President Bush talks with Charisma publisher Stephen Strang and other journalists about the war, the election and his prayer life.

Charisma publisher Stephen Strang and eight other journalists representing religious publications interviewed President Bush at the White House on May 26. Bush talked candidly about the Iraq war, his views on Islam, same-sex marriage and his personal Christian faith.

Bush primed the interview with a lengthy opening statement and then allowed reporters to ask questions. Besides Charisma, the publications invited to the interview included Christianity Today, World, Touchstone, Lutheran Witness and Reporter, Good News and First Things. The following is an edited transcript of the interview’s highlights.

President Bush’s opening remarks: Let me tell you a little bit about what’s on my mind. Obviously, Iraq is on my mind. We are in the process of transferring full sovereignty and eventual freedom to the Iraqi people as they head toward free elections. It’s a historic opportunity to bring peace to the world.

It’s not going to be easy. These are people who have lived in tyranny. America must be firm in our resolve and confident in our belief that freedom is the Almighty’s gift to every person in the world and that free societies will be peaceful societies.

In the short run we will use every asset to prevent an enemy from attacking us again. I believe they want to do it because they want to sow discord, distrust and fear at home so we will begin to withdraw from parts of the world where they would like to have influence to spread their Taliban-like vision–the corruption of religion–to suit their purposes.

I will not yield to them–to their blackmail, their murder, their death or the fear that they would try to cause through death.

Here at home, the job of a president is to help culture change. I call it changing the culture from one that says, “If it feels good, do it” and “If you’ve got a problem, blame somebody else,” to a culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life. I call it a responsibility era.

Part of the responsibility era is promoting a culture of life. Father Richard John Neuhaus helped me craft what is still the integral part of my position on abortion, which is: Every child welcomed to life and protected by law. That is the goal of this administration.

Part of the government’s role is to foster responsibility by standing with those who have heard a call to love a neighbor, which is the center point of the faith-based initiative–one of the most important domestic initiatives I have pushed. It recognizes the right relationship between hearts and souls and government. Here’s the way I put it: “Government can hand out money, but it cannot put love in people’s hearts or sense of purpose in people’s lives.”

Government must recognize that those heart-changers are an important part of changing society one soul at a time. And government has a responsibility to support and nurture institutions that provide hope and stability. That’s why I took the position I took on the sanctity of marriage. I believe that it’s a very important issue for America.

I think marriage has worked. It’s the commitment between a man and a woman. That shared responsibility has been the cornerstone for civilization, and any erosion of that definition will weaken civilization as we have known it.

I call for a constitutional [marriage] amendment, and I want the American people participating in the process. I don’t want this decided by judges. It’s too big an issue, and the constitutional process is a sure enough way to get people involved through the amendment process.

And finally, I say to the people all the time, “Thank you for your prayers.” Something is happening in America. When I’m walking the rope line, people say things different than they did four years ago.

The thing that they say different is, “Mr. President, we pray for you.” I’ll bet you every other person or maybe every third person says, “Mr. President, my family prays for you.”

It’s not, “Good luck, I hope you tear down your opponent.” It is, “My family prays for you.” And that is the incredibly sustaining part of the job as president.

Just an aside on a more personal perspective in case you are interested. I read Oswald Chambers every morning. He helps me understand how far I am on my walk. He’s a great Christian writer.

Then I’m reading a devotional by the former chaplain of the Senate, Lloyd John Olgilvie. And next year I will read The One-Year Bible again. I read it every other year and a half.

People say, “When you do you pray?” I pray all the time. You don’t need a chapel to pray. Whether it is in the Oval Office … you just do it. That’s just me. I don’t say that to try to get votes. I’m just sharing that experience with you.

Q: A lot of people are taking potshots at you for being a man of faith and expressing it in the public square, especially in Europe on the BBC. France seems to be bewildered by you. How do you feel when you hear that?

A: I think I have a fantastic opportunity to let the light shine, and I will do so as a secular politician. My job is not to promote a religion but to promote the ability of people to worship as they see fit.

There’s nothing more powerful than this country saying you can worship any way you want or not worship at all. On the other hand, I can’t hide the fact that I am influenced personally.

Every day that I go to a town, I meet someone who has done something in their community to love a neighbor. And every time I get in front of a microphone and one of those people is in the audience, I herald their accomplishment. It’s amazing the public interest in those stories. It is an easy way to lift the sights of the country by showing examples of people who love.

