As Living Water Teaching prepares for its 25th anniversary this month, co-founder Marion Zirkle says the best is yet to come
A Central American charismatic ministry is flourishing six years after a tragic accident killed its founder and leaders.

This month, Living Water Teaching (LWT) celebrates its 25th anniversary of ministry in Guatemala. Jim and Marion Zirkle relocated to Guatemala from the United States in October 1979 to start LWT (www.lwtusa.org), focusing on Bible schools and medical and evangelistic campaigns in Central America.

But on Nov. 1, 1998, in thick fog and torrential downpours, an LWT plane crashed in southwestern Guatemala, killing 11, including Marion’s 56-year-old husband.

The crash also claimed the lives of the couple’s son, James L. Zirkle II, who was LWT director in Guatemala; Chris Hamberger, the Zirkles’ son-in-law; LWT staff members and six American medical-team members. Seven passengers survived.

“For two to three years, I had to fight the good fight of faith so that this ministry would not fall,” said Marion Zirkle, LWT president and co-founder. “The devil fought me in every way through my emotions and my mind. …

“The Word of God brought me through and told me that, ‘I was more than a conqueror through Him,'” the 60-year-old ordained minister added. “I dared to believe it. God is a restorer, and He can make it better than it has ever been.”

This year, the ministry had its largest Bible-school enrollment, with 92 students studying to be ministers at LWT’s 22-acre campus in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

LWT has Bible schools in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and Paraguay, as well as Guatemalan Bible graduates teaching in Cuba. The ministry also has worked in Mexico, Africa, Germany and Japan.

Through its various ministries, LWT has recorded more than 600,000 salvations and 20,000 graduates from its Bible schools.

LWT has also provided more than 250,000 people with medical and dental care and distributed more than 500 tons of medical supplies. In addition, Zirkle launched Operation Shoebox, an annual Christmas outreach that is similar to Samaritan’s Purse’s shoebox ministry. Last December LWT helped more than 15,000 children through the outreach.

LWT is still a Zirkle family affair. Zirkle’s youngest daughter, Debbie, and her husband, Keith Spanberger, are the executive directors of the ministry, working at LWT’s U.S. headquarters in Caddo Mills, Texas.

Zirkle’s daughter-in-law, Laura Zirkle Sarti, is a missionary in Guatemala, along with her husband, Manuel. Zirkle’s oldest daughter, Kimberly Hamberger, whose husband died in the plane crash, is also a Guatemalan missionary.

Barry Tubbs, an associate minister with Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which has supported LWT for 20 years, noted that “the anointing and calling on Jim Zirkle’s life is definitely on [Marion Zirkle’s] life.”

“The thing that impresses me the most is her tenacity,” Tubbs said. “Despite going through the tragedy, the ministry is just as strong if not stronger.”

Zirkle said she began praying about remarrying more than three years after Jim’s death. “I asked the Lord to bring the right man into my life who would be willing to move to Guatemala and walk this vision with me, a man that would have to recognize that I was in leadership,” she said.

Mr. Right turned out to be Clarence Wright, a 64-year-old former Baptist minister who went on three LWT missions trips starting in 2001 after attending Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Okla. The two were married in July 2003.

“God is a God of new beginnings,” said Wright, who serves as LWT’s vice president and teaches in its Bible school. “This is so true in my life here at Living Water Teaching.”

Zirkle said future plans include expanding LWT’s aviation department in order to better serve and oversee the ministry’s work in other countries. “I have no doubt that the best days are right ahead of us,” Zirkle said. “There is an expectation and an excitement in my spirit that I can’t explain but know that it is of God.”
Eric Tiansay

Canon Andrew White is a quintessential English clergyman who plays a central role in the Middle East peace process

He’s either the antichrist or the “vicar of Baghdad,” depending on your point of view. But one thing is for sure: Canon Andrew White is a husband and father who’s been charged with quelling the biggest family feud in history.

White spearheads the religious track of the Middle East peace process, aiming to bridge the age-old chasm between Abraham’s warring “children” in the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities.

He has negotiated in many areas of conflict, including the 2002 siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He is now working with other religious leaders to rebuild Iraq since the capture of Saddam Hussein–“the biggest weapon of mass destruction,” as he calls him.

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Special Representative to the Alexandria Process, the official name for the religious track of the peace process, White assisted in the recent launch of the Iraqi Centre for Reconciliation, Dialogue and Peace in Baghdad.

It was a most bizarre opening for a peace center–as tanks and troops oversaw the proceedings. “There again, this is Baghdad,” White said, “where making peace is dangerous business.”

Just after his interview with Charisma, his security guards intercepted armed intruders at his Baghdad base. A few days later he was worshiping near the churches that were bombed Aug. 1.

So far his ministry has been through the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral in England. But he is about to set up his own foundation to support his work in the Middle East.

