Highest Court Protects Faith-Based Initiative

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that an atheist foundation did not have a legal standing to challenge the use of taxpayer money to advertise and promote faith-based initiatives.

In what Christian observers are calling a victory for free speech, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the atheist Freedom from Religion Foundation did not have a legal standing to challenge the use of taxpayer money to advertise and promote President George W. Bush's endorsement of faith-based initiatives. Monday’s decision solidified Bush’s faith-based initiatives, which helps religious organizations get federal funds for community projects. “This ruling is a win for the thousands of community and faith-based nonprofits all across the country that have partnered with government at all levels to serve their neighbors,” Bush said in a written statement. “Most importantly, it is a win for the many whose lives have been lifted by the caring touch and compassionate hearts of these organizations.” Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, said the decision sends “a powerful message that atheists and others antagonistic to religion do not get an automatic free pass to bring Establishment Clause lawsuits.” The ruling may be a sign that the high court will be “less concerned about keeping church and state separate, so later decisions will be more sympathetic to government's cooperating with religious institutions,” Tom Goldstein, a Harvard Law School lecturer on Supreme Court litigation, told the Boston Globe. The decision was one of three rulings conservative Christian lobbyists applauded yesterday. The court also ruled that the Wisconsin Right to Life should not have been barred from running pre-election advertising ads that mention a federal candidate and that school officials can restrict drug-related speech at school functions, but did not extend that authority to other types of controversial speech, including religious expression.

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill for the Second Time

President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have allowed human embryos to be destroyed for research purposes.

President George W. Bush vetoed, for the second time in one year, a bill that would have allowed human embryos to be destroyed for research purposes. In a press conference held Wednesday, Bush said embryonic stem cell research crossed both moral and ethical lines. “If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers—for the first time in our history—to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos,” Bush said. He encouraged support for more “ethically responsible” scientific research. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed the bill in a 247-176 vote, saying the legislation would “save lives, find cures and give hope to those suffering.” Bush maintains that there are many other options to save lives that do not include utilizing an embryonic cell. “Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical—and it is not the only option before us,” Bush said during a press conference in the East Room of the White House. “We're already seeing remarkable advances in the science and therapeutic uses of stem cells drawn from adults and children, and the blood from umbilical cords—with no harm to the donor.” The House currently does not have enough votes to override Bush’s veto. Many Christian conservatives applaud the president’s decision. “President Bush has proven once again that he’s not just a man who talks about preserving a ‘culture of life’ as political rhetoric—he’s a man who deeply cherishes the sanctity of all human life,” said James Dobson, Focus on the Family chairman. “His veto today of a bill that would have led to dissection of young innocents in the name of suspect science solidifies his already-strong record as one of our nation’s most pro-life presidents.”

Christian Embassy Helps Sudanese Refuges

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem aided 37 Sudanese refuges who entered Israel by way of Egypt on June 14.

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) raised $30,000 in a 24-hour period to aid 37 Sudanese refuges who entered Israel by way of Egypt on June 14. The 10 families, eight of whom are Christians, fled from the genocide and ethnic cleansing campaign of the Khartoum government in Sudan. “These are people who have struggled to get out of the most horrific conditions, and we felt compelled to share the burden with the state of Israel to help them,” ICEJ Executive Director Malcolm Hedding told the Jerusalem Post. Currently ICEJ is providing room, board and medical treatment for refugees for three weeks in Israel, a country that legally defines the refugees as “enemy nationals.” The Sudanese families are now working with ICEJ and various human rights organizations to find homes for their families among the Israeli kibbutzim and moshavim groups. “We escaped from Sudan to Egypt seven years ago. But the Egyptian government threatened to throw us into jail because we are refugees,” said a 30-year-old refugee who fled the Sudan with his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter. “We had no choice but to escape once again, to the only democracy in the Middle East, where we knew our human rights will be honored. We cannot go back to Sudan, that would be a certain death sentence for all of us.” The Post reported that roughly 450 people are currently seeking asylum in Israel.

