Faith and Politics

Thanks for the outstanding February issue! I thought it was over-the-top. It was excellent and relevant to my needs. Since I live in Michigan, the article on Keith Butler (“The Bishop’s Campaign” by Valerie G. Lowe) was very timely and appreciated.
Dawn Sneden
Hudsonville, Michigan

The Republican Party is synonymous with scandalous greed and the wholesale slaughter of Americans, Iraqis and Afghans. The Republican Party stands for corporate greed and the whittling away of middle-class wages—to say nothing of the poverty and so many other selfish encumbrances foisted on those “without a loud voice.”

Shame on you for your role in the disillusionment of the trusting Christian community.
name withheld

I strongly support the candidacy of Keith Butler to replace Debbie Stabenow in the U.S. Senate. So do former congressmen Jack Kemp of New York and J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. Come join us and let’s revive the American spirit.
George Wiland
Tulsa, Oklahoma

I am writing in response to Stephen Strang’s endorsement of Keith Butler for U.S. Senate (Final Word, February). I do not take issue with the endorsement. I know Keith Butler and I believe he is a fine man and a man of God. But I take issue with the suggestion that there are those in the Republican Party who were “uncomfortable” with his candidacy.

Is it fair to say that people were concerned that Butler couldn’t beat Stabenow? Yes!

These weren’t powerbrokers who engineered an opponent. They were voters who, in poll after poll, suggested that Butler wasn’t their choice. It left an opening, which Mike Bouchard opted to fill—not because anyone got him into the race. Mike believes he will make the best U.S. senator.
Kathryn Packer
Okemos, Michigan

On the Brink of War

Thank you for pastor John Hagee’s article on Iran’s threat to Israel (“The Coming Holy War,” February). It is important that as Christians we are aware of events occurring in the Middle East, especially those concerning Israel.

We need to remember that the only nation whose boundaries are clearly laid out in Scripture is the nation of Israel. These boundaries are for today just as they were for the day when God first laid them out.
David Cottrell
Grande Prairie, Canada

Have you or John Hagee ever considered that hostility in the Middle East from non-Jews has been provoked in the last few decades not by the preaching of the gospel but by Christians’ efforts to manipulate a wrong prophetic fulfillment? Hagee is naive if he thinks Iran would blow up Jerusalem with a nuclear weapon. It has Islam’s third holiest site.
Samuel Bowman
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

In Defense of Narnia

Although I appreciate Diane Valentine’s right to her own viewpoint in My Turn (Feedback, February), I don’t think C.S. Lewis ever intended his work to be placed literally next to Scripture. The Chronicles of Narnia is a fictional tale filled with symbolism. It is fantasy!

Narnia was an excellent film. The mysteries of the gospel were woven throughout the film in a way that made it relevant to young people. I am grateful, and I want to encourage Disney and others to produce more movies like it.
Lisa Gardella
Palm Coast, Florida

I was disappointed to read Diane Valentine’s letter regarding The Chronicles of Narnia. The writer’s misunderstanding of the differences between literalism and allegory would not only discount every artistic endeavor, it would cancel many of the Lord’s parables and other stories.
John L. and Debra Moore
Miles City, Montana

The Bible clearly tells us to stay away from any type of witchcraft. A book titled The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe should offer a clear enough warning to stay away, yet so many Christians and churches are embracing the book and movie. I wonder if Christians think we must have something to compete with Harry Potter?
Valerie Amsdil
Hinton, West Virginia

C.S. Lewis was influenced by the occult poet W.D. Yeats, and he was fascinated by old Norse, Germanic, Celtic, Greek and Roman mythology. It is a tragedy that an influential mind such as Lewis’ is used as a rationale to encourage acceptance of these things in the church.
name withheld
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Unless you printed Diane Valentine’s comments for the purpose of evoking rebuttal, it is disappointing that you would give such prominence to her misperceptions. She said: “Narnia supports the idea that the glory of an incorruptible God can be changed into an image of a four-footed beast.” Though there is certainly room for criticism of the film for not having been more true to the book, it conveyed enough of the book’s Christian theology to touch unbelievers with the gospel.
Edwin W. Brown, M.D.
Indianapolis, Indiana

Editor’s note:

Obviously if we agreed with Ms. Valentine we would never have run a cover story on The Chronicles of Narnia. Our new My Turn feature offers readers with opposing viewpoints an opportunity to challenge us. And, in turn, we invite all our readers to speak out if they disagree with My Turn. All My Turn entries must include a photo of the writer.

Carlton Pearson

You reported that Carlton Pearson’s church has gone into foreclosure (News, January). That means the gift of discernment is alive and well in the church! I do not rejoice when a church or ministry struggles to keep its doors open. My prayers are with Pearson and his congregation. But this is what happens when heresy shows up on the menu.

