BOOKS

Fatal Attractions
By Jack Hayford, Regal Books,

softcover, 152 pages, $.

No-nonsense straight talk is what pastor and author Jack Hayford delivers in his newest book, Fatal Attractions: Why Sex Sins Are Worse Than Others. A great communicator, Hayford reiterates that God forgives and cleanses individuals from sex sins as easily as other sins. But he warns readers that the consequences of these sins may remain for a lifetime. Sex sins do more damage to individuals, marriages, families and even societies as a whole than other sins. They affect people in body, soul and spirit.

Hayford delicately balances proclaiming hope of recovery for those who have already messed up and yet holding out the promise and possibility of living pure for those who have not. He also makes it clear that he is speaking to Christians who want to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ; he doesn’t expect the unconverted to understand these principles or have the power to live them.

And for the non-Christians who open this book, Hayford doesn’t leave them without hope. An appendix includes prayers for salvation, being filled with the Holy Spirit and deliverance. The prevalence of deception surrounding promiscuous sex makes this book a valuable tool for today’s church.
Deborah L. Delk

From Zero to Eternity in 60 Seconds Flat
By Wendell Smith, Charisma
House, softcover, 180 pages, $.

Wendell Smith, senior pastor of the City Church in Seattle, provides believers with a quick and simple guide on how to evangelize in a matter of minutes in From Zero to Eternity in 60 Seconds Flat. Smith, who takes an assertive approach to being a witness, exhorts readers to open their eyes to see the many opportunities Christians are given each day to evangelize.

Getting to the point quickly, Smith offers multiple lists, ranging from Scripture verses on evangelism to places Christians normally would not think of to evangelize. He also provides “door openers” such as, “Are you ready for heaven?” and “God knows where you are, God knows where you need to be and only God knows how to get you there.”

With wisdom and sensitivity, Smith addresses being led by the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit and prayer–all essential for effective evangelism–making this book suitable for readers who appreciate the value of making the most of every encounter with the lost.
Tara Ringham

FICTION

The Priest
By Francine Rivers, Tyndale House
Publishers, hardcover, 232 pages, $.

Award-winning author Francine Rivers’ newest series, Sons of Encouragement, begins with its first novella, The Priest, a story about Moses’ brother and encourager, Aaron. Similar in style to her Lineage of Grace series, which highlighted the lives of women in the Bible whom God included in the lineage of Christ, this series highlights men in the Bible who played a key role in bringing the story of redemption.

Rivers stays true to the biblical narrative’s outline, adding insightful details that give a richer understanding of what may have been happening between the lines in the lives of these characters. Readers will see their own human nature in the life of Aaron as he battles fear, envy and doubt in order to overcome failure and to fulfill his calling from God.

Scriptural portions and questions are included in the book for personal devotion or group study. The Priest will certainly prove to be an encouragement to those who read it.
Deborah L. Delk

A Delirious Summer
By Ray Blackston, Revell,
softcover, 336 pages, $.

A Delirious Summer, literary sequel to Ray Blackston’s Flabbergasted, takes you into the psyche of a single man, Neil, a language teacher and missionary living in Ecuador. Based on a whimsical suggestion from one of his students, Jay–who found love in the first novel–Neil searches for Miss Right in South Carolina, during his summer furlough.

As he encounters many of the same quirky characters from the first novel, Neil experiences life-altering events and exhilarating adventures. A thrill-seeking blonde, a zany Italian and a rule-abiding redhead lead Ladies of the Quest, girls ever ready to church-hop in search of Mr. Right. Neil quickly discovers that the jungles of Ecuador are no match for what he encounters in the jungles of dating, and even there, he finds there are people in need everywhere and that a missionary is never truly on furlough.

A humorous yet thought-provoking novel about dating, church-hopping, friendship and missions, A Delirious Summer is an enjoyable romantic escape that single as well as married individuals won’t want to put down.
Debra L. Edgar

Silenced
By Jerry B. Jenkins, Tyndale House
Publishers, hardcover, 348 pages, $.

As the dramatic saga of special agent Paul Stepola continues in the second book of the unnamed trilogy that began with Soon, the born-again agent is hot on the heels of the bomber who took down the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben with simultaneous explosions.

Keeping secret his newfound faith while on assignment for the government to root out believers in Christ, Stepola is on the verge of being discovered because his father-in-law, a former war hero, thinks Stepola has become sympathetic to Christians. If discovered, he could lose his wife and kids and, possibly, his life.

The bomber, meanwhile, takes credit for an ultimatum to the new world government when it is announced all believers must register or be executed. But when the bomber is killed in an attempt to capture him, many scoff at the ultimatum, and any doubts that Stepola had crossed over to the other side are erased.

However, the ultimatum is fulfilled by God with a plague on unbelieving families that surely will heighten Stepola’s anxiety about being discovered in the final book.
Larry J. Leech II

MUSIC

A Call to Worship: Live in D.C.
By Stephen Hurd, Integrity Music.

Stephen Hurd, a new Integrity Gospel artist, just released his debut project titled A Call to Worship. Hurd, a native of Washington, D.C., has been a worship leader at some of the largest and most influential churches.

He gained fans with two independent projects but now introduces himself to the world on the first cut, “Let It Rise,” remade with a smooth, sweet orchestral arrangement. He also includes “Cry Out O Zion,” a Caribbean-flavored tune, and the jazzy “Rejoice.”

