training”:

“Many of the early psychological theories (Adler, Jung, Ellis) and current theories such as Positive Psychology and the “solution focused” therapies are antecedents to modern day coaching. Instead of pathology as the main focus, these theories focus on behavior change through increased awareness and choices for desired future results and solutions to current problems in living, with the individual as the creator and artist of his or her life.”

“Dream Catchers Life Coaching”:
The Center for Credentialing & Education, Inc. (CCE) is currently developing a new coaching credential. This new certification will recognize professional coaches who have completed the required curriculum and training, and met predetermined standards in their training, experience and performance on the required examination.
CCE is an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors. For more than 10 years, we have successfully provided services ranging from association and credential management to certification and psychometric functions.
As new information regarding the coaching credentialing program is available, it will be posted on our Web site. We also invite you to visit our Web site for information regarding other professional credentials CCE currently offers.
“Center For Credentialing and Education”:
Mission of CCE
CCE advances professional excellence through credentialing, assessment, and business services.
Vision of NBCC and Affiliates
Enhancing society worldwide through quality counseling.
For more than 10 years, The Center for Credentialing and Education, Inc. (CCE) has provided a variety of services ranging from comprehensive association and credential management to specialized aspects of credential review and measurement functions.
Operating as a wholly controlled tax-exempt 501(c)6, CCE was created in response to ongoing requests from other organizations to the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates (NBCC) for assistance with credentialing, assessment, and management services. While CCE’s staff members have a proven record of success in their own right, they also work closely with the NBCC staff, drawing on a rich 25-year history of credentialing, ethics, assessment, and organizational management experience.
Recognized for excellence, the CCE staff is frequently invited to present to other national organizations and participates actively in the committee work of several highly regarded groups. Among these are the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), and the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).
While CCE’s initial projects focused on counseling and related professions, its reputation for excellence resulted in requests from organizations representing many other fields. CCE serves clients from a diverse array of professions ranging from medical to interior design.



BILDERBERG COPENHAGEN 2014-NEW WORLD ORDER BEING CREATED BY OUR OVERLORDS AS SECRETLY AS POSSIBLE

MAJOR HUMAN RIGHTS SCANDAL
DANISH GESTAPO ENFORCES 
MEDIA BLACK OUT AT BILDERBERG 2014
ABUSE OF REPORTERS 
TARNISHES DENMARK’S IMAGE
THE GLOBAL MAFIA

BILDERBERG “FREE SPEECH ZONE”

FOR “PROTESTERS”
(ACROSS THE STREET)
CONCRETE BARRIERS & SCREENS

Bilderberg Police Beat Reporters And Chase Camera Man:

Published on May 29, 2014



Alex Jones talks with Infowars reporter Josh Owens about the disgusting human rights violations that he witnessed.



Bilderberg Protestor Assaulted & Arrested;

Kicked, Punched, Arms Twisted, 
and Stomped Upon by Police 
Behind Concrete Barrier & Screen

Published on May 29, 2014



A protestor standing on a public sidewalk outside of the Marriott hotel where The 2014 Bilderberg Meeting is being held is assaulted and arrested for refusing to show identification in Copenhagen Denmark. 




Bilderberg Orders Marriott Hotel 

To Kick Out Infowars Reporters:

PARANOIA: Bilderberg Security Blocks Out Windows, 

Erects Police State Apparatus

Published on May 28, 2014



Infowars reporters are onsite to document the over-the-top paranoid reaction greeting journalists who dare venture to Denmark to report on what the real power brokers are scheming behind closed doors.
Bilderberg minions are using taxpayer funds to erect fences and steel barricades in efforts to keep what happens at Bilderberg inside the Marriott Hotel in Copenhagen.
http://www.infowars.com/paranoia-bild…
VIDEO:



BILDERBERG ANNUAL SECRET MEETING 
AT THE MARRIOTT HOTEL, 
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
MAY 29-JUNE 1, 2014

SEE: 

Globalist Cabal Meets 

for Secretive Bilderberg Summit


Bilderberg 2014 Agenda And Names Announced!:

Published on May 28, 2014


http://www.infowars.com/the-official-…
Copenhagen, 26 May 2014 – The 62nd Bilderberg meeting is set to take place from 29 May until 1 June 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of around 140 participants from 22 countries have confirmed their attendance. As ever, a diverse group of political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media have been invited. The list of participants is available on www.bilderbergmeetings.org


OFFICIAL BILDERBERG 2014 


MEMBERSHIP LIST RELEASED



Globalist confab reveals this year’s list of participants, 

set to attend in Copenhagen, Denmark, 

from May 29 – June 1, 2014:
SEE: 

Infowars analysis note:


What’s important to understand is that there are always members who will be attending, but who don’t want to be included in the list, due to laws such as 18 U.S. Code § 953, otherwise known as the Logan Act, 








which makes it a felony offense – punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years – for any member of federal or state government to meet with members of a foreign government without the express authority and authorization of the president or congress.



Yesterday, Bilderberg put out a press release detailing the official talking points to be addressed at this year’s meeting. From our research, this is not their primary agenda, but usually one put out to appease the media:



Copenhagen, 26 May 2014 – The 62nd Bilderberg meeting is set to take place from 29 May until 1 June 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of around 140 participants from 22 countries have confirmed their attendance. As ever, a diverse group of political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media have been invited. The list of participants is available on www.bilderbergmeetings.org



The key topics for discussion this year include:



• Is the economic recovery sustainable?
• Who will pay for the demographics?
• Does privacy exist?
• How special is the relationship in intelligence sharing?
• Big shifts in technology and jobs
• The future of democracy and the middle class trap
• China’s political and economic outlook
• The new architecture of the Middle East
• Ukraine
• What next for Europe?
• Current events



Founded in 1954, Bilderberg is an annual conference designed to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. Every year, between 120-150 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media are invited to take part in the conference. About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; approximately one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields.



The conference is a forum for informal discussions about major issues facing the world. The meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule, which states that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) nor of any other participant may be revealed.



Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of their office or by pre-agreed positions. As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights.



There is no desired outcome, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.



***



Below see Paul Joseph Watson’s latest article revealing this year’s agenda from inside sources.




Bilderberg Agenda Revealed: 



Elite Desperate to Rescue Unipolar World

Paul Joseph Watson
The 2014 Bilderberg meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark is taking place amidst a climate of panic for many of the 120 globalists set to attend the secretive confab, with Russia’s intransigence on the crisis in Ukraine and the anti-EU revolution sweeping Europe posing a serious threat to the unipolar world order Bilderberg spent over 60 years helping to build.
Inside sources confirm to Infowars that the elite conference, which will take place from Thursday onwards at the five star Marriott Hotel, will center around how to derail a global political awakening that threatens to hinder Bilderberg’s long standing agenda to centralize power into a one world political federation, a goal set to be advanced with the passage of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which will undoubtedly be a central topic of discussion at this year’s meeting.
The TTIP represents an integral component of Bilderberg’s attempt to rescue the unipolar world by creating a “world company,” initially a free trade area, which would connect the United States with Europe. Just as the European Union started as a mere free trade area and was eventually transformed into a political federation which controls upwards of 50 per cent of its member states’ laws and regulations with total contempt for national sovereignty and democracy, TTIP is designed to accomplish the same goal, only on a bigger scale.
The deal is being spearheaded by Obama’s U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, a Wall Street insider and a CFR member, Bilderberg’s sister organization. Froman is simultaneously helping to build another block of this global government, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is a similar project involving Asian countries.
Given that Bilderberg schemed to create the Euro single currency as far back as 1955 (Bilderberg chairman Étienne Davignon bragged about how the Euro single currency was a brainchild of the Bilderberg in 2009 interview), the results of the European elections are sure to have stirred outright alarm amongst Bilderberg globalists who are aghast that their planned EU superstate is being eroded as a result of a populist resistance mainly centered around animosity towards uncontrolled immigration policies.
In Denmark itself, the buzz is centered around Morten Messerschmidt and the Danish People’s party, which won 27% of the vote in the Euro elections and doubled its number of MEPs. Although some are wary of Messerschmidt’s far right inclinations, his success reflects a general resentment not only in Denmark but across Europe towards immigration and the welfare state, concerns that the EU has only exasperated.
Meanwhile in France, Marine Le Pen is carving out a role as the face of a conservative movement that threatens “to break up one united Europe,” with her European election win being described as an “earthquake” that has rattled the political heart of Europe.
Voters in the United Kingdom also delivered a thumping rejection of the EU and in turn Bilderberg with the success of Nigel Farage and UKIP, a Euroskeptic triumph some are labeling the “most extraordinary” election result for 100 years.
As well as TTIP and the fallout from the European election disaster, Bilderberg will be tackling a number of other key issues, most of which will revolve around the continued effort to centralize economic power under several different guises, including a carbon tax paid directly to the United Nations, with the financial hit being taken by individuals as big companies are granted special “waivers” that will allow them to continue to pollute.
The rumbling crisis in Ukraine and the relationship between Russia and NATO will also be a focal point of Bilderberg 2014. Globalists now consider Vladimir Putin to have ostracized Russia from the new world order because he dared to “challenge the international system,” as John Kerry put it.
Bilderberg will discuss fears that Putin is intent on constructing an alternative world order based around the BRICS countries, a “multi-polar” system that would devastate the dollar as the world reserve currency and also heavily dilute the current US-EU-NATO power axis.
_________________________________________________________


German Magazine: Bilderberg More Powerful Than Davos!:



Published on May 28, 2014



An extract from an article in the June edition of Cicero, a Berlin-based monthly publication, quotes an unnamed Bilderberg member as stating (after translation), “Those sentences which really matter are being spoken out (at Bilderberg). You learn an incredible amount. Davos in comparison is pure PR talk.”
http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-me…
http://euobserver.com/political/27778
http://www.infowars.com/former-nato-s…



An Overview of our Overlords, Bilderberg 2014:

Published on May 28, 2014



David knight gives an overview of the outcome of past Bilderberg meetings.
http://www.infowars.com/an-overview-o…


Bilderberg Agenda Revealed!:



Published on May 28, 2014



Elite Desperate to Rescue Unipolar World. Anti-EU revolution, Ukraine crisis threaten to derail global government
http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-ag…
How Bilderberg Made Obama
Both Barack Obama and John McCain attended the Bilderberg conference prior to the 2008 presidential election
http://www.infowars.com/how-bilderber…


BILDERBERG ATTENDEE LIST TAKES SHAPE


Hungarian politicians who allegedly conspired 

to undermine elections will attend.
EXCERPT:
A media blackout on the weekend’s elite Bilderberg Group meeting in Copenhagen Denmark is in full force. Not one single major news article has been published about the meeting despite the fact that 140 political, financial and business leaders from 22 countries around the world will gather in one hotel for four days.

LIST OF KNOWN PARTICIPANTS
SEE: 
Current list of Participants – Status 26 May 2014
Chairman
FRA Castries, Henri de Chairman and CEO, AXA Group
DEU Achleitner, Paul M. Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG
DEU Ackermann, Josef Former CEO, Deutsche Bank AG
GBR Agius, Marcus Non-Executive Chairman, PA Consulting Group
FIN Alahuhta, Matti Member of the Board, KONE; Chairman, Aalto University Foundation
GBR Alexander, Helen Chairman, UBM plc
USA Alexander, Keith B. Former Commander, U.S. Cyber Command; Former Director, National Security Agency
USA Altman, Roger C. Executive Chairman, Evercore
FIN Apunen, Matti Director, Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA
DEU Asmussen, Jörg State Secretary of Labour and Social Affairs
HUN Bajnai, Gordon Former Prime Minister; Party Leader, Together 2014
GBR Balls, Edward M. Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
PRT Balsemão, Francisco Pinto Chairman, Impresa SGPS
FRA Baroin, François Member of Parliament (UMP); Mayor of Troyes
FRA Baverez, Nicolas Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
USA Berggruen, Nicolas Chairman, Berggruen Institute on Governance
ITA Bernabè, Franco Chairman, FB Group SRL
DNK Besenbacher, Flemming Chairman, The Carlsberg Group
NLD Beurden, Ben van CEO, Royal Dutch Shell plc
SWE Bildt, Carl Minister for Foreign Affairs
NOR Brandtzæg, Svein Richard President and CEO, Norsk Hydro ASA
INT Breedlove, Philip M. Supreme Allied Commander Europe
AUT Bronner, Oscar Publisher, Der STANDARD Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H.
SWE Buskhe, Håkan President and CEO, Saab AB
TUR Çandar, Cengiz Senior Columnist, Al Monitor and Radikal
ESP Cebrián, Juan Luis Executive Chairman, Grupo PRISA
FRA Chalendar, Pierre-André de Chairman and CEO, Saint-Gobain
CAN Clark, W. Edmund Group President and CEO, TD Bank Group
INT Coeuré, Benoît Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank
IRL Coveney, Simon Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
GBR Cowper-Coles, Sherard Senior Adviser to the Group Chairman and Group CEO, HSBC Holdings plc
BEL Davignon, Etienne Minister of State
USA Donilon, Thomas E. Senior Partner, O’Melveny and Myers; Former U.S. National Security Advisor
DEU Döpfner, Mathias CEO, Axel Springer SE
GBR Dudley, Robert Group Chief Executive, BP plc
FIN Ehrnrooth, Henrik Chairman, Caverion Corporation, Otava and Pöyry PLC
ITA Elkann, John Chairman, Fiat S.p.A.
DEU Enders, Thomas CEO, Airbus Group
DNK Federspiel, Ulrik Executive Vice President, Haldor Topsøe A/S
USA Feldstein, Martin S. Professor of Economics, Harvard University; President Emeritus, NBER
CAN Ferguson, Brian President and CEO, Cenovus Energy Inc.
GBR Flint, Douglas J. Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc
ESP García-Margallo, José Manuel Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
USA Gfoeller, Michael Independent Consultant
TUR Göle, Nilüfer Professor of Sociology, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
USA Greenberg, Evan G. Chairman and CEO, ACE Group
GBR Greening, Justine Secretary of State for International Development
NLD Halberstadt, Victor Professor of Economics, Leiden University
USA Hockfield, Susan President Emerita, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
NOR Høegh, Leif O. Chairman, Höegh Autoliners AS
NOR Høegh, Westye Senior Advisor, Höegh Autoliners AS
USA Hoffman, Reid Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn
CHN Huang, Yiping Professor of Economics, National School of Development, Peking University
USA Jackson, Shirley Ann President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
USA Jacobs, Kenneth M. Chairman and CEO, Lazard
USA Johnson, James A. Chairman, Johnson Capital Partners
USA Karp, Alex CEO, Palantir Technologies
USA Katz, Bruce J. Vice President and Co-Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution
CAN Kenney, Jason T. Minister of Employment and Social Development
GBR Kerr, John Deputy Chairman, Scottish Power
USA Kissinger, Henry A. Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
USA Kleinfeld, Klaus Chairman and CEO, Alcoa
TUR Koç, Mustafa Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.
DNK Kragh, Steffen President and CEO, Egmont
USA Kravis, Henry R. Co-Chairman and Co-CEO, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA Kravis, Marie-Josée Senior Fellow and Vice Chair, Hudson Institute
CHE Kudelski, André Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group
INT Lagarde, Christine Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
BEL Leysen, Thomas Chairman of the Board of Directors, KBC Group
USA Li, Cheng Director, John L.Thornton China Center,The Brookings Institution
SWE Lifvendahl, Tove Political Editor in Chief, Svenska Dagbladet
CHN Liu, He Minister, Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs
PRT Macedo, Paulo Minister of Health
FRA Macron, Emmanuel Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency
ITA Maggioni, Monica Editor-in-Chief, Rainews24, RAI TV
GBR Mandelson, Peter Chairman, Global Counsel LLP
USA McAfee, Andrew Principal Research Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PRT Medeiros, Inês de Member of Parliament, Socialist Party
GBR Micklethwait, John Editor-in-Chief, The Economist
GRC Mitsotaki, Alexandra Chair, ActionAid Hellas
ITA Monti, Mario Senator-for-life; President, Bocconi University
USA Mundie, Craig J. Senior Advisor to the CEO, Microsoft Corporation
CAN Munroe-Blum, Heather Professor of Medicine and Principal (President) Emerita, McGill University
USA Murray, Charles A. W.H. Brady Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
NLD Netherlands, H.R.H. Princess Beatrix of the
ESP Nin Génova, Juan María Deputy Chairman and CEO, CaixaBank
FRA Nougayrède, Natalie Director and Executive Editor, Le Monde
DNK Olesen, Søren-Peter Professor; Member of the Board of Directors, The Carlsberg Foundation
FIN Ollila, Jorma Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell, plc; Chairman, Outokumpu Plc
TUR Oran, Umut Deputy Chairman, Republican People’s Party (CHP)
GBR Osborne, George Chancellor of the Exchequer
FRA Pellerin, Fleur State Secretary for Foreign Trade
USA Perle, Richard N. Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
USA Petraeus, David H. Chairman, KKR Global Institute
CAN Poloz, Stephen S. Governor, Bank of Canada
INT Rasmussen, Anders Fogh Secretary General, NATO
DNK Rasmussen, Jørgen Huno Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Lundbeck Foundation
INT Reding, Viviane Vice President and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, European Commission
USA Reed, Kasim Mayor of Atlanta
CAN Reisman, Heather M. Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
NOR Reiten, Eivind Chairman, Klaveness Marine Holding AS
DEU Röttgen, Norbert Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, German Bundestag
USA Rubin, Robert E. Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Secretary of the Treasury
USA Rumer, Eugene Senior Associate and Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
NOR Rynning-Tønnesen, Christian President and CEO, Statkraft AS
NLD Samsom, Diederik M. Parliamentary Leader PvdA (Labour Party)
GBR Sawers, John Chief, Secret Intelligence Service
NLD Scheffer, Paul J. Author; Professor of European Studies, Tilburg University
NLD Schippers, Edith Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport
USA Schmidt, Eric E. Executive Chairman, Google Inc.
AUT Scholten, Rudolf CEO, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG
USA Shih, Clara CEO and Founder, Hearsay Social
FIN Siilasmaa, Risto K. Chairman of the Board of Directors and Interim CEO, Nokia Corporation
ESP Spain, H.M. the Queen of
USA Spence, A. Michael Professor of Economics, New York University
FIN Stadigh, Kari President and CEO, Sampo plc
USA Summers, Lawrence H. Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University
IRL Sutherland, Peter D. Chairman, Goldman Sachs International; UN Special Representative for Migration
SWE Svanberg, Carl-Henric Chairman, Volvo AB and BP plc
TUR Taftalı, A. Ümit Member of the Board, Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation
USA Thiel, Peter A. President, Thiel Capital
DNK Topsøe, Henrik Chairman, Haldor Topsøe A/S
GRC Tsoukalis, Loukas President, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
NOR Ulltveit-Moe, Jens Founder and CEO, Umoe AS
INT Üzümcü, Ahmet Director-General, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
CHE Vasella, Daniel L. Honorary Chairman, Novartis International
FIN Wahlroos, Björn Chairman, Sampo plc
SWE Wallenberg, Jacob Chairman, Investor AB
SWE Wallenberg, Marcus Chairman of the Board of Directors, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB
USA Warsh, Kevin M. Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Lecturer, Stanford University
GBR Wolf, Martin H. Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times
USA Wolfensohn, James D. Chairman and CEO, Wolfensohn and Company
NLD Zalm, Gerrit Chairman of the Managing Board, ABN-AMRO Bank N.V.
GRC Zanias, George Chairman of the Board, National Bank of Greece
USA Zoellick, Robert B. Chairman, Board of International Advisors, The Goldman Sachs Group
AUT Austria
BEL Belgium
CAN Canada
CHE Switzerland
CHN China
DEU Germany
DNK Denmark
ESP Spain
FIN Finland
FRA France
GBR Great Britain
GRC Greece
HUN Hungary
INT International
IRL Ireland
ITA Italy
NLD Netherlands
NOR Norway
PRT Portugal
SWE Sweden
TUR Turkey
USA United States of America
_______________________________________________________
REPORTERS ARRESTED INSIDE & OUTSIDE MARRIOTT HOTEL
PREEMPTIVE INTIMIDATION & CONTROL
REPORTERS HARASSED & THREATENED WITH DETENTION & ARREST;
THEN DOORS WERE LOCKED TO PREVENT REPORTERS LEAVING;
POLICE ATTEMPTED TO SEIZE CAMERAS & DELETE IMAGES & VIDEO;
POLICE GRAB AT WOMAN:

What Happened When The Cops Took The Cameras:


Published on May 28, 2014

►WeAreChange ☛https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChww…

Luke Rudkowski and Dan Dicks sit down together to explain what happened when the cameras were stolen from them by the police.
Special Thanks to Line Sejr for back up camera and not leaving our side
Like Us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/LukeWeAreChange
Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lukewearechange
Stalk Luke on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lukewearechange
Rep WeAreChange Merch Proudly: http://wearechange.org/store
OH YEAH since we are not corporate or government WHORES help us out http://wearechange.org/donate
We take BITCOIN too
12HdLgeeuA87t2JU8m4tbRo247Yj5u2TVP
video link✱https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yDdG…










HERESCOPE: PASSION OF THE PRESENCE & PURPOSE OF THE PASSION~NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION & INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER

We are republishing a six part post from Herescope at:
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/01/the-passion-of-presence.html, below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes; endnotes are not included,
but are listed after each of the six parts on Herescope’s website.


The Passion of the Presence 
the Purpose of the Passion 
Part 1 of 6:

Exhibit 1: IHOP’s One Thing Conference 2013*

 I went to a John Wimber workshop…. He said he sees the next 20 to 30 years as the time when more signs and wonders will be done than ever in history and when the secular media will be overwhelmed and have to report it every day as great revival spreads. 
– John Piper[1]
Now we come full circle to Francis Chan’s appearance along with the aforementioned Jesus Culture at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) Young Adult Conference 2013 One Thing, which just wrapped up Tuesday, December 31st…. In my opinion IHOP is using Francis Chan’s comments at One Thing as propaganda in order to borrow Chan’s credibility within the wider evangelical community and promote their leader Mike Bickle. How foolish of Francis Chan to just gush enthusiastically: 
“I go, man, there’s a lot of great things going on [at IHOP].
And today was the first time I ever met Mike Bickle.
And, I love that guy. I do.
…there’s people who told me not to hang out with him. 
“Like, you know, words like “creepy” came up.
And yet, I get to know this guy and I’m going,
“Man, I love his heart.
And I just want to publicly say I love Mike Bickle.
(0:18-0:50)[2]



The children are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth…. those ELECTED SEEDS that will glorify Christ in the last days… they will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever been in the Bible – They’ll move in it consistently… they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet… a church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man
– Mike Bickle & Bob Jones[3]





IHOP In An Era of Celebrity-Driven Christianity 
Evangelical leaders are currently rushing to associate themselves with major youth events that are becoming increasingly popular in the Christian world. These mass youth rallies were developed over the course of several decades by Mike Bickle’s IHOP (International House of Prayer) movement, which is interconnected to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). IHOP and the NAR share both personnel and doctrine, with roots that go back into the Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God cult.[4] Previously we have extensively documented the history of the camaraderie of IHOP and NAR.[5] 


This rapidly rising youth movement in evangelicaldom is characterized by its emphasis on generating fervent passion. Why are evangelical leaders rushing onto this bandwagon? Why are Francis Chan, John Piper, Matt Chandler and other prominent teachers placing themselves on center stage (literally) of these IHOP-orchestrated mass rallies?[6]Superficially, one might assume that it is merely for the immediate stardom and pizzazz that comes with such celebrity status in a youth event rocking with fervor, bright lighting, and loud acclamations.[7]What an ego trip! But is it conceivable that these leaders also happen to agree with some of the IHOP doctrine? After all, it is impossible to separate the activities at these youth events without encountering the foundational beliefs that give rise to them.

Exhibit 2: Francis Chan with Mike Bickle at One Thing 2013



Of course, it can be argued that just because an esteemed evangelical leader shares the stage with adherents and promoters of these IHOP/NAR doctrines doesn’t mean he/she agrees with their teaching. However, it is important to note that an evangelical leader’s very appearance at these events lends legitimacy and credibility to this movement – a movement that has been aggressively attempting to distance itself from its former cult status, remake its image and become respectable.


The doctrine of the IHOP believes that these mass youth stadium rallies are for the “purpose” of invoking the “presence” of God through generated “passion.” These three terms – passion, presenceand purpose – are derived from some very strange esoteric doctrines that originated in the Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God cult.


“Presence” is popular. Recently Warren Smith published a book in which he made us aware of an increasingly popular belief that Christians can invoke the “presence” of “God” (or “Jesus”) by their contemplative activities.[8] But there is another practice of “presence” that is taking the evangelical world by storm. In the IHOP/NAR the passionate invocation of the “presence” (which they call the “Spirit”) isn’t just done via contemplative meditation. They believe that the “presence” is achieved via the elaborate staging of flashy lighting, noisy music and hypnotic manipulations in the context of what they call “worship.” The clear intent is to create an altered state of consciousness – a spiritual/emotive state in which the participant is susceptible to heretical suggestions, “feels” closer to God, and learns that he/she may even become a god.[9] Thus their “passion” is believed to invoke the “presence” of God.


[Ed. Note: Pastor Larry DeBruyn has written a solid theological apologetic for the biblical concept of “presence” which refutes all of these heresies.[10] His article is of great assistance to those who are confused by these popular “presence” teachings.]

Exhibit 3: A TOD event advertised on TheElijahList



Invoking God’s “Presence” via “David’s Tabernacle” 
A recently published article, “Love and Death In the House of Prayer,” explains IHOP’s history and beliefs, and describes their “passionate” form of worship:


At IHOP’s frequent, frenetic conferences, attendees learn that they are “in the early days of the generation in which Jesus returns,” as IHOP founder Mike Bickle puts it…. 


In 1983, Bickle says, God instructed him to “establish 24-hour prayer in the spirit of the tabernacle of David.” The tabernacle was the tent erected by King David to house the Ark of the Covenant after the conquest of Jerusalem; it became a dwelling place of God and a site of ecstatic worship…. 

Bickle believes that unceasing, euphoric worship and songat IHOP and in prayer rooms across the globe, which should never close or be empty, will promote passionate intimacywith the Lord, revive the church and demolish demonic strongholds. And so IHOPers pray all day and night, through blizzards and blackouts, in hours-long sessions of mesmeric, musical worship, repeating the same phrases over and over, expecting to precipitate the Great Tribulation and the final battle between good and evil that precedes the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 


This is IHOP’s most alluring tenet: God needs IHOPers to effect the Tribulation and bring Christ back to Earth. “The church causes the Great Tribulation,” Bickle has preached. Before founding IHOP, he argued that “God intends us to be like gods. God has conceived in his heart of a plan to make a race of men that would live like gods on Earth.” …At IHOP, where prophetic experiences are endemic, the mortal and divine commingle liberally. 


The vanguard of God’s End Times army, according to Bickle, will be made up of young people, or “forerunners,” seersspecially attuned to the will of the Lord, “the best of all the generations that have ever been seen on the face of the Earth.”[11] For seven years of Tribulation, they will battle the Antichrist…. 


IHOP is not the only charismatic movement in America to adopt this theology of aggressive prayer. A constellation of ministries shares its vision. Together, they make up what has been called the New Apostolic Reformation, a decades-old rebellion against traditional Christianity that counts millions of adherents worldwide; it has become such a force in evangelical America that Texas Gov. Rick Perry hosted an NAR prayer rally in Houston for his 2012 presidential campaign. As prayer rooms are established in ever more locations, according to NAR, the “seven mountains of culture” – government, business, family, educational systems, the media, arts and religion – will fall under its influence. [12] [emphases added] 


This allegorical “Tabernacle of David” (TOD), said to be the “dwelling place of God” by Bickle, is the key to understanding the rationale for these frenzied mass youth rallies.


30 years ago (in 1983) God spoke to [Bickle] to do 24 hour prayer with worship in the Spirit of the Tabernacle of David. For 16 years this word hung on their wall until they actually began to do it in 1999.[13][emphasis added] 


In 2002 Dr. Orrel Steinkamp authored a key paper on “The Restoration of Davidic Warfare/Worship,” which exposed Bickle’s beliefs.[11] Dr. Steinkamp explained how Bickle’s TOD teaching had its roots in the old Latter Rain cult:


The Tabernacle of David (TOD) teaching is not new at all but was clearly a part of the restoration scheme of Latter Rain teachers. George Warnock, writing during the hey day of the Latter Rain (early 50’s), often referred to the Tabernacle of David. It was in the mid 60’s however, that Latter-Rain restoration teachers… began to flesh out TOD teaching. [15][emphasis added] 


The TOD teaching is based, in part, on a faulty hermeneutic of Acts 15:16 and Amos 9:11. According to Dr. Steinkamp, “Those promoting the restoration of Davidic Worship/Warfare base everything on the assertion that this refers to the form of worship that was employed in David’s tabernacle.”[16] In this Latter Rain cult teaching they believe that their TOD worship can manipulate power in the heavenlies:


Worship is taught as something which actually accomplishes something in the spirit world and is linked to prophetic revelation and spiritual warfare…. [They] are proclaiming that God is restoring to the overcoming end time church forms of worship that purportedly occurred in David’s tabernacle.[17][emphasis added] 


Music is an essential component of this Tabernacle of David worship system. Mike Bickle of IHOP has written that “one key aspect of God’s kingdom being expressed on earth as it is in heaven will be in the realm of anointed music and singing.”[18] Another writer explains more of the theological construct:


“…Bible teachers of our day… have discovered God’s anointed plan to restore the Tabernacle of David, which is theperfect pattern of praise and worship all New Testament believers are to follow. The restoration of the pattern of praise and worship that once prevailed in King David’s day willrelease a prophetic stream of praise in our day that willenergize the church with new power and demolish the works of Satan. Believers will approach God in new ways such as singing in tongues to activate revelations, prophesying in song, dancing rhythmically in the Spirit and all the traditional charismatic methods (hand clapping, raising of hands etc.). Those who resist this restoration of worship will fall short of God’s standard and will continue to operate in a faulty form of worship and will be in danger of the gloryof God departing from their churches.” [19][emphasis added] 


The above reference to the “glory of God” means God’s “presence.” They believe their frenzied worship activities will bring down “the glory of God.” In the 1990s, IHOP leaders took these Latter Rain cult teachings on the Tabernacle of David and put them into practice by launching a global prayer initiative (sometimes referred to as “Harp & Bowl” worship):


“The International House of Prayer [IHOP] is a 24-hours a day, citywide, worship and warfare, inter-denominational prayer ministry serving the body of Christ. This ministry is modeled after the tabernacle of David with singers and musicians being released to lead corporate intercession and worship 24-hours a day. This is an effective method for the churches in the county to come together and DWELL in unity so that God can unlock His commanded blessing…. This House of Prayer for All Nations ministry includes continuous praise and prayer dethroning the principalities and power over a region declaring Gods sovereignty. This… “Harp & Bowl” worship and warfare prayer gatherings… is at the heart of David’s Tabernacle.” 


“On May 7 1999, Mike Bickle and the IHOP ministry team dedicated a building to facilitate this ministry that began with 13 hours a day of intercession and spiritual warfare led by trained worship teams. In Sept. 1999,… they completed the full 24-hour a day schedule with singers and musicians leading each session. They believe that this model is the most effective context…. Their prayer goal is to see a 24 hour a day, citywide, House of Prayer (in the spirit of theTabernacle of David) established in every major city of the earth before the Lord’s return….” 


“We along with all of creation are longing for the unveiling of Gods power as God waits in heaven for the bowl of the prayers of the saints to be filled up so He can show His power.” [20] [emphases added] 


This last phrase in the quotation above is a direct reference to the Manifest Sons of God (MSOG) cult belief that they themselves will manifest and become “the glory.” This teaches that there will be a


powerful endtimes revelation of believers as glorified, transformed and perfected, and possessed by Christ to such a degree that they become One with him and become a living corporate Son of God on the earth, ruling with him. This will be accomplished by the descent of “the glory” in a final overwhelming event that will transfigure all those who receive it.[21] [all emphasis added] 


Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God doctrine teaches that the “glory” of God (His “presence”) must descend upon the church, and that this “glory” will transform and perfect them so that they can become the “literal corporate Son of God on earth.” This core doctrine forms the basis of what is being taught by Mike Bickle and the other leaders in the IHOP/NAR.[22] There is an essential eschatological component to it – specifically that of dominion and rule over the earth. This Dominion is the “purpose” behind generating all of the “passion” about God’s “presence.” Adherents of this worship system explain how their militant prayer and aggressive praise will cause God’s “glory” (His “presence”) to manifest “in the church”:

  • There is even a dimension of spiritual warfare andKingdom authority released during times of high praises to God…. 
  • Praise is a weapon of war, because praise arouses the Lord to a place of zeal. Praise releases judgment against our enemies
  • Wherever there is true worship, we also see a release of a dimension of authority that is characteristic of theapostolicHeaven’s authority visits earth….Restored dimensions of worship release restored dimensions of authority, out of which apostolic order is released on the earth. 
  • Prayer is essential for the release of heaven’s rule on the earth.… Prayer fuels the fire of God’s manifested Glory in the church. [23][emphases added] 



This “manifested” Glory is God’s manifested “presence” said to be operating in and through the church. The IHOP/NAR eschatology also teaches that there will be a “restoration” of Old Testament style “apostles” and “prophets” in the endtimes. The purpose of this “restoration” of this apostolic “authority” is so the church can become properly “aligned” to rule the earth[24]. This strategic apostolic alignment for dominion (networking hierarchical structures)[25] is embedded in their teaching about the Tabernacle of David:


David’s rule on earth represented God’s rule through man…. A restoration of David’s fallen tabernacle is not only a return to worship, but a return to God’s rule among men. [26] [emphasis added] 


There is an “element of judgment upon sinners and the rebellious who fail to conform to this Davidic Rule.”[27] This judgment is ominous – they believe that their extreme worship will jumpstart things in the heavenly realm to come down to earth. They look forward to an endtime scenario where they will act both “in and through” a “warrior” Jesus, implementing His will and “purpose,” so that they can become rulers and judges over the earth. For example:


When we are releasing the ministry of the harp… [and] of the bowls… we then see His rule as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah begin to happen in and through his people. We have known Jesus as the Lamb of God, our Savior, but soon we will see Him manifested as a Lion, a ferocious Warrior and the King and Judge of all the earth. … He is about to be revealed asRuler and Judge. With that revelation will also come the realization that the last-days church is being called with Him and through Him into that same role of ruler and judge….[28][emphasis added]


Note the eschatology: “They believe that Christ must come TO His Church before He comes FOR His Church.”[29] They believe that through their “passion” they will embody Christ (the “presence”) and thus become the instruments for His dreadful judgment (the “purpose”).[30] This faulty theology puts the church in the place of Christ, reading into the book of Revelation as if it were an instruction manual for how the church can wreak judgment upon the face of the earth. Keep in mind that even though in recent years Bickle has tried to distance himself from the more aggressive military aspects of this judgment, his Latter Rain associates have continued with their violent prophecies and rhetoric.[31] 


A related IHOP heresy involves a corruption of a familiar Bible verse, Ps. 22:3 which states: “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” They teach that God’s “presence” actually “inhabits” their worship. The more fervent, frenzied and feverish their worship, the more God’s “presence” will come down and “inhabit” them:


the idea of God enthroned upon praise actually mean that when we praise and worship God long enough and strong enough he actually comes down in his manifest presence to “inhabit” the Church – sometimes as a visible glory cloud of blue smoke or an overwhelming sensation of heaviness, or whatever….[32][emphasis added] 


Dr. Steinkamp summarizes the concerns about these IHOP Tabernacle of David worship beliefs and practices:


Beyond the fact that “Tabernacle of David” teaching is simply wrong and an example of illegitimate restoration teaching, there are pastoral and practical concerns. Rather than worship directed to God, simply to express praise, Davidic worship/warfare is practiced in order to produce a so-called spiritual effect. It hints at a kind of spiritual formula or recipe. The teaching that restored Davidic worship somehow allows or even attracts the physical manifestations of God’spresence seems to border on spiritual magic.[33] [emphasis added] 


Next, we will examine this specific “spiritual formula or recipe” that is employed in order to invoke the “presence.” This formula involves generating a lot of “passion.” 

Exhibit 4: IHOP Prayer



Becoming Passionate about Passion 
Are you “passionate” about in your faith? The words “passion” or “passionate” have now become part of the “hip” language of evangelicaldom. The implication is that if you don’t have “passion” (however that is defined) that you don’t have “purpose” – that you are lacking in something substantive in your faith.


“Passion” can be defined as “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling,” including a “strong amorous feeling or desire,” “ardor,” “fervor,” or even “strong love or sexual desire.”[34] Thus the word, by definition, is about a soulish emotion, feeling or attitude of the heart. However, the Greek paschō is usually translated “suffer” or “suffering” in the Bible (see Heb. 9:26; 1 Peter 4:1, e.g.). Note: “suffering” is not even close to the current usage of this term. “Passion” now means “euphoria,” and an experience of high exultation, even sexual excitement or “intimacy.” It can manifest as an altered state of consciousness in which the brain is not fully engaged. Thus “passion” can be the exact opposite of what the Bible calls “sober-minded.”[35] And, as shall be seen, this invoked “passion” can also imply violence.


“Passion” has an integral component of the well-choreographed “worship” service in evangelicaldom. This passion-filled worship involves more than simple singing of hymns or humble prayers and petitions. It incorporates various psychological and sociological techniques to affect the emotions. Key variables are stage-managed in order to create an “atmosphere” of heightened experiences, all said to be of God. Thereby this engineered “passion” claims that it can invoke the “presence” of God.[36] Below is a bit of history that will explain the agenda of the modern “passion” youth conferences.


Exhibit 5: Bill Johnson & Lance Wallnau practicing “passion”



The Formula for “Passion” 
John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement, and later a key force in launching the obscure “Kansas City Prophets” (now IHOP) into the mainstream, is the original architect of a formulaic worship method. Wimber’s method has gone on to become mainstream throughout all Christendom, and is even utilized widely in Catholic and Protestant denominations. His formula relied on five phases of passionate worship to “invoke” the Holy Spirit’s “presence.” In a 1995 article Wimber described his worship method as “Phases in the heart.” He described these phases as an “experience of God”:


To understand how we worship God, it is helpful to learn about our fellowship’s history, which goes back to 1977. At that time my wife, Carol, was leading a small group of people in a home meeting that evolved into the Anaheim Vineyard…. 


In the Vineyard we see five basic phases of worship, phases through which leaders attempt to lead the congregation. Understanding these phases is helpful in our experience of God. Keep in mind that as we pass through these phases we are headed toward one goal: intimacy with God.[37][emphases added] 


Readers will most likely recognize these 5 phases from their own experience in churches:


The first phase is the call to worship… through a song like, ‘Come let us Worship and Bow Down’…. 


The second phase is the engagement, which is theelectrifying dynamic of connection to God and to each other. Expressions of love, adoration, praise, jubilation, intercession, petition – all the dynamics of prayer are interlocked with worship – come forth from one’s heart. In the engagement phase we praise God for who he is through music as well as prayer. An individual may have moments like these in his or her private worship at home, but when the church comes together the manifest presence of God is magnified and multiplied.[38] [emphasis added] 


Notice the second phase claims that “through music as well as prayer” that the “manifest presence of God is magnified and multiplied.” There are doctrinal problems with this statement, as Pastor Larry DeBruyn has explained in his recent article “The Present of ‘His Presence.’”[40] Employing the language of “passion,” Wimber stated that as “we move further in the engagement phase, we move more and more into loving and intimate language.” And this passionate intimacy, Wimber asserted, results in “[b]eing in God’s presence.”[39][emphasis added] 


Wimber also claimed that there would be “a powerful corporate dynamic” at this point. This belief has now become a central tenet of much of the evangelical prayer movement. It teaches there is more power in numbers: that by collectively joining together a group has more potential to invoke the presence of God than a mere individual.[41] It also implies that God will only hear us when we reach critical mass in our shoutings, demands and decrees, and exhibitions of extravagant hoopla (contra Matthew 6:6 and James 5:16; see also 1 Kings 18:28).[42] There are a multitude of doctrinal errors with this teaching, but we note that it is a central tenet of many mystical religions and the New Age.[43] 


Phase 3 is called “expression” and here Wimber does make mention of “confession of sin.” But he defines this phase as having “been wakened to his presence,” meaning that the “expression” of worship will further invoke God’s “presence.” Wimber even suggests “physical and emotional expression” such as “dance and body movement.”


Phase 4 is “a zenith, a climatic point, not unlike physical lovemaking” – in other words, pure “passion.” This whipped-up sensual passion culminates in a “visitation” from God (i.e., His “presence”):


We have expressed what is in our hearts and minds and bodies, and now it is time to wait for God to respond. Stop talking and wait for him to speak, to move. I call this, the fourth phase, visitation: The almighty God visits his people.[44] [emphasis added] 


Wimber does offer this mild disclaimer: “This visitation is a by product of worship. We don’t worship in order to gain his presence. He is worthy to be worshipped whether or not he visits us.”[45] Of course, he gives no criteria for discerning whether some other spiritual “presence” might have been invoked through this frenzy (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:14). The 5th phase of worship is giving money.[46] 


Exhibit 6: Other student movements join with IHOP’s One Thing



“Manifestations of the Spirit’s presence”
Why is all this significant? Wimber played a foundational role, along with C. Peter Wagner in the “Third Wave” charismatic movement, and Wimber’s “Power Evangelism” emphasized signs and wonders as a normative part of a visitation of God’s “presence.” Wimber even practiced a form of “psychic healing” in which he believed that sensations of “warmth” and “tingling feelings” and “trembling of hands in healing” were “spiritual phenomena” that were “manifestations of the Spirit’s presence on the person. By observing them you can begin to see what the Spirit is doing in and through the person.”[48] [emphasis added]


Pastor Bill Randles reviewed Wimber’s teachings and explained how Wimber believed that the church should adopt an eastern mystical mindset:


This is the new paradigm, a down playing of doctrine or “head knowledge” in favor of mystical experience. Another variation of this is, “God is bigger than His written word,” translated, God wants to bring you into experiences that aren’t in the limits of scripture. Just knowing God “doctrinally” is not sufficient, you now must have self authenticatingexperiences. All of these attitudes are the end result of the New Paradigm. This is the shift from primarily objective, to subjective thinking in our approach to truth!… 


Another Wimber contribution,… is mysticism. What is mysticism? Mysticism is the sensualization of our relationship with God and dealings with the spirit realm.By sensualizing, I am not referring to sexuality, but with the feeling realm. A mystic is someone who wants to know God intimately, but is not patiently waiting for the “beatific vision.” He wants to see, touch, feel, and be one with God NOW. The mystic asks Why can’t we feel God? See Him? Go deeper and deeper with Him, into deeper levels of intimacy? We can, but in His time and on His terms.[49] [emphasis added] 


Thus, via Wimber’s teachings, a feelings-based religion gradually began to encroach upon the evangelical church, replacing Bible doctrine with emotions as the new standard upon which to judge spiritual experiences. “If it feels good and looks spiritual it must be from God,” became the popular but undiscerning belief. Al Dager, who has written extensively about the history of this movement, summarized the multitude of problems associated with Wimber’s “Method Ministry” approach to worship:


The problem with Wimber’s ministry was not only that he insisted that the [sign] gifts of the Spirit are still operable today, it was also the assumption that the gifts of the Spirit can be manifested through a particular methodology – also, that every supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit should be manifested in every believer on a regular basis. This, most often, leads to the abuses and excesses of human flesh masquerading as the work of the Holy Spirit…. 


