BOOKS

Why Christian Kids Rebel
By Dr. Tim Kimmel, W Publishing Group,
Softcover, 256 pages, $.

What if the thing you think will save your child is the thing that drives him or her away? Dr. Tim Kimmel, author of best-selling Grace-Based Parenting, does an excellent job of demonstrating why mere Christian formula and tradition can never replace a passionate relationship with Jesus in his new book, Why Christian Kids Rebel: Trading Heartache for Hope.

The author is quick to point out that there is nothing necessarily wrong with tradition and tried-and-true Christian disciplines. It is just that kids are looking for authentic relationships rather than empty activities, and they need the relationships before they see the value of the activities.

Kimmel talks to parents about their own relationships with God, challenging them to see in what areas they might have become religious rather than real. He also talks about parenting styles and claims the one that fosters the least rebellion is the grace-based parenting style.

The author helps parents identify what true rebellion is. True rebellion has little to do with bucking traditions and more to do with a heart deliberately turning away from the Christian faith and morality. Kimmel gives hope and wise counsel to parents of kids who are growing up and hopefully learning to make the Christian faith their own.
Deborah L. Delk

Understand My Muslim People

By Abraham Sarker, Barclay Press,
Softcover, 304 pages, $18.

Abraham Sarker, raised a Muslim in Bangladesh, gave his life to Christ in a conversion that took four years and a miraculous Bible–written in his native language and found in an American University–to complete. Understand My Muslim People opens with the amazing story of this courageous man and leads to a host of challenges related to reaching millions “blinded by Islam.” Sarker discusses why Jesus is greater than Muhammad and gives insights on winning converts.

Sarker desires to see Christians become like the apostle Paul, but sharing the gospel in Muslim centers of influence ranging from Asia to America. He wants them to handle Islamic history with care in order to open avenues of discussion.

Paul did use the surroundings of the idol-worshiping ancient Greeks to get their attention, but he nevertheless made plain the message to reject ignorance and accept the truth. Sarker adds compassion.
J. James Estrada

Desert to Destiny
By Wendy Yapp, Creation House,

softcover, 237 pages, $.

Fulfilling destiny requires actively claiming the inheritance that God gives. Desert to Destiny: The Daughters of Zelophehad creatively retells the story of five daughters who, they they lived in an era when only males inherited property, were filled with enough faith and boldness to claim the inheritance of their father.

Author Wendy Yapp introduces Zelophehad’s daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, and revealing the meaning in their ancient Hebrew names. Each name’s meaning is an element in character development that carries the women through the desert into the promise land. They demonstrated the ability to allow God to turn weakness into strength, to wait on the Lord’s timing and pass His sifting process, to understand our position in our relationship with God and to bring destiny to pass through prayer, worship and clinging to His promises.

The backdrop of the culture from Egypt to Canaan is also illustrated with insightful details that make this journey come alive. Although this is primarily about women, it also has life lessons for all who would come into their destiny. Yapp proves to be an excellent teacher and storyteller, making this book a valuable find.
Deborah L. Delk

MUSIC

Bridges
By Various Artists, Waterfront Records.

Many have speculated about what the new trend in contemporary music is going to be, following years of a worship emphasis. Some have guessed hymns and, if new and upcoming projects are any indication, they could be right.

Bridges: Classical Hymns, Modern Worship attempts to build a bridge between the modern-worship movement and the return to traditional hymns. The lyrics on the songs are hymns that the older generation will know and love but are handled in a contemporary fashion.

Artists on the collection include Paul Coleman, Michael Tait, Ginny Owens, Todd Agnew, GlassByrd, Jason Ingram, Jill Paquette, Leeland Mooring and Cherie Adams (formerly with Avalon). Hymns include “Come Thou Fount,” “Be

Thou My Vision,” “Fairest Lord Jesus,” “It Is Well With My Soul” and “How Great Thou Art.” Along with the songs, the enhanced CD includes guitar chords, piano sheet music, lyrics and a hymn history.

Though some of the songs have been taken from the artists’ previous recordings (Owens’ “Be Thou My Vision,” for example), under the direction of Marc Byrd (City on a Hill, God of Wonders), the collection has a cohesive feel and should be a welcome listen for modern-worship listeners looking to reconnect with their church music heritage.

DeWayne Hamby

Passionate Voice
By Lisbeth Scott, SHELTERecords.

Even if you don’t recognize Lisbeth Scott’s name, you might recognize her voice. Scott was a co-lyricist and vocalist for The Passion of the Christ soundtrack. Her original songs and vocal performances have also been featured on other popular films and TV shows, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Alias and Touched by an Angel.

Scott’s Passionate Voice is captivating, with her lyrics and wide range of music and vocal styles. With a sound similar to Enya’s, Scott offers pleasant surprises as she mixes breathy, ethereal melodies with songs that are earthy, raw and natural. One particularly unique offering is “Stones,” with its cello music and allegorical lyrics about forgiveness.

Scott uses traditional piano and guitar, mixed with the unique sounds of the duduk from Turkey; the ocarina, a wind instrument from Pakistan; and the harmonium and dilruba from India. The different instruments infuse the lyrics, some in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic, with emotion.

Inspired by The Passion of the Christ, the original music and lyrics of Passionate Voice seem to extend the emotional stirring of that film.
Leigh DeVore

MOVIES

Luther
MGM Home Video,
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Luther (now available on DVD and video) brings history alive. Joseph Fiennes’ portrayal of Martin Luther is emotionally charged yet thought-provoking, as he changes from a tormented soul who struggles with an image of a wrathful, damning God to a joyous man delighted with God’s abundant grace and love.

Luther’s joy, however, is mixed with anger and sorrow over the corruption of the church. This film shows that he was not intending to bring a revolution but was trying to compassionately teach liberating truth. After he clashes with the greedy indulgence sellers who claim salvation can be bought, he is unable to back down for the sake of his conscience and the people’s spiritual welfare.

Sir Peter Ustinov’s performance as a German nobleman caught in the middle of the political struggle is particularly enjoyable. Clearly, Luther’s transformation affects not only the church life but also his entire culture.