Brought up in the Assemblies of God, White became an Anglican while training as an operating department practitioner at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.

“I got involved with St. Mark’s Church [in] Kennington, which was the great charismatic hothouse of the Church of England in those days,” he explained.

His pursuit of theology and Jewish and Islamic studies prepared him well for his present role. “In the early days of visiting Iraq I was really frowned upon,” he said. But that changed as war loomed–and governments realized that White had knowledge and experience of the country.

Despite being tall and quintessentially English, White has the ability to blend into the regional culture–thanks to his Anglo-Indian looks. His family has roots in India that go back to the 19th century.

Locals in Iraq and Israel will often refer to him as “Father Andrew.” They include a homeless Iraqi teenager named David who has been fostered by this Anglican priest since the Iraq war.

Back home in England, White has two sons of his own–Josiah, 7, and Jacob, 5. His wife, Caroline, is a lawyer. “It’s not easy being away so much of the time,” he said. “They make sacrifices, too.”

He said it’s most challenging for the boys, who will say things such as, “Why aren’t you like other daddies?” But they still join in. Jacob chats with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on the phone. “My other son sees himself more identified with the Jews–he will talk to the rabbis.”

Another religious leader who has shown an interest in White’s work is Benny Hinn. The healing evangelist interviewed him recently on his TV program–and was clearly impressed with the gently spoken Anglican clergyman.

He also prayed for his guest, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. But their meeting resulted in a strong backlash. “I was called the antichrist,” White said. “All sorts of people started saying I was a Mason and other untrue things. I was accused of being part of a one-world movement trying to take over the world.”

How did he feel about that? “I haven’t thought about taking over the world yet,” he joked. “I haven’t had time.” However, the TV appearance also produced “hundreds of positive e-mails.”

A Canadian viewer wrote to say he became a Christian as a result of watching the interview. “He thought the church was totally irrelevant–then suddenly realized it was relevant.”

So much of White’s ministry sounds like an Old Testament prophet’s life–stories of angelic protection, meetings with kings and princes, working on the edge of danger–the list goes on.

Even when he relaxes, the biblical trappings are there. “I had my 40th birthday in Baghdad the other day,” he said. “We killed a sheep and ate it in a tent in Saddam’s garden.”
Clive Price in London

Three years after the prayer meeting, the Wiyot Tribe was given 40 acres of land on the site of a 144-year-old Indian massacre
A leader of California’s Wiyot Tribe credits a 2001 prayer and reconciliation meeting with paving the way for the historic transfer of a sacred land site where scores of Native Americans were massacred nearly 150 years ago.

On May 18, the Eureka, Calif., city council voted unanimously to return to the Wiyot Tribe 40 acres of Indian Island, located off the coast of northern California. Nearly 500 people attended the official deed-signing ceremony June 25.

Amid cheers, Eureka Mayor Peter La Vallee signed over the deed to the Indian Island property to Cheryl A. Seidner, chairwoman of the Wiyot Tribe. Then they exchanged gifts in a gesture of goodwill.

“I think what we are doing is reinventing history,” La Vallee said, the Associated Press (AP) reported. “You can’t say you’re sorry, but 144 years later, we can say it wasn’t right and honor the culture of the tribe and its roots.”

Historical documents show that on Feb. 22, 1860, a band of white men invaded the Wiyot village at night, killing scores of elders, women and children as they slept. Seidner said more Indians were killed in two other massacres on nearby South Spit and at the mouth of the Eel River.

“We lost our regalia, our elders, our weavers and our dreamers–all the things that make a community,” Seidner said, the AP reported. “We have not danced since that day. We have to relearn. I can’t wait for that first dance.”

The tribal leader credits a reconciliation conference in 2001 with creating an atmosphere that made the deed-signing ceremony possible. In May of that year, a group of pastors with the Humboldt Evangelical Alliance (HEAL) invited the Native American ministry Wiconi International, based in Vancouver, Wash., to facilitate a time of healing and reconciliation between evangelical churches in Humboldt County, the Wiyot and other First Nations people in the region. Wiconi led a three-day event at Arcata First Baptist Church.

During this event more than 75 people came together to pray over the Indian Island site. Fern Noble, a Cree and Native Representative for the International Reconciliation Coalition in Los Angeles, told participants: “We must allow the Holy Spirit to heal the wound so we can all come together as one, as God the Creator intended.”

During the 2001 conference, members of HEAL honored the Wiyot Tribal Council of Table Bluff Reservation with gifts and a commitment in writing to work with the tribe to get back this sacred site.

First Baptist’s pastor, Clay Ford, said that when he first heard about the massacre, he and some colleagues wanted to apologize to the tribal leaders.