Flowing into worship, Hurd leads listeners into God’s presence on “Lead Me to the Rock.” He also wrote “Philippians 4:13,” which is inspiring and moving with the beautiful background vocals of Hurd’s group, Corporate Worship.

“Undignified Praise (I Will Dance, I Will Sing),” written by worship artist Matt Redman, is a hand-clapping, foot-stomping tune beckoning listeners to take an active part in the praise experience. The Spirit keeps flowing with “The Oil of Your Anointing,” featuring melodious saxophone solos from James Cheeks.

This is a wonderful project from one of praise and worship’s most noted leaders.
René Williams

Today
By Brian Doerkson, Integrity Music.

For Brian Doerkson, his newest worship project must have felt like coming home. Recorded live in his hometown of Abbotsford, British Columbia, it’s quite the hometown effort, with a 75-voice chorus, children’s choir and the Mennonite Jazz Committee all pitching in to help.

Doerkson, who is known as the writer of “Come, Now Is the Time to Worship,” leads the experience with capable yet low-key vocals. Several songs deserve extra attention, including the opening celebration of the title song, which also benefits from vocals by Doerkson’s father and daughter in the closing reprise.

A men’s chorus heartily sings “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” setting the stage for the guitar pop of “Fortress 144.” The Jazz Committee blends perfectly on the reworking of the classic “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” a duet with Brenda Janz.

By alternating tempos and moods, Doerkson has created a fine release with songs that could be easily incorporated into church worship.
DeWayne Hamby

VIDEOS

Sumo of the Opera
By VeggieTales, Big Idea Inc.

VeggieTales friends are back with a lesson from Hebrews 10:36. Sumo of the Opera teaches the importance of perseverance.

This Rocky-style flick features Larry the Italian Scallion as a wrestler who does not follow through. But when Larry has his eye on a prize, he is willing to enter the ring to face Apollo Gourd. But will the Italian Scallion persevere even though he’s outweighed?

VeggieTales movies wouldn’t be complete without silly songs. This time it’s “Schoolhouse Polka.” A clever, silent vignette featuring Three Veggie Stooges, of course based on the classic trio, reiterates the lesson. It’s available on VHS as well as DVD–which includes extra features such as a maze game, Veggie karaoke, coloring pages and more.

Classic VeggieTales. Classic fun!
Leigh DeVore

We don’t play black artists,” Christian radio stations told Integrity Music when it was promoting Live From Another Level, the new CD by Israel Houghton and New Breed.

Houghton, a worship leader at Lakewood Church in Houston, is not deterred. “It creates a vacuum of challenge for me to be an advocate. I’m half-black, half-white, raised in a Hispanic church. I love the meshing of these cultures.”

Houghton’s songwriting for the last 14 years reflects that blend, and at Lakewood Church he is at home among the culturally diverse congregation of 30,000. In most churches, though, Houghton finds that Sunday morning worship services are segregated.

Houghton says: “It’s sad there’s still a skin-tone issue. … In heaven are there sections? A black section? A white section?”

Houghton is motivated even more because he was born of a white teenager shunned for getting pregnant by her black boyfriend. Pressured to abort, Houghton’s mother ran away, was led to the Lord and named him after reading about Israel in the Bible.

He now feels like the captain of an all-star team. All 14 members of New Breed also lead music in their own churches. The group spreads a message that crosses cultural, generational and denominational boundaries. Houghton says New Breed creates interactive worship for “an audience of one; everything is lyrically geared toward ministering to God.”
Marsha Gallardo

CHARISMATIC TOP SELLERS

1. Pigs in the Parlor
Frank and Ida Mae Hammond

(Impact Christian Books)

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

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

4. The Three Battlegrounds
Francis Frangipane
(Arrow Publications)

5. Matters of the Heart

Juanita Bynum (Charisma House)

6. Prison to Praise
Merlin R. Carothers (Merlin R. Carothers)

7. Heaven Is So Real
Choo Thomas (Creation House Press)

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

9. The Tongue
Charles Capps (Harrison House)

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

‘Creation care’ advocates say protecting the environment is part of biblical stewardship
For the last 20 years, charismatic pastor Leroy Hedman has taught his small Seattle congregation that caring for the environment is part of being a good Christian.

“Romans 8 says creation is in travail, and we can help that as Christians,” said Hedman, pastor of the nondenominational Georgetown Community Chapel.

The congregation of several dozen grows a large vegetable garden that it uses to feed people in the community. And in 1999, Georgetown became the first U.S. church to be awarded an Energy Star Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for its use of energy-efficient appliances, lighting, heating and cooling, which Hedman said has cut its electricity bill down to $25 a month.

He said the savings are used to fund outreach and missions activities. “It honors Christ to serve the creation,” Hedman told Charisma. “Why should the New Agers be the ones gathering the attention for preserving ‘Mother Earth’?”

For many Christians, environmental issues haven’t been high on the list of social concerns. But that may be changing as a small but growing number of believers begin to view “environmental stewardship” as part of their Christian responsibility, and examine ways to become more vocal about such issues as global warming, air and water pollution, and species extinction.