Today’s church reformers will undoubtedly identify with Luther as he deals with those who privately agree with him but put unity before holiness, or followers who allow a vindictive spirit to rule their responses, or leaders who have completely lost the point of the gospel and are intent on building their own kingdoms.

Deborah L. Delk

Because of Winn-Dixie
Twentieth Century Fox, Walden Media.

An adaptation of the best-selling book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo came to life on the big screen February 18.

The people of the rundown town of Naomi, Florida, get a new lease on life from an unlikely source: a stray dog. Reminiscent of classic canine heroes Benji and Lassie, who saved people and animals from danger, Winn-Dixie rescues hearts. This dog seems to know which people are most in need of a friend.

First on Winn-Dixie’s list to save is India Opal Buloni. The two become fast friends. AnnaSophia Robb, as Opal, is such a natural on-screen that moviegoers will be surprised to learn that this is her big-screen debut.

Opal is the daughter of the town’s new preacher and struggles with being separated from her parents: her father, who is emotionally absent, and her mother, who actually left the family. As the dog and girl duo make new friends, Opal learns valuable lessons.

“Preacher” (Jeff Daniels) is still hurting from his wife’s abandonment. He is a good father to Opal, but they both need a little help to begin to connect in a loving relationship.

Oscar-winner Eva Marie Saint plays local librarian Miss Franny Block, a woman who seems reluctant to embrace the outside world. Yet her wisdom and friendship enrich Opal’s insight and compassion for others.

Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band makes his film debut as Otis, a man misunderstood and misjudged. Opal discovers that there is more to Otis than the past he’s trying to forget.

Casting Dave Matthews as Otis, a gifted musician, is ingenious. Matthews’ fans will be pleasantly surprised to see and hear a favorite artist on the big screen. And Matthews is likely to gain new fans as moviegoers experience a taste of his obvious talent.

Legendary actress Cicely Tyson gives a perfect performance as Gloria Dump. It might seem she is a recluse, but Gloria is not a loner in spirit and eagerly embraces Opal and Winn-Dixie as friends. This sweet woman’s hard-earned wisdom and personality are softened by an innocence and a vulnerability that make her seem childlike at times.

Winn-Dixie is the biggest character of all. Children and adults alike will fall in love with his grand personality, antics and visible grin.

Topics such as alcoholism, incarceration and spouse abandonment are mentioned but are not so blatant that parents would have to explain them to younger children. Parents of older children could use this film as a discussion starter for these issues but would not feel forced to do so.

Though this movie does not offer an overt presentation of the gospel message, it does clearly demonstrate godly principles through the lessons Opal learns. Because of Winn-Dixie is a story of transformation from sadness and loneliness to hope and friendship. This film is an entertaining reminder that we need to see others for who they really are and reach out in love.
Leigh DeVore

Chad W. Thompson presents a truthful approach balanced by love in his book Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would ( ).

Thompson says the church is the last place a homosexual would go for help. But church should be a safe place where homosexuals can come and be accepted and loved. One way we can create a haven is to change our language.

He says we have to stop using the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin.” He explains that homosexuals honestly believe they were born this way so “to them it’s an identity. In their eyes it’s impossible for you to love the sinner and hate the sin.”

Thompson also challenges us to listen. “There are so many things that the gay and lesbian community is trying to tell us. They’re trying to tell us how to love them. And they’re trying to show us what they need in order to live lives that are free from harassment and ridicule and discrimination.

“And the church is not listening. … Yes, homosexuality is wrong. Yes, it doesn’t fall in line with God’s design for marriage and family and how society’s supposed to work. … But we’re so focused on trying to get them to change, that we’ve missed the point.

“We’re called to love them, as they are, where they are, just as Christ [does]. That doesn’t mean we don’t call them to change. But we still need to love them whether or not they choose to change.”
Leigh DeVore

I believe God is giving Christians an open window for four more years.
Because Christians and their values played such a big part in the re-election of President George W. Bush, I wanted to witness his inauguration January 20. I admit I watched his speech on a large-screen television in a warm place on that cold day–partly because I had attended the Ask for America Inaugural Prayer Breakfast across town at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, hosted by Carol and Stephen Poulos of Ask for America, and I couldn’t be two places at once.

To me, it was significant to pray for this president, whose faith has become a driving force not only in his personal life but also in the policies of his administration. And pray we did. A long list of well-known Christian leaders prayed for every conceivable aspect of public life. They even asked me to pray for the media.

The event went largely unnoticed by the media, even though more than 1,500 attended. It was overshadowed by the pageantry of the day, the unprecedented security, the few protesters who seemed to get far more coverage than they deserved and the tendency of the media to downplay anything “religious.”

They couldn’t ignore it completely because of the prayers, the religious songs and the remarks the president made in his speech. He spoke of the “longing of the soul” and of having “mercy, and a heart for the weak.” He pointed out that “God moves and chooses as He wills.” He said we “bear the image of the maker of heaven and earth.”

In a nod toward our pluralistic society, Bush also mentioned the Quran. Later the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, senior pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church, prayed a powerful benediction that closed with the words, “Respecting persons of all faiths, I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Americans have long embraced a tradition of referring to the deity in public even when there was little belief behind it. But true Bible-believing Christians have generally been marginalized. That is changing because we have a president who claims his favorite philosopher is Jesus.

But it’s changing also because Christians are becoming a part of the process. Though ministries are hampered by laws preventing them from being “too political,” individual Christians can speak up–and did during the recent election–by voting for righteousness. Even political pundits credited moral values as the factor that determined which candidate was chosen.

The mood was upbeat at both the prayer breakfast on the morning of the inauguration and the Christian Inaugural Eve Gala the night before, sponsored by Lou Sheldon’s Traditional Values Coalition. The latter was a fancy affair held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and attended by more than 800 people, including evangelicals D. James Kennedy and Ralph Reed and charismatics Keith Butler and Jan Crouch. Politicians such as Karl Rove, Bush’s senior adviser, and Ken Mehlman, newly elected Republican National Committee chairman, and media personalities such as Janet Parshall showed up. Outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft made one of his final appearances before retiring to private life.

