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Be Alert! For false Christs and false prophets will arise
Published by Moriel Ministries
February 27, 2008
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Shalom in Christ Jesus,
1 John 2:18-19
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us;
for if they had been of us, they would have remained
with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown
that they all are not of us.
Matthew 24:10-13
"At that time many will fall away and will betray one
another and hate one another. "Many false prophets
will arise and will mislead many. "Because
lawlessness is increased, most people's love will
grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he
will be saved.`
Matthew 24:26
"So if they say to you, `Behold, He is in the wilderness,'
do not go out, or, `Behold, He is in the inner rooms,'
do not believe them.
Proverbs 29:18 (ESV)
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off
restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Hosea 4:6a
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering
together to Him,that you not be quickly shaken from
your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a
message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the
day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way
deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy
comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed,
the son of destruction,
who opposes and exalts himself above every so-
called god or object of worship, so that he takes his
seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being
God.
Ed Note:
PONDERINGS
Below is a bit of current and past history surrounding
quotes of and the literature of Sinclair Lewis and his
novel Elmer Gantry. This is something to ponder
considering the uproar in the church that it caused
and the fact that this topic is exactly what we see
happening today.
Quote: 'When fascism comes it will be
wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross' --- Ron Paul
Quoting Sinclair Lewis on Fox & Friends 12-18-07 (for
which he received an earful of typical thoughtless,
unreasonable, emotion-driven Amero-babble)
Actual Quote: When fascism comes to this
country, it
will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.
- Sinclair Lewis
Elmer Gantry
A novel written by Sinclair Lewis - From
Wikipedia
Elmer Gantry is a novel written by Sinclair Lewis in
1926 and published by Harcourt in March 1927. It tells
the story of a young, narcisistic, womanizing college
athlete who, upon realizing the power, prestige, and
easy money that being an evangelical preacher can
bring, pursues his "religious" ambitions with relish,
contributing to the downfall, even death, of key people
around him as the years pass. Although he continues
to womanize, is often exposed as a fraud, and
frequently faces a complete downfall, Gantry is never
fully discredited and always manages to emerge
triumphant and to reach ever greater heights of social
status. The novel ends as the Rev. Gantry prays for the
USA to be a "moral nation" and simultaneously
admires the legs of a new choir singer. - - -
Lewis did research for the novel by observing the work
of preacher Burris Jenkins, pastor in the Linwood
Boulevard Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas
City, Missouri. Jenkins introduced Lewis to many other
clergymen, among them the Reverend L.M. Birkhead,
a Unitarian and an agnostic. Schorer says that both of
these associations, as well as others, influenced
characters in the novel. There's no record of the
character of Elmer Gantry or any other characters as
being fictionalizations of the careers of Billy Sunday or
Aimee Semple McPherson. Schorer also says that,
while researching the book, that Lewis attended two
or three church services every Sunday while in
Kansas City, and that "he took advantage of every
possible tangential experience in the religious
community." The result is a novel that represents the
religious activity of America in evangelistic circles and
the attitudes of the 1920s toward it. Elmer Gantry also
appears in another, lesser known Lewis novel,
Gideon Planish. - - -
On publication in 1927, Elmer Gantry created a public
furor. The book was banned in Boston and other cities
and denounced from pulpits across the USA. One
cleric suggested that Lewis should be imprisoned for
five years, and there were also threats of physical
violence against the author. The famous evangelist
Billy Sunday called Lewis "Satan's cohort." Shortly
after the publication of Elmer Gantry, H. G. Wells
published a widely-syndicated newspaper article
called "The New American People," in which he
largely based his observations of American culture on
the novels of Sinclair Lewis.
See
More Here
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1) Is Obama the messiah?
Websites capture wave of transcendent fervor
WORLDNETDAILY - By Jerome R. Corsi - February 23,
2008
"Is this a messianic movement? A cult of personality?
Or just good ol' fashioned politics?" Those are the
questions an Internet blog called "Is Barack Obama
the Messiah?" began with one year ago.
By simply highlighting media reports since then -
including WND's account of an Obama rally in
Seattle - the website has captured the wave of
euphoria that has followed the Democratic senator's
remarkable rise to the brink of the party's presidential
nomination.
The site, laced with photos and magazine covers
illustrating the theme, is topped by a Obama quote
strategically ripped from a Jan. 7 speech at Dartmouth
College just before the New Hampshire Primary in
which he told students, "--- a light will shine through
that window, a beam of light will come down upon you,
you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly
realize that you must go to the polls and vote" for
Obama.
The blog prominently displays the July 11 cover of the
German magazine Der Spiegel, which has a photo of
Obama under the title, "The Messiah Factor, Barack
Obama and the Yearning for a New America."
Slate.com's Timothy Noah introduced last year his
tongue-in-cheek "Obama Messiah Watch," a periodic
feature "considering evidence that Obama is the Son
of God."
"Is Barack Obama - junior U.S. senator from Illinois,
best-selling author, Harvard Law Review editor, Men's
Vogue cover model, and "exploratory" presidential
candidate - the second coming of our Savior and our
Redeemer, Prince of Peace and King of Kings, Jesus
Christ?" Noah wrote. "His press coverage suggests
we can't dismiss this possibility out of hand."
"I therefore inaugurate the Obama Messiah Watch,
which will periodically highlight gratuitously adoring
biographical details that appear in newspaper,
television and magazine profiles of this other worldly
presence in our midst," Noah proclaimed. - - - -
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2)The Blog: Is Barack Obama the Messiah?
"--- a light will shine through that window, a beam of
light will come down upon you, you will experience an
epiphany ... and you will suddenly realize that you
must go to the polls and vote for Obama" - Barack
Obama Lebanon, New Hampshire.
January 7, 2008.
IS BARACK OBAMA THE MESSIAH? Blog - February
21, 2008
"It was more like church . . ."
Maybe it was the representation of youth in the crowd
that lends the oft-cited air of a rock concert that has
been attributed to Obama rallies.
But that wasn't quite it, not entirely. It was more like
church - not the stuffy kind, but roof-shaking soul
church where people testify and dance in the aisles
when the spirit's upon them.
"It's electric! Can't you feel it?" said one man, who told
me he was headed for work at the IRS after the rally. I
could feel it, because it's a fundamental element of
crowd psychology that the expectation of "electricity"
creates it. . . .
The main event, of course, was the speech, which I
have heard before. I just sat back and felt the key
phrases wash over the
crowd: "new," "change," "Kennedy," "Scooter Libby
justice," "wiretaps," "Katrina."
The lady sitting next to me dipped into a bucket of
popcorn and murmured the phrases back: " 'If you
believe.' 'The time is now.' That's right," she
agreed.
She was a little disappointed, in fact, when the rally
ended: "Why didn't he do, 'Yes we can'?" she asked a
friend, as if a concert had ended, the biggest hit not
performed.
Life of the party: Obama's supporters rock Reunion
Arena Dallas Morning News February 21, 2008.