Youth Ministries Join to Pray and Fast for Purity

More than 25 national Christian youth organizations are joining forces to call young people to fast and pray for sexual purity.

More than 25 national Christian youth organizations are kicking off the formation of a joint ministry network by calling young people to fast and pray for sexual purity. With participation from ministries such as TheCall, Exodus International and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the network launched the “Pray for Purity” campaign June 1. Organizers are asking youth and youth leaders to pray and fast every first Friday of the month. “As we minister to students, we see day after day the incredible difficulties that they face,” said Scott Davis, director of student ministries of Exodus International, an ex-gay ministry based in Florida. “They are constantly bombarded with sexual content that confuses their self-identity and twists their views of sexuality. As a result, they are increasingly engaging in sex outside of the protection of marriage and suffering dire results. Because of the dangers today's youth are facing, we are joining together to pray on the first Friday of every month for our nation's youth.” The prayer network stems from a counter-culture teen movement pioneered by Teen Mania Ministries, which was created to inspire teens to “reject destructive pop culture messages and recreate teen culture on their own terms.” This country desperately needs young men and women of character to make a difference among their peers,” Davis said. “This can only happen when our youth encounter and experience the life-giving power of Jesus Christ. We are pleased to partner with such dynamic organizations who are eager to accomplish this goal.”

Ruth Graham Dies at 87

Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, died Thursday evening. Billy Graham and their five children were by her side.

Ruth Graham, the wife of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, died Thursday evening. Ruth Graham, who celebrated her 87th birthday on Sunday, battled degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck for many years and recently was treated for pneumonia, the Associated Press reported. Billy Graham and their five children were by her side. “I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together,” Billy Graham said in a written statement. “We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.” In a written statement released Wednesday Billy Graham said that both he and Ruth Graham had made the decision to be buried beside one another at the Billy Graham Library in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C. A public memorial service will be held at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Mission: Mobility

On June 16 Don Schoendorfer will end a two-month bicycle trek across the U.S. designed to raise money to distribute wheelchairs for free in developing nations.

On June 16 Don Schoendorfer, a California-based engineer, will end a two-month bicycle trek across the U.S. designed to raise money to distribute wheelchairs for free in developing nations. Beginning his ride in New York in April, Schoendorfer, founder of Free Wheechair Mission, hoped to raise $670,000 to distribute 15,000 wheelchairs through partnerships with Christian and humanitarian groups. To date the organization has raised $379,398 , but with roughly 130 million people worldwide in need of wheelchairs, Schoendorfer said every donated wheelchair has the potential to change a life. “A common explanation for why you can’t walk in developing nations is because God hates you. It’s your caste, your card, your karma,” says Schoendorfer, who attends Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif. “So there’s a real spiritual disability there too.” He says the idea to build low-cost wheelchairs came 30 years ago when, during a visit to Morocco, Schoendorfer saw a woman crawling across the road because she couldn’t walk. The image haunted him and eventually inspired him to found Free Wheelchair Mission (www.freewheelchairmission.org ), which has distributed more than 210,000 wheelchairs at a cost of $44.40 each. Unlike other global needs, Schoendorfer says mobility is a problem Christians can easily help solve. “It’s a real neat thing for me to see that with $44.40, you can help change someone’s life.” –Adrienne S. Gaines

Egypt Releases Jailed Christian Convert

A Christian convert from Islam was recently released from prison just a few hours after prison officials told him he would serve another 10 years.