There were many ways in which Wimber’s attempts at signs and wonders differed from the simple, direct, and unfailing ministry of the Holy Spirit…. Their methods include inner healing techniques, visualization, meditation, and psychological integration.[50][emphases added] 


The evangelical world, desensitized by the allurements and attractions of this style of worship to their senses, was then ready to make adjustments to their doctrinal beliefs as well.

Mainstreaming the “Passion” 
John Wimber believed that conjured up “passion” could invoke God’s “presence.” This belief then merged with the heresies of the “Kansas City Prophets.”


Toward the mid to late 1980s, Wimber became enamored by the ministry team of the Kansas City Fellowship, or as they became known as, “The Kansas City Prophets.”[51] 


Mike Oppenheimer of Let Us Reason Ministries describes how IHOP was then formed:


Mike Bickle was part of the Kansas City prophets that influenced John Wimber and Vineyard into numerous new ways to do church. We are told God called him to turn over his church in Kansas City to Floyd McClung Jr. who was formerly YWAM International Executive Director. Because he felt God calling him to start a prayer unit, a prayer house for the whole city of Kansas City, called The International House of Prayer (IHOP), modeled after the World Prayer Center. Mike Bickle is now part of Wagner’s prophet and apostle movement (New apostolic Reformation) speaking in various churches to incorporate themselves into these new apostolic movement under their leadership.[52] 


Wimber’s simple 5-phase formula for worship combined with the doctrines of the Latter Rain cult, resulting in a powerful new synthesis of error. By the early 1990s the IHOP leaders were anxious to put a global prayer movement in operation. “Some of the main prophets and/or leaders in the movement included Paul Cain, Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, Rick Joyner, John Paul Jackson, Francis Frangipane, and others.”[53] As we have summarized previously:


There is a fascinating history of how these leaders have managed to mainstream their most controversial doctrines into evangelicaldom. The IHOP movement… is part and parcel of C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation and, in fact, helped to spawn the NAR and its foundational doctrines for Dominionism. Here is a brief synopsis of the IHOP/NAR history: 

  • IHOP is just one arm of a multi-faceted group (with many names, entities and offshoots) known as the “Kansas City Prophets” that has been around since the mid-1980s. 
  • These Kansas City “prophets” are leaders who track a direct lineage back to the old Latter Rain cult. 
  • John Wimber became an overseer of the KC group in the late 1980s when their cult excesses became public and controversial, and set them up under his Vineyard denomination. 
  • John Wimber was a mentor to C. Peter Wagner and vice versa, and the two of them have a history that tracks back into the mid 1970s at Fuller Theological Seminary where they concocted doctrines together. 
  • C. Peter Wagner’s “Third Wave” movement, the predecessor to the NAR, was founded on Wimber’s signs and wonders mysticism. 
  • C. Peter Wagner’s “New Apostolic Reformation” was founded on the convergence of the mystical streams of John Wimber, the Kansas City group, and Fuller Theological Seminary.[54]



The above synopsis was written in the context of the IHOP movement (along with C. Peter Wagner’s NAR) taking a very public and political profile during the last presidential election,[55] particularly at Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry’s “The Response” prayer event.[56]This event gave great credibility to both IHOP and the NAR. They were attempting to mainstream themselves[57] as active players on the national political scene. Their “purpose” was Dominionism.[58


As events in the evangelical world gave birth to the emerging popular youth rally culture we again sounded the alarm about the mainstreaming of IHOP and NAR with evangelicals, writing:


We have been warning for a long time about the desire of the false apostles and prophets of the NAR and IHOP to mainstream themselves both into the church and American politics. The leadership hopes to gain legitimacy and credibility by piggybacking themselves onto credible-sounding causes and naive, gullible and/or like-minded evangelical mainstream leaders and groups.[59] 


This history of John Wimber’s association with IHOP becomes important because Bickle held a very specific view about the necessary “purpose” for generating extreme “passion” in an “army” of impressionable youth. This youthful army was destined, according to their Latter Rain prophets, to become the foot-soldiers for Dominionism on earth:


The Latter Rain prophecies about the necessity of a NEW BREED of youth for an endtime revival were given by Kansas City Prophets Bob Jones, Mike Bickle and Paul Cain in the late 1980s. Bob Jones, in a conversation with Mike Bickle, described a vision in which he saw “elected seeds” that would be an “end generation” that would be predestined to inherit all things.” He claimed they would “set the church on the proper foundations…. They’ll birth the church…. be the leaders of the last day church…. [and be] the best of all the generations.” He claimed they would “move into things of the supernatural” to the point where they would actually “put death itself underneath their feet.”… 


This New Breed would be a “warfare” generation that would “take the promised land” and “possess it.” In a sense of pure Gnostic heresy, Bob Jones claimed that this New Breed generation would reach the “full maturity of the God-Man!” He reiterated that this generation would be “coming into that divine nature of Jesus Christ.” 


Mike Bickle replied that this “end-time army” would have “300,000 enlistment notices” for the “next generation.” This “300,000… would be the main leadership over one billion converts in the earth” and they would “bear a distinctanointing.” This army generation was referred to in racial terms as “the best of every blood line in the earth” and “superior” to every other “seed” on earth. Bickle explained that there would be a “time of war and transitioning of whole new orders in the body.” These Latter Rain leaders teach that their New Breed of Elect Seeds will be an endtime Joel’s Army.[60]


Thus, in one ominous sense, IHOP’s revved-up “passion” is necessary to create a heightened warfare mentality in the troops. This is the Latter Rain teaching that a generation of youth is arising that would become an elite, special army on earth who could achieve superior supernatural feats that no prior generation had yet done. One IHOPer has just publicly confirmed that this was the recent teaching that he and others received:


…over the next five years I saw a whole group of friends get pulled into a whirlpool of self-heroic narcissism. I witnessed at close quarters the devastating consequences of thinking that we can defy the natural laws of age and death. We were going to do what so many Christians before us had failed to do, because we were truly special. Bullets would bounce off of us; the devil would flee at our approach. A new world was about to begin, bathed in the glorious light of a cosmic revolution.[61] [original in italics]


This profound sense of spiritual elitism, of unique purpose and special destiny then becomes a central facet of the esprit de corps of the IHOP movement.[62] 

Exhibit 7: The “New Breed” birthed
Exhibit 8: “Joel’s Army” birthed



Becoming the “Presence”
Mike Bickle developed an endtime scenario, called “Forerunner Eschatology,”[63] which teaches the Latter Rain belief that


“Prior to Jesus Christ’s physical return, His living presencewill companion the church in ever increasing power. During this time the visible glory of the Lord will rise and appear upon God’s people.” [64][emphasis added]


The “presence” according to Latter Rain eschatology, is when Christ will come to indwell the church, thus there “will be a special “glory” or “presence” anointing released for mobilizing the army of the Lord”[65] to take Dominion over the earth. This is not talking about the literal physical return of Christ Jesus:


The Glory, in the Latter Rain understanding, is the visible manifestation of the Spirit… [D]eceived Christians are being led to expect a manifested spirit and not the visible return of the Lord Jesus. I believe the way we are headed is into teaching about the return of the `lord` to his church, in glory, before (or perhaps even instead of?) the physical return of Jesus. [66] [emphasis added] 


Dr. Orrel Steinkamp explains the theology of this indwelling “glory” or “presence”:


…some Dominion teachers assert that Jesus can be an ongoing incarnation of God in His body (church) upon the earth. Consequently scriptures pertaining to Christ’s ruling on earth are often seen as referring to the church rather than to Jesus. The church is viewed as a kind of Virgin Mary who must give birth to Jesus the indwelling spirit. Francis Frangipane teaches a similar message: 


“When the Spirit of Christ comes into the physical world, He must enter through a physical body. When Christ first entered our world as a child, it was Mary whom God chose to give Christ birth. Mary’s life symbolized the qualities the church must possess to walk in the fullness of Christ. God is preparing us as He did Mary to give birth to the ministry of His Son. Even now, in the spiritual womb of the virgin church, the Holy purpose of Christ is growing, awaiting maturity, ready to be born in the power and timing of God. The virgin church is in labor and in pain to give birth….”[67][emphases added]



Francis Frangipane, a longtime associate of Bickle, has written extensively about this “presence.” In a recent ElijahList article, Frangipane explained his view of “presence” by mentioning a dream he had in 1973 where he was “overwhelmed by the intense fire of His presence.”[68] Frangipane stated that that this “presence” had to do with heaven coming to earth, an eschatological scenario:


…the emanation of Christ’s presence was like a burning fire upon my consciousness. A great procession of heavenly beings was descending through a night sky; I knew that this was a glimpse of Heaven coming to Earth…. 


…the radiance of His presence was a living fire upon my consciousness. The energy was almost painful… 


Instantly I was utterly overwhelmed by the intensity of the Lord’s presence. I felt that I could not… bear the increase of His glory. It was as though my very existence would be consumed by the blast furnace of His radiance…. 


The radiance of His presence will increasingly pour into the spiritual realms surrounding our world…. 


Simultaneously two events will manifest on earth, they will be the result of one, eternal source. The same increasingpresence that causes wrath to descend upon the wickedwill cause God’s glory to be seen upon the righteous.[69] [some emphasis added] 


Notice the last sentence. That this “same increasing presence” will cause “wrath to descend upon the wicked.” This sort of “presence” is the dark side of the “Forerunner Eschatology” taught by Bickle. Joel’s Army, a booklet published by Discernment Ministries online, which discusses the eschatology of the “Kansas City Prophets” in detail, explains that “The ‘Day of the Lord’ is re-interpreted by [these] false prophets to mean that Christ will come to His Church and incarnate (become God in flesh) an army of believers – thus giving them supernatural qualities to execute judgment on the Church.”[70]Obviously this sort of “passion” can be very violent. In fact, this teaching about a destructive endtime army is still current:


At the end of December 2008, Bickle ratcheted up his end-time enthusiasm by passionately announcing that IHOP’sOneThing Conference would mark a major defining moment within the IHOP prayer movement, and would primarily center around his interpretation and implementation of the Book of Revelation. Bickle declared that it was time for the prayer movement to realize that it will be the primary agent to transition human history to the age to come through “prayers of faith that not only heal, but also kill,” releasing the heavenly arsenals through intercession that will strike the Antichrist’s political, military, and economic power bases across the earth. The end times will reveal a “killing Jesus”who is covered with blood as He marches through Jordan to free Jerusalem while engaging the Antichrist’s army in physical combat. 


Based on Bickle’s end-time teaching, Jesus’ second coming has preconditions. He teaches that Jesus will not return until the global church is crying out “Come, Lord Jesus” with a full understanding of her identity as the Bride of Christ. Jesus will only return when the church is functioning in the unity of the Spirit and is anointed in prayer to release the destructive end-time tribulation judgments.[71] [emphases added] 


Notice how this “passionate” Bride of Christ is wearing combat boots.[72] 

Exhibit 9: The Warrior Bride



If one grasps that “Jesus” in Latter Rain eschatology means the church acting as His agent (or actually incarnating Christ), then this becomes a particularly disturbing scenario. Although most often couched in the language of prayer and worship, there is a continual reference to physical violence.[73] Most of the Latter Rain teachers have talked about engaging in a literal, physical violence, not just prayer warfare or hyper-spiritual passionate worship. Note Bickle’s endtime teaching:


Bickle envisions that the end-time forerunner church will be an advanced “apostolic” movement. They will experience “greater things” than the apostles themselves. They will function as the last day Moses who through prayer releases God’s plagues on the Antichrist, the end-time Pharaoh. Bickle emphasizes that during the end times, Moses’ miracles and the miracles of the Book of Acts will be combined and multiplied on a global level as the praying church looses God’s judgments on the earth. This is why Bickle calls the Book of Revelation the “End-Times Book of Acts,” meaning that the Book of Revelation reveals the acts of the Holy Spirit that will be demonstrated through the end-time praying church.[74] 

Bickle imagines that millions of praying Christians will one day be unified in prayer by knowing exactly how and when to pray next because the judgments and events in the Book of Revelation are numbered and in sequential chronological order…. [T]he end-time church will be able to loose or bind God’s judgments exactly as they unfold in history…. 


By praying Revelation’s Great Tribulation events into existence, this will result in billions of men, women and children being killed.[75][emphasis added] 

Exhibit 10: Invoking heaven to earth



Previously we have written about a high-profile NAR leader, Johnny Enlow, and his similarly radical endtime eschatology. Enlow is a bit more explicit than Bickle about exactly how the church is to implement its heavenly directives.


…Enlow claims that “Jesus is retained in heaven until Elijah’s Revolution…[which] will prepare for His final return.” This “revolution,” says Enlow “clearly entails the crushing of Satan here on Earth before He returns for His bride.” Enlow’s militant church is supposedly told by God that 


Your body on Earth will crush Your enemies. The last generation will be the ‘foot generation and will rule over Your enemies. Until they do so, You are not going back to rescue, rapture, save, or anything else. Your body, in fact, will not be a beautiful bride until she has accomplished thiscrushing of Satan.” [76] [emphasis added] 


Mike Oppenheimer, in a report on the Manifest Sons of God doctrine, has observed the inherent Dominionism in their violent eschatology:


Some believe that the second coming of Jesus is to be “in the Church,” before he comes for the Church. That the Church, his body will actually become Christ on earth, glorious and triumphant. They will go Conquer the land and then rule the nations with a rod of iron. Some believe that after the Church has taken dominion over the nations, she will hasten the day that will call Jesus back to earth and hand the nations over to Him.[76][emphasis added] 


Likewise, Lance Wallnau, who has served as the chief marketing change agent for the 7 mountains of Dominionism in the NAR, has written:


God promised new clarity, decisiveness, and success to those who drew near to serve His purposes. He assured them, saying, “I am with you…. Behold, I will make you into a newthreshing sledge with sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff.” I believe God is extending that promise to you and me as we join Him in what He is doing in the earth.[78] [emphasis added] 


Thus, observing how Wallnau takes an old Testament verse like this out of context, it becomes clear that the horrifying “purpose” of the frenetic worship and conjured up “passion” may be to desensitize an army of young people to take over the earth, wielding threshing instruments for a global harvest of violent judgment that they are deluded into thinking is their elite divine mission.


Exhibit 11: NAR leader Chuck Pierce conference promo



Passion and Intimacy 
In order to activate passion, there are no holds barred. Lust is considered a viable method of inducing an altered state of consciousness; and it should be noted that sexual lust is part of many occult worship systems.[79] There is considerable evidence that IHOP generated this sort of “passion” purposefully to excess:


One July day in 1988, Mike Bickle was sitting in his office, reading a wedding card inscribed with a verse from the Song of Solomon. “Jesus, seal my heart with your seal of love,” Bickle spontaneously prayed. Unaccountably, he began to weep. The phone rang. A prophet had heard the “audible voice of the Lord” for Bickle: The Song of Solomon, a dialogue between King Solomon and his beloved, should become a focus of Bickle’s ministry. It eventually came to Bickle that true believers must see Jesus “through the eyes of a bride with loyal, devoted love” – they must “feel loved and in love” with Christ. Without this intimacy in worship, Christ would not return to Earth. 


But the Song of Solomon is a paean to sexual desire. “Let the king bring me into his chambers” and “kiss me with the kisses­ of his mouth,” the beloved says. “His fruit” is “sweet to my taste.” IHOP’s website states that one of its prayer guides, Bridal Intercession, “presents prayer as the joyful and romantic communion between the lover and his beloved. . . . Readers will find themselves . . . eager to encounter this lovely Lord who is their bridegroom.” 


Many critics, observing that IHOP recruits post-pubescent youth, have wondered where, if they are to approach their Lord as Solomon’s beloved approaches Solomon, theirimaginations are supposed to go. “[Jesus] is not coming until the people of God are crying out globally in intercession with a bridal identity,” Bickle has preached. If the Second Coming depends upon “romantic communion” with Christ, and the alternative is satanic hegemony, then any error in worship should be made on the side of erotic intimacy – to lust and repent is surely better than abandoning Jesus in his hour of need. 


Bickle makes a point of warning his followers that bridal theology is not sexual. To IHOP’s detractors, though, the introduction of any suggestion of sensuality into worship invites transgression. Aggravating the libidinal diciness, they argue, is the nature of that worship. IHOPers spend 20, 30 or more hours every week in the prayer room, often for three or four hours at a time. 


Across the IHOP complex, in cafeterias, hallways and the prayer room, music composed to enhance the ecstatic experience is “omnipresent,” according to an ex-member. Among the lyrics to two popular songs: “God is a lover looking for a lover/So he fashioned me” and “Do you understand what you do to me? . . . How you ravish my heart with just one glance?” Some former IHOPers have talked of being addictedto it – they become nervous and irritable when they turn it off. Another IHOPer has written about addiction to the sedative atmosphere of the prayer room itself: “A common refrain around anxious, discouraged IHOPers is, ‘I just gotta get to the prayer room.'” 


“Very quickly, there were sensual escapades with God,” a former intern says, meaning that some people’s private imaginings turned explicit after exposure to IHOP’s “bridegroom” Christ. She says that an instructor told her, “God is using his word to kiss you.” The intern heard stories ofIHOPers fantasizing about having “orgies with Jesus” and “sex with God.” [80][italics in original, bold added] 


According to a previous report on Herescope pertaining to the “Bridal Paradigm”[81] of IHOP teachers, there are definitions of terms regarding this intense sort of intimate passion:


Spirit of burning — [IHOP–KC phrase] This is a cycle of maintaining a passionate desire for Jesus so that you are in a place of emotional pain whenever He is absent; hope and excited expectancy because of the knowledge that He loves to come to the hungry and thirsty heart; real experiential encounters with His beauty and presence causing you to have an even greater intense desire to be close to Jesus. 


Captivated/fascinated/ravished heart — [literal phrase] In the context of the Bridal Paradigm, this refers to someone who is wholeheartedly in love with God. In the natural, this refers to a heart moved with deep emotion and love due to the actions of their lover [82]


This type of teaching is rampant throughout the IHOP model of worship. Clearly the leaders are


creating lustful appetites for a sensual Jesus. Their Jesus is an imposter and the spiritual experiences they enjoy are not “intimacy with God” but spiritual fornication. Let us be clear; passions, desires, emotions, and feelings are sensual and creating an appetite for sensual spiritual experiences is the goal of IHOP’s Passion for Jesus Conference.[83]


Yet in the context of generating this lust, there is another equally efficient force at work: deprivation.


Contemplative Ascetic “Passion” 
One way in which to exacerbate the lustful intimacy of hormone-challenged youth is to advocate an ascetic lifestyle that deprives the flesh of even basic needs such as nutrition and sleep. Under this highly charged environment, emotions and passions become vulnerable to diverse intense stimuli, especially including the spiritual temptation to sin. Indeed, there is a “Wilderness Lifestyle,” a monastic-like component to the IHOP experience, which resembles much of today’s contemplative activities:


Bickle claims that “on May 7, 1997, the Lord spoke to me about believing Him to raise up 10,000 forerunners who live in the spirit of John the Baptist as friends of the Bridegroom…. 


IHOP leader Lou Engle encourages young Christians to take Old Testament Nazarite vows based on Numbers 6:1–21, a practice not taught in the New Testament. 


To undergird his forerunner eschatology, Bickle exhorts Christians to follow the “wilderness lifestyle” of an Old Testament prophet, instead of modeling their lives completely on Jesus’ servant lifestyle as lived out by the New Testament apostles (Phil. 2:1–11), none of whom mention John the Baptist as a life example for Christians to follow.[84][emphasis added] 


In fact, this most basic deprivations of 1) natural human affection and 2) common everyday affairs of life can be a mark of a cult. And the most recent revelation about IHOP is that this organization clearly has troubles with cult-like atrocities, including the recent murder of one of its members. According to news accounts, Bethany Deaton was allegedly murdered by Micah Moore, who was having a sexual relationship with her husband Tyler and others in their house. 


Tyler had “groomed” him [Moore] to be part of their sexual group. The men said that Tyler was their “spiritual leader.” He was “manipulative” and exercised “control over the members of the household.” He characterized the sexual activity as a“religious experience.” [85][emphasis added]


 Tyler Deaton, who reportedly battled homosexuality, seemed to have been taken in by Rick Joyner’s strange eschatological vision (written in a book), The Final Quest. Very quickly a cult-like oppressiveness settled over this group of IHOP young adults, some of whom self-professed to be “apostles” and were apparently not rebuked or discouraged by Bickle. It is reported that


Deaton often played IHOP music when he presided over worship, and the members referred to Christ as “the bridegroom” and to themselves as his “brides.” For most, the worship experience was spiritual, not sensual, but Deaton and at least one other person were “really into the bridegroom stuff,” according to an ex-member. Deaton pressed people to enter a prayerful state and “cuddle with Jesus,” says an ex-member. 


But anything beyond holding hands was judged to be iniquitous. “Marriage prophecies” determined dating partners. According to members, such prophecies were explicitly discouraged by IHOP, but they cropped up in the group not long after IHOP theology sank in. Suddenly, everyone had a prophecy or was the object of one.[86][emphasis added] 


The story of this cult-within-a-cult tells of “passion” becoming unbridled in a climate of religious extremism. It ended up precipitating the “drugging and sexual assaults” and violent death of Bethany Deaton. Note this disturbing revelation:


Certain details in the confession suggest that the men may have understood the assaults described to be religious acts.[87] [emphasis added] 


Notice the unbridled spiritualizing that justified these violent acts described above. In this tragic story the “passion” of the “presence” culminated in a horrifying deadly “purpose.” This is the same scriptused by Bickle and the other IHOP leaders in describing their endtime eschatological scenario. It is any wonder that their followers used this script for their own personal passionate vendettas?




The Truth: 
It is time for a hefty dose of sanity and sobriety in the evangelical world. One must wonder if those seemingly naïve evangelical leaders (e.g., Piper, Chan) are associating with a well-known cult (which has an historical record of teaching Gnostic mysticism and advocating endtime punitive violence) merely for fame and fortune, or are they perhaps also drawn to the mystical experiences of the IHOP/NAR leaders in these youth movements. Either way, they are playing with fire – strange fire.


In their 1995 book Strange Fire: The Rise of Gnosticism in the Church, which exposed the esoteric roots and fruits of the modern-day IHOP and NAR movements, Travers and Jewel van der Merwe warned about their faulty teachings about God’s “presence”:


When a high value is placed on personal experiences or revelations, Scriptures are then unscrupulously twisted and misquoted. We find those who believe the feelings of a congregation must be hyped up in order to “feel” thePresence of the Lord or else the church is thought to be “dead”. Instead of music being used to worship and glorify God, it is used as a means of “connecting” or “feeling” thePresence of God. If the “location” (or a feeling within) of God is not aroused and sensed, the Spirit is said to be either absent or bound. To counter this passive situation, worship is intensified, the devil is “bound” and certain forms of excitement are encouraged until “God’s Presence” is “felt”. Many times music is used as the conduit for the “feeling”. A popular slogan to advertise a certain music company is: “Feel the Presence of the Lord”. The church has been taken down this primrose path for so long that they equate the Presence of God with a certain feeling that they obtain by doing certain things. The “goose bumps” or the “warm fuzzies” or tears of comfort, is their way of “knowing” that God is present. So what this thinking boils down to is simply: “To know God’s Presence you must feel Him.” In actuality this is pure Gnosticism…. 


The Gnostic god is localised in a subjective experience, a soulish feeling of being in union with creation and God. It rejects the relationship with the Creator based on faith in His written Word…. 


[W]hen emotional feelings become the doctrine of God’s Presence, then God has been reduced to a “gnosis” form of Presence. For many, the doctrine of “knowing thePresence of God” is sought in a subjective experience. An emotional experience, especially a repetitive one during a worship service, if not kept in proper perspective or check, can lead to an altered state of consciousness in which the capacity for rational reasoning is greatly reduced. At this point the congregation is open to delusion and can be easily led astray. In many charismatic groups an altered state of mind is explained as “getting into the Spirit” or as a manifestation of the presence of God. Uncontrolled spiritual feelings transcend sound scriptural rationalism and give rise to the doctrine of “the Presence of God” built on an experience.[88] [emphasis added]

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled,
and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel,
which ye have heard…. 

(Colossians 1:23a) 
__________________________________________________________________
Part 2 of 6:

Rick Joyner’s Morningstar conference advertisement
   
…[W]hat if we changed our focus all together and our only focus was just to be in His presence?… This is what’sburning in the heart of the culture here at Morningstar,burning to be in His presence. We’re burning to stay in Hispresence, we’re burning to be in love with Him and we’reburning to know Him and not just about Him and so what we’ve decided to do, is take 90 days, starting January 10th, just to sit at his feet, just to spend time with Him anddevelop this intimacy with Him…. So please come and join us as we pursue His presence yet again.
—Rick Joyner[1]
We are enabled to partner with the Kingdom of Heaven and see it released here on earth! The Presence of God within us will bring reformation to the world around us—encountering a loving God! 
—Bill Johnson[2]
The radiance of His presence will increasingly pour into the spiritual realms surrounding our world…. 
Simultaneously two events will manifest on earth, they will be the result of one, eternal source. The same increasingpresence that causes wrath to descend upon the wicked will cause God’s glory to be seen upon the righteous. 

—Francis Frangipane[3]

The Coming Spirit “Presence” 

What does the word “Presence” mean to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and International House Of Prayer (IHOP) teachers? There is unique eschatological significance to their use of the word “presence” and its companion term “glory.” These two movements, increasingly popular in the evangelical world, are teaching a different eschatology. This eschatology is the engine that drives the entire IHOP youth movement, and it accounts for many of the strange activities of the NAR. Because many evangelical leaders are now openly associating with the IHOP and NAR, it becomes necessary to more fully explain their aberrant doctrines.[4]

In brief, IHOP/NAR leaders hold to the old Manifest Sons of God/Latter Rain cult[5] teachings that “Christ must come TO His Church before He comes FOR His Church.”[6] They believe there will be a separate “Spirit” or “Presence” infilling in the last days, evidenced with many signs and wonders. They say their passionate worship will invoke a “Presence” which will “energize the church with new power and demolish the works of Satan.”[7] This Spirit of Christ (i.e., the “Presence”) will come first to indwell the church beforeJesus’ Second Coming. Thus there is a doctrine of a two-phased or progressive Second Coming.

NAR and IHOP leaders teach that there will be an “increasing” return of this Spirit/”Presence” which will release a special “glory” anointing on the church to equip the powerful mobilization of an endtime “Joel’s Army”[8] to take dominion[9] over the earth. There is considerable evidence that they believe that the Bride of Christ will actually become Christ, Who thus returns in the Bride’s fleshly bodies. Dr. Orrel Steinkamp, who has researched this eschatology for the past several decades, asserts that these teachers are not emphasizing the literal physical return of Christ Jesus:

The Glory, in the Latter Rain understanding, is the visible manifestation of the Spirit… [D]eceived Christians are being led to expect a manifested spirit and not the visible return of the Lord Jesus. I believe the way we are headed is into teaching about the return of the `lord` to his church, in glory, before (or perhaps even instead of?) the physicalreturn of Jesus.[10][all emphasis added] 

There is a direct historical lineage of this eschatology. It originated in the old Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God cult[11] that taught a prior “Secret Coming for the Elite” before the 2nd Coming:

The neo-Gnostic believes the manifestation of the Sons of God comes about in a secret inner coming of Christ TO some Christians which would transform them into“Overcomers.” [George Warnock wrote] “Christ should visit the saints . . . and minister His life ‘in secret’ before He is openly manifest.” In doing this they reject the literal Resurrection and Rapture (the personal coming of Jesus Christ FOR His Church). It is interesting to note they will acknowledge Christ is coming, but His coming is off in the future. The emphasis is not on Christ’s soon appearance but on the great “power” or “new anointing” that is to be manifest in the Church.[12][bold added, italics in original] 

This eschatology is not classic Postmillenialism, nor is it the familiar teaching about the Rapture. In fact, it is essentially a form of Gnosticism.[13] Some of the teachers deny that Jesus Christ returns in the flesh at all (contra 1John 4:3, 2John 1:7). Others teach that the church will become Christ, incarnating Him in the flesh to rule and reign on earth. Some teach a murky middle ground that seems to say that the 2nd Coming will only occur after Jesus has first appeared to “inhabit” His church on earth with His “Spirit” (i.e., Jesus’s secret returning as a Christ “Spirit” or “Presence”).

This alleged event is sometimes referred to as a Second Pentecost.[14] The Second Pentecost is said to be a special secondary “outpouring” of the Spirit in response to the church’s obedience in the “restoration” of the “offices” of apostle and prophet to govern the church, a teaching also emphasized by C. Peter Wagner and his New Apostolic Reformation adherents.[15] Then will come an endtime allegorical “Feast of Tabernacles,” a recurrent theme amongst all who teach this eschatology:

The First Pentecost caused believers to be “clothed with power from on high”. The Second Pentecost is about theincarnation of Christ into His Body…. This is what Latter Rain teachers said we must expect in the final outpouring of the Church age![16][emphasis added]

Old Testament scriptures are spiritualized to see birthing as the return of the ark to the temple, that is the coming of Christ invisibly into His living temple the church. This will occur when the Feast of Tabernacles is fulfilled which celebrates the Lord dwelling among His people. “When this happens, no longer will it be the Head (Jesus Christ) in heaven and the body (believers) on earth – but one Perfect Man filling both heaven and earth.”[17][bold and italic added, underline in original] 

The belief that Jesus Christ will first come as a “Spirit” or “Presence” alters foundational doctrines about Christ and the Trinity (Rom.1:3-4).[18] It ignores (or discounts) that Jesus is coming again in His resurrected body (Rev. 1:7; Heb. 9:27, etc.). It is not unlike Docetism, a heresy in the early church that denied that Jesus Christ came the first time in the flesh. Pastor Anton Bosch informs us that this “is also a popular device used by cults and others that have set dates for His return and then when He did not return on that date the response is that He returned ‘in Spirit.’”[19] 

What does it mean when these teachers say that Jesus secretly orinvisibly returns first as a “Spirit” or “Presence”? They think that the Church (the Body, the Bride) becomes inhabited by this “Spirit”/”Presence” to the point of actually becoming Christ on earth. Note: This isn’t talking about the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of an individual believer. Rather, they believe in a separate “filling” by a coming “Presence” that results in a corporate “God-man” or “Perfect Man.” Hence their misapplication of the phrase “manifestation of the sons of God” from Romans 8:19. One critic has summarized this theology:

In MSOG teaching this scripture is taken to mean a powerful endtimes revelation of believers as glorified, transformed and perfected, and possessed by Christ to such a degree that they become One with him and become a living corporate Son of God on the earth, ruling with him. This will be accomplished by the descent of “the glory” in a final overwhelming event that will transfigure all those who receive it. (Other less heretical versions have this event as aprogression into spiritual perfection and holiness in the endtimes.)[20][emphasis added] 

This faulty scenario discounts the risen Jesus Christ our Savior, the Son of God, sitting on the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55-56; Heb. 1:3; 12:18, etc.). Instead, their “God-man” is the “manifest sons of God” – a corporate body (the “Bride”) manifesting itself as Christ in the flesh here on earth. Due to these fundamental errors many scriptures are misapplied to the church that pertain to Jesus Christ alone.

Latter Rain teachers emphasize this “Bride” will become the flesh of Christ incarnate on earth; that this Corporate Bride will become filledor inhabited with the “fulness” of this “Spirit” of Christ, a “Presence.” This indwelling “Presence” is thus said to equip the Corporate Bride to walk out (literally) the judgments of the book of Revelation—as Christ’s incarnate body—and she is charged with the mandate to subdue the earth and put all things under His feet.[21]Thus many Scriptures that pertain only to Jesus in the book of Revelation, are misapplied to the Bride as her duties and responsibilities. There are many variations on this theme, and many teachers contradict their own statements.[22] But this is the belief that forms the foundation for the extreme Dominionism that is being taught.

There is actually quite a bit of confusion in IHOP and NAR documents about the “Spirit of Jesus” and the “Holy Spirit.” When they talk about the “Spirit” they often mean this secondary “Presence” that they are trying to invoke by their 24/7 prayers. Ironically, they downplay the actual Holy Spirit—especially His indwelling presence already promised to believers.[23] Instead they insist that their followers must perform all sorts of extrabiblical exotic rituals, frenzied antics, pronounced decrees and shouting declarations in order to summon more of the “Presence” of this “Spirit.”

Their “Spirit” is not the Holy Spirit.[24] And Jesus Christ is not returning as a “Spirit.” As Dr. Steinkamp has astutely observed:

Jesus has not become the Holy Spirit. It is rather the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer. The Resurrected Jesus is at the Father’s right hand and in His glorified resurrected body He will return bodily to the earth. Obviously an indwelling spirit would not need to return from heaven. It is on this basis that some Dominion teachers assert that Jesus can be an on-going incarnation of God in His body (church) upon the earth. Consequently scriptures pertaining to Christ’s ruling on earth are often seen as referring the Church rather than Jesus….[25]

The old Latter Rain/MSOG teachers used their own unique terminology to describe their unorthodox views. Likewise, the IHOP/NAR has its own special “in-house” (pun intended) language. It can be very difficult for the “uninitiated” to wade through their gilded spiritual-speak. Nevertheless, once one understands the complex verbiage, it becomes clear that the original heresies about the “Manifest Sons of God” have been modernized for popular consumption.

The History of “Presence” Eschatology
It all began in 1951 when George Warnock, who had been at the Latter Rain Sharon Camp Meetings in Canada and who had been the personal secretary of Ern Baxter (an associate of William Branham’s[26] ministry), took up residence at the Sharon Orphanage and School doing office work. He then proceeded to write a book titled The Feast of Tabernacles, which is “based on an allegorical interpretation of the feasts of Israel that has the Feast of Tabernacles standing for a glorious end-times church that would arise before Christ can return.”[27] In this book he laid out a systematic doctrine for this movement calling itself the New Order of the Latter Rain. Warnock stated the premise as:

Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles typify the whole church age, beginning with the death of Jesus on the cross, consummating in the [the Feast of Tabernacles] theManifestation of the Sons of God. These ‘Overcomers’ will become perfected and step into immortality in order to establish the kingdom of God on the earth.”[28] [emphasis added] 

“This will come about by a secret inner coming of Christ to some Christians which would transform them into ‘Overcomers.’”[29][all emphasis added] 

When Warnock talked of a perfected church he meant the endtime church would—by this “secret inner coming of Christ”—mature into “fullness” to become Christ (i.e., “incarnating Christ”). In other words, the church would become intrinsically one with Christ—not the biblical one in union/communion with Christ— but one in essence.[30]This corporate group of “Overcomers” believed they would then become imbued with both perfection and immortality. Bob DeWaay, in his groundbreaking report on the NAR titled “The Roots and Fruits of the New Apostolic Reformation,” summarized the eschatological significance of Warnock’s teaching:

One of the most heretical teachings associated with the [New Order of the Latter Rain] was called “the manifested sons of God” that claimed that certain elite Christians would obtain the promise of immortality (as promised in Romans 8:19)now rather than at the parousia. Warnock taught that all enemies, in which he included death, the “last enemy,” had to be conquered by the church before Christ could return: “God says Christ is going to stay right where He is until all His enemies are under His feet. And His enemies include the “last enemy,” which is Death. There must arise a group ofovercomers who shall conquer and become absolutely victorious over all the opposing forces of the world, the flesh, and the Devil—before this dispensation draws to a close.” The “overcomers” is another term used by the Latter Rain to describe elitist Christians who are to be distinguished from the rest of us.[31] [emphasis added] 

There are several interrelated teachings that form a further basis for this radical departure from orthodox doctrine. Note the unusual language in this summary of this eschatology:

  • MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD which is the fullness and glorification of the Church on the day that “Christ is formed in his people”. They are a mighty Army of the Lord (Joel’s Army). This is sometimes described as the Birth of the Manchild—i.e. the overcomers of the Church are brought (literally) to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”, and become the Glorified Christ—the “many-membered Body of Christ” on earth by means of the infilling of the Glory of God…. 
  • THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES, understood spiritually as the Harvest Festival of joy and gladness, when the Ark returns to the Living Temple, the glory cloud returns, and Christ appears in the midst of His peopleChrist is incarnated in His Body—the Coming of Christ understood as invisible and spiritual (i.e., “The Kingdom of God is within you”). Also known as “The Latter Rain” outpouring of Joel’s prophecy—the Second Pentecost in which Christ indwells his entire [corporate] Body, as opposed to the first Pentecost, when he indwelt individuals. 
  • ASTONISHING SIGNS AND WONDERS will take place at the hands of the Manifested Sons of God. Their campaign will lead to a glorious worldwide Endtimes Harvest—as the manchild overcomers go forth to reap [the harvest, ed.].[32] [some emphasis added]

As noted earlier, this movement also taught the necessity of the “restoration” of the “office” of apostles and prophets, a facet which is emphasized nowadays by the NAR. This restoration of a hierarchical pyramid of dictatorial power, reigning over both the church and the world, is envisioned as the powerful enforcement mechanism to “reap” (“harvest”) the nations.[33] More will be said on this later.

Earl Paulk, an early influential teacher, claimed that Jesus has “entered a higher realm of restoration and love by becoming an indwelling Spirit.”[34] Note: Paulk was not referring to the Holy Spirit here. Paulk’s message of “Christ in us” was one of achieving both dominion and immortality:

Christ in us must take dominion over the earth…. The next move of God cannot occur until Christ in us takes dominion.[35][all emphasis added] 

Jesus Christ, as the first-fruit of the Kingdom, began the work of conquering death on an individual basis, but we, as His church, will be the ones to complete the task…. Death will not be conquered by Jesus returning to earth. It will be conquered when the church stands up boldly and says, “We have dominion over the earth.[36] [emphasis added] 

Paulk believed that Christians must release this “Spirit” into the kingdoms of this world through prayer. The prayer-induced release of this “Spirit” would cause worldly kingdoms to crumble as the church becomes empowered as overcomers to take dominion.[37] Paulk taught that the church was the “incarnation” of Jesus:

“Jesus was God in the flesh. We must be as He was in the world, and even greater in volume and influence.” 

“The completion of the incarnation of God in the world must be in His church…. Jesus Christ is the firstfruit, but without the ongoing harvest, the incarnation will never be complete.”… 

We are on earth as extensions of God to finish the work He began. We are the essence of God, His on-going incarnation in the world.[38] [emphases added] 

If this sounds similar to the New Age teachings about the “god within” it is because both have roots in Gnosticism.[39] Evangelical postmodern teachers have adopted similar “incarnational” language.[40] Thus, their shared belief about “incarnating Christ” may explain why certain evangelical leaders seem to have no difficulty finding common ground with the current teachers in the IHOP and NAR.[41] 

Bill Britton, a prolific writer and Latter Rain teacher, similarly taught Jesus’s return through a corporate body of flesh. Again note the unique terminology:

Suddenly the world sees Jesus again in the flesh, as He manifests Himself through these thousands of saintssimultaneously around the world…. God was manifested in the flesh, in one body [Jesus Christ], then think what it will be when He manifests that same Life through thousands at the same time

Beloved, it is people in human, flesh bodies who shallconquer this world and defeat Satan…. Jesus defeated Satan and overcame him for us and put all of hell’s forces to an open shame. And He did this in a flesh body. Since He is the Head of the Body, it is now in order for the Body to follow in the pattern which He has set for us…. This Body of Christ, the Overcomer, shall come forth in mighty power tomanifest the fullness of Christ in the earth. They are known as the Manifested Sons of God….[42][emphases added] 

I see the great year of Jubilee, when we shall pass through the veil into the very Presence of the fullness of God, to befilled with this fullness and go forth proclaiming liberty to all of creation. [43][emphases added] 

Notice how Bill Britton’s teaching about a simultaneous manifestation of this “Presence” is remarkably similar to Barbara Marx Hubbard’s proposed “Armaggedon Alternative” to bypass God’s coming Judgment. This prominent New Age leader teaches a “Planetary Pentecost” that resembles the Second Pentecost taught by the Latter Rain/MSOG. Hubbard wrote in her book The Revelation of an endtime “great Instant of Co-operation which can transform enough, en masse, to avoid the necessity of the seventh seal being broken.” (See Warren Smith’s book False Christ Coming, p. 100-103, to recognize the other similarities in these eschatologies.)

These older Latter Rain/MSOG doctrines about the “Presence” would go on to have a second life in the 1980s and 1990s as leaders began to revise and update these teachings for more widespread appeal.