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5) US-Islamic forum in Gulf backs Obama
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - February 18, 2008
DOHA - Delegates at a US-Islamic forum voiced
support on Monday for US presidential hopeful Barack
Obama, although some warned against expecting any
radical policy change irrespective of who captures the
White House.
Obama, who is vying to become the first black
president of the United States, won overwhelming
support in a mock election by more than 200
American and Muslim delegates at the US-Islamic
World Forum in the Qatari capital.
His Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and Republican
candidates won only a handful of votes.
Around 280 public figures and academics from 32
countries, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai
and the US ambassador to the United Nations,
Zalmay Khalilzad, attended the fifth edition of the
forum due to end in the gas-rich Gulf state later
Monday.
Many Muslim delegates said they hoped to see
Obama win the Democratic nomination and go on to
be elected next November to succeed US President
George W. Bush.
"I would like to see Obama become president of
America because he champions 'change and hope',
which we Muslims need as much as the Americans
do," Islamic television preacher Amr Khaled told
AFP.
Khaled told the forum that he speaks "on behalf of
millions of Muslim youth who seek work, respect and
freedom," and urged the next US administration
to "solve the political problems in Palestine, Iraq and
Afghanistan, and not to mix between Muslims and
extremists."
"The Indonesian people would love to see a (US)
president who has studied at an elementary school in
Jakarta," Din Syamsuddin, chairman of
Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's largest Islamic
organisations, told AFP in a reference to
Obama.
But Dhiya Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on terrorist
groups, warned that US policy under the next
president would be "a continuation of current policies,
though in a less extreme way than the conservative
Republican administration". - - - -
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6) Obama's disturbing Africentrism
Ed. Note: It is very important to understand the
dynamics that are taking place within the so-called
church in the last days. If you have not studied the
Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & 25 and is co-texts in
Mark 13 and Luke 21) you must do some in depth
study or at least read and re-read those portions of
scripture over and over again to gain understanding
and insight into today's events.
We have nation (ethnos) rising up against nation
(ethnos), that is ethnic groups rising up against other
ethnic groups in the world and this is a sign that much
of this church is really of the world and part of Mystery
Babylon and not part of the called out ones, the
saints.
BE/\LERT!
WORLDNETDAILY - By Floyd and Mary Beth Brown -
February 23, 2008
Barack Obama's church,
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, which
he has attended since 1991,
has some very unique and disturbing ideas and
beliefs. It is a self-proclaimed Africentric Christian
church, which means its members embrace their
connection with Africa, and its teachings are centered
on all things African and African culture. This is the
church where Obama converted to the Christian faith,
and it has now grown to over 5,000 members. The
mainstream media have ignored discussing this
important influence on the presumptive Democratic
nominee. It needs a full examination.
Africentric beliefs place an emphasis on identifying
African presence in the Bible. The church offers
classes in Swahili, and it has youth programs for
young men and women, Intonjane and Isuthu, Swahili
words for entering manhood and womanhood.
Kwanzaa, the African-focused holiday created in the
1960s is observed by congregants along with a
Thanksgiving Day service called Umoja Karamu. This
special service tells the story of the black family
starting from its West African origins to present day
using drums, storytelling and dancing.
Trinity emphasizes the African roots of Christianity in
its Bible classes. One example they like to use is the
story about the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. Traditional
African clothing is worn by the pastor and some
members. Also, other African symbols such as the
pan-African flag are prominently displayed.
Trips to Africa are regularly made by members. The
church's longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright,
once accompanied black supremacist Louis
Farrakhan to Libya to meet with Col. Moammar
Gadhafi. Obama has himself traveled repeatedly to
his father's homeland, Kenya. He has a brother still
living in that conflict-riddled country. Obama has even
spoken out during his campaign about the current
crisis in Kenya, where over 700 lives have been lost.
The Marxist opposition leader, Raila Odinga, comes
from the same tribe as Obama's late father. His older
brother Roy, a militant Muslim, supports Odinga.
Odinga reportedly has joined forces with an extremist
Islamic group that wants to oust the presently pro-
Western government of Kenya that won the recent
elections. While campaigning in New Hampshire,
Obama took a call from Odinga (who claims to be his
cousin) and appears to have sided with him in the
conflict.
When Obama joined Trinity United Church of Christ,
he promised to uphold the church's "Black Value
System." This declaration is where members affirm
their commitment to God, the "black community,"
the "black family" and the "black work ethic," in
addition to disavowing "the pursuit of 'middle-
classness.'" They believe the "competitive" nature of
white "entrapment of black middle-classness" will
cheat blacks of their African identity while keeping
them "captive" to white culture.
"I believe in the power of the African-American
religious tradition to spur social change," Obama
claims. Not only that, he says he has questioned "the
idolatry of the free market" because of his
faith.
The "Black Value System" statement was written in the
1980s by church members. It means the members
embrace "things African above things American," says
black political commentator Erik Rush, who also says
this should be as alarming as a Republican
presidential candidate "belonging to the Aryan
Brethren Church of Christ." Tucker Carlson of MSNBC
once described Trinity as having a "racially exclusive
theology" that "contradicts the basic tenets of
Christianity."
Wright, who married Obama and his wife, Michelle,
and baptized their daughters, now serves as his
spiritual adviser. Wright is radically Africentric.
"We are an African people," Wright preaches, "and
remain true to our native land, the mother continent."
But he goes further than that and has described the
9/11 attacks as a "wake-up call" to "white America"
for "ignoring the concerns of people of color." And in
one sermon he shouted, "Racism is how this country
was founded and how this country is still run. --- We
believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and
believe it more than we believe in God. --- And. And.
And. Gawd! Has GOT! To be SICK! OF THIS
S***!"
Obama's presidential campaign has tried to distance
him from Wright. Last February, when Obama
announced his run for the presidency, it revoked an
earlier invitation to have Wright give the opening prayer
at the event.
The socialist beliefs of Barack Obama's church
should be a major concern to voters because they are
far out of the mainstream of American thought.
Obama's connection to the militant opposition leader
in Kenya and his supporting militant Islamic groups
trying to overthrow the U.S.-friendly government in that
country should be of concern. Al-Qaida would love to
see the takeover of Kenya occur.
Also
The Value System adopted and supported by Barack
Obama's church. This is not Biblical!
BE/\LERT!
The Black Value System
Trinity United Church of Christ - Chicago,
Illinois
Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black
Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition
Committee, chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in
1981.
Dr. Manford Byrd, our brother in Christ, withstood the
ravage of being denied his earned ascension to the
number one position in the Chicago School System.
His dedication to the pursuit of excellence, despite
systematic denials, has inspired the congregation of
Trinity United Church of Christ. Prayerfully, we have
called upon the wisdom of all past generations of
suffering Blacks for guidance in fashioning an
instrument of Black self-determination, the Black
Value System.
Beginning in 1982, an annual Black Value System -
Educational Scholarship in the name of Dr. Byrd was
instituted. The first recipient of the Dr. Manford Byrd
Award, which is given annually to the man or woman
who best exemplifies the Black Value System, was
our brother, Dr. Manford Byrd.
