Scott Bauer, senior pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Calif., a Foursquare congregation founded by Jack Hayford, died Oct. 24 after an aneurysm ruptured at the conclusion of the midweek service two days before. He was 49.

“It is with deep sadness and great rejoicing we announce the homegoing of pastor Scott Bauer,” a message from the church’s Web site said. “The Bauer family and the elders of The Church on the Way want to thank the host of believers worldwide who have expressed their love and sympathy.”

A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and Oral Robert University, Bauer was Hayford’s son-in-law and supervisor of the Los Angeles North Valley District of Foursquare Churches. He took over as senior pastor of The Church on the Way in 1999 after serving with Hayford since 1982. The church’s council has asked Hayford to lead the 12,000-member congregation.

“Scott was a respected brother, pastor and leader within our church, as well as to the body of Christ at large,” Paul Risser, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, said in a statement. “The impact of this loss will be felt around the world.”

A memorial service was held Oct. 29 at The Church on the Way. Bauer is survived by his wife, Rebecca, two sons, a daughter, his parents and three siblings.
Eric Tiansay

Each of us, at times, must answer questions that seem to have no logical answer.
I was on a business trip when I received an urgent call from my secretary. She told me that my friend Scott Bauer, pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, had just been hospitalized due to a brain aneurysm that burst. Please pray.

What we didn’t know was that by the time I received the call, he was already brain dead. Two days later the family decided to remove the life support systems. On October 24, 2003, a beloved pastor, brilliant scholar, and loving husband and father passed away at age 49.

Most would have considered it the prime of his life. He died four years to the day after becoming pastor of the church his father-in-law, Jack Hayford, had pastored for 25 years.

Inevitably, when something unexpected happens, people ask why. Was this an attack of Satan? Did those praying for Scott lack faith? Why would God take one of the “good guys”?

Jack Hayford dealt with these questions the Sunday after Scott’s death. Hayford’s insights and the beautiful words of Scott’s widow, Rebecca, impacted me so much when I read them that I decided to share them here as my own tribute to this wonderful friend.

But there’s another reason I’m sharing them: Each of us, at times, must answer questions that seem to have no logical answer from our limited human perspective. Perhaps the insights of these godly people will help us when we face our own difficult circumstances.

Pastor Hayford told the congregation that though Scott’s death was not the success of a satanic attack, there is an attack Christians should gird themselves against–the lies of the enemy.

“[Satan] will say, ‘You didn’t pray enough’; or ‘What you think is “prayer’s power and promise” isn’t really true’; or ‘Something’s wrong with you, and that’s why the heavy trial is present,'” Hayford said.

He pointed out that all believers have a decision to make. Whom will we listen to–the Good Shepherd, or the enemy, who lies to us?

Hayford said: “This was not the result of a failure of faith. This was not the result of a failure in medical care. This was the result of a finite body’s failure and demise. In Scott Bauer, we received a great gift for as long as the physical package could contain it.”

Because Scott’s condition was probably a congenital birth defect, the question should not be why did he die so young, but why did he live so long? As his widow stated in her comments about his passing, God had a plan.

She told their congregation: “I want you all to know that I am at peace. The Lord always moves into our current circumstance and speaks to us. So it shouldn’t
be a surprise that He has now. …

“Although I cannot see the reason, the Lord sees something beyond Scott and me, beyond this moment, beyond this challenge … and in His grace and mercy has progressed His kingdom plan. As we all step into tomorrow, though I feel deep grief, I am confident that the Lord has a hope and a future for me, for my family, and for us as a congregation.”

Rebecca went on to share the Lord’s reminder to her that we have only one sure foundation. “[The day he died], I went to the hospital early to sit and hold Scott’s hand. I knew it was the last time I would be able to do so. As I sat there, I said to the Lord, ‘All I know to do, is to keep clinging to Jesus.’

“[The Lord] immediately replied, ‘All other ground is sinking sand–even Scott.’ I knew what He meant. My life is to always be built on Jesus alone.”

This is something we all need to remember when we find ourselves asking why.

A memorial scholarship fund to advance continuing education for pastors is being established in Bauer’s name. Maybe you knew Scott, or maybe you’ve just been touched by what you’ve read. You can send your gifts, marked “Scott Bauer Fund,” to our nonprofit partner, Christian Life Missions, at P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, FL 32795-2248, and we will pass along 100 percent of the donations.

Please also remember to pray for Scott’s widow, children, parents and extended family.

MUSIC

Who We Are Instead
By Jars of Clay, Essential Records.

With Who We Are Instead, Jars of Clay has returned to what the band was at its musical beginning, an acoustically inclined pop-rock band, known for its coffeehouse covers of harmonious acts such as Simon & Garfunkel. Instead of playing edgy rock songs as it did on some previous albums, Jars has unplugged for Who We Are Instead, trading electric guitars for unencumbered arrangements here.