A Christian convert from Islam was released recently from an Egyptian prison after serving two years without charges under Egypt’s emergency laws, Compass Direct reported. On April 28, Wadi el-Natroun Prison officials gave Bahaa el-Akkad an Egyptian bill worth nearly $9 for a taxi fare and told him he was free to leave. The official reason for the release is unknown, but it comes as a surprise to many. Just hours before he was released, officers from the State Security Investigation told el-Akkad that he would remain in prison for another 10 years if he did not return to Islam. El-Akkad’s lawyer said the prisoner defended his faith. “God has brought me to this place, and He alone will let me go to my home. You cannot do anything against God,” el-Akkad said. By nightfall he was reunited with his wife and three children. El-Akkad, who is now 58, was arrested in 2005 after Egypt’s secret police learned he had converted to Christianity. “While I was in prison, my family told me thousands of people were praying for me,” el-Akkad reportedly told his lawyer after his release. “I was sure that was true because Jesus was with me all through my ordeal.” Although el-Akkad is free from prison, he is not free from danger, Compass reported. Despite the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarakis’ encouragement of Muslims to be more tolerant, a radical Muslim group, Muslim Brotherhood, has reportedly threatened to kill el-Akkad for his disloyalty to Islam if he was released from prison.

Billy Graham Memorial Library Opening Drew Hundreds

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter spoke at the dedication ceremony.

On May 31, roughly 1,500 invited guests participated in the private dedication of the Billy Graham Library located in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s my prayer that this center will be a testimony to the world of the amazing love of God and the great things He can do through lives that are surrendered to Him,” said Graham’s son Franklin, who is president of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) and the project director. The edifice is located on land that was originally the Graham family home and the current BGEA headquarters. The $25 million, 40,000-square-foot library is built in the form of a dairy barn and silo to be reminiscent of the Charlotte dairy farm where Graham spent his early youth. The facility houses six exhibits, four galleries and two theaters covering Graham’s lifetime work of preaching to more than 250 million people on six continents through his evangelistic crusades. Former President George H.W. Bush delivered the keynote address and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter participated in the dedication ceremony. “I’m supportive of the plans for the evangelistic library in Charlotte, which I believe will honor the Lord and demonstrate His faithfulness in changing lives through evangelism,” Billy Graham said in a statement. “It will continue to serve as an ongoing crusade, inspiring believers and challenging visitors with the gospel for many years to come.” Admission to the memorial library will be free. The facility, which is expected to attract 200,000 to 400,000 visitors annually, is scheduled to open to the public on June 5. —Sandra K. Chambers

Buzz

SPOTLIGHT

Bouncing Back

Mandisa shares her heart in new autobiography.

When American Idol finalist Mandisa was voted off the Fox reality TV show after singing the gospel song “Shackles,” she says it was a “dark time.” Media reports accused her of gay bashing after she opened the song by saying that God is bigger than an addiction or a lifestyle. At the time, she says she felt misunderstood. But today, she’s candidly sharing her heart in an autobiography, Idoleyes, which released in May and was to be followed with the debut of her first CD this month. “I am a living witness that God can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine,” she says. “I am so thankful for my experience on Idol, both the good and the bad. Because of it, I am living my dream.”
Marsha Gallardo

ISRAEL BUZZ

The Watchman

Paul Wilbur’s music fuses ‘the new and the ancient’.

Jewish by birth, Paul Wilbur received Jesus as his Messiah in graduate school while training under the cantor at his local synagogue. “When I started writing worship music it all came out sounding Jewish,” he says. He was later tutored in opera in Italy and now describes his sound as a “blending of the new and the ancient.” On his latest live recording, The Watchman, Wilbur seeks to create “an atmosphere for the presence of God to manifest.” He has seen this happen while performing in Jerusalem, and in those times many Jews have accepted Christ as their Messiah. He believes the decisions for Christ foreshadow Bible prophecy. “It will be the cry that’s heard around the world when Jerusalem receives” its Messiah, he says, pointing to Zechariah 12. When Jesus is embraced in Jerusalem, there will be “unstoppable weeping and rejoicing.”
Paul Steven Ghiringhelli

Prayer Point

Last April, Christian groups began preparing to respond to natural disasters in anticipation of the hurricane season, which begins June 1. This month we encourage you to pray:

That Christian organizations will have the resources to respond to natural disasters

For the ongoing relief work in the Gulf Coast and in the Solomon Islands following the recent tsunami

That the 2007 storm season will not be as active as weather forecasters predict.