The Kansas City Prophets & the Presence 
By the late 1980s the Latter Rain teachings became fully embedded in the doctrines of the movement that has now become widely known as IHOP and NAR. In 1990, just as the “Kansas City Prophets” coalesced with John Wimber of Vineyard and C. Peter Wagner of Fuller Seminary (who later set up the NAR[44]), Discernment Ministries published an astonishing report about a 1989 Vineyard Conference[45]where these old Latter Rain cult doctrines were being resurrected. The report summarized what was being said:

  1. They believe they will become Christ corporately and individually. When you hear someone say, as Mike Bickle (from Kansas City Fellowship speaking at a Vineyard Conference in 1989) said, “Christ is the Alpha and we are the Omega,” you immediately realize this is not Scriptural—only Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. What is it then? Manifest Sons of God… i.e., we are Christ corporately.… 
  2. They believe the Church is the Ongoing Incarnation of Jesus. This is the cornerstone of Manifest Sons teaching. Instead of us partaking in the divine nature of Jesus, we become EQUAL TO and EVEN ASSUME the ROLE OF JESUS CHRIST.[46] [bold added, underline in original] 

This is a subtle deception. While acknowledging that Jesus came in the flesh, they then say that the CHURCH incarnates Jesus, becoming Christ in the flesh. They even use the term “Rapture” to refer to the “Christ within”:

The RAPTURE as looked for by the Manifests Sons of God is a coming forth of the “Christ within” every saint after the order of the Pattern Son. He made it as a divine, immortal and sinless Son of GodThis can be duplicated by each individual, who by following Jesus as the Pattern Son, becomes a Manifested Son. This company is known as “The New Breed” or “Joel’s Army” etc. They will take dominion (establish a theocracy) and execute judgment on those they deem ungodly.[47][bold added] 

The infilling “Presence” was often described as the “glory.” At the same 1989 Vineyard “Prophets Conference,”[48] the now-disgraced “Kansas City Prophet” Paul Cain[49] stated: “If you get close enough to God, you can extract the very breath of God, you can extract the very glory of God right out of Him and then pass that on to your generation.”[50] Another speaker at the conference twisted Scripture to state that we “become” the Word:

“…the Lord has well planted this seed of the New Bride and the New Breed…. He’s about to open the womb and He’s about to give birth to this New Thing…. When the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us we beheld the glories of the only begotten of the Father and when YOU begin to becomethat Word, I want you to know that the world will behold theglory of the Father and that’s what we’re waiting to see…. I want you to know that we’re going to have some channelingone of these days, but it’s going to be channeled right out of the throne room of heaven.”[51][emphases added] 

This “Presence” was also referred to as “fire” during the 1990s. There is a history to this. Franklin Hall, responsible for many of the teachings that came into the Latter Rain and the Manifested Sons of God in the 1940s and 1950s, taught a “fire baptism.” This “fire baptism,” he claimed, could be “passed on through the laying on of hands, (impartation) and other extremes imparting the Holy Ghost fire into people’s bodies, through fasting and prayer.”[52] Hall’s old teaching was revived in the 1990s during the Toronto and Brownsville “Laughing Revivals,” with many reports of a “Spirit” descending on people like “fire.” According to an in-depth report on this phenomenon, Benny Hinn specifically described it as “the fire of God’s presence”:

the day will come when the fire of God’s presence will visibly appear in public meetings. You may have never heard that before – it’s biblical…. We’ve known the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but we have not yet known the fire. And I’m here to tell you in Southern California, God is about to visit you and the whole Church with fresh fire.[53][bold, underline added, italics in original]

A few years later, in May of 2000, at the C. Peter Wagner’s National School of the Prophets,[54] IHOP leader Mike Bickle explained how the “fire” coming down was a second Pentecost experience that would anoint the church with a “forerunner’s spirit” for judgment:

“In Daniel 7:10, the fiery stream, or the river of fire that breaks fourth out of the throne of God, I believe is the person of the Holy Spirit. And when the fire comes forth, the fire is not just judgment. The fire is the revelation of theburning desire of God’s heart for people. Now, with that burning desire, when rebellion rises up against it, the fireremoves that which hinders love, and we call it judgment. But the fire breaks forth. His name is the Holy Spirit, and when this fire comes through history, Malachi 3 says, “The forerunners at the end of the age are going to loose the burning fire.” The spirit of burning is the manifestationthrough the House of God in prayer, of this river of firecalled the Holy Spirit…. It’s the anointing of the forerunner’s spirit… the river of God, the Holy Spirit, clothing us with fire, bringing us into that kind of union, that intimate bridal partnership that we call intercessory worship.”[55] [italics in original. bold added] 

Bickle is saying that this “fire” is a “manifestation” of the “Holy Spirit” that can be summoned by IHOP style fervent prayer. NAR “apostle” Cindy Jacobs, immediately jumped in to reinforce Bickle’s remarks, by admitting, “We don’t understand this part of Pentecost.”Thus she provided a clear indication that Bickle’s remarks were in reference to the old Latter Rain idea about a Second Pentecost. Jacobs further underscored Bickle’s statement by claiming that a “fire of the Holy Spirit” is “coming…. And it’s going to issue out from us into the nations of the earth.”[56]

“The Days of His Presence” 
Francis Frangipane, one of the original “Kansas City Prophets” along with Paul Cain, Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle and others,[57] published an influential book The Days of His Presence in 1996. In this quasi-theological treatise, Frangipane uses the same terms “glory” and “presence” in the same way as the old Latter Rain/MSOG teachers. Notice he uses the word “Presence” with a capital P:

…God’s plan is that here on earth, in us, the glory of the Lord will be revealed! The luminous, radiant light of HisPresence, as it shone from Moses’ face and flooded Solomon’s temple at its dedication, as it radiated from Jesus and bathed His disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration—that light of God’s Presence shall arise from within us at the end of the age! This same divine glory shall, in ever-increasing degrees of brightness, appear upon us in the years prior to the Lord’s actual second coming.[58] [italics in original, bold added]

Frangipane bases his mystical eschatology in part on personal visions and spiritual experiences with this “Presence.” After seeing a vision of a “glorious, heavenly procession” of angelic beings, Frangipane says he “gained an understanding of Christ’s expansive Presence and the impact His glory will have on the church at the end of the age.”[59] He writes, “the Lord’s Presence emanates from His glorified body in heaven,”[60] a statement which sounds similar to the Gnostic idea of “emanations.”[61] He then states this “Presence” would increase:

So also will this world change as the person of the Lord Jesus and His millennial reign draw near. The radiance of HisPresence will increasingly fill the spiritual realms surrounding our world. And not only will the world as we know it begin to experience dramatic changes as demonic strongholds are confronted and toppled by the Lord, but among those whose hearts are open and longing for Him, a great transformation will occur!… The Presence of Christ will be all that fills our minds.[62][bold added] 

Nowhere in Scripture can we find any basis for a doctrine of an increase in a “Presence of Christ.” Yet, according to Frangipane, this “Presence” will appear “prior to” the second coming of Christ and will both intensify and increase:

Yet, before He appears, while He is near but still invisible, that same radiance of glory will be poured out on “all flesh”…. For as He is in power and glory when He appears, so He is beforehand though unseen! And it is this out-raying Presence which will grow ever more resplendent in the church prior to His second coming.

With surge of His glory many things will be quickened on earth…. 

 [W]e who are open and yielded to Christ will watch in amazement as His Presence in us also intensifies and increases…. He will present to Himself a bride without spot or wrinkle…. 

The church will be beautified with His glory and filled with His radiance before He physically comes for her! 

He must increase and we must decrease until His Presence fills everything, everywhere, with Himself.[63] [Italics in original, bold added] 

This last statement sounds like Panentheism, which teaches that God is IN everything.[64] Like the other Latter Rain teachers, Frangipane believes there is a “Transcendent Purpose”[65] for this indwelling corporate “Presence.” The church has a mission, and it is dominion:

…[T]he church at the end of the age is to be given a stewardship, a mandate from heaven. At the bidding of the Sovereign King, we are called to participate with God in the process of divine consummation. 

For the unrepentant world, the apostate church, and the demons of hell, this will manifest as a period of God’s judgment and wrath. However, for those who are yielded to God, the same Spirit which comes to judge the wicked is alsocoming to inhabit and transform the righteous! [66] [emphases added] 

Note that Frangipane states that a “Spirit” would come to judge the wicked, and that this same “Spirit” would “inhabit” the righteous. Scripture does not say that a “Spirit” will judge the wicked, nor does it say that the church will be indwelt by a “Presence” to judge the wicked. The Bible specifies that it is “the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead” (2Tim. 4:1). The church is not Jesus. This is yet another teaching that has the effect of corrupting the doctrine of the Trinity.

Frangipane explains his view that “the church” would be “entering Christ’s glory in successive stages of spiritual fulness.”[67] He alleges that “during this last great time of fulness, the Presence of Christ will expand in the lives of those surrendered to His Lordship….”[68] This progressive return of the Lord via His “Presence” is said to be as an inner coming: “before the day of the Lord breaks, the morning star shall rise in our hearts!” and there shall be an “unveiling of Christ rising in His people… the glory of God shallrise within us” which is said to create a “harmony” and “unity” that “is the consequence of Christ’s Presence.”[69]

Frangipane focuses on the Greek word parousia which can mean “presence.” Based in part on another vision he experienced, he believes that “the entire sign-period is activated directly by Christ’s increasing Presence, the Parousia, at the end of the age.” He clearly states his belief that “the Lord will increasingly manifest Himself in His Presence before He physically returns.”[70] To underscore this point, he asserts that “there is a difference between the calendar day of Christ’s return and the season of spiritual fulness introducing it.” Thus, as like the early Latter Rain taught, the return of Christ is split into two parts beginning with the “arrival of Christ’s Presence.”[71]In case there is any doubt, Frangipane reiterates:

…I am not saying this time of Christ’s Presence will take the place of the rapture; only that it will precede it.[72] 

Our destiny is not just to carry Christ inside but to reveal the fulness of His glory in this world…. 

As Jesus was both God and man, so the church is actually the dwelling of Christ in the temple of man. There is not a different Jesus in us than He who dwells in heaven. He is Christ wrapped in glory in heaven. He is Christ wrapped in our human flesh on earth…. 

He has chosen to hide His glory not from us but in us [73] [Italics in original, bold added] 

It is at this juncture that Frangipane introduces the ominous doctrine that explains the purpose of this “fulness” of “Presence”—“a finalcleansing would occur during the last years of the age.”[74] This is a thinly-disguised reference the Latter Rain’s oft-prophesied endtime “harvest.” “Harvesting” the earth is synonymous with the idea of “cleansing” the earth.[75] Those who “cannot accept God’s promises of a glorified church at the end of the age” are categorized with the warning “beware of the dogs.”[76] Lest there be any doubt, he reiterates, “At the end of the age, everything short of oneness with Christ will appear as sin.”[77] Does this mean that sin will be defined as anything short of experiencing this Christ “Presence” within? One can only wonder.

These unorthodox ideas would go on to become an integral part of the doctrine of both IHOP and the NAR. The next sections of this article series will examine the evidence.

Stay tuned for Part 3. . . . 

Due to inclement weather the Presence could not show up and needed to be rescheduled.

THE TRUTH:
Pastor Larry DeBruyn recently published an article “The Present of ‘His Presence’” which is very germane to the issues brought up in this current article series. Below are a few key excerpts:

The Bible teaches that the risen and glorified Christ has a corporeal presence, not on earth, but in heaven. According to the apostle Peter, Jesus Christ “has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” (I Peter 3:22, NIV). The author of Hebrews agrees (Hebrews 4:14; 8:1). Jesus said He was going to that place (John 14:2-3). 

The Bible promises Jesus’ spiritual presence with believers on earth (Matthew 28:20), but precludes His earthly physical presence until His Second Advent, which will be personal, physical, visible, and public. At the time of His ascension, two men in white assured the disciples, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven”(Acts 1:11)…. 

  • On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit (the “Comforter”) descended. “…in His goodness the Lord offered to them His presence again as He came to dwell not just with them, but in them, both individually (as saints) and corporately (as the church).” 
  • “As such, the divine presence with people would no longer be associated, as during the Old Testament Era, with a place (i.e., a land, a city, a mount, and a building)….” 
  • “Although Jesus would no longer be physically present with His faithful followers, the Spirit, whom He would send to take His place, would, and by faith we have that presence NOW! The Spirit of Christ is both with us and in us! (Romans 8:9b)” 
  • “The error of the new spirituality is that it assumes that God’s presence can be ginned-up via the exercise of human passion…. Rather, Jesus’ presence in us depends upon our acceptance of His propitiation for us—that He died for our sins to make us fit vessels to be in (Romans 6:3-11). Christ graces sinners with His presence when by faith they receive the cleansing that can only come through His blood and new birth from above (John 3:3, 7).”[78] [underline added] 

When will we see Jesus again? Not as an invisible “Presence” sneaking in the backdoor. Rather Scripture is clear:

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

(Hebrews 9:27) 

An old commentary on this verse from Hebrews states:

The Scripture is express unto a double appearing or coming of Christ. The first was His coming in the flesh, coming into the world, coming unto His own,—namely, to discharge the work of His mediation, especially to make atonement for sin in the sacrifice of Himself, unto the accomplishment of all promises made concerning it, and all types instituted for its representation; the second is in glory, unto the judgment of all, when He shall finish and complete the eternal salvation of the church. Any other personal appearance or coming of Christ the Scripture knows now, and in this [verse] expressly excludes any imagination of it. His first appearance is past; and appear the second time He will not until that judgment comes which follows death, and the salvation of the church shall be completed…. 

There shall be a public vision and sight of Him. He was seen on the earth in the days of His flesh: He is now in heaven, where no mortal eye can see Him, within the veil of that glory which we cannot look into…. 

The present long-continued absence of Christ in heaven is the great trial of the world…. The promise of His coming, recorded in the Scripture, is the ground of our faith herein…. In the continual supplies of His Spirit which believers do receive… is the great pledge of His mediatory life in heaven, of the continuance of His love and care towards the church, and consequently the great assurance of His second coming.[79] 

_______________________________________________________________
Part 3 of 6:
Read Part 2 

Joel’s Army


IHOP-KC sets an emotionally charged grand vision before their students that they are unique from every other generation and that God will use them for great end-time exploits…. The [IHOP] vision seemed attractive. We were to be used by God when His end-times plan began to unfold. Until then, we were preparing for that time.[1]
“Simply put, the revelation of Jesus as the Bridegroom is the revelation of Jesus’ burning desire for His people,” Bickle says in an IHOP brochure. “As a Bride of Christ, we are to walk in revelation of Jesus’ emotions for us, to understand and rejoice in His commitment to share His heart with us, and to respond with wholehearted love and obedience to His will as we enter into partnership with Him….”[2]
The house of prayer is a house of His Presence where worship prepares the way for His eternal reign on the earth.[3]

  


IHOP and the “Presence” 
IHOP is on the rise in the evangelical world. Once an obscure church in the Kansas City area on the fringes of the Charismatic movement, it has now become a youth movement. The IHOP (International House of Prayer) is on the verge of engulfing youth ministry in this country with its methods and its doctrines. Through its aggressive recruitment efforts it is playing a leading role on college campuses. It is listed as an equal partner in many collaborative evangelical prayer and mission efforts. IHOP leaders are now openly associating with the upper echelons of evangelical leadership, including engaging in political activism.[4] And the leaven of IHOP doctrine is quietly seeping into the entire church world.


Few parents who send their kids off to IHOP-sponsored or connected events know what IHOP really stands for. This is because IHOP and its many associated offshoots market themselves as revivalists. Everyone wants youth to experience revival. But is this “house of prayer” experience a true revival? Is this a revival based on the Gospel of Salvation? The IHOP conferences and events are stage-managed to produce the maximum amount of visual, aural, psychological, sensual and spiritual stimuli—all of which can superficially appear to be revival. But is it biblical revival? When this movement began 25 years ago, one critic noticed its faulty framework:


What is perceived as spiritual is in reality soulish, contributing to a euphoric state of altered consciousness from repetitious choruses that follow one upon the other. The mesmerizing effect of the music creates a frame of mind open to suggestion by the subsequent preaching of dominionist teachers who build on the fervor of the moment with messages of future power and glory.[5]


The orchestrated commotion at youth events serves as fertile ground for inculcating a strange and different doctrine—a doctrine that has been taught by IHOP leaders for decades.


The original IHOP blueprint is still in effect.[6] The extreme praise and worship music is an essential component of their whole plan. It is based on the old Latter Rain cult “Tabernacle of David”[7] (TOD) heresy that taught that “before the Church can be perfected and establish dominion, it must restore praise and worship as a means to enter into the presence of God.”[8] TOD is based on an “endtime revival”[9] scenario in which the church will progressively become mature, sinless and perfect, culminating in a final generation of “New Breed”[10] youth of “elect seed”[11] who will possess superior spiritual abilities. These youth, as “the manifestation of the Sons of God,” will evolve/emerge into “overcomers”—“and step into immortality in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.”[12]As a perfected corps of elites they will become “the ‘man-child’ of Revelation 12” (also referred to as “the many-membered man child”).[13] A summary of these teachings explains:


Central to Manifest Sons of God doctrine is the belief that sonship to God comes through higher revelation. The Christian life, it is believed, is fragmented into stages of maturity… to become a son of God and, ultimately, gods ourselves.[14][bold added]


Some who have been infected by the Manifest Sons of God teachings even believe He will not return physically, but rather that Christ and the Church are becomine one in nature and essence, and that the Church, as the ‘on-goingincarnation of God,’ is Christ on earth. [15][bold added] 


This doctrine of being able to attain spiritual elitism is both alluring and intoxicating to a generation raised on the witchcraft powers of Harry Potter. Youth are being told that they will be specially anointed with higher-order spiritual gifts that no generation on earth has ever attained previously. Possessing these superior powers, they are being told, will give them secret knowledge to become immortal. They will gain the ability to subdue their enemies and “rule over the nations with a rod of iron.”[16] They believe they can wield this spiritual power, much the same as is taught in the occult.[17] 


Before they can gain this supreme ascendancy, though, they must first undergo zealous works of purification and deprivation—activities which seem super-spiritual at face value, but which have nothing to do with the Gospel of Salvation. The IHOP call for extreme asceticism (referred to at times as the “Nazarite”[18] and/or “wilderness lifestyle”[19]) is held up as the exemplary model for becoming “mature.”[20] This model can best be performed by unencumbered youth. It cannot be replicated by those who are living typical lives in Christian families, nurturing small children, caring for the elderly, visiting the sick, working at normal jobs, doing mission work and attending church regularly. Rather, the most demanding rigors of this 24/7 prayer work can only be performed by those who have left behind“natural affection” (Rom. 1:31; 1 Tim. 3:3) and chosen a radical manner of life akin to monasticism.[21]


It is not a matter of IF the IHOP is teaching the old Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God (MSOG) doctrines. It is HOW they have repackaged them for mass-market appeal. Before getting bogged down in their semantic gymnastics, keep in mind that IHOP uses inventive spiritual-sounding terminologies laden with secret theological meanings known only to their initiated elite. One IHOP critic cautions:


You don’t have to be around the IHOP movement very long before you are exposed to a large glossary of insider terms and phrases…. A cautionary red light should go on whenever we discover any church or Christian movement creating, and extensively using, their own exclusive language.… This becomes especially disconcerting when most inside a Christian movement begin to “talk alike” and parrot the same terms and phrases in their prayers and songs….[22]


In Part 1 and Part 2 of this report, we examined the history and context of this “Presence” theology. What follows is an in-depth examination of IHOP’s specific teachings, methods and practices as they relate to the eschatology of a coming “Presence” that will indwell and empower the IHOP “Bride” to “to contend, to wrestle with and throw down [her] spiritual adversaries.”[23] 

Exhibit: IHOP’s Blueprint:http://beyondgrace.blogspot.com/search/label/Joseph%20Company



Fleshing Out the “Presence” 

Mike Bickle, in 1982, received a prophetic word that said “I (the Lord) will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in one generation.”[24]



In what Mike Bickle has called his “Forerunner Eschatology”[25] we can see evidences of the early Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God cult teachings. Bickle alters the doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to focus on the preparation of a corporate “Bride” for a “last-day divine war to drive evil from the earth and cleanse it.”[26] The term “forerunner” itself implies an elite role. It is linked to John the Baptist and preparing the way. Preparing the way for what? The coming “Presence.”[27] Forerunners act in a manner similar to change agents, functioning as early adopters who are marketing IHOP’s doctrines and practices.[28] Similar to the old Latter Rain teachers, Bickle’s eschatology differs from both Premillennialism and Postmillenialism:


Bickle distinguishes his apostolic premillennialism from dispensational premillennialism by rejecting a pretribulation rapture for a conquering church that prays and ministers through Revelation’s Great Tribulation…. 


He believes he is preparing an army of Christians who will triumph during the soon-coming crisis of the Antichrist’s global rule and the Great Tribulation. He preaches a self-identified apostolic Christianity characterized by intimacy with Jesus as bridegroom…. 


He declares that… Jesus is waiting for the church to prepare itself as the pure Bride of Christ and to ready itself to launch the last-day divine war to drive evil from the earth and cleanse it so that it can be filled with God’s love and glory.[29][emphasis added] 


Bickle’s “Forerunner Eschatology” teaches that the endtime church will experience an infilling of the “glory,” thus manifesting itself as a corporate Bride who is “mature”[30] in the faith. This “Bride” must rev up passion.[31] She must “possess the keys of the kingdom through prayer that will drive hell off the planet”[32] :


Based on Bickle’s end-time teaching, Jesus’ second coming has preconditions. He teaches that Jesus will not return until the global church is crying out “Come, Lord Jesus” with a full understanding of her identity as the Bride of Christ. Jesus will only return when the church is functioning in the unity of the Spirit and is anointed in prayer to release the destructive end-time tribulation judgments.[33][emphases added] 


The IHOP “Harp & Bowl” radical worship style is the approved method for increasing the Bride’s perfection. “Harp & Bowl” is based on the old George Warnock “Tabernacle of David” teachings:


“In May 1983, [when Bickle met Bob Jones] the Lord gave a promise to the church at Metro Christian Fellowship that He would release in the midst of their city, a 24-hour a day, citywide ministry to the Lord in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:14-18). This prayer ministry now includescontinuous worship, intercession and warfare.[34][emphasis added]


IHOP’s plan has been to establish a 24/7 “citywide, House of Prayer (in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David) established in every major city of the earth before the Lord’s return.”[35] They believe that their radical fervent prayer will “release God’s power” to transform the church into a “living corporate Son of God on the earth.”[36]


This will be accomplished by the descent of “the glory” in a final overwhelming event that will transfigure all those who receive it.[37][emphasis added] 


An IHOP document explains their particular eschatology of creating a “dwelling place” for the “habitation” of “His presence”:


God wants to establish a dwelling place or habitation of His presence on the earth in His Church…. More than a spirit of revival. God’s looking for a place to manifest His presence. 


This expression of God’s manifest presence transforms the Church, thrust [sic] workers into the harvest and brings God’s power to work through His people on the earth in a way few have experienced in history. This has been reserved for the End Times church.[38][emphasis added] 


This isn’t talking about the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of an individual believer. Rather, they believe in a separate “filling” by a coming “Presence.” God’s sovereignty is diminished as He is portrayed as waiting helpless in the heavenlies until their “bowl of prayers” reaches “fulness.” It has been described as:


“We along with all of creation are longing for the unveiling of Gods power as God waits in heaven for the bowl of the prayers of the saints to be filled up so He can show His power. Prayer is directly related to the release of Gods [sic] power in scripture….”[39][emphasis added] 

Exhibit: IHOP’s attempt to set up the Tabernacle of David in Washington, D.C.



IHOP teaches that “God will again raise up and restore the fallenTabernacle of David” based on 24/7 “music, praise, worship, dancing, and prayer.” Why David’s Tabernacle? They believe there was “NO VEIL separating the manifest presence of God” from the people in the tabernacle that David built for the ark in Jerusalem. Therefore, they believe that just as “the church established these ‘prayer/worship furnaces” of IHOP that “the glory of God will begin to emerge in our region and within each local fellowship” and “the power of God” will be “released in fulness.”[41] In other words, resurrecting the Tabernacle of David music worship system will permit them access to God’s Presence without a veil. But we already have access to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross:“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb. 10:19-20). Nevertheless, they believe that a fully operational David’s Tabernacle will “draw His manifest presence into our midst” for “tremendous authority and anointing.”[41] Similarly they believe their continual aggressive prayer interacts with the heavenlies to change things on earth; that their prayer “opens up a fountain of life, an open heaven, a Jacob’s ladder.”[42] Thus again they discount the shed blood of Jesus Christ whereby we can draw near to God without the necessity of performing works and rituals: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).


Bickle’s “Forerunner Eschatology” teaches that the church will release endtime judgments. IHOP’s passionately praying “Warrior Bride”[43]is said to be readying herself to literally walk out the book of Revelation “to release the destructive end-time tribulation judgments.”[44] She has been referred to as “Joel’s Army,”[45] a Latter Rain army charged with wreaking a literal judgment on earth asChrist.[46] IHOP teaches:


The Book of Revelation gives us a stunning picture of the dynamic relationship between the intercession of the end-time church and the release of the judgments of God. There is a clear picture throughout the book of agreement in heaven and on earth as the purified, mature Bride interacts with the heavenly realm and a God stirred in His zeal to judgewickedness and reveal His delight in righteousness.[47][emphasis added] 


…The coming global harvest will have more than uncountable numbers but unmatched corporate devotion, purity, and depth of commitment to Christ before His return.[48][emphasis added] 


They believe their corporate Bride is able to interact with the heavenlies to release judgments, and that the “harvest” (or “cleansing”) of the earth takes place before Jesus returns. According to these doctrines the “Bride” wields the sickle and is in charge of the harvest.[49] This despite Jesus’s clear explanation in Matthew 13:39 that “the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” This explains the purpose of the radical 24/7 worship style in evidence at all the IHOP prayer furnaces across the world—their “Bride” plays an essential role in the coming judgments! The more fervid and frenzied her prayers, the closer the judgments are to being actuated. An IHOP document asserts:


The interplay of the prophetic church participating in thegovernment of God and His judgments through intercession in the ultimate concert of prayer is vital for us to understand if we want to grasp the critical role of the Bride on the earth at the end of the age. The heavens shift and angels move in response to an anointed Bride united with the heart of Jesus partnering with Him to release judgmentthrough prayer. [50][all emphasis added] 


There is an elitism that comes with this kind of theology. Faithful followers believe they will gain great personal spiritual power—quite an intoxicating idea.[51] History teaches us that anytime someone claims divinity (becoming Christ incarnate, e.g.) it serves to legitimize their grab for absolute power.[52] Note the elite sense of superior spiritual power evidenced in the following statements:


Bickle envisions that the end-time forerunner church will be an advanced “apostolic” movement. They will experience “greater things” than the apostles themselves. They will function as the last day Moses who through prayer releases God’s plagues on the Antichrist, the end-time Pharaoh.


Bickle emphasizes that during the end times, Moses’ miracles and the miracles of the Book of Acts will be combined and multiplied on a global level as the praying church looses God’s judgments on the earth. This is why Bickle calls the Book of Revelation the “End-Times Book of Acts,” meaning that the Book of Revelation reveals the acts of the Holy Spirit that will be demonstrated through the end-time praying church. 


Bickle imagines that millions of praying Christians will one day be unified in prayer by knowing exactly how and when to pray next because the judgments and events in the Book of Revelation are numbered and in sequential chronological order…. [T]he end-time church will be able to loose or bind God’s judgments exactly as they unfold in history…. 


By praying Revelation’s Great Tribulation events into existence, this will result in billions of men, women and children being killed.[53][emphasis added] 


According to its own training documents, IHOP arrogantly believes it will “be a central reality in the age to come as the primary governing strategy of Jesus as He interacts with both heavenly and earthly realms simultaneously.”[54] This IHOP Bride will receive special revelation. The Bride will be informed by the “prophetic messenger” in the “unfolding of the Word” as Jesus “imparts deeper truths and understandings of His heart” to them, proclaiming “His desires and intentions.”[55] As a result, the Bridal church[56] then become empowered “with great signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth” that will “authenticate the message.”[57] What astounding claims! In sum, IHOP believes it plays an exclusive powerful role in orchestrating the endtime judgment states:


God is continually calling IHOP to “do IHOP” because He longs for an active partnership with human beings in full agreement with His methodology to bring about change and transformation.[58][emphasis added] 


What is this “methodology” being spoken of? Below we will examine several key methods employed by IHOP to purify and perfect the “Bride” for this coming elite role.

Exhibit: An advertisement for the David’s Tent DC event



How to Manifest the Presence 
“Pray-Reading (Meditating)”[59]
One of the primary methods of inculcating IHOP doctrine is called “Pray-Read.” This is a method of reading Scripture and talking it back to God by “praying promises from His Word that we are to believe.[60] Bickle explains: “Using the Bible and speaking the Word back to God…. Simply speaking its truths back to Him as we read it.”[61] He also describes this technique as “spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation.”[62] This rote repetition of verses “back to God” is essentially a form of Word Faith, i.e., name-it-and-claim-it. It is a scripted method of “encountering God.”[63] Bickle says, “We actively dialogue with God by praying truths back to Him that exhort us to obey His Word.”[64] While it is commendable that the person praying is committing themselves to obey God, this whole effort can become a formulaic ritual. In fact, it seems to have a bad case of tunnel vision— parroting words back to God is a one-dimensional way to learn the Bible. Bickle asserts,


It is not enough to study the Word, we must give our heart to God and receive from Him as we read it. We allow it tocreate an active dialogue with God as it gives us the “conversational material.” We must actually speak the Word back to God and against Satan’s attack on our lives.[65] 


Note: reading God’s Word isn’t just in order to claim promises for one’s self. This seems self-centered. Studying the Bible is an intellectual exercise of the sober-minded believer that will stimulate further knowledge of God and His holiness.[66] Various methods of Bible study can be profitable. Believers can study words in a passage and delve into related Scriptures for context. Through studying the Bible they receive edification, become convicted of sin, learn how to walk with the Lord in closer obedience, and apply the Word to their various life circumstances. God’s Word is alive, a two-edged sword, that reaches deep into the heart of a believer (Heb. 4:12). The Word is part of our spiritual armor, equipping us to stand in adversity (Eph. 6:17). It has the power to convert an unbeliever (Luke 8:11; John 4:41)). It also permits the believer to have a close and intimate relationship with the Lord (see “word” in Psalm 119, e.g.).


Passionate Praying 
An IHOP document asserts that “Sustained, fervent prayer is necessary to bring about an awakening and to sustain [sic] revival.”[67] This is heady stuff. “The prophetic song” is said to be “one of God’s most powerful weapons.”[68] And “Prayer Rooms” are said to function as a “Special Ops unit.”[69] The IHOP passionate prayer is a vehicle to attain the high level of spiritual power necessary “to establish justice in the earth” and a “breatkthrough in authority to change a nation,” as well as to “change the spiritual atmosphere of cities and nations.”[70] With such extraordinary promises as this, prayer becomes more than direct communication with God. It has nothing to do with humble petitions. Rather, prayer is viewed as a powerful weapon wielded for warfare over the spiritual (and physical) world. In this sense, prayer is a dagger to wield against anything construed to be an “enemy” (is this anything like a curse?). Thus the mercy inherent in the grace of the Gospel of Salvation message is completely lost. IHOP prayer is based on an “us vs. them” worldview in which anything deemed to oppose itself to Christ must be conquered, not saved.


Love is redefined to mean emotional passion. It is far removed from its biblical context of mercy and kindness. As a result, there is often very little difference between IHOP’s “passionate” love and carnal “passionate” lust—both are emotion-centered. Mike Bickle teaches that God passionately will release “the Presence of the Holy Spirit working in us to tenderize and exhilarate our spirits in love.”[71]Thus there is a stated goal to “experience godly emotions” which will provoke a “divine encounter” of “Jesus manifesting His presence (dwelling) in us.”[72] This is speaking of a separate experience from the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer promised in Eph. 3:17 (“that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…”).


Rather Bickle asserts there is a secondary indwelling experience that “had not yet happened to the Ephesian Christians”—where “Jesus will release His Presence.”[73] The person praying must “profoundly encounter God’s affection” so that they can realize that “God has ‘volcanic desire.” They need to become “exhilarated by God’s affections” and “lost in love.” Such vivid passion language is common throughout IHOP documents.[74] The simple Gospel love message of salvation in 1John 3:16 has been lost: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 


Decrees and Declarations
The IHOP movement issues “decrees” and “declarations”[75] in the same way it is practiced by C. Peter Wagner and his associates in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). These decrees are essentially demands, assertions or pronouncements. These are based on a belief that it the church must emphatically and forcefully state that God will accomplish something. It is believed that fiercer their assertions, the more God will be “released” to act. This practice encompasses “binding” and “loosing” spiritual warfare.[76] The implication is that God is stalled and stymied in heaven, totally helpless to act until they utter their “prevailing prayer” with enough collective fervor, zeal and repetition.[77] Hence their propensity for 24/7 prayer and huge stadium rallies.[78]  


IHOP cohort and Nazarite advocate, Lou Engle, insists on a re-definition of ekklesia that makes the church “responsible for declaring war, developing military strategy and electing military generals, chief magistrates and other officials.” He said that when Jesus said he was going to build His church, “He meant He was going to establish His governmental center, His house of prayer to contend with every other house.”[79] Engle explained the practice of decrees and declarations in this context:


The ekklesia does not just ask God for answers; it makesauthoritative declarations at His direction. As His house of prayer—those who send the “rod” of Christ’s authority forth in the midst of His enemies (see Ps. 110:2)—we do not pray as if we are beggars but decree the Word of the Lord as priests.[80][emphasis added]


In fact, this whole scenario of a “house of prayer” contending with other houses was inspired by a dream Lou Engle had in 1996 in which he saw a Christian church “flipped from its inferior position to dominate [a] Buddhist house of prayer.”[81] Engle explained the significance of this dream in terms of Dominion:


The Lord gave me my marching orders through this dream: to join Him in establishing His church as a house of prayer contending with every other house that exalts itself above the lordship and supremacy of Christ. 


A threat to every corrupt government, institution of oppression, rebellious leader and demonic stronghold, theekklesia of Jesus is a council of war at the highest level. With Christ as our Head, we are bringing heaven down to earth and barring hell’s invasion.[82] 


Notice that nowhere is there a mention of reaching out to Buddhists with the Gospel of Salvation. Rather the focus is on supremacy over them. In the Dominionist worldview it becomes more important to wield power over one’s foes than it is to share the message of the forgiveness to sinners that is freely offered by Jesus Christ. How sad! What a missed opportunity!


Fasting For Fullness 
In 1946 Franklin Hall wrote a book titled Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer. It had a significant impact on the Latter Rain movement, Pentecostals and the later Charismatics. Hall taught that fasting was a “means of bringing about revival and the ‘restoration’ of the Church.’”[83] Hall’s teachings have now gained a second life in the IHOP movement. IHOP fasting is done for the purpose of “a greater release of power” and “for an open heaven” that will “release angels” on earth. The IHOP “Bridgroom Fast” is taught as a way to “encounter the Bridegroom God” and attain the “nearness of God’s presence.” Significantly, those who fast are promised “greater measures of revelation at an accelerated pace.” All of this fasting is believed to be “preparing the Church for the greatest revival” coming in the endtimes.[84] 


Fasting exacerbates the spiritual elitism that is being taught by promising the “experience” of “deeper encounters with God’s power and presence” and a “new ability” and “new level” of “fullness.”[85]This “extravagant fasted lifestyle… fuels passion for Jesus and justice for the poor.”[86] Thus fasting is seen as a method of gaining great spiritual power.


But only the healthy need apply. Even though there are disclaimers for those who cannot fast, the peer pressure is on. This fasting isn’t done in the context of a quiet sedentary life. In addition to normal life duties, there is a heavy expectation of commitment to a “wilderness lifestyle.” So what little physical strength remains after extended periods (up to 40 days) of food deprivation is spent in activities such as described below:


Of the 75 departments that make up IHOP, more than three-fourths are dedicated to action outside the prayer room—everything from orphan care to crisis response to inner-city ministry to training marketplace leaders. This is in addition to a thriving worship label, music school, conference ministry, media institute, Israel initiative, children’s and high school ministries, and an ever-increasing list of other ministries making their mark.[87] 


100% Perfection 
“100-Fold Obedience” is a frequent phrase in most IHOP documents. Bickle teaches that believers must be 100% obedient in their Christian walk.[88] He says Jesus is not happy with those who come up short by 2%. Only 100% will please Him. Bickle asserts, “The 98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The last 2% is what positions us to live with a vibrant heart.”[89] Only the mature IHOP Bride will master this level of perfection.[90] Bickle teaches:


Jesus promises to manifest God’s presence to those who obey His commandments… the Father loves everyone in the sense of valuing, caring for and pursuing them. However, He only loves the lifestyle, choices, sacrifices and fruit of those who pursue 100-fold obedience.[91]


Power in our Christian life is found only in pursuing 100-fold obedience. There are powerful dynamics that occur in our heart when we soberly aim at walking in total obedience. The98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The last 2% is what positions us to live with a vibrant heart…. The call to be perfect… is a key to living vibrant.[92]


This 100% perfection teaching is simply an updated version of the old Latter Rain teachings about the “perfected” body on earth. In 1988, Bickle’s associate, Bob Jones, stated this teaching as a prophecy:


…There is a ministry after the five-fold called the ministry of perfection—the Melchisedek Priesthood… your children will be moving into the ministries of Perfection… coming into that Divine Nature of Jesus Christ… they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet…. because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the fullmaturity of the GOD-MAN! [93]


Sleep Deprivation
When sleep deprivation is thrown into this mixture of fasting, along with hefty ministry obligations, the psychological and spiritual vulnerability of IHOP members is substantially increased. The 24/7 prayer furnaces require personnel to man their midnight-6 am shift. This means sacrificing sleep. Sleep deprivation can create disorientation, even leading to an altered state of consciousness (just ask any mother who has stayed up through the night with a sick child). In fact, sleep deprivation is a proven effective torture method.[94] It has often been used by cults as part of their brainwashing, indoctrination and training.[95]


Sexual Deprivation
No, we are not advocating sexual sin by including this as a sub-category. Rather, we wish to point out that Mike Bickle has developed his “Bridal Paradigm” based on his own allegorical rendition of the Bible’s Song of Solomon. As such, Bickle has ignored this book’s plain meaning in favor of an extraordinarily evocative endtime scenario. This “Bridal Paradigm” scenario requires that IHOP youth generate passion—extreme passion. Bickle’s  “Bridal Paradigm” is a graphic portrayal of a sensuous Jesus encountering a passionate Bride; they develop an intense intimacy with each other which is spelled out in vivid detail. This prurient imagery is being taught to a hormonally-challenged age group, which is already attempting to abide by the rugged demands of an ascetic lifestyle. This voluptuous, and sometimes salacious, teaching obviously creates a pressure-cooker situation. It even became necessary to issue a disclaimer about the “passion” that is being generated.[96] As one critic has noted:


I am not claiming that IHOP intends to promote a sexual Jesus, their motives may be pure. It is inescapable, however, that Mike Bickle paints such a sensual picture of Jesus through his allegorizing of the Song of Solomon that he feels obligated to warn us saying, “We are not to think of kissing Jesus on the mouth.” This warning is like the legal statements following television drug commercials – this may cause death or injury and the cure may be worse than the disease. The warning itself paints the picture. The Bible doesn’t need to warn Christians “not to think about kissing Jesus on the mouth” because the true teaching of Jesus doesn’t provoke these lusts. True biblical intimacy with God doesn’t provoke these lusts either. The fact that IHOP feels it necessary to give this warning is proof that their teaching is doing exactly that – creating lustful appetites for a sensual Jesus. Their Jesus is an imposter and the spiritual experiences they enjoy are not “intimacy with God” but spiritual fornication. Let us be clear; passions, desires, emotions, and feelings are sensual and creating an appetite for sensual spiritual experiences is the goal of IHOP’s Passion for Jesus Conference.[97]


Shaming for Obedience 
All of this drummed-up passion is in reality a works-oriented focus. Indeed, this is exacerbated by the emphasis on spiritual levels (stages) supposedly attained by those practicing these methods. One eyewitness account admits that


…IHOP leaders urged the students on to the grand vision by any means possible; and that includes shame. In the instances I have outlined above, shame was used as the motivator for us to stop what we were doing (theology, biblical languages) and comply with their vision. “Become like us or we will shame and ignore you,” was the message.[98]


Notice that this shame is based on a fear of man. It has nothing to do with biblical shame leading to godly sorrow. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Cor. 7:10).

Exhibit: from article “What Rolling Stone Didn’t Tell You About Tyler Deaton.”

The Violence of the Passion 
The IHOP movement frequently uses the words “violent” or “violence” in the context of their prayers. In addition to ramping up fervor and zeal, this “violence” language acts as a way to shore up the community so that they all members act in one accord:

  • There is a violence that goes with keeping our word…. 
  • Keeping our word is violent, and difficult! 
  • We must be violent about presenting ourselves truthfully to one another when we stumble on a commitment…. 
  • We are going to war against the pride that would look to justify or excuse our unfaithfulness to our word, or treat it like it was not a big deal. Lack of follow through is a big deal – it hurts the integrity of the team and its commitment to one another.…[99][emphasis added] 



The Bible admonishes us to “flee” temptations such as fornication, idolatry and youthful lusts (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14; 2 Tim. 2:22), and to“resist the devil” (James 4:7). But in IHOP documents resisting sin is referred to as a “violent war” and a “violent clash.” The flesh is said to be in “violent opposition to the Holy Spirit.” Therefore the believer must “declare war on everything that quenches the Holy Spirit” by putting their “cold heart before the bonfire of God’s presence.”[100]This strong language belies the simplicity of the Gospel message of grace (See: Rom. 12:8; 2 Cor. 1:12; 2 Cor. 11:3.).


Because IHOP focuses on “prayer furnaces” as a literal location where they believe this “Presence” can descend (thus recreating the Tabernacle of David) there is an emphasis on “keeping charge” of the sanctuary. This is referred to as “the violence of the charge”[101]:


It is a daily fight to do this, and we have signed up for something that is unbelievably hard – a lifestyle of prayer in conjunction with building this house in an hour in which the nations are going astray. 


This is our sacred trust from the Lord and our commitment to one another. It is about location – we as a community are committing to one another in regards to coming to a sanctuary and a prayer furnace.[102] [emphasis added] 


Even the term “prayer furnace” is an example of violence in IHOP language. The prevalence of “violence” language, in combination with the “warfare” language about “enemies” could be dismissed as symbolic rhetoric. But maybe it isn’t. What if this aggressive rhetoric turns into real military zeal? What if some leader turns on the switch and announces that there are real enemies that need eradicating? Such events have historically occurred with destructive and doomsday cults.[103] 


IHOP believes their weaponized music[104] can “release new levels of power” in the spiritual realm as “a new song at the end of the age”[105] for judgment:

  1. The prophetic song is one of God’s most powerfulweapons He utilizes to release His power on the earth, particularly in the end of the age…. 
  2. The key feature of the new song at the end of the age to understand is that believers are standing in unity with the heart of God, singing in agreement about Him as a judge preparing to loose judgments. This is profound – the end-time church is led by prophetic singers (in concert with the Holy Spirit) to sing about the coming judgments of the Lord in full agreement with His methodology and leadership…. 
  3. Anointed prophetic singers… usher in a new level of union with the heart of God and the people of God, which is directly related to a release of new levels of power to usher in the Great Harvest of souls at the end of the age.[106] [emphasis added] 



Passionate worship is a weapon wielded as a weapon by this militant Bride who is charged with singing in the coming judgments of the Lord. What an odious job! It is insanity to sing in the horribly violent deaths and judgments described in the book of Revelation! In order to master the cognitive dissonance required for this dastardly duty, IHOP redirects focus to the passionate sensual intimacy of the Bride with evocative music and lyrics.[107] 

Monitors show a band playing under undulating lights. The acoustic guitarist raises an arm in praise, barely strumming when the camera focuses on him…. Misty Edwards stands behind a keyboard and belts out praise with impressive range…. 
The repetitive choruses — really, the songs are nothing but choruses — show up on the monitors like a karaoke machine as images of young people in the crowd, with eyes closed, air-drum and raise their hands. And they sing: I’m in love with God/And God’s in love with me. 
 Edwards uses a break in the music to preach. 
“Our God is an all-consuming fire,” she whispers. “He burns with desire.”[108]




Exhibit: from article “What Rolling Stone Didn’t Tell You About Tyler Deaton.”

The “Manifest Presence of God”[109] 
Mike Bickle heard an audible voice from the Lord in 1988. This voice told him that the Bible’s Song of Solomon was the key to encountering Jesus and develop a “mature love for God.”[110] Bickle developed his own unique allegorical interpretation this book, creating an endtime template he calls the “Bridal Paradigm.” This paradigm is about a spiritually superior race of “mature” believers who “will be like Jesus.”[111] Bickle’s “Bridal Paradigm” is about the “Manifest Presence of God.”[112] It is only within the context of the “Bridal Paradigm” that we can understand their insistence upon generating “passion.” The following description and quoted excerpts come from Bickle’s 149-page treatise “Studies in the Song of Solomon: Progression of Holy Passion (2007)” at the GOD School with the Forerunner School of Ministry (IHOP).[113] 


First, it must be asked: who is the Bride? In Bickle’s allegory, the Bride is defined as “all those who are mature in love.” How is “mature” defined? “Maturity” is defined as “the revelation of His glory and His ravished heart for us.” In his Song of Solomon allegory Bickle says this mature Bride will be blameless (perfect) in the Endtimes:


I define the Bride as the Church becoming mature in love for God and people. This has never happened. The Church in the Book of Acts was not fully mature. It had moments of glory in several cities. Before the Lord returns the worldwide Church will be mature or spotless and blameless…. TheEnd-Time Church that survives the Great Tribulation has a unique honor in history being the only generation to walk blameless before Jesus returns…. 


The End-Time Church will enter into the measure of the stature of maturity that belongs to the fullness of Christ…. 


The Church throughout all history did not walk in maturity. The redeemed through history will praise God for the End-Time Church as it prevails in love while still on earth… God has brought to pass a people that are mature on the earth. 


So Bickle’s definition of Bride does NOT include all those who are born again! His Bride is the only those perfected mature believers who are sold out to the requirements of 100-Fold (100%) Obedience: “A life of total commitment is foundational for all who are to be mature in ministry.” In Bickle’s allegory, the mature Bride is contrasted to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” who, according to Bickle, “personify immature believers.” So immature believer are not included in his definition of the Bride. These “less spiritual” ones don’t quite measure up to the high standard of 100% obedience. Even though it is denied that this is teaching the doctrine of “sinless perfection” it is hard to see any difference.