For example, the band covers the group America’s strummy and empathetic “Lonely People,” and even when it’s not performing 1970s soft-rock hits like that one, it is playing songs such as “Sunny Days” that sound just like aural relics from that kinder, gentler musical era.

The album’s lyrics are particularly Christ-centered; even the romantic love songs such as “Only Alive” are couched in spiritual terminology. Because of this album’s intentionally plain-spoken musicality, it is hard to imagine any of these new tracks achieving the Floodlike success of past Jars’ efforts. But the simple sweetness that is Who We Are Instead offers a nice alternative to all the technological bells and whistles now crowding the pop charts.
Dan MacIntosh

Throne Room
By CeCe Winans, Sony.

CeCe Winans is probably one of the most popular gospel artists of our time. Now releasing her sixth solo project, she moves into a posture of worship with her latest, Throne Room.

Winans starts off this very emotive CD with the peaceful orchestral interlude “Hallelujah to the King.” Written by gospel great Andraé Crouch, the song is performed wonderfully, as is the marvelous tune “Jesus, You’re Beautiful to Me.” On the title cut Winans effortlessly breathes life into the relaxing melody. She also covers the popular church anthem “How Great Thou Art.” “You’re so Holy” will find the listener in the ultimate stance of reverence as will “Oh, Most High” and “Worthy Is the Lamb.” Other favorites are “I Thirst for You” and “Come Fill My Heart.”

Winans truly moves the listener on the song, “Mercy Said No.” Dedicated to her brother Ronald, the track speaks of how mercy steps up to the plate for us, not giving us what we rightfully deserve.

Winans steps into a praise mode with the upbeat tempos of “No One Else” and “Hallelujah Praise.”

It’s easy to bask in the glory of the Lord with the worshipful sound of Throne Room.
René Williams

Go Tell It on the Mountain
By The Blind Boys of Alabama,
Real World.

When The Blind Boys of Alabama decided to go tell it on the mountain for this album of Christmas cheer, they also invited practically the whole musical community to share in this holiday mountaintop experience. Lead vocalist Clarence Fountain is more than qualified to give any old Christmas carol a large shot of authentic soul power, yet fellow R&B stars, such as Solomon Burke (“I Pray on Christmas”), Mavis Staples (“Born in Bethlehem”) and Aaron Neville (“Joy to the World”), also lend their vocal talents to this collection of spirited performances.

Although gospel-soul is the genre of choice here, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde turns “In the Bleak Midwinter” into a quietly moving ballad, and Me’Shell N’degiOcello adds a spoken word part to the traditional “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

But wait, there’s more. This album’s cast of all-stars doesn’t just end with singers. Pedal steel master Robert Randolph is also in the band, and jazzer Les McCann is the guest pianist for “White Christmas.” All that talent makes Go Tell It on the Mountain one large and joyful musical family gathering.
Natalie Nichols Gillespie

Christmas
By Rivertribe, Inpop Records.

Australian act Rivertribe once again teams up with Inpop for this unique instrumental Christmas offering. Packed with violin arrangements, didgeridoo, African drums and Native American flutes, plus unusual instrumentation by the tabla and light harp, Christmas is a study in modern instrumental simplicity. Not the typical holiday collection by any stretch of the imagination, Rivertribe generates a sound that is part Mannheim Steamroller (without most of the electronics), part New Agey mystical atmospheric music (but don’t let that description scare you; these are all Christmas carols).

“O Come All Ye Faithful” is ethereal and beautiful, while “We Three Kings” drops in a light piano melody over a backdrop of Eastern-sounding electronica and rapid drumbeats. Packed with fresh interpretations of Christmas classics, Rivetribe has given fans something different and daring to add to their Christmas music collections.
Natalie Nichols Gillespie

BOOKS

The Anointing
By R.T. Kendall, Charisma House,
224 pages, paperback, $.

Noted theologian R.T. Kendall considers the anointing of yesterday, today and tomorrow in the persons of Saul, Samuel and David in his latest work to reach America’s shores. Of Reformed background, Kendall recently retired his post as senior pastor of London’s famed Westminster Chapel, which he held for 25 years.

Kendall’s twin emphases on Word and Spirit unite in The Anointing as he explains his view that all branches of the church need balance. Yet he does not shy away from an anointing that moves God’s people out of their comfort zones. With respect for history, Kendall demonstrates that it is important not to live in a former anointing, to be “yesterday’s man.”