To get regular prayer updates from Charisma’s Prayer Initiative, visit prayer initiative.com.

Prayer Point – Israel

Christians are admonished to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. So as Israel continues to face the threat of terrorism and the attempts of Muslim extremists to dominate the Middle East, we encourage you to pray that:

God will give Israel favor among Middle Eastern nations

The people of Israel will call upon God and not rely on natural strength, wisdom and inventions for protection

The Jewish people will be protected from anti-Semitic attacks

The plans of Israel’s enemies will be exposed.

Drawing Strenght

The Power Team is best known for performing feats of strength such as ripping telephone books in two and crushing bricks. But when the Dallas-based evangelistic ministry visited Israel last fall, their mission was to encourage the nation’s Golani Brigade, an elite special-forces army that lost 21 soldiers during Israel’s war with Hezbollah. “It was amazing to us because the people in Israel don’t really know that Christians actually like them,” team spokesman Kim Terrell says. “They were encouraged [to know] that Christians stood with them.” The Power Team plans to return to Israel this year.

Riding Into Missions

This month teenagers will follow Jesus’ example to minister in other nations. But instead of walking or riding in on a donkey, the young missionaries will use motorcyles to take the gospel to remote villages in the African nation of Zambia. In partnership with Florida-based Teen Missions International, the youth plan to build safe housing for schoolgirls; evangelize villagers through drama, puppets and the Jesus film; and share Christ with children orphaned by AIDS.

UNSUNG HEROES

Mission: Mobility

Thirty years ago while in Morocco, California-based engineer Don Schoendorfer saw a woman crawling across the road because she couldn’t walk. The image haunted him and eventually inspired him to create a low-cost wheelchair that could be distributed for free in developing nations. Today through his Free Wheelchair Mission (freewheelchairmission.org), Schoendorfer has distributed more than 210,000 wheelchairs at a cost of $44.40 each. But with more than 100 million people worldwide in need of wheelchairs, he hopes to distribute far more. This month the 58-year-old ends a two-month bicycle trek across the U.S. that he hoped would raise the $670,000 needed to distribute 15,000 wheelchairs. “A common explanation for why you can’t walk in developing nations is because God hates you,” he says. “So there’s a real spiritual disability there too. … It’s a real neat thing for me to see that with $44.40, you can help change someone’s life.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Making Aliyah

Since 1995 a Florida-based Christian ministry has helped more than 65,000 Jews in the former Soviet Union make aliyah—that is, immigrate to Israel. Founded by Mel and Joanne Hoelzle, Ezra International relocates Jews to their biblical homeland to fulfill prophecy found in the book of Isaiah, ministry vice president Barry Wagner says. “The burning passion that drives [Ezra International] is simply knowing that the return of God’s chosen people to the land of Israel is God’s plan for them in these last days,” he says. Ezra’s leaders also seek to mitigate the discrimination and persecution many Jews suffer. “Anti-Semitism is sweeping across Europe,” Wagner says. “Some are reporting that it is now at the level it was just prior to the Holocaust. Swastikas are being spray-painted on buildings throughout the former Soviet Union. We are seeing signs calling for ‘Death to the Jews’ and ‘Six million Jews was not enough.'” Ezra assisted more than 6,000 Jews in returning to Israel last year, while another 31,000 are currently awaiting documentation.

OUTREACH

An Abundance of Compassion

The Joseph Storehouse is helping needy Israelis

Although financial analysts report growth in Israel’s economy, beneath the prosperity lies another statistic: At least 20 percent of Israelis live in poverty, according to government figures, and roughly one-third of Israeli children live beneath the poverty line.

To respond to the humanitarian needs in their homeland, Messianic ministers Barry and Batya Segal founded Vision for Israel and created the Joseph Storehouse to distribute food, clothing, medical and school supplies, and assist victims of terrorism. Based outside Jerusalem, Vision for Israel and the Joseph Storehouse (visionforisrael .org) also reaches out to Israel’s Arab community.