Q: You are quoted as saying, “I don’t do nuance,” in the context of war.

A: Can I explain that? When you’re trying to lead the world in a war that I view as being between the forces of good and the forces of evil, you have to speak clearly. There can’t be any doubt. When you say you are going to do something, you’ve got to do it. Otherwise there will be confusion.

It is incumbent upon this powerful, rich nation to lead–not only lead in taking on the enemies of freedom, but lead in taking on those elements of life that prevent free people from emerging from disease and hunger.

And we are. We feed the world more than any other country. We’re providing more money for HIV-AIDS in the world. We are a compassionate country.

Q: You have at times described Islam as a religion of peace. You’ve caught flak for perhaps overdoing that a little bit. Then in London you said that [Christians and Muslims] worship the same God. A lot of our evangelical friends criticized that. Is it possible that there is … within Islam … something inherently evil that stands in the way of freedom?

A: We are dealing with extreme, radical people who have a deep desire to spread an ideology that is anti-women, anti-free thought, and anti-art and science. They couch their language in religious terms, but that doesn’t make them religious people. I think they conveniently use religion to kill.

The religion I know is not one that encourages killing. I think they want to drive us out of parts of the world so that they are better able to have a base from which to operate.

I think it’s very much more like a coming “ism” … like communism. It knows no boundaries. I see their ambition as finding safe haven, and I know that they want to create power vacuums into which they are able to flow.

I think they have a perverted view of what religion should be, and it is not based upon peace, love and compassion–quite the opposite. These are people who will kill at the drop of a hat, and they will kill anybody, which means there are no rules. And that is not my view of religion.

Q: What are you willing and able to do to defend marriage and stop the gay-marriage movement?

A: I took a strong stand publicly and laid out a constitutional amendment, which in itself becomes a benchmark for people to rally around. It was a statement from the presidency that says the country has an alternative to [what] they’re seeing on their TV screens.

But in order for a constitutional amendment to go forward, the people have to speak. Now, I’ll be glad to lend my voice, but it’s going to require more than one voice. And it’s going to require people from around the country to insist to the members of Congress that the constitutional amendment process is necessary for the country.

The idea of giving people a chance to express themselves is a very important part of the constitutional process. I will tell you the prairie fire necessary to get an amendment passed is simmering at best. I think it’s an accurate way of describing it.

It’s essential that those who articulate the position that defends traditional marriage as the only definition of marriage do so in a compassionate way. I like to quote [the Gospel of] Matthew: I’m not going to try to take a speck out of your eye when I have a log in my own.

Therefore, this dialog needs to be a dialog worthy of the nation and worthy of a debate over a constitutional amendment. It’s a very important discussion and one that should not be politicized.

Q: The 2000 election was one of the most unusual in American history. Some would say you are lucky. But in light of your faith, how do you analyze what happened in the election?

A: The closeness of the election was due to the fact that it didn’t end election night. It was an interesting test of patience. It’s like a marathon runner who has given it his all and is depleted and worn out, and the guys forgot to tell you that it’s not 26 miles but 29 miles. You never really get to finish.

But I did get to finish in a way.

Laura and I went to our ranch and just said, “You put the best people in place to help on the vote count down there, and be prepared for the presidency if it happens.” I was quite calm during that period. I really was.

I was spending a lot of time out of doors. I was tired. I was worn out. I had really given it my best shot and obviously I wanted to win.

But it was a different feeling because you know it was a legal thing at that point. It was a confusing period for the American people as well. It obviously got settled but it was just part of my presidency.

A president shouldn’t worry about how history will judge him. I know how short-term history will judge me. If I were to read the editorial pages, I’d figure it out because they’re the ones who write the history.

It’s going to take a while for history to really judge the accomplishments of a president. Maybe 20 years from now we’ll be able to figure out how I fit in. But the big things are going to take a while. When you hear this thing about being worried about my standing in history, I’m not. Most short-term history is written about people who particularly don’t want me to be president to begin with.

Q: At the United Methodist general conference we passed a resolution that’s not gotten a lot of press, urging civil legislation affirming marriage as between a man and woman. That passed by 77 percent, to the consternation of a lot of folks. That’s very significant. I think we’re the first mainline church to be on record supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment. Chuck Colson said there doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency from folks in the churches across the country. It sounds like we need to somehow ratchet up the energy in that concern. Is that what you are saying?