Continually renewed intimacy with God, and walking in the calling and capabilities He has given brings spiritual power for living for today and tomorrow. As a pastor, Kendall has learned from key leaders in the church, such as Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Paul Cain, and he offers valuable insights from these relationships. In The Anointing, Kendall is articulate, personal and firmly grounded in both Word and Spirit.
Christine D. Johnson

Always Enough
By Rolland and Heidi Baker,
Chosen Books, 186 pages, paperback, $.

Do you feel helpless when facing personal problems? Do you feel cynical when confronting the challenges of living in a predominantly non-Christian world? Have you stopped believing in even small miracles?

Allow the glory of God to fall heavy upon you through experiencing revival in Africa’s Mozambique, where God led lifelong missionaries Rolland and Heidi Baker in 1995.

Mozambique still waits to recover from the ravages of fighting, famine and flood. Yet, the Mozambicans have trusted in Jesus in spite of continuing pestilence, poverty and pain. Often without the comfort of even a slice of bread, the people still hunger for the Bread of Life. For them, He’s always enough.

Jesus has fed the Mozambicans with supernatural life. He has healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, the AIDS victim, the demon-possessed. He’s multiplied the loaves of bread and raised the dead. He’s filled hundreds of thousands with “passion and compassion,” heavenly visions and language.

God has planted more than 5,000 churches in Mozambique (groups of more than 50 each), and now the Bakers minister in 10 countries through Iris Ministries. They work tirelessly for the abandoned of this world, always “ministering to the one.”

The Bakers write: “The poor teach us how to seek after God. … The poor will never say no to a feast. They’ll come and eat. The Lord is setting out spiritual banquets for his Church, but so many are just full. They have smorgasbords and buffets and restaurants at every corner. They’re just not hungry.”

You’ll want to feed on the Bread of Life again after reading the Bakers’ story. There’s always enough, but never too much.
Pamela Robinson

Street Children
By Andy Butcher, Authentic Media,
224 pages, paperback, $.

Andy Butcher takes a systematic look in Street Children at a problem that is no repsecter of national borders. This small volume, subtitled “The tragedy and challenge of the world’s millions of modern-day Oliver Twists,” surveys the vast scope of a serious problem that leads to crime, drugs, violence, disease and death.

Butcher traces the historical record of the battle against systems that seem to breed street children, but succeeds in bringing the faces of street kids to the fore. He intentionally calls readers to take responsibility to combat the problem.

Offering a ray of hope, he demonstrates how Christians who have counted the cost of such dangerous work are responding. Interviews with street kids and urban ministry workers afford Butcher an understanding about the way street kids think. An eight-page photographic insert shows in detail the conditions in which these children live.

Although the simplistic title will not draw readers not already curious about street kids, Butcher has done a service for those willing to expand their knowledge of this complex issue.
Christine D. Johnson

On “Only God’s in This,” on Virtue’s new disc, Free, sisters Heather Trotter, Ebony Holland and Karima Kibble offer a trendy R&B groove telling listeners they want to give people something to sing and dance about. But it is not about relationships, partying or materialism. It is about God.

Instead of singing about getting rich and partying without purpose, Virtue offers positive, affirming songs to encourage those who are looking for healing, peace and self-acceptance.

“At this point in our lives, we are growing, and we’ve let go of so many things in order to grow,” Trotter says. “We made a decision to give our worries and concerns to God. We just felt He was telling us to free ourselves of everything … free of negativity, free of self-doubt, free of whatever it is that holds you back.”

Virtue is very serious about “being real,” and this fourth release seems even more transparent. You can sense a fresh anointing. Virtue is more confident and focused than ever.

“You have to free yourself of insecurities–people or things that prevent you from reaching your purpose,” Kibble says.

“We’ve gone back to our roots, straight up singing His praises,” Holland says. “A lot of the songs [on Free] say you are free to worship, free to praise. Once you can be free of things that weigh you down, you are free to be yourself and worship God for who He is.”
Mark Weber

CHARISMATIC TOP SELLERS

1. Matters of the Heart
Juanita Bynum (Charisma House)

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

3. Pigs in the Parlor
Frank and Ida Mae Hammond

(Impact Christian Books)

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

5. The Three Battlegrounds
Francis Frangipane (Arrow Publications)

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

7. The Tongue
Charles Capps (Harrison House)

8. The Believer’s Authority
Kenneth E. Hagin (Faith Library Publications)

9. Blessing or Curse
Derek Prince (Chosen Books)

10. A Divine Revelation of the Spirit Realm
Mary K. Baxter (Whitaker House)

Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ is one of several big-budget movies that focus on Jesus
Hollywood is a far cry from holy, but Jesus is taking center stage on several big-budget films released recently and set to debut in the coming year.

Beginning with The Gospel of John, a $15 million, word-for-word adaptation taken from the Good News Bible that released in select markets Sept. 26, the films are squarely biblical and should be welcomed by churchgoers, though most are being produced by non-Christians.