Attending these events was fun but sobering. Our nation faces many threats from without and within. Terrorism threatens our way of life, but so does an ultraliberal agenda that wants to legitimize homosexuality and take all references to God out of public life.

Charismatics and Pentecostals have traditionally been more interested in foreign missions, correct theology and personal piety than they have been in politics. But the time has come when we cannot stand on the sidelines.

I believe God is giving us an open window for four more years. This is a time to change laws, put in new judges, elect godly officials and regain lost ground in what many have called the cultural wars.

As people of prayer, we must pray not only for our president but also for all those in authority (see 1 Tim. 2:1-2). And we must get involved.

It’s time to be “silent no more,” as Rod Parsley prayed eloquently at the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, “because our times demand it, our history compels it, our future requires it, and … because You, Almighty God, are still watching.”

In a new book they co-authored, pastor John Hagee and his wife, Diana, deal boldly and honestly with issues that are destroying families today
Christian marriages are being torn apart today–by alcoholism, pornography, immorality, materialism and selfishness. But Texas pastor John Hagee, who has officiated at hundreds of weddings in his 46 years of ministry, knows that couples can stick together for life if they are willing to follow biblical principles.

In a unique new book What Every Man Wants in a Woman; What Every Woman Wants in a Man (Charisma House), Hagee and his wife, Diana, tackle some of the toughest issues facing married couples today. Written as two messages in one, the book addresses both men and women with candor–sharing wisdom from a couple who have been happily married for almost 30 years. We talked with the Hagees about their views on marriage in America and how Christian couples can avoid divorce and develop fulfilling, intimate relationships.

Charisma: It’s no secret that Christian marriages are in trouble today. What’s happening to us?

John: It’s unbelievable to me that the courthouse will give any human being with brains enough to find the front door a license to get married. My father, who pastored for 53 years, often said, “If you have half a mind to get married, do it; that’s all it takes.”

You can’t cut someone’s hair without a license. You can’t fish without a license. You can’t go hunting without a license. But to get a license to get married, a license that empowers you to create new life, destroy your life, or crush the dreams and hopes of your spouse and family, all you have to do is have $25, and you are an instant player.

Charisma: So you’re saying many marriages fail because people aren’t ready to marry?

John: There’s more to marital readiness than a blood test. How sad that we spend so many years training for a career and so little time preparing for marriage. A hasty courtship can often lead to a marriage that is a disaster.

Delaying your marriage by choice or because of financial or educational circumstances is usually beneficial. The passage of time allows all infatuation to die, while it tempers and develops true love and spiritual attraction.

Trying to escape from an unhappy home via marriage is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. More than 60 percent of teenage marriages end in divorce. The more mature you are at the time of your marriage, the greater the probability of your success in marriage.

Charisma: You say in your book that premarital sex is a big reason why many marriages fail.

John: I have never seen a marriage built on sexual excitement that was successful. If you are building a dating relationship on sexual excitement, you are violating the laws of God as a fornicator, and your relationship in the future is doomed without total repentance and reformation.

When you become romantically involved, you experience an intense adrenaline and endorphin high. Romantic love can be very exciting. Sex ups the ante even more.

However, the body can keep the flow of adrenaline and endorphins going for just so long. Soon you become exhausted, depressed and bored.

The relationship is dumped, and you go on to someone else who will give you that same excitement. But soon that new relationship dies, also, because it has a faulty foundation.

Almost everyone has experienced the physical sensations of romance–the pounding of the heart, butterflies in the stomach, goose bumps, chills, tingling, trembling and sexual excitement. That is not love; it is romance.

Many people become addicted to romance. As a result of such an addiction, there are many disappointments in love, and many marriages fail. Relationships built on the excitement of sex alone are doomed to failure.

Charisma: You say marriage is not just about sex. But in your book you place a lot of emphasis on the importance of a physical relationship.

Diana: I tell women it is very important to show affection to your husband every opportunity you get. Take his hand when you are walking together, or pat his shoulder as you pass by him. Kiss him often. Even if it hasn’t been part of your past behavior, try beginning anew by giving him what it is you want in return.

One of the most beautiful pictures of romance I have ever seen is one I witness every Sunday morning at Cornerstone Church. On the front row center of the second section sit a wonderful man and his precious wife. They are in their late 80s. They sit so close to each other you couldn’t get a sheet of paper between them. Every Sunday they hold each other’s hand. These two wrinkled and gnarled hands are clasped tightly, and the other two hands are raised in praise and worship to the Lord.

What a statement they make! The message of romance they send every Sunday is a memorial to the love they have for each other and the love they have for God.

Charisma: You point out that men, in particular, don’t realize that women need intimacy that is not always sexual.

John: Emotional intimacy includes touch, caressing, hugging, kissing and romancing. There are approximately 5 million touch receptors in the human body. More than 2 million receptors are in the hands alone.

The right hand of touch releases a pleasing and healing flow of chemicals in the bodies of both the toucher and the touched. Studies have shown that even the tender touch of a pet dog or cat can cause people to get healthier.

My mother was a person who could hug you and make the world go away. From my earliest childhood, I watched her reach out and hug all the people she loved, and many others, too. I adopted that practice as a teenager, and I practice it to this day. I believe it’s beneficial for every person to receive affection from another person through touch.

I tell men: Without the emotional intimacy of touch and warm personal communication, sex with your wife is little more than domestic rape.

Charisma: A lot of couples say they divorced after enduring years of living together without any passion. What can a couple do if the fire has gone out?

John: The first step is to determine that both of you want to improve your marriage. Every marriage can be a better marriage.

Turn off the football game. Put down the newspaper and plan a date night. Sit down and make a list of exciting things you would like to do together, and then do it. “Insanity” defined is “doing the same things the same way and expecting a different result.” Your marriage can sizzle, but not without planning to make it happen.