These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in
homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever
Blacks are gathered. They consist of the following
concepts:
- Commitment to God. "The God of our
weary
years" will give us the strength to give up prayerful
passivism and become Black Christian Activists,
soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity of all
humankind.
- Commitment to the Black Community.
The
highest level of achievement for any Black person
must be a contribution of strength and continuity of the
Black Community.
- Commitment to the Black Family. The
Black family
circle must generate strength, stability and love,
despite the uncertainty of externals, because these
characteristics are required if the developing person
is to withstand warping by our racist competitive
society. - - -
- Dedication to the Pursuit of Education.
We must
forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival
demands that each Black person be developed to the
utmost of his/her mental potential despite the
inadequacies of the formal education process. - - -
- Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence.
To the
extent that we individually reach for, even strain for
excellence, we increase, geometrically, the value and
resourcefulness of the Black Community. - - -
- Adherence to the Black Work Ethic. - - - We
must
realize that a location with good facilities, adequate
transportation and a reputation for producing skilled
workers will attract industry. We are in competition
with other cities, states and nations for jobs. High
productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce.
- Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-
Respect.
To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-
discipline. We must be a community of self-
disciplined persons if we are to actualize and utilize
our own human resources, instead of perpetually
submitting to exploitation by others. Self-discipline,
coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us
to be an instrument of Black Progress and a model for
Black Youth.
- Disavowal of the Pursuit
of "Middleclassness."
Classic methodology on control of captives teaches
that captors must be able to identify the "talented
tenth" of those subjugated, especially those who
show promise of providing the kind of leadership that
might threaten the captor's control.
- Pledge to Make the Fruits of All Developing
and
Acquired Skills Available to the Black
Community.
- Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of
Personal
Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black
Institutions.
- Pledge Allegiance to All Black Leadership Who
Espouse and Embrace the Black Value
System.
- Personal Commitment to Embracement of the
Black Value System. To measure the worth and
validity of all activity in terms of positive contributions to
the general welfare of the Black Community and the
Advancement of Black People towards freedom.
Source Link
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7) Megachurch Pastor Warren Calls for a Second Reformation
THE WASHINGTON POST [Wash Post
Group/Graham] - By Michelle Boorstein - February 5,
2008
Rick Warren, a megachurch pastor and philanthropist
who is courted by political leaders worldwide, says he
thinks Christianity needs a "second Reformation" that
would steer the church away from divisive politics and
be "about deeds, not creeds."
Speaking today to a group of Washington Post
reporters and editors, the evangelical author said he
had an "epiphany" in recent years due to his wife's
battle with cancer and the success of his book, "The
Purpose Driven Life," which has sold more than 25
million copies. Humbled and scared, he said he
decided to focus on helping the needy and the sick,
particularly those with AIDS.
That meant advocating for a broader agenda for
evangelicals beyond same-sex marriage and
bioethical issues like abortion and stem cell research.
That's a shift from the e-mail Warren sent before the
2004 election to his regular distribution list of 136,000
pastors, telling them to focus on those hot-button
issues, which he called "non-negotiables."
Warren said he now regrets that e-mail -- not because
he's changed his views in opposing abortion and
same-sex marriage, but because he places them on
a longer list of priorities.
Now, he says, he wants to promote personal
responsibility and restore civility in American culture.
"I just think we're becoming too rude," he said. "You
have no right to demonize someone just because you
disagree with them."
Changing the culture, he said, is not done only
through politics but also through things like art, music
and sports.
"Outside the Beltway politics is just not that important.
No kid in America has a poster of a politician on their
wall," he said.
Warren, whose ministry has trained a half-million
pastors, said partnerships between government and
industry can't succeed in solving social problems
unless they include faith groups, with their large
volunteer forces and their worldwide networks.
"People are so worried churches are going to be
about conversion," he said, "but everyone has a
motive. Everyone has a world view. Christianity is a
world view. . . . I don't care why you do good as long as
you do good."
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9) Purpose Driven Unveiled
UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES - Commentary by
Roger Oakland from the Philippines
The concept of Purpose Driven people and churches
has become a phenomenon that is sweeping the
world. Since the publication and promotion of the idea
by Rupert Murdoch-owned Zondervan, the name of
Pastor Rick Warren has become synonymous with a
man who has a plan to bring hope for planet
earth.
When I say the planet, that is exactly what I mean. Over
the past five years I have spoken to pastors and
church leaders in over twenty-five countries. Where
ever I have gone, the message of purpose driven has
proceeded me.
I have just completed two conferences for pastors and
church leaders, one at the city of Antipolo near Manila
and the other at Bageo. Because The Purpose Driven
Life has been widely distributed throughout the
Philippines (either for free or very little cost), the
concept of the purpose driven Christian has reshaped
the minds and the motives of Christian leaders who
now desire to have mega-churches, just like Pastor
Rick.
While it is true, that the purpose driven movement
encourages all to become purpose driven for the
cause of good over bad, somewhere along the line,
the social gospel that is being promoted has set the
gospel according to the Scriptures aside, or at least,
caused it to be lost in the zeal to eradicate AIDS,
poverty and illiteracy.
For example, while in the Philippines, I have
discovered that Roman Catholics had been invited to
participate together with "evangelicals" to promote the
concept that is about to be unveiled in the
Philippines - the P.E.A.C.E. plan.
Remember, Rick Warren signed an agreement with
Chuck Colson in April of 2005 at the large gathering at
Anaheim Stadium when the P.E.A.C.E. plan was
announced. It is common knowledge that Chuck
Colson signed Evangelicals and Catholics together.
Is the P.E.A.C.E. plan just another arm of the Roman
Catholic New Evangelization program that is designed
to establish the kingdom of God here on planet earth
with headquarters in Rome? Is Rick Warren fully
aware of the path he is choosing to lead many
unsuspecting Christians?
Breaking the News in the Philippines
Throughout both conferences in the Philippines, a
number of presentations were made to help pastors
and church leaders understand the significance to
understand our times. Nearly every single person had
been affected by the purpose driven philosophy. When
I asked for a show of hands in Bageo if anyone had a
copy of the book, about 50 percent of the 100 or more
delegates raised their hands.
The topics that I presented dealt with deception in the
church in the last days as revealed in the Bible
relating to Bible prophecy. For example, I quoted
Warren's own words taken from Purpose Driven
Life:
Further, when I quoted Warren's own words from an
interview he did with Charlie Rose, August 17, 2006,
some indicated to me afterwards they were
questioning whether this quote was taken in the
proper context:
When I go out and I start telling people, "Do you want
to work with us on poverty, disease, AIDS, illiteracy,
injustice?" I often find people are more unwilling to
work with us than we are willing to work with them. In
other words, we're saying, "You don't have to change
your beliefs for us to work with you." If you can only
work with people that you agree with, then most of the
world, you're ruling out. Okay. I don't insist that a
Moslem change his belief for me to work on poverty. I
don't even insist that a gay person has to change their
beliefs. They're not going to accept my belief, or I'm
not going to accept theirs. [2]
Throughout the conferences in the Philippines, I told
the delegates about the various three-legged stool
plans that were being implemented for peace. These
plans included the United Nations plan, the Al Gore
and the "Mother Earth" plan, the Vatican plan, and also
Rick Warren's three-legged stool plan that he learned
from his mentor Peter Drucker.