In June, about 30 ministry leaders–including representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), World Vision, Southern Baptist Convention, Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.), International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and Charisma magazine–convened at the Sandy Cove Christian Retreat Center outside Baltimore for a “creation care” conference aimed at raising awareness among Christians about pressing environmental issues.

Organized largely by the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), the invitation-only meeting included presentations from Sir John Houghton, an evangelical British physicist who is widely considered to be a leading authority on global warming; Howard Snyder, an Asbury Theological Seminary professor who discussed developing a theology that embraces creation care; and Larry Schweiger, a Christian who was recently named president of the National Wildlife Federation.

Several participants were hopeful that Christians would one day reclaim biblical environmental stewardship from radical extremists who have been accused of valuing trees and birds over humans. “Many people believe that in order to be concerned about the environment, you have to embrace liberal politics,” said NAE President Ted Haggard. “That is not true, and we need to reverse that stereotype.”

The three-day conference ended with participants agreeing to give further study to environmental issues, to educate their constituents about them and to develop a formal position on global warming within a year.

For people like the Rev. Jim Ball, who has been trying to mobilize Christians around environmental causes for 10 years, the meeting was an encouraging sign. “This [conference] was to reach out to those key leaders who really hadn’t thought about [the environment] much,” said Ball, executive director of the EEN (). “This is what we were hoping to achieve, that they would be open to listening to what other evangelical leaders were saying about this issue.”

Last year, Ball organized the What Would Jesus Drive? campaign to challenge Christians to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles. It is widely believed that fuel emissions from cars are raising the level of carbon in the atmosphere, which some, such as Houghton, say is causing the earth to grow dangerously warmer. Other scientists say the warming trend is part of a natural weather cycle.

The debate, and the complicated scientific jargon, is what has kept many Christians from engaging environmental concerns, said NAE Vice President of Governmental Affairs Richard Cizik, who attended the creation care meeting with Haggard. Although both men say they are committed to addressing environmental issues, they want to find solutions that nurture free-market capitalism. “There are over 6 billion people on the earth. During our lifetime it could go up to 9 billion,” Haggard said. “The only way to provide enough goods and services is through capitalism.”

But for many other Christians, environmentalism is not a debate about science or economics; it’s about theology. “Any time Christians get seriously involved in public policy issues, Christians have to be clear that they understand how things work and that they’re not being taken advantage of by the left or the right because you’re bringing the moral authority of the church [to the debate],” said Gerald Zandstra, programs director for the Acton Institute, a Christian think-tank that studies religion, economics and public policy.

Cheryl Johns, professor of church formation at the Church of God Theological Seminary and a participant in the Sandy Cove meeting, said Christians have a unique responsibility toward the environment. “I think most Pentecostals and charismatics understand that Jesus saves, but He also heals,” she told Charisma. “God is at work restoring and bringing healing. We participate in that as people of God. We participate in the creation being restored. To care for creation, I think, is to participate in healing.”

Snyder has studied renewal movements extensively, and he said mobilizing charismatic and Pentecostals around this issue would cause a significant shift in momentum, as that demographic is believed to be the largest segment of Christianity worldwide.

“The same God who is concerned about the renewal of the church is concerned with the renewal of creation,” Snyder told attendees at Sandy Cove. “The same Spirit who hovers over the church hovers over the waters and wants to bring both into reconciliation under the headship of Jesus Christ.

“If we are concerned about revival in its truest sense, we will be concerned about creation care. Conversely, if we are genuinely concerned with creation care we will want to see the Holy Spirit renew God’s people, sending a revival of such depth that it not only stirs our hearts but also heals our land.”

For Francis MacNutt, a longtime leader in the charismatic renewal, change begins when individuals decide to do something. In 2002, he bought a Toyota Prius, a hybrid car that gets an estimated 52 miles per gallon in the city, compared with 36 miles per gallon for a nonhybrid Honda Civic and 22-25 miles per gallon for the more fuel-efficient SUVs.

“It would take a million people driving Priuses to make a dent in [global warming]; I know that,” MacNutt said. “But it’s something I can do.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Christian leaders are still urging support for laws banning gay marriage despite the Federal Marriage Amendment’s failure to pass in the Senate.

The American Family Association (AFA) is encouraging supporters to visit and sign a petition calling for an amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. The AFA hopes to present 3 million signatures to the House of Representatives before it votes on the issue in September.

Other efforts are under way to get gay marriage banned on the local level. So far the November ballots in nine states will include referendums calling for amendments prohibiting gay marriage.

On July 23, conservative Christian leaders welcomed the passage of Indiana Republican Rep. John N. Hostettler’s Marriage Protection Act in the House. The bill limits the jurisdiction of federal courts over questions arising from the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1996. The act protects states from having to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.

But limiting the scope of federal judges is a secondary strategy in the battle to defend traditional marriage, which some say could be a 10-year fight. Several conservative Christian leaders say amending the Constitution is the most certain way to bar gay marriage.

Bishop Paul S. Morton plans to submit 8,000 petitions collected during his Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship convention to the Congressional Black Caucus. He is calling for its opposition to same-sex marriage and noted that his group would “remember those who do not support family values.”