Charisma: How can a couple safeguard their marriage from adultery?

Diana: In his book His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, Willard F. Harley Jr. refers to the high expectations men and women have for their marriages. Both want their needs met, yet seldom do they communicate those needs to their spouse or take the time to know the needs of the other.

I have found that many individuals try to learn to “do without” having their needs met. They would rather do without than attempt to convey to their mate their true needs. There is no greater fear on Earth than to stand emotionally naked before the one you love most in life, fearing that person will laugh at your desires or refuse to give you what you desperately want.

A man who lists sexual fulfillment as one of his needs, and whose wife fulfills this need, makes his wife a continual source of intense pleasure, and his love for her grows stronger.

Charisma: Is there anything that women, in particular. can do?

Diana: Adultery does not occur overnight. The man usually begins by conversing with a close female friend, someone at the office or a neighbor.

The “conversation only” friendship then develops into a deeper relationship of trust and desire. One step at a time the marriage is compromised by deeper feelings of trust in and emotional dependence on the third party, and if he does not stop himself, adultery will result.

We women must ask ourselves these questions: What are my husband’s needs? What am I doing to meet his needs? What am I doing to create frustration in him? Have I communicated to him what my sexual desires and needs are?

Charisma: John, what have you done over the years to cultivate the spark in your marriage?

John: Diana and I have something between us we call . It’s an acronym for One Way Everyday. One way, every day, I seek to find a way to make Diana feel good about herself or to help her accomplish a task that is becoming overwhelming.

Last night we washed dishes together. Some days, it’s a rose from the rose garden. Other days, it’s a card. Other times, there is a date night. But one way, every day, there has to be the transmission of my effort to make that day a better day.

Charisma: Diana, you spend a lot of time in your part of the book talking about honesty and communication.

Diana: So many times we hear men tell us that we are so much more “emotional” about the events of our lives than they are. Because of that, it is sometimes easier for a wife to keep her emotions hidden from her husband.

But it will be difficult for your husband to give you the emotional support you want and need from him if you cannot openly express your emotions–positive and negative–to him.

Because you have not given him your emotional honesty, he will disappoint you by his lack of understanding the emotions you are feeling.

I used to hide my feelings from John. Well, that has changed!

I am so honest with what I need and want from him now that I write it on the bathroom mirror with lipstick! I leave notes in his briefcase and in the pages of his sermons! Notes are left on his office calendar: “Diana needs a date night–now!”

Satan is present to destroy the works of the Lord in His people. He wants to keep you from communicating honestly with your husband. If you are dishonest, you will be falling right into the evil one’s trap to rob, kill and destroy your marriage.

Charisma: You give some amazing testimonies about how various marriages have been repaired–including those that were torn apart by addiction and unfaithfulness. You even describe a couple who were about to divorce because the husband had a gay affair. Is reconciliation in such cases truly possible?

John: Let me tell you the story of Robert and Rachel. Robert was a very successful stockbroker. He had feminine characteristics, and he was homosexual. He came to the church and confessed that he wanted to make a change in his conduct and become a Christian. He began to serve and serve well in a number of ways in our church.

He met Rachel, who was far more successful in her business than Robert. Rachel was extremely intelligent, a type-A, turbo-charged woman who lived in a man’s world and was extremely successful. They met and were married within six months.

For the first year, life seemed to be a thing of beauty. And then the thing that I had feared from day one began to manifest itself. Robert told Rachel he was having an affair with a man.

Rachel came to my office shaken but committed to solving the problem. She said, “If it were another woman, I know how to fight that fight. But how do you fight a relationship with a man?” I had no intelligent answer.

I asked Robert and Rachel to come to my office together, and I asked Robert the question I have asked everyone in the first five minutes of the first counseling session: “Do you want to save your marriage?”

Robert said yes, and we began to work toward removing the roots in his past life that would bring him to reconciliation with God and Rachel. What we did and said and experienced is in and of itself worthy of a book, but the point of this story is to say that, years later, Robert and Rachel are living together in divine harmony with their children without another homosexual manifestation. Yes … a marriage can survive even homosexuality.

Charisma: How important is it for couples to pray together?

John: A man and a woman talking to God, bound together in prayer, is an unbreakable union.

Diana: My husband and I have prayed together for almost 30 years. When we pray together, we get answers from heaven. And it is simply not possible to be angry with each other when you pray.

I tell couples to make a prayer list and to find a private time and place for prayer. John and I like to have our prayer time while we walk. We are away from intrusions and able to call on the Lord in freedom.

First, we come into a time of repentance, asking forgiveness for anything we have said, done or thought that has grieved the Holy Spirit.

Our list then begins: We pray for our children by name, their spouses and our grandchildren. We pray for the protection, direction and prosperity of our church, TV outreach, and school and for everyone associated with them.

Then we submit any personal petitions we may have. Finally, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem and end in a time of praise for our Lord and His blessings.

Learn to pray in agreement, not in competition. There is a sweet sound in heaven when a husband and wife are in harmony before God.

The more this divine communication occurs, the more you will want to talk to each other about other things. You will find that the “things” you speak about will not include gossip or tale bearing. Your conversation will concentrate on your petitions and the testimonies associated with those prayers.

You will share the dreams and aspirations each of you has as you come into agreement. Your children will know that when Mom and Dad pray, things happen.

This teaching is far greater than any book or class you will ever enroll them in. Without communication, your marriage will become dry and wither, just like the soul when it has no time with God.

.

Sex should no longer be ‘the last straw’ that causes us to question one’s ministry.

Sexual immorality is usually not the first stop on a leader’s road to perdition. Satan’s smarter than that, and he knows we are too. That’s why he tempts us with more innocuous delicacies, such as greed, power and false doctrine. A real-life example of this principle is vividly–and sadly–described by our columnist R.T. Kendall in this issue (see page 24).

Our demise begins rather like the familiar frog in the kettle. We allow ourselves to believe our own marketing: “Yes, I am a prophet–that’s why people are criticizing me.” “It’s OK if I misuse this text … as long as I get the point across.” “I do deserve this kingly treatment. After all, I have a very special gift.”