Among the forthcoming releases are Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ; an April TV movie titled The God Man; The Lamb; The Alpha and Omega; another film based on John’s gospel produced by actor Bruce Marchiano, who played Jesus in Matthew; and an animated version of the Jesus film.

Pointing to this batch, film critic Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide, which reviews films from a Christian perspective, said the trend in Hollywood is motivated more by money than ministry. He said Christians are increasingly being seen as a viable market–which he attributes to Movieguide’s detailed economic analyses of the box office. Films with moral or Christian content consistently pull larger profits, Baehr noted.

But even the potential profit of Gibson’s $25 million The Passion hasn’t warmed the major studios to it. The film has been embroiled in controversy since an early draft of the script ended up in the hands of several interfaith scholars who said Gibson’s literal interpretation of the biblical account could spawn anti-Semitism. At press time no major studio was willing to buy it for national distribution. In October Gibson announced plans to market and distribute the film himself.

Barbara Nicolosi, director of Act One, a ministry that trains Christians to write for Hollywood, said the film is one of the most powerful Christian movies to hit the film market. The surrounding controversy is “a sign that he got it right,” she said. “Calling the Scriptures anti-Semitic is like calling Jesus Beelzebub. This is the real story.”

Scheduled for release in February and rated R because of violence, The Passion is a graphic depiction of Christ’s last hours that Gibson, a devout Catholic, funded and produced through his Icon Productions. Gibson has shown the film to several evangelical groups, and it has been applauded by such leaders as National Association of Evangelicals President Ted Haggard and Focus on the Family President Don Hodel.

In January it will be shown in Orlando, Fla., at the late Bill Bright’s Beyond All Limits conference, which will assemble a who’s who of prominent Christian leaders and is expected to draw several thousand attendees.

“[The Passion] is the kind of film that when people leave the theater they will be changed,” said Emmy-winning director Bryan Hickox, founder of the Conquering Hollywood tour aimed at training Christians to be marketable in Hollywood. “What Mel Gibson did is transport people to the foot of the cross.”

Baehr doubts the other Christ-centered releases will get as much negative press as The Passion. The Gospel of John, whose executive producer, producer and director all are Jewish, has received mostly favorable reviews. “It’s a word-for-word faithful adaptation of the Gospel of John,” said director Garth Drabinsky. “This probably isn’t a book of the Bible that you can pick up without an anti-Judaic element. That’s why we opened with a legend–that it was a world of religious transition.”

Filmed mostly in Spain and produced by Toronto-based Visual Bible International, maker of smaller-budget word-for-word adaptations of Acts and Matthew, John was made to be informative and artistically excellent, Drabinsky said. The creative team–composed of religion scholars, award-winning producers and classically trained actors–sought to be “creatively neutral,” though Baehr said the film is more evangelistic than The Passion and gave it a glowing review.

The PG-13, three-hour John was to release in November on video and a three-disc DVD that includes a disc of interactive special features, including a glossary, history section and bibliography. Interactive features also are included on a related Web site, .

The biblical epics come at a time when the number of films offering moral and Christian content is increasing. In its most recent Report to the Entertainment Industry, an economic analysis of the profitability of “morally redemptive” films, Movieguide stated that it had found that in 2002 the percentage of movies with moral or biblical content increased 28 percent over 2001, and all of the top-grossing films had at least some moral content in them.

The report indicated that the top-grossing movie of 2002, Spider-Man, was “one of the most Christian-friendly movies, thematically speaking, of the year, earning about $100 million more than the second-highest grossing movie.”

At press time Movieguide’s analysis of 2003 had not been released, but in August Finding Nemo had been named the top-grossing film of the year, raking in $330 million.

Jonathan Bock, whose Grace Hill Media promotes mainstream films that would appeal to Christians, said Hollywood is becoming more sensitive to people of faith. He said 2003 was an exceptional year, pointing to Bruce Almighty, in which Jim Carrey’s character falls on his knees in surrender to God. “I think most Christians who saw that film were very pleased by the interaction between Jim Carrey’s character and God,” he said.

Bock said that in addition to the overtly Christian films released recently, such as Luther, a historical drama based on the life of Martin Luther, several upcoming films will likely appeal to Christians. Among them: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, a live-action version of Peter Pan and Disney’s The Alamo. “Hollywood is not making films only for Christians,” Bock said. “Hollywood is in business to make money, so they need to appeal to the broadest audience possible.

“I think Bruce Almighty was a film that appealed to a broad audience and was well received by people of faith–and that’s what we should be hoping for.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Bill McCartney says he’s finished, but the organization he founded 13 years ago will go on. The head of the international men’s ministry Promise Keepers (PK) announced his resignation in September during a quarterly board of directors meeting. He said he wanted to care for his ill wife and spend more time with his family.