This perfected Bride will rise as “the generation in which the Lord returns,” which Bickle believes is now. She will possess “a greater measure of power” in her maturity—she will become the Tabernacle in which the Presence can dwell. She will host and manifest the Presence in her corporate body. She is quite full of herself, too—“The Bride has a revelation of her own spiritual maturity before God.” It is easy to see how a sense of spiritual elitism can accompany a teaching that promises such extraordinary perfection and power. It is utopian to think that we can overcome our base sinful nature and attain 100% obedience. This teaching ignores the biblical reality that while we remain in our carnal fleshly bodies we are continually tempted to sin (see Romans 7 and 8). In 1988 Bickle and his cohort Bob Jones taught the beginnings of this endtime sinless generation template:


The children are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth…. those ELECTED SEEDS that will glorify Christ in the last days… they will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever been in the Bible – They’ll move in it consistently… they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet… a church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man! [114]


This is a very esoteric teaching. Bickle’s allegory of the Song of Solomon requires indoctrination (as opposed to simple Bible teaching). Each lesson builds on the previous lesson, and is repeated over and over again until it becomes ingrained. As decoded by Bickle, the hidden messages in Song of Solomon will only be revealed in this last generation. Unfortunately this mystery is not about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While Jesus is a major player in Bickle’s interpretation, He is not portrayed as the Savior who died on the cross for our sins. Rather, he is reduced to being the focal point of the Bride’s evoked passion. This is all about the Bride.


Bickle’s Bride is a needy creature who must generate extreme emotion. She does not worship with her mind, but with her heart (Contra Jer. 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”). The Bride must pray “Jesus, show me more how I have ravished Your heart.” She must become “lovesick.” She “longs to be drawn close to God’s heart in deep intimacy as an extravagant worshipper.” Below are some examples:

  • The goal of her life is her own spiritual happiness. This happens best when she experiences God’s Presence
  • [T]he Bride’s destiny is ensured by God’s ravished heart for her. 
  • Jesus’ manifest presence returns in response to her obedience. 
  • Jesus is “conquered only by His Bride’s extravagant love. 
  • We are called to live lovesick for God. 
  • Our primary focus is to be on God’s emotions…. 
  • A working definition of a ravished heart of God is: To be filled with emotions of joy or delight because of one who is unusually attractive. The revelation of Jesus’ ravished heart equips us for 100-fold obedience
  • Her greatest desire is to experience God’s presence
  • The Holy Spirit is raising up lovesick messengers who know Jesus in a way that will change the expression of Christianity in the whole earth and prepare the Bride to be strong in love in the End-Time pressures…. 
  • Jesus is “conquered” only by His Bride’s extravagant love. [all emphases added]


Exhibit: IHOP influences an entire youth movement. Ad from TheElijahList.

This endtime Bride must establish a “deep mature partnership” with Jesus. Partnership for what? Dominion. Below are some examples of this Bridal eschatology from Bickle’s Song of Solomon allegory. Note that conquering the mountains (a dominion motif)[115] is mentioned:

  • The greatest revival in history is around the corner. 
  • The maiden [Bride] receives a new revelation of Jesus as the sovereign King. She sees Him as the “Lord of all the nations” who effortlessly conquers all of the difficultmountains or high places…. 
  • Jesus is ready for action and deep partnership with the maiden [Bride]. Therefore, He calls her to arise from her comfort and security to come away with him toconquer the mountains of this fallen world. Jesus commissioned His Bride to work with Him as He brings the nations to obedience
  • [Jesus] proclaims that she is as awesome as a victorious army with banners. 
  • We are created to live in the high places with Jesus in the extravagant devotion of bridal partnership. 
  • The only safe place for our hearts is in the revelation of Jesus as the Bridegroom King who enables us to walk in100-fold obedience and faith in facing themountains. This will be an essential revelation during the Great Tribulation
  • Being His perfect one means she has matured spiritually. Jesus’ End-Time Church will become maturein love as she is filled with God’s glory without any spot or wrinkle…. 
  • The Bride’s ministry in the age-to-come is as one “who shines forth as bright as the sun”. Her full glory is the brilliant light of Jesus’ glory
  • The Bride’s ministry in the culture is as one “who looks forth or shines forth as the morning”… This emphasizes the impact that God’s people will have on individuals and society (political, military, economic, educational, family, media, arts, technology, social institutions, etc.)[i.e., the 7 mountains, Ed.]
  • The Bride’s government is as one “who is as awesome as a powerful army with banners:. TheBride will rule in the governmental administration of Jesus’ Kingdom forever… she rules as God’s weapon in His government forever…. She is like God’s army withgovernment over all things[all emphasis added]



There are several other IHOP teachings from Bickle’s Song of Solomon allegory that bear mention as aberrations of historical Christian doctrine. 

  • ECUMENISM: This will be the first time in history, that the church worldwide will be in dynamic unity with the Spirit and therefore, the Spirit will be resting on and moving through the Church in great power. 
  • RESTORING PARADISE: An aspect of His inheritance involves the mandatory obedience of all creation. 
  • CATHOLICISM: The Church from history is our mother. The favorite work of the historical Church is the great End-Time harvest of souls and its full maturity…. The redeemed from history are represented as a “mother” that gave birth to Jesus (manchild) and as well as the believers that come after her…. The agency He uses for our spiritual birth is the witness of the Church, our spiritual mother. 



In sum, it is readily apparent that the IHOP movement is literally walking out the Latter Rain eschatology through its mandate for 24/7 corporate prayer and worship to re-enact the Tabernacle of David. These teachings cited above are decades old. They form the foundation of the modern NAR and IHOP movements. Some of the more controversial teachings about becoming Christ have now been submerged or denied. Yet the question remains: Without these key doctrines, what could possibly the PURPOSE for generating so much PASSION? The only logical answer is that these leaders are still following the old Latter Rain script of invoking a “Presence” in order “manifest” as Christ’s Corporate Body in order to wreak judgment on earth.


The Truth: 

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

(1 John 1:8-9) 



In 1846 the esteemed J.C. Philpot delivered a sermon in London, “A Confessing Sinner, and a Forgiving God,” based on the verses cited above. His remarks effectually refute Bickle’s idea of a perfect Bride:


Perfection in Christ the Scriptures are full of; perfection in man the Scriptures know not. The whole testimony of God in his word is to perfection in Christ. Every Scripture that speaks of his Godhead declares his perfection: for what is there but perfection in Godhead? And every passage that speaks of his humanity declares his perfection: for if he had not had a perfect human nature, he could not have offered that nature a sacrifice for sin. As the Lamb of God, without spot, or blemish, or any such thing, he is “holy; harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens,” (Heb. 7:26). If there is any perfection in the church, it is only found in Christ; by her having an eternal and vital union with him. But as to man, that fallen creature, the whole testimony of God’s word is to the depth of his apostasy. The Scripture positively declares, “There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God: they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one,” (Rom. 3:10-12). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,”(Jer. 17:9). And lest we should fancy, that when the blessed Spirit had regenerated and taken possession of a man, making his body his temple, then there was some perfection to be found in his heart, the Scripture brings before our eyes the awful falls and sad departures of God’s most highly favored saints—Noah, Lot, Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon. These blots are recorded against God’s eminent saints, to put down that false notion, that there is anything like perfection in the creature. 


And yet there are those who indulge in the wild dream of human perfectibility. There are those who even boast that they have attained to perfection. And there were such doubtless in John’s day. There were, in his time, proud, ignorant, blind, deluded wretches, who said that they had cleansed their heart from all evil, that perfection dwelt in them, and that sin was no more to be found in them. Some of these were Pharisees, completely ignorant of the requirements of God’s holy law, thoroughly unacquainted with the depth of man’s fall. And others were dry doctrinalists, who could speak much about Christ; but, knowing nothing of the workings of depravity in their own nature, overlooked all the heavings and boilings of the corrupt fountain within; and because they read of the church’s perfection in Christ, claimed unsinning perfection to themselves. 


Against these characters John deals this heavy blow; against those who claim this perfection he brings out this sharp sword, and cuts them down with this overwhelming stroke, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Talk about your Christianity—talk about your religion—talk about your standing—and say, “I have no sin,” you are a deceiver, John boldly declares: “so far from being, as you think you are, a perfect Christian, the very truth is not in you; you are nothing but a deceived, awfully deceived character.” But he brings out, with the other hand, consolation for the people of God, who feels distressed on account of their inward guilt and sin. Thus whilst, on the one hand, he cuts down the perfectionist, legal or evangelical—on the other, he raises up the poor, condemned, drooping saint, who is bowed down with a sense of his guilt and shame; and opening the rich cordial of gospel consolation, says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [116]


Author’s Note
Over 40 years ago I was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I was saved out of the hippie movement and became an active part of the Jesus movement. At that time, and for the next decade, I experienced real revival. What did real revival look like? Our focus was on Jesus, his death on the cross, dying for our sins. When we heard the Gospel of Salvation message from the Word of God for the first time it struck at the core of our being. We repented and confessed our sins. God marvelously delivered us from our sins, sometimes in awe-inspiring ways. We experienced great joy in being cleansed from our prior filthy lives. The power of the Holy Spirit enabled us to become free from our former occult bondages. The Word of God ministered healing to us. We devoured it daily to learn more about Jesus. We learned how to use the sword of the Word to defend ourselves from the attacks of Satan. We were excitedly awaiting Jesus’ soon return. And we were fervent in our desire to be ready for Him. We turned away from rock ’n roll and began to sing beautiful praise melodies and hymns with lyrics based on the Word. We didn’t have to “invoke” the presence of the Holy Spirit. As we were cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we were filled with the Spirit. 


What I just wrote about in this article bears no resemblance to the true revival I experienced.[117] 

___________________________________________________________
Part 4 of 6:
Jesus promises to manifest His presence to those whoobey His commandments.
-Mike Bickle [1]
 Jesus promises to manifest God’s presence to those whoobey His commandments… the Father loves everyone in the sense of valuing, caring for and pursuing them. However, He only loves the lifestyle, choices, sacrifices and fruit of those who pursue 100-fold obedience.
– Mike Bickle 
[2]




Exhibit 1: IHOP is an international youth movement



Herescope has been running an article series about the International House of Prayer (IHOP) movement and its endtime teachings. In the previous articles we examined how IHOP’s Mike Bickle has been preparing his group to become an elite “Bride.” Bickle’s IHOP movement is founded upon his “Bridal Paradigm.” This is his unique allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon that is used as an eschatological roadmap.


This IHOP Bride is taught that she can become “mature” by practicing “100-Fold Obedience.”[3] In the current IHOP teaching, an endtime “mature” Bride is juxtaposed against the rest of Christian believers who, Bickle asserts, are merely the “daughters of Jerusalem,” i.e., less mature than this perfected Bride.[4] She believes she will play a a pivotal endtime role to walk out (or pray in) the judgments in the book of Revelation.[5] She must exhibit “100-Fold Obedience.” What does Bickle mean when he uses this term? How does this relate to the rest of his teachings?


Given Bickle’s recent acceptance into the mainstream evangelical world via leaders such as Francis Chan,[6] it behooves us to examine Bickle’s beliefs. This isn’t easy to do because Bickle has invented his own unique terminology. He appears to be teaching retooled Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God doctrines to a new generation of youth. In this section of our article series we will examine his old teachings and compare them with what he is teaching now.

Exhibit 2: Call2All ad for training at IHOP



The Vision for an Endtime Elite Generation 
IHOP’s intense focus on this generation originated with some prophecies delivered in the 1980s by Mike Bickle and his associates who were called the “Kansas City Prophets.” They taught that a “New Breed” of “elect seed”[7] generation would arise as an endtime “Joel’s Army”[8] to fulfill a destiny of subduing and ruling the earth.


In an interview with Mike Bickle in 1988, fellow “Kansas City Prophet” Bob Jones related a vision he experienced. Based on this vision, Jones prophesied that the current generation back then was important, but that the next generation (their sons and daughters) would be unique. Here is what he believed that God showed him in the vision:


This will be the end generation that is foreknown and predestined to inherit all things…. 


You are to write into their minds – as they write into the children’s minds. You’re to bring them to a place to allow my Spirit to rule in their life where they can begin to set the church on the proper foundations – as they will. 


They’ll birth the church, but their children will attain levels of the Holy Spirit that they will not. Although their parents will reign over them and be the leaders of the last day church – their children will possess the Spirit without measure – for they are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth


And the best of all generations are those elected seedsthat will glorify Christ in the last days. That’s the purpose so that Jesus in the last days has the seeds that will glorify Him above any generation that has ever been upon the face of the earth. 


They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before. Every miracle, sign and wonder that has ever been in the Bible – they’ll move in it consistently, they’ll move in the power that Christ did. Every sign and wonder that’s ever been will be many times in the last days


They themselves will be that generation that’s raised up toput death itself underneath their feet and to glorify Christ in every way. And the church that is raising up in the government will be the head and the covering for them. So that that glorious church might be revealed in the last days, because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the God-Man![9][bold added] 


The endtime church can reach “the full maturity of the God-Man”? There is no Gospel of Jesus Christ here, just the idea that the church can become divinized. Note that Jones actually claimed that this special generation would “put death itself underneath their feet.” Likewise, the old Latter Rain/MSOG teachers believed that the endtime saints could attain immortality (the same lie Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:4). They also believed that they could conquer not only sin but also death itself (contra Romans 5:21 and 1 Cor. 15:25-27).


In this taped interview, Mike Bickle replied, not by refuting any of Jones’ vision, but by relating more of Jones’ vision. He described the formation of an end-time spiritual army:


The Lord came to Bob and said… “Put your hand in here.” He pulls it out and he sees this box full of draft notices for the end-time army. And he said the Lord told Him there was300,000 enlistment notices that he was going to send out across the nations in this next generation. It wasn’t all going to be sent out then. 300,000 that would be the main leadership over one billion converts in the earth.[10][bold added]


Bickle stated the purpose of this elite 300,000 unit army—they will lead one billion. Jones then replied that God told him:


“I’ll cause 300,000 to bear a distinct anointing of leadership over the one billion…. I’m going to cause300,000 like Gideon’s 300 in Israel. I’m going to have300,000. That will be a small number for the nations of the earth. But they will have like that apostolic anointing and the signs and wonders of the early church will be on 300,000. The Earth will have it. The rest will move in the miraculous, but I will have 300,000 that will have a special measure of the Spirit like the leaders of the New Testament.” [11] [bold added]


These men believed that this elite 300,000 army of leaders would possess “a special measure of the Spirit.” These would be the “chosen generation”—the “one generation that will enter into that which is beyond all the others in power.” Bob Jones also claimed that God told him that this would be “the best of every blood line in the earth” and the “best of their seed”—“They will be superior… the elect generation.”[12] This vision became their foundational ideology and guiding force over the course of the next several decades as these men began to establish the house of prayer movement.


There was one more key element to the vision. It contained a theology about “maturity.” Jones made the amazing statement that


There will be maturity – what God is seeking. And He will be raising the saints up – to that level. First He will bring the five-fold [ministry], but there is a ministry after the five-fold called the Ministry of Perfection – the Melchisedek Priesthood


[Y]our children will be moving into the ministries of perfection… coming into that divine nature of Jesus Christ…. It is the last day generation…. [13][bold added]



Does the Bible teach that there will be an endtime special generation that has attained a superior level of “maturity” or “perfection”? (See 2 Tim. 3:1-5, 2 Thess. 2:3 and 1 Tim. 4:1.) What is this coming “Ministry of Perfection”? What is “ministries of perfection… coming into that divine nature of Jesus Christ”? Does this mean that they will “be like gods”?[14] What does Scripture say about this? Pastor Anton Bosch, refuting Jones’ vision, wrote:


Jones continues that they will: “Not having to come out of the wilderness, but being birthed natural into the Spirit… All their days movin’ with the Spirit” (sic).” He thus claims that these individuals will not be born sinners but will be born saved and be led by the Spirit all their lifetime. So what happened to the Scriptures that say: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the scripture hath concluded all under sin” (Galatians 3:22)?[15]


The old Latter Rain/MSOG theology taught that the last days church would become divine or “glorified,” actually incarnating the “glory” or “Presence” of Christ. Does the Bible teach that this level of “perfection” or “maturity” can be achieved by an elite force of specially trained endtime youth? Can they even go so far as to claim to be part of the Melchizedek Priesthood? Pastor Bosch refuted this also:


According to Jones “there is a ministry after the five-fold called the Ministry of Perfection, the Melchizedek Priesthood” and this new generation “will be moving into the ministries of perfection.” Yet the word says that “Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:20). So these people are going to replace Jesus who alone, and forever is the Priest after the order of Melchizedek?[16]


Actually, as we have written previously, the old Latter Rain/MSOG teachers believed that the church must fill the role of Jesus. In their view the church replaces Jesus, especially in the endtime judgment. So many of the Scriptures about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are either ignored or twisted, or misapplied to the church. (See Romans 8:4; Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 12:2, e.g.)


In his allegory of the Song of Solomon, Bickle develops an endtime scenario in which a “mature” Bride will become an “overcomer” who rules over the “weak and immature ones” referred to as the “daughters of Jerusalem.”[17] Is this teaching of Bickle’s based on Bob Jones’ vision of an elite corps of 300,000 who will rule over the 1 billion converts? Does Bickle’s allegory teach other things found in Jones’ original prophecy, albeit with updated and symbolic terminology?


One phrase in Bickle’s allegory sticks out as a key doctrine. Bickle teaches something he calls “100-Fold Obedience.” What does this phrase “100-Fold Obedience” mean? Below is an analysis.

Exhibit 3: Mike Bickle teaching 100-Fold Obedience



“100-Fold” = “100%”

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word,
and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” 

(Matthew 13:23) 

In the well-known parable of the sower Jesus Christ explains what happens when the seed of the Word is sown into people’s lives. Jesus interprets this parable for his disciples, and concludes with the explanatory words above. Here Jesus explains what happens to those who receive the Word into good ground. This is the verse that Mike Bickle focuses on in his teaching on Matthew 13 in his online talk titled “The Wisdom of Pursuing 100-Fold Obedience.”[18] Bickle says, “But within the group that responds right, there’s even three different categories in that group, and that’s what I want to draw attention to.”[19] He focuses on the hundredfold group and says this parable is about our obedience and our percentage of faithfulness:


The parable is about heart-faithfulness…. The Lord says, “Mike, I’m going to measure you by what percentageyou’ve answered at the heart level of faithfulness.”[20][bold added] 


Bickle interchanges his term “100-Fold Obedience” with the phrase “100% Obedience.” So “100-Fold” = “100%.” Bickle says that only those who pursue “100-Fold Obedience” will attain a 100% return. Below is a summary statement of his teaching from notes posted online:


Jesus used a familiar agricultural illustration to teach them how the Kingdom of God operates. It is parallel to a farmer who works for months to cultivate his fields that he might harvest the crops to sell in the marketplace. It was common for a farmer to discover that a portion of his field did not yield fruit that was good enough to sell in the market. His neglect in cultivating the land impacted how much return he had at the harvest. It was rare that one would yield fruit from100% of the ground. It was a wonderful, but rare thing for a farmer to receive a 100-fold return on his labor in the field with no waste or loss of the potential fruitfulness of his land.[21][bold added] 


Bickle’s basic premise is that this Scripture has to do a “return” based on the percentage of obedience.[22] He teaches that when believers pursue 100% obedience in their Christian walk God will reward according to the “percentage” or “fold of return” that will “last and count on the last day.” Bickle’s eschatology of when and how the “last day” takes place can significantly alter the meaning and the timing of this reward.[23] 


The “payback” is said to be in the measure of our faithfulness at the heart level. This is a reference to Bickle’s emphasis on passion, i.e., creating and maintaining a state of passionate emotional fervency which gives the Bride an edge over other believers.[24] In his allegory of the Song of Solomon, Bickle explains his view of an elite Bride who is 100% committed, in contrast to other lesser believers:


The virgins speak of the daughters of Jerusalem in the Son. They are genuine yet immature believers who seek Jesus throughout the Son but are never fully committed as the Bride is.[25][bold added]


Again Bickle interchanges “100-Fold” with “100%.” He claims that 100% pursuit of obedience will result in a 100-fold return (reward):


Jesus goal in this parable is to present the wisdom of pursing a lifestyle of 100% obedience. Because Jesus wanted the people to get a 100-fold return on the potential of what God gave them.[26] [bold added] 


He explains this is a heart-felt obedience that “the Lord will measure.” What does the Lord require? According to Bickle it is 100% perfection, based on his interpretation of Matthew 5:48 (“be perfect”). He qualifies this specifically with the statement, “…or in our context ‘be mature.’”[27] So mature = perfect. As we discussed earlier, “maturity” and “perfection” are connected. These two words have special meaning in the original Kansas City prophecy. Like a coach, Bickle urges, “Go for 100% obedience in every area of your life. Don’t go for part of the way. Go for 100%….”[28] 


Although Bickle admits that he will never attain 100% obedience, he says he is concerned with pursuing it. And God will measure our “100% pursuit of obedience.” He says Jesus is not happy with those who come up short by 2%. Only 100% will please Him. Bickle asserts, “The 98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The last 2% is what positions us to live with a vibrant heart.”[29] 


He even promises a double power for those who pursue it 100%.[30]He claims “there is very little power in the 95% obedience.” The “power is in the last 2%.”[31] Thus those who feel like they gave it the “old college try” may end up discouraged when they don’t reach the 100% mark. Anything short of 100% mark is deemed a failure. What are the measurement criteria, standards, or assessment mechanisms to determine when someone has hit the 100% mark? Scripture informs us,“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So does anyone ever meet this mark? Can anyone honestly assert that they have attained 100% obedience? Or, is Bickle saying, like Bob Jone in his vision, that only this endtime generation will uniquely enabled to attain 100% obedience?


And what sort of added “power” is Bickle talking about? What is the purpose for this double power? In one of his IHOP teachings on “100-Fold Obedience” he explains his belief:


Power in our Christian life is found only in pursuing 100-fold obedience. There are powerful dynamics that occur in our heart when we soberly aim at walking in total obedience. The98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The last 2% is what positions us to live with a vibrant heart…. The call to be perfect… is a key to living vibrant.[32][bold added] 


Another IHOP training document explains what is meant by this power. It seems to reflect the same eschatology promised in Bob Jones’ vision—more power to do “signs and wonders” and “no disease.” If there is “no disease” is he alleging that these “mature” ones can overcome the effects of the Fall? That’s what the Latter Rain/MSOG cult believed. Here is what is being taught:


The prophetic church will move in the highest degree of authority and unity at the end of the age while functioning as a witness to the nations, delivering the gospel of the kingdom with great signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth (particularly through the seal and trumpet judgments)…. 


His plan for this house is to give us a spirit of prayer… as well as a simultaneous impartation of authority for signs and wonders—“no disease known to man will stand before these people”. He will give us this according to His promise to the degree we are willing to turn to Him….[33] [bold added] 


Regarding this promise of being enabled to perform extraordinary signs and wonders, this was earlier prophesied in Bob Jones’ vision. Pastor Bosch commented on Jones’ claim:


About the only Biblical statement Jones made during this discussion is: “Every sign and wonder that’s ever been will be many times in the last days.” (sic). This is confirmed in 2Thessalonians 2:9: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”[34]


Fasting is presented as a means to gain mastery over the “100-Fold Obedience” requirement. Bickle connects the reason for delivering his message to a “21-day fast that is coming up… I want to gain the 100%… I have lost the fullness of that spark in my spirit….” Again he claims, “There is power on the heart” when one commits to 100% obedience.[35] IHOP over-emphasizes fasting, as was documented in the previous article in this series. Dr. Orrel Steinkamp notes how this call to fasting is a repeat of the old Latter Rain/MSOG teachings:


Who needs a cross and redemption if you qualify for ‘everything’ by fasting, etc. to gain the 100%? Fasting will do it. Sounds like [MSOG teacher] Bill Britton to me.[36] 


There is significant eschatological deviation evident in Bickle’s interpretation of the verse “For many are called, but few are chosen”(Matthew 22:14).[37] Bickle, commenting on these verses, says it means that only a few elite believers will be chosen, but not the rest of believers. So he takes this verse out of its context of salvation and uses it to create two categories of believers – the mature Bride (who is “chosen”) and the immature daughters (who are not one of the “chosen”). Bickle’s written commentary expands on the plain meaning of this verse by adding words to the text:


For many are called (invited by God), but few are chosen(found faithful by God) (Mt. 22:14). 


Many people are called (invited to inherit great things) yet only a few are chosen or esteemed by God as faithful or worthy of ruling with Jesus when He comes. Jesus taught that only a few will have a sufficient maturity in their obedience so as to receive ALL that God called (invited) them to in being in His Millennial government.[38][emphasis added] 


To reinforce this idea that being “chosen” makes the Bride fit for “ruling with Jesus,” Bickle states, “Our role in the kingdom age… is dynamically related to our faithfulness….”[39] Note that he says this is “when Jesus is glorified in His saints.” This is precisely the Latter Rain eschatology that teaches that Jesus returns via “Presence” Spirit, descending to “glorify” the endtime church with divinity. This is not talking about the literal Second Coming of the resurrected Jesus (Acts 1:11). To verify that this is what Bickle is teaching, observe how he inserts his own eschatological interpretation into the following Scripture verse (his comments are in the brackets):


When He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints… therefore we pray always for you that God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all (fullness of our calling as seen in the Millennial Kingdom)the good pleasure of His goodness…(2 Thes. 1:10-11)[40][italics added, bold in original] 


He reiterates with a discussion of a similar passage, Matthew 20:16b (“for many be called, but few chosen”), which he says means: “Many are invited, but only a few of them are commissioned to enter into what they are invited to.”[41] In the context of the overall teachings on the Bride, this means that only some are chosen for the elite position of the Bride in the endtimes. Thus, there is a high motivation for fasting, and to fulfill all of the other stringent IHOP requirements—the end goal is to become a “chosen” Bride who can rule and reign. The stakes are high. 100% effort is required.


The reason the Bickle’s Bride must be specially “chosen” is because he believes that she plays a role in ushering in judgment. She has a critical assignment “partnering with” Jesus for judgment. In Bickle’s teaching below, it is easy to spot the similarities with the eschatology that was taught by Bob Jones in his vision:


There is a clear picture throughout the book [of Revelation] of agreement in heaven and on earth as the purified, mature Bride interacts with the heavenly realm and a God stirred in His zeal to judge wickedness and reveal His delight in righteousness….  [bold added]


The interplay of the prophetic church participating in the government of God and His judgments through intercession in the ultimate concert of payer is vital for us to understand if we want to grasp the critical role of the Bride on the earth at the end of the age. The heavens shift and angels move in response to an anointed Bride united with the heart of Jesus partnering with Him to release judgment through prayer“We agree with what You want to do, O judge of the earth!” [42][bold italics in original] 


Many of the pursuits of 100-fold obedience are commendable. The desire for moral excellency, for example. Bickle specifically tailored his taped message to a 20-something age group. He reminisced about his own early beginnings when he fervently desired to serve the Lord. He admits honestly that it is difficult and that he has failed. But his message is clear: to fail to attain this measure of excellence is to be less than the “chosen” one, the Bride. He sets a very high bar. Who can master it?


What effect does this type of teaching have on young people? To be promised that if they fulfill the onerous requirements of 100% obedience they will be commissioned as the elite Bride who will rule and reign on earth? This is heady stuff! It offers youth the intoxicating promise of exclusivity and spiritual superiority over all other believers on earth. To believe that one can attain a state of perfection, equipped with the supernatural ability to perform signs and wonders! This teaching must seem especially attractive to seeking youth. The spiritual formation[43] exercises and rituals that IHOP members endure are motivated by this promise of spiritual superiority.


The point must be made that “100-Fold Obedience” teaching an invented system of legalism. It is added works. It puts onerous requirements on youth that are not found in the “simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3), God’s grace in Scripture. Life in the flesh is still present after salvation, and we cannot attain a state sinless obedience or perfection (1 John 1:8-10). Believers can choose to walk by flesh or be led by the power of the Holy Spirit. But there is no biblical promise of an extra-powerful dose of an endtime Spirit that will make us 100% obedient, or give us the ability to overcome death. This is pie-in-the-sky utopian mysticism. But it is not what Scripture clearly teaches in Romans 7-9 and Galatians 3. A man-made system of legalistic requirements, no matter how ingenious or creative, enticing or promising of reward, is still works (Rom. 11:6; Gal 3:1-10).


One final obvious question remains. What is the measurement criteria for the attainment of 100% obedience and/or perfection?[44] 




The Perfected Bride vs. the Immature Daughters 
In his exhaustive allegory of the book of Song of Solomon, IHOP founder Mike Bickle expounds on the idea that only the “mature” Bride will master a level of perfection he calls “100-Fold Obedience.” Bickle defines this “mature” Bride in terms of eschatology:


I define the Bride as the Church becoming mature in love for God and people. This has never happened. The Church in the Book of Acts was not fully mature. It had moments of glory in several cities. Before the Lord returns the worldwide Church will be mature or spotless and blameless…. 


The End-Time Church that survives the Great Tribulation has a unique honor in history being the only generation to walk blameless before Jesus returns…. 


The End-Time Church will enter into the measure of the stature of maturity that belongs to the fullness of Christ…. 


The Church throughout all history did not walk in maturity. The redeemed through history will praise God for the End-Time Church as it prevails in love while still on earth…God has brought to pass a people that are mature on the earth.[45][bold added]


Notice the similarity in this eschatology to the vision of Bob Jones—this is claiming that the church in the church age has never been “fully mature” before, but that some will become “spotless and blameless” in the last days as “the only generation to walk blameless before Jesus returns.” Bickle outlines a “4-fold progression” for the Bride to attain this elite level of maturity. Not surprisingly it requires “100-fold obedience”:

  • Stage #1: prayer with fasting for God’s strength to preserve in our pursuit of 100-fold obedience….
  • Stage #2: breakthrough of Jesus’ powerful presence….
  • Stage #3: new ability to perceive and comprehend God at a new level….
  • Stage #4: equip to fulfill God’s full purpose without being distracted….[46][bold added] 



In a discussion of Ephesians 3:17a, Bickle again adds some extra language to the verse, and then he adds an “unspoken premise” to the passage. In this interpretation can be seen the connection between “100-fold obedience” and the “presence”:


THAT Christ may dwell (release His presence) in your hearts(mind, emotions, will) through faith (confidence;) 


Paul’s main prayer is that the saints at Ephesus receivestrength to embrace a life of obedience required before they experience deep encounters with God (sic) power and presence (Eph. 3:17) 


The unspoken premise in this passage is the previous teaching of Jesus revealing that God requires 100-fold obedience before the breakthrough of His presence in us…. 


We desperately need strength to walk in God’s requirement of 100-fold obedience. Jesus urged His disciples to pray for strength to overcome temptation. In other words, to receive strength to obey God.[47][bold added] 




The message is clear: one can’t experience the “breakthrough” of “power and presence” without first attaining “100-fold obedience.”


Teaching this lesson backwards, Bickle then discusses verse 16 where Paul is praying that the church would “be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Again, Bickle says there is also an “unspoken premise in this passage”—that of “Jesus’ well known teaching that God requires 100-fold obedience before releasing the breakthrough of His presence in us.” Did Jesus actually teach this? This “unspoken premise” puts words in Jesus’ mouth that He didn’t say. The promised “strength to obey”is explained by Bickle as power “to equip our heart” for the “greater experiences of God’spresence…. Only as we pray and receive God’s strength can we live in the spirit of love and 100-fold obedience that is necessary for God’s abiding presence to rest on our hearts.”[48] Thus, his message is clear: Obey 100% and you get the “Presence.” Don’t obey and you forfeit the chance to be an elite Bride that will rule and reign on earth.


Keep in mind that this is not talking about the indwelling Holy Spirit promised to all believers. It is talking about a separate “Presence.” To document that Bickle is teaching about a separate infilling of a “Presence,” not the indwelling Holy Spirit that we receive upon salvation, examine carefully at how Bickle interprets the meaning of the Eph. 3:17 phrase, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts”:


Paul is showing us the possibilities of where God will bring a committed Christian in this age. Most Christians never touch this reality. 


Paul’s main idea in this verse centers around Jesus “dwelling in their hearts.” This speaks of Jesus “living in them” ormanifesting His presence. This speaks of more than being forgiven of sins at the new birth. There is a vast difference between being a born again believer and having Christ dwelling in our heart…. 


Paul had earlier in this epistle established the idea of believers being the “God’s dwelling place in the Spirit.” This had not yet happened to the Ephesian Christians. 


Paul reveals that Jesus will dwell in their heart. In other words, Jesus will release His Presence in our heart…. We must not minimize this passage. We were not made formediocrity in the Spirit. We seek to excel in the Spirit.[49][bold added] 


“Jesus ‘dwelling in their hearts’” is re-stated by Bickle as “manifesting His presence.” Is Bickle asserting that the born-again Ephesian Christians had not yet received the Holy Spirit? This runs completely counter to Ephesians 1:23 which describes the church as:“Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” This verse cross-references to John’s statement that “And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16).[50] 


Or, rather, is Bickle saying that the Ephesians hadn’t received the manifestation of the “presence” of Jesus? If this is what he is saying, the implication is that most of the church age was the inferior, immature “daughters of Jerusalem” who hadn’t yet attained to the superiority of the elite endtime generation—precisely the two-tiered church that was taught in the vision of Bob Jones.


In fact, the Apostle Paul earlier refers to the Ephesians as “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly placed in Christ” (vs. 3),“chosen… holy and without blame before Him in love” (vs. 4),“made… accepted in the Beloved” (vs. 6), and “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (vs. 7). Paul even informs the Ephesians that they have “obtained an inheritance” (vs. 11). So how can Bickle assert that the Ephesians weren’t “mature”? The only way he can do this is by relying upon his own definition and eschatology.


In order for the Bride in Bickle’s allegory to attain to a perfect “level” of “maturity,” she must walk in “100-fold obedience.” Bickle reiterates his belief that God is going to do a new thing, that “God isawakening in His Church to empower our obedience through all eternity.”[51] 


But why the emphasis on “100-fold obedience”? Why is this so important for an endtime Bride? Probably because this Bride is also a “warring Bride.”[52] All newly recruited troops must go through the rigorous discipline of boot camp to learn to march in lockstep and follow the command-and-control authority structure without question.[53] The Bride in Bickle’s Song of Solomon allegory is described in a manner reminiscent of a military bootcamp:


Jesus reveals Himself as one who is safe to obey 100%. She believes that “100% obedience” is the only safe place in life…. 


A life of total commitment is foundational for all who are to be mature in ministry…. Initially, she refused His call to come to the mountains…. However, in this season she commits to go to the mountain. She is in only in the initial states of her obedience. Later she becomes mature


We can only fulfill our highest calling and destiny in this age and the age-to-come by walking in faithful obedience and with a history of diligently seeking God…. The Spirit calls us to diligence that we might enter into our fullness of authority in this age and the age-to-come…. 


Spiritual disciplines (prayer, fasting, meditation, etc.)are ordained by God as a necessary way to posture our heart to freely receive more grace…. The power is in the “bonfire of God’s presence….” 


God loves us all yet He entrusts a greater measure of power to the mature…. Our obedience positions us to walk in whatever that full measure is.[54] [emphasis added] 


Bickle even takes this military-style obedience a step further and claims, “An aspect of His inheritance involves the mandatory obedience of all creation.” He adds, “The Church as His Bride will be prepared in this age before the Second Coming.”[55] Lest the reader think this is pulled out of context, a few paragraphs later Bickle teaches:


Jesus is ready for action and deep partnership with the maiden. Therefore, He calls her to arise from her comfort and security to come away with Him to conquer the mountainsof this fallen world. Jesus commissioned His Bride to work with Him as He brings the nations to obedience.[56]


The purpose of the passionate obedient Bride? Dominion. Note the reference to the “mountains,” a common theme in the Dominionism taught by IHOP and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).[57] Bickle touts a Bride who will “obey Him 100%.” He lists seven ways for the Bride to go into “deep” or “mature partnership” with the Lord. This means obeying “Jesus’ command to arise to join Him on the mountains.” Thus in Song of Solomon the phrase “leaping upon the mountains” in verse 2:8 is cast into a Dominionist mold where she must be “embracing new assignments that require a new measure of faith and obedience.”[58] There are many more references to the mountains in this allegory.


The Song of Solomon allegory concludes with the “mature” Bride who has been “filled with God’s fragrant Presence.” This is when “Jesus comes to take full possession of her life as His inheritance.” Eschatologically this is when she has “mature obedience” and is “perfect.” Bickle refers to the Catholic mystic, St. John of the Cross, and his allegory Dark Night of the Soul, as a model for when the Bride doesn’t especially feel the “presence.”[59] She is informed she must obey even when she can’t feel this “presence.”


The overcoming Bride is described as an army. Is Mike Bickle is still following the template of Bob Jones’ vision? Read for yourself. Below are some concluding statements in his Song of Solomon allegory:


There are always two extreme positions in the Body of Christ. Those who pursue Jesus with great fervency and those who do not….


Jesus brought division between the sincere and the insincere… The Lord will unify the Church after He purges it of compromise.


The daughters of Jerusalem represent believers who lack discernment of the various operations of the Spirit and the different seasons in God. 


The enemy wants to silence our voice.[60] [bold and italics added] 


Bickle presents a summary of this teaching:


Summary: the Bride’s 4-fold glory is seen in three progressive stages in the glory of God. First, she experiences the dawning of God’s light to bring salt and light to the culture…. Second, she shines forth as a beautiful moon inwarfare and evangelism in this age. Third, she shines forth as the sun in the age-to-come. In all this she rules as God’s weapon in His government forever.[61]


The conclusion is inescapable. The IHOP movement appears to be re-teaching the old Bob Jones’ prophecy about an elite endtime generation that would be superior to all previous generations on earth. Mike Bickle has simply re-cast Jones’ vision into his own vision—his allegory of the Song of Solomon.


The most disturbing part of this vision—and there are many disturbing elements—is the false teaching that God is putting extra heavy-duty requirements upon this current generation of youth to become 100% obedient. The truth is that each believer is challenged in their own walk to obey God with their whole heart. This is nothing new. What IS new is that Bickle has promised this generation that 1) they can uniquely attain 100% obedience (or perfection), and 2) that they will be powerfully rewarded with superiority over all other believers on earth past, present and future. How sad that so many believe this message and devote their precious lives to attaining a fool’s gold reward. What is missing from this message? The power can only be found in the Gospel of Salvation:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God,
Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
(Gal. 2:20)

The Truth: 
Pastor Larry DeBruyn wrote several articles refuting these teachings of the IHOP and the NAR, especially their belief that they could attain divinity. He explained:


Yet we believers ought to rejoice in our union with Christ, a togetherness that, for reason of our being baptized in/with and by the Holy Spirit, is spiritual (1 Corinthians 12:13; See John 17:22-21). But while Christ’s dwelling in believers isspiritual, it is not substantial. It is a union and communion facilitated by the Holy Spirit Who sovereignly incorporates God’s presence, not essence, in us, this grandest of all unions being activated by faith in the atonement for sins by the Lord Jesus Christ. This hidden mystery (this musterion) then becomes, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).[62] 


Galatians 6:12-14 warns all believers of an ever-present threat of glorying in works, not in Jesus Christ.

 “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
(Gal. 6:12-14)

For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.(Matthew 11:30)



God’s Word tells us many times what God actually requires of us. It is full of love, mercy and grace:

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

(Micah 6:8) 
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God,
and keep His commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.

(Ecclesiastes 12:13) 
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,
but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways,
and to love Him,
and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes,
which I command thee this day for thy good?

(Deuteronomy 10:12-13) 
But without faith it is impossible to please Him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

(Hebrews 11:6) 
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

(Eph. 2:8) 
But unto every one of us is given grace
according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

(Eph. 4:7) 
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you,
and ye in Him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Thess: 1:12) 
_____________________________________________________________
Part 5 of 6:
We’ll have the power to raise people from the dead,
that even death won’t stand before the power of the Church.

—Mike Bickle[1]
I don’t know what the Second Coming is to you, …but let me tell you he’s coming to you, he’s coming to his church, he’s coming to abide in you, to take up his abode in you…. I want you to know he’s coming to the Church before he comes forthe Church. He’s gonna perfect the Church so the Church can be the Image, be Him, and be his representation.
—Paul Cain[2]
God spoke to the children of Israel to build Him a tabernaclebecause He wanted to come and dwell with them. If you don’t build it He won’t come and stay. You won’t have ahabitation without it. We are talking about creating an atmosphere so He can dwell and linger, a sanctuary, a place reserved. A place where the heavens open and we keep going back to keep it open. 
—Todd Bentley[3]
Now, in this age, there are people being transformed
from natural earthly spirit beings into supernatural spiritual sons of God – 
literally becoming as Christ
 is in this world today. 

—Ron McGatlin[4]

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) teaches the same basic doctrines as the IHOP movement. This is because they both have the same historical roots that track directly back the old Manifest Son of God/Latter Rain cult. There is a noticeable difference, however. Mike Bickle invented his own unique verbiage in his “Bridal Paradigm” in order to update the old Latter Rain doctrines with the prophetic visions of his group of “Kansas City Prophets.” It takes some in-depth indoctrination to grasp the gist of Bickle’s message. But it is somewhat easier to figure out what the NAR is teaching. Both groups rely upon the old George Warnock “Feast of Tabernacles” allegory[5]for their eschatology. And both are eagerly anticipating a “Second Pentecost” experience of a coming “Presence.”


A Second Pentecost? 
Charisma magazine recently published an article about this titled “Spirit-Empowered Believers Praying for Second Pentecostal Outpouring.” The article reveals a meeting of a group calling itself “Empowered 21” (E21),[6] featuring Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson, Oral Roberts University’s President Billy Wilson, and top-ranking NAR “apostle” Cindy Jacobs. These leaders met together to plan their long-anticipated “Second Pentecost,” a key component of their Latter Rain endtime beliefs. Charisma reported:


Could the world experience a second Pentecost? That’s the hope of a global movement called Empowered 21, with organizers setting their sights on Jerusalem, where the first Pentecost took place.[7][bold added] 


Billy Wilson stated E21’s vision of a secondary Pentecost in terms of this coming “Presence”:


“And the big vision is that every person on earth will have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033….” [8][bold added] 


Not only are these leaders planning and working on a “Second Pentecost,” but they have set a date, a deadline of 2033 to accomplish this event. One might ask how it is possible that man, through his own planning and endeavors, can orchestrate a Second Pentecost. The first Pentecost was a sovereign act of the Triune God! There is no need for a second! The biblical truth of the matter is that the Holy Spirit already indwells those who believe in Jesus Christ—


“If a man love Me he will keep My words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14: 23). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, and the first two Persons of the Godhead now hold residence in the church through the Third. The Holy Spirit during the present time is in office on earth; and all spiritual presence and divine communion of the Trinity with men are through him…. The Holy Spirit, in a mystical but very real sense, became embodied in the church on the day of Pentecost.[9]


However, Bill Johnson, on the planning committee for E21’s “Second Pentecost” made the claim that “God has raised up” leaders “topartner with the goal,”[10] thus admitting that this is an initiative arranged by man. It sounds very much like the New Age philosophy, “If you build it, he will come.”[11] 


The Charisma article contains an audio report HERE. This E21 project is founded upon the faulty belief that man can “shape the future of the Global Spirit-empowered movement.”[12] E21 will be using “an outcome based model.”[13] An outcome-based Second Pentecost?! How will an “encounter” with the “Presence” be assessed? How can these leaders claim that “every person on earth” will have an “encounter” with this “Presence”? Are they asserting that every single person will be born again? Is this about compulsion? Revelation 1:7 does mention one event that every human on earth will experience in common: “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” But this isn’t what these leaders are talking about.