“It’s dawning on more and more Christians to see the need … for us to repent for the sins of the past,” Ford said, the AP reported. “I wrote a proclamation of repentance acknowledging that though we personally weren’t there when the massacre happened, we represented Christian people and churches who did nothing, as far as we could tell, to make things right. And we apologized and asked for forgiveness.”

When Ford’s proclamation was presented to the Wiyot during the reconciliation meeting, the tribe also was given $1,000. Many churches and individuals continued to pray for the Wiyot and to raise funds to help them purchase the land on Indian Island, a goal they had been working toward since the 1970s. They had purchased 1-1/2 acres before the city voted to give them 40 acres.

“As I have been told, this has not happened in any city in the state of California, and I’m hearing that this might be something really new across the nation,” Seidner said. “I don’t know … for sure.”

Richard Twiss, president of Wiconi International and keynote speaker at the 2001 conference, said the land restitution is “the fruit of following traditional indigenous protocol in presenting the redemptive message of faith and hope in Jesus Christ as Healer, Great Spirit and Chief Shepherd of all tribes and nations.”
Jim Uttley Jr.

Judge Orders Bible Moved From Courthouse

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ruled Aug. 10 that a Bible displayed in a monument outside a county courthouse in Houston must be removed, United Press International (UPI) reported. Real estate broker and lawyer Kay Staley filed a lawsuit against the county, arguing that the display violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The 4-foot monument, which contains the King James Bible under glass, was constructed with private funds during the 1950s as a memorial to Houston philanthropist William Mosher, the Washington Times reported. Harris County argued the display primarily honored Mosher, the Times reported, but the plaintiffs said it promotes a specific religion at a government building. County Judge Robert Eckels planned to appeal the decision.

Pastors Asked to Make Invocations Generic

Pastors who give the invocation at Tampa, Fla., city council meetings can no longer use the name “Jesus,” the St. Petersburg Times reported. Saying she was following the “nonsectarian rule that we must follow as a governing agency,” council chairwoman Gwen Miller issued a memo telling council members that all invocations must be nonsectarian, the Times said. She also asked that council members send guest ministers a brochure from the National Conference on Community and Justice that explains how to prepare interfaith invocations.

Florida Court Refuses to Recognize Gay Marriage

In July, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeals issued a unanimous opinion that voided the marriage between Linda Kantaras and “Michael” Kantaras, who was born a woman. The appeals court said it “must adhere to the common meaning of the statutory terms and invalidate any marriage that is not between persons of the opposite sex determined by their biological sex at birth.” Represented by Liberty Counsel (LC), a Christian law firm that seeks to advance religious freedom, Linda said she knew of Michael’s sex-change operation when they married, but after becoming a Christian believed their relationship was improper. LC chief counsel Mathew Staver called the decision “a victory for traditional marriage and common sense.”

French Christians and French-Canadian Christians met in Quebec City in hopes of healing long-held resentment
Ministry leaders and intercessors from across Canada gathered in Quebec City in July to witness a dramatic, teary reconciliation between French-Canadian Christians and Christians from France after 245 years of estrangement.

Dubbed The Homecoming by its organizers, the reconciliation quickly became a love-in between the two French groups following a visit to France by leader David Demian just one month earlier.

“I had to visit France for other ministry work, but the Lord told me then to invite French church leaders over here for our reconciliation meetings,” said Demian, director of Watchmen for the Nations, a group of 500 Canadian church leaders committed to prayer and reconciliation in Canada and around the globe.

“They readily agreed, having forgotten all about France’s history of abandoning the French-Canadians. The French-Canadian church leaders who were with me thought it was a wonderful idea and agreed to welcome them with open arms,”

Quebec is one of the largest of 10 Canadian provinces and three territories, and French-Canadians make up 22.9 percent of the country’s population. Quebec has held several votes to separate from the rest of Canada and was the site of much civil unrest and some violence during the 1960s and 1970s.

French-Canadians in Quebec have the lowest church attendance of any group in the country, despite a rich history of Catholicism and a wealth of Christian place names. Although the second ethnic group to populate Canada, following the First Nations people, the French were eventually defeated by the British during the 1700s, and the country became a British colony.

After winning a battle with the French in 1759, the British occupied Quebec City, the capital of the province. The following year, the French sent six frigates filled with soldiers and supplies to bolster the French-Canadians, but the British heard of the plan and blocked their entrance to Quebec City’s harbor. The French sunk some of their own boats and returned to France, never to be heard from again.

The reconciliation included a reconstruction of historical events; French church leaders arrived on a ferry boat to symbolically represent a return to Quebec City’s harbor, where French-Canadians welcomed them with open arms. After a teary reunion, they traveled to the Plains of Abraham, site of the 1759 French-British battle. There the French repented for abandoning the French-Canadians and made a commitment to stand with the French-Canadian church.

The French-Canadians then expressed their forgiveness toward France. Church leaders from English Canada also committed to stand with France to see the growth of the church in French Canada. Seed was planted in the ground to symbolize healing and growth in relationships, and communion was later held.