A: People have got to understand that the definition of marriage is being changed. The reason I thought that a constitutional amendment was the right avenue on this issue was because it would reaffirm the current definition of marriage and prevent it from being changed decision by decision or act by act.

Q: You said something to the effect that your job is not to promote a particular religion, but you can’t help but be influenced by your personal faith.

A: My job is to make sure, as president, that people understand that in this country you can worship any way you choose. You can be a patriot if you don’t believe in the Almighty. You can honor your country by being as patriotic as your neighbor.

Q: You have had strong support from Christians who believe, like

Pat Robertson and others, that Israel is promised its land by God and that religious conviction motivates their political conviction. I’m wondering to what extent you think along those lines.

A: I view Israel as a friend and ally in democracy who is in a rough neighborhood. And therefore, step one, I made the commitment that our government will stand side by side with Israel against anybody who tries to annihilate her.

Secondly, I believe the best solution for peace in that part of the world is for there to be a peaceful democratic Palestinian state on her border. It should be run by men and women who hold the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people dear to their hearts, not their own corrupt aspirations. I believe it’s possible.

I see development of a Palestinian state as a major change agent, along with a free Iraq, in a part of the world that desperately needs free societies. Out of this will come the ability for people to worship as they see fit, the ability for people to raise their kids as any human parent desires. Out of it will come the ability for people who have entrepreneurial instincts to realize their hopes.

I’ve been to Israel and I view it as the Holy Land as well. I view it as a precious piece of ground and as an important part of our history. I also understand that my job is to use the prestige and power of America to try to bring peace.

In my position I can’t help but be a practical person when you see the pressures that are put on the world through conflict, violence and terror. So that’s why I took the position I took. I took it from a perspective of seizing this moment in history and leaving behind a more peaceful world for the good of all.

Q: What is the hardest aspect of the [Iraq] war for you personally, and how has your Christian faith affected your perception of the war?

A: The death. That’s the hardest part of any war. Knowing that a mother, father, husband, wife, son or daughter is lonely and sad and grieves because of the loss of a loved one.

My faith sustains me because I ask for God’s blessings, strength, forgiveness and love. Part of my job is to comfort as best I can.

And interestingly enough I also get sustained by the loved ones. To walk into a room full of people–or maybe a room with one person–who has lost a loved one and hug them and laugh with them, cry with them, hold them, whatever I can do to add a moment of inspiration in their life.

After most of those encounters I’m the one who gets inspired. The person who is supposed to be inspired does the inspiring. And you can attribute anything you want to it. But I can just tell you the practical effects of being with people of such strength.

And you know you hear the amazing statements from the mouths of these grieving souls that many times they are inspired by the Almighty. It’s a powerful reaffirmation of faith—how from the grief comes such hopeful words and such sustaining words.

I think a person’s faith helps keep perspective in the midst of noise, pressure, sound–all the stuff that goes on in Washington. A person’s faith helps you to keep vision. In fact it helps clear your vision. One of the prayers I ask is that God’s light shines through me as best as possible, no matter how opaque the window.

I’m in a world of fakery, obfuscation and political back-shots. So I’m very mindful about the proper use of faith in this process. You can’t fake your faith nor can you use your faith as a shallow attempt to garner votes. Otherwise you will receive the ultimate condemnation. Therefore the best way for faith to operate in somebody is to let the light shine–as opposed to trying to get my job mixed up with the preacher’s job.

And the only way that you can do that is just be yourself without crossing any lines of politics and religion. Separation of church and state is important in America. And by that I mean that people of faith should participate in the state.

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 (www.centerformoralclarity.net), 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 (www.jesusvideo.org). 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 www.TibetanResearch.org. “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 Ave.–if 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

Pastor Claudio Freidzon began the Operation Blessing campaign in response to his nation’s economic crisis
A leading minister in the Argentina revival movement that saw thousands come to Christ in the mid-1980s and 1990s has launched a new initiative to take the gospel outside the walls of the church.

Calling his effort Operation Blessing, Claudio Freidzon of 15,000-member Iglesia Rey de Reyes in Buenos Aires has been taking teams of volunteers to remote areas throughout Argentina to distribute food, clothing, medicine and other supplies, and to host evangelistic meetings. The pastor said the effort is an attempt to preach the gospel not only in word, but also in deed by combining evangelism with practical assistance.