The Latter Rain’s “Second Pentecost” 
The “Second Pentecost” is an old Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God (MSOG) eschatological allegory. It was based on the following:


The “latter rain” was contrasted to the “early rain” that fell on Pentecost when the Church was born. Thus, all of the gifts and ministries of the “early rain” would be restored during the “latter rain,” giving Biblical justification to their new revelations and interpretations of Scripture.[14] 


Dr. Orrel Steinkamp, an expert on the history and theology of the Latter Rain, summarized their aberrant theology in its full context:


 …[A] second and final Pentecost was… bringing the church into a new and final dispensation. This second Pentecostwould bring a final world revival…. 


To Latter Rain teachers it seemed obvious that if there was to be a repeated apostolic Pentecost that Apostles and Prophets must be restored as well…. The endtime body of Christ must go on to maturity and restore the apostles and prophets and these restored ministries must lead the church to a new and final dimension of power and authority not only bringing in the final harvest but establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth…. 


This dominion mentality is conceived as a gigantic end-time revival that will sweep the whole earth in its wake…. An elite company of overcomers from out of the larger church will subdue all things and will be so endued with supernatural power that the first church apostles will be envious of the latter day apostles…. 


…[N]ow the only remaining feast is that of [an allegorical Feast of] Tabernacles to be fulfilled in the last days church. [This will be] a second Pentecost with restored apostles and prophets. This endtime spiritual army will put all God’s enemies under its feet, yes even the last enemy death itself.[15][bold added]


Thus the purpose of this expected “Second Pentecost” is wrapped up in Dominionist beliefs.[16] The “Second Pentecost” is believed to be the key event that will equip “Joel’s Army” with supernatural power to rule and subdue the earth.[17] 


“Presence,” “glory” and “spirit” are carefully selected words that describe this much-anticipated eschatological event. These code words refer to a descent of a spirit that returns IN people, to fill them with a “Presence” that will “glorify” (indwell, transform) them to rule and reign on the earth (dominion). This isn’t about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And it isn’t about the Holy Spirit of the Trinity. The old Latter Rain doctrine teaches a separate coming and filling by a “Presence” spirit to equip the body to do great signs and wonders (i.e., experience a “Second Pentecost”).


One of the key teachings that submerges and then re-emerges throughout Latter Rain history is their belief that this event will endue them with both immortality and divinity.[18] One critic observed how this began when they over-identified with Christ:


…[T]he Latter Rain identified with “manifestation” direction with the Second Coming of Christ, the “transfigured” saints themselves actually becoming inseparably identified with Jesus Christ Himself, there being no distinction between the two…. [including] the idea of a literal “transfiguration” this side of the First Resurrection.[19] 


From this fundamental error, George Warnock then leaped to a new revelation:


…that Christ is the Body—the whole Body, and not just the Head…. The Son of man in Heaven is not complete without the fulness of the Son of Man on earth, even the Body…. [20][emphasis in original]


Earl Paulk also wrote much of the early doctrine about this belief they could attain immortality and divinity:


We have been foreordained of God to become that people who will be so glorified that we can bring Christ back to the earth. This glorified Church must make the earth God’s footstool before Jesus can come again…. 


The glorified Church will be a mature Church…. 


The last enemy to be conquered is death. Who will conquer it? A mature Church…. When the Church becomes so mature that as a Body we achieve the unity of faith, God will find her pleasing and say, “She is mature enough now. She doesn’t have to die….” [21] [all emphasis added] 


The late John Wimber of the Vineyard movement, who was closely associated with both C. Peter Wagner (NAR) and Mike Bickle (“Kansas City Prophets,” now IHOP), taught this Latter Rain doctrine. Using similar language of the commonly understood “Rapture”—but meaning something entirely different—he spoke of a separate filling or “anointing.” Note how cleverly he changes doctrine by secret hidden revelation that he claims has just been unearthed:


There will be a time where… the Lord came and with an anointing beyond anything; that has ever been given to man before. Something so astounding, something so marvelous, that God has kept it as a mystery, as it were, behind His back; and He is about to reveal it to the ages. He is about to reveal it. With the judgment of all mankind will come this incredible incarnational enduement of God’s Spirit and we will see the Elijahs… This Endtime Army will be made up of the Elijahs of the Lord…. Suddenly, immediately right-away a change—in a moment—without notice—the twinkling of an eye the Lord will fill His temple and the anointing of God, the power of God will come.[22][emphasis added] 


In sum, there is now an entire block of the church world, NAR and IHOP especially, expectantly awaiting a “Second Pentecost” that will be an infilling of a “Presence” spirit to equip them to rule and reign. There are fundamental flaws with these beliefs that significantly alter doctrine of Christ, the Holy Spirit, God’s sovereignty, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. These teachings also ignore what Scripture says about man and his sin nature. Their belief that man can be an “overcomer,” and even conquer death itself, is contrary to basic doctrine found in such Scriptures as Romans 5:

“Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world,
and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned:” 
(Romans 5:12) 


A Second Infilling? 
A “breakthrough” is imminently expected. In recent months the NAR has been escalating its proclamations about being on the verge of this Second Pentecost/Feast of Tabernacles event. Ron McGatlin of OpenHeaven, an NAR-connected apostolic group that boldly teaches Latter Rain theology, recently issued a “Special Edition” of hisOpenHeaven Digest newsletter to announce that the “glory of God is arising”:


This is the most significant change from heaven on earth since Pentecost. It is the time of Tabernacles as God is now dwelling with man individually one on one with us and in our small separate gatherings and in occasional large unified gatherings with other just ones made perfect in God along with the corporate manifest presence of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit and multitudes of holy ministering spirits, holy angels and ministers as a flame of fire.[23] [emphasis added] 


This secondary Pentecost is equated with the “time of Tabernacles,” an allusion to George Warnock’s allegorical “Feast of Tabernacles.” In the same OpenHeaven Digest it was also announced:


This weekend we truly had a Holy Spirit Invasion as we gathered to seek His face and His heart. We were so blessed as He revealed His Manifest Presence in our midst to lead us, guide us, equip us, direct us, and just be GOD![24][all emphasis added] 


The last phrase above is a brazen reference to the Latter Rain expectation that man can achieve godhood. Part of this pending “Second Pentecost” experience is the imagined divinization of believers.[25] 


TheElijahList, chief purveyor of New Apostolic Reformation events, prophecies and doctrines, has also been pumping up the rhetoric. In a recent advertisement for an upcoming conference, leading NAR “apostle” Barbara Yoder stated:


One prominent ongoing occurrence this year will be the increasing release of realms of glory. And glory is directly connected to the intensity of God’s presence with us. And God’s presence is linked with worship. Glory releases the supernatural realm in our midst where healing, deliverance, miracles, signs and wonders break out…. 


Don’t miss this door to the glory that is exploding open over us. It is the door of Heaven, releasing God’s Kingdom on earth…. [26][emphasis added] 


Another NAR “apostle” has just announced the arrival of a “Glory Revival Awakening”—“ a revival break out from the presence and power of the Lord.”[27] And yet another “apostle” has heralded a “Third Reformation” where “the tabernacle of God is bringing God’spresence fully into man.”[27] He continued:


Right now, the Church is experiencing a great reformation, and worship is being reformed as well. Understanding the Tabernacle of God, from Revelation 21:3, is the key to discovering that next dimension as well as the result of the reformation itself. The Tabernacle of David is the framework from which we will discover this next dimension, and God is calling forth a new army of worshipers who are willing to join Him in this season of discovery.[29][emphasis in original] 


The implication of these statements is that the indwelling Holy Spirit promised to all believers upon salvation is insufficient or inadequate. A secondary infilling event is deemed necessary. An elite level of spirituality is foretold—that there will be a “great reformation” when this “Presence” comes. This promise of a great revival is how the NAR ingratiates itself to mainstream evangelicaldom, desperate for a revival that does not require repentance.[30] But peel back the veneer and the Latter Rain doctrines are discovered, embedded in the very fabric of this much-touted coming “revival.” With roots like these, what sort of fruit will be produced?


“Worship Violently”
George Warnock’s book, The Feast of Tabernacles, laid the groundwork for the Latter Rain cult allegory of a Second Coming in the saints. One historical scholar has observed how Warnock’s teaching connected with the “Presence” heresy:


There was widespread agreement that the “latter rain” was, in fact, the spiritual parousia of Jesus in His saints (i.e., a spiritual Second Coming)—a first stage of His Second Coming, followed by the second stage, the physical return of Christ. This parousia in His saints would bring forth the “manifestation of the sons of God”… also associated with the Manchild of Revelation… and the Elijah-Moses ministry….. This End Time Army of God would be “the fullness of God in the midst of His people, to do away with the old and to establish the new.” While it is not exactly made crystal clear by Warnock, it is strongly suggested that the “manifestation of the sons of God” implied a literal appropriation of the resurrection body in this age, this side of the First Resurrection, if, in fact, it is not meant to be the first stage of the First Resurrections….[31][italics in original, bold added]


This “parousia in His saints” event would be a “’transfiguration’ this side of the First Resurrection”[32] which, according to George Warnock, believed that “Christ is the Body ”and vice versa.[33][italics in original] 


From this the IHOP and NAR glean their teaching that the Body here on earth must “manifest” Christ and “fulfill” Him during the church age, even throughout the book of Revelation. Thus the hope of Christ’s literal and real Second Coming takes a back seat to the vaunted Second Pentecost. And they believe that man’s efforts will induce it, especially via frenzied worship that can create an altered state of consciousness.[34]


Chief NAR “apostle,” Chuck Pierce, has written how “violent praise”worship is an integral component of interacting with this impending “Presence”:


How will His Presence move in the earth in this hour in history? How will we move with His Presence? How will leaders lead?… 


We have entered a season when the sound of violent praisemust fill the earth…. [bold added, italitc in original] 


Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles! 
This is a prophetic Feast for God’s people in every nation. This is how the sheep and goats will be determined in the future. The Feast of Tabernacles is filled with feasting and celebration. We must begin with Praise, move into Presence and then end with JOY and celebration! [35][all emphasis in original] 


Pierce evidently is claiming that “His Presence” can “move” in present time and place, and the church must “move with His Presence.” How? Via “violent praise.” Pierce said there is a heavenly “blueprint” that must be followed. Note that one of the stated purposes of this Tabernacle event is to separate the “sheep and goats.”[36] It can be supposed that those who don’t experience the separate “infilling” of this “Presence” spirit might be considered to be the goats. 


What does this have to do with normal Christianity and the Gospel of Salvation? Sadly, very little. This teaching demotes Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for our sins, and Who was resurrected and now sits on the throne at the right hand of the Father, to an incomplete and unfinished work. Jesus didn’t get the job done; they believe that the Church must finish the task. Thus their “glorified” church claims to be “literally Christ on earth.”[37] 


Chuck Pierce also wrote a piece for TheElijahList titled “This is NOT a Time to be Passive but to Go to War and Worship Violently!” In this article he stated his belief that the “restoration of David’s Tabernacle is advancing in the earth realm in this generation,”explaining the new theology:


…we, as God’s army in the earth, will co-labor with the Host of Heaven to express a Holy God’s overcoming power throughout the nations of the earth. This will unlock a global harvest. Your violent praise is preparing a storehouse for Kingdom harvest…. 


Do not resist the major shift that is re-creating the way we worship and acknowledge God corporately.[38][bold in original] 


Don’t miss the significance of Pierce’s next claim. In an eschatological twist, he believes that he can “sit next” to Jesus in the heavenlies right now, and that we will “walk” the earth “clothed in His glory” for “dominion.”


Then, from our seated position, we can walk in the earth clothed in His glory and dispel darkness. He came to overcome the works of the devil, and we can do this as we remain in Him…. 


…what you are really contending over is your Garden or Promised Land dominion. [39][bold in original, underline added] 


Below is yet another example of how the NAR believes that “radical praise” can invoke the “Presence”:


 …the Kingdom of God in the earth realm becomes coveredby prayer, causing an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit’spresence. The overshadowing… is being released by prayer all over the world…. The manifestation of spiritual gifts are exploding on the earth…. 


Yet, a new realm is merging with this one. It is the passionate power of radical praise that shakes the Heavens and enthrones the King, a place of habitation for Him to dwellin


tangible presence of God Almighty will be known.[40][all emphasis added] 


Many others have also taught this, fervently believing that there will be an “overshadowing of the Holy Spirit’s presence” when the earth “becomes covered by prayer” like a canopy. They claim that this “overshadowing” is actually being “released by prayer all over the world.” They believe that “the passionate power of radical praise” will shake the heavens and “enthrones the King.”[41] Since we know from Scripture that Jesus is already sitting on the throne on the right hand of God the Father, what is their teaching really saying? It refers back to their idea of the church becoming a “habitation for Him to dwellin.”[42] Once again, this is evidence that Latter Rain teachers are awaiting a return of a spiritual “tangible presence” to dwell in(inhabit) the church – not the literal physical return of Jesus. For example, here is one such “prophecy”:


Yet, a new realm is merging with this one. It is the passionate power of radical praise that shakes the Heavens and enthrones the King, a place of habitation for Him to dwell in. Places of manifestations will emerge as saints radically join in the celestial praise of God’s own throne room—crying in unison with the redeemed, the elders, the moving Holy Spirit from dimension to dimension. …[P]raise… will transform any ordinary service into a radical out-of-the-box worship. A tangible presence of God’s own Glory will be seen, smelled, felt, heard and tasted. It will change the hearts of men forever! The lost will run to this place of habitation…. 


The land will shake and the people will breakout in radical praise…. A tangible presence of God Almighty will be known….[43] [all emphases in original] 


These examples above evidence the obvious parallels to the IHOP 24/7 model of “violent” prayer discussed earlier in this article series.[44] 




The Handicapped Spirit 
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) sincerely believes they are on the threshold of a great endtime revival in which there will be a huge outpouring of supernatural power.[45] They also believe that the Holy Spirit has, until now, been handicapped or “limited.” In their view, the Holy Spirit is a spiritual “force” that has been bound up by man, but will soon become unrestrained. For example, some believe He is an anthropomorphic spirit that hasn’t been “powerful” enough in the past:


The latter rain is historically known as the belief that latter-day or end-time Believers will have a greater release/outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on the earth…. [bold added] 


He [the Holy Spirit] started to prance around in a fun, graceful manner and, with His arms outstretched, He would literally shower people with Himself. He was so happy and free, because He could finally pour Himself on mankind like He had always wanted to. And I heard Him joyously singing as He did, “The latter rain, the latter rain, the latter rain!”[bold in original] 


Holy Spirit was so happy and relieved to finally be releasing His latter rain on the earth, because He has endured much alongside of us through the centuries. Of course, He’s simply overjoyed to have finally come to the time in man’s history when He can unleash everything He’s been anticipating….[bold added] 


He will get to shower you with the power necessary for you to become the Kingdom Bride that Jesus’ prophesied you would become. He will finally be able to zap our unbelief, destroy strongholds with His powerful truth, and raise up the Bride that Christ is anticipating….[bold in original] 


For centuries, Holy Spirit has been so limited, not because He wasn’t powerful, but because we were limited in our experience/knowledge of Him. With the new release of the LATTER RAIN, He will finally get to act on our behalf! [46] [bold added] 


How does this sort of errant teaching mangle the doctrine of the Holy Spirit? The truth from Scripture is plain—


When in turn Christ had completed his redemption-work by dying on the cross for our sins, and rising again from the dead for our justification, and had taken his place at God’s right hand for perpetual intercession, then the Holy Ghost came down to communicate and realize to the church the finished work of Christ. In a word, as God the Son fulfills to men the work of God the Father, so God the Holy Ghost realizes to human hearts the work of God the Son.[47] 


Yet this finished work of Christ doctrine is murky to those caught up in Latter Rain (IHOP and NAR) heresy. Plain truth becomes confused and garbled when mixed with their revelatory errors. They see everything through the lens of their own imminent “glorification,” to be experienced here on earth, in order to rule and subdue the planet. They anticipate this secondary spiritual empowerment to enable them to perform powerful signs and wonders, even achieve divinity and immortality. How can they justify this new doctrine? Because they believe they are receiving “new revelations and interpretations of Scripture” during this “latter rain” period.[48] 


In an ElijahList article titled “Entering a New Season,” Wade Taylor presented classic Latter Rain/MSOG eschatology that Jesus will come again secretly “within,” with his “presence” to empower. This is stated quite explicitly:


This speaks of a present increase in the Lord’s manifested presence and glory in the Body of Christ…. 


Before Jesus comes to appear “outwardly,” He must first come “within” us so His glory can radiate out from us to affect the nations…. 


…as a part of His second coming, there will be a powerfulmanifestation of His glory through a corporate Body….[bold and italics added] 


There is a present urgency and need to present ourselves as being available to become a “place of habitation” for the presence and glory of the Lord, beyond anything that has previously been experienced or seen. This manifestation of His glory will impact the nations.[49] [bold in original, underlining added] 


 NAR “apostle” James Goll has written quite a bit about the coming “Presence.” Below is an example. Clearly this is not speaking about the indwelling Holy Spirit that is promised to all believers. This is talking about a separate “Presence”:


This I know – He wants us to cherish and care for His Presence. Pray for His presence. Love His presence. Nurture His presence. After all, isn’t this what you have longed for all your life? Isn’t this what you were made and created for – to be a carrier of the most brilliant presence?!… 


Let His presence come forth! [50] [emphasis in original] 


The NAR differentiates between God’s abiding presence—the Holy Spirit promised to all believers upon salvation—and something they call “His manifest presence,” which is experiential. This is the “presence” which they are expecting. They look for signs and wonders or, as in the case below, evidence of a sensory (even olfactory) experience:


When He manifests His presence, there is absolutely no doubt that we are experiencing Him at a higher level. Duringdivine visitations we can hear Him speak, witness His gloryand sometimes even smell His fragrance…. I have been in meetings before when the fragrance of myrrh filled the room…. 


His manifest presence… We will sense it and have knowledge of Him. Remember that our senses involvetouching, smelling, hearing, seeing and feeling. Isn’t it great to know He really desires that we “feel” His presence?[51][bold added] 


This explains much of the Toronto and Brownsville “revival” phenomena of the past few decades, where there were many reports of strange signs and wonders such as “gold dust” falling upon people (a clear allusion to the “health and wealth” promises that usually accompany these endtime teachings). The examples are too numerous to enumerate, but all of these incidents were viewed as a manifestation of the soon appearing “Presence.”


“Rodeo Angels” & “Circuit Riders”
This “Presence” may manifest as an apparition. It is often preceded by bizarre-sounding angelic visitations. Bill Yount recounted a vision on TheElijahList of a “Rodeo Angel” who promised to “Shake My People onto the Field of Their Dreams!” Younts’ “Rodeo Angel”


proclaimed, “It’s time to grab the bull by the horns…It’s time to get back on your bull that threw you off!” Many who had been thrown off course of their God-given dreams and visions by wild, furious circumstances and situations stomping on them were now seeing and sensing the presence of “rodeo” angels now with them, strengthening them to do all things through Christ… even riding broncos and bulls![52][emphasis in original]


The late “Kansas City Prophet” Bob Jones reported that he had seen a vision of “circuit-riding angels,” which he interpreted as an electrical circuit to equip the church with supernatural power:


As Bob and I discussed the circuit riders revelation, it was quickened to us that a circuit is an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow. We believe these circuit riders are being released with power. That was like the line coming out of Heaven. It’s the breaker anointing being released with the power of the Word. And it was like a direct power line coming straight out of Heaven…. Get ready to see the power of God revealed![53] [emphasis in original]


Jones connected this with the idea that God will be “welcomed into His temple now,” meaning the indwelling of this “Presence,” especially because of the foundation that has been laid by NAR’s “apostles and prophets.” Note that he says the “purpose” is for “cohabitation” with God! 


The purpose is for cohabitation with our Father. That temple is coming into place now with living stones. It’s a round temple that no wind can get hold of to harm in any way. There the Father will cohabitate with us in the spirit. Get ready now for the living stones to be built into a living temple of relationships and intimacy joining together the Body of Christ in a common purpose.[54][emphasis in original]


It is outside the scope of this article to review the extent to which the NAR has built its empire of downline networking apostles and prophets, as part of the fulfillment of the Latter Rain/MSOG mandate to “restore” these offices in the church.[55] We have examined this issue in detail previously. Suffice it to say that since the NAR has built its global network that they believe that now is the time for the promised “Presence” to “manifest.” They had a timeline and it is on target.[56] 


An “open portal to Heaven” 
During this “Presence” experience, many believe that heaven and earth will meet together, “as above, so below.” They believe that they can touch heaven, and that heaven can touch earth. So one leader prays as follows:


Father, I pray for these precious readers today and ask that You empower each one with zeal and determination to seek Your presence. I am confident that each of them desires to witness Your manifest presence in their lives. We want totouch Heaven and see Your glory! [58][italics in original, bold added] 


Julia Loren wrote on TheElijahList about generating passion and intimacy, so that “His presence” could equip her with supernatural gifts to “release the realm of Heaven on earth.” She claims that passion creates an “open portal” between heaven and earth so that “God infuses us with His presence”:


Recently, the Lord revealed to me that we are entering into a season of sweetness and awe. He showed me how we can position our hearts to become an open portal to Heaven – where God infuses us with His presence and revelation abounds – flowing to us and through us in naturally, supernatural ways…. [emphases in original]


…I changed the language of my prayers, calling Jesus “My Love”. Immediately, I felt His presence drawing nearer…. 


Let your heart become an open portal of His love. It won’t be long before the awe of His power thunders around you and you find yourself walking IN THE FULLNESS of Him, not just alongside of Him; carrying His authority to release the realm of Heaven on earth. [59][bold added] 


Pastor Larry DeBruyn has critiqued this “as above, so below” worldview, which perhaps not coincidentally means the same thing as “open heaven.” This is a New Age worldview. He wrote:


The things of earth lie within our ability to observe and understand. But heaven lies beyond our ability to observe and comprehend. While some things on earth below might be considered the shadow of things in heaven above, the one is not the replicate of the other (See Hebrews 8:5.). The reality of earth may infer the reality of heaven, but the realities are separate, not “one.” 


New Age spiritualists reject this understanding of the two realities. They suppose that reality is one unified sphere (as above, so below), that “here-is-there” and that “there-is-here.” In their view, two different realities do not comprise the universe. The cosmos is but a divinized “One.” Science and spirituality are viewed to be but two aspects of the same cosmic One. This humanistic holism ends up believing that whether in a pantheistic or panentheistic sense, nature is God.[60] 


THE TRUTH: 
Jesus Christ Himself warned that in the last days there would be a marked increase in “signs and wonders.” Especially because these current Latter Rain teachers believe they will become divinized as Christ, the following verses seem appropriate to cite:

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” 
(Matthew 24:24. See also Mark 13:22) 
 Professor Johan Malan has recently issued a paper warning about aberrant endtime eschatologies. His comments are relevant to the issue at hand:



When biblical prophecies are shrouded by denying their primary meaning, the way has been opened to also degrade and undermine other biblical principles. In this way, man takes the liberty to enforce his own ideas on the Bible in order to avoid unpleasant realities, invent an easier way of salvation, adopt a more tolerant approach to sin, thereby effectively deviating from the narrow way of the Lord and joining the broad way of sin. In this manner, self-justifying man establishes his own kingdom and does not look forward to the future kingdom of Christ which will be revealed after His second coming…. 


The fifth and most important foundation of the Christian faith is the Rock, Jesus Christ, with full recognition of biblical facts on His virgin birth, deity, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and ascension. He is the incarnated Word – God who became flesh and dwelt among us. When the Bible is no longer recognised as the inspired Word of God it stands to reason that Jesus Christ will also not be regarded as the perfect God-man. Consequently, Christianity will no longer be perceived as unique and will be relegated to a position of equality with the other world religions. 


It is important to determine how far the rejection of the biblical Jesus has already taken place within backslidden churches, and how members react to these views. It undeniably amounts to treason against the true Christ if confessing members remain within a church in which these serious errors are condoned and accepted without protest. The Lord Jesus says that if we deny Him He will also deny us: “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:33). 


Nobody will get away with spiritual treason of this nature without incurring eternal damage to his soul, while at the same time deceiving many other people. When people turn away from the true Jesus, “another Jesus” is proclaimed to them under the guidance of the spirit of error (2 Cor. 11:2-4), and in this way people are conditioned to accept the Antichrist instead of the true Christ. The warning of Jesus in Matthew 24:4-5 refers to the seriousness of this form of deception….. 


The time is now ripe for the appearance of the false christ of all faiths, as the world is in such an advanced stage of delusion that the vast majority of people will follow him in amazement and also worship him (Rev. 13:3-4, 8). 


However, before that will happen, the true Christ will secretly come as the heavenly Bridegroom to catch away His bride to heaven (1 Thess. 4:16-18). These believers were not involved with the destruction of the foundations of the Christian faith, and for that reason Christ will say to them: “You have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8). Because they have accepted the Lord Jesus with the full recognition of His divine attributes and the great significance of His crucifixion, and have honoured the Bible as the inerrant and inspired Word of God, they have seriously regarded the command to be born again and also trusted the Lord for the further work of grace to be filled with His holy Spirit. In this spiritual state they eagerly look forward to the second coming of Christ. This is a sanctifying hope, as “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).[61] 

________________________________________________________________
Part 6 of 6:
Exhibit 1: Warrior Bride artwork advertised on TheElijahList

The Church is called to be the Bride of Christ as well as an army. As we approach the end of this age, we will begin to take on more of the nature and demeanor of both…. 
—Rick Joyner
[1]
In this time, God is moving again with fire – holy fire – and the fire of His manifest presence is coming upon the priesthood… to bring restoration of all things and purify our offerings…. The mature sons, the priesthood, are being birthed. 
—RandyDeMain[2]
The Earth and all of creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, the time when they will come into theirmaturity and immortalization…. Earth and its natural creation is anxiously waiting for the Church to reach full maturity and come to full sonship. When the Church realizes its full sonship, its bodily redemption will cause a redemptive chain reaction throughout all creation. 
—Bill Hamon
[3]
The passionate love of God manifesting now in the hearts of God’s people by the Holy Spirit is birthing the full grown body of Christ. There is a time of birth without tolerance.At the precise moment, in the thousands of years of God’s dealing with man, when it is time birth comes. Anyone who would stand against the birth of the fruit of God’s passionwill meet the passion of God’s flaming sword in the hands of His powerful angels.
—Ron McGatlin
[4]

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and IHOP serve together as the chief mouthpiece for the old Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God (MSOG) teachings. IHOP spreads the leaven via its broad scope of interrelated ministries and youth organizations, including an expanding outreach into the mainstream evangelical world. The NAR spreads its leaven throughout the charismatic world, and reaches a much broader audience via their many media outlets. Both movements teach virtually the same thing. IHOP and NAR both proclaim that it is the time for their followers to be armed, trained and ready for battle. This is about a holy war.


The NAR is boldly announcing that NOW is the time for the army of God to arise. With this coming “Presence” they say there will be a militarization of the church. This army is often referred to as “Joel’s Army” or the “Warrior Bride.”[5] Their esoteric artwork has depicted a masculine bride ready to wield a sickle (for “harvest”) or carry a sword (for judgment/“justice”) to subdue and rule the earth (Dominionism). The homoerotic images are disturbing:

Exhibit 2: The Warrior Bride with combat boots.

The advertisement accompanying this graphic stated that the purpose of this “Warrior Bride Awaken Conference” was to awaken passion for warfare:


Christ is calling to His bride to awaken in this hour! To awaken from her slumber, complacency and to awaken to her place as a mighty warrior in the body of Christ! 


“Warrior means a person engaged or experienced in warfare while Bride speaks of a very intimate partner. Isn’t it interesting? This paradox God has set before us? To be warriors of warfare while being intimately in love with our Bridegroom.[6]


“Bishop” Bill Hamon, a NAR leader with roots in the Latter Rain cult, spoke about the Warrior Bride at the New Life Church in South Africa on November 13, 1997. His comments seem to exactly describe the conference advertisement depicted above.  Hamon explained that this was based on a timeline he was calling “The Army of the Lord Movement.” It would come after the New Apostolic Reformation first raised up its self-anointed, self-appointed networking legions of apostles and prophets. Note his mocking tone: 


The Bride [of Christ] has combat boots on. I said, the Bride of Christ has combat boots on under her wedding dress…. How many want to be the Bride of Christ? Then you gotta put your combat boots on. Get off your little golden slippers…. 


Jesus is raising up a Church and the Apostles and Prophets are coming to equip the saints, give ’em weapons in their hand and make an army of soldiers and take ’em out of the nursing home, take ’em out of the old folks home, take ’em out of the baby nursery and get ’em out of those churches and places where they’ve just been lullabied till Jesus comes, and put ’em in their armories and in their training camp and make soldiers of the cross, make warriors out of them!… 


The Army of the Lord’s Movement,’ coming right after the saints movement after the apostles and prophets. Apostles and prophets are preparing us for something more than going to heaven to be good for nothing. Hello saints. Apostles and prophets are not going to be your nice little evangelists, pastors and teachers—they’ve come to revolutionize and bring restoration and bring the King back….[7]


Hamon then published a more complete timeline, which seems to be the “blueprint” that the NAR and IHOP are using in their eschatological countdown:


2003 the Church will begin moving into Phase 3 of the 3rd and Final Apostolic Reformation. This Final Apostolic Reformationcontains 5 movements or they can be called 5 phases. The Church which is walking in present truth is moving into Phase 3 in 2003 which is the Saints Movement. 

3rd Apostolic Reformation 
1988 – 40 years – 2028 
  • Phase 1 Prophetic Movement 1988 
  • Phase 2 Apostolic Movement 1998 
  • Phase 3 SAINTS MOVEMENT 2008 
  • Phase 4 Army of the Lord Movement 2018 
  • Phase 5 Kingdom Establishing Movement 2028[8]

Hamon described these movements in terms of progress towards Dominionism, i.e. ruling and subduing the earth:


We’ve crossed over the Jordan. The moment you cross over Jordan you’re going into warfare…. In this movement, it is constant warfare and you don’t stop until all of Canaan issubdued and the children of God are ruling and reigning


As fanatical as it may sound to fundamental evangelical Christians, the Church is destined to subdue all things andput all things under Christ’s feet before He actually literally returns from heaven.[10][all emphases added] 


Hamon presented the classic Latter Rain twist on the 2nd coming—the belief that human immortality is attained here on earth. This transformation is what the Latter Rain means when they use the word “Rapture.”


The Church is being prepared now for the next moves of God. After the Saints Movement will be the Army of the Lord Movement. The next movement after that will be theKingdom Establishment Movement


So we have three more movements yet to take place. So we are right now in the Prophetic-Apostolic Movement but then somewhere along 2012 or 2010 the preachers will start getting on the ball and teaching and training the saints. Then we will have the Saint’s Movement that will demonstrate to every nation the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Then we are going to have the Army of the Lord demonstrate the power of God and go forth as mighty warriors and shake whole nations. Then we will have the Kingdom Establishment Movement. The Kingdom will be established and Jesus will return and change us in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye so we can finish the job with our immortal bodies.[11][emphases added] 


To underscore this point, Hamon asserted that the classic premillennial or “Rapture teaching is one of the most faith deadening teachings ever preached.”[12] Note that Hamon also claims that the NAR hierarchy of apostles and prophets in this army are on a par with Jesus:


We are all on the same level with Christ but there are positions of honor and respect. It’s like an army. We are not a loosey goosey Jesus people floating around here. We have commanders and lieutenants. We have colonels and sergeants.[13][emphasis added] 


The prophecies about an army have been around for awhile. In a 1996 article by discernment researcher Ed Tarkowsk titled “The Significance of Filled Stadiums,”[14] he detailed a key Latter Rain “prophecy” about the coming of an endtime “Joel’s Army.” This was given by Paul Cain[15] of the Kansas City Prophets (now IHOP). In November 1988 at Mike Bickle’s Grace Ministries,[16] Cain proclaimed that large stadiums would become the training ground for this coming army:


Joel’s Army [is] now in training… I believe one day soon Joel’s Army will be in training… until it graduates into the stadium….[17] 


Twenty years later, in 2008, Stacey Cambell, a leader in the NAR, wrote ominously on TheElijahList that she was hearing “SICKLES—God is Preparing to REAP NATIONS.”


When the prayer bowls fill in Heaven, the result on earth is the acceleration of harvest and judgment…. [18][emphasis in original] 


But who is in charge of the sickle of judgment over nations? According to some NAR eschatology, the Warrior Bride wields the sickle and is in charge of the harvest as the agent (or incarnation) of “Christ” on earth. As “Joel’s Army” she will begin wreaking judgment on those nations (and individuals) assessed as goats. What is holding her back? She is awaiting the imminent return of the “Presence” spirit that will outfit her in full military regalia, dress her in combat boots, arm her with weapons, and equip her with supernatural powers—even immortality.




The Bridal Army
In 2007, Rick Joyner, one of the original “Kansas City Prophets” described a mystical vision he had of a “glorious” bride getting dressed for battle. (“Glorious” or “glory” refer to the much-anticipated “Presence” transformation.) Joyner said:


True warriors always run to the sound of battle, not away from it. This is the time when the true soldiers of the cross are mobilizing. We must each take our place in His army…. 


When I was praying this morning, I saw a large ball of fire come out of heaven. It came right at me and I knew that there was no way I could avoid it, so I didn’t even try. It hit me right in the chest. I was then shown the most beautiful bridal dress I have ever seen. It was truly from out of this world, supernaturally beautiful. Then the voice of the Lord came to me and said, “Help My bride put on this dress.”

 


…I know with a supernatural knowing that the bride is about to get ready.[19][emphasis in original] 


A year later, Joyner announced:


The great army of God is now being mobilized in thousands of locations. It is going through basic training…. 


The Bride is also an army…. 


The spiritual drill sergeants are being released to get the army ready for battle.[20] 


Over the years Rick Joyner has written much about this coming “divine militancy.”[21] 




A “Dread Champion Army”[22] 
The arrival of the “Presence” is not going to be peaceful. It means war! Many of the NAR prophets write about an upcoming “Harvest” in which the earth will be subdued and purged of its enemies. Here is an example from Bobby Conner, titled “Dread Champions Arise to Contend and Defend! We are Now in the Age of the Great Harvest!”:


We are called to take the promised land of the Kingdom by force—without compromise or retreat. This war between King Jesus and His enemies of this world is going to be much, much more militant than we expected and we must prepare as serious soldiers of the Cross. Don’t misunderstand me—our weapons are not knives and guns, bombs and bullets, but eternal weapons of power….[23][emphasis in original] 


The military language is often tempered with a statement that this is just spiritual warfare. But how else can we interpret these violent words—“by force,” “enemies,” “much more militant,” “without compromise,” and “soldiers”? How many in the NAR believe that the coming war will be both literal and physical? Like Mike Bickle’s teachings in IHOP, Conner calls for intensive training in “spiritual disciplines,” “unquestioned obedience” and “passionate love”:


…we need to come into agreement with the Spirit through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, purity, revelation of the Word of God, faith working through love and, above all, radical, unquestioned obedience. These are the characteristics of God’s “dread champions.”… 


…you are called to burn brightly with passionate love and radical obedience, true to the King….[24][emphasis in original] 


C. Peter Wagner’s top lieutenant in the NAR, “apostle” Chuck Pierce, wrote an article, “This is NOT a Time to be Passive but to Go to War and Worship Violently!” Not surprisingly, he wrote about it in the Latter Rain context of “David’s Tabernacle.” They believe they will be in charge of the “harvest” mentioned below:


The restoration of David’s Tabernacle is advancing in the earth realm in this generation…. [The book of Revelation] reveals to us the present expression of the war in the Heavens. When you read more closely, you see how we, as God’s army in the earth, will co-labor with the Host of Heaven to express a Holy God’s overcoming power throughout the nations of the earth. This will unlock a global harvest. Your violent praise is preparing a storehouse for Kingdom harvest. [25][bold in original, underline added] 


Chuck Pierce, who has been known to publicly roar like a lion on many occasions,[26] exhorted the his readers to do so also:


As you praise “violently,” you are releasing the Roar of the Lord that has been held captive in God’s people. Let me explain the “Roar of the Lord.” God’s sound permeates from Heaven and orders much of what goes on in the earthly realm. When He is ready to bring restoration to Earth, He releases His sound…. Do not resist the major shift that is re-creating the way we worship and acknowledge God corporately.[27][bold in original, underline added] 

Exhibit 3: Advertisement for a Chuck Pierce CD

Notice below that Pierce’s eschatology that says we are sitting in the heavenlies like Jesus. The only way Pierce can claim this is by taking verses about Jesus and applying them to the church in this age. His words reflect an old Latter Rain heresy (the “Manchild Company”[28]) based on Rev. 12:5, that a “manchild” will “rule the nations with a rod of iron.” This verse, taken out of its context, gives them their Dominion mandate. The NAR believes that in this position in the heavenlies they will wield judgment on earth. Like Mike Bickle, they believe they will literally walk out (or pray in, or both) the judgments of the book of Revelation. Especially as they are “clothes in His glory (i.e., the “Presence”):


Warfare is conflict. The concept of war is simple—we are seated next to a risen Messiah. When He arose from the dead and ascended to His Heavenly position to rule and reign, He prepared a place for us to sit next to Him. Through His Blood, we can enter into the Throne Room and gain Father’s heart over any matter. Then, from our seated position, we can walk in the earth clothed in His glory and dispel darkness. He came to overcome the works of the devil, and we can do this as we remain in Him…. 


When you are warring for your inheritance, which is a reality, what you are really contending over is yourGarden or Promised Land dominion.[29][bold in original, underline added] 


So dominion is the goal. But also note the reference to “Garden” dominion. This has to do with their belief in “restoration” of creation – that they can restore paradise conditions here on earth.[30] They even believe they can bring heaven to earth.[31] 

Exhibit 4: The Bride donning her combat boots
  

The Bridal Armory
Ron McGatlin is an “apostle” who boldly proclaims the Latter Rain endtime eschatology. He is very sincere, but he teaches a kingdom gospel. In his regular e-mail newsletter he talks about an endtime cleansing or harvest of the earth. His theology closely approximates that of the New Age Movement.[32] Like his NAR and IHOP counterparts, he is expecting an indwelling “Presence” for endtime supernatural powers. In his statements can be seen the dialectic conflict between “love” (the Bride) and a terrible-sounding cleansing (the Army) of the planet.


God is preparing a people who will work in conjunction with myriads of powerful holy angels to cleanse the earth with the fire of God. After all that exalts itself against God is dissolved, the holy sons of God will shine forth as the sun replenishing and restoring the earth to the kingdom of our God on earth as it is in heaven.…. 


In His presence, His pure love covering us and filling us will melt away all other allegiances and pure love will rule our hearts and minds. Supernatural love and power will flow easily without effort as we follow His direction only saying and doing what we see and hear Him saying and doing. [33][bold and underline added] 


The late Bob Jones, an associate of Mike Bickle and an original “Kansas City Prophet,” described a vision in which “The Lord has opened His armory, and has brought out the weapons of His indignation.” Jones wrote:


God is arming the Body of Christ with weapons of His divine love that the enemy has no defense against. We’ll begin to see the army of God come together in unity, a common union, to where the enemy will have to leave entire cities. This army is getting ready to take entire cities and eventually entire states. In certain places in the world, they’ll take entire nations. 


This is the year the army of God comes together with angels beyond number and weapons that cannot be defeated by the enemy. Angels are here now preparing the Body for the harvest and there will be a mighty victory…. 


…the armory of God… is now open and the Father is releasing weapons of warfare that has never been available to man before. In this vision there were weapons put into my hands that terrorized me to even touch.[34][emphasis in original] 


With the recent passing of Bob Jones, Paul Keith Davis upped the military rhetoric to a whole new level with a “prophecy” published onTheElijahList titled “A New Season – The Church is Entering an Age of Militancy and Spiritual Confrontation.” It says, in part,


The Church is entering an age of militancy and spiritual confrontation. The “end of days” is characterized with great conflict. The struggle between “light” and “darkness” will continually escalate. We are entering days that will introduceamplified revelations of God’s Kingdom and Heaven’s spiritual economy. The Bible plainly foretells this battle as violent and spiritually bloody


The Kingdom of Heaven truly suffers violence and God’s army must take it by force…. 


It is the destiny of this generation of overcoming saints to enter the “fullness of the stature of Christ.” 


Great warriors will emerge in this hour. The Holy Spirit is preparing a body of people to expose spiritual gates and open everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in. He will reveal Himself as the awesome man of war Who is strong and mighty in battle…. 


Substantial authority will be given to this warring band to sever the head from spiritual influences that have successfully stolen the inheritance of God’s people…. 


God is about to download, through His government, messages that teach and preach Calvary’s Cross in profoundly powerful ways… these will prepare the Bride for her union with the Bridegroom.[35][bold in original, underlining added]

Exhibit 5: The sword and the Presence

The graphic above accompanied the Davis article. Like Davis, many in the NAR teach that God is “downloading” new strategies and revelations.[36] In other words, they can teach new doctrines.




“Cleanse the earth with the fire of God”[37] 
The Bridal Army believes it is charged with cleansing the planet.[38]Ron McGatlin of OpenHeaven articulates the Latter Rain belief that the “Holy Spirit” will return, not Jesus in the flesh, to restore and redeem the planet. Note that he believes that Jesus’s saving work on the cross was incomplete. This is a typical NAR teaching: 


He is the One who returned to earth in the Holy Spirit tocomplete the work of redeeming and restoring the world to God’s design and desire…. [39] [emphasis added] 


McGatlin believes that the “mature” Bride is becoming empowered for coming “cleansing judgments”:


You and I are alive in the time of these fulfillments beginning to come to pass in our world. And as hard as it might be for you to believe, we have a part in this sovereign move of God. There must be pure and holy mature sons of God in whom Christ Jesus fully dwells to bring forth, beyond the cleansing judgments, the new world governed by God. You and I are the seeds of Christ sown into this world for such a time as this. 


Under the cover of darkness, the Holy Ghost is nowinvading our lives and our world with the life of Christ Jesusempowering His pure holy sons and daughters with His love, power, and wisdom to fulfill His works in this world. Christ living in our bodies where we once lived is indeed the hope of glory on Planet Earth.[40][emphasis added] 


This statement about “cover of darkness” does not agree with any Scripture. Jesus Christ professes that He is the Light and His Gospel gives light: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12), and “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6). See also John 12:46, Acts 26:18, Rom. 13:12, 2 Cor. 6:14, Eph. 5:8, 1 Thess. 5:5, 1 Pet. 2:9, 1 John 1:5, 2:8. If a spirit is coming in darkness it cannot be the Holy Spirit. 


The reference to “seeds” above correlates with the teachings of the “Kansas City Prophets” that God will raise up a “new breed of elect seed,”[41] meaning a superior race of elites empowered for rule.[42]In keeping with his belief that Paradise can be restored, McGatlin urges on his readers to abandon “NATURAL HUMAN COMPASSION” because it will almost always “MISS THE MARK AND TAKE US ASTRAY.” This comment brings to mind the Scripture warning:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be… Without natural affection….”

(2 Tim. 3:1-3) 

This Army Bride must be passionate, but not compassionate. The “passion” of the “Presence” appears to be for the “purpose” of getting the Bridal Army revved up for its violent mission. McGatlin states this is in preparation for ruling:


This is why mature sons of God had to be coming forth before the reality of the kingdom and the ruling city of New Jerusalem could begin to be formed on earth…. 


Only the pure holy love in the presence of God can lead us and strengthen us to move through the significant changes taking place in our world as the great transformation from the past age into the age of the kingdom. The move from the spiritual fulfillment of the symbolic feast of Pentecost to the spiritual fulfillment of the symbolic feast of Tabernaclesis a great and very significant change that we are now enduring.[43][bold added] 


Thus McGatlin is yet another leader teaching the Latter Rain doctrine about a Second Pentecost and Warnock’s allegorical Feast of Tabernacles. 