Last year, the ministry presented a monetary gift of $150,000 to the mayor of the northern city of Maalot-Tarshiha, which was devastated during Israel’s war with Hezbollah. The gift was funded in part by contributions from Charisma readers and is being used to rebuild a community center.

In addition to responding to physical needs, the ministry seeks to meet Israel’s spiritual needs. Segal, who with his wife is a recording artist with Galilee for the Nations, says the continued threat of war is causing Israelis to look “to fill a void with something spiritual.”

“People are in their own way saying, ‘What is truth?'” Segal says. “People are asking all the questions, and out of that, I think, is where the spirit of God is on the move. … We’re seeing more people coming into the kingdom than at almost any other time.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

MARKETPLACE MINISTRY

Farm Doubles as Prayer House

Bill James says his family’s pecan farm is a ministry tool

James Pecan Farms has gained national attention for its 12,000-pound concrete pecan, which is considered the largest in the world. But farm co-owner Bill James says the business his parents founded near Brunswick, Mo., in the 1940s is more than just a tourist stop. It’s also a ministry tool.

“In 1998 my dad passed away,” he says. “We felt called to prayer ministry, [so] we considered selling my part of the farm to support ourselves in full-time ministry.”

Instead James and his wife, Sandy, decided to convert an old abandoned hog house into a prayer house, where the couple hosts meetings each week. As a result of the weekly prayer meetings, James says God inspired him to write a children’s book titled Wham and Petey: The Harvest, and accompanying songs, though he says he doesn’t have experience doing either.

Farm visitors can see live performances of the Wham and Petey story, which is about a hammer and a pecan that get lost after the harvest and have to work together to find their way home. “We have a lot of church groups that realize the stories I’ve written parallel with the Bible,” says James, who formed Farmagination LLC to produce his books and music.

He believes the books and music are just the beginning of God’s plan to use the farm (james pecanfarms.com) to bring revival. “We live near a small town that’s declining, and now we’re hoping to revitalize the area economically and God’s people spiritually.”
Leilani Haywood

MINISTRY PROFILE

Pastor Reaches Philippines’ Poor

Elvie Go marks 25 years in ministry this month

Inside an old warehouse in Ozamis City, Philippines, nearly 10 percent of the city’s population gather each week at Salvation and Praise Fellowship. Better known as the Happy Church, the 10,000-member congregation is dedicated to serving the poor and castaway, says the church’s pastor, Elvie Go. “When God’s people care enough for the poor, we send a message of hope that God cares [for everyone],” she says. “Enough to send His Son, Jesus.”

Raised in an obscure mountain village, Go started a home church in 1982. When the group grew to 100 people, she began doubting herself, wondering if she was too “uneducated and untrained” to lead so many. But as she sought the Lord, she heard three times, “Feed My lambs.”

“I feel humbled to see someone [like] Elvie Go, who has not been trained by men but by the Holy Spirit Himself,” says Mary Valdehueza, the principal of Happy Church Bible School. “It is a blessing to watch her loving the sick and hugging the dirty, smelly street children.”

On June 11, a citywide event in Ozamis City will mark the 25th anniversary of Happy Church, which runs a health clinic, tribal ministry, prison ministry and home for the elderly. The building of another orphanage awaits financing.

Changed Lives

In the original Dreamgirls cast, Brooklyn, N.Y., native Ben Harney was awarded one of show business’ highest honors when he won a 1982 Tony Award for his portrayal of Curtis Taylor Jr., a role Jamie Foxx played in the 2006 film adaptation. But following the whirlwind win, Harney, a born-again Christian, eventually walked away from a business that seemed to embrace him.

“You enter that arena called show business because of your love for the arts, but then you realize it’s all about buying and selling,” he says. “It’s about what sells, and what sells is sex, and what sells is a lot of racy issues that don’t promote what you want to make statements about.”