Freidzon said he felt God calling him to “bless” his country after an economic crisis rocked Argentina in late 2001. Thousands were suddenly without jobs, banks
froze savings accounts, and the peso lost 70 percent of its value.

Burdened by the difficult conditions many Argentineans faced, Freidzon and his wife, Betty, launched Operation Blessing last year. The first Operation Blessing event was held in the province of Tucumán in April 2003, with more than 35,000 people in attendance and thousands reporting decisions for Christ.

In July of the same year, the second Operation Blessing took place in the province of Chubut, with the customary hospital visitations and distribution of food and medical help. The third outreach event was held in the province of Misiones in November, with 20,000 people in attendance.

This year, Freidzon decided to travel to the marginal barrios within the interior of the country. Accompanied by a group of volunteers, he visited the provinces of Tucumán, Chubut, Misiones and Chaco, thus impacting Argentina’s northern, central and southern regions.

Though many made decisions for Christ at previous events, the volunteer team was surprised at the response in Chaco, the final destination in the tour, when they visited in April. The Chaco Forever stadium was filled to capacity, with thousands waiting outside. Operation Blessing said more than 9,000 reported decisions for Christ during the outreach.

As Freidzon had done in previous cities, he collected a special offering to benefit two hospitals in the city of Resistencia, located in Chaco province. As a result of the meeting, the local newspaper ran a front-page article with the headline: “Chaco: This Is Your Time.”

The crusade also drew participation from local official Aida Ayala and other high-ranking government leaders. The governor even granted worship leader Danilo Montero the use of his plane to transport him to the event.

Some 450 volunteers distributed 20 tons of goods, including medicine and 500 books destined for Argentina’s rural libraries. The team also visited the Clorindo Omar Blanco School in Resistencia and Barrio Honda Chico School in nearby Sáenz Peña, where they donated books, school equipment, treats and even a television.

In an effort to touch every social class, Operation Blessing developed a conference geared toward professionals and businessmen, as well as a seminar for pastors and leaders that had approximately 1,700 ministers in attendance.

Volunteers also visited health centers, where they prayed for the sick and distributed diapers and baby clothing. A volunteer group of doctors, dentists and public assistants tended to the residents at the Villa Don Alberto health center.

Afterward, pastors from Resistencia reported that some local churches had doubled their membership at the end of the week. Some even said they had a renewed evangelistic zeal.

“There isn’t enough seating to seat the new believers,” one local pastor said. “Operation Blessing’s wide-reaching effect has caused our church to overflow.” Another pastor acknowledged, “This has never happened before, not seen in this way, the streets being invaded by the gospel.”
Gisela Sawin in Chaco, Argentina

Jailed Christian Students Released in Egypt

Four Christian college students arrested in January for possessing faith-based materials have been released amid international pressure for their freedom. According to the Barnabas Fund, Peter Kamel, Ishak Yessa, John Fokha and Andrew Saeed were freed on April 3. Police in the Naweeba district jailed them after raiding their rooms at a resort hotel in the Sinai Desert. Their Bibles and various Christian tapes were confiscated. “None of these materials were illegal, and there was nothing found in their possession which would have justified their arrest,” Barnabus Fund said. The students were initially charged with “disturbing the national unity and threatening the social peace.”

Pakistani Christian Dies After Torture by Muslims

A Christian who refused to convert to Islam died in early May after being tortured by Islamic militants. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that Javed Anjum, a 23-year-old resident of Toba Tek Singh District, was tortured for five days and nights by extremists from an Islamic school in the area. He was hospitalized for 11 days and died in a Faisalabad hospital on May 2. In a statement to police before he died, Anjum said he was searching for water near the school, but was accused by Muslim leaders of trying to steal a water pump. CSW urged Pakistani authorities to bring the militants to justice. “This is … an example of the threat that Christians continue to face in Pakistan,” said Stuart Windsor, national director of the United Kingdom-based CSW. “We urge our supporters to pray for Javed’s family.”

Jailed Chinese Church Leader Beaten in Prison

South China Church (SCC) pastor Gong Shengliang, who is currently serving a life sentence in the Hong Shan Prison, located in Hubei Province, has begged to be transferred. According to China Aid Association (CAA), the SCC leader recently told his sisters who visited him in prison: “If you are able in any way, please transfer me to another prison–otherwise just come and pick up my corpse.” CAA sources said Shengliang was unable to walk into the visiting hall and had to be carried in by four other inmates.