“Bridal Intimacy” for “Bridal Rule”[44] 
James Goll, one of the leading NAR “apostles” issued a “prophetic” word to his troops that proclaimed the “bridal rule”:


Prophetic evangelism has grown stronger as the Church has matured into a clearer understanding of her bridal intimacy with her Bridegroom Jesus, along with the governmental empowerment (the “bridal rule”) of God’s people.[45] 


Goll said this had to do with the “restoration of David’s Tabernacle” (thus indicating his Latter Rain foundation) and listed many of his “prophecies” of a coming revival:

  • The restoration of David’s Tabernacle… shall escalate resulting in authentic 24-hour houses of prayer and praise, worship and intercession sprinkled across the nations. New creative songs and sounds shall emerge…. 
  • A new Signs and Wonders Movement is growing…. 
  • This move of God will be so powerful that the Church will gather in stadiums to worship…. 
  • A renewed Quietist Movement will emerge as Believers in Christ find the “secret place” of the Most High to truly be their dwelling place…. A fresh revelation of intimacy with God, communion with their lover/husbandman and Master will come forth…. 
  • An extravagant Youth Movement is coming to the global Body of Christ that will “rock the nations”. Public events will be led by youth to pray and fast for revival, which will spread rapidly around the nations…. 
  • “Convergence of the Ages” shall come upon us…“The Great Revolution in the Church”.[47][emphasis in original]

Goll promised “warrior praise” in foretelling this “Revolution.”


Radical deeds of identificational repentance, acts of mercy to the poor and the oppressed, presence and power encountersto the sick and the demonized, warrior praise and intercession arising over cities will mount as a Revolution comes upon the global Body of Christ and creates a great societal awakening! If history books are written of the years that lie ahead, they might be termed “The Days of His Glorious Presence”[48][bold in original, underline added] 




“A New Breed of Marys” 
The NAR and IHOP allegorize many Scriptures. This is why you read about a “Joshua Generation” and “Marys” and “Annas” and “Elijahs.” All of this is talking about the role of various people and groups and generations in order to rule and reign upon the earth with supernatural powers (“glorified” by the “Presence”). A year ago onTheElijahList there was an advertisement for a “Woman of the Presence” conference, which said:


A “Mary Company” of God lovers is being raised up in this hour. It’s a company of men and women who cannot and will not do anything outside of the presence of God. 


True intimacy with Jesus, time in His Presence, unfolds our identity. Who we are frames our purpose leading us into destiny. As this process continues, we begin to find ourselves transformed. Suddenly we find ourselves a powerful apostolic people. It all began with the PRESENCE, being people or women of God’s Presence. This is what we all long for. We are lovesick for Him.[49][bold added] 

Exhibit 6: Advertisement on TheElijahList for the “Women of the Presence” conference

One NAR “prophetess” has written that there will be a “new breed of Marys” that will be “an army of Warrior Brides” who will facilitate “a supernatural move of the Spirit to accomplish His will on the earth as it is in heaven.” The Spirit’s “presence” will deliver “divine impartations. ”Note the reference to “Warrior Brides”:


Like a new breed of Marys on the rise, God has implanted His divine seed in the hearts of many women around the world who hear His voice—who are being trained, who mother in the natural and in the spirit, who have nurtured, who have fought like an army of Warrior Brides, who have been faithful in times of persecution and times of hardship. 


They are making room and preparing the way of the Lord for a supernatural move of the Spirit to accomplish His will on the earth as it is in Heaven. 


There are specific whirlwinds of the supernatural presence of the Lord where prophetic women of all walks of life are being “caught up” into the glory cloud of God and receiving divinevisitations, divine impartations, divine healings, divinedirection, divine strategies, divine wisdom and divine favor as they realize this is not the storm of the enemy, but the veryhigh wind velocity of the Spirit of God.[50][bold in original, underline added] 


This allusion to Mary is not new. Francis Frangipane, one of Mike Bickle’s associates, first taught this doctrine in the 1990s. Like mother “Mary,” a virgin church would “birth” the corporate “Bride of Christ.”


Secure this thought in your mind: when the Spirit of Christ comes into the physical world, He must enter through a physical body…. When Christ first entered our world as a child, it was Mary whom God chose to give Christ birth. Mary’s life symbolized the qualities the Church must possess to walk in the fullness of Christ…. [God is preparing us] as He did Mary to give birth to the ministry of His Son. Even now, in the spiritual womb of the virgin Church, the holy purpose of Christ is growing, awaiting maturity; ready to be born in power in the timing of God… the virgin Church is ‘in labour and in pain to give birth’… even now, hell trembles and the heavens watch in awe, for I say to you, once again, the virgin is with childBefore Jesus Himself returns, the last virgin Church shall become pregnant with the promise of God. Out of her travail, the Body of Christ shall come forth, raised to the full stature of its Head, the Lord Jesus.Corporately manifested in holiness, power and love, theBride of Christ shall arise….[51][emphasis added]


There are no Scriptures that teach this. But this is an example of the classic Latter Rain belief about a coming “Presence” spirit that will indwell and equip an army of “overcomers.”    

Exhibit 7: The Bride’s Revival advertisement on TheElijahList

The Intimacy of the “Presence”
Below is a classic example of the “Presence” doctrine as it is communicated throughout the NAR as a prophecy. First, there is a new “season” announced. This means they believe that God is doing new things on earth right now, including opening portals for heaven to come down to earth, performing signs and wonders, and receiving new revelations. Scripture is not the final authority. Experiences are deemed sufficiently authoritative, especially if others confirm it. The NAR uses the same sort of intimate romance language as Mike Bickle does in his “Bridal Paradigm”—reiterating the importance of the Army Bride generating passion. Below is a sample of the type of dreams and visions that many are reciting:


Recently, the Lord revealed to me that we are entering into a season of sweetness and aweHe showed me how we can position our hearts to become an open portal to Heaven – where God infuses us with His presence and revelation abounds – flowing to us and through us in naturally, supernatural ways…. 


I changed the language of my prayers, calling Jesus “My Love”. Immediately, I felt His presence drawing nearer…. 


Lovers see the signs of love wherever they travel. Paying attention to these signs and wonders cause you to tune into the personal, intimate ways God speaks to His beloved – you! And it positions your heart to receive greater revelatory encounters with Him and walk in a supernaturally, natural way…. 


Let your heart become an open portal of His love. It won’t be long before the awe of His power thunders around you and you find yourself walking IN THE FULLNESS of Him, not just alongside of Him; carrying His authority to release the realm of Heaven on earth.[52][emphasis in original, underline added] 


This seductive language creates a mood. It amplifies passion. It is also an essential way to inculcate the Latter Rain doctrines.

Exhibit 8: “Women of the Presence” conference advertised on TheElijahList

The “Bride’s Revival”
Similar to IHOP, the NAR also teaches that the Bride must attain an unprecedented level of “maturity.” This means she will experience a “breakthrough” that will equip her to be “a spiritual habitation of God’s presence and the Sevenfold Spirit of God.” Huh? Well, while walking out the book of Revelation literally and spiritually they believe they “will be filled with power of the Spirit from the 7 fold Spirit of God found in the Book of Revelation chapter 4 verse 5.”[54] It is yet one more example of how they strangely allegorize Revelation to fit their own endtime eschatology. A “prophecy” about revival claims:


We are now entering a season of harvest and a time that will be known as the Bride’s Revival… when the Bride of Christ emerges in maturity and surrendered devotion to the Bridegroom…. 


Following that, the greatest harvest of souls throughout the earth will transpire in the Bride’s Revival…. 


In essence, there will be a deposit of the “spirit to overcome” delegated to Believers who have yielded their hearts and souls with unwavering desperation for the person of Jesus; that is what it means to be the Joshua generation. The Joshua commission is the anointing to “overcome.”[55][bold in original, underline added] 


The Joshua generation reference is yet another of many biblical characters whose name is borrowed as a way to communicate the various roles for endtime dominion. All of this is in preparation for an endtime harvest. In 2008, NAR leader Stacey Campbell declared: 


For 2008, prophetically, I hear “sickles.” They are swinging over nations, and they are set to reap….


Prayer is the tipping point. Prayer will release both the judgments of God…. The wealth transfer has begun, the miracles are happening, the leadership has crossed over and stadiums are already being filled with tens of thousands of believers who are gathering in solemn assemblies of fasting and prayer.[56][all emphasis in original]


Who is in charge of this sickle of judgment over nations? According to Latter Rain doctrine, the Army Bride wields the sickle and is in charge of the harvest as an agent of “God” on earth. Note the reference to wealth. The NAR believes they will get rich from the spoil of this harvest. 




The Bride’s Final Harvest
Bob Jones, who passed away on Feb. 14, 2014 reported a “Vision of God’s Armory” where God was “releasing weapons of warfare” that “cannot be handled by one person,” but rather teams who will “go to war” and “make decrees and declarations.”[57] His “prophecy” stated:


God is arming the Body of Christ with weapons of His divine love that the enemy has no defense against. We’ll begin to see the army of God come together in unity, a common union, to where the enemy will have to leave entire cities.This army is getting ready to take entire cities and eventually entire states. In certain places in the world, they’ll take entire nations. 


This is the year the army of God comes together with angels beyond number and weapons that cannot be defeated by the enemy. Angels are here now preparing the Body for theharvest and there will be a mighty victory.[58]


Reading through this confusing maze of violent rhetoric, it seems plausible that at some point the apostolic leaders may trigger a switch and call for a real war with real weapons in their passionate zeal for taking over the earth. One must always keep in mind that in Latter Rain eschatology there is only talk of enemies and war. It is us vs. them. The Gospel of Salvation is missing in action. 


The Truth: 
Professor Johan Malan of South Africa published a comprehensive paper warning about the dangers of these type of Dominionism teachings. One section of his article particularly addresses the excessive hoopla surrounding the spiritual formation of this global Bridal Army:


Deception through signs, wonders and extra-Biblical prophecies 
The inclination towards signs and wonders is a breeding-ground for kingdom now deception. Those who expect a visible kingdom during the church age are strongly bent towards the idea that this kingdom must demonstrate its power through various supernatural signs and wonders. There should, according to them, be mighty prophets and apostles who receive important revelations from God, who can speak on behalf of Him to the world, and also have the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, make people fall in the Spirit, and perform many other dramatic signs. 


But the Lord Jesus says, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matt. 16:4). The sign of Jonah was that he was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, and also that an entire pagan city repented in reaction to his preaching. This sign was fulfilled during the death of Jesus when He was in the grave for three days and three nights and rose on the third day (Matt. 12:4). After that, thousands of people repented when they heard the gospel of the atoning death and resurrection of Christ. Agnostic Jews who did not want to accept this message, learned how thousands of Gentiles (as earlier in Nineveh) turned to God with repentant hearts. We must have faith in the great sign of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus – not in other signs and wonders. 


Signs and wonders play a very minor role in the church dispensation, as the Lord wants us to live by faith in Christ, and not by virtue of physical signs. Any emphasis of this nature usually leads to deception, and the devil will use such signs to prepare the way for the acceptance of the Antichrist and false prophet: “For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). The Antichrist and false prophet will excel in this regard (2 Thess. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:11-15). 


As far as prophecies are concerned, we should guard against the possibility of being deceived by specially “anointed” but self-imposed prophets and prophetesses. We must be guided by the Bible, and not by the extra-biblical prophecies. The prophetic revelations which the Lord gave to the church were concluded with the writing of the Book of Revelation. Should anybody dare to add any further prophecies to it, God will add to him the plagues revealed in His Word (Rev. 22:18)….


Do not make the mistake of brushing aside the Bible for the sake of dramatic kingdom manifestations, and start pursuing the false revelations of self-imposed prophets and prophetesses.[59] 

______________________________________________________________







GRAMMYS 2014-ILLUMINATI SATANIC CELEBRATION~FREEMASONRY MIXED WITH WITCHCRAFT

Jay-Z and Beyonce have been celebrated worldwide. Even by President Obama.



Republished from Beginning and End at http://beginningandend.com/the-2014-grammys-an-illuminati-satanic-celebration/, below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes.
See our previous posts:
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/01/bisexual-katy-perrys-descent-into.html
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/01/katy-perry-satanic-performance-natalie.html
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/02/natalie-grant-fails-to-condemn-grammy.html
See also:
http://beginningandend.com/nikki-minaj-beyonce-cult-demon-possession/
http://beginningandend.com/beyonce-channels-the-spirit-of-jezebel-in-illuminati-ghosthaunted-video/
http://beginningandend.com/descent-into-darkness-katy-perry-renounces-the-christian-faith/
______________________________________________________

The 2014 Grammys was a night full of Satanic ritual.

The 2014 Grammy’s solidified much of what Beginning and End has warned about the pop music industry over the past two years: that it is one of the main promoters of sinful rebellion and the occult today. With an array of performances by mega-star Illuminati celebrities, the award show was an assault on the God, the Christian faith and whatever Biblical values are left in America. And as society cheers on their idols, the hearts and minds of many are turning from The Lord and to Satan.
Satanic Rebellion on Display
Beyonce and Jay-Z, two of the biggest promoters of the occult in pop music, kicked off the event.
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed [Jesus Christ], saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. – Psalm 2:1-3.
The reason that those in league with the promotion of sin is found in the passage above. The desire among those powerful and influential people who oppose God is to “break the bands and cords” of The Lord. What are those bands and cords? The Word of God – The Bible. Satan, who wants to rule humanity, knows that it is critical that people in society no longer regard the God of the Bible or Jesus Christ, the Son of God as important. Any notion that people should worry about sin, eternal life or God’s judgment of them must be removed. And the easiest way to do this is by encouraging sinful rebellion. And pop culture has served as one of the Devil’s greatest weapons in moving the mind of society to not only accept blatant sinful behavior, but to applaud and love it.
Beyonce – The Spirit of Jezebel
What spirit inspired this performance?
Pop Superstar Beyoncé opened the show with a performance of her smash hit“Drunk In Love.” Dressed in see-through lingerie and a thong, the songstress writhed on a chair in vulgar, overtly sexual fashion. All the while, singing lyrics so vile, that even the Grammy producers had to censor her. The song is a blatant ode to sex, describing intimacy in extreme graphic terms. This year it was “Queen Bey” as she refers to herself, to play the role of sexual temptress at the Grammys and she wasted no time in setting an X-rated tone for the awards show. Her entire performance was promoting sexual lust and fornication. We covered the performance in detail in our article: Beyonce Channels The Spirit of Jezebel In Illuminati “Ghost/Haunted” Video.
The Rise of Witchcraft
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” – Isaiah 8:19.
Katy Perry’s performance of Dark Horse was this year’s most brazen satanic ritual of the night (we previously covered Nicki Minaj’s performance at the 2012 Grammy’s which was also an occult ceremony). Perry’s performance was so over the top in its wickedness, it will also be covered in its own soon to be published article.
Adding to that was Madonna who showed up dressed in witch’s garb.
Madonna’s outfit was witch-inspired.
Even MTV took notice of the style of dress of the pop icon:
Something magical was in the air at the Grammy Awards this year. It seems that three of pop’s leading ladies got the memo that witches are just so hot right now. That’s right: Madonna, Katy Perry and Lorde all seemed to have recently watched “The Craft” — or the current season of “American Horror Story” — and decided to use that programming as inspiration for this year’s show.
Madonna kicked off the trend on the red carpet, walking into the show looking like pop music’s ultimate supreme. In her wide-brimmed hat and tailored black suit, the Material Girl (who later performed with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) looked like the leader of the pop coven. Her style quickly had fans commenting that she appeared to be auditioning to replace Jessica Lange on the witchy FX anthology series. (source).
To no surprise, MTV suggested that Madonna was influenced by American Horror Story: Coven, one of the most satanic shows on television. Coven is about a group of witches attending a prep school to train them in magic and features graphic violence, sexual perversion, incest, bestiality and necrophilia, among other inappropriate themes. Here is a photo from the show of the main character and the other witches walking into the coven. The fashion inspiration of Madonna was clear.
Madonna, a practitioner of Kabbalah, which is a form of Jewish mysticism, is no stranger to the occult. Her Super Bowl halftime performance in 2012 was one of the biggest occult ceremonies of all time (we cover that performance in detail in our article: ). The entire performance was premised on the occult belief of man attaining godhood.
Other fans and media sites concurred that Madonna was inspired by the show
Madonna’s earrings were in the shape of the Baphomet Sigil.


The Baphomet Sigil.

Notice they are in the shape of Baphomet stars.  Anton LaVey, the founder of The Church of Satan, made it clear as to what this symbol, the goat’s head, in an upside down pentagram, means:
“The symbol of Baphomet was used by the Knights Templar to represent Satan. Through the ages this symbol has been called by many different names. Among these are: The Goat of Mendes, The Goat of a Thousand Young, The Black Goat, The Judas Goat, and perhaps the most appropriately, The Scapegoat.” (source).
Lorde, who won pop song of the year, also invoked many comments for her witch-like appearance and dancing as if she were possessed:
Many media outlets thought Lorde was in on the witchcraft theme as well.
WGN Network, which is producing a new witch-based drama called Salem, also chimed in on Lorde’s appearance:

The Bible of course makes it clear that any dabbling in witchcraft or magic is a grave sin. This is emphasized in a passage describing the wicked King Manasseh, one of the most sinful people in the entire Bible:
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. – 2 Chronicles 33:1-6.

 The use of magic is based on contacting demonic forces. These beings are not to be toyed with hence witchcraft being a capital offense in ancient Israel. But as detailed in our article on American Horror Story Coven, witchcraft is becoming more popular than ever thanks to television and movies glamorizing the occult. Just as the evil leaders of Israel led the nation into sin, today the leaders of pop culture are causing millions of their fans “to err” and embrace the occult as entertaining and cool.

The Coming Deception
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.
The massive increase of blatant occultism and promotion of Illuminati satanic religion is a judgment from The Lord for the sins of society. Because America is turning away from God, attacking the Bible at every turn and seeking to silence the voice of Bible-believing Christians, The Lord is giving a God-rejecting society what they want: access to Satanic rebellion.
This is described in detail in Romans chapter 1:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools..” – Romans 1:17-22.
Rather than worship God, pop stars have let their sinful imaginations run wild, opening the door for satanic influence. And though they may think they “have it all”, they are in fact making the biggest mistake of their lives as they are inviting the wrath of God upon themselves.
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. – Romans 1:23-25.
Robin Thicke – Deal With The Devil Secured
Robin Thicke became an overnight sensation after dropping his R-rated music video.
Pop star Robin Thicke also performed at the Grammys. Thicke, became a sensation in 2013 thanks to his smash hit Blurred Lines an ode to fornication  and cocaine use (he also has a song on his album titled “Cocaine”). The original “unrated” video for the song, released online, featured Thicke dancing among numerous naked women, and went viral, before being banned by YouTube. The marketing strategy used the ever-powerful temptation of sexual lust to entice the masses. As is always the case with so many pop superstars, there must be an overt promotion of sinful rebellion for the ultimate reward of fame and status. In the case of the unrated video, it worked liked a charm.  A second version of Blurred Lines, (with women only topless and scantily clad), received YouTube’s approval and amassed over 267 million views. As a result his song was one of the biggest hits of the year and vaulted him to pop stardom.
He was also infamous for being the co-participant in Miley Cyrus’ vulgar display at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Thicke, left, dancing with Miley Cyrus during her vulgar performance at the MTV VMA awards.
But before any of this, Thicke started his career with a song that showed his spiritual intention. His first hit single, “Magic”, of course was an allusion to the occult and made a very open reference to his spiritual state. Here are some of the lyrics.
I got it, you got it, we got the magic, girl
I got it, you got it, we got the magic, girl
I know sometimes, sometimes you feel no hope
Well Ive been there, Ive walked that lonely road, ooh
I took whatever the devil offered me
Because I knew that he would set me free, (source). 

Once again, we see a reference to a deal with Satan. What spirit inspired this song?  Below is an image from the video of Thicke in a doorway of light with a pyramid symbol all over it.
Also notice that the emblem for “magic” in the video is a lightning bolt.
The lightning bolt has often been associated with the Devil. Based on the words of Jesus Christ. In Luke Chapter 10, Jesus Christ had commissioned 70 disciples to travel through Judea, preaching the Gospel. And He gave them a supernatural impartation of His Spirit to perform miracles for those they encountered to demonstrate that they were truly sent from God. When the men realized they even had the power to cast demons out of people who were possessed, they returned to Jesus with shock and excitement:
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy nameAnd he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. – Luke 10:17-19.
The realization that the name of Jesus Christ gave them power over Satanic spirits, stunned the disciples. And their testimony led Jesus to relay the vision He had of Satan falling from Heaven like a lightning bolt. The occult has jumped on this description to make the bolt of lightning a symbol of Satan. Here are other stars using it as well.
Lady Gaga
Heavy Metal Group AC/DC (singers of satanic ode “Highway to Hell”)
Pink – Freemasonic Princess
Having established her credentials, Pink was free to do her high-wire act.
Rock star Pink performed a high wire acrobatic song during the 2014 Grammys. She previously established her Illuminati credentials at the 2009 VMA awards where she performed a Freemason ritual for millions in the viewing audience:
Here is a description of the initiation rite for the Royal Arch Purple in Freemasonry, which Pink mimicked on TV:
After securing the initiate’s undivided loyalty, the Royal Arch Purple candidate is ‘made up’ for initiation in a practice known within secret societies and the occult world as being ‘properly prepared’. In ‘The Meaning of Masonry’, prominent Freemason W.L. Wilmshurst explains the significance of such a practice, saying, “If he be truly a worthy candidate, ‘properly prepared’ in his heart and an earnest seeker for the light, the mere fact of his entering such an atmosphere will so impress and awaken his dormant soul faculties as in itself to constitute an initiation and an indelible memory” (p. 117).
This custom is, in reality, the state of readiness the initiate obtains before receiving mystical enlightenment into a secret body. The candidate could justly be described as being properly prepared for his (counterfeit) new birth experience…
The oath-bound Royal Arch Purple aspirant is prepared for initiation in typically Masonic manner, by being stripped of much of his clothes. He is divested of his coat and vest, collar and tie, shoes and socks. One shoe is then placed on candidate’s left bare foot, and the legs of his trousers rolled up above the knee, his left breast being bare. The candidate is then blindfolded, and a piece of purple ribbon is fastened to the front of the candidate’s shirt or other garment. (source). 
Notice Pink is wearing a purple outfit with a purple pastie over her  bare breast. She is also barefoot and in place of one of her purple pants sleeve, she has a checkerboard patterned sleeve often found in Masonic temples:
The checkerboard floor in an actual Masonic Lodge.
The description of the ritual continues:
…This peculiar practice of stripping the candidate before initiation, whilst overtly humiliating, has a deep spiritual significance. The custom itself goes back to the time of Nimrod, the father of the ancient mysteries. The Rev. Alexander Hislop in his book ‘The Two Babylons’ (p. 183) explains how Nimrod, before he was cut in pieces, was “necessarily stripped” in what was “a voluntary humiliation.” He then states, “When, therefore, his suffering was over, and his humiliation past, the clothing in which he was invested was regarded as a meritorious clothing, available not only for himself, but for all who were initiated in the mysteries.” (source).
Nimrod in Scripture was the first emperor after the Flood of Noah’s day. He was the first ruler to shed blood to conquer and led the tower of Babel rebellion. It was the first attempt at an occult global government with the plan to overthrow God:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. – Genesis 11:1-6.

 Again, we see the dangers of rejecting God and then allowing the imagination to take over – it leads to open rebellion against The Lord. The Tower of Babel was so spiritually dangerous that God personally intervened to bring it to an end. And this is what the Freemasonic ritual celebrates. The description of the ritual continues:

Hislop then explains, “When the initiated, thus ‘illuminated’ and made partakers of a ‘divine nature’, after being ‘divested of their garments’, were clothed anew, the garments with which they were invested were looked upon as ‘sacred garments’, and possessing distinguished virtues. ‘The coat of skin’ with which the Father of mankind was divinely invested after he was made so painfully sensible of his nakedness, was, as all intelligent theologians admit, a typical emblem of the glorious righteousness of Christ – ‘the garment of salvation’, which is ‘unto all and upon all them that believe’. The garments put upon the initiated after their disrobing of their former clothes, were evidently intended as a counterfeit of the same” (p. 183). This vulgar practice has assumed a strategic place in most heathen initiations, being subtly designed to mimic the Christian new birth experience.

 An actual image of the Purple Arch Freemasonic initiation.
As Beginning and End has detailed time and time again, many occult practices are perversions of aspects of the Bible and the Christian faith. The “new birth experience” is receiving forgiveness for ones sins and eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ said:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. – John 3:16-19.

Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, to take the punishment for the sins of the world. Why? Because it was the only way that a person could be declared “not guilty” when they stand before God and have to account for their lives. It took God in the flesh, living a perfect life and offering His own life, to pay for all of our sins. And when a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, their old spirit dies and a new spirit, from Heaven is given to them. This is being “born again” or “the new birth.” The old spirit that served sin and lusts of the flesh dies and the new spirit, which seeks to please God and serve Him, lives instead. Satan has tried to offer immortality to humanity through “Secrets” and mystery religions since the Garden of Eden. And as Adam and Eve learned and countless millions since, his offer was a deception.
So it is no coincidence as Satan and his minions are most-focused on corrupting the true way to salvation. And to no surprise the Grammys, which were clearly under demonic spiritual influence, made a direct attack on Christianity as well.
Daft Punk – Selling Your Soul For Rock ‘n Roll
Daft Punk are major promoters of the pyramid.

Tecno band Daft Punk won song of the year for their hit single, “Get Lucky”. This group, known for wearing all black outfits and helmets, have used their videos and concerts to constantly promote the use of Illuminati symbolism:
Freemason philosopher Manly P. Hall wrote this of the pyramid:
The word pyramid is popularly supposed to be derived from πῦρ, fire, thus signifying that it is the symbolic representation of the One Divine Flame, the life of every creature….. They entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods.
It was the place of the “second birth,” the “womb of the Mysteries,” and wisdom dwelt in it as God dwells in the hearts of men.
The modern world knows little of these ancient rites. The scientist and the theologian alike gaze upon the sacred structure, wondering what fundamental urge inspired the herculean labor…So men say of the Great Pyramid that it is the most perfect building in the world, the source of weights and measures, the original Noah’s Ark, the origin of languages, alphabets,. and scales of temperature and humidity. Few realize, however, that it is the gateway to the Eternal.
Though the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew one–and that one was greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow, selfishness, lust, and avarice, but the one secret confers life, light, and truth. The time will come when the secret wisdom shall again be the dominating religious and philosophical urge of the world. The day is at hand when the doom of dogma shall be sounded. The great theological Tower of Babel, with its confusion of tongues, was built of bricks of mud and the mortar of slime. Out of the cold ashes of lifeless creeds, however, shall rise phœnixlike the ancient Mysteries. (Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages).
So again, we see the symbolism comes back to the promise of the Garden of Eden from Satan“ye shall not surely die.”  The goal of immortality and godhood is the foundation of the Illuminati – the spirits and principalities under the leadership of Satan and the people who are their willing and often unwitting servants. To no surprise, the pyramid is one of the primary symbols in Freemasonry.
Daft Punk are renowned for performing from inside a pyramid.

In one of their rare interviews, Daft Punk stated that in making their latest album they were: “Going deep into complex musical branches and bringing order to this vast chaos, that was what we were really passionate about.” (source).  Ordo Ab Chao, or “Order Out of Chaos”, is one of the key mottos of Freemasonry.  Albert Pike, 33rd Freemason Scholar, and one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan, put the motto on an emblem on the cover his book, Morals and Dogma:
The double-headed Phoenix sits atop the motto “Ordo Ab Chao.”

In our article on Kanye WestBeginning and End detailed the meaning of the Phoenix in the occult – it a symbol of immortality and the dying an rising god who will one day lead the New Age. In the book of Revelation, this leader is identified as the Antichrist who: “which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”(Revelation 13:14). The Antichrist will literally suffer a fatal wound, and return to life, causing the the entire unsaved world to worship his as god.  And this is what the symbols of the occult are concealing. But now the time has come to bring the secrets of the occult to the public. In order to achieve the proper “paradigm shift”for society to embrace the New Age.  And entertainment is driving this effort to spread this false Gospel.
While some entertainers have made occult and satanic practices the path to their success, other artists who perpetuate all of this symbolism do not have to attend meetings and conferences to receive their “marching orders.” It only takes spiritual “inspiration” to spark their imagination to bring these symbols, ideas and rituals to millions of fans, who have these idea impressed on their subconscious while they bob their head to the “dope beat” of the music. And in the case of Daft Punk, their inspiration shows a great deal about the spirit behind their music and performances.
In the same interview, the duo, revealed that their favorite movie and greatest inspiration is a movie called The Phantom of The Paradise. This sci-fi cult classic, is a movie about an aspiring rock musician who sells his soul to the Devil in order for his music to be performed by the women he loves so she can become a rock goddess superstar. In the film, the lead character is betrayed by a corrupt record company executive who also sold his soul to Satan in exchange for always remaining youthful in appearance. And the album the lead character was working is called “Faust” an allusion to the German folk tale character of the same name, about a man who sells his soul to the Devil in order to receive magical powers and knowledge for 24 years. So the running theme of the movie is clear: bargaining with Satan for fame and riches. And this movie is cited by Daft Punk as their main inspiration. Here is a poster for the film, Phantom of the Paradise.
In the film, the main character also happens to wear a black leather suit and helmet, the preferred style of Daft Punk.
This is the seduction that has taken over the entertainment industry: sacrificing morals, value and certainly the fear of God, in exchange for wealth, fame and numerous carnal pleasures. But like the Faustian legend of German folklore, the deal comes with an expiration date. Jesus Christ said:

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? – Mark 8:34-37.

All the riches in this world are not worth an eternity in hell. This passage is not saying that it is wrong to make money, have material success or be famous. It is perfectly acceptable for a Christian to have all of these things. What the Scripture is saying is that if you put the pursuit of material riches above everything in life then you are setting up yourself to ignore God in your life and your need for His forgiveness.
So bold is the enemy, that the Devil even tried to tempt Jesus Christ with fame, power and riches:

And the devil, taking [Jesus Christ] up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. –Luke 4:5-8.

In this moment in history, the Devil took Jesus onto a mountain and gave him a supernatural vision of all of the kingdoms on Earth. And note that Satan made it clear that he had the authority to give power and wealth to whoever he chose. Satan has temporary authority in this world and can indeed reward those who serve him. But the cost was clear – worshiping him. Nothing with Satan is free. It all comes at the cost of being forced to rebel against God. In this instance, Satan was offering Jesus a chance to rule the world, something Jesus was prophesied to one day do as Messiah, but without dying on the cross. Satan’s temptation would have given Jesus rulership without ever giving His life. But that sacrifice on the cross was precisely why Jesus came to Earth – in order to save sinful humanity from sin and the clutches of the Devil.
Satan wants to offer every person “the Kingdom without the cross”, just as he did to Jesus Christ in the wilderness. But that “kingdom” is different for every person. It could be a multi-million recording contract. It could be a sinful romantic relationship. It could be living a life of crime. Or just living a normal “happy” life, working and making an honest living, but not believing in Jesus Christ. In all these situations, a person sacrifices their soul in exchange for earthly, temporary pleasures. And this temptation is especially strong, because all people by nature (this author included) are sinful and have strong desires to disobey God. This is the fallen state of humanity since the the Garden of Eden (again because of Satan’s deception).
And as we pointed out in our article on the satanic Ad from the 2013 Super Bowl, what Satan does not want anyone to remember, are the numerous entertainers who have died at young ages despite “having it all.” Many at their own hand, as they become drug addicts and deep in depression. Whether it is Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Kurt Cobaine, Amy Winehouse or most recently, Philip Seymour Hoffman, many, many multi-millionaire entertainers have ended up dead at shockingly young ages, due to their depression and demons. Do not be deceived.
MacKlemore and Ryan Lewis – Same Love For Everything Except Christianity
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The highlight of the Grammy was the performance of “Same Love”, a pro-gay marriage anthem by rappers MacKlemore and Ryan Lewis.  During the song 33 couples were married in a mass ceremony. Looking at the lyrics of Same Love, it is clear that the rap is a blatant attack on the Bible. Here are some excerpts:
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don’t know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don’t know
3500 years ago is the approximate time Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. And rather than just promote their desire for gay marriage laws to be passed, the rappers instead mock the belief in the Bible, which clearly declares homosexuality a sin.
Love is patient
Love is kind
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
This part of the song is quoting 1 Corinthians 13 and then emphasizing the point that they are not going to be “crying on Sundays” or showing any repentance to the church for their homosexual love. Again, there is no question that this song is directed squarely at Christianity. Despite the fact that Islam calls homosexuality a sin, and in cities like London, there are actual “Sharia Patrols” where groups of Muslim men target and openly attack gays, ordering them to leave the city immediately, their actions and the Islamic faith somehow did not get nary a mention in Macklemore’s hit song. And naturally, this rap group received the Grammy award for Hip Hop Album of the year. Madonna then joined the ceremony which was officiated by rapper Queen Latifah. Notice that the entire set for the performance was meant to resemble a church:
The message is clear: Christianity must change from the Biblical definition of marriage. And many apostate churches already have, now becoming “gay-friendly” and no longer acknowledging homosexuality as a sin. But the Bible of course says that Christians are not to alter the Word of God: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. “ (Deuteronomy 4:2).
Gay marriage laws are determined by politicians, not pastors. Yet the pop culture superstars are aiming their sights on the churches. The governments of the world will do whatever they choose to do and that has no bearing on the Christian faith. But the spiritual enemies of the Cross of Christ (Satan and his spiritual minions) do not just want governments they want the hearts and minds of all people. Even self-professed Christians, like country singer Carrier Underwood, have gone on record saying that she no longer acknowledged homosexuality as a sin and attends a gay-affirming church. This is precisely what the Bible prophesied would take place as the end times approached.
Save Your Soul – Do Not Lose It
“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” – Psalm 145:8.
“ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” – John 10:10-11.
The 2014 Grammys may have been a statement for the occult, but the Bible has a much stronger and more powerful message: God loves you. For all the sin, fornication, witchcraft and blasphemy that took place, Jesus Christ gave His life for Beyonce, Jay-Z, Madonna, Macklemore, and all the other artists who may have promoted sin at the Grammys. And He also gave His life for you. Despite all of our sins, all of our doubts, blasphemies and willing rebellion against God, His only plan is to bring us back into His family which we have removed ourselves from. The book of 1 John says:
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:4-9.
God is ready and willing to forgive all people. We have to just humble our hearts, acknowledge our sins and ask for that forgiveness.  Rather than ignore that offer, carefully consider it, and learn the Gospel, the free forgiveness and eternal life found in Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is not about not listening to music or ever watching TV. It is about believing in Jesus Christ, reading and believing the Bible and living in accordance with the Scriptures. God handles the rest in turning our heart and soul to Him. There is happiness, mercy and eternal joy waiting. If you are not a Christian, it should be clear now that this abundance of satanic references in one program cannot just be “coincidence” or “conspiracy theory.”  The entertainers of today are now making their spiritual message blatant and in your face as can be. And if you are a Christian, understand that supporting music and entertainment that openly attacks the Christian faith or mocks Jesus Christ is endorsing rebellion. Repent and continue to spread the Gospel to help souls be saved.
________________________________________________________

NEW YORK GUN REVOLUTION~OBAMA VS HITLER: SHREDDING THE CONSTITUTION BY THE “NDAA”

THE CONSTITUTIONAL 

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS;

ABOUT NEW YORK REVOLUTION 

“In a time of Tyranny, many will be enslaved. Not by shackles but by the way in which they have been taught to think. Even among the patriots there will be those affected by this disease and unknowingly fight with those who are for freedom. The hope lies in the few, the III%er. Awake to the illusions laid upon society by the tyrants, they will stand despite the demonization from the opposition and even the timid among them.”

George Curbelo (GC) III%er

New York Revolution Lead State Coordinator

Mission Statement

The New York Revolution is a grass roots organization with the purpose of waking up Americans to the reality of our civil liberties. We are committed to informing Americans of the deceit deteriorating our freedoms. With this knowledge, Americans become active patriots in restoring the initial purpose of the constitution thus ensuring our civil liberties and freedoms.

VIDEO: George Curbelo says 

“I will not comply”:


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joqHs7VRkiY

Jody Jackson of NYR Now Leads 

HVAFF http://hvaff.com/;

Hitler’s “Enabling Act” Dissolved Parliament & Constitution Compared to Obama’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA of 2012); 
Quote:
“We Have Passed the Point of No Return; We Are Witnessing the Final Stages of the Police State”:

RAVI ZACHARIAS SPEAKS AGAIN AT MORMON TEMPLE IN UTAH

Friday Church News Notes 
From David Cloud’s Way of Life
Vol 15, Issue 7 – Feb 14, 2014
pdfdownload

zz_ravi_a_2_14

RAVI ZACHARIAS: MORMONS AND EVANGELICALS TOGETHER (Friday Church News Notes, February 14, 2014, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – For the second time, Ravi Zacharias has spoken at the Mormon Temple in Utah to call for evangelicals and Mormons to stand together to save America from “lost morality.” The two-day “Freedom and Friendship” meeting in January was attended by 3,500 “evangelicals” and Mormons (“Popular Christian Apologist,” The Christian Post, Jan. 20, 2014). In his speech, Zacharias condemned “pragmatic philosophy,” but that is exactly what he is pursuing in calling for unity between Bible believing Christians and Mormons with their false gospel and false christ. The Word of God forbids such a union (e.g., Romans 16:17-18; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 11:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 7-11). The conference was sponsored by Standing Together, “a coalition of evangelical churches who seek to be a catalyst for uniting the Utah Christian community through relational efforts of prayer, worship, and strategic evangelism.” Standing Together President Gregory Johnson told audience members, “Tonight is another night for us to meet, not as warring factions, but as friends.” Zacharias was introduced by Jeffrey Holland, former president of Brigham Young University, who said that the thing that brings Mormons and Christians together is their “shared love for the Lord Jesus Christ.” Zacharias spoke at the first Standing Together conference at the Mormon Tabernacle in 2004. At that time he joined Fuller Theological Seminary president Richard Mouw, Biola University professor Craig Hazen, and CCM artist Michael Card. The moral situation in America is dire, but this type of thing is the problem rather than the solution. 


THE MAINSTREAMING OF MORMONISM (Friday Church News Notes, February 14, 2014, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is reprinted from Friday News, November 2, 2012. Whether or not Mitt Romney wins the U.S. presidential election next week, one thing is certain: His candidacy has helped push forward the mainstreaming of Mormonism, which is something that the cult has been aiming for since Mormon leaders voiced their support for Promise Keepers in the 1990s. 1997 witnessed the publication of How Wide the Divide: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation and former President Jimmy Carter stating at a national press conference that Mormons are Christians and should not be the targets of “proselytizing.” In 1998, AOG pastor Dean Jackson sent “a former declaration of repentance for prejudice against members of the Church of Latter Day Saints” to Mormon leaders in Provo, Utah. In 1999, Mormons were invited to participate in the annual March for Jesus in Salt Lake City. In 2001, Standing Together Ministries was founded by “evangelical” preacher Greg Johnson with the goal of furthering “dialogue between evangelical Christians and Latter-day Saints.” In 2004, evangelical leaders such as Ravi Zacharias, Fuller Seminary president Richard Mouw, Biola University professor Craig Hazen, and CCM artist Michael Card joined “Latter Day Saints” in an “Evening of Friendship” in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. (See Way of Life’s Advanced Bible Studies Seriescourse Defense of the Faith for documentation of the previous facts.) In May 2012,CNN Belief Blog published a report on the growing influence of Mormons in Washington D.C., stating that “the nation’s capital has become a Mormon stronghold, with Latter-day Saints playing a big and growing role in the Washington establishment.” The growth of Mormonism in the nation’s capitol was described as “an absolute explosion.” In late October 2012, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) removed a longstanding reference to Mormonism as a cult from its web site after Billy and Franklin Graham met with Mitt Romney. We have long said that it is inconsistent and hypocritical for “evangelicals” to affiliate with the Roman Catholic Church while rejecting Mormonism, as both have a false gospel and a false christ. The mainstreaming of Mormonism is further evidence that the one-world “church” continues to gather steam.
____________________________________________________

Ravi Zacharias at the Mormon Tabernacle:


Ravi Zacharias at BYU:



NEW MEXICO CHIEF OF POLICE HARASSED BY FEDS AT AIRPORT~PLACED ON LEAVE & ORDERED TO DISBAND POLICE UNIT

SHANE HARGER, POLICE CHIEF

N.M. Chief of Police Harassed by Feds, 

Placed on Leave After Signing 

Pledge to Uphold Constitution:

County Sheriff orders Shane Harger to disband entire police department due to “political affiliations”.
EXCERPT:
“A police chief was detained and harassed by federal agents while traveling to a constitutional convention before returning home to be told he was being placed on administrative leave and ordered to disband his police department after signing a pledge to uphold the bill of rights.”
MUST SEE THIS VIDEO
OF INTERVIEW WITH POLICE CHIEF
& SHERIFF MACK OF “CSPOA”:

SHERIFF RICHARD MACK: 

Your Pledge To Uphold The Constitution


CSPOA SHERIFFS


Last Line of Defense – Trailer (cspoa.org):

Sheriff Mack discusses the problem of police brutality and how the issue would simply disappear if peace officers and sheriff’s understood the Constitution and rights of citizens in which it protects. 


Police Brutality – Sheriff Mack Speaks Out:






Constitutional Duty of the Sheriff | Last Line of Defense | 


Richard Mack (cspoa.org):


SPECIAL REPORT: County Sheriffs Push Back 

Against Feds; Sheriff Richard Mack Interviewed:

Uploaded on Nov 19, 2011
http://RTR.org | Americans are pushing back all over the country. It’s very clear that a revolution is in full swing. Tea Parties have been organizing to fight the bailouts and taxation. Occupy Movements have be springing up to fight against Wall St corruption at the hands of the Federal Reserve. Americans are pulling their cash out of Big Banks and supporting local Credit unions, as we move into a heated election season where it looks like it’s anyone’s game.

In today’s exclusive special report Gary Franchi is joined by Former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack. They discuss the County Sheriff Project, a movement that will compound the effort to push back against an over reaching Federal Government, a movement that needs your support.

There are a few things you can do to support the County Sheriff Project:

1st. Visit their website at http://CountySheriffProject.org and make a financial contribution

2nd. Simply share this video to your social networks and email lists. http://on.fb.me/sharvid

3rd. Give your local Sheriff a copy of Sheriff Mack’s book “The County Sheriff: America’s Last Hope” available at http://SheriffMack.com, and tell them about the County Sheriff Project.

Website: http://CountySheriffProject.org


Published on Oct 28, 2012


Now Available for Pre-Order! – Purchase the CSPOA Convention DVD at:
http://cspoa.org/shop/


This 6 disk DVD collection features over 7 hours of speeches by constitutional layers, county commissioners, sheriffs, historians, investigative reporters as well as a presidential candidate and a former IRS agent.


Ranging from the history and philosophy of the constitution to the current issues at hand, this collection features a comprehensive and detailed look at the fundamental issues that plague our 3 branches of government. Sam Page was quoted saying, “I have learned more on Constitutional law in one day here at this convention than I have in my 15 years as a Sheriff.”


Please help us educate, train and elect constitutional sheriff’s across the United States. County by County, Sheriff by Sheriff, we will restore the government back to the people.