For, example, I had quoted Warren, who stated the
following in an interview:
A one-legged stool will fall over, a two-legged stool
will fall over, and business and government alone
cannot solve these problems. They haven't, or they
would've. The third leg of the stool is the churches.
There's a public sector role, there's a private sector
role and there's a faith sector role. [3]
Even thoughI had presented the facts about the
purpose driven belief system, it was apparent that
many were not convinced that I was telling the truth.
The Final Blow
It is not my desire to attack or destroy other ministries,
although recently there have been plenty of attempts to
attack and destroy the ministry of Understand The
Times. My desire is to tell the truth and point people to
the Word of God. In fact, I have been told recently that
the problem I have created amongst a fellowship of
pastors is because of "telling the truth."
It is because I am concerned about the direction that
purpose driven emerging church Christianity is
leading Bible-believing Christianity that I feel called to
warn the church - it is a church that is headed
towards apostasy and doesn't even know it. It was for
this reason I wrote Faith Undone as a message to the
church to wake up and get back to the Word of God
away from teachings designed to grow churches at
the expense of biblical truth.
While I was speaking at the conference in Bageo, Rick
Warren was in Europe participating in the DAVOS
discussion group. Someone sent me a link to a short
interview that he gave that was aired on You-tube.
When I watched Warren on that video clip, I realized
his statement would help me show the Bageo
Understand The Times delegates that I had not been
taking things out of context nor was I exaggerating the
concerns I had with purpose driven
Christianity.
On the last day of the conference, I visited an internet
caf� and videoed the statement that Warren had made
at DAVOS. Later I showed it at the conference. The
conference delegates heard Rick Warren confirm all
that I had previously told them, in the very words
spoken by himself. As a result, after my PowerPoint
presentation of Warren's statement, one could have
heard a pin drop in the lecture hall. The facts were
presented. The case was complete. I made no further
comments.
As I conclude this commentary, please read the
transcript of the statement Warren made about
purpose driven at DAVOS. I will make no further
comment. My case is closed. You can draw your own
conclusion.
Is purpose driven Christianity a biblical Christianity or
is it not?
See Also:
Transcript: "Rick Warren Answers the DAVOS[4]
Question"
Click link below
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10) Hard Questions For "Prosperity Gospel"
A Televangelist Lives In The Lap Of Luxury -- But Now
He's Under Investigation
CBS NEWS, America [CBS Corporation] - Reported by
Armen Keteyian - January 29, 2008
Last November, Sen. Charles Grassley launched a
public investigation into the ministries of six top
televangelists who attract thousands of followers and
collect hundreds of millions of dollars around the
world. Grassley is demanding financial records to
determine whether these churches deserve their tax
exempt status. CBS News chief investigative
correspondent Armen Keteyian takes a hard look at
one target: Kenneth Copeland, the so-
called "godfather" of "prosperity gospel."
NEWARK, Texas -- "To live in the garden of Eden ---
hallelujah!" Copeland says. "Somebody shout 'amen!'"
In one TV sermon after another, Kenneth Copeland
and wife, Gloria, implore viewers to sow the seeds of
their faith by following God's word - and donating
dollars, promising a 100-fold return in happiness and
wealth, Keteyian reports.
Even the check envelope says "I am sowing $_____
and believing for a hundredfold return."
"It's a business, it's a bottom-line business," said a
former ministry employee - who feared being
identified. The employee answered hundreds of
prayer requests a day, most sent in with donations,
before quitting, feeling "betrayed" by Copeland's
gospel of prosperity.
"So when he's preachin' health and wealth..." Keteyian
asks.
"He's filling that bottom line on his business," the
source said.
That's why Senate investigators are digging into
whether ministry resources are being diverted into an
array of for-profit companies tied to the Copelands:
cattle, horses, aviation, real-estate development and
gas and oil wells to name a few.
Michael Hoover, who worked for Kenneth Copeland
Ministries for five years, quit in 2005 over
disagreements with the church. He says he
witnessed other employees doing work on behalf of
for-profit businesses tied to the Copeland family.
"In my viewpoint, I believe that they were using a lot of
the ministry's assets for personal businesses," he
said.
"The nonprofit activity and the for-profit activity are so
intertwined that you can't, you can't separate them,"
said Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation.
A two-month CBS News investigation, including
interviews with nearly a dozen former Copeland
employees, raises serious questions about the
Copeland's religious empire.
Beginning with a lavish lakefront home, all 18,000
square feet of it, and a fleet of private planes - all paid
for by the ministry.
At a celebration, Copeland said: "The Lord spoke to
me and said 'you're gonna believe for a Citation 10,
right now.'"
Copeland got what he wanted - that's the $20 million
jet right there parked at the ministry-owned airport. It's
one of four private planes owned by the church.
"It will never ever be used as for anything other than
what is becoming of you Lord Jesus," he said.
But that's not what happened.
CBS News has learned he used one ministry jet and
another to fly to and from Colorado three times in
2007 - the site of frequent Copeland family vacations.
The ministry now claims they reimburse the ministry
for personal use of the jets.
Copeland has said: "You are not created for
poverty."
Churches are not required to file tax forms - or make
their finances public. The ministry, which says it does
everything by the book, has refused to answer key
questions about its finances raised by Senate
investigators.
"We answered them - we gave them a several-page
lesson on --- " Copeland said.
Kenneth Copeland refused repeated interview
requests by CBS News.
When Keteyian went to ministry headquarters near Ft.
Worth, Texas, we were turned away.
"There's no way I can see him right now?" Keteyian
asked a security guard before being turned away.
If Grassley doesn't get the answers he wants, he may
well resort to some words of his own - in the form of a
Senate subpoena.
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11) US: Sen. Chuck Grassley goes after Christian ministries, arguing non-profits comply with tax laws
ASSOCIATED PRESS - February 25, 2008
- - - Some of the six Christian ministries contacted by
Grassley's office have argued that his questions about
high pay, perks and private jets amount to a violation
of their constitutional protections.
"Senator Grassley's request clearly disregards the
privacy protections of the church under law and
appears to cross the line of constitutional guarantees
for churches," one of the ministries under scrutiny,
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, said in a
statement.
And Gary McCaleb, senior counsel at the Alliance
Defense Fund, a religious liberty legal group, criticized
the tone of Grassley's inquiry.
"From the get-go he's acted more like an investigator
and not at all like a senator on this and that's
unnerving. He has a right to get facts, but this has
looked, felt and smelled like an enforcement action,"
McCaleb said.
Grassley seems bemused by the outcry.