The Homecoming was part of an ongoing series of reconciliation gatherings that Watchmen for the Nations has held since 1995. Demian said the goal is to mend Canada’s spiritual rifts and regional strife so the nation can reflect the glory of God and help other nations find healing.

“When God called me to this ministry, I believed the reconciliation was to happen first between the white man and the First Nations, but He said no, it was to happen between French and English first,” Demian said. “So we started off two years ago at Charlottetown, the birthplace of Canadian confederation, where we read what Canada’s first prime minister declared when he wrote that there would be holy matrimony between French and English. Using that as our theme, we moved across the land … gathering history and praying.”

Demian said Watchmen for the Nations also is acting as a spiritual mentor and supporting several other nations that are repenting for former conflicts in hopes of finding spiritual wholeness. Among them are Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Denmark.
Josie Newman in Quebec City

First on the list of upcoming projects is Gifted, a talent show patterned after Fox’s popular program American Idol Inspirational Speaker

A music-industry veteran and the son of Christian TV pioneers are teaming up to produce Christian-themed entertainment that will reach secular audiences.

The partnership will fuse Johnny Wright’s experience in the music industry as president and CEO of Wright Entertainment Group (WEG) with Matt Crouch’s background in the Christian entertainment industry as the founder of Gener8Xion Entertainment. Together they plan to create entertainment that will enjoy large crossover appeal.

“It is our goal to wrap God’s message–His love–in acceptance, and in a way that blends seamlessly into ‘pop’ culture while still upholding the values we, as Christians, value most,” says the mission statement of the partnership, tentatively called Wright Generation.

As a first step, Wright, a Christian who heads the management group for Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and Crouch, son of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) founders Paul and Jan Crouch, are creating a TV show titled Gifted, a Christian talent show similar to American Idol.

Scheduled to air Thanksgiving evening on TBN, Gifted will feature 12 solo artists, aged 18-24, who will compete by singing gospel and contemporary Christian songs in front of a live studio audience and an experienced panel of judges.

A cross-country audition tour was to begin in September. Finalists were to be chosen from such cities as Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mobile, Ala., and Nashville, Tenn.

The TV audience will select the winner, who will receive a record deal and future management in both the secular and Christian markets under Johnny Wright. This fall the show will be a two-hour special, but Wright Generation is planning a full 10-episode second season.

The similarities between Gifted and American Idol are obvious, and Freemantle Media, the producer of Fox’s hit show, has noticed. Freemantle recently sent Wright Generation a letter stating that it is infringing on American Idol’s copyright trademark and requesting that it stop production of Gifted.

“We’re not going to be bullied,” Wright told Charisma. “Our show is completely different than theirs.”

In addition to being a two-hour special, Wright said, Gifted will have a number of features different from American Idol. He also noted that in his time working on Fame, an NBC talent show of similar mold, there was never any talk about accusations of copyright infringement from American Idol.

“Is this just a veiled attempt to shut us down so they can move forward with the same kind of idea?” Wright said. “The Christian community, as well as the secular community, deserves to have a show delivered to them like this, and it deserves to come to them from people that are in the Christian community.”

The statement is interesting coming from Wright, who until this point has not worked in Christian entertainment but now says that it is what he is going to move into in the future.

“I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had people come up to me and say: ‘I have a great daughter that can sing, but I really don’t want them to be in that pop world because I don’t want them singing about those subjects. I would really like them to be singing about church and faith,'” Wright said. “How many times are people going to say that to me before it clicks?”

When Wright’s assistant, Philip McIntyre, met Crouch, he saw an opportunity for the two to work together. He said the chemistry between Wright and Crouch was apparent from the start.

Now a producer for Gifted, McIntyre said the whole project came together in less than six months–which is rare in the entertainment industry. “It absolutely happened fast, like it was definitely meant to be,” McIntyre said. “In our industry, it normally takes a lot longer.”

Crouch said that in their first conversation, Wright told him he wanted to “reshape pop culture that [he] was in part responsible for creating.” At that point Crouch says he knew God had orchestrated Wright’s career through the mainstream communications world and his career through Christian media so they could each bring a unique perspective to this venture.

“What burns inside of me … is to really put a new face on what the world thinks Christians are and what they think a life of faith in Christ is and does, and what it accomplishes,” Crouch said.

Wright Entertainment is currently making plans past Gifted for future TV and music projects, which they hope will help reinvent the cultures that each of them have come out of.

Crouch said they want to help people understand that “we, as people of faith, can blend seamlessly into the world because that was really what Christ said for us to do.”

