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

After three ministers disfellowshiped Cain in October, he admitted to the charges and asked Christians to forgive him
Veteran charismatic minister Paul Cain issued a solemn apology on Jan. 31 in which he repented for immoral behavior and pledged to seek counseling for his alcoholism.

Celebrated in charismatic circles for his accuracy as a New Testament prophet, Cain was disciplined and disfellowshiped by three church leaders last fall after they determined he had engaged in a pattern of unbiblical behavior that included heavy drinking and homosexuality.

Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle and Jack Deere released their charges Oct. 19 in a statement on the Internet. They also said Cain was unwilling to submit to a restoration process.

Cain initially denied the charges in a statement on his own Web site, maintaining that his reputation was being attacked. But three months later he decided to come
clean.

“I am as guilty as I can be,” he told Charisma. “I am going for counseling. I am getting as much help as I can.”

Joyner, Bickle and Deere made their initial charges public because they found proof that Cain was involved in long-term homosexual activity and often got drunk, sometimes in public.

“We apologize to the body of Christ for our lack of discernment in promoting Paul’s ministry while he had these significant strongholds in his life,” their statement reads. “We hope that Paul can yet be restored and used again for the glory of God in the wonderful way that so many of us have been blessed to see in the past.”

Deere, who pastors Wellspring Church in Richland Hills, Texas, learned of the charges last year from a man who said he had been involved in a sexual relationship with Cain. Three witnesses also told Charisma that Cain drank heavily. The drinking got so serious that Cain once collapsed in public, one witness added.

Deere asked Joyner and Bickle to arrange a meeting in Moravian Falls, N.C., where they confronted Cain in April 2004. He initially confessed to the charges, Deere said. But later Cain retracted his confession and even sent out letters from doctors who vouched for his emotional health.

Now, however, Cain says he is no longer in denial.

“I have struggled with homosexuality for an extended period of time,” Cain said in his written apology. “I have struggled with alcoholism for an extended period of time. I apologize for denying these matters of truth, rather than readily admitting them. I am ashamed of what I have done to hurt those close to me and for the pain I have caused those who have believed in my ministry.”

Cain’s accuser, who spoke with Charisma but asked not to be named, is now undergoing spiritual rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Cain–who is 75– says he has no intention of going back into the pulpit anytime soon.

“I plan to take a low profile,” Cain said. “I promise to seek immediate help for my problems and submit to leaders in the body of Christ who will supervise my restoration.”

Cain has enlisted Korean pastor Daniel Kim of Destiny Training International
in El Monte, Calif., to help him. Kim, who describes Cain as a “fallen general,” says he will serve on a committee of leaders who will oversee Cain’s restoration process.

“When a man of [Cain’s] stature falls, there is often no support,” Kim told Charisma. “How we restore this man in mercy could end up being a lesson for the body of Christ.”

Kim said he believes Cain is also a “victim” in this tragedy because Christians sometimes idolize ministers and expect them to be super-human. “He had inner struggles and no one to confide in,” Kim said.

Meanwhile, Deere, Bickle and Joyner said they regret giving Cain a platform. “I think our basic mistake was to overlook a lot of serious and obvious warning signs,” Joyner told Charisma.

Deere agreed. “We all have preached that you never put gifting over character,” he said, “but that is what we did for Paul. We would have fired anyone else. The reason we didn’t is because of [Cain’s] gifting. We let that gifting excuse character.”

Cain launched his ministry at age 18 during the Pentecostal healing revival of the 1940s and 1950s. But he vanished from the scene for more than 25 years, then re-emerged in the late 1980s when Bickle promoted Cain’s ministry at his Metro Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Kansas City, Mo.

Today Cain has homes in Kansas City, Dallas and Moravian Falls, N.C. But he says he plans to check into an alcoholism treatment center by the first week of March. If possible, he also hopes to complete a book he is writing, The Rise and Fall of God’s Anointed, which will include his memories of Pentecostal evangelists such as William Branham and A.A. Allen–men who, like Cain, experienced supernatural gifts of healing and prophecy.

“I never expected that I would be one of those fallen ones,” Cain said.

Cain’s full statement of apology can be found on his Web site, www.paulcain.org.
J. Lee Grady

Organizers say the School of Urban Missions continues the healing that began in 1994 at the Memphis Miracle
In what organizers describe as an historic show of racial unity in the Christian community, the Assemblies of God and Church of God in Christ have joined forces to operate the School of Urban Missions (SUM), an inner-city Bible college that combines theological education with practical hands-on training. The undertaking marks the first time ever the two Pentecostal denominations have embarked on a joint corporate venture.

“I began to realize that there were so many potential leaders in the urban community, but they didn’t have the ability to pursue the dreams that God laid in their hearts,” said George Neau, founder of SUM and school chancellor.

Neau’s dream to build a school that would provide opportunity to low-income, inner-city students became a reality in 1993 with the purchase of a building near downtown New Orleans. In 1999, SUM purchased a second site in Sobrante Park–a notoriously poor and drug-infested area of east Oakland, Calif.