Before long, we’re sitting in a boiling hot tub, surrounded only by people who will affirm our delusions of greatness. We’ve successfully distanced ourselves from all opposition, and they’ve moved to a safe distance to observe our demise. We still draw crowds of people who view our heresy, pride and extravagance as idiosyncrasies of the anointing.

The problem is not that the church is too tolerant of sexual immorality. Instead, it is that we tolerate the more insidious behaviors that are the precursors to moral failure. It is only when the final straw of sexual immorality is laid on the back of the proverbial camel that we throw up our hands in exasperation and act as though we didn’t see it coming.

This was particularly poignant in the case of PTL founder, Jim Bakker. As he notes in his book I Was Wrong, many of his friends, spiritual peers and a nationwide audience loyally reinforced his adherence to a gospel of greed … that is until it was revealed that he had engaged in a one-night fling.

Friends, as spiritual leaders, sex should no longer be “the final straw” that causes us to question the validity of one’s ministry. We must be willing to challenge and confront those who persist in ethical and doctrinal ambiguity before Satan lays his last trap.

Paul’s instructions to his protégé Timothy reveal the inseparable link between false doctrine, greed and sexual immorality–none of which are to be tolerated among Christian leaders. He warns Timothy to watch both his life and doctrine closely, “for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16, NKJV).

The flip side of Paul’s warning reveals the destruction in the church wreaked by those who fail at this. I, for one, have seen enough of this destruction and heard too many stories from sincere believers strewn in the wake of those who fall. We must have the grace and conviction to intervene–before the fall. *

Matthew Green is managing editor of Ministries Today.

“Too often we
tolerate the strange doctrine, shoddy ethics and greed that are the
precursors to
moral failure.”

Bishop Keith Butler may campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate during his state’s 2006 election
With hopes of riding the momentum built by “moral values” voters during the November presidential election, a prominent charismatic pastor is considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2006.

Bishop Keith Butler, pastor of one of Detroit’s largest churches, Word of Faith International Christian Center, announced Dec. 31 that he was launching an exploratory committee to see if he could drum up enough support for a campaign. A longtime Republican, Butler, 49, said at the center of his platform would be the protection of marriage, religious liberty and national security.

Butler, who won a seat on Detroit’s city council in 1989 and served a four-year term, said it would benefit the nation as a whole “to have a senator that protects life, that protects traditional family values and … understands also that it is important to take care of the poor.”

He said his ministry has helped feed and clothe thousands of people since it was founded in 1979.

If he were to run for Senate, and if he were to win, Butler would not be the first minister to hold a seat in Congress. New York pastor Floyd Flake served six terms in Congress, while Oklahoma Baptist minister J.C. Watts spent four terms in the House.

But a win would make Butler only the fifth African American ever elected to the Senate, and only the second black Republican. Still, Butler says his goal is not to make history.

“Should I run, I will not be running as a black Republican,” Butler said. “I will be running as a Republican who believes deeply in protecting the family in our society, securing America, keeping her safe, keeping American jobs. I will look to be a senator for all the people of Michigan and not just one segment of the population.”

He admits, however, that it would not hurt the Republican Party to have another minority senator in Congress.

“I think it will assist the Republican Party to have [Hispanic Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida] and Keith Butler in the United States Senate,” Butler said. “It will make it very difficult for the anti-God and the anti-life [forces] to keep those states blue that are blue. I think Keith Butler [could help] some blue states turn red.”

A native of Detroit, Butler was a liberal arts major at the University of Michigan, studying social sciences and minoring in political science. He worked at IBM and General Motors before he founded Word of Faith with his wife, Deborah, after attending RHEMA Bible Training Center. Today the church has more than 20,000 members and has planted 15 satellite churches across the United States, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Scotland and London. Butler also oversees some 950 ministers through his Word of Faith Ministerial Alliance.

Conservative observers believe Democratic Michigan incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow is vulnerable to being unseated in the upcoming election. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate of any state as a result of significant job losses in recent years.

Several names have been tossed around as possible Republican candidates in 2006. Among them are U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a former Michigan secretary of state; Oakland County Sheriff Michael Broussard; and Domino’s Pizza CEO Dave Brandon.

But Butler, too, is seen as a strong contender. Incoming Michigan Republican National Committee chairman Chuck Yob told the Detroit News he believes Butler would make a strong candidate. “He’s conservative and formidable,” Yob told the News. “He’s not well-known statewide, but he’s a proven vote-getter in Detroit.”

Getting votes outside Detroit may be one of Butler’s biggest challenges, though observers say he could overcome that obstacle. “I suspect he’ll do the work if he elects to run,” said Michigan Republican National Committee spokesman Nate Bailey. “He’s a smart man, well spoken, a man of great principle, great faith. I think he would make a fine U.S. senator.”

Already anticipating that Butler will run, Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) President Lou Sheldon has pledged to give Butler the maximum campaign contribution both personally and through TVC’s political action committee, the Christian Voters Project.

Butler chaired a TVC effort to support the election of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court and in 1991 helped Sheldon launch the Coalition for the Restoration of the Black Family. Last year the two partnered again to lead a group of African American pastors in opposing same-sex marriage.

“He understands and has lived out in his life conservative biblical principles relevant to the family and marriage, in matters of debt, in matters of defense,” Sheldon said. “So on the moral and social and economic issues, he has made his position well known through the years. And he would be a clarion voice in the United States Senate to keep America on those principles that our Founding Fathers gave us.”

Though Butler has been a Republican since the early 1980s and worked to get African Americans to vote for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, observers believe he could get significant support from Michigan’s African American community.

Detroit pastor Marvin Winans, a longtime Democrat, said he plans to support Butler should he run. “We were teenagers together; we grew up here in Detroit,” Winans said. “And I know he is a man of integrity. I know he cares for people, and I think he would be a great addition, a sort of conscience, in the Senate.”