Chris Glazier

Police Halt Christian Wedding in Eritrea

On July 25, police disrupted a Christian wedding ceremony in the Eritrean town of Senafe, arresting 30 guests and members of the wedding party, Compass Direct reported. Police ordered everyone who was not Pentecostal to leave immediately, Compass said. Thirty Christians remained and were taken to the police station. In early August, all but two had been released after signing a document promising not to participate in any evangelical Christian weddings in the future.

Anti-Conversion Bill Ruled Unconstitutional

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled that certain significant clauses in a controversial bill prohibiting conversions were unconstitutional, Sri Lanka’s Daily News reported. The Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Bill was introduced in July by the all-Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya party, which has been working to ban allegedly “unethical” conversions to Christianity. The legislation proposed fines of up to $11,000 and up to seven years in prison for violators. The court said the bill would have to be approved by two-thirds of the Parliament and put before the people through a national referendum in order to become law, the News reported.

Brazil Court Reverses Pastors’ Conviction

An appeals court in Sao Paulo has reversed the conviction last year of two evangelists charged with violating the South American nation’s “hate crime” law. The landmark case involving evangelicals and Afro-Brazilian spiritists is the first to test a federal law declaring it a crime to “practice, induce, or incite discrimination” against members of another religion, Compass Direct reported. Umbanda and Candomble spiritist groups brought criminal charges more than two years ago against Baptist pastor Joaquim de Andrade and Anglican Aldo dos Santos, claiming that gospel tracts they distributed at the annual Iemanja festival disparaged the African deity, and therefore violated the federal law. In April 2003, the men were found guilty, but refused to pay the fine imposed and appealed the verdict. Andrade hailed the appeals court’s decision as upholding freedom of speech and their right to conduct personal evangelism in public places.

The Army Medical Service Corps’ first African American female general is a licensed minister with the Church of God in Christ

Soldiers in the U.S. Army swear to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies. Similarly, Christians pledge their lives and service to God.

For Brig. Gen. Sheila Baxter, the two covenants intertwine. In the general’s view, God destined her military career and provided her with a broad audience to share His message.

“Your steps are ordered by the Lord,” the Army Medical Service Corps’ first African American female general said. “I believe He just pulled my star out of the sky and dropped it down because He felt that I was ready. Every day He reminds me, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ ”

As the assistant surgeon general and deputy chief of staff for force sustainment, Baxter oversees medical logistics policy, contracting, information management and facilities for the Army’s medical department. In her companion role as a licensed evangelist for the Church of God in Christ, she advises, teaches and prays for those needing God’s direction.

“I have tough jobs with lots of responsibility,” Baxter said. “You want to make certain you’re giving right counsel. But I’m confident because I have God in me and there’s no doubt He helps me daily.”

In her youth, the Franklin, Va., native never dreamed of a military career. She played basketball at Virginia State University (VSU) and planned to teach health and physical education after graduation. But a summer visit to her cousin, who was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, introduced her to the U.S. Army.

“A light bulb came on,” Baxter said. “I loved the camaraderie [of the military], I loved the atmosphere. When you get on that road God has for you, He will put people in your path to help you along the way.”

Although Baxter had completed her junior year, the ROTC program at VSU accepted her into its two-year program. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1978, the first female VSU player to score more than 1,000 points and member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame climbed steadily through the ranks. In June 2003 she received her general’s star.

Today the 49-year-old, who also earned a Bronze Star and Legion of Merit award, credits several superiors, including Brig. Gen. Richard Ursone and Col. Robert Bowles, for paving her way to the Army’s top echelon. But a current Texas pastor directed the military commander toward her twin devotion to God and country.

Raised in a Baptist church, Baxter joined the Church of God in Christ while assigned to Augsburg, Germany, in 1986. Two years later, she heard God’s call to evangelism and shared her vision with pastor J. Edward Fisher. Several years later, she studied under his supervision at the Copperas Cove Church of God in Christ while assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.

“It’s not surprising General Baxter is a good leader in the church,” Fisher said. “I encouraged her to stay in the Army because she knows the importance of being bold and not fearful in sharing God’s Word. It’s unusual to have someone of her rank as an evangelist, and she provides a great example with her humble, quiet way of serving the Lord.”

Baxter says God has ordered her steps, sending evangelistic opportunities along the way. Several years ago, she hoped to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces but received an assignment to the Army War College in Pennsylvania instead.

While studying strategic leadership, national security and military strategy, she met Woodrow Woodall, a young man in her congregation who was going through a period of turbulence and questioning. His penchant for asking why directed him to several faiths and denominations, but Baxter’s counsel and guidance taught him to see God’s way of doing things.

“I have a very inquisitive nature and struggled with resolving tough questions, such as ‘Who are we?’ and ‘What is our purpose?'” said Woodall, a systems analyst for a Fortune 500 company. “General Baxter lifted the cloud of deception from me. I learned to stop shouting at God and started listening to God.”

Currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, Baxter calls San Antonio’s Greater Evangelistic Temple Church of God in Christ her home church. Now serving her third tour of duty in the Alamo City, she and her pastor, Superintendent C.W. Steward, feel very much at ease with their respective spiritual roles.

“She is a faithful member, a diligent missionary, and a good teacher and speaker,” Steward said. “Even though she holds a prestigious position in the military, she conducts her church duties with very little fanfare. General Baxter simply offers her services to the church wherever they’re needed.”
John Hillman

T.D. Jakes Seeks Pastors’ Support for New Film

Seeking to duplicate the grass-roots campaign that led to the success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, Bishop T.D. Jakes has been promoting his new movie, Woman, Thou Art Loosed: The Movie, in private showings for ministers in advance of its planned nationwide release this month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Starring Kimberly Elise (The Manchurian Candidate), the movie tells the story of a woman searching for hope in prison after a lifetime of sexual abuse, poverty and addiction. The film is rated R and features strong adult content and language. Based on Gibson’s success, Jakes said, audiences are receptive to Christian-themed films that aren’t sugarcoated. He has planned a dozen private showings nationwide and hopes to open the film in 500 theaters.

Group Plans Christian ‘State’ in South Carolina

A Christian group seeks to get groups of 12,000 people to migrate to South Carolina in hopes of creating a Christian “state” that will be governed based on the Ten Commandments, United Press International (UPI) reported. Cory Burrell, 28, a co-founder of ChristianExodus.org, said disenchantment with the current Republican administration prompted the project. He cited legalized abortion, the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama judicial building and a lack of progress in banning same-sex marriage among the group’s frustrations, UPI said. Though ChristianExodus.org currently has only 600 participants, Burrell said he hopes to have 50,000 to 70,000 supporters by 2016.

Watchdog Group Fights Christians’ Political Speech

Christian leaders are fighting attempts by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to stop them from mobilizing their constituents around political issues, the Washington Times reported. The watchdog group is filing complaints with the Internal Revenue Service against ministers who speak out on political issues or candidates. So far the group has filed complaints against the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Rev. Ronnie Floyd of First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., and Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston.

CHRISTIANS ENCOURAGE ACTION ON SUDAN ‘GENOCIDE’

Some 35 Christian leaders issued a letter to President Bush Aug. 1 advocating his continued action on what they have called genocide in Sudan. Since February 2003, the Janjaweed Arab militia has been murdering black Muslims in the western Darfur region in what many observers say is an attempt at ethnic cleansing. A broad coalition of Christian and human-rights activists have been staging demonstrations in front of the Sudanese embassy since June. But the letter–signed by representatives from such groups as the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and the Assemblies of God–marked many of the signatories’ first response to the Darfur crisis, though most have been longtime advocates for Christians persecuted in the south. “We view this as an opportunity to reach out to Muslims in the name of Jesus,” NAE President Ted Haggard said, the Washington Post reported. Congress has declared the Darfur crisis “genocide,” and the United Nations threatened economic sanctions if the Sudanese government did not end the conflict by Aug. 31.

CHRISTIAN DOCTORS SUPPORT ADULT STEM-CELL RESEARCH

The Christian Medical Association (CMA) sent a letter to Congress opposing embryonic stem-cell research and asking for their support for adult stem-cell research, Agape Press reported. More than 2,000 Christian doctors signed the letter, saying adult stem-cell research already is yielding successful therapies for patients. CMA executive director Dr. David Stevens said embryonic stem-cell research would produce abnormal embryonic stem cells and would inevitably exploit women in order to acquire human eggs for cloning, the Christian news service said.

SKY ANGEL FOUNDER DIES

Robert W. Johnson, founder of the nation’s only Christian satellite TV service, died Aug. 5 from heart failure. He was 66. The chairman and CEO of Naples, Fla.-based Dominion Video Satellite and Sky Angel, Johnson devoted nearly 25 years of his life to building up Sky Angel, which broadcasts 36 TV and radio channels. In 1980, Johnson said God gave him the vision for Sky Angel, using what was then an emerging technology known as high-power direct broadcast satellite (DBS). Johnson believed DBS was the last opportunity for Christians to control the airwaves by offering Christian programming nationwide. A veteran of the Navy, Johnson is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jeanine, a son and three daughters. Johnson’s son, Robert Jr., will serve as interim leader of the company.

BUSH ASKED TO STOP SOLICITING CHURCHES FOR CAMPAIGN SUPPORT

Sixteen prominent theologians and religious leaders have asked President Bush to stop seeking church membership directories from Republican volunteers as a way to solicit campaign support from churchgoers, the Fort Worth, Texas, Star-Telegram reported. Co-written by Baptist minister Tony Campolo and Wake Forest University religion professor James Dunn, the letter calls on Bush to “repudiate the actions of his re-election campaign, which violate a fundamental principle of our democracy,” the Star-Telegram reported. Signatories include retired Texas Christian University religion professor Ron Flowers and former Southern Baptist Convention President Jimmy Allen.