“God has assigned me to be a husband and a grandfather,” McCartney, 63, explained. “Promise Keepers is not finished; it is needed now more than ever,” he added. “I am confident that the Lord will direct and empower the ministry to move forward in strength and support–the opportunities for PK are limitless.”

The resignation, which became effective Oct. 1, came just months after McCartney announced he was stepping down temporarily to care for his ailing wife, Lyndi, who has been suffering from “a severe respiratory condition” for some time.

Retired Army Gen. Alonzo Short, chairman of the Promise Keepers board, will serve as interim president until a successor is named. Short praised McCartney for his vision to reach men and for his leadership of the organization.

“Coach Mac has enabled millions of men to find their identity in Christ and embrace true manhood, which has equipped them to be better husbands, fathers and … leaders,” Short said. “[McCartney] will always be the founder, and we expect to solicit his advice, counsel and expressions of love.”

More than 5 million men have attended Promise Keepers conferences since the Denver-based organization started in 1990, PK reported. The ministry’s rise was capped in 1997 with Stand in the Gap, which drew 1 million men to Washington, D.C. At the beginning of 2003, PK cut its staff from 100 to 75, down from a one-time high of 450 employees.

Short said PK must continue because “men of integrity will make the difference in our society. Promise Keepers intends to continue to be there to help encourage empower and equip them in that challenge.”

Harold Velasquez, PK vice president of creative services, pointed to a successful conference season in 2003 and said McCartney leaves the organization in solid shape. The ministry is planning 17 conferences in 2004, built around the theme “Uprising: the Revolution of a Man’s Soul.”

Velasquez said McCartney’s decision to put family first is an example for all men. He concluded: “Coach Mac is, in my opinion, the epitome of a true Promise Keeper. He made a promise to his wife.”
Robert Andrescik

Written and produced by Eddie DeGarmo, !HERO is a modern gospel adaptation that will tour 19 cities this fall
An African American Jesus who sports dreadlocks and was born in Bethlehem, Pa., will be touring 19 cities beginning this month as part of a rock opera that portrays a modern-day Christ who lives out the gospel in New York City, confronting terrorists and raising gunshot victims from the dead.

!HERO, written and produced by Christian music veteran Eddie DeGarmo, stars dc Talk’s Michael Tait as Hero (Jesus), Rebecca St. James as Maggie (Mary Magdalene) and Mark Stuart of Audio Adrenaline as Petrov (Peter).

Ten years in the making, the theatrical production is part of a larger project that includes a 33-song, double-disc CD as well as a comic book series and novel titled City of Dreams, which was written by Stephen Lawhead, an internationally acclaimed fantasy writer and former DeGarmo & Key manager. Dramatic audio books also are in the works along with a sequel to the novel, Rogue Nation, which is set to hit bookstores in April.

Meanwhile, the whirlwind musical tour was to begin Nov. 1 in High Point, N.C., and is set to hit 19 cities in 23 days. DeGarmo declined to tell Charisma how much the production cost, but described it as “expensive” and “exciting.”

The show features performances by some of contemporary Christian music’s top talent, including rapper T-Bone, John Cooper of Skillet and Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real. Participants at the Christian Booksellers’ Association convention in July were given a sneak peak at Universal Studio’s Hard Rock Café in Orlando, Fla., and for three hours, there was standing room only.

The vision for the project emerged in 1994 after DeGarmo had a talk with his oldest daughter, then a Nashville, Tenn., student teacher who had given her seventh-graders an informal survey about the significance of Easter.

“Only one in 10 could connect the dots between Jesus and the resurrection,” he told Charisma. “They knew the secular stuff. … !HERO was born out of a passion for what I could do to connect the gospel in different ways to a new generation of folks who really didn’t understand what the gospel is about.”

This isn’t the first time DeGarmo has gone out on a creative limb. More than two decades ago he and fellow musician Dana Key became the first Christian artists to successfully get a hit single (“666”) into frequent rotation on what was then a new, all-video network known as MTV. DeGarmo later teamed up with Dan Brock to launch Forefront Records, home of dc Talk, Rebecca St. James, Audio Adrenaline and Big Tent Revival. DeGarmo now heads up EMI’s Music Publishing Group.

DeGarmo hopes !HERO will get people, especially youth, talking. “What would it be like if Jesus were here, today?” he asked. “We all think about these things. My vision was … maybe the audience would connect with dirty cops, power politics and street gangs better than Roman magistrates, centurions and zealots.”

DeGarmo admits his story sometimes gets “a little topsy-turvy.” He cites a scene in which a young girl in Harlem is raised from the dead after catching a bullet in a drive-by shooting. Tait and T-Bone perform a song titled “Raised in Harlem,” which DeGarmo said is one of the highlights of the show. “!HERO is an aggressive story with very modern music,” DeGarmo said. “I’m not trying to rewrite the Bible. I’m just trying to get people talking.”