The Essentials:
Sheriff Mack (The Duty of the Sheriff)
Stewart Rhodes (Importance of the Oath )
Michael Badnarik (Philosophy of the Constitution)
Kris Anne Hall (The Genealogy of the Constitution)


The Issues:
Peggy Littleton (The NDAA: An Infringement on Liberty)
Ken Ivory (The Federal Fault Line)
Bill Jasper (The SPLC: A Closer Look)
Joe Wolverton (Drones and Privacy)
Larry Pratt (The 2nd Amendment and the Sheriff)
Joe Banister (The IRS: Criminality)


The Sheriffs
Sheriff Mack (Rendered Express)
Brad Rogers (Interposition: FDA)
Tom Rummel (Interposition: Fish and Wild Life Service)
Dar Leaf (The NDAA)
John D’ Agostini (The Attack on Sheriffs)



CSPOA RESOLUTION
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, 
and research purposes.

CSPOA JAN 2014 RESOLUTION

The following was drafted at a meeting of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) on Jan 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada and approved by the members present.  We encourage all sheriffs, peace officers and those in public office to sign with us.

To add your name, download a printable version, print it, sign it, scan it andsubmit it here.


Resolution
Of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association


Pursuant to the powers and duties bestowed upon us by our citizens, the undersigned do hereby resolve that any Federal officer, agent, or employee, regardless of supposed congressional authorization, is required to obey and observe limitations consisting of the enumerated powers as detailed within Article 1 Section 8 of the U S Constitution and the Bill Of Rights.

The people of these united States are, and have a right to be, free and independent, and these rights are derived from the “Law of Nature and nature’s God.” As such, they must be free from infringements on the right to keep and bear arms, unreasonable searches and seizures, capricious detainments and every other natural right whether enumerated or not, pursuant to the 9th amendment.
We further reaffirm that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” (10th amendment)
Furthermore, we maintain that no agency established by the U S Congress can develop its own policies or regulations which supersede the Bill of Rights or the Constitution, nor does the executive branch have the power to make law, overturn law or set aside law.
Therefore, in order to protect the American people, BE IT RESOLVED THAT,
The following abuses will not be allowed or tolerated:
1) Registration of personal firearms under any circumstances.
2) Confiscation of firearms without probable cause, due process, and constitutionally compliant warrants issued by a local or state jurisdiction.
3) Audits or searches of a citizen’s personal affairs or finances without probable cause, and due process, and constitutionally compliant warrants issued by a local or state jurisdiction.
4) Inspections of person or property without probable cause and constitutionally compliant warrants as required by the 4th Amendment and issued by a local or state jurisdiction.
5) The detainment or search of citizens without probable cause and proper due process compliance, or the informed consent of the citizen.
6) Arrests with continued incarcerations without charges and complete due process, including, but not limited to public and speedy jury trials, in a court of state or local jurisdiction.
7) Domestic utilization of our nation’s military or federal agencies operating under power granted under the laws of war against American citizens.
8) Arrest of citizens or seizure of persons or property without first notifying and obtaining the express consent of the local sheriff.
AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the undersigned Sheriffs, Peace Officers, and other Public Servants, do hereby denounce any acts or agencies which promote the aforementioned practices. All actions by the Federal Government and its agents will conform strictly and implicitly with the principles expressed within the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.
There is no greater obligation or responsibility of any government officer than to protect the rights of the people. Thus, any conduct contrary to the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, or the Bill of Rights will be dealt with as criminal activity.
Join us now! download a printable version, print it, sign it, scan it andsubmit it here.

TOTAL SIGNERS AS OF 1/31/2014: 40

Signers are listed alphabetically by state, then by County/Agency. Click the date to see the actual signature.

ST AGENCY TITLE NAME SIGNED
AZ CSPOA Founder Richard Mack 1/24/2014
AZ Arizona State Committeman Rick Dalton 1/24/2014
CA San Bernadino County Campaign Manager Lawrence Hebron 1/24/2014
CA Riverside County Candidate for Governor of California Robert C. Newman II, PhD 1/24/2014
CA Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Paul Schrader 1/24/2014
CA Modoc County Sheriff Mike Poindexter 1/24/2014
DE Sussex County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Jeff Christopher 1/24/2014
FL Florida Citizen Michael Alvarez 1/30/2014
FL Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch 1/24/2014
ID Benewah County Sheriff Dave Resser 1/24/2014
IN Elkhart County Sheriff Bradley Rogers 1/24/2014
KS Sherman County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Burton Pianalto 1/24/2014
KY Jackson County Sheriff Denny Peyman 1/24/2014
KY Kenton County Sheriff Charles Lee Korzenborn 1/24/2014
MD The Institute on the Constitution Esquire Michael Peroutka 1/24/2014
MD DHS Federal Protective Service Supervisory Special Agent (Retired) Christopher Fiora 1/24/2014
MI Barry County Sheriffs Department Barry County Sheriffs Auxillary Douglas Hull 1/30/2014
MI Barry County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Darin Leaf 1/24/2014
MI Benzie County Sheriff Ted Schendel 1/24/2014
MO Old Monroe Chief of Police Larry Kirk 1/24/2014
MO Christian County Sheriff Joey Kyle 1/24/2014
MO Osage County Sheriff Michael Dixon 1/24/2014
NM Jemez Springs Police Chief Shane Harger 1/24/2014
NM Valencia County Sheriff Rene Rivera 1/24/2014
NV Clark County Candidate for Sherriff Gordon Martines 1/24/2014
NY Society for the Preservation of our American Reubl Founder and President Robert Laity 1/29/2014
OR Morrow County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Ken Matlack 1/24/2014
PA Clymer Law Attorney James Clymer 1/24/2014
PA Office of Constable for the 9th Ward State Constable Ed Quiggle, Jr. 1/24/2014
TN Fentress County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff Larry Crabtree 1/24/2014
TN Fentress County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff David Oppenheim 1/24/2014
TX Dallas County Candidate for Sherriff Kirk Launius 1/24/2014
TX Ellis County County Commissioner Paul Perry 1/24/2014
TX Shackelford County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff Donovon Boyett 1/24/2014
TX Edwards County Sheriff Pamela Elliott 1/24/2014
TX Shackelford County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Edward Miller 1/24/2014
TX Dallas Police Department Sr. Cpl. Thomas Haney 1/24/2014
UT Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel 1/24/2014
UT Utah County Sheriff Department Sheriff James Tracy 1/24/2014
WA Cowlitz County Deputy Sheriff Nathan Hockett 1/24/2014
Add your name to the list. download a printable version, print it, sign it, scan it and submit it here.
____________________________________________________________
February 8, 2014 UPDATE by Infowars.com:





OBAMA’S TYRANNY RISING~TED CRUZ CALLS HIM “DANGEROUS & TERRIFYING”


Tyranny Rising in America

Published on Jan 10, 2014 on YouTube channel of Infowars.com:


Alex is joined via phone by American legal theorist Elizabeth Price Foley also joins the show to specifically break down how Obama is violating the Constitution and to reveal Rep. Tom Rice’s proposed resolution to bring the executive branch to court.
http://www.elizabethpricefoley.com/


Cruz Calls Obama “Dangerous and Terrifying”:





American Constitutional Crisis:



Published on Jan 10, 2014


Alex continues with Constitutional Law Professor Elizabeth Price Foley on the topic of the rampant abuses of power by the Obama administration and the dangers of the approach of Tyrrany on the horizon. And Alex is joined live from Oregon by Infowars Nightly News reporter Jakari Jackson to give updates on the radiation wave across the West Coast of America.
http://www.elizabethpricefoley.com/






Government Prepares for Policing The Public:



President Obama’s Top 10 Constitutional Violations of 2013- Fox & Friends- Dec. 30, 2013:




Institute for Justice on the Obamacare Individual Mandate:



Published on Feb 26, 2013


Professor Elizabeth Price Foley, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice Florida Chapter, discusses a Supreme Court brief she authored on behalf of the Institute for Justice in the Obamacare case. The brief is the only one–out of more than 50 briefs filed–to discuss the centrality of “mutual assent” to the formation of a legally binding contract. By forcing Americans to buy health insurance, Obamacare’s mandate violates this fundamental principle of contractual freedom.





CHRIS LAWSON’S NEWLY COMPILED LIST OF AUTHORS TRUE CHRISTIANS SHOULD AVOID

From Lighthouse Trails Research:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=14035
reprinted in full below unedited for educational purposes, is Chris Lawson’s new booklet tract which has three lists of authors that Christians should avoid.
To order copies of  A Directory of Authors (Three NOT Recommended Lists), click here. 

A Directory of Authors (Three NOT Recommended Lists) written and compiled by Chris Lawson is our newest Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet Tract. The Booklet Tract is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail.  Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of  A Directory of Authors (Three NOT Recommended Lists), click here. 
A Directory of Authors (Three NOT Recommended Lists)
Written and Compiled by Chris Lawson
 It is no secret these days that Christian bookstore and ministry resource databases are often jam-packed with so-called Christian resources that are actually promoting anything but biblical Christianity. Special care may be taken by bookstore owners and ministry leaders alike to ensure that ministry and business are “in order,” but, when a close look is taken, the sale of spiritually unsafe material abounds. This is the primary reason for these three lists—to help warn and protect you, the reader, and to provide a quick reference guide.
You should know that many of the authors listed here profess to follow or glean from “Jesus,” yet at the same time they assiduously reject the biblical Jesus Christ of Nazareth Who is Savior, Lord, and God. In fact, many of these authors teach the absolute antithesis (opposite) of the historic Christian faith. Books rife with New Age occult teachings and practices abound in many Christian bookstores, and many owners and managers are going to sell them, regardless.
Over the past twenty plus years, I have spent thousands of hours researching, examining, and refuting dangerous cultic and occult practices as a missionary, church planter, and pastor. My purpose in doing so has been to help people escape dangerous occult influences, heretical doctrines both inside and outside the church, and the bondage of satanic genius that holds people captive by the powers of darkness.
The Christian literature marketplace has become utterly dangerous in the 21st century. I never thought I would see the day when New Age, occult, eastern-style meditative practices and all manner of aberrant and heretical teachings would become commonplace among Christian bookstores. What’s even worse is that much of this dangerous material is couched in Christian jargon and presented as spiritual paths to deepen and connect more intimately with God.
Considering these things, most of the authors listed in the first two lists profess to be “Christian,” while at the same time writing, recommending, and/or personally endorsing either outright or by proxy, heretical teachings and/or dangerous practices, which are contrary to sound biblical theology.
Discerning believers have expressed deep concern over the apostasy we face in the 21st century churches. The courage to stand firm and “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3) coupled with a deep personal love for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word are at the very foundation of these believers’ lives. Their concern for the spiritual welfare of the body of Christ has been a deeply motivating factor in this project.
Our Lord Jesus Christ warned, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8). Paul the apostle warned, “Let no man deceive you by any means (2 Thessalonians 2:3). John, the apostle warned, “Little children [believers in Christ], let no man deceive you” (1 John 3:7). Every single New Testament book except one warns about some form of spiritual deception, false teaching, or false teachers. Should we not “take heed,” as God through His very Word has so clearly warned, especially as the days in which we live grow precariously evil.
Scriptural Admonitions, Commands, and Warnings:
Genesis 1:1-12:20; Exodus 19:1-20:26; Deuteronomy 13:1-18; 18:20-22; 1 Samuel 28; Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel chapters 1-3 and 8-11; Daniel 1:8-21; 3:1-25; Zechariah 5:1-11; Matthew 7:1-5, 15-27; 23:1-39; 24:1-51; Mark 9:42-50; 13:1-37; Luke 9:23; John 17; Acts 8:9-25; 19:19-20; 20: 27-31; Romans 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15; 11:1-4, 12-15; Galatians 1:6-10; 2:4-5; Ephesians 4:11-16; 5:11-12; Philippians 1:8-11; 4:17-21; Colossians 1:28-29; 2:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-22; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-2:16; 1 Timothy 1:3-11,18-20; 4:1-11; 6:3-5,11-12, 20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13-15; 2:1-7,14-26; 3:1-4:22; Titus 1:9-2:18; 3:9-10; Hebrews 5:12-14 and chapters 11 and 12; James 1:1-5:20; 1 Peter 3:18-5:14; 2 Peter 2:2-3:16; 1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-6; 2 John 1-13; 3 John 9-12; Jude 1:1-25; Revelation 2:1-3:22; 11:1-14; 13:1-18; 17:1-20:15.
#1—The New Spirituality in the Church
Each of the following authors professes to be Christian and/or uses biblical terminology in his or her writing, yet promotes at least one of the following serious false teachings: contemplative spirituality (i.e., Spiritual Formation), the emergent, progressive “new” spirituality, the seeker-friendly, church-growth movement (e.g., Willow Creek, Purpose Driven) and/or Yoga.
A
Abbott, David L.
Adams, James Rowe
Allender, Dan
Arico, Carl J.
Armstrong, Karen
Artress, Lauren
Assagioli, Roberto
B
Babbs, Liz
Bakker, Jay
Barton, Ruth Haley
Bass, Diana Butler
Batterson, Mark
Baxter, Mary
Bell, Rob
Benner, David
Bennison, John
Bentley, Todd
Bickle, Mike
Bjorklund, Kurt
Blanchard, Ken
Boa, Kenneth
Bolger, Ryan
Bolz-Weber, Nadia
Bono
Bordenkircher, Susan
Borg, Marcus
Bourgeault, Cynthia
Bronsink, Troy
Brother Lawrence
Brueggemann, Walter
Bruteau, Beatrice
Buchanan, John M.
Budziszewski, J.
Buford, Bob
Burke, Spencer
C
Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg
Caliguire, Mindy
Campbell, Joseph
Campolo, Bart
Campolo, Tony
Canfield, Jack
Card, Michael
Carroll, L. Patrick
Chalke, Steve
Chalmers, Joseph
Chinmoy, Sri
Chittister, Joan
Claiborne, Shane
Coe, John
Coffin, William Sloane
Collins, Jim
Crabb, Larry
Cron, Ian
Crossan, John Dominic
Crowder, David
D
De Mello, Anthony De Waal, Esther
Demarest, Bruce
Dillard, Annie
Dowd, Michael
Dykes, David R
Driscoll, Mark
Drury, Keith
Dyckman, Katherine Marie
E
Edwards, Gene
Edwards, Tilden
Egan, Harvey
Epperly, Bruce
Evans, Rachel Held
F
Felten, David
Fleming, Dave
Flowers, Betty Sue
Ford, Leighton
Fosdick, Harry Emerson
Foster, Richard
Fox, George
Fox, Matthew
Friend, Howard E., Jr.
Funk, Mary Margaret
G
Garrison, Becky
Geering, Lloyd
Gibbs, Eddie
Gire, Ken
Goleman, Daniel
Goll, James
Graham, Dom Alfred
Greig, Pete
Griffin, Emilie
Griffiths, Bede
Gru, Jean-Nicholas
Gungor
H
Haas, Peter Traban
Haight, Roger
Haliczer, Stephen
Hall, Thelma
Hansen, Mark Victor
Hays, Edward
Hazard, David
Healey, Charles
Hedrick, Charles
Hildegard of Bingen
Hipps, Shane
Holmes, Emily
Hougen, Judith
Humphreys, Carolyn
Hunard, Hannah
Hunt, Anne
Hunter, Todd
Hybels, Bill
I
Ignatius Loyola, St.
Issler, Klaus
J
Jager, Willigis
Jenks, Gregory C.
Johnson, Jan
Johnston, William
Jones, Alan
Jones, Laurie Beth
Jones, Tony
K
Kaisch, Ken
Keating, Thomas
Kelsey, Morton
Kent, Keri Wyatt
Kidd, Sue Monk
Kimball, Dan
King, Mike
King, Robert H.
Kraft, Robert A.
Kreeft, Peter
L
L’Engle, Madeleine
Lamott, Anne
Law, William
M
Madigan, Shawn
Main, John
Manning, Brennan
Martin, James
Mattioli, Joseph
Matus, Thomas
May, Gerald
McColman, Carl
McKnight, Scot
McLaren, Brian
McManus, Erwin
Meninger, William
Meyers, Robin R.
Miller, Calvin
Miller, Donald
Moon, Gary
Moore, Beth
Moore, Brian P.
Moran, Michael T.
Moreland, J.P.
Morganthaler, Sally
Mother Theresa
Mundy, Linus
Muyskens, John David
N
Newcomer, Carrie
Norris, Gunilla Brodde
Norris, Kathleen
Nouwen, Henri
O
Ortberg, John
P
Pagels, Elaine
Pagitt, Doug
Palmer, Parker
Paloma, Margaret M.
Patterson, Stephen J.
Peace, Richard
Peale, Norman Vincent
Pennington, Basil
Pepper, Howard
Peterson, Eugene
Piper, John
Plumer, Fred
Pope Benedict XVI
Procter-Murphy, Jeff
R
Rakoczy, Susan
Reininger, Gustave
Rhodes, Tricia
Robbins, Duffy
Robbins, Maggie
Rohr, Richard
Rolle, Richard
Rollins, Peter
Romney, Rodney
Ruether, Rosemary Radford
Rupp, Joyce
Russell, A.J.
Ryan, Thomas
S
Sampson, Will
Sanford, Agnes
Scandrette, Mark
Scazzero, Pete
Schuller, Robert
Selmanovic, Samir
Senge, Peter
Shannon, William
Shore, John
Sinetar, Marsha
Sittser, Gerald
Smith, Chuck, Jr.
Smith, Elizabeth
Smith, James Bryan
Southerland, Dan
Spangler, Ann
Spong, John Shelby
St. Romain, Philip
Stanley, Andy
Steindl-Rast, David
Strobel, Kyle
Sweet, Leonard
T
Talbot, John Michael
Tasto, Maria
Taylor, Barbara Brown
Teague, David
Thomas, Gary
Thompson, Marjorie
Thresher, Tom
Tiberghien, Susan
Tickle, Phyllis
Treece, Patricia
Tuoti, Frank
Twiss, Richard
V
Vaswig, William (Bill)
Virkler, Mark
Voskamp, Ann
W
Wallis, Jim
Wakefield, James
Ward, Benedicta
Ward, Karen
Warren, Rick
Webber, Robert
Wilhoit, James C.
Willard, Dallas
Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan
Winner, Lauren
Wink, Walter
Wolsey, Roger
Wright, N.T.
Y
Yaconelli, Mark
Yaconelli, Mike
Yancey, Phillip
Yanni, Kathryn A.
Yarian, Br. Karekin M., BSG
Young, Sarah
Young, William Paul
Yungblut, John R.
Z
Zeidler, Frank P.
#2—CHRISTIAN AND NON-CHRISTIAN MYSTICS OF THE PAST
Mystics from the past oftentimes favorably endorsed by “Christian” authors today
Middle Ages (Medieval Times) and Renaissance
Angela of Foligno (1248-1309)
 Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
 Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
 Bonaventure (1217-1274)
 Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
 Desert Fathers, The
 Hadewijch of Antwerp (13th century)
 Henry Suso (1295-1366)
 Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
 Hugh of Saint Victor (1096-1141)
 Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306)
 Johannes Tauler (d.1361)
 John of Ruysbroeck (1293-1381)
 John Scotus Eriugena (810-877)
 Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
 Mechthild of Magdeburg (1212-1297)
 Meister Eckhart (1260-1327)
 Richard of Saint Victor (d.1173)
 Richard Rolle (1300-1341)
 The Cloud of the Unknowing (anonymous, instruction in mysticism, 1375)
 Theologia Germanica (anonymous, mystical treatise, late 14th century)
 Thomas a’ Kempis (1380-1471)
 Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
 Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation
Brother Lawrence (1614–1691)
 Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1822)
 George Fox (1624–1691)
 Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)
 Jakob Böhme (1575-1624)
John of the Cross (Juan de Yepes) (1542–1591)
 Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663)
 Madame Guyon (1647-1717)
 Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582)
 Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)
 William Law (1686–1761)
Modern Era (19th—20th Century)
Alexandrina Maria da Costa (1904–1955)
 Bernadette Roberts (1931–)
 Berthe Petit (1870–1943)
 Carmela Carabelli (1910–1978)
 Domenico da Cese (1905-1978
 Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)
 Flower A. Newhouse (1909-1994)
 Frank Laubach (1884–1970)
 Frederick Buechner (1926-)
 Karl Rahner (1904-1984)
 Lúcia Santos (1907-2005)
Maria Pierina de Micheli (1890–1945)
 Maria Valtorta (1898-1963)
 Marie Lataste (1822–1899)
 Marie Martha Chambon (1841–1907)
 Martin Buber (1868-1965)
 Mary Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938)
 Mary of Saint Peter (1816–1848)
 Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899)
 Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968)
 Pierina Gilli (1911–1991)
 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881- 1955)
 Simone Weil (1909-1943)
 Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
 Thomas Merton (1915–1968)
 Thomas Raymond Kelly (1893–1941)
#3—New Age Movement
Each of the following authors promotes one or more of the following: New Age/Eastern philosophy and/or meditation, New Thought religion, Kaballah, Sufism, and/or Buddhism.
A
Aaron, David
Adiswarananda, Swami
Aitken, Robert
Alexander, Eben
Amen, Daniel
Anand, Margot
Anderson, Joan Wester
Anderson, Keleah
Armstrong, Karen
Au, Wilkie
B
Bailey, Alice
Baker-Fletcher, Karen
Ballard, Jim
Ban Breathnach, Sarah
Barnstone, Willis
Beattie, Melody
Berg, Michael
Besserman, Perle
Bestler, Emily
Beversluis, Joel D.
Blavatsky, Helena
Boon, Brooke
Boorstein, Sylvia
Bordenkircher, Susan
Borris, Dan
Borysenko, Joan
Boyce, Tillman
Bradshaw, John
Brandt, Beverly F.
Browne, Sylvia
Bryant, Christopher
Buck, Roland
Buri, Fritz
Burnham, Sophy
Burroughs, Kendra Crossen
Butterworth, Eric
Lorna Byrne
Byrne, Rhonda
C
Calamari, Barbara
Cameron, Julia
Camp, Carole
Candolini, G.T.
Campbell, Peter A.
Cannon, Noreen
Capacchione, Lucia
Childs, Hal
Chilson, Richard
Chittick, William C.
Chodron, Pema
Chopra, Deepak
Choquette, Sonia
Christ, Carol P.
Clemens, Nancy
Clifton, Chas
Cole-Whittaker, Terry
Conlon, James. A
Connell, Janice T.
Cooper, David E.
Cousin, Pierre Jean
Covey, Stephen R.
D
D’Arcy, Paula
Dalai Lama, The
Daley, Rosie
Dass, Ram
Déchanet, J.M.
De Michelis, Elizabeth
Dole, George F.
Doniger, Wendy
Dossey, Larry
Downey, Roma
Drosnin, Michael
Dueck, Alvin
Dyer, Wayne W.
E
Eadie, Betty
Easwaran, Eknath
Egeberg, Gary
Ehlers, Lesley
Eliade, Mircea
Elkins, Rita
Emonet, Pierre-Marie
Epstein, Perle
Evans, Cheryl
Wentz-Evans, W.Y.
F
Farnham, Timothy J.
Fay, Martha
Ferguson, Marilyn
Fischer, Norman
Ford-Grabowski, Mary
Fox, Emmet
Freeman, Laurence
Fried, Gregory
Fleming, Dave
G
Gach, Gary
Galdone, Paul
Gawain, Shakti
Gebara, Ivone
Geirsson, Heimer
Goehring, James E.
Goldsmith, Joel S.
Goldwag, Arthur
Goleman, Daniel P.
Good, Deidre J.
Gordon, Jon
Gover, Tzivar
Gray, John
Green, Arthur
Gruagach, Ben
Guenon, Rene
H
Hamilton, Jeffrey D.
Hamma, Robert M.
Hammer, Olav
Hanh, Thich Nhat
Harman, Willis
Harley, Gail M.
Harris, Paul
Harvey, Andrew
Hay, Louise
Hays, Edward
Hecht, Richard
Heidegger, Martin
Heine, Steven
Hendricks, Gay
Herman, A.L.
Herrigel, Eugene
Hicks, Esther and Jerry
Hinton, David
Hite, Sheilaa
Hoffman, Lawrence A.
Holbrook, George
Hornung, Eri
Hubbard, Barbara Marx
Hulnick, Ron and Mary
Huxley, Aldous
Hyman, Mark
I
Idel, Moshe
Isherwood, Lisa
Ivker, Robert S.
J
Jackson, Carl T.
Jacobs, Alan
Jampolsky, Gerald
Janis, Sharon
Jaoudi, Maria
Jesseph, Joe R.
Jobarteh, Sona
Johnson, Ben
Jones, James William
Jones, John Miriam
Jordan, E. Bernard
Jubien, Michael
Jung, Carl
K
Kabat-Zinn, Jon
Kadowaki, Kakichi
Karma, Glin-Pa
Kaufman, Paul
Kautz, Richard A.
Keizan, Zen Master
Kelder, Peter
Kellert, Stephen R.
Kessler, David
King, Karen L.
Kirvan, John
Klostermaier, Klaus K.
Kraftsow, Gary
Krohn, Katherine
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Kuhn, Christian
Kushner, Aryeh
Kushner, Lawrence
L
Lawrence, Ronald Melvin
Layton, Bentley
Lefebure, Leo
Leong, Kenneth S.
Levine, Stephen
Littlejohn, Scott C.
Lipton, Bruce
Loori, John Daido
Lopez, Donald S, Jr.
Louthan, Howard
Loya, Joseph A.
Loyd, Alex
Luby, Thia
Ludemann, Gerd
M
MacInnes, Elaine
Macqueen, Gailand
Maddocks, Fiona
Marshall, S. J.
Martin, Nancy
Mascaro, Juan
Matt, Daniel
McGinn, Benard
McMahon, Edwin M.
Metcalf, Franz
Meyer, Marvin
Momen, Moojan
Morgan, Peggy
Morrissey, Mary Manin
Mozumdar, K.
Muller, Wayne
Mundy, Jon
Myss, Carolyn
N
Newell, Philip J.
Nichols, Steve
Nietzsche, Friedrich
Northrup, Christiane
O
O’Donohue, John
O’Flatery, Wendy Doniger
Oliver, Harold H.
Olson, Diane C.
Ornish, Dean
Öz, Mehmet Cengiz, (Dr. Oz)
P
Palihawadana, Mahinda
Papus (Gérard Encausse)
Peck, M. Scott
Petulla, Joseph
Po, Li
R
Ramer, Andrew
Rand, William Lee
Randazzo, Anthony, Fr.
Raub, John Jacob
Ray, Michael
Redfield, James
Ribner, Melinda
Richardson, Cheryl
Richardson, Jabez
Robbins, Anthony (Tony)
Roth, Nancy, L.
Roth, Ron
Rupp, Joyce
S
Sansone, Leslie
Scott, S.M.
Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman
Schucman, Helen
Seidman, Richard
Severance, John B.
Sharma, Arvind
Shaw, Beth
Sheldrake, Alfred Rupert
Siegel, Bernie, Dr.
Silverman, Krishna
Smart, Ninan
Smith, Huston
Smith, Peter
Song, Choan-Seng
Sosa, Ernest
Spangler, David
Sri Chinmoy
Star, Jonathan
Steiger, Brad
Steiner, Rudolph
Stephan, Danette
Storch, Walburga
Stryk, Lucien
Sturtevant, William C.
Sundararajan, K.R.
Swami, Sri Purohit
Swedenborg, Emanuel
T
Taylor, Jeremy
Taylor, Terry Lynn
Teasdale, Wayne
Templeton, John Marks
Tice, Paul
Tide-Mark Press
Tolle, Eckhart
Tooker, Elisabeth
Tracy, Brian
Tsu, Lao (Lao Tsu)
Tucker, Mary Evelyn
U
Ulanov, Ann Belford
V
Van de Weyer, Robert
Van Inwagen, Peter
Vanzant, Iyanla
Virtue, Doreen
W
Walters, Kerry
Watts, Alan
Walsch, Neale Donald
Walsh, Birell
Weiming, Tu
Weil, Andrew
Weiss, Brian
Wilber, Ken
Williams, Jacqueline A.
Williams, Raymond Brady
Williamson, Marianne
Wineman, Aryeh
Wines, Leslie
Whit, David Gordon
Wilkinson, Philip
Winfrey, Oprah
Wolf, Laibl
Wright, Dale S.
Wyatt, Thomas
Y
Yogananda, Paramahansa
Yoke, Ho Pen
Young, Serinity
Z
Zaleski, Carol
Zaleski, Philip
Zimmer, Heinrich
Zuercher, Suzanne
Zukav, Gary

LINKED: COMMUNIST COMRADES OBAMA, DAVIS & MANDELA

Barack Hussein Obama 
and his father & communist
Frank Marshall Davis?
Connection to Mandela
“The Mandela cover-up unravels”
by Cliff Kincaid
of Renew America
See: December 12, 2013

South Africa “joined at the hip” to Cuba:

See: December 10, 2013

Mandela lied but communism never died:

See: 
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kincaid/131208

Reprinted in full below unedited for educational purposes, with some links expanded and shown in their entirety for emphasis after article:
It appears that AIM and blogger Trevor Loudon are among the few sources highlighting the official statement of the South African Communist Party (SACP) confirming that Nelson Mandela was a high-ranking member. SACP deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila is quoted by a South African magazine as saying it was denied at the time for “political reasons.”


The communist Workers World Party, which supports North Korea, has also reprinted the official SACP statement about Mandela. The communists are proud of Mandela and what he accomplished. His false claims of being a non-communist fooled South Africa and the world (except for his domestic and international comrades who were in on the secret). The official SACP statement includes these words: “At his arrest in August 1962, Nelson Mandela was not only a member of the then underground South African Communist Party, but was also a member of our Party’s Central Committee.”


Politicians lie, but this was a whopper, designed for the purpose of turning South Africa and its strategic materials over to the communists. The perfect front man, Mandela had always denied being a party member and, for the benefit of foreign audiences, publicly rejected Marxism as a “foreign ideology” as recently as a few years ago. It appears that was just a ploy to keep the foreign aid coming. South Africa has been among the top ten recipients of U.S. foreign aid, getting close to $500 million in fiscal year 2013.


Now that we know what’s going on, what will we do about it? Three American presidents – Obama, Clinton, and George W. Bush – are going to South Africa for his state funeral on December 15. Obama has ordered American flags to remain at half-staff in his honor until sunset on December 9. The con will continue. Still, the facts matter.


Many in the media are calling Mandela a “political prisoner” when he served prison time. But on the Fox News “Special Report” show on December 5, Jesse Jackson admitted Mandela told him that he was planning bombings of hospitals and schools in South Africa when he got caught. That is why Mandela went to prison. He ran Umkhonto we Sizwe, the terrorist wing of the African National Congress (ANC) and South African Communist Party. The white minority made a deal to release him because they feared for their lives against a Soviet-sponsored terrorist onslaught that was documented in 1982 Senate hearings entitled “The Role of the Soviet Union, Cuba, and East Germany in Fomenting Terrorism in Southern Africa.”


One of the witnesses before those hearings was Bartholomew Hlapane, a member of the African National Congress’s national executive committee and the South African Communist Party’s central committee. Bartholomew, who described SACP domination of the ANC, was assassinated in his home in South Africa on December 16, 1982, by an Umkhonto we Sizwe assassination squad. The ANC later admitted to the crime.


President Obama condemned the Boston Islamic terror bombings, saying, “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror.” But that is what Mandela was orchestrating in South Africa. And Mandela is Obama’s role model. Apparently, it was okay to kill whites in the name of black majority rule.


So how is that working out for the blacks, the supposed beneficiaries of Mandela’s revolution?


WikiLeaks is usually a source that our media trust. But little attention was paid to information from WikiLeaks demonstrating that the South African government is now resorting to “forced removals, violence, [and] intimidation” against poor blacks demanding their rights. Referring to a group of black shack dwellers known by the initials AbM, a U.S. embassy cable from 2010 said: “While the ANC claims to be making efforts to clean up slums and provide the poor with adequate housing, AbM leadership claims intimidation and anti-democratic tactics are used against its members by the ruling party.”


It’s true that Mandela failed to authorize a bloodbath of the minority whites once the black majority took power. But that decision recognizes, as the Chinese communists did, that socialism doesn’t work. The whites had to be tolerated because of their economic expertise. However, whites are now getting killed regularly in the “new” South Africa, and the country is being featured on “Genocide Watch” because of the racist dangers there. A spin-off from the ruling African National Congress, the Economic Freedom Fighter(EFF) movement, held a rally in October in South Africa featuring banners saying the “Honeymoon is over for white people in South Africa.” The group is openly Marxist-Leninist.


Interestingly, a column in the far-left Huffington Post hints at the truth, noting that Mandela “spent much of his life as a radical Marxist allied with global communist luminaries….”


In addition to the evidence of Mandela’s secret membership in the Communist Party, those “global communist luminaries” deserve some attention. He admired Fidel Castro, praised his “brother in arms” Yasser Arafat, and was a big fan of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. He was awarded the Soviet Union’s International Lenin Peace Prize. Russian President Vladimir Putincongratulated Nelson Mandela on his 95th birthday in July and “gave a high assessment to Nelson Mandela’s role in developing friendly Russian-South African relations, which have now reached the level of a strategic partnership.” Indeed, Russia and South Africa have become strategic partners in the BRICS group. BRICS refers to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.


An objective source of some of Mandela’s famous quotations is the book In the Words of Nelson Mandela, edited by Jennifer Crwys-Williams. They include:
  • “Islam has enriched and become part of Africa; in turn, Islam was transformed and Africa became part of it.”
  • “The people of Libya shared the trenches with us in our struggle for freedom” (spoken at a banquet in Tripoli, Libya, in 1997).
  • “He [Muammar Gaddafi] helped us at a time when we were all alone, when those who are now saying we should not come here were helping our enemies” (spoken at the start of his 1997 trip to Libya).
  • “My brother leader” (referring to Gaddafi).

Gaddafi was the terrorist leader who killed 189 Americans, most of them college students, by bombing Pan Am 103. The year was 1988. Gaddafi was also behind the La Belle bombing in Berlin in April of 1986. This killed two Americans and a Turkish woman and injured well over 200 persons, including 41 Americans.


In a story about Mandela’s 1997 visit to Libya, The New York Times noted: “Although Mr. Mandela had twice visited Libya before, this is his first trip since becoming President [of South Africa] in 1994. No Western leader has visited Libya since the sanctions were imposed after Colonel Qaddafi refused to turn over suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.”


But Mandela was thankful Gaddafi gave his terrorist movement weapons. He didn’t care about the terrorism that took American lives. Later, Gaddafi renounced terrorism, paid restitution to the families of Pan Am 103 victims, and gave up his own nuclear program. Nevertheless, Obama authorized his overthrow and he was killed by a mob in Libya.


Bill O’Reilly said on his Fox News show that Mandela “was a communist, all right? But he was a great man. What he did for his people was stunning. … He was a great man, but he was a communist.” Throwing out the word, without documenting it, leaves people without adequate information and O’Reilly vulnerable to the tired charge of “McCarthyism.”


The notion of a good communist, considering the bloody history of the movement, seems absurd. But sadly, that is some of the best coverage of Mandela that we have seen.


The left’s hero worship of Mandela – as well as of Obama – is to be expected. Strangely, similar coverage came from Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak, who claimed Mandela “embraced constraints on his power,” was a George Washington-type figure, a friend of Israel, opposed terrorism, and “did not turn his back on the United States and her ideals.” He went on Mark Levin’s radio show to repeat some of these dubious, and even ridiculous, claims.


Pollak quoted Mandela during his treason trial as saying, “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” Mandela also declared at the time that he was not a communist.


Now we know better. Or do we?
__________________________________________________________
South African Communist Party statement on Mandela:
See: http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?ID=4151

Workers World Party (communist) reprint of above:
http://www.workers.org/articles/2013/12/06/statement-south-african-communist-party-nelson-mandela/

“Comrade Mandela’s Secret Life”: See: http://www.aim.org/aim-column/comrade-mandelas-secret-life/; excerpts:

“The South African Communist Party is admitting Nelson Mandela was a high-ranking member. Will the media report these facts? Or will the “myth” continue to prevail?”
“It’s very rare in all of the coverage, from Fox News to MSNBC, to find any reference to the central role that communism played in Mandela’s life.”
 “Mandela, Sampson wrote, studied communist revolution. “But it was the Cuban revolution which most inspired him and many of his colleagues.””
“President Barack Obama wrote the foreword to the 2010 book, Nelson: Conversations with Myself, by Mandela.”
“Interestingly, President Obama used the foreword to describe Mandela as “a liberation figure” who worked for “equality, opportunity and human dignity.” But he said Mandela had acknowledged “that he has not been a perfect man” and had “his flaws.” Obama says the lesson is that we have to be “honest with ourselves” in the personal and political realms.”
“Then, again, Obama was never honest with the American people about his mentor, Communist Party operative Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the Soviet espionage apparatus in Hawaii.”

Frank Marshall Davis: 
Excerpts:  “In his posthumously published memoir Livin’ the Blues, Davis wrote of the period 1935 to 1948, “… I worked with all kinds of groups. I made no distinction between those labeled Communist, Socialist or merely liberal. My sole criterion was this: Are you with me in my determination to wipe out white supremacy?” Some libraries removed his books, and he became the subject of FBI investigations.”
“In order to raise cash, in 1968 Davis authored a pornographic novel, titled Sex Rebel: Black under the pseudonym Bob Greene.”
“Claims that Davis was a political influence on Obama were made by Jerome Corsi in his anti-Obama book The Obama Nation. A rebuttal released by Obama’s presidential campaign, entitled Unfit for Publication disputes those claims about the nature of their relationship.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/10/obama_whos_your_daddy.html

“The real Mandela in his own words” by Joseph Farah:(Personal quotes):
See: http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/the-real-mandela-in-his-own-words/; excerpts for educational purposes:

1) “If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don’t care for human beings.”
2) “Long live the Cuban revolution. Long live comrade Fidel Castro … Cuban internationalists have done so much for African independence, freedom and justice. We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of a vicious imperialist campaign designed to destroy the advances of the Cuban revolution. We too want to control our destiny. … There can be no surrender. It is a case of freedom or death. The Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people.”
3) “[T]he people of Asia and Africa have seen through the slanderous campaign conducted by the USA against the socialist countries. They know that their independence is threatened not by any of the countries in the socialist camp but by the USA, who has surrounded their continent with military bases. The communist bogey is an American stunt to distract the attention of the people of Africa from the real issue facing them, namely, American imperialism.”
4) “Under a Communist Party government, South Africa will become a land of milk and honey. Political, economic and social rights will cease to be enjoyed by whites only. They will be shared equally by whites and non-whites. There will be enough land and houses for all. There will be no unemployment, starvation and disease. Workers will earn decent wages; transport will be cheap and education free.”
5) “Yasser Arafat was one of the outstanding freedom fighters of this generation, one who gave his entire life to the cause of the Palestinian people.”
6) “The cause of communism is the greatest cause in the history of mankind!”
7) “Those who feel irritated by our friendship with President Khadafy can go jump in the pool.”
8) “There’s one place where (Fidel Castro’s) Cuba stands out head and shoulders above the rest – that is in its love for human rights and liberty!”
9) “The victory of socialism in the U.S.S.R., in the People’s Republic of China, in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Rumania, where the living conditions of the people were in many respects similar and even worse than ours, proves that we too can achieve this important goal.”
10) “Communists everywhere fight to destroy capitalist society and to replace it with socialism, where the masses of the common people, irrespective of race or color, will live in complete equality, freedom and happiness. They seek to revolutionize society and are thus called revolutionaries. Those who support capitalism with its class divisions and other evils and who oppose our just struggles to end oppression are called counter revolutionaries.”
11) “In our own country, the struggles of the oppressed people are guided by the South African Communist Party and inspired by its policies. The aim of the S.A.C.P. is to defeat the Nationalist government and to free the people of South Africa from the evils of racial discrimination and exploitation.”
_____________________________________________________________________

Mandela still a terrorist, claims Canada MP: See: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/363531

South African Communist Party Admits Mandela’s Leadership Role:

Excerpts:
“Also admitted in the SACP statement are facts that his adoring fans — the United Nations even designated a “Nelson Mandela International Day,” while Obama compared him to George Washington and ordered flags flown at half-mast — will have even more trouble explaining away. “After his release from prison in 1990, Comrade Madiba became a great and close friend of the communists till his last days,” the South African Communist Party said.”
“As The New American has documented extensively over a period of decades, despite Mandela’s communism and terrorism, Western governments and power brokers, along with the world’s ruthless communist despots, played a key role in bringing him to power. Now, however, even with the undeniable truth exposed, even as South Africa descends into chaos, genocide, and grinding poverty, it is unlikely that apologies will be forthcoming.”

Fake Interpreter at Mandela Memorial Implicated in Brutal Murders:


YOUR LOCAL POLICE BEING EQUIPPED BY DHS & FEMA WITH FREE MILITARY EQUIPMENT FOR YEARS~FRIGHTENING ABUSES OF POWER OVER CITIZENS OCCURRING

Obama Flooding U.S. Streets 

With “Weapons of War” 

for Local Police

EXCERPTS:
“This year alone, over 150 so-called “mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles,” or MRAPs, used by U.S. forces in Iraq, were distributed by the administration to local police departments within the “Homeland.” The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, has been at the center of mounting controversy for over a year as it stockpiled the beastly military vehicles and massive quantities of ammunition for domestic use. At the same time, federal efforts to unconstitutionally commandeer state and local law enforcement are accelerating.”
“However, amid mounting outrage and concerns over what more than two thirds of U.S. voters say is an “out-of-control” federal government that is “threatening basic civil liberties,” the administration is stepping up its showering of military equipment on local law enforcement officials. Even the establishment press is now reporting on the growing controversies — especially after the distribution of some 165, so far this year, 18-ton armored personnel carriers with gun turrets originally built for U.S. troops on Middle East battlefields. Another 731 have been requested, according to news reports.”


LibertyNEWS TV – “Armored America…

Welcome Security or a Fearsome Police State?”

SHADOWHAWK POLICE DRONE



The New American reports at:
http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/17023-from-coast-to-coast-dhs-is-taking-over-local-police, that:
Reports from towns and cities around the country prove that the federal government is determined to abolish the independence of local law enforcement.

Using “grants” and other economic incentives, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is paying police departments to become subordinate outposts of the increasingly militarized federal agency.
The New American has chronicled this dangerous trend for years and we’ve begun to notice the acceleration of the pace of DHS consolidation of control of local police departments and sheriffs offices around the country.”
The above has been supported by quite a number of other sources, such as:

Militarization of Police: 

Peace Officers to Storm Troopers | Big Brother Watch:


Radley Balko on the Militarization of Police:

Published on Aug 6, 2013



“The police have become more militarized, more soldier-like in the last generation or two,” explains journalist and author Radley Balko. “It applies to the weapons they are using, the uniforms they wear…to the tactics they use, to what I think is the most pervasive problem which is the mindset that police officers take to the job.”
Balko, author of the new book Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces, sat down with ReasonTV to discuss the book, the growth and development of SWAT forces, and how the drug war has fostered an “us against them” mentality within police departments.
Balko is a senior writer and investigative reporter at the Huffington Post. His work primarily focuses on the drug war and police abuse. Previously, Balko worked as a senior editor for Reason Magazine. 



Police State NSA tracking and the emerging 

Militarized Police in America Jul 29, 2013:


Who Will Run Your Life? The Pentagon, DHS, 

National & Local Police:


Police State : Local Police buying and using US military 

weapons across America (Jun 27, 2012):





Pentagon provides military grade weapons to local police:






Alex Jones: Government using drones against Americans:







Shock Docs (Documents): Federalization of Police 

Under New DHS Mission:





FBI, DHS and Local Police Are Using Warfare 




Capabilities against Citizens:










NWO CHAOS! Enslavement Federal to Local! 