But instead of abandoning the theater, Harney fused the arts with his faith. Today, he directs the youth and adult drama ministry at Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn and is the founding director of the Brooklyn-based BAMSS (By All Means Save Some) Theatre Works. The ministry develops theatrical projects for its youth theater ensemble, adult repertory company and summer musical theater camps that teach life skills and biblical principles. “Our focus is on process, because it is in process that relationships are built, that lives are really transformed,” Harney explains. “So we are building community, but we are also helping people to develop a biblical worldview.”
Suzy A. Richardson

FAITH & CULTURE

Getting ‘In the Zone’

Every night thousands of men across the U.S. sit down on their couches, turn on the television and vegetate to the background noise provided by ESPN’s SportsCenter and CNN’s Headline News—the glazed look on their faces a result of stress at work and in the home. It was that stark reality that caused CEO consultant Joe Pettigrew and sports agent Kyle Rote Jr. to create In the Zone (inthezone.org), a men’s ministry designed to reach 28- to 40-year-old family men.

Launched after two years of research and planning, the traveling event recreates some of the popular sports and lifestyle programs found on sports networks. Over four hours, or “quarters,” issues such as life at work, gender differences and fatherhood are addressed using hi-tech video production, no-holds-barred discussions and energetic music performances. The 2007 tour, scheduled to hit 10 cities in 10 states, kicks off in Pensacola, Fla., on June 2 and closes Aug. 18 in Birmingham, Ala. “We tried to find people to be on our program that fit the demographics of the guys that would be there, so everybody can relate to somebody on the stage, and it’s not just a bunch of superstars that they couldn’t touch,” says Pettigrew, adding that the ministry will be more like a live TV show than a traditional men’s ministry.

Speakers include CBS college football analyst and Super Bowl champion Spencer Tillman, comedian Thor Ramsey, author Eric Metaxes and legendary collegiate track star turned financial wizard Stephen Bolt. Pettigrew says empowering men to grow deeper in their faith by plugging into active small groups is the heartbeat of what In the Zone hopes to accomplish. “For churches that don’t have a men’s ministry, this is a great way to kick one off,” Pettigrew says. “If a church has one, this is a great way to expand it and revitalize it.”
Chad Bonham

NOTEBOOK

Former National Baptist Convention (NBC) USA leader Henry Lyons in April lost his bid to regain the presidency of the Florida General Baptist Convention, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported. Lyons, 65, held that post until 1995 when he became president of the NBC. He resigned in 1999 after being convicted of grand theft and racketeering. He served five years in prison and is now pastor of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, Fla.

Christianity Today International (CTI) has named Harold B. Smith as its editor-in-chief and CEO of its magazines, church resources, Web sites and periodicals. The 56-year-old served six years as executive vice president of CTI. He succeeds Harold Myra and Paul Robbins, who retired after serving as CTI’s leadership team for three decades.

Greater Europe Mission (GEM) named Henry L. Deneen its new president. Founder of the Center for Global Strategies in Columbia, S.C., Deneen ministered in France for four years after working as lawyer, pastor and lay minister. Deneen begins his term in September and succeeds Ted Noble, who stepped down as president in May 2006. GEM has 400 staff serving in 27 European nations.

One of gospel music’s best-known groups gave their farewell performance in a concert that aired on the Gospel Music Channel Easter weekend. Led by their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, the clark Sisters—Karen Clark-Sheard, Twinkie Clark, Jacky Clark-Chisholm and Dorinda Clark-Cole—began recording together in the 1970s. Their farewell concert, Live—One Last Time, releases on DVD this month, and a related tour is scheduled to begin in September.

FeedBack

My Turn

I want to thank Charisma for writing a balanced article about the movie Jesus Camp (Fire in My Bones online, March 16). I am the father of the boy named Levi in the movie and also pastor to one of the other three children highlighted, Rachael.