Robert Cowan, a Church of God in Christ (COGIC) board member, describes the Oakland campus as an oasis in the midst of the inner city. “It gives hope to a community blighted by poverty, drugs and violence,” Cowan said. “The general church community is also benefited. Christian education is typically expensive. This fee is low enough and the education good enough that many churches are able and willing to support.”

SUM offers an Associate of Arts degree in biblical studies at a cost of $400 per quarter, allowing students of all economic backgrounds to graduate debt free. Through fund-raisers and donations, the school sponsors the remaining tuition, which can reach $10,000 a year per student.

SUM opened its doors with an enrollment of just four students. Today, more than 130 students attend, 65 percent of whom are African American.

“The school is based on going out there and making a difference,” said Alexander Largaespada, an SUM graduate. A gang member by age 17, Largaespada is now assistant director of When Warriors Dream, an SUM ministry in Oakland whose goal is to reach inner-city youth. “I want to give them what I never had by telling them that there is hope,” Largaespada said.

SUM has changed one of Oakland’s toughest neighborhoods, said Lt. Paul Figueroa of the Oakland Police Department “Their presence has certainly made an impact,” Figueroa said. “[Crime] activity has slowed down significantly. They took a rundown facility and made it into a top-notch school.”

Neau describes SUM as a Bible college with passion, one that connects the intellect and the heart. “I want to raise up an army of radicals who will help shape the nation for Christ,” Neau said. “Our goal is to put an SUM in every major city in America.”

As students worked feverishly to reach crime-riddled communities with a message of salvation, Neau says he recognized an urgent need to unite the denominations.

Previously owned solely by the Assemblies of God (AG), SUM petitioned COGIC to become a corporate partner. On Aug. 21, representatives from the two denominations signed a partnership agreement at a dedication service of the Oakland campus.

The event was also meant to expand resources, increase educators and enhance established campuses with opportunities for growth. “Racial tension is still very much alive in the church,” SUM President Anthony Freeman said. “If we can just get together, what a powerful statement we can make.”

Charles Crabtree, AG general superintendent, said the partnership is a continuation of the healing that began at the 1994 “Memphis Miracle,” where COGIC and AG leaders asked for forgiveness for racist attitudes that had kept the two groups apart. Ten years later, the dream of reconciliation is becoming a reality–thanks to SUM, Crabtree said. “SUM represents one of the very first clear indications of a change toward an interracial movement. This is our testimony to the world. What a blight if we can’t work together.”
Suzy Richardson

Nicknamed the ‘Minister of Defense,’ White began questioning his effectiveness in ministry during the last years of his life
At 6 feet 5 inches and 300 pounds, Reggie White was arguably one of the best defensive players in National Football League (NFL) history. But friends and colleagues say it was the 43-year-old’s strength off the field–as an ordained minister and humanitarian–that left the biggest mark.

“He was a big guy with a huge heart,” said longtime friend and fellow minister Paul Cole. “You could be in a room with other guys who were physically large, but Reggie would fill the room if he was there. Literally, he would walk in and something happened in the air. It was more than his physical presence; there was something bigger inside him.”

White’s sudden death on Dec. 26–likely caused by respiratory problems stemming from sarcoidosis (inflamed lungs) and sleep apnea–sent shockwaves of grief throughout the sports community. Survived by his wife, Sara, and their two children, Jeremy and Jecolia, White was buried Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C.

“He was one of the greatest players who ever put on a uniform at his position,” said Johnny Majors, White’s former coach at the University of Tennessee. “I once referred to him as the Tony Dorsett, [a legendary running back], of defensive linemen. There’s never been a better one.”

Twice honored as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, White was voted to play in a record-setting 13 Pro Bowls, helped lead the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, and held the all-time record for quarterback sacks (198) at the time of his final retirement in 2000.

But he was also an outspoken Christian who lost a $6 million deal as a sports analyst after he labeled homosexuality a sin during a 1998 speech before the Wisconsin state legislature. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native who became known as the “Minister of Defense” founded and supported several ministries. Among them were Urban Hope, which helps provide loans to minority businesspeople who can’t get funding from traditional sources; Christian Athletes United for Spiritual Empowerment (CAUSE); and the Inner City Church of Knoxville, Tenn., where he was a co-pastor.

Yet after a second and final retirement after the 2000 season, White grew introspective and began questioning his effectiveness in ministry. “I’ve been a preacher 21 years, preaching what somebody wrote or what I heard somebody else say,” said White in his final interview with the NFL Network in 2004.

“I was not a student of the Scripture. I did not read the Bible every day because I didn’t understand it. As much as I gave the perception that I understood what I was talking about, I didn’t understand it. I came to the realization that I had become more of a motivational speaker than a teacher of the Word.

“In many respects, I’d been prostituting,” he went on to say. “Most people who wanted me to speak at their churches were only asking me to speak because I played football, not because I was this great religious guy or this theologian.”