Meanwhile, pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Seattle hopes to convene thousands of Christians in Washington, D.C., Oct. 15 for a Mayday for Marriage Rally (). Similarly, Bishop John Giminez of Rock City Church in Baltimore plans to host an America for Jesus rally Oct. 22 on the National Mall (). The event is aimed at getting Christians to fast and pray for the nation’s future.
Adrienne S. Gaines

BUSH CAMPAIGN CRITICIZED FOR CHURCH SOLICITATION

The Bush campaign has been accused of manipulating religion for political gain. The flap started after Bush opponents got wind of an e-mail Luke Bernstein, a Bush campaign coordinator in Pennsylvania, sent out June 1. In the message Bernstein said he hoped to enlist 1,600 Pennsylvania churches to help pass out campaign information to churchgoers, encourage voter registration and serve as a gathering place for voters “friendly to President Bush,” the New York Times reported. Steve Schmidt, a campaign spokesman, said the e-mail was meant to “build the most sophisticated grass-roots presidential campaign in the country’s history,” the Times said. Critics said the message blatantly violated the separation of church and state.

SUPREME COURT DISMISSES PLEDGE CASE ON TECHNICALITY

On June 14, the Supreme Court dismissed Michael Newdow’s case challenging the constitutionality of the phrase “one nation, under God.” An atheist, Newdow sued to ban the Pledge of Allegiance from his daughter’s school, saying it violated the separation of church and state. But in their ruling, eight members of the court agreed that Newdow, who is in a custody battle with his daughter’s mother, did not have sufficient custody of the child to claim legal authority to speak for her. Several Christian groups praised the decision, but expressed concern that the pledge remained intact because of a technicality. “Instead of settling this question once and for all, the Court has left the nation to wonder if God’s name will be found unconstitutional if another challenge is brought in a procedurally correct fashion,” said Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.

ROD PARSLEY LAUNCHES ‘CENTER FOR MORAL CLARITY’

Pastor Rod Parsley will be touring Ohio through the month of September encouraging people to register to vote. The campaign is part of a new initiative he launched called the Center for Moral Clarity (), which is aimed at mobilizing Christians to engage in public policy issues. Senior pastor of World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio, Parsley said he wants to “be an agent of change who will help drive America into a paradigm shift that will bring us back to the discarded values of the past.” Saying prayer, information and activation are the primary means he will use to shape the culture, grow healthy families and strengthen the nation’s moral base, Parsley began his campaign in July, urging Christians to write their senators asking them to support the Federal Marriage Amendment.

CHRISTIANS SEEK TO DEBUNK THE DA VINCI CODE

Several Christian authors are taking on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, which claims Jesus Christ impregnated Mary Magdalene and married her. In Breaking the Da Vinci Code (Thomas Nelson), Dallas Theological Seminary professor Darrell Bock argues against the history presented in Brown’s novel. Harvest House recently released The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code by Richard Abanes to help Christians answer questions raised in the book, a spokesman for the company said. For similar reasons, Cook Communications released Cracking Da Vinci’s Code, co-authored by James Garlow and Peter Jones. Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning duo of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind) recently announced plans to produce a film version of the book, which has sold more than 6 million copies.

Black Baptist Groups to Meet in Show of Unity

After more than 100 years apart, the leaders of the National Baptist Convention USA (NBC), the National Baptist Convention of America, the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America will meet in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 23-28 to discuss issues facing the nation and their organizations, the Tennessean reported. The idea started with William J. Shaw, president of the NBC, the oldest of the four denominations. He said one of the meeting’s goals is to send the message to politicians that there are Christian viewpoints besides conservative evangelical perspectives, the Tennessean said.

Movie Chain Sued Over Passion Film Sales

Mel Gibson’s Icon Distribution is suing Regal Entertainment Group for at least $40 million, claiming the nation’s largest movie chain withheld revenue from The Passion of the Christ, the Associated Press (AP) said. An attorney for Icon said Regal agreed to pay Gibson’s company 55 percent of the profit from the receipts, but reneged in May and offered only 34 percent, the AP said. Icon filed suit June 7. Regal, owned by Christian billionaire Philip Anschutz, would not discuss the lawsuit.

Jesus Film Mailing Under Way in California

Churches across the nation are raising money to distribute copies of the Jesus film to their communities. Recently digitally remastered and released on DVD, the Jesus film is being mailed to homes in California this month as part of a project the late Bill Bright initiated in 1992 (). Since then, almost 20 million videos have been mailed to homes across the country.

The Dalai Lama’s recent visit spotlighted the religion’s popularity in the U.S. and Canada
The highly-publicized visit in April of Tibetan Buddhism’s leader, the Dalai Lama, to Pasadena, Calif., and three major Canadian cities motivated some Christians to pray and raised others’ awareness of the growing presence of a previously ignored religion.

When he landed in Los Angeles, the Dalai Lama was met by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and later whisked away to host three days of Buddhist teaching at the sold-out, 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium. He also spoke to 4,500 school children, lectured 5,000 university students and dispensed advice–at $100 a head–to a crowd of business executives.

James Stephens, a doctoral student at Fuller Theological Seminary who was a devout Buddhist for 14 years, says the spiritual threat of Buddhism influencing unsuspecting “seekers,” even some who consider themselves Christians, is very real.

“I call [the Dalai Lama] the ‘pluralist pope’ because he advocates exploring Buddhism while staying within the security of your professed religion. And he attracts huge crowds and all kinds of funding from movie stars, teaching institutions, governments and churches,” said Stephens, who leads the Sonrise Center for Buddhist Studies, which teaches Christians how to evangelize Buddhists.