Please know that there is nothing about Becky Fischer’s ministry that is fear-based. When you see children looking nervous in the movie, please know that the shots of the audience do not necessarily match real time with the speaker. Our kids never felt guilty or fearful with Becky. That said, it is amazing how many people have been touched radically while viewing this movie.

One Baptist pastor said he began preaching the baptism of the Holy Spirit after seeing it. A father who watched the movie with his 10-year-old son said the screening marked the first time his son was happy since his mom died two years ago. A Spanish-speaking congregation in New England showed the film to 50 children, and now the members are sharing Jesus with friends.

The kids from our church, many who are seen in the movie, continue to march on with Jesus. We recommend Becky Fischer’s ministry to anyone.
Pastor Tim O’Brien

Rock of Ages Worship Center
St. Robert, Missouri

China’s Great Revival

Thank you for the report on Brother Yun (“China’s Brave Witness” by Paul Steven Ghiringhelli, April). Shandong Province in China was mentioned several times in the story. It reminded me of a great revival that occurred in that province in the 1920s in which thousands of Chinese came into the kingdom. Some believe that revival was the foundation for the house-church movement sweeping China today.

Years ago I met C.L. Culpepper, a Southern Baptist missionary and one of the leaders of that great revival. He told me an amazing story about his wife going blind, and how the doctors said there was nothing that could be done for her. But two Scandinavian missionaries prayed for her and she was healed. This was only one of many miracles that occurred during the revival.
Bill Keith
Longview, Texas

Barack Obama and Unfair Politics

We were disappointed with Stephen Strang’s recent editorial about politics (Final Word, March). He wrote: “It’s been rumored that [Barack] Obama is a Muslim because his father was a Muslim.” This smacks of tabloid journalism.

Mr. Obama wrote about his Christian conversion in his book. He said: “Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God’s Spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.” If he experienced the Holy Spirit, what does it matter what his father believed?
John and Sally DeVincenzo
San Luis Obispo, California

I find that Christian leaders are not giving a straight story on some of the Democratic hopefuls. Yes, Barack Obama was a young Muslim, but I know a lot of people who were baptized as Christians yet they no longer believe in God.
Obama is a liberal, but I believe he is a Christian. I think we believers are willing to sell our souls to the devil to get a Republican in office.
Jeff Shedd
Claremore, Oklahoma

I read an excerpt from Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope in which he stated that he is not sure what happens to us when we die. My heart went out to him and I wrote him a letter, but I don’t know if he ever read it. I am a registered Republican.
Aimee M. Richmond, M.D.
Middletown, Ohio

I disagree with those who wrote letters against the endorsement of political parties and candidates by Christian publications, ministers and churches. If we Christians do not endorse those who represent our morals, we may end up with people in office who will be against our values and will try to restrict us from speaking about our faith.
Robert Kinney
Lincolnton, Georgia

The Obesity Epidemic

Your recent cover story on health was excellent (“God’s Secrets for Divine Health” by Don Colbert, M.D., January). I thought I had seen obesity before, but when I moved from the West Coast to the South I was shocked. It has become an epidemic—even among believers.

How long will Christians continue ignoring what the Lord told us about our bodies? How can we talk to others about the fruit of the Spirit when our bodies contradict our words? Please continue to address this timely and sensitive issue.
R. Fiveash
Marietta, Georgia

Does God Like Hip-Hop?

Some of your readers must be so wrapped up in hip-hop music that they couldn’t hear what hip-hop critic G. Craige Lewis is saying (News, February). He makes a clear distinction between hip-hop and rap music. He acknowledges that godly rappers are doing the will of God and spreading the gospel.

Lewis opposes the hip-hop culture because its origins are not godly. His research is undeniable. He has an anointed message from God. It is sad to see that so many who call themselves Christians don’t know the difference between truth and error.
Walter F. Ales
DeFuniak Springs, Florida

The Antichrist in Miami

I was a member of two prominent churches in Tulsa that preached the same false doctrine as José Luis De Jesús Miranda—the cult leader based in Miami who calls himself the Antichrist (News, April). I was deeply saddened to hear that another saint has been deceived by Satan in the form of apostasy and false doctrine.