Though the opera already is being compared to Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, DeGarmo insists there is a difference. “!HERO is a story the church can embrace. It is the first adaptation of the gospel that takes into account that the world has had 2,000 years to become a very strange place! We have terrorist groups vs. the zealots, and these groups create a tension that was lost in Godspell and the other adaptations.”

DeGarmo hopes the opera will have mass appeal–edifying those who know the gospel and evangelizing those who don’t. But ultimately, he wants the production to do one thing: get people talking.
Cindi Courbat

The denomination set new guidelines for marrying divorced couples, and sought ways to grow and remain relevant
Leaders and pastors at the Assemblies of God (AG) 50th General Council meeting in Washington, D.C., wrestled with tough issues facing the denomination. They voiced concerns about the AG’s tepid growth in the United States versus overseas and a waning of the AG’s Pentecostal distinction.

“This is a defining moment for the Assemblies of God,” General Superintendent Thomas Trask said during the opening service July 31. “Either we will be a Spirit-
filled movement, or we will become a monument.”

The AG recorded a net gain of only 51 churches in 2002, bringing the total to 12,133 churches, and saw only a 3.4 percent increase in domestic membership, rising to nearly 1.6 million U.S. participants. Ethnic groups claim a major share of this increase, especially Hispanic and Portuguese congregations.

“The Assemblies of God was raised up to be a Pentecostal church in practice and not just in doctrine,” Trask told Charisma, referring to churches that soft-pedal the Pentecostal experience and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He also bemoaned the trend of eliminating Sunday evening services, a long-held AG practice, where believers are encouraged to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit and are called to ministry.

The AG’s executive leadership presented a blueprint for change labeled Vision for Transformation (VFT), resulting from 18 months of 300 meetings and input from 5,000 clergy and lay people. “Everything was put on the table but our doctrine,” said Charles Hackett, executive director of U.S. home missions.

The VFT process was wholeheartedly endorsed at the business sessions along with raising more than $1 million for church planting. Lively debates focused on local church governance and ministerial credentialing, and new guidelines for marrying divorced couples.

Instead of official disapproval and possible dismissal from the fellowship, AG ministers will only be discouraged from marrying anyone who has been divorced and whose former spouse is still living. A proposal to add specific slots for women in the General Presbytery was defeated in a 299-467 vote.

Local churches will receive more freedom now to follow their own models for ministry and have the green light to credential people for up to four years.

“We have given more power to the local church, but I think that what we need to do is be more inclusive, instead of exclusive,” said Tommy Barnett, pastor of the 15,000-member Phoenix First Assembly. “There are many great independent churches that I feel would love to be AG if we would open that door a little bit more.”

The AG recently ordained Ricky Del Rio, senior pastor of Abounding Grace Ministries in Lower Manhattan, N.Y., after he spent 20 years as an independent minister. “I never thought [the AG] wanted me because our style is very different,” he said. “We deal with the people nobody wants, so we kind of look like them. I wear the earrings and the tattoos so the traditional churches in a lot of functions I would go to, would try to get me saved just because of the way I looked.”

The council’s record attendance of 31,000 made a positive impact on the city of Washington. The Convoy of Hope (COH) ministry enlisted an army of 1,000 AG teenagers and 1,600 local volunteers who distributed 80,000 pounds of food to 6,500 needy residents of southeast D.C. Stressing evangelism, COH provided free haircuts, voter registration and health-care information, children’s events, medical care and job-placement opportunities. More than 800 people said they made decisions for Christ.

Trask and the AG leadership are confident that a new emphasis on church planting and empowering local congregations will influence the future positively.

“I think it’s a step toward a cultural change in the AG,” said H. Robert Rhoden, superintendent of the Potomac district. “We do not want to become crystallized. We are to be empowering leaders, not empowered leaders.”

Trask said he anticipates a new outpouring of God’s spirit on the movement. “If God could get a hold of the Assemblies of God in totality, I believe we could take America for Jesus Christ,” he said.

Peter K. Johnson in Washington, D.C.

There are roughly 10,000 student-led Bible clubs in schools, with another 10,000 linked to parachurch organizations
When Congress returned after summer recess, a former California representative increased his efforts to raise public schools’ spiritual profile.

William Dannemeyer of Fullerton, who co-founded Americans for Voluntary School Prayer, has been lobbying for a voluntary school prayer amendment since 1995. Though previous attempts have failed, the so-called school prayer amendment was reintroduced in December by Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., his third attempt since 1998. If the current bill stalls, Dannemeyer hopes another bill allowing public expressions of faith will pass.