"I got no interest in doctrine. I believe in Jesus Christ,
too, so that's fine," said Grassley, a Baptist. "I don't
intend to violate the First Amendment, the Second
Amendment or any other amendments."
Grassley said his questioning of televangelists is a
simple matter of wanting to ensure that non-profit
organizations comply with the tax laws that are
essential to their operations.
He said it's the same reason he led calls for an
investigation of lavish spending and other business
practices at the Smithsonian. That inquiry ultimately
led to the resignation last year of Smithsonian
Secretary Lawrence M. Small.
"I've taken the same approach on any number of
issues like this over the years," Grassley
said.
The Democratic chairman of the Finance Committee,
Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, brushed off criticism by
the ministries.
"I've never known Senator Grassley to pick on anyone
unfairly," Baucus said. "He has been focused on non-
profits for a long time. And he's a longtime supporter
of whistleblowers."
Still, Grassley seems to hold a certain disdain for the
six ministries he has questioned about salaries and
reports of mansions and private jets. In launching the
inquiry, Grassley quipped that Jesus rode into
Jerusalem on a donkey, not a Rolls Royce. - - - -
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12) Minister complies with Sen. probe, second resists
ASSOCIATED PRESS - February 25, 2008
A senator's investigation into spending and oversight
at six "prosperity gospel" ministries has hit a
roadblock with a minister intensifying his efforts to
fight the inquiry, but made progress on Monday when
another turned over documents.
Flamboyant Texas-based faith healer Benny Hinn had
turned over material to the Senate Finance Committee
in response to a letter of inquiry from Iowa Sen.
Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, in early November, an aide
to the senator said.
Meanwhile, another target of Grassley's investigation,
Kenneth Copeland, sent a letter to supporters this
month accusing Grassley of targeting the six
ministries because of theological disagreements.
Grassley denies the charge.
Copeland, whose supporters have called Grassley's
office to protest, is a pioneer of the prosperity gospel,
which teaches that God wants his followers to be rich
both spiritually and materially.
Grassley, the ranking Republican on the finance
committee, sent the inquiries after media reports and
complaints from the public. He asked the ministries to
answer questions about spending on things such as
private jets and oceanside homes.
He also wanted to know about oversight from boards
at the ministries.
Several ministries complained that religious
freedoms were threatened and said that the Internal
Revenue Service, not a Senate committee, had any
business asking those questions.
Jill Gerber, Grassley's spokewoman, said it was too
soon to characterize the documents from Hinn, but
added that Hinn's representatives say "they want to be
cooperative and transparent," and understood
Grassley's position.
A Hinn spokesman did not immediately respond to
calls for comment. Last week, he refused comment
about Hinn's plans.
In a statement Monday, Grassley's office said it
received about three-dozen calls from Copeland
supporters echoing the letter's message. The
statement said Copeland's response has fallen "far
short," and that while lines of communications are
open, "additional steps in the congressional review"
also would be considered.
Grassley has said he doesn't think he'll need to resort
to subpoenas, but hasn't ruled them out. Grassley is
expected to send another round of letters soon
reiterating the committee's jurisdiction over tax-exempt
policy.
Only one ministry, headed by author and motivational
speaker Joyce Meyer, has "substantially answered"
Grassley's questions, Grassley's office said.
Two Atlanta-area ministers, Creflo Dollar and Bishop
Eddie Long, have refused to cooperate, while Paula
and Randy White of Tampa also have failed to provide
any information, Grassley's office said.
Copeland, initially reserved, has become increasingly
combative toward Grassley.
In a letter this month to supporters, Copeland wrote
that the ministry's response to Grassley "contained
detailed information about non-church related
questions" but did not provide information it deems
private.
Copeland said the ministry fully complies with all laws
and pledged that he would go to jail before turning
over names of donors. - - - -
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13) 5 Reasons Why the Emerging Church is Now Receding
Comment From Understand The Times:(Don't Bury
The Emerging Church, Yet!)
UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES - Commentary by
Roger Oakland
Trevin Wax's article titled "5 Reasons
Why the Emerging Church is Now Receding"
posted February
5, 2008, asks some interesting questions and raises
some valid concerns with regard to the Emerging
Church. However, unfortunately Wax has drawn
conclusions that steer readers far from an accurate
picture of understanding the times from a biblical
perspective and it is necessary to sound the
alarm.
Wax asks the question, "Has the Emerging Church
begun to recede?" then answers it with a "yes," giving
5 reasons why this is so. While Wax points out several
crucial problems of the emerging church, (true biblical
evangelism, doctrines on hell and the deity of Christ,
etc.), he has underestimated the seriousness and the
expansiveness of the emerging church movement by
suggesting that it's "influence" has "begun to wane."
He suggests that because some young pastors and
leaders are distancing themselves from the term
emergent or emerging, this is "a clear sign that the
conversation is ending." This is not an accurate view
of what is happening throughout the world as the
documented facts reveal.
Certain aspects of the emerging church, like other
trends or fads that hit Christianity, will no doubt come
and go. Perhaps the name will even change.
However, the underlying spirituality (I call it emerging
spirituality) and the overall vision of the emerging
church is not going to fade away or disappear, even if,
as Wax suggests, it blends into the evangelical
church. It will still exist. Thus, I would disagree that the
emerging church is on its way to a burial.
The ideologies and theologies that have been
presented by the emerging church and the purpose
driven church (one of the greatest evangelistic tools
for the emerging church) have opened the door to a
much bigger delusion that is coming in the name of
Christ. The catalyst for this delusion is "contemplative
spirituality" along with the desire to stimulate the
senses to become more engaged with "God."
This is the delusion that is foretold in II Thessalonians
chapter two, in which the apostle Paul describes the
final preparation for the religion that sets up the
antichrist. I believe this will be the religion of Christian
Babylonianism and that is presently being prepared
by the Roman Catholic Church to unify religion in the
name of Christ-the Eucharistic Christ.
The emerging church and the purpose driven church
are simply paving the road to Rome which paves the
way to the religion of the anti-Christ. For those who
may doubt what I am saying, take a look at the
February 2008 cover story of Christianity Today. It
confirms these very things.
The Christianity Today article titled "Lost Secrets of the
Ancient Church" says that "evangelicals are
connecting with the early church" and admits this is
basically a "Catholic" looking church with a particular
emphasis on ancient mystical practices. - - - -
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14) National Pastor's Convention Starts Today - Could Lead Pastors in Wrong Direction
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH PROJECT -
Coming From the Lighthouse Newsletter - February
26, 2008
The National Pastor's Convention begins today (Feb.
26th) in San Diego. This event has a large number of
speakers, most of whom promote
contemplative/emerging spirituality.
Pastors and church leaders who are going to attend
the 2008 National Pastors Convention, which is
presented by Zondervan Publishing and InterVarsity
Press, should think twice about going. After travel
expenses, ticket, lodging and food, the cost for the
event for one pastor could easily run over a thousand
dollars. In light of the speakers who will be teaching,
and other events being offered, this may prove to be
an unfruitful way to spend so much money, and may
even be spiritually detrimental.