BOOKS

Believing God
By Beth Moore, Broadman & Holman,

hardcover, 272 pages, $22.99.

The pages of Beth Moore’s Believing God are packed with 24-karat gold practical nuggets on the day-in, day-out fundamentals of exercising authentic faith. Readers are called upon to experience the faith-building principles that unlock God’s promises of all-surpassing power, productivity, peace and joy despite their life circumstances.

Designed as a nine-week study paralleling the wilderness experience of the children of Israel en route to the promised land, Moore’s book urges readers to take God at His Word. She boldly sounds a shake-up alarm to the church, comparing present Christianity, which she calls “big on systems and small on belief,” to the obvious nakedness of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Faith is the key to “close the gap between our theology and our reality,” the author asserts.

In Believing God, Moore presents a lifestyle that will inspire readers to reconnect with the God of wonders, discovering a “personalized place of divine power.” She offers a dynamic resource to equip believers to become armed and dangerous to the kingdom of darkness.
LeAnn Weiss

Breaking the Enemy’s Grip
By Eddie Smith, Bethany House

Publishers, softcover, 160
pages, $12.99.

Many pulpits in America focus on giving as a means of defeating what ails the church. On the other hand, Eddie Smith’s Breaking the Enemy’s Grip casts an eye on forgiving and finds that a life absent of this attribute will fall short of the “abundant life” God intends for His children. The Father has forgiven us of our sins; are we not to do the same when considering offenses we have experienced?

Smith’s cross-examination of this subject is filled with heavenbreaking wisdom and some “uncommon” sense that advances our knowledge in severing the devil’s hold on what rightly belongs to us: peace of mind and independence from generational sin. The author reveals that God has not only a new future for us but a new past as well.

Among the many truths to be gleaned is that every dilemma needs a “discovery” that will grant greater freedom in Him.
J. James Estrada

History Makers
By Dutch Sheets and William Ford III,
Regal Books, softcover, 200 pages, $12.99.

Dutch Sheets, senior pastor of Springs Harvest Fellowship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believes that God wants His people to agree in prayer with past generations, creating a “synergy of the ages” that advances God’s kingdom on Earth. In History Makers, Sheets and William Ford III encourage believers to connect with the things God has done in the past and not view historical events as simply a matter of record. Sheets and Ford urge Christians to pray for the renewal of the covenants God made with their forefathers, building on His past work and, in the process, shaping the future.

One key example the authors give reveals how slaves found a way to conceal their passionate prayers for freedom so they wouldn’t be discovered by their masters. Ford, who is African American, believes that those prayers affected his family over time. The authors contend that these and other examples demonstrate that people today may be benefiting from the prayers of those in the past just as the prayers of contemporary believers may shape tomorrow.

Readers who believe in or are open to the role of prophetic prayer in this time will most appreciate History Makers. Those interested in racial reconciliation also will find much food for thought herein.
Christine D. Johnson

MUSIC

He-Motions
By Bishop T.D. Jakes,

Dexterity Sounds/EMI Gospel.

Although world-renowned pastor, author and playwright Bishop T.D. Jakes is known for his powerful messages and conferences, he has recently become a force to reckon with in the gospel music industry. His latest CD, He-Motions, is a musical compilation and companion to his book He-Motions: Even Strong Men Struggle (Putnam Publishing Group).

Backed by a speaking tour, the theme speaks to the needs of men and their specific struggles and demands. The 13-track CD opens with the “He-Motions Intro,” Jakes’ spoken words flanked by a neo-soul musical vibe. The gospel-tinged “Brothers & Friends” includes strong vocals from Michael O’Brien and Micah Stampley.

Jakes brings in some of gospel’s finest, including megachurch pastor Bishop Paul S. Morton on “It Doesn’t Matter,” Donnie McClurkin on the ballad “King Inside of Me” and newcomer Smokie Norful on “It’s All About You.”

The theme of fathers is stressed on Israel Houghton’s moving “Where Are the Fathers” and on Anointed’s Da’dra Crawford-Greathouse’s melodious song “Thanks for Staying.” “Beautiful” by Hallerin Hill gives thanks to women who have been a blessing. He-Motions successfully speaks to the needs and pressing issues of today’s man.

René Williams

Nobody but Jesus
By Melba Moore,
Lightyear Entertainment.

If you grew up in the ’70s, chances are you remember Melba Moore. One of the most beautiful and talented entertainers of the decade, her accomplishments spanned stage, screen and song. Moore didn’t fare as well during the ’80s; her marriage to Charles Huggins (also her manager) ended in a highly publicized divorce that left her emotionally and financially bankrupt. But she made it through that ordeal, thanks in no small part to her faith.