While this drive draws support from such leaders as Charles Colson, James Dobson, John Hagee and Pat Robertson, it has stimulated fierce opposition. The American Civil Liberties Union calls the amendment an “assault on free expression” and insists that the right to pray is already constitutionally protected.

Not all Christians line up behind it, either. Writing for the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, former North Dakota Lt. Gov. Lloyd Omdahl said evangelical Christians should champion separation of church and state. “When the chips are down, we are still a minority in the United States and may well need the protection of the First Amendment down the road,” Omdahl said.

School prayer is just one of the debates raging over religious-political issues. Among others are Ten Commandments displays and anticipated Supreme Court review of a lower court ruling invalidating “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

However, such headlines tend to obscure efforts to restore Christian influence and Bible reading in public schools, which are gaining ground.

Many are low-profile, grass-roots movements–such as the American Family Association-led distribution of “In God We Trust” posters to schools. The higher-profile debates–such as Judge Roy Moore’s effort to display the Ten Commandments in front of the Alabama state building–don’t affect local groups that much, said David Overstreet, assistant director for field ministries with the National Network of Youth Ministries.

“There will always be a movement not only to limit, but to take away any vestige of our Christian heritage, which has been eroding,” Overstreet said.

Despite opposition, today there are an estimated 10,000 student-led Bible clubs in public and private schools. Another 10,000 groups are linked to parachurch ministries such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Youth for Christ.

The founder of First Priority, a Nashville, ministry that promotes citywide cooperatives to form campus Bible clubs, said all Christians should support such initiatives. “When we started 10 years ago, school districts were scared to death,” Benny Proffitt said. “Now they’re calling us saying, ‘Can you come and help us?'”

The leader of an initiative to get the Bible taught as an elective has seen a similar openness developing this year. Elizabeth Ridenour, president of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, estimates 150,000 teens in 34 states have taken the course since 1993. Nearly 25 percent have enrolled since January.

However, more Christians need to get involved in school issues, according to a former Michigan prosecutor who gained prominence for his stand against assisted-suicide activist Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Richard Thompson’s Thomas Moore Law Center is currently pressing a lawsuit against a northern California district for allegedly promoting the Muslim faith in a seventh-grade history course.

“Had you tried to do that with Christianity there would have been a hue and cry that [schools] were trying to induct students into Christianity,” Thompson said. “But there’s no hue and cry about this because Christians don’t care what is happening.”

Dannemeyer said Christians can help turn the political tide. “Congress doesn’t lead, it responds to pressure,” he said. “Where we come from with voluntary prayer is an acknowledgement that God exists. That’s important in our educational system.”
Ken Walker

The prolific author founded the Rhema Bible Training Center
Prominent charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. died on Sept. 19 after collapsing five days earlier in Tulsa, Okla., where his worldwide ministry has been based since 1966. He was 86.

Known internationally as the father of the Word of Faith movement, Hagin began his ministry in Texas in 1949 and later moved to Oklahoma to establish the Rhema Bible Training Center in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. He was considered a spiritual father by many well-known charismatic ministers including Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Jerry

Savelle, Keith Butler and Casey Treat–and by thousands of pastors and evangelists who either graduated from the Rhema school or were influenced by his books and recorded teachings.

“When I heard Kenneth Hagin teach the Word 47 years ago it totally changed my life,” said Marilyn Hickey, whose ministry in Colorado has reached millions through television and conferences. “Of all the influences in my life, he influenced me the most. I learned from him that the Bible is applicable and powerful.”

International evangelist Christie Moore of Twin Falls, Idaho, got her Bible training by listening to Hagin’s tapes and by attending a Rhema-affiliated church where the pastor based his sermons on Hagin’s messages. “[Hagin’s] teachings on faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit laid the foundation for my ministry. There’s no way I could have been released into my call without those teachings,” Moore said.

Hagin focused his message on healing and faith. He eventually formed a network of churches, the Rhema Ministerial Association International, which now serves 1,440 congregations. Most of them emphasize biblical prosperity, healing and the power of positive confession.

Hagin’s many books provided instruction on the use of spiritual gifts. His own dramatic encounters with God in visions led him to write I Believe in Visions and I Went to Hell.

His best-selling book was The Believer’s Authority, which has sold more than 1 million copies. In all, more than 53 million copies of his 125 titles are in circulation, a Rhema spokesperson said.

“Brother Hagin had a divine assignment, and that was to teach God’s people about faith,” said Billy Joe Daugherty, pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa. Although Daugherty did not graduate from the Rhema school, he took classes there in 1978 after he and his wife, Sharon, prayed for God to show them how they could receive Bible training.

“The message of faith changed our lives,” said Daugherty, whose church is now one of Tulsa’s largest.