Sadly, the church is filled with parrots who are quick to squawk “Amen” and drop large sums of money into the laps of ministry leaders who water down or pollute the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Rene De La Cruz
Hesperia, California

Too Much Sugar?

Thank you for Steve Hill’s article on churches that water down the gospel (“No More Candy-Coated Gospel,” February). If ministers can’t challenge their congregations, and if their words don’t bring conviction to those harboring sin, God cannot bring new life or growth to our churches.
Terri Swerzler
Tacoma, Washington

I was disappointed with Steve Hill’s message. Rather than produce even one quote from any credible source, Hill rants in a five-page diatribe. He says people are “never confronted,” Christians are “turning aside to fables,” and the gospel is becoming “watered down.” Please hold your writers to the same standard of journalistic integrity as any other serious publication.
Jeff Appel
Littleton, Colorado

Steve Hill’s article was another of too many Charisma articles criticizing churches and pastors and accusing them of forgetting the cross and “sugar-coating” the gospel.

I was raised on this type of judgment and guilt. But hearing that I was a sinner every day didn’t stop me from sinning. Not until I learned that my heavenly Father loves me could I grow as a Christian.
Linda Zent
Bismarck, North Dakota

People will faint and die of malnutrition if they continue to be fed candy instead of meat. Those in America’s pulpits must not soften the gospel or pacify people with words without challenging them to be holy.
Alyce D. Paul
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Don’t Blame God

It was a breath of fresh air to read your article about people who are angry with God (“Are You Mad at God” by Duane Vander Klok, January). I’ve been preaching the same thing about Job for years and I’m glad to see that someone else sees it that way too. I’m tired of so-called “Spirit-filled” people blaming God for everything from pimples to hurricanes! You published the truth.
Tom Rambow
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Your article about people who are mad at God was simplistic. It didn’t deal with a difficult theological problem—that God allows the devil to operate. When honest people are struggling, they are not being “scornful,” as the article states. They deserve more meaningful counsel than the “good God, bad devil” the article provides.
Mark Brower
Westerville, Ohio

Comb Your Hair!

Why should Seventh Day Slumber, a group of four young men who look like hippies and punks, be profiled in Charisma (Buzz, January) as a Christian rock group?

It is now common for people with tattoos, body piercings, and eccentric hairstyles and clothes to introduce themselves as servants of God. Christian musicians should dress decently.
Chukwuma Ukoha
Umuahia, Nigeria

The Elijah List has more than 127,000 subscribers and has become the largest platform for prophetic ministers
A fast-growing Web site that posts prophetic messages and prayer alerts is playing an increasingly influential role in today’s Christian prophetic movement.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Elijah List has moved from a small-scale newsletter to a Web site with 127,000 e-mail subscribers, making it the largest platform for modern prophetic voices in the country.

Steve Shultz, founder and organizer of the Elijah List, said he didn’t have big plans when he first began sending e-mails containing prophecies and prayer requests to a circle of friends in the late 1990s.

“That’s the funniest thing of all this is [that] it was an accident,” Shultz said. “I was just sending a few [prophetic] words to people. I thought, Well, this is getting tiring—pasting and sending.”

Then 9/11 happened, and the Web site began getting 500 to 600 subscribers a day. “Whenever there is a disaster we get more subscriptions because people turn to God,” Shultz said.

Based in Albany, Ore., the Elijah List sponsors conferences and sells books and teaching tapes about prophecy. Shultz described the site as an online bookstore with an edge because some of the material is “cutting edge.”

“Most of what we make available is not available at your Christian bookstore because it’s a little too cutting edge for your local Christian bookstore,” Shultz said. “They’re afraid they’re going to be criticized.”

From 1991 to 1998, Shultz ran a business that reunited about 5,000 people who had lost contact with one another, attracting a national audience as he appeared on talk shows such as Geraldo.

But the rise of the Internet undermined Shultz’s people-finding business and led to his ministry, the Elijah List, which has grown from a one-man operation to employing 50 people.

Shultz said the primary purpose of the Elijah List is to dispense prophetic words as they come out “from all the different streams,” and he referred to the Web site as “a clearinghouse of many prophetic streams.” The Web site includes links to prophetic ministers listed alphabetically.

“What we’re trying to do is pick the most edifying and encouraging prophecies and once in a while a warning prophecy,” Shultz said.

But the Elijah List has stirred controversy. Jonathan Benz, resident prophet and pastor of prayer and outreach at Covenant Centre in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., encouraged intercessors he was affiliated with to unsubscribe after the Web site posted prophecies saying Hurricane Katrina was the result of God’s judgment. He said those kinds of messages took the focus off helping the victims.

Shultz said he’s constantly seeking feedback from prophetic leaders he knows and from his pastor. “We don’t call it a board, but there are advisory people who I trust who give me a thumbs up or down,” he