Now Moore is back with a new CD. The 14 songs on Nobody but Jesus cover a lot of ground musically while remaining true to the gospel format throughout. The newer tracks–such as “Rise My Sister” (a tale of endurance that could almost be her theme song) and “Call Me”–were written mainly by either Herb Middleton or the husband-wife team of Shirley Murdock and Dale DeGrot.

But Moore also tackles older gospel standards such as “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and makes them her own. Throughout the disc, her vocals are tremendous. If there is any justice, Nobody but Jesus will be a hit with Moore’s longstanding fans while also introducing her to the younger gospel audience.
Dave Steinfeld

When Silence Falls
By Tim Hughes, Worship Together.

Known as the artist behind the modern-worship classic “Here I Am to Worship,” Tim Hughes displays his skills again on his newest release, When Silence Falls. Hughes’ songs tend to gravitate toward the private and introspective, allowing the listener a window into what appears to be his own personal prayer journey. The music features Hughes’ able vocals in a Euro-pop/rock setting.

“When the Tears Fall” stands out as one of the more poignant moments of the record, finding Hughes praising God in the midst of tragedy: “I’ve known sorrow, I have known pain / But there’s one thing, that I’ll cling to / You are faithful, Jesus, You’re true.”

Piano ballad “Nothing in This World” follows a similar style, offering worship and allegiance over worldly possessions. Celebration breaks out on the bouncy “Joy Is in This Place” and the soft rock of “Beautiful One.” Other highlights include the sweet acoustic sounds of “Holy,” the crescendo of “Whole World in His Hands” and the melodic “You.” The album closes with a gentle, unrefined reprise of “Beautiful One.”

With this release, Hughes’ artistry continues to build bridges between modern praise and contemporary pop music. Passion and Delirious fans will enjoy this album.
DeWayne Hamby

VIDEOS

Popular Fiction, TV Shows on VHS, DVD

Christian fiction readers can now enjoy the movie adaptation of Janette Oke’s novel Love Comes Softly (Fox Home Entertainment) on VHS and DVD.

Set in the 19th century in the American plains, this story brings a widow and widower together in a marriage of necessity. Clark and Marty struggle through the rigors of living in a harsh land and a new relationship.

Michael Landon Jr. wrote and directed this version for the Hallmark Channel. Although avid Oke fans might be disappointed with the changes made to make the plot work as a TV movie, the story still exudes the same charm and depth as the novel.

Also available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment are the first seasons of 7th Heaven and Touched by an Angel. The 7th Heaven collection includes 16 hours of episodes chronicling the life of the Camden family. The show tackles real-life situations.

The Touched by an Angel set includes 13 episodes as well as the series finale, commentaries and interviews. With more than 11 hours on four discs, viewers can again enjoy the stories of angels on Earth showing God’s love to people in need.
Leigh DeVore

Barbara J. Yoder grew up in the church. She says, however, her trust was damaged during her young life and that a battle with bitterness and anger turned into a study of existentialist philosophy and an atheistic worldview.

A “Damascus Road experience” and a “leap of faith” set her on the path back to God. Her story is one of overcoming an emotional life turned cold. Yoder has since become a voice of direction for a lukewarm church seeking its way: “It’s critical that righteousness be restored.”

Yoder is the founder and senior pastor of Shekinah Christian Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her roots are in the modern evangelical movement, and through the years she has counted Foursquare pastor Jack Hayford and healing minister Kathryn Kuhlman as her mentors. She travels as a speaker at prophetic conferences and serves on the board of Christian International.

Growing up next door to the widow of renowned evangelist Billy Sunday, Yoder believed God had a plan for her but found the door closed. Her book The Breaker Anointing shows the Jesus she came to know, the “breaker” who bursts through the gates that loom before us. “Christ became real,” she says, “when He opened the door” and the questions of past hurts were answered with an understanding of His love. Yoder, herself now a widow, is surely an inspiration to her children and grandchildren and a church in America that needs to heed her call to reformation and renewal.
J. James Estrada

CHARISMATIC TOP SELLERS

1. Pigs in the Parlor
Frank and Ida Mae Hammond

(Impact Christian Books)

2. A Divine Revelation of Hell
Mary K. Baxter (Whitaker House)

3. Total Forgiveness
R.T. Kendall (Charisma House)

4. The Three Battlegrounds
Francis Frangipane (Arrow Publications)

5. Matters of the Heart

Juanita Bynum (Charisma House)

6. The Tongue
Charles Capps (Harrison House)

7. The Battle Belongs to the Lord
Joyce Meyer (Warner Faith)

8. (tie) Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose
Derek Prince (Chosen)

8. (tie) A Divine Revelation of Heaven
Mary K. Baxter (Whitaker House)

10. Heaven is So Real
Choo Thomas (Creation House Press)