Tibetan Buddhism, one of four main types of Buddhism, has almost 4 million adherents in that portion of China commonly known as Tibet, and 135,000 followers outside the region. Tibetan Buddhists in North America are clustered on California’s north coast and farther up into Vancouver, British Colombia, eastward into Toronto, and along the northeastern seaboard of the United States.

Despite the Dalai Lama’s immense popularity, he is spiritual leader to Tibetan Buddhists only. The Kalachakra, or initiation ceremony to allow one to practice the tenets of the religion, is often the Dalai Lama’s core teaching when he is on foreign turf.

Known as the “wheel of time,” the Kalachakra introduces people to a unique way of seeing cycles of time or multiple reincarnations, which the religion’s adherents claim is the basis of its system of liberation and enlightenment. Sand mandalas, or spirit houses made of finely painted sand crystals where area spirits are invited to enter, are usually constructed during the Kalachakra.

There are an estimated 10 million Buddhists in the United States and 305,000 in Canada, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.

While in Canada, where the Dalai Lama presided over the first Kalachakra initiation ceremony ever to be performed in the country, the Tibetan leader-in-exile was warmly received by Prime Minister Paul Martin and presented with an honorary degree of laws from the University of Toronto. Despite pouring rain, a sold-out crowd of 30,000 packed Toronto’s SkyDome arena for a teaching on compassion, and thousands of others attended 10 days of Kalachakra teaching at the city’s National Trade Centre and a Tibetan cultural festival on Toronto’s waterfront.

A mandala, constructed during the 10 days of Kalachakra teaching, was then ritually destroyed and its contents poured into nearby Lake Ontario, two acts that symbolize a release of the mandala’s spiritual powers into the surrounding land and waters.

“When the mandala’s sand was poured into Lake Ontario, the spiritual forces contained within it flowed through the Great Lakes and, eventually, to all the waterways of North America,” said David Carson, director of Intercessors for Canada, which is based in Vancouver. “Those spirits carry a spiritual contamination wherever they go. The only way to contend with them is to increase the forces of God through intercession and praise.”

House of the King, a Toronto-based prayer and worship movement of almost 2,500 intercessors and volunteers, was set up specifically for the Dalai Lama’s 12-day visit. Supported by a variety of Toronto churches and denominations, the focus of the event was 24-hour worship and praise held at Agape Ministries, a small, west-end charismatic church.

House of the King commissioned shifts of prayer-walkers to intercede at key spiritual locations around the city, while friendship evangelists were posted in a Tibetan teahouse and art gallery set up inside a downtown church.

“The Dalai Lama’s visit gave us a chance to represent Jesus to the visiting Tibetans, who responded very positively,” said Hany Boghossian, communications coordinator for House of the King. “Tibetans usually get saved relationally, and the average length of time for one to convert is eight or nine years.”

While visiting Vancouver, the Dalai Lama was feted by Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, residents of Vancouver and self-proclaimed Buddhists, at the Orpheum Concert Hall, and received an honorary doctorate from two Vancouver universities. He also taught tenets of his religion to 16,000 attendees at the Vancouver Coliseum, presided over an interfaith service at a congregation affiliated with the United Church of Canada and engaged in an interfaith dialogue panel at an Anglican cathedral.

A 16-story temple with a 150-foot statue of the Buddha in front is slated for construction in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. The structure is rumored to be destined as a world center for Buddhism, Carson said.

Elaine Robson, a Christian advocate of inter-religious dialogue between Christians and Tibetan Buddhists and a post-graduate student at the University of London in England, spent several years working with Tibetan Buddhists in northern India. She was invited by House of the King to be an adviser during the 12 days the Dalai Lama spent in Toronto.

Tibetan Buddhism has made inroads to North American culture partly because its “freedom of absolutes … has greatly appealed to a lot of seekers from the 1960s on,” said Robson, editor of . “They saw Christianity and its perceived narrowness and moral imperatives as a killjoy.”

She said Tibetan Buddhists use “skillful means” to draw the curious into their religion. One such technique is the Dalai Lama’s advice even to curious Christians to begin meditating on what’s familiar–like a statue of a saint or Jesus on the cross. “Once a person goes further into Tibetan Buddhism, though, they meditate on that religion’s deities and visualize themselves as one with those deities. They draw closer to the enlightened state … where all creatures and objects are one [energy] force,” Robson said. “The problem with this is that person can then open themselves up to any variety of spiritual forces.”

Called His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, 69-year-old Tenzin Gyatso was crowned as spiritual leader at 5 years old. When China began occupation of Tibet in 1959, he fled to northern India where, to this day, he has led a Tibetan government-in-exile. The recipient of almost 60 honorary doctorates and awards, including the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama is renowned for cultivating relationships with key world leaders, an activity some critics view as a ploy to help free Tibet from Chinese occupation.
Josie Newman in Toronto

Noted pastor Jack W. Hayford was elected president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel June 3 during its annual convention in San Francisco.

Hayford, 70, was chosen from two other nominees–the Rev. Glenn Burris, Foursquare’s general supervisor since 2002; and Hayford’s brother, Jim Hayford Sr., senior pastor of the Eastside Foursquare Church in suburban Seattle, and supervisor of the Seattle district of Foursquare.