National Religious Broadcasters chairman Glenn Plummer, who is also president of the Christian Television Network in Detroit, said he believes African Americans’ loyalty to Democrats is weakening, especially among Christians. “I think there are a lot of people saying I used to vote Democratic because my mother did, grandparents did. Now people are seriously … reviewing their position on this.”

He added that Butler has earned the respect of many residents of Detroit, which is roughly 85 percent African American, and he is an independent thinker. Sheldon agreed.

“[Butler] is not in anyone’s pocket. He speaks his own mind and makes decisions based on his own convictions,” said Sheldon, adding that if Butler won 25 percent of Detroit’s black vote, he could win an election.

For now, Butler said his biggest challenge is raising the $18 million to $20 million he says it will take to run a campaign. Second only to his need for prayer support, Butler said getting campaign contributions is “absolutely critical. Early money decides whether you’re viable or not.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

A Pennsylvania evangelist faces three felony counts after being arrested while preaching against homosexuality during a Philadelphia gay-pride festival in October.

Repent America leader Michael Marcavage, 25, was arrested along with 10 others during the Oct. 10 OutFest event. The group allegedly failed to comply with police officers’ orders to move to another location one block away.

Charged with five misdemeanors and three felonies, including inciting a riot, criminal conspiracy and ethnic intimidation, which is part of the state’s hate crimes law, the 11 were jailed overnight and released without posting bail.

Charges against six were dropped after a judge viewed a videotape of the arrest. Three face misdemeanor charges, while Marcavage and a teenage girl, whose juvenile court hearing was scheduled for Feb. 18, still face the felony counts.

Marcavage’s attorneys say because their client is accused of hate speech, the case has significant implications for Christians nationwide. “If they were to succeed, it would affect how everybody preaches, how everybody evangelizes,” said the group’s criminal defense attorney, C. Scott Shields. “You won’t be able to utter any Scripture around someone who might be offended.”

Though the maximum sentence for the felony charges is 47 years, Cathie Abookire, communications director for the district attorney’s office, said the defendants would likely be put on probation if convicted. She said the Christians were being prosecuted for “their conduct, not their speech.”

However, on Jan. 21 Judge Pamela Dembe dissolved a ban that kept the 11 from evangelizing within 100 feet of a homosexual gathering, saying she saw no criminal activity in the defendants’ behavior after watching a videotape of the arrest. Dembe was scheduled to hear the Christians’ motion to dismiss the charges on Feb. 17. Shields said he was very optimistic his clients would not be prosecuted.

American Family Association senior trial attorney Brian Fahling has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the 11 Christians, alleging abuse of power by the City of Philadelphia and several officials. He said he is seeking “significant” monetary damages.
Adrienne S. Gaines

RICK JOYNER PURCHASES FORMER HOME OF HERITAGE
USA MorningStar Ministries founder Rick Joyner recently finalized the purchase of 52 acres of land on property that used to be home to Jim Bakker’s Heritage USA to create a new headquarters for his Charlotte, N.C., church, The Charlotte Observer reported. The site also will house a 5,000-seat auditorium for conferences and an education center. Now host of a TV show shot in Branson, Mo., Bakker praised Joyner for making the purchase. “He mainly restores people, but right now he’s going to restore the old grounds,” Bakker told the newspaper. “I believe Heritage USA belongs to the church world.” Widely known for writing on prophetic issues, Joyner is author of such books as The Final Quest and leads conferences on prophetic ministry.

INDIANA WOMAN SAYS GOD LED HER TO VAN THAT HIT HER SON
A Greenwood, Ind., woman whose son was killed Oct. 26 in a hit-and-run accident says that on the eve of Thanksgiving, God guided her to drive into a mobile home park, where she eventually stopped by a white van, The Indianapolis Star reported. Joy English notified police of the vehicle, and days later the authorities confirmed that the 1993 Dodge van English found was the one that hit her son. Police arrested 19-year-old Israel Cardenas Nov. 30. “I had no control over my car,” English told the newspaper. “It just makes me know that God is truly with us in our mourning, sorrow and trials, and this is proof He is truly with you. There is a God, and He does exist.”

MATT CROUCH TO HEAD NEW ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY
Matthew Crouch, son of Trinity Broadcasting Network founders Paul and Jan Crouch, was recently named CEO and chairman of the board of CDMI Productions. The independent entertainment company plans to develop, finance, produce and distribute family-based films, TV shows, animated features and documentaries. Crouch, founder of Gener8Xion Entertainment, which produced such Christian films as The Omega Code, Megiddo and China Cry, will spearhead the California-based company’s foray into family-based entertainment. CDMI, in turn, acquired exclusive distribution rights to Gener8Xion’s forthcoming films, One Night With the King, which is based on Tommy Tenney’s popular novel, Hadassah, and set to release March 25, and the animated project The Prodigal Son. Crouch and his wife, Lorie, will become CDMI’s majority shareholders, receiving more than 8 million shares as “consideration for the purchase of the assets” and as partial compensation for Crouch’s accepting the CEO position.

METHODIST JURY DEFROCKS LESBIAN MINISTER
A jury comprised of United Methodist Church clergy convicted a lesbian minister who was openly living with her partner of violating church law, the Associated Press (AP) reported. As a result of the Dec. 2 decision, the Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud had to give up her ministry license. Methodist law forbids “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals” from ministry, the AP said. Stroud, 34, said she expected to be convicted and said the case shows “how divided we are” over the role of homosexuals in the Methodist Church, the AP reported.

Frank Houston Dies

Frank Houston, considered by some to be the father of the Pentecostal churches in Sydney, Australia, died Nov. 8 after suffering a massive stroke, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He was 82. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit and miraculously healed during an Assemblies of God revival, Houston went on to found Sydney Christian Life Centre in Australia. In 1999 the congregation merged with Hillsong Church, pastored by Houston’s son, Brian. Frank Houston later admitted to having sexually abused a boy in New Zealand more than 30 years before, which resulted in Brian Houston, president of the Assemblies of God in Australia, permanently removing his father’s ministry credentials. Funeral services were held Nov. 12. Brian Houston told those gathered that his father was the greatest evangelical preacher he had ever seen, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. “In my biased opinion, he was in a class of his own,” Houston said, the newspaper reported.