White put his ministry on hold and began an extensive study of the Hebrew language and the Torah. “I came to the realization that if I’m gonna find God,” White said, “I’ve gotta go back and research the Scripture in its original language to see what it says.”

After two years of study, White even altered his diet, giving up eating pork and meat from scavengers such as shrimp and lobster, as per Old Testament law. Some friends and colleagues began questioning whether he was straying into legalism.

“When Reggie started down the road of going back to the original language it really revitalized him,” said Qadry Ismail, a former wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens who took up Hebrew studies along with White. “From the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation, that’s what Reggie held to be true. The traditions that we should not be involved in–the ones that have crept up into our ‘Christian’ lives over time–he moved away from.”

For a season, MorningStar Ministries founder Rick Joyner wouldn’t allow White to teach certain doctrines in his church. “As is common with those who have the insatiable hunger for deeper knowledge and understanding, sometimes they are open to those who have carried doctrines to extremes, and I felt that this happened to Reggie,” Joyner wrote in a tribute on his Web site in the days after White’s death. “However, I was never too concerned about Reggie, knowing that his sincere love of the truth and his integrity, would ultimately lead him to ultimate truth.”

Joyner said the two had reconciled before White’s death.

White’s story will be featured in the March/April issue of New Man magazine, which is owned by Charisma’s parent company, Strang Communications. “Reggie was one the best defensive players the NFL has ever seen–if not the best ever,” said New Man editor Robert Andrescik. “He lived an exemplary life. All of the scandals you hear about with pro athletes … Reggie rose above all that. He made us proud because he played hard and lived godly, both on and off the field.”
Jarrod Gollihare

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.

Released by China Aid Association, the document outlines a plan to promote ‘atheism research, propaganda, and education’
Despite China’s rhetoric concerning religious tolerance, recent arrests and raids reveal an ongoing nationwide crackdown on believers.

In October, Chinese government officials spoke of a willingness to loosen restrictions on religious worship and to reopen dialogue concerning religious freedom and other human rights. However, a secret directive recently released by China Aid Association President Bob Fu directly contradicts such statements and outlines a chilling plan to promote “atheism research, propaganda, and education” in order to combat Christianity.

Fu revealed the secret directive, dated May 27, 2004, during a press conference held in November on Capitol Hill. He was in Washington to testify before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

According to China Aid, the directive is responsible for a slew of recent extra-judicial killings and arrests. Along with the directive, the Midland, Texas-based ministry published a partial list of Christian prisoners that names 42 who have been arrested and five who have been martyred.

Among them is Jiang Zongxiu, who was arrested in June for distributing Bibles in a marketplace. Officially charged with “spreading a superstitious message,” she was beaten to death while being interrogated at the Public Security Office.

“The truth is, there is a systematic persecution of the house church and their leaders,” said Deborah Fikes, spokeswoman for the Ministerial Alliance of Midland, Texas, which co-sponsored the press conference. The alliance has made religious freedom in China a top priority.

News reports verify the overarching nature of the persecution. Compass Direct, a Christian news service, recently released details on three additional directives that were issued in August. These orders indicate the Communist Party’s intent to combat religious “infiltration” of the government and universities and the spread of religion and religious organizations.

China currently contains an estimated 100 million Christians, with more than 86 million belonging to illegal house churches, China Aid reported. For these Christians, religious persecution is not a recent phenomenon. In the last four years alone, more than 6,000 members of the South China Church have been arrested, harassed or imprisoned.

Observers are concerned that the recent crackdown represents a pre-emptive strike against religious dissidence in light of the upcoming 2008 Olympics. With the event being hosted in Beijing, religious-liberty advocates say Chinese officials may be concerned about a repeat of the South East Asian Games held in December 2003 in Hanoi, where protests by persecuted Vietnamese Christians generated international attention.

“The arrest and imprisonment of Christian leaders is one symptom of an overall aversion to religious belief that includes practitioners of Falun Gong, Tibetan Buddhists and the Muslim Uighur community in western China,” said Joseph K. Grieboski, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, which also co-sponsored the press conference. “We are only asking that China respect religious freedom as stated in their own constitution and the various international agreements to which they are signatories.”

In the meantime, numerous Web sites have been shut down and certain publications banned in the last few months. In one case, pastor Cai Zhuohua was picked up by officers from the Department of National Security in Beijing, China Aid reported. Cai, a well-known house-church leader, was charged with publishing “illegal religious literature,” including Bibles and a Christian magazine. His wife was also arrested, effectively orphaning their 4-year-old son. Both Cai and his wife face possible life sentences.

Of primary concern to Chinese Christians such as Fu is the impact these directives have on potential reform in the communist country. “As a result of these secret policies, free belief means only in your heart or in the bedroom,” Fu said. “We want not only to talk about freedom of religious belief but to make it so that every person can implement their beliefs.”
David Mundy in Washington, D.C.