In total, more than 23,000 students have graduated from the Rhema school, and it has campuses in 13 other nations.

Hagin’s doctrines were sometimes criticized, most vehemently by D.R. McConnell in the 1988 book A Different Gospel. But neither Hagin nor his son, Kenneth currently pastors the 8,000-member Rhema Bible Church in Tulsa and leads the Rhema ministry–rarely addressed their critics or responded to accusations. In fact, Hagin wrote a favorite phrase in his Bible that said: “The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.”

In a statement, Kenneth Hagin Jr. said his father did not simply practice what he preached. “He preached what he lived. His great legacy of faith will live on in the countless lives that have been healed, touched and changed through his ministry,” Hagin Jr. said.

Hagin Jr., 64, will continue to lead the Rhema church as well as all other facets of the Hagin ministry, which include Faith Library Publications, the Faith Seminar of the

Air radio program, and the Rhema Prayer and Healing Center.

Because Hagin Sr. experienced divine healing during his youth, he placed special importance on healing and wanted all Christians to know that they had spiritual authority over sickness. Numerous testimonies of healings have been published in Rhema’s magazine, The Word of Faith, which currently has almost 250,000 subscribers.

A ministry spokesperson said Hagin collapsed after eating breakfast on Sept. 14. He was admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit, where he stayed until his death. His wife, Oretha, son Kenneth Jr. and daughter Pat Harrison were by his side. Hagin Sr. also had five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
J. Lee Grady

Richard and Yeakah Cole reach out to ex-combatants who fought in the nation’s civil war, which lasted a decade
Richard Cole is no stranger to terror. He has been kidnapped and beaten, tortured and marked for assassination by rebel troops in Sierra Leone. But instead of taking cover, Cole developed a ministry to reach out to those who abused him.

With their work now dubbed the Nehemiah Project, Cole and his wife, Yeakah, care for orphaned children who had been recruited as soldiers by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by Fodaj Sankoh, in their war with the Sierra Leone government. The decade-long civil war to gain control of the nation’s rich diamond mines displaced more than 2 million people–well over a third of the population–leaving thousands more dead or dismembered, as rebel troops were known to hack off limbs with their machetes.

Thousands of children were taught to maim and murder. One 12-year-old boy known as Civilian was abducted at age 4, his parents murdered by the rebels. RUF soldiers rubbed crack cocaine into an incision on the boy’s temple, and he quickly became addicted. Trained to kill, the child murdered his own grandparents and callously chopped off limbs.

When asked how many people he had killed, he replied: “I don’t know the number of people I’ve killed, but I remember killing many times, and cutting off hands many times. I once had 51 hands I carried in my sack.”

Today Civilian is one of the Nehemiah Project’s success stories. He is described as a gentle young man who learned carpentry and attended school through the ministry.

“If one man can bring great evil, then one man can bring greater good,” said Cole, a Sierra Leone native who sold drugs during his youth before accepting Christ and becoming a missionary in Liberia, then in his hometown of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

At the height of the conflict, the Coles began rescuing children from rebel hands. They started their mission informally in 1991 when they took in two boys. The number soon grew to 45 ex-soldiers living in their two-room home.

In 1996, the Sierra Leone government asked the Coles to establish a rehabilitation program, which became the Nehemiah Project. The outreach is now home to 140 ex-soldiers, and includes a community school; business and computer schools; tailoring, carpentry and soap-making shops; and the beginnings of a health clinic.

In 2000, the ministry was given seven acres of land, which serve as an agricultural training institute. The coffee, peppers, cassava and rice grown there are used as food, and the remainder is sold to raise funds for the ministry. The schools educate almost 1,000 children from the community and rehabilitation home.

Richard Cole said many of the youth who came to Nehemiah had been “dehumanized” by the RUF. “As we loved them, however, we helped them to realize that they were human, and their conscience began to awaken,” he told Charisma, noting that many wept bitterly when they remembered what they had done.

One of the boys in the Coles’ care had murdered Richard’s grandfather years before. The couple ministered to him as they did all the others. “We gave them truth,” Richard Cole said. “You don’t help people with emotion or sentiment, you help them with truth.”

The project also has opened a home for girls who had been sexually abused by the rebels. The girls are taught skills they can use to earn a living and become independent.

Though the Nehemiah Project partially maintains itself, the students sell the goods they make within the community. The ministry gets its financial support from several British grants and from churches such as Grace Outreach, a charismatic ministry in New Hampshire. But Cole hopes that in time the ministry, which costs $267,682 annually to maintain, will be self-supporting.

Cole hopes the Nehemiah Project will serve as a model to many African nations that have experienced similar atrocities. Currently, he is consulting with ministers in Rwanda about starting a home there.
Nicole C. Leonard