Founding pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Calif., Hayford also launched The King’s College and Seminary in 1987, and plans to remain its chancellor while fulfilling his duties as Foursquare president. He said he also will assist the pastoral staff of The Church on the Way, which recently appointed a new senior pastor after the sudden death of its former pastor and Hayford’s son-in-law Scott Bauer last year.

Recently, Hayford has been calling for greater accountability among ministry leaders. As Foursquare president, he said he hopes to see a renewal of spiritual vitality and leadership integrity within the Christian community as a whole and Foursquare in particular. “I hope to enfranchise a new, rising generation of leaders who are expectant and ready to join me in evidencing our values to always live, serve and lead as a people committed to biblical, relational and spiritual priorities and values that characterize New Testament leadership and lifestyle,” Hayford told Charisma.

Hayford is to assume office Oct. 1, succeeding Paul Risser, who resigned in March after the Los Angeles-based denomination lost $14 million investing in two companies that were later proved to be fraudulent. Risser apologized for his part in the scandal June 2 in front of nearly 3,000 convention attendees, who responded by standing and singing “Amazing Grace.”

Denominational leaders said Risser was not seeking any personal gain from the investments and is still held in high regard by the church. Hayford said he believes Foursquare handled the situation “with exceeding thoroughness, truthfulness and graciousness.”

Hayford said he is “highly optimistic” about the growth of the movement that was started by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923. It has since grown to 5 million members in 38,000 churches worldwide.
Adrienne S. Gaines

Billy Graham said the nation’s 40th president was ‘a man of tremendous integrity, based on his religious belief’

Former President Ronald Wilson Reagan has been lauded as one of the nation’s greatest U.S. presidents, an exceptional communicator who helped redefine Republicanism. Yet the actor-turned-politician–who died June 5 at the age of 93 in his Bel Air, Calif., home after a 10-year battle against Alzheimer’s disease–was also a man of faith, say those who knew him best.

“Mr. Reagan had a religious faith deeper than most people knew,” said evangelist Billy Graham, who described Reagan as “one of my closest personal friends for many years. … The President was a man of tremendous integrity, based on his religious belief.”

Biographer Mary Beth Brown, author of Hand of Providence: The Strong and Quiet Faith of Ronald Reagan, which released from a Thomas Nelson subsidiary in March, said the nation’s 40th president accepted Christ at the age of 11 and was subsequently baptized. Though his father was Catholic, Reagan grew up in his mother’s denomination, the Disciples of Christ, then attended Presbyterian churches as an adult.

Family members said his faith was a guiding force. “My father lived as close to his maker as it is possible for a mortal to be,” said adopted son Michael Reagan, a Christian and conservative radio-show host who will release an autobiography and political commentary, Twice Adopted, in October. “Every morning he put himself in God’s hands, accepting whatever happened as the will of the Lord with absolute confidence that he would receive whatever he needed to cope with whatever the Lord put in front of him.”

Some Christian leaders say Reagan felt a sense of calling to the presidency. Christian broadcaster and author George Otis said he prophesied to then-Gov. Reagan at his home in the late 1960s that he would one day occupy 1600 Pennsylvania he walked uprightly before God. “We realized we had heard the voice of God,” said Otis, who was accompanied by entertainer Pat Boone and evangelist Harald Bredesen at the meeting.

Reagan acknowledged the prophecy to Boone after his first inauguration in 1981, indicating that he felt guided by a sense of divine purpose, Otis said. Observers have said that Reagan’s role in ending the Cold War, stimulating the economy and restoring a sense of optimism to America helped the nation through a critical juncture in its history.

Brown noted that Reagan’s faith informed his views, saying his resistance to communism was prompted in part by his opposition to its atheistic tenets. And his “reverence for the dignity of human life” motivated his pro-life stance, she added.

Because of his declining health, Reagan remained out of the public eye for much of the last decade and was cared for by his wife, Nancy. In her own autobiography, the former first lady wrote that she admired her husband’s faith, but did not share his passion and consulted astrologers because she was a habitual worrier and feared that her husband would be assassinated, Brown noted.

Though Reagan reportedly was private about his faith, he spoke several times to Christian groups, giving his well-known “evil empire” speech before the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983. “Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all those who live in that totalitarian darkness–pray they will discover the joy of knowing God,” he told them.

“But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the Earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.”

Though some Christians were critical of Reagan’s cuts to social programs that benefitted lower-income Americans, others praised his policies. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, who served on several White House commissions, said Reagan was “a true friend to the defenders of traditional values.” In 1988, Reagan signed a law establishing the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.

Millions of Americans watched Reagan’s public funeral, held in the National Cathedral June 11. He was buried at his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Eric Tiansay and Adrienne S. Gaines

England-based Operation Mobilization recently purchased a new ship in an $18 million venture that will allow for expansion
A fleet of the world’s largest floating bookshops is about to get bigger.

Operation Mobilization (OM) recently bought a new ship in an $18 million venture that will enable the England-based missionary organization to expand its ministry distributing Christian literature and helping with community projects in ports around the world.

OM founder George Verwer, a native of New Jersey, described the purchase as the group’s “biggest single project.” Scheduled to enter ministry service in May 2005, the new ship–a 10,000-ton ferry that has been renamed Logos Hope–is the fourth motor vessel to be used by OM since 1970.