Stephen Shakarian Dies

The youngest son of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship (FGBMFI) founder Demos Shakarian died Dec 5 in Southern California of a rare kidney disease. Stephen Shakarian, 57, served as CEO of the international network of charismatic businessmen. In January 2004 he joined the global council of Business Men’s Fellowship and the board of the U.S. organization, led by former FGBMFI treasurer Ronny Svenhard. Shakarian is survived by a son, Stephen II; a daughter, Stephanie; a brother, Richard, now president of FGBMFI; and a sister, Geraldine. His wife, Debra, died of cancer in 2002.

Global Day of Prayer Planned for May

Prayer leaders from 240 nations are teaming up to lead a Global Day of Prayer ( ) May 15, which is Pentecost Sunday. The International Prayer Council, which is helping to convene the event, expects 200 million Christians to join together in prayer. As part of a three-part plan, the network is asking people to pray for their churches, cities or regions around the clock from May 6-15, leading up to larger prayer gatherings in cities around the globe on May 15. The event is to be followed by 90 days of outreach and evangelism.

Amid massive protests in Kiev, believers prayed, sang and demanded an end to corruption
While Ukraine teetered on the edge of political chaos in late 2004, thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in Kiev, the capital, for several weeks beginning in late November to ask God to intervene in the country’s bitter presidential contest. Their peaceful demonstration–and the election of pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko in the Dec. 26 runoff–proved to Moscow and the world that faith has triggered major changes in this former Soviet republic.

Yushchenko’s win could signal the end of mafia control of Ukraine–a goal that was at the top of the list of prayer concerns when Christians gathered in prayer tents and open-air rallies in Kiev’s Independence Square.

After an Oct. 31 election and a Nov. 21 runoff, pro-Moscow candidate Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner. But angry protesters hit the streets when international monitoring organizations confirmed that the election had been rigged. Parliament then ordered a new vote and mandated strict reforms to prevent ballot stuffing.

The contest between Yanukovych, 54, the current prime minister, and pro-Westerner Yushchenko, 50, divided the country into two factions–those who favor maintaining ties to the old Soviet way of life and those who want a progressive democracy with more economic freedoms.

Yet despite these sharp divisions, the nation’s Christians stood together. In unison they backed Yushchenko and the freedoms he promised.

“What is happening here is an answer to prayer,” said Sunday Adelaja, pastor of the 25,000-member Embassy of God Church in Kiev. “It is unbelievable. The Christians are in unity. The Baptists are standing beside the Orthodox people–which is amazing because the Orthodox hated us before.”

Religious tension has been high in Ukraine since the nation gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Then there were only 250,000 evangelical Christians in a country dominated by nominal Orthodox Church adherents. Today there are 3 million evangelicals.

“That is 1,000 percent growth in a decade,” noted Pentecostal theologian Gary Kellner, who helped found a seminary in Kiev in 2001. “What God is doing in Ukraine is unprecedented.”

Adelaja’s church, which meets in 34 locations in Kiev on Sundays, is considered Europe’s largest. What is more unique is the pastor’s story: He is a Nigerian who studied at a communist university in the former Soviet Union.

Old-regime politicians in Ukraine–many of them under the influence of the underground mafia, or bratva–don’t appreciate Adelaja’s influence and have tried several times to deport him. When Charisma visited the Embassy of God’s massive Sunday celebration at a sports arena in Kiev, city officials turned off the church’s electricity to intimidate members.

“They claim that I use ‘black magic’ to win converts,” Adelaja said. “They say it is a disgrace that a black man is teaching Ukrainians.”

Because of the size of Adelaja’s congregation, and because of his race, he has borne the brunt of resistance from government forces. KGB surveillance officers have stalked him, and he was forbidden to travel out of the country from 1997 to 2000. He has been told he does not have the right to preach and that his members have become “zombies.”

“They tell me it is impossible to see a drug addict delivered. So I invite them to come to see 1,000 people who are free from drugs,” Adelaja said.

Adelaja keeps a scrapbook of newspaper articles that have been written about him by the government-controlled media. One headline reads: “Will This Black Man Be President of Ukraine?” A Yanukovych campaign pamphlet warned that a vote for Yushchenko might give more power to “the Negro sect” in Kiev–an apparent reference to Adelaja’s church.

Adelaja is not the only African leading a church in this predominantly white nation. Henry Madava, a Pentecostal from Zimbabwe, pastors the second-largest congregation in Kiev. During the historic prayer vigils held on Independence Square, members of his 8,000-member Victory Church operated two feeding centers and provided a medical team.

Some of the pastors in Madava’s satellite congregations were threatened or forced out of their buildings because they would not support Yanukovych. “The newspapers promised to do away with our churches as soon as [Yanukovych] won the election,” Madava told Charisma.

Valeriy Reshetinskiy, pastor of Christian Hope Church in Kiev, said his congregation was kicked out of its rented building after some government agents told him he must support Yanukovych. Meanwhile a pastor in Reshetinskiy’s network of churches suffered worse.

“One of our pastors from the Lugansk region was beaten,” Reshetinskiy said. “He was found a day later, barely alive.”

Yushchenko believes the power of the mafia in Ukraine became obvious in September when he says he was poisoned during a campaign event. His face was badly disfigured, and sympathy for him may have been a determining factor in his election victory.

Then again, Christian leaders say prayer was the real determining factor. Many of the protesters who camped out on the city square were fasting. Government agents reportedly told their superiors that the mood at the demonstrations was “like a revival service,” Adelaja said.

Kellner, who bluntly described Yanukovych as “a stooge of the mafia,” said Yushchenko’s victory shows that evangelical churches have become a powerful force in Ukraine.

Madava, meanwhile, says he saw the direct intervention of God in the election. “God is totally removing the corruption that has ruled this country for 13 years,” he said. “God is bringing an awareness in the people of their freedom.”