POLICE STATE!.DHS Technology!:


MISSISSIPPI ABORTIONIST: “GOD CALLED ME TO KILL BABIES”

MISSISSIPPI ABORTIONIST: 
“GOD CALLED ME TO KILL BABIES”



SEE: 

Inside Diane Dervis’s Mississippi’s 

Lone Abortion Clinic:


Last Deathcamp in Mississippi:


Just another day at Jackson Women’s Health Organization:


Abortionist & Friend Of Tiller: “We All Love & Are Proud Of What We Do; 

It’s Right & Moral”: Interview with Diane Dervis, abortionist:



ECUMENICAL LUIS PALAU & SONS: MINISTRY MODELED AFTER BILLY GRAHAM’S DECISIONAL REGENERATION LEAVING OUT MAN’S DEPRAVITY & NEED FOR REPENTANCE~WORKS WITH CATHOLIC CHURCH~USES PSYCHOHERESY


LUIS PALAU 
ECUMENICAL BACKGROUND 
ACTIVITIES IN MINISTRY
PARTNERSHIP WITH CATHOLICS 


Luis & Pat Palau: Their Story (according to them):


Dr. Luis Palau – Liberty University Baccalaureate:






Palau’s Counselor Training Promotion 


for his “Festivals”: (Counselors From Apostate 


Mainline & Evangelical Churches):







Palau Festivals:





One Message, Many Expressions – 





“We Love Hip Hop; We Love God”-





Luis Palau’s Next Generation Alliance:






Every Nation NYC 12th Anniversary Service 




message by Dr. Luis Palau:





______________________________________


REASONS TO AVOID PALAU & HIS MINISTRY:


Luis Palau Exposed:











From John Beardsley’s “Biblical Discernment Ministries”:
reprinted in full below, unedited:
Luis Palau’s General Teachings/Activities:
–  Luis Palau (pronounced pahl-OW), is an Argentinean-born (1934, to Roman Catholic parents) international evangelistic preacher with immense popularity in South and Central America. He claims to have been born-again at age 12, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1960. Palau is the author of 44 books and booklets, and has written more than 100 articles published in CharismaChristian HeraldChristian Parenting TodayChristian ReaderChristianity TodayDecisionDiscipleship JournalFocus on the Family,MoodyThe Plain TruthPursuitWorldWorld VisionWorldwide Challenge, and many other periodicals. He has been pegged by some to replace the ecumenical Billy Grahamas the United States’ pre-eminent evangelist; “the Billy Graham of everywhere” says The Wall Street Journal. (This, of course, was prior to the 11/95 appointment of Graham’s son, Franklin, to replace the retiring Billy.) Palau models his ministry and organization after Graham, being influenced by Graham since 1962, when he served as a translator at a Graham crusade in California. Graham gave Palau money to start his own organization in 1978, the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (LPEA). Palau raises money for his stadium crusades like Graham also — the responsibility falls upon sponsoring local churches.

–  Palau is a graduate and member of the Trustee Board at the neo-evangelical/psychologically-oriented Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon (now Multnomah Biblical Seminary). He is commonly called “the Billy Graham of South America.” The title is fitting, for he has followed Graham’s new evangelical policies in his crusades and has been willing to join hands with liberals, charismatics, and Roman Catholics. His ministry has not been confined to South America, however. He has had crusades in such diverse places as Aberdeen, Scotland; New Zealand; Managua, Nicaragua; and Peoria, Illinois (New Neutralism II, p. 67).

–  Since Palau’s first crusade in 1966, an estimated 14 million people in 69 nations have attended 414 of Palau’s cross-denominational crusades and rallies (now termed “Festivals”) — he has preached on every continent except Antarctica, and was the first evangelist to hold stadium evangelistic meetings in the Soviet Union (1989). In addition, tens of millions more have been exposed to the Palau message through radio and TV broadcasts in 104 nations. His radio programs are broadcast each weekday on more than 500 stations in North, South, and Central America (200 in the U.S.). Palau often purchases television time in cities where he plans stadium crusades, airing a live call-in program called Night Talk with Luis Palau (carried by two national cable networks — the National Empowerment Television Network and the Inspirational Network). Viewers call to discuss their spiritual, family, and other concerns. Palau claims to explain the basic Gospel and prays with those who want to trust Jesus Christ. The national program also features taped segments of live TV programs from Palau’s U.S. crusades. [Palau now airs two distinct radio programs — Luis Palau Responde and Cruzada, Spanish radio programs broadcast on more than 500 stations throughout Latin America and the United States; and Reaching Your World with Luis Palau, a two-minute daily radio program, which went on the air 1/31/00, broadcast on more than 530 stations in the English-speaking world.] (Source: LPEA Internet web site, 8/27/01.)

The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (LPEA), his Portland, Oregon based non-profit organization, cites more than 757,000 “known public decisions for Jesus Christ” as a result of the crusades, while tens of thousands more have supposedly made life-changing decisions for Christ as a result of LPEA’s broad range of ministries. The LPEA has an annual budget of more than $4 million and 80 full- and part-time employees. In 1995, the operation moved into a $1.3 million complex in Beaverton, Oregon, a Portland suburb. The new building includes a television studio in addition to radio rooms. Palau has dreams of becoming a “Christian-based alternative to ‘Geraldo’ and ‘Oprah.’ I want to go nose to nose with the talk shows” (Martha Irvine: 10/13/95, Associated Press story).

–  What kind of gospel is preached at a typical Palau’ crusade? Palau conducted a “festival” in Waterbury, Connecticut on 4/29/01. In an interview with Ed Flynn of “Talk of the Town” on radio station 1320 AM, on April 24, promoters of the Palau festival said that the evangelist is “a uniter, not a divider,” that he is nondenominational and sends his converts “right back to the churches they come from.” 

On 10/1/93, WGN-TV superstation out of Chicago aired a tape of Palau’s message from his Phoenix Crusade held at the America West Arena the end of October of 1992. [Jerry Colangelo, the president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team, was the Crusade Chairman.] Palau’s message was titled, “Hope for the Stressed-Out.”

Palau’s message was peppered with “the Bible says” this/”the Bible says” that, but Palau never quoted a Bible passage. For example: “The Bible says the Lord saves us from the pit — the pit of despair, the pit of low self-esteem … the Bible says He redeems your life from the pit.” Palau, of course, didn’t give the passage from the Bible to document that the Bible actually says God saves us from low self-esteem — probably because there is no such passage. (Chuck SwindollJosh McDowellR.C. Sproul, Clyde Narramore, andother “Christian” psychologizers say the Lord saves us from low self-esteem, but the Bible certainly doesn’t say that. The salvation of sinners depends upon the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show sinners that they are lost and guilty before God, so that they might repent and place their trust in Christ for salvation. What does this have to do with helping the sinner enjoy feelings of greater self-esteem?)

The serious error in Palau’s so-called gospel message was further illustrated in the Phoenix crusade video. The Phoenix message was interrupted with cut-outs to a call-in television show Palau had done earlier in 1992. One caller, a homosexual with AIDS from San Antonio, was “led to the Lord” by Palau via the repetition of an easy-believism, decisional regeneration type of prayer so common in today’s crusade evangelism. Nowhere in the prayer was there the acknowledgement that the man’s homosexuality was sin (although Palau told the caller that he had “failed” the God who “loved and died for him”).

–  Scholars have observed that although evangelists traditionally preached about hell-fire and brimstone, they began avoiding the topic entirely in the 1960s and ’70s, concentrating instead on the love of God rather than risk of offending the populace. Adhering to this trend, Palau says he will emphasize God’s forgiveness: “I think that’s where I’m gearing my message,” he said. “I think there’s a great sense of guilt in America. People want to know if they’re going to heaven, an implicit acknowledgment that there’s a less desirable alternative than paradise. There is no need to call Americans sinners. They know it already.” (Emphasis added.) (4/17/96, Chicago Tribune). [In a 6/6/01 interview with Religion Today, Palau confirms his position: “While he does not emphasize hell in his preaching ‘to excess,’ says Palau, ‘I do bring it in as a warning — not as a major but as a minor emphasis.'”]

So not to offend with the gospel, Palau is, in effect, saying that he preaches a watered-down gospel that is no gospel at all. For example, in 1995, Palau preached to an estimated 26,000 in four meetings in Kathmandu, Nepal. Since proselytization is illegal in Nepal, Palau encouraged Nepalis to “fall in love with Jesus,” instead of urging them to renounce Hinduism. This, of course, is not the Gospel of Christ. And what about the other gods the Hindus worship? They would gladly add Jesus to their thousands of other gods. They might even make Him their chief god, but not the only God (10/95, O Timothy). [Responding to BDM’s criticism of Palau’s “watered-down gospel,” Palau responds in a 6/6/01 interview with Religion Today, “Almost 80 percent of my preaching comes from the Bible. The other 20 percent is cultural, historic and psychological. I try to position and think, ‘Where is my audience coming from?'”]

–  Many times the best indicator of the “Biblical quality” of a ministry is the “quality” of those endorsing it. A Palau brochure received by BDM in 12/93 had a section entitled “What Others Are Saying.” It included glowing endorsements from the ecumenical Billy Graham; charismatic demon-deliverer Evelyn Christenson; liberal charismatic preacher E.V. Hill; hyper-charismatic Jack Hayford; and Catholic sympathizer and New Age religionist Chuck Colson. [In a separate piece of literature, Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute, endorsed Palau’s 8-week Chicago Crusade scheduled for April-May, 1996 (see below).]

BDM also received a book from the LPEA titled Say Yes!: How To Renew Your Spiritual Passion (Multnomah Press, 1991, 168 ppgs.). In addition to Graham, Hayford, and Colson endorsing the book, other endorsers were modernist John Stott; Campus Crusade‘s ecumenical leader Bill Bright; Dallas Seminary’s neo-evangelical psychologizerHoward Hendricks; ecumenical social activist D. James Kennedy; the then director of the neo-evangelical National Religious Broadcasters, E. Brandt Gustavson; and financial psychobabbler Ron Blue. [Additionally, on 12/2/93, TBN aired a tape of a Palau’ message from his 10/16/93-10/24/93 Greater Ft. Worth Crusade held at the Tarrant County Convention Center. Giving testimonial endorsements prior to Palau’s message were ex-Dallas Cowboy football coach, Tom Landry, and self-love psychologizer and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar.]

Also, Palau’s web site lists endorsers of his ministry: Billy Graham, Chuck Colson, Jack Hayford, Joni Eareckson Tada, Joseph Stowell, and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Angelican). 

Of all the endorsers of Palau and his ministry, we could not find a single endorsement by anyone even remotely considered to be an evangelical, Biblical fundamentalist!

–  Palau says the fight against violence and hopelessness in America must be fought with more contemporary weapons. So he incorporates some modern devices into his crusades. Christian rap music replaces the traditional hymns at many events, and big-screen video shots of sporting events are used to attract younger audiences. Palau says, “I think we need to adapt rather than fight it. I’m sure somebody is called to fight it, but my attitude is rather than fight it, exploit it.” Palau also quietly accepts the MTV cartoon characters, Beavis and Butt-head — “Those two guys … you can scream all you like, but they’re here to stay, those two,” showing a sort of respect for the cartoon delinquents on MTV (10/93 Associated Press report, printed in the Bloomington, Indiana, 10/23/93, The Herald-Times).

An example of Palau’s contemporary techniques would be his 1992 Phoenix Crusade (which drew about 72,000 total over the five days of meetings). On the last day of the crusade, the “Christian” rap group DC Talk performed to about 16,000 of all ages amid roving colored lights and man-made fog. (See the 6/96, Christian Conscience for areview of a DC Talk concert — article by John Beardsley, pp. 54-58.) Palau sandwiched himself in the middle of the afternoon’s festivities with a short message and an invitation. About 700 came forward before the rapping resumed. In his messages throughout the week, Palau frequently used humor and made references to such popular figures as Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor. He said he wants to present the Christian message “positively” and to show people he’s not a “ranting, raving preacher.” In one message he talked of heaven, but noted that many preachers dwell too much on hell (11/2/92, The Arizona Republic).

–  Palau’s 8-week “Say Yes, Chicago” Crusade was held over a 57-day period in April-May, 1996, and featured more than 70 events in a variety of metropolitan-area venues, including the Rosemont Horizon, the UIC Pavilion, and Soldier Field. Palau staffers and a 150-member executive committee of local clergy and laity raised $2.3 million and enlisted 1,700 churches from Kenosha to Kankakee and DeKalb, as well as from the city and suburbs. The official Palau Chicago campaign brochure lists churches of many denominations: Presbyterian, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free, Nazarene, Episcopal, and Christian. Rock musicians performed. Individual Catholic priests were involved in leadership roles. One of the sponsoring churches was church growth guru Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church. Ecumenical speakers included Tony Evans, E.V. Hill, Raleigh Washington, Joseph Stowell, Erwin Lutzer, and Rabi Maharaj. The attendance goal was set at 500,000; 15,000 people were given a two-hour training course on how to share their faith with friends and neighbors. The schedule included a nightly call-in TV show, special breakfasts and luncheons, and women’s, children’s, and youth events.

Palau claims to have preached the gospel to 129,000 people at 75 events throughout greater Chicago, and to have bagged 9,460 new Christians during the two-month campaign (of which 44% were “first-time commitments”). Palau also presented his version of the gospel through 27 one-hour television programs on four Chicago stations, originating in the studios of WCFC-TV38, and as a result, claimed more than 650 callers “indicated they prayed with Luis or with counselors, committing their lives to Christ.” (Source: LPEA Internet web site, 8/27/01.)

–  From 1/1/80-1/4/80, a “Methodist Congress on Evangelism” was held at Oral Roberts University. Palau appeared with Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Dr. Charles Allen of the First United Methodist Church of Houston, and several Methodist bishops. This is just an example to show that Palau is not adverse to cooperation with those still in the fellowship of apostate Methodism or those on the radical fringe of charismaticism. In addition, Palau’s 5/92 Peoria Crusade included cooperation with over 150 churches, many of them liberal, charismatic, and even some from John Wimber‘s radical Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

Palau’s evangelistic association is also affiliated with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Along with (apostate) comedian Steve Allen, Palau was a speaker at the 1987 convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, an arm of the NAE at the time. Despite these dubious connections, he has also been a speaker at Moody Bible Institute, Dallas Seminary’s “School of Evangelism,” and the 25th anniversary celebration of Talbot Seminary (New Neutralism II, pp. 67-68).

–  Promise Keepers is the gigantic new (1991) “men’s movement” among professing evangelical Christians. Its roots are Catholic and charismatic to the core. PK’s contradictory stand on homosexuality; its promotion of secular psychology; its unscriptural feminizing of men; its depiction of Jesus as a “phallic messiah” tempted to perform homosexual acts; and its ecumenical and unbiblical teachings should dissuade any true Christian from participating. Promise Keepers is proving to be one of the most ungodly and misleading movements in the annals of Christian history. Nevertheless, Palau is a promoter of this ecumenical, charismatic, psychologized men’s movement, as evidenced by his speaking at PK’s 1992 National Men’s Conference and at regional stadium rallies in 1995, 1996, and 2000, and by his authoring a chapter in two PK books (Go the Distanceand Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper). [Palau’s wife, Pat, also authored a chapter in two PK books (Promises! Promises! and The Joy of a Promise Kept) designed for the wives of Promise Keepers. Others authoring chapters in Promises! Promises! are the wives of Howard Hendricks, Gary Smalley, and John Trent.)]

–  Dr. Bill Jackson, president of the Association of Fundamentalists Evangelizing Catholics (AFEC), prepared a 6/18/99 statement on “The Gospel of Jesus Christ—An Evangelical Celebration” (EC) (see the 6/14/99 Christianity Today for the full text of the EC). This document has been endorsed by Charles Colson, Bill Bright, and J.I. Packer, all of whom also signed the controversial ECT documents of 1994 and 1997; as well as endorsed by R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur and D. James Kennedy, all of whom publicly [albeit weakly] challenged and criticized them for signing the ECT documents (see above). There are a number of helpful statements in this latest document which deal with areas which were not fully dealt with in the ECT documents (e.g., imputation is now dealt with favorably, but has been consistently opposed by Roman Catholic Councils and Catechisms). EC says, “We cannot embrace any form of doctrinal indifferentism by which God’s truth is sacrificed for a false peace.” But there is certainly no better example of “doctrinal indifferentism” than the ECT documents themselves (James 1:8)! Because ECT I stated that “Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ,” in order to be relevant the new EC document should be submitted to the Roman Catholics who signed ECT I and II. It is difficult to see how a person could subscribe to both ECT and EC. The only logical conclusion is for all who signed EC to remove their names from ECT. It also appears that the so-called “evangelical” ECT endorsers have been “let off the hook” by former critics such as R.C. Sproul. We believe EC will be used to rehabilitate those who erred in 1994 and 1997, without their having to admit or ask forgiveness for their error. (Source: 7/15/99, Calvary Contender.) [Other “evangelical” endorsers of EC among the 15 members of the Drafting Committee and 114 members of the Endorsing Committee include John Ankerberg, Kay Arthur, Tony Evans, Jerry Falwell, Bill Hybels, David Jeremiah, D. James Kennedy, Max LucadoWoodrow KrollTim & Beverly LaHaye,Erwin LutzerBill McCartneyLuis PalauPat Robertson, Ronald Sider, Charles Stanley, John Stott, Joseph Stowell, Chuck Swindoll, Bruce Wilkinson, and Ravi Zacharias; also endorsing EC were hyper-charismatics Jack Hayford and Steven Strang.] 
However ignorant Palau and fellow endorsers may be of all this, his participation in EC makes him a party to its consequences. It is also important to note that the EC document (which is supposed to be a definitive and comprehensive statement of the true saving Gospel of Christ), never mentions repentance for salvation, and never mentions the total depravity of man (thereby leaning towards a decisional regeneration). Moreover, the EC promotes an ecumenical unity (via “trans-denominational cooperative enterprises”) with all professing believers who attest to the EC’s “essentials” of the faith. But this is not the unity of the faith taught in Ephesians. While we are instructed by Scripture to be of one mind, the evangelical today scoffs at the idea of true Biblical unity based on complete agreement with, and submission to, God’s holy Word. The only use of the word “unity” in the New Testament is found in Ephesians chapter four. It is a “unity of the Spirit” (v. 3), not of men. It is a “unity of faith” (v. 13) based on sound doctrine for which believers are to contend, not water down nor reclassify into essentials and non-essentials (Jude 3). No real spiritual unity can exist apart from doctrinal unity, and we are to “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17).

–   Luis Palau was named as one of four Honorary Co-Chairmen of the A.D. 2000 Evangelism organization. (The other three were Billy Graham, Campus Crusade’s Bill Bright, and Kyun Chik Han of Korea. Paul Cedar of the Evangelical Free Church chaired the A.D. 2000 International Coalition of Christian Leaders, which is composed of 200 key leaders from various denominations, national, and local churches.) A.D. 2000 Evangelism is ecumenical, compromising to the core, and even has some New Agers in its ranks (e.g., Jay Gary and Robert Muller), yet many undiscerning or uninformed believers are supporting, praising, and participating in it. This unscriptural evangelism movement includes Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Charismatics, Pentecostals, and Protestants of all kinds. It is evident that many have not yet realized the impossibility of evangelizing the world when millions of those participating in that effort preach a false gospel. This makes the A.D. 2000 Evangelism program a curse, not a blessing.

According to the July-August 1993, Mission Frontiers Bulletin, “These International Coalition leaders share the vision of the A.D. 2000 and Beyond Movement. [“A church for every people and the Gospel for every person by A.D. 2000,” is their slogan.] They are ‘front line’ leaders, implementers, activists, equippers, and/or mobilizers in the ministry of world evangelization. Coalition members give leadership to the involvement of their own constituencies and share spiritual counsel with the various A.D. 2000 boards, committees and resource network leaders. They will seek to rally support and resources of all kinds to see the objectives of the movement fulfilled.” (Emphasis added.) Seeking “all kinds” of support simply means that they will utilize whatever group claims to be in agreement with their “objectives” of global evangelization. The problem with such an inclusivist policy, however, is that some of the groups whose support they are trying to enlist embrace many unbiblical beliefs and strange gospels (September-October 1993,Foundation magazine).

–  The  “Alpha Course” was devised by Holy Trinity Brompton, London, a large charismatic Anglican church. Anglican priest Nicky Gumbel began teaching it in 1990. It is now the largest evangelistic effort in Britain and has been taken up by the main denominations and spread to the U.S. and elsewhere. Luis Palau has endorsed it. Its philosophy is New Age, leading to experiences rooted in the occult. The Alpha Course, originally intended for new Christians, is now aimed at the unchurched. But at its core is a “watered-down” gospel. It is geared less to conversion than to seeking the spurious Toronto Blessing experience. (Source: 12/15/98, Calvary Contender). 

–  Palau is a member of COR (Coalition on Revival), a Reconstructionist/Dominionist organization dedicated to a social gospel/activism agenda that proposes to impose Biblical standards (e.g., Old Testament law) on unbelieving peoples and institutions. Since Palau has signed COR’s Manifesto, it is interesting to read what the people affiliated with COR believe. The following is from a brochure announcing the 12th Annual Northwest Conference for Christian Reconstruction. Does this not sound like a different gospel? (emphases added):

“The Christian Reconstruction movement believes that the Bible contains not only a message of personal salvation through the blood of Christ shed on the cross, but also a comprehensive law structure which is alone able to provide a just basis for society. It is committed to the view that sovereignty and thus government belong to God, and that all delegated government, whether to family, church or state (civil government), is to be exercised in obedience to the law of God’s covenant. Furthermore, salvation involves every aspect of man’s life and thus also the relationships he sustains to the world around him. The exercise of dominion in accordance with the terms of God’s covenant is therefore basic and vital to the Christian faith. To neglect this is to deprecate the extent of Christ’s victory at Calvary.”

That Palau has no problem identifying with this movement is a bit disconcerting to say the least. (For details of COR’s unbiblical strategy for “taking the world for Christ,” see COR’ documents titled A Manifesto for the Christian ChurchForty-two Articles of the Essentials of a Christian World View, and Twenty-five Articles of Affirmation and Denial on the Kingdom of God. These three documents, along with COR’s 17 Sphere/World View Documents, make up what COR calls its “20 COR World View Documents.”)
–  Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days during the summer of 1994, during which he claims to have received a “prophecy from God” that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando 12/5/94-12/7/94 to fast and pray for revival. An Invitation Committee made up of a hodgepodge of 72 liberals, new evangelicals, and charismatics was formed. Included were: Robert Schuller, Charles Colson, E.V. Hill, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, W.A. Criswell, Charles Stanley, Paul Crouch, Luis Palau, Bill Gothard, Pat Robertson, Kay Arthur, and Larry Burkett. CCC’s Bill Bright cites “a great sense of urgency to link arms and unitedly call upon God for help in the spirit of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20).” This ecumenical “linking” is in the “spirit of Jehoshaphat” indeed, but the Jehoshaphat of 2 Chr. 18 (instead of 2 Chr. 20) where he “linked” with wicked King Ahab and incurred the wrath of God. (Reported in the 11/15/94, Calvary Contender.) [Another three-day “Fasting & Prayer” conference was held in 11/95 in Los Angeles; it attracted 3,500 “evangelicals” and charismatics. The Invitation/Host Committee for this event included most of those listed above, plus Dick Eastman, Chuck Smith, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Tim and Beverly LaHaye, Shirley Dobson, Paul Cedar (E-Free), Ted Engstrom (World Vision), Joseph Stowell (Moody), and Joseph Aldrich (Multnomah). A third conference was held 11/14/96-11/16/96 in St. Louis. New additions to the Host Committee included Max Lucado, Henry Blackaby, Loren Cunningham (YWAM), Greg Laurie, Dennis Rainey, Randy Phillips (Promise Keepers), Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, Howard Hendricks, and Neil Anderson. (Conferences have been held every year now, but there is an uncertain future with Bill Bright’s August  2001retirement from Campus Crusade, and his 2003 death.)]
–  While reporting on Amsterdam ’86, Fundamental Evangelistic Association reporter Dennis Costella asked Palau if he would cooperate with Roman Catholics. Palau replied that he certainly would and admitted that it was being done. He went on to mention specific plans for more extensive Catholic involvement in his future crusades (Jul/Aug 1986,Foundation magazine). Some of the details of past Palau’s involvement with Catholics follows:
(a) In 1974, in a meeting in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Catholic charismatics were among the counselors (8/16/92, Pastor James E. Singleton sermon, Tri-City Baptist Church, Tempe, Arizona).

(b) In Managua, Nicaragua in 12/75, a conservative tabloid Novedodes carried this headline: “Archbishop sees no problem with the Palau campaign.” The 12/19/75Christianity Today reported: “It enjoyed the support of most of Managua’s 125 Protestant churches and many Catholics. Catholic charismatic groups attended.”

(c) The Canadian Paper Faith Today (5/78) gave a glowing report of Palau’s crusade in Montevideo, Uruguay. It said, “On the final night of the crusade, the secretary of the Catholic Bishop of Montevideo attended the meeting. He conveyed the Bishop’s regrets that he could not attend personally, but he assured Palau that on some future occasion, he hoped to be present.”

(d) The 1987 Palau Crusade in New Zealand was reportedly “the first time the Catholic Church has ever backed a major evangelical Christian mission” in that area. Catholic Bishop Dennis Browne of Auckland accepted an invitation to join the mission’s advisory board along with leaders of many other denominations (4/18/86,College Weekly).

(e) The 1993 Palau Crusade in Jamaica featured this note in a 1/31 newspaper ad: “The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston gives wholehearted support in mobilizing its members to participate in the National Crusade 1993. This venture is seen by us as an important event in the spreading of the Gospel in an ecumenical manner” (3/15/93, Calvary Contender).

(f) A Palau Londonderry (Ireland) crusade campaign organizing committee member (a Baptist pastor) was interviewed on BBC radio in company with a Roman Catholic priest — he did not dispute claims that Palau sends Catholics back to Rome. At Palau’s 5/16/95-5/21/95 crusade, Roman Catholics and Protestants worshipped together in a tent-pavilion on the bank of the Foyle River, which divides Protestant and Catholic communities (6/12/95, NIIR; and 9/15/95, Calvary Contender).

(g) Palau admits that his 2001 Mission Connecticut audience has been, in some spots, 60 to 70 percent Roman Catholic: “The good thing about that,” according to Palau, “is that they bring a high respect for God, a high sense of sinfulness, and a sense of the holiness and the awesomeness of God” (6/6/01, Religion Today). [What a perverted view of the true spiritual state of Roman Catholics!]

–  More evidence Palau has made a determined effort to appeal to Catholics: A 10/31/92 article in The Arizona Republic (“One In Christ: Luis Palau Emphasizes Similarities in Making Interdenominational Appeal,” p. B8) detailed Palau’s philosophy for reaching the lost in false religious systems:

“… Palau’s form of worship presents such a broad Christian message that it appeals to Protestants and Catholics alike. … But unlike other evangelicals who have actively tried to lure … Catholics away from their churches, Palau aims to keep people in their own Christian churches — regardless of denomination. … ‘on the core of Christianity, we are one,’ Palau said in a recent interview. … Palau represents a growing trend among religious groups … that do not want to alienate Catholics. … [Palau] carefully avoids the controversial differences between Catholics and Protestants. … Protestants of Palau’s type have a message that does not require abandoning church membership … Bible studies are deliberately held at times that would not conflict with Masses and controversial subjects like the Virgin Mary are avoided. Instead there’s an attempt to find a common ground in the Bible.”

In other words, Palau’s plan is to give them (Catholics, in the above example) a watered-down, non-offensive gospel, and then leave them in the same blasphemous religious system they were in before being “saved.” [LEPA and Palau have also taken part in the annual ecumenical/charismatic/Catholic-accommodating March For Jesus campaigns.]

–  Some think that the ecumenical evangelism techniques used by Palau are not that serious a matter, and that those opposing him are over-reacting. The following excerpts are from a letter from the pastor of the First Romanian Fundamentalist Baptist Church in Chicago:

“Louis Palau has organized evangelistic meetings in some cities in Romania. The Baptist believers in Romania were not informed about who he is, and therefore helped in these meetings. The association of Mr. Palau spread word that 40,000 have been converted through these meetings. I had the occasion of talking with some Romanian pastors after the meetings, and this is their evaluation:

(a) There were no additions to the churches with people “converted” in these evangelistic meetings;

(b) One pastor mentioned that the only result he could point to in his church was the one drunk person came to him and said he wanted to be baptized, for he heard Mr. Palau saying people need to be baptized. This was the evidence of people responding after the meetings;

(c) Some pastors observed that now they have a hard time organizing evangelistic meetings, because people have participated in those organized by Mr. Palau and their interest in these events is gone. By such actions, people are being immunized against the Word of God!

If Mr. Palau has succeeded in anything in Romania, he has succeeded in conditioning people against the Gospel.”

Biblical Discernment Ministries – Revised 8/01

__________________________________________________________________

THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATIONS OF PALAU ARE EXTENSIVE:

LUIS PALAU AND ROME:
https://ratherexposethem.org/2013/05/luis-palau-and-rome-by-david-cloud.html

Evangelical Leaders Luis Palau and Rick 

Warren Salute Pope Francis – What Are the Implications?

Luis Palau: Why It Matters that Pope Francis Drinks Mate’ with Evangelicals:

Luis Palau’s Partnership with Roman Catholics at the Omaha Crusade:

Evangelist Luis Palau Has Laid Hands 

on Pope Francis:

Luis Palau’s Christian festival to have 
Catholic elements:
The Wider Ramifications of Luis Palau’s Departure from the Gospel -a call to reformation:
BEAVERTON BIBLE CHURCH, OREGON:
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013


Posted by: Beaverton Grace Bible Church | more..

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt 7:13-14)

On this Good Friday morning I am praising God for the faithful “narrow gate” preaching ministry of Pastor John MacArthur and his radio ministry, Grace to You (GTY). Far too many professing Christian leaders are standing behind their pulpits trampling the Reformation and the Gospel itself beneath their “broad is the way” ecumenical feet, celebrating Roman Catholicism’s new pope and proclaiming him a brother in the Lord and the ministry of the Gospel, “the pure Gospel” (Luis Palau). John MacArthur is NOT celebrating Roman Catholicism or the pope. He continues to stand in Southern California as a lightning rod for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel, the pure Gospel of the Bible, the pure Gospel of the Reformation. Before he steps into the pulpit he does not check to see which way the winds of popular ecumenical apostasy are blowing so he can adjust his message accordingly. Instead, he leans into that soul damning wind and faithfully thunders forth the soul saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. See Pastor MacArthur’s recent pope exposing message titled Usurping the Seat of Christ: http://www.gty.org/resources/Sermons/80-405/Usurping-the-Seat-of-Christ



Strength attracts and breeds strength. Courage attracts and breeds courage. Love of Christ and His Gospel attracts and breeds love of Christ and His Gospel. The man at the helm of GTY’s radio ministry is Phil Johnson, an Elder at Grace Community Church, the longtime editor of Pastor MacArthur’s books, and a faithful preacher/teacher of God’s Word in his own right. Did I mention that he occasionally blogs? Phil Johnson was recently called upon by the Christian World View radio talk show to represent GTY and the historic Protestant, Evangelical “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The entire interview is well worth the hour it takes to listen to it. The Reformation, the pope, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical departures from “the faith” are discussed at length. You can listen to the entire broadcast here:http://thechristianworldview.com/tcwblog/archives/5742



At around the 15:44 mark of the interview, the radio talk show host asks Phil Johnson about Luis Palau’s bold “broad is the way” promotion of the pope in a Christianity Today interview from 3/14/2013. When questioned about the new pope, Mr. Palau told the CT reporter; “He’s a very Bible-centered man, a very Jesus Christ-centered man. He’s more spiritual than he is administrative, although he’s going to have to exercise his administrative skills now! But personally, he is more known for his personal love for Christ. He’s really centered on Jesus and the Gospel, the pure Gospel.” Here is Phil Johnson’s response to Palau’s apostate promotion of the pope and his sacramental system of salvation; “Palau made the shift I think sometime in the 90’s, maybe in the 1980’s, where he embraced ecumenism, and began to involve Roman Catholics in his crusades, and changed his message so that he didn’t preach justification by faith alone, Sola Fide, or any other thing that would offend his Roman Catholic constituents. And he’s been carefully and deliberately courting a Roman Catholic constituency for nearly 20 years now… He’s departed from the historic protestant and Evangelical position (the Gospel).” Phil Johnson has rightly assessed Palau’s open and repeated promotion of the pope as a proponent of the “pure Gospel” as a clear departure from “the historic protestant and Evangelical” Gospel.


GTY’s faithful spokesman goes on to remind us (around the 32-34 minute mark) that Rome has declared all who hold to salvation being by grace through faith, and not of sacramental works to be under the official anathema (damnation) of the Roman Catholic Church. To bolster that point he stated that ALL the cannons and decrees of the Council of Trent are reconfirmed in current Catechism of the Catholic Church. Phil stressed that he sees Luis Palau, Rick Warren, Hank Hanegraaff, and the broader Evangelical world’s re/union with Roman Catholicism as symptomatic of Evangelicalism’s love affair with pragmatism and insistence that relationship trump sound doctrine, even the doctrine of Soteriology, the Gospel. There is a vast and willful ignorance of history and theology, and we (the Evangelical church) are ripe for this kind of departure from the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Thank you Pastor John MacArthur and GTY spokesman Phil Johnson for faithfully declaring, defining, and defending the “narrow gate” Gospel of Jesus Christ as if billions of souls depend on it! May God raise up a new generation of Gospel reformers in the PNW and all around the globe who will not sit silent while the “narrow gate” of Christ’s Church is being overrun by “broad is the way” apostasy. It is time to sound the alarm. It is time to take up the Sword of the Spirit and wield it boldly for Christ our King.
The church I have had the privilege of pastoring for almost 14 years (Beaverton Grace Bible Church) is just a mile away from the headquarters of Luis Palau’s Evangelistic Association. The Christian community in our area (churches, radio ministries, colleges, seminaries, etc.) is saturated with all things Palau. He is kind of the local Christian evangelist rock star. Even the openly homosexual mayor of Portland was happy to associate himself with Luis Palau up on the platform during a downtown Portland Palau Festival. The Evangelical churches in the Portland area lend their ready support to Mr. Palau’s ministry locally and globally. Mr. Palau regularly fills the pulpits of the two largest Bible churches (Cedar Mill Bible Church & Southwest Bible Church) in the area.
Back in 2008, BGBC began to call Mr. Palau and his ministry back to the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). I met with one of the lead men who plan and coordinate the Palau Festivals. I sat with him in our church and watched video footage of priests celebrating their delivery of thousands of rosaries and the heretical sacrament of penance at Luis Palau’s events. He told me that he would pass on my “concerns” to someone closer to Luis. Sadly, the Palau Association has continued to become an association of apostasy as they depart from the true Gospel, preferring friendship and partnership with the false gospel of the Roman Catholic Church.
See Luis Palau Association’s Ecumenical Evangelism Exposed -parts 1-3 (2008)
See Dialoguing with a Luis Palau Associate -Part 1 & 2 (2008)
Listen to Ecumenical Evangelism Exposed (2008)
Five years later, Luis Palau has come out of the closet with his “broad is the way” apostasy and he is now openly promoting the pope as a proponent of the “pure Gospel.” It is an obvious but suppressed reality that the pope is Catholic; that Catholicism is not Christianity; and that Luis Palau and Rick Warren’s promotion/union with the pope is bold apostasy. It is long past time for TRUE Bible believing, Gospel believing, Christ loving pastors and churches to call Luis Palau and Rick Warren to repent of their apostate promotion/union with the heretical Roman Catholic Church, priests, bishops, and antichrist pope. Cedar Mill Bible Church, Southwest Bible Church, and all genuine Bible/Gospel believing churches and ministries need to cease their support of Luis Palau until such a time as he repents of his apostasy. The multitude of professing Evangelical churches that support, celebrate, and look to Rick Warren for leadership need to call him to repent of his apostasy, and break their union with him until such a time as he does. The love of Christ, His TRUE Gospel, and over a billion Catholic souls demands that we expose the antichrist pope’s “evil deeds” (2 John 9-11). The church must declare, define, and defend the Gospel.
Beware of the pope and popish doctrine! Phil. 3:2 warns us to “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” This is an appropriate description and warning of the pope and popish doctrines. There is a corruption and corrosion of Biblical conviction and theology in the Evangelical church as evidenced by a ready acceptance and celebration of pope, priest, and the false Gospel of Roman Catholicism. Rick Warren, Luis Palau, and so many like them have crafted a peace with the pope and His false Gospel that cuts the heart out of the true Gospel and blasphemes the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Rick Warren tweeted to the world, “Welcome Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Habemus Papam, You have our prayers.” In a Christianity Today article Warren described Roman Catholic sacramental system of salvation as mere “doctrinal distinctives” and went on to assert “the fact is, we do serve the same Lord.” Luis Palau has repeatedly stated that the pope is his personal friend and that “He’s really centered on Jesus and the Gospel, the pure Gospel” (Christianity Today, 3/14/13). Rick Warren and Luis Palau are two highly influential “broad is the way” apostates.
Charles Spurgeon rebukes Warren, Palau, and all like them; “False gods, attempts to represent the true God, and indeed, all material things which are worshipped, are so much filth upon the face of the earth, whether they be crosses, crucifixes, virgins, wafers, relics, or even the Pope himself. We are by far too mealy mouthed about these infamous abominations: God abhors them, and so should we. To renounce the glory of spiritual worship for outward pomp and show is the height of folly, and deserves to be treated as such.” (The Treasury of David, Psalm 106:20)
The two following messages are a call to declare, define, and defend the Gospel against the winds of apostasy blowing out of Rome, through the heretical halls of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church and Luis Palau’s non-Evangelical Association of apostasy.
Is the Pope Catholic? Luis Palau? Rick Warren?
Beware of Pope & Popish Doctrine

Chuck O'Neal Chuck O’Neal
__________________________________________________________
Preaching the true gospel outside Luis Palau festival in Guatemala:
PILGRIMS COVENANT CHURCH, MONROE, WISCONSIN:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1031131021315

Roman Catholic Priests Are Hearing Confessions, and Distributing Rosary Beads At Luis Palau Crusades!! (Is Luis Palau A Wolf?):

See: 

VIDEO: Is Luis Palau a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? (Catholic Priests Hearing Confessions At His Crusades?):





THE CHURCH DOESN’T EXIST FOR BELIEVERS??? WHY ARE YOU SO SELFISH TO THINK IT IS?

Chris Rosebrough of http://www.piratechristianradio.com/http://www.letterofmarque.us/, and http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/, presents the biblical refutation against the idea that church doesn’t exist for believers.
YouTube audio:

See: http://www.letterofmarque.us/2012/10/who-do-pastors-exist-for.html, shown below in full, unedited:

For Whom Do Pastors Exist?

If I had ten dollars for every time I’ve heard a seeker-driven pastor justify the crazy antics that happen in their churches by claiming that “the church doesn’t exist for believers”, I’d be able to purchase James MacDonald’s home with cash. These seeker-driven antics include such things as playing AC/DC’s Highway to Hell to open their Easter servicerefusing to preach the Bible with any depth or accuracy, performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller, recreating the famous kiss scene from the Spiderman movie and a whole host of other crazy worldly stunts.
When you call these pastors out on their antics their responses are predictable and consistent and usually go something like this:

Example 1

Church Attender: Hey pastor, why don’t you ever preach exegetical sermons? I feel like I’m not being fed here because your sermons usually only contain 3 or 4 verses taken out of context in order to teach some relevant life principle.

Pastor: Why are you so selfish? The church doesn’t exist for you. It’s not about you.

Example 2

Church Attender: Hey pastor, why did you have the worship team begin our Easter service with AC/DC’s Highway to Hell rather than a song proclaiming Jesus’ victorious resurrection from the grave? AC/DC is worldly at best and satanic at worst and that blasphemous song should not be brought into God’s house.
Pastor: Why are you so selfish? The church doesn’t exist for you. It’s not about you. Church isn’t for the already convinced its for the not yet convinced.

Example 3

Church Attender: Hey pastor, why are you preaching about movies rather than preaching God’s Word like 2 Tim 4:1-3 commands?
Pastor: Why are you so selfish? The church doesn’t exist for you. It’s not about you. Our church exists for people who are not yet believers.
Notice that each time the pastor answers using the standard seeker-driven talking point and doesn’t answer the question but makes a blanket claim that the church doesn’t exist for believers and therefore the person asking the question is guilty of selfishly believing that the church exists for them.
Anyone who’s been railroaded by these tactics knows that something is way off about these claims being made by seeker-driven pastors but don’t exactly know how to put their finger on the problem or know how to put it into words. This post will help you do that.
Notice that every time the word pastor has appeared, thus far, in this post that I’ve bolded it and underlined it. That is to help you spot the irony of the statements being made by seeker-driven pastorsand that irony will help you identify the underlying error in their tactics and methodologies.
Here’s the irony…No where in scripture does it say that the church exists for unbelievers. BUT, there are clear passages that state that pastors and elders are to serve the church. Therefore, it is ironic and foolish for a pastor, whose job is to serve the church to justify methods that don’t serve Christians by claiming that the church doesn’t exist for believers.
Here are the key passages that address this topic. We’ll begin by first looking at the passages that discuss spiritual gifts. The reason for this is that the ability to teach God’s word is a gift given by the Holy Spirit to certain people within the body of Christ.
The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts is to Build Up the Church Not The World
The Bible teaches that God, The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different believers for the building up of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4–7). Teaching is one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to pastors and this gift is to be used specifically for believers.
Ephesians 4:8–13 states this very clearly:

“(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

In clear and unambiguous language God states that shepherds (pastors) and teachers in the church exist to equip the saints (not unbelievers) and to build up the body of Christ (not the world). This is clear and irrefutable.
Those Who Have the Gift To Teach Are Commanded to Feed Christ’s Sheep by Teaching the Word of God
The duties of shepherds and teachers within the church are governed by the instructions given by Jesus Christ.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,“Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15–17)

Notice that in this passage Jesus doesn’t tell Peter to entertain goats or dazzle the world. Instead, Christ soberly and firmly reinstates Peter after he’d denied Jesus three times. And Peter was reinstated into ministry and that ministry was to shepherd and feed Christ’s sheep. These commands by Jesus to Peter stuck with him his entire life. Peter himself would later exhort elders (pastors) with these words:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:1–4)

This shepherding language is also use by the Apostle Paul when he addresses the elders of the Church of Ephesus. Here are Paul’s words of exhortation:

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28–31)

It’s clear from these passages that pastors are not literal shepherds and that Christians are not literal sheep. All of these images are metaphors that help create a mental picture of the difficult and sacrificial work of pastors. So, when Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep” what was Jesus referring to? What does a Pastor/Shepherd feed Christ’s sheep with?
The answer is simple, the Word of God, and two passages will suffice in demonstrating this fact:

“[Jesus] answered, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)


“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 3:14–4:4)
No commentary is needed for these verses because they clearly teach that God’s Word is ‘sheep food’ and that pastors are to be feeding the scriptures to Christ’s sheep.
The Bottom Line
The next time you hear a seeker-driven pastor attempt justify his shallow sermons and entertainment driven stunts by claiming that “the church doesn’t exist for believers”, kindly inform him that regardless of who the church exists for, his job exists to serve believers and Christ’s sheep and that if he won’t do his job that he’s rebelling against Jesus Christ Himself.
______________________________________________________________________________
1 10 11 12 13