All the crew and staff are Christian volunteers, who serve in a variety of roles, from captain to cook, and raise sponsorship to fund their time onboard. Living expenses are covered by the ships’ funds.

OM and floating bookshops were Verwer’s brainchild. He converted to Christianity as a teenager during the 1950s and soon sensed a call to missions. He said he saw many lost people in the United States, “but at least they had a chance. I felt my life must be for those who have never heard. That’s one of the things God built into me, this vision for the more unreached places.”

Verwer said the name Operation Mobilization was inspired in the early 1960s, and expressed the group’s mission, to “mobilize the people of God” to reach the nations. Eventually OM began transporting truckloads of books from Europe to India.

He explained why OM chose to use ships: “We had these 125 vehicles, driving all the way to India. I thought, We need a ship, because we were very geared to moving people, moving large quantities of literature.”

In 1970 OM bought the Umanak, which became the Logos, meaning “word” in Greek. She was joined in 1977 by Doulos, which means “servant.” The Doulos is the oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.

Logos was shipwrecked in 1988 and replaced by Logos II. The group Educational Book Exhibits owns Logos II, and Doulos is owned by the German charity Güte Bucher für Alle, meaning Good Books for All. Both are ministries of OM.

However, Logos II has become too small, and Logos Hope, which is three times its size, will succeed it. “We need more facilities,” Verwer said. “The ship sometimes is having 100,000 people come on the weekends, so a lot of people just have to go through the exhibit and they have to leave. With the new ship there will be many more departments, so you won’t have to leave.”

Logos II has a staff and crew of roughly 200, while Doulos has about 300. Each member who joins must be over 18, speak English, be committed to the beliefs of the ship’s community and be able to raise financial support for their time onboard; the cost varies depending on the stage of development their home country is in.

Jaylene Schlichting, from Iowa will soon leave Doulos, but plans to continue working with OM. “I’ve been interested in missions all of my life,” Schlichting said. “I saw a brochure [about the Doulos] and thought, I could do that. Everyone’s really behind me–I raised my support in one month.”

Doulos visitor James Rowntree, of Southampton, England, was impressed by the ship and its staff. “The people onboard work as a big family, and must really enjoy what they do,” he said. “It’s good for religious people because it promotes the Word of God.”

As well as money raised from volunteers’ sponsorships, which accounts for about 60 percent of each ship’s running costs, finance is raised through book sales and corporate support in their numerous destinations.

Though he recently stepped down as president of OM, Verwer remains active in ministry, speaking at churches and conferences and working on special projects such as the distribution of AIDS awareness literature.

OM is one of the world’s largest missions organizations, with more than 3,000 members from 83 nations. It assists in planting churches, distributing Christian literature and offering humanitarian relief around the world. Verwer said OM has distributed the gospel to about 1 billion people, 100 million through its ships.
Sarah Louise Nicholls

Randy Clark, known for helping spark the Toronto Blessing, says another healing revival is coming to the church
The man credited with sparking the Toronto Blessing says a healing revival is on the horizon.

That’s why Vineyard pastor-turned-revivalist Randy Clark is touring the nation, leading a series of four-day healing schools. He said he hopes to prepare Christians to minister healing and walk in the miraculous. “I want to equip people with models that teach them how to move naturally in the supernatural,” Clark told Charisma.

The first healing school was held May 12 in the Seattle area, with about 250 people attending. Another was to be held June 21 in Harrisburg, Pa. “God wants to anoint you to heal, to bring people into the kingdom,” Clark told attendees in Seattle. “People are drawn to Jesus when they see His healing power, and that is what gives success to missions.”

Assisting Clark is Norwegian minister Leif Hetland, who Clark describes as one of the most influential Christian leaders in Muslim nations today. Hetland was pastor of a small Baptist church in Norway when Clark prayed that he would receive an impartation for power evangelism and healing ministry. Today Hetland is based in Alabama but ministers frequently in Muslim nations.

“In the last nine years since we prophesied over him and an impartation came, over 1 million people have been saved through his ministry,” Clark said of Hetland. “It is one of the most miraculous ministries in the world right now.”

Clark said he launched the schools to correct wrong theology and equip Christians to minister healing. “I believe that we are going to see another healing revival, so I wanted to do a school where there could be a solid biblical basis for both the models and the theology behind healing and power evangelism,” Clark said. “People like the models I learned in the Vineyard and the balance, so I do expect that there will be a multiplication of healing in churches, communities and nations as a result of our healing schools.”

The Seattle healing school covered three main categories: information, activation and impartation. The information segment discussed ecclesiastical history of the phenomena of God’s presence, past and emerging models for healing, and the role of power evangelism in international church growth. Clark described “power evangelism” as the Word of God being demonstrated by the Spirit of God through signs and wonders.

The activation time covered such topics as how a person can align himself with the heart of God, the role of healing in the ministry of Jesus and the Great Commission, and training on how to activate the gifts of word of knowledge, healing and deliverance.

During nonteaching times, healing school participants received prayer for the impartation of spiritual gifts. Evening sessions were open to the public, giving students an opportunity to activate words of knowledge and begin to minister healing.

Jean Andrews, a technical writer and grandmother from Suwanne, Ga., said she was influenced by Clark’s “Spend and Be Spent” message. “I was going on mission trips as they fit into my life,” Andrews told Charisma. “But when Randy said, ‘Spend and be spent for the reward of His suffering,’ I felt like totally surrendering. How can we sit back and go just when it’s convenient?”