Speakers at this year's event include some of the
most blatant proponents of contemplative spirituality
and the emerging church, which in many cases also
means having a propensity toward Catholic mysticism
and interspirituality. Some of these speakers include:
Ruth Haley Barton, Tony Jones, Erwin McManus, John
Ortberg, J.P. Moreland, Calvin Miller, Scot McKnight,
and Dan Kimball. Chuck Colson, co-author of the
ecumenical Evangelicals & Catholics Together
document will also be speaking. Emerging church
favorite Phyllis Tickle (who once called Brian McLaren
the next Luther) will be a speaker at the event as well.
1 A number of other speakers also fall into the
contemplative/emerging camp.
Extra activities offered at the convention, in addition to
seminars by the speakers, include "Christian Yoga"
presented by Shelly Pagitt (wife of emerging church
leader Doug Pagitt), New Age sympathizer Rob Bell's
Nooma films, opportunities to be instructed
by "spiritual directors" (those who teach contemplative
spirituality), and prayer Labyrinths.
Critical concern courses will offer "Practicing the
Presence of Jesus: A Spiritual Retreat" by Mark
Yaconelli, who once revealed to Lighthouse Trails that
he taught mantra meditation in his classes. Popular
teachers Henry Cloud and John Townsend (CCN)
have found a teaching place at the convention too in a
critical concerns course called "Revolutionizing Group
Life in the Church." Having these two mainstream
speakers will give much credibility to the event in the
eyes of many. Dan Kimball will teach a course named
after his book They Like Jesus but not the Church
(see review).
To help prepare pastors and leaders for the
convention, an over-night, pre-event pastors retreat
will take place at the Mission San Luis Rey retreat
center. A description of the retreat explains:
This National Pastors Retreat provides leaders with a
safe place to be honest about the challenges of
spiritual leadership, to experience spiritual rhythms of
solitude, prayer, and community, and to deepen their
understanding of leadership that flows from one's
authentic self [not Jesus Christ]. Led by The
Transforming Center leaders Ruth Haley Barton and
Joe Sherman, this retreat offers a meaningful
introduction to the community, spiritual rhythms,
teaching themes, and guided experiences that will
come to characterize National Pastors Retreat.
Ruth Haley Barton, who helped to create the spiritual
formation curriculum (with John Ortberg) for Willow
Creek church teaches the fundamentals of
contemplative spirituality to thousands of pastors and
leaders at her Transforming Center. Something that is
vital to understand is that Barton was trained at the
Shalem Prayer Institute. This center was founded by
Tilden Edwards who boldly proclaimed that Christians
who exclude eastern spiritual practices from their
prayer life impoverish their spiritual resources (Living
in the Presence, p. 18-19).
Zondervan's National Pastors Convention will mislead
many unsuspecting Christian pastors and leaders.
Unfortunately, by the time they've each spent hundreds
of dollars for the event and are packed and ready to go
there, most of them will not have read this article and
may become caught in the web of deception that is
woven throughout the contemplative prayer movement
and the emerging church and for which Zondervan
and InterVarsity Press have become evangelists.
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15) Sharia law row: Archbishop is in shock as he faces demands to quit
THE EVENING STANDARD of LONDON [Associated
Newspapers/DMGT] - February 9, 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury was facing demands to
quit last night as the row over sharia law intensified.
Leading bishops publicly contradicted Dr Rowan
Williams's call for Islamic law to be brought into the
British legal system.
With the Church of England plunged into crisis, senior
figures were said to be discussing the archbishop's
future.
One member of the church's "Cabinet", the
Archbishop's Council, was reported as saying: "There
have been a lot of calls for him to resign. I don't
suppose he will take any notice, but, yes, he should
resign."
Officials at Lambeth Palace told the BBC Dr Williams
was in a "state of shock" and "completely
overwhelmed" by the scale of the row.
It was said that he could not believe the fury of the
reaction. The most damaging attack came from the
Pakistan-born Bishop of Rochester, the Right
Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali.
He said it would be "simply impossible" to bring
sharia law into British law "without fundamentally
affecting its integrity".
Sharia "would be in tension with the English legal
tradition on questions like monogamy, provisions for
divorce, the rights of women, custody of children, laws
of inheritance and of evidence.
"This is not to mention the relation of freedom of belief
and of expression to provisions for blasphemy and
apostasy." - - - -
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16) 'Sharia law will undermine British society,' warns Cameron in attack on multiculturalism
LONDON DAILY MAIL [Associated
Newspapers/DMGT] - February 26, 2008
Britain is ignoring religious extremism for fear of
causing offence to minorities, David Cameron
claimed yesterday.
In an impassioned attack on the "disastrous" doctrine
of multiculturalism, the Tory leader said it meant
forced marriage and other unacceptable practices
were not being addressed.
Instead, he said, ministers, teachers, social services
and the police responded with a "hapless shrug of the
shoulders" and the phrase: "It's their culture, isn't it?"
He added: "For too long, we've come to ignore
differences - even if they fly in the face of human rights,
notions of equality and child protection."
In parts of Britain, schoolgirls from ethnic minorities
had "simply disappeared" from schools, he said.
But he added that there was often little investigation of
such cases for fear of causing offence or being
branded a racist.
The Tory leader also complained that organisations
which explicitly promote separatism and extremism
are being handed Government funding.
And he warned that multiculturalism - the idea that
different cultures should be respected to the point of
encouraging them to live separately - had dangerously
undermined Britain's sense of identity and brought
about "cultural apartheid".
He said: "I believe multiculturalism is a wrong-headed
doctrine that has disastrous results."
The Tory leader warned that the ultimate outcome of
multiculturalism could be the recognition of Sharia
law.
Mr Cameron told a debate organised by the Equality
and Human Rights Commission: "The reality is that
the introduction of Sharia law for Muslims is actually
the logical endpoint of the now discredited doctrine of
state multiculturalism - instituting, quite literally, a
legal apartheid to entrench what is the cultural
apartheid in too many parts of our country.
"This wouldn't strengthen society - it would undermine
it."
He said the Conservatives would unveil detailed
proposals in the coming months to ensure that all
immigrants learn to speak English.
He added that the party would also promote women's
rights and introduce school exchanges so that
children from different backgrounds could meet each
other.
Mr Cameron also suggested that a Tory government
would crack down on private faith schools
which "could be breeding some of the separatism".
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17) 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - January 13, 2008
A director who shares the ideas of Iran's hardline
president has produced what he says is the first film
giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to
show the "common ground" between Muslims and
Christians.
Nader Talebzadeh sees his movie, "Jesus, the Spirit
of God," as an Islamic answer to Western productions
like Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of
the Christ," which he praised as admirable but quite
simply "wrong". - - -
Talebzadeh insists it aims to bridge differences
between Christianity and Islam, despite the stark
divergence from Christian doctrine about Christ's final
hours on earth.