The Word clearly says we must confess Jesus Christ as Savior for salvation. My prayer is that everyone would seek God and search the Scriptures.
KaTonya Samuels
Tulsa, Oklahoma

No More Greasy Grace

J. Lee Grady’s editorial about the lack of integrity in the church today has some good points (Fire in My Bones, April). But the advertisements in your magazine are full of ministers who have been exposed in sinful lifestyles and then are restored to leadership a few years later. Does anyone read 2 Peter 2 anymore?
name withheld

I agree with J. Lee Grady. However, “independent charismatic churches” are not the only ones that are soft on sin. This attitude is also prevalent in many Spirit-filled denominations. The church in the United States needs a spiritual awakening from top to bottom.
Nathan Johnson
Deltona, Florida

It was unfair that you listed independent charismatic churches as the only ones that have developed this “lovey-dovey” culture that shies away from hard-line discipline. Second Timothy 4:3-4 says people in the last days will not endure sound doctrine and will turn away from the truth. One reason I left the mainline church was because many were steering away from the truth of the Bible.
Lynn Hape
Leesburg, Florida

What bank would hire a teller who was caught stealing from the drawer at a previous bank? And yet pastors are “restored” to leadership instead of being made to function for the rest of their lives as faithful laymen. We need pastors who are always faithful to God’s call to holiness in their lives, behind the scenes and in their marriages.

It is time Charisma magazine stopped running ads featuring Christian leaders who have not been faithful to lead the church by the example of their own lives.
Eugene Douglass
Red Springs, North Carolina

Rescuing the Children

Thank you for publishing the article on the International Justice Mission (“Who Will Cry for Justice?” by David Lee Mundy, February). So many sexually abused girls were not getting help before this organization came on the scene.
Elizabeth Arnold
West Salem, Wisconsin

The horrible child trafficking I read about in your recent report touched me so strongly that I was on the verge of getting sick (“Girls Are Not For Sale” by Diana Scimone, December). I cannot fathom the pain felt by the millions of innocent children around the world who are abused in this way.

At first I was too upset to even see any hope of rescue for these little ones. I felt an overwhelming feeling of despair. But God opened a door by showing me your article and that introduced me to your organization. I am thrilled to support the effort to help these children, both financially and with prayer.
Marita Dwight-Smith
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Editor’s note: So far, our readers have given $5,802 to our nonprofit partner, Christian Life Missions, to help the victims of child-sex trafficking.

More on Ted Haggard

This letter is in response to the person who asked how Ted Haggard could be blessed with a large church and prominence in ministry (Feedback, March). God allowed this man to prosper until the time was right to expose Haggard’s spiritual darkness to the light. In all things, even immorality, God’s will determines the time when sin is exposed.
Beverly D. Harris
Sacramento, California

With regard to the question raised concerning Ted Haggard, his success as a man, and how we should respond to homosexuality in the church. Jesus would teach that it is sin, and that it is an abomination in God’s eyes—even in the pulpit.

Repentance, therefore, is in order for the body of Christ. God will not tolerate this type of lukewarm living. If we do not repent, Jesus said He would eventually spew us out of His mouth. Let’s not confuse church growth and “successful Christianity” with the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Michael Johanning
Laveen, Arizona

I read your coverage of Ted Haggard’s removal from church leadership. I tend to argue that power, wealth and sex are usually the reasons for such moral failures.
Abraham, David and Solomon accumulated great wealth and power as a result of their relationships with the Lord yet lived in violation of the Creator’s command that a sexual relationship is for one man and one woman for life.

As men and women gain power and wealth, many are tempted with the question: “What good is all this if I can’t indulge my sexual desires?” We shouldn’t be surprised that leaders are tempted in this sex-saturated society.
Del Yoder
Epworth, Georgia