Reshetinskiy said leaders of the political opposition were surprised that so many people engaged in protests.

“Thousands of people came out in the streets and were full of love and patience–that was the amazing thing,” said Reshetinskiy. “And a church that was non-political suddenly was swept by an urge to pray for change.”

Adelaja said Ukraine’s Christians are no longer intimidated by government coercion. And they intend to run for political office too, he noted.

Already, one of his staff pastors, Sofia Jukotanskaya, has created a Christian political party. She paid a high price for her activism during the presidential campaign last July, however, when her adult son was assassinated–in an apparent attempt to intimidate her.

She says she will not be stopped. “If my only son will be sacrificed in order to see this nation saved, then I am going all the way,” Jukotanskaya told Charisma.

Adelaja says he intends to press forward for a national transformation.

“It used to be that Christians here were passive and intimidated. No more,” the pastor said. “Every Christian leader has been in the streets. Now Christians know they have authority.”
J. Lee Grady

Dozens of Christian relief organizations rushed to aid survivors of the giant tsunami that devastated southern Asia in late December. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Thailand were among the worst hit by the Dec. 26 tidal wave, which swept thousands of people out to sea.

The death toll from the catastrophe, which rocked 12 countries, had soared beyond 150,000 at press time. Millions were homeless from the disaster, with many more still missing.

World Relief, World Vision and Gospel for Asia were just a few of the many groups that organized large relief efforts. Smaller ministries also launched aid projects immediately.

Paul Tan, who pastors five Indonesian churches in the Los Angeles area, said his ministry sent a team of 55 doctors, pastors and leaders to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where thousands were killed by the rushing waves.

“This is the time to extend our hands and hearts to minister the compassion of Christ to those in need in Asia,” Tan told Charisma. Tan’s Indonesian Relief Fund is partnering with a Christian group in Indonesia to distribute food, clothing and medical supplies in the predominantly Muslim nation.

Christopher Alam is the founder of Dynamis World Ministries, a charismatic ministry that oversees 76 churches in Burma. Alam said communication glitches have prevented him from getting information from contacts in Burma. “I was planning on going to Burma, but now I want to send every single penny so they can get the maximum help,” Alam said.

Evangelist K.A. Paul, founder and president of Houston-based Global Peace Initiative, said within days of the tragedy his ministry’s Boeing 747 was slated to transport 76,000 pounds of medicine, food and supplies to the disaster region, along with a medical team.

Paul proceeded with plans to hold a crusade Jan. 8-9 in the Indian state Andhra Pradesh, which suffered casualties. “It’s an incredible opportunity to preach the gospel,” he said. “God can use this situation to bring more people from these countries into His kingdom than ever before.”
Eric Tiansay

Mother Ann Smith’s House of Refuge has given former drug addicts, prostitutes and prisoners a second chance at life
When Tiffany Henderson was released from prison after serving a nine-year sentence, she struggled to find employment and make ends meet. Then she met “Mother Ann,” a Pentecostal missionary who specializes in helping people in transition. Before long, 29-year-old Henderson had landed a job at a restaurant and was an active church member.

Ann Smith–known as Mother Ann Smith within her denomination, the Church of God in Christ–is credited with helping hundreds of people turn their lives around through a string of transitional homes called the House of Refuge.

The faith-based residential facilities in Orlando, Fla., reach drug addicts, prostitutes, ex-prisoners and others. Some residents are HIV-positive. Others struggle with mental illness. “We help anybody who wants our help,” said Smith, stressing that the individual must want help.

Henderson, who lived at The Refuge, as the homes are known, while saving money for an apartment, was 19 when she was convicted of second-degree murder for stabbing and killing a woman in the heat of an argument. After rededicating her life to Christ while completing a reduced sentence at the New Jersey Correctional Facility, Henderson took the advice of a pastor and moved to The Refuge after her release.

“I am sorry for my past actions,” Henderson said, “but I am grateful for another chance.”

Mother Ann, 72, isn’t deterred by her residents’ sordid pasts. That’s because the former jail chaplain spent 30 years as a licensed practical nurse in Orlando-area correctional facilities, providing medical care for murderers, rapists, white-collar criminals and a host of others. “I don’t judge these people,” Smith said. “I just try to help them do better in life.”

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, roughly 40 out of 100 inmates released from prison in 2001 were convicted of a new crime within three years and approximately 26 of 100 returned to jail.

The House of Refuge helps residents avoid re-incarceration by offering a low program fee that includes housing and meals. Participants receive job training or work toward a high school diploma or GED. Some enroll in drug-prevention classes, and others go to work.

But all who live at The Refuge have an opportunity to get to know Jesus Christ through daily prayer and Bible study, which Smith and other local pastors and missionaries lead.

Brenda Straub, 54, knows the benefits of living at The Refuge. Straub was a substance abuser for years before she accepted Christ. With His help, she says, she managed to get off drugs and in 1998 worked as a volunteer on Homer Hartage’s campaign for county commissioner.

When the commissioner learned Straub had no place to live, he sent her to the House of Refuge and gave the ministry a donation to pay for her first month’s fees.

“All churches should collaborate with centers such as The Refuge and support them,” Hartage said. “We all have family members who have drug, alcohol and other problems to contend with.”

Today Straub is a licensed minister and on The Refuge’s board of directors. In 2003 she earned a real estate license from the state of Florida.

“I am extremely thankful for what God has done in my life,” Straub said. “Now I want to help others get their lives together at The Refuge.”

Mother Ann operated six transitional facilities before she sold five of her state-certified homes in 2003 to purchase a 20-bed home for men on three acres of land. A five-bed facility for women is located three miles away.

Mother Ann’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last year, the local NBC affiliate named Smith “Town Hero.” And Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared March 25 Ann Smith Day during a banquet that honored her for outstanding community service.

“Over 30 years ago, God called me to this area of ministry,” Smith said. “And when people ask me how I do it, I tell them, Whom God commissions He also conditions to do the work.”
Valerie G. Lowe in Orlando, Fla.