"It is fascinating for Christians to know that Islam
gives such devotion to and has so much knowledge
about Jesus," Talebzadeh told AFP.
"By making this film I wanted to make a bridge
between Christianity and Islam, to open the door for
dialogue since there is much common ground
between Islam and Christianity," he said.
The director is also keen to emphasise the links
between Jesus and one of the most important figures
in Shiite Islam, the Imam Mahdi, said to have
disappeared 12 centuries ago but whose "return" to
earth has been a key tenet of the Ahmadinejad
presidency.
Talebzadeh made his name making documentaries
about Iran's 1980-1988 war against Iraq, an important
genre in the country's post-revolutionary cinema.
But such weighty themes, and his latest film on
Jesus, compete with domestic gangster thrillers and
sugary boy-meets-girl love stories, the movies that
continue to draw the biggest audiences in the Islamic
Republic.
The bulk of "Jesus, the Spirit of God", which won an
award at the 2007 Religion Today Film Festival in Italy,
faithfully follows the traditional tale of Jesus as
recounted in the New Testament Gospels, a narrative
reproduced in the Koran and accepted by Muslims.
But in Talebzadeh's movie, God saves Jesus,
depicted as a fair-complexioned man with long hair
and a beard, from crucifixion and takes him straight to
heaven.
"It is frankly said in the Koran that the person who was
crucified was not Jesus" but Judas, one of the 12
Apostles and the one the Bible holds betrayed Jesus
to the Romans, he said. In his film, it is Judas who is
crucified. - - - -
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18) BE ALERT! Barkley on Blitzer
MORIEL MINISTREIS / BE ALERT! - Commentary by
Scott Brisk - February 16, 2008
On the blog we have posted a partial
transcript from Charles Barkley appearing on CNN's
Situation Room Hosted by Wolf Blitzer as well as the
video.
During the interview, Charles Barkley discusses a few
items concerning the topic of politics, namely his
decision to vote democrat in the upcoming 2008
elections and his decision to run for Governor of
Alabama in 2014 once he has met the seven-year
citizenship requirement.
However, it was the third topic he covered that I
considered important for Be Alert! in which he takes a
swipe at Christians for being judgmental, something
not at all uncommon these days.
By contrast, in this case, Mr. Barkley is actually
probably more correct than most by calling
Conservatives 'Fake Christians'. I can only conclude
by the state of our churches and the state of America
and her Western counterparts, that is truly the case
and the bible as we know teaches this.
Nevertheless, Mr. Barkley still appears confused on
the issue of judgment and it is not a simple as he
makes it out to be (yet it really is not all that of a difficult
concept either)
Born again believers in Jesus the Messiah are to
judge other born again believers in Messiah. We are
of course to make sure our ability to judge is pure first,
hence we always check ourselves first and pull the log
out of our own eye out first. Thus, a warning is given:
In the way we judge, we will be judged also.
Mathew 18 lays out a process by which the church and
the leadership are to follow in addressing, correcting
and judging sin or offence. 1 Corinthians 5 and 6
builds on this and 1 COR 5:12-13 reaffirms we are to
judge those within the church but not those outside
the church. Those outside the church God will
judge.
We have developed a serious problem in the so-
called "Christian" nations of the west. First of all
the "nations" ethnos were always biblically considered
part of the world. Secondly, no matter how many bible
believing Christians were involved in the founding of
the United States, it was never and will never be a
Theocracy unto Yahweh. There has always been a
distinction between the church, Israel and the United
States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa and South America etc.
The nations I mentioned are all conglomerates of the
original seventy nations, probably the UK being the
least.
Consequently, the church has been trying to judge the
world for a very long time rather than doing what
Jesus commanded, making disciples of all nations
and being His witnesses even into the remotest part
of the earth.
How I believe the Lord would much rather see His
church being persecuted because it was making
disciples and was a threat to the establishment rather
than being attack because it is seen as a political
opponent that is more of a hypocrite than anything
else.
When the early church stuck straight to scripture they
could not be accused of being hypocrites, but when
there is a mixture of truth and error such as gospel of
Patriotism and the gospel of Jesus Christ you wind up
trying to legislate morality and eventually hypocrisy.
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19) US: Protestants Verging on Becoming Minorities
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT [NY Daily News/M
Zuckerman] - By Kent Garber - February 25, 2008
The first American colonists were Protestant, and for
roughly four centuries their descendants, along with
successive waves of Protestant immigrants, have
been the country's dominant religious group.
But now Protestants are on the verge of becoming a
statistical minority in the U.S., according to a study
released today. Whereas nearly two thirds of
Americans identified themselves as Protestant as
recently as the 1980s, only 51 percent identify as
Protestant today, the study found.
The sharp decline in Protestant identifiers was one of
several novel and potentially politically volatile findings
reported in the study by the Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life, which polled more than 35,000 Americans
over the age 18.
One of the unifying themes of the study was its
assessment that religious life in America remains
remarkably fluid and dynamic, with an increasing
trend toward diversity and specialization. Underlying
the Protestant shift, for instance, is what appears to be
an increasingly fragmented movement. Mainline
Protestants, once the group's bedrock, now account
for less than 20 percent of all Protestants. By contrast,
evangelical Protestants now represent more than 50
percent of all Protestant adherents-and more than a
quarter of the total population.
The findings, especially regarding evangelicals, hint at
possible political consequences. As the 2008
presidential race has suggested, the religious right,
which has typically enjoyed solid support from
evangelicals, has lost its cohesion. Several factors
likely explain this phenomenon, one of which is that
as the evangelical movement has grown, it has also
become more susceptible to multiple voices and
more discordant opinions. "The homogeneity of
evangelical politics has been overrated and
overestimated for some time," said Randall Balmer, a
professor of American religious studies at Barnard
College. "You are now beginning to hear other
evangelical voices besides James Dobson."
Among Catholics, the trend has been somewhat
different, reflecting the heavy Catholic preference of
foreign-born Americans. In recent decades nearly half
of all U.S. immigrants have been Catholic, hailing
predominantly from Latin America. As a result, the
proportion of American residents identifying as
Catholic has held steady, even as the number of
native-born Catholics has dropped.
The study also found remarkable fluidity across
different religions. Thirty percent of all Americans, it
found, have switched their religion at some point in
their lifetime, either to a different religion or to
an "unaffiliated status." The "unaffiliated" category, in
fact, nearly doubled in size from the 1990s to the most
recent study, and most of the jump was attributable to
Americans who described their religion as "nothing in
particular," as opposed to self-described atheists or
agnostics. - - - -
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20) Orthodox Church unholy alliance with Putin
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH [Barclay] - By Adrian
Blomfield in Omsk - February 26, 2008
Russia's Orthodox Church, despite decades of brutal
repression under Soviet rule, is putting its trust in the
KGB to ensure that a remarkable religious revival
does not fade with the departure of President Vladimir
Putin.
In an unusual move, Alexei II, the Church's patriarch,
has endorsed deputy prime minister Dmitry Medvedev
ahead of next week's presidential election.
The influence of his support on Russia's estimated
100 million Orthodox worshippers is
immense.
It also illustrates the unholy alliance the Church has
forged with the Kremlin since Mr Putin came to power
eight years ago.
The president, a proud adherent, has allowed the
Orthodox Church to regain much of its Tsarist-era
lustre and has won the enthusiastic support of
religious leaders in return.
With his hand-picked successor almost guaranteed
victory in the March 2 poll, Mr Putin is determined to
maintain the arrangement by holding on to the reins of
power as prime minister.
The relationship might seem odd. It was the KGB,
after all, that led persecution of the Church in Soviet
times, when priests were regularly jailed, tortured and
executed. Neither this nor accusations that Mr Putin is
restoring many of the attributes of Soviet rule seem to
bother Alexei.
Although he has never confirmed it, the patriarch, like
the president, is a former KGB agent codenamed
Drozdov, according to Soviet archives opened to
experts in the 1990s.
Many in the Orthodox hierarchy are also accused of
working as KGB informers, a fact that critics say the
Church has never fully acknowledged.
"Essentially, the Orthodox Church is one of the only
Soviet institutions that has never been reformed," said
one priest, who declined to be identified for fear that
he could be defrocked. That fate already befell another
colleague, Gleb Yakunin, in the 1990s when he called
on Church leaders with KGB links to repent. - - - -
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21) Vatican, Muslims Plan 'Historic' Meeting
ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Nicole Winfield - January 4,
2008
VATICAN CITY - Catholic and Muslim representatives
plan to meet in Rome in the spring to start a "historic"
dialogue between the faiths after relations were
soured by Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 comments about
Islam and holy war, Vatican officials said.
Benedict proposed the encounter as part of his official
response to an open letter sent to him and other
Christian leaders in October by 138 Muslim scholars
from around the world. The letter urged Christians and
Muslims to develop their common ground of belief in
one God.
Three representatives of the Muslim scholars will
come to Rome in February or March to prepare for the
meeting, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council
for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis
Tauran, told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore
Romano this weekend.
He did not give a date for the larger meeting, except to
say it would take place in the spring.
The agenda, he said, would cover three main topics:
respect for the dignity of each person, interreligious
dialogue based on reciprocal understanding, and
instruction of tolerance among the young.
"The meeting with a delegation of some of the 138
Muslims, planned for Rome next spring, is in a certain
sense historic," Tauran was quoted by L'Osservatore
as saying. - - -
Noting that Christians and Muslims make up an
estimated 55 percent of the world population, the
scholars conclude that improving relations is the best
way to bring peace to the world. - - -
The prince, who is a special envoy to Jordan's King
Abdullah II, responded by confirming the agenda of
the meeting and saying three representatives of the
scholars would travel to Rome in February or March to
lay its groundwork.
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22) Vatican: Away with the manger
Saint Peter's Square nativity scene nixes stable for
Joseph's workshop
WORLDNETDAILY - December 15, 2007
Christmas eve visitors to St. Peter's Square at the
Vatican expecting to see a traditional nativity scene will
be surprised to find no stable, no manger, no hay, no
sheep and definitely no Elvis.
In a move Vatican officials say is meant to "reflect a
return to the story of the nativity as told by Matthew,"
Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus will be shown in
Joseph's Nazareth carpentry workshop and not in the
Bethlehem stable.
The presepe, or nativity scene, will feature three
rooms, including the workshop, complete with "the
typical work tools of a carpenter," a "covered patio" and
the "inside of a pub with its hearth," the London
Telegraph reported.
Moving the Christmas story 70 miles north from
Bethlehem to Nazareth was inspired by Matthew 1:24-
25 as rendered in the Catholic Bible translation:
"When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the
Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home;
he had not had intercourse with her when she gave
birth to a son; and he named him Jesus." - - - -
Read Report Posted on the Be Alert! Weblog
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23) Five children die in Bihar after eating holy offerings
REUTERS [Thomson-Reuters] - February 22, 2008
PATNA, India - Five children have died and 96 other
people have fallen seriously ill in Bihar after eating
sweets and rice offered to a goddess at a village
shrine, health officials said on Friday.
Children in Isua village, in Bihar, fell sick on Thursday
during a festival to mark the full moon shortly after
eating the temple offerings, known as prasad, made
to Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning.
"The children began vomiting and falling on the
ground senseless," Ramvilas Ranjan, a health official
in the district, said by telephone.
The dead children were between 4 and 7 years old.
Most of those taken sick are also children.
Ranjan thinks it was probably food poisoning.
Villagers told him the food had been kept in a store
room for ten days. Tests are being done on the
prasad.
In a similar incident in 2004, 11 children died after
eating prasad at a different village temple in Bihar.
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24) NFL to churches: Party away!
League changes rules to allow Super Bowl events
Ed Note: Now churches can again fill their
sanctuaries with perverted and vile Super Bowl
commercials. How sad.
BE/\LERT!
WORLDNETDAILY - February 22, 2008
An advocacy law firm has announced the National
Football League has changed its rules to allow
churches to stage Super Bowl events and parties
without fear of violating copyright laws.
WND has reported in the past on the NFL's attempts
to shut down special events churches have staged
around the televising of the annual football
championship, and how it previously issued
statements that the events were allowed only if the
television screen was smaller than a certain size, or if
other requirements were met.
But the Rutherford Institute today confirmed that the
NFL "has finally acceded to demands that it change its
policies in order to accommodate churches who wish
to show the Super Bowl on big-screen
televisions."
The organization said NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell wrote in a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah,
the league will not "object to live showings of the
Super Bowl by religious organizations, regardless of
the screen size, as long as the viewings are free and
are on premises that the church uses on a routine
and customary basis."
The Rutherford Institute, which has been working on
the situation since before the 2007 game, said the
NFL plans to implement the new policy starting with
the 2009 classic.
"I'm glad to see the NFL change its policy.
Unfortunately, it took a year and a half of persistence
on the part of The Rutherford Institute to get it done,"
said Institute president John W. Whitehead. "It all
goes to show that ordinary people can effect change,
but you can't back down."
It was prior to the 2007 game when the NFL warned
churches viewing the Super Bowl on large-screen
televisions at church-sponsored gatherings infringed
on the league's copyright. That was when Rutherford
Institute attorneys began their work on the
issue.
At that time, NFL lawyers warned officials at Fall Creek
Baptist Church in Indianapolis they would have to
cancel their advertised "Super Bowl Bash" to which
church members and guests had been
invited.
According to reports, the NFL told Fall Creek Pastor
John D. Newland and others churches couldn't use
the words "Super Bowl" in promotion, couldn't charge
a fee to cover the costs of snacks, couldn't use a
projector to show the game on 12-foot-wide screen,
and couldn't link the game to the Christian
testimonies of Colts coach Tony Dungy and Chicago
Bears coach Lovie Smith. - - - -
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Contact Information
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| Editor |
| Scott Brisk |
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