The message also had an emotional impact on Ryan Adair, 23, of Puyallup, Wash., one of Clark’s interns. “I’ve heard [Clark] preach it multiple times, but God just came and touched me,” Adair said. “I felt like I was supposed to surrender myself [to the Lord] again–‘Do what You want to do with me; take me where You want to take me.'”

Mark Moody, whose Northwest Awakening organization coordinated the Seattle meetings, said he believes the schools are effective training tools for Christians. “Northwest Awakening’s vision is to provide conferences and resources to enable people to walk in new dimensions of the power of God both in and through their lives,” Moody said. “I believe this school brought about a marriage of understanding and experience for many.”

Healing schools are scheduled for Redding, Calif., beginning Sept. 29 and Englewood, Fla., beginning Nov. 17. Clark’s ministry organization, Global Awakening, is also planning 10-12 additional healing schools to be held in 2005.
Julia C. Loren in Seattle

Sam Der-Yeghiayan came to the United States and attended Evangel University, thanks to an Assemblies of God missionary

The first person of Armenian heritage to ever become a federal judge keeps a low public profile. Sam Der-Yeghiayan (dare-yea-ge-yan) doesn’t grant interviews, to avoid giving political adversaries fodder for misconstruing his Christian views.

But that doesn’t stop others from loudly applauding his accomplishments.

The one-time Assemblies of God missionary who helped him enter the United States isn’t surprised that his protégé now sits on the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois.

“Sam always had the drive to be somebody and not just be another person,” said William Ilnisky, pastor of Lighthouse Christian Center International in West Palm Beach, Fla. “That’s what made me willing to invest time in him and help him out.”

Born in Syria but raised in Lebanon, 52-year-old Der-Yeghiayan came from a Christian family. But as a teen he generally spent more time with gangs than in church, Ilnisky said.

The two met soon after Ilnisky went to Beirut in 1969 to establish a campus ministry near American University. His first year the missionary also taught at a high school for Armenians.

While Der-Yeghiayan “played a lot of games,” at 18 he accepted Christ and was filled with the Spirit, telling Ilnisky, “I’ve traded my gun for a sword.”

Despite this change, “I realized if he stayed in Lebanon he would probably be dead quickly because of uprisings between Muslims and Christians,” Ilnisky recalled. “In Lebanon, everyone carried a gun for protection.”

Because of his connections to Evangel College, which became a university in 1998, Ilnisky arranged for Der-Yeghiayan to obtain a visa and enroll. His first home in Springfield, Mo., was with the school’s president, the late Robert Ashcroft, father of U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

After obtaining a social sciences degree, Der-Yeghiayan went on to the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H., and became a naturalized citizen. After graduating in 1978, he became a trial attorney for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Chicago.

Four years later Der-Yeghiayan became counsel for the INS Chicago district, overseeing a three-state area. He held that post until becoming an immigration court judge in 2000, where he served until joining the federal court a year ago.

Rated “qualified” by the American Bar Association, Der-Yeghiayan was approved by Congress 89-0.

Der-Yeghiayan is the third Evangel grad to hold high public office. The others are Adm. Vern Clark, chief of U.S. naval operations, and Todd Tiahrt, a five-term congressman from Kansas.

The first alumnus on the federal bench, Der-Yeghiayan has a legion of admirers in Springfield. His alma mater recently presented him its 2004 Regius Award, which honors social sciences alumni for outstanding professional achievement.

While in Missouri Der-Yeghiayan visited Bryan Sanders’ administrative law class, where the professor said the judge “captivated” his students.

A former real estate developer and attorney, Sanders believes the skilled graduate’s integrity enables him to walk a fine line between his Christian beliefs and upholding the law.

The professor is also impressed with the judge’s humility, saying “it’s like a breath of fresh air” to see someone of importance avoiding an arrogant stance.

“He’s very well reasoned and cautious in the things he says and does,” Sanders said. “He’s not a knee-jerk judge. I think that’s what has gotten him credibility. I didn’t perceive in him a political bent. He truly looks to the written law.”

Robert Spence, who succeeded Ashcroft as president and knew Der-Yeghiayan his senior year, remembers a focused, dedicated student–one who opened a pizzeria during college to help pay his tuition.

Sometimes challenged by struggles with language differences, Der-Yeghiayan “had to work a little harder and excelled,” Spence said. “It was obvious to those who knew him that he was going somewhere.”

J. Calvin Holsinger, a semi-retired professor who continues to teach a course in public history, echoes that sentiment. He described his former student as a “go-getter,” and Holsinger said he was touched by the people who came from long distances to attend the spring dinner honoring the Evangel graduate.

“People from his past who heard about it made an effort to be there,” said Holsinger, who heard the judge praised as a capable, helping person. “He seeks to do his best for the country.”

During Der-Yeghiayan’s swearing-in ceremony, Attorney General Ashcroft said the Founding Fathers knew individuals who would lead this nation best were those committed to fundamental maxims of liberty.

“This nation needs more men and women, more boys and girls, who will follow in Sam’s footsteps,” Ashcroft said, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reported.

On Evangel’s campus, many would add a hearty, “Amen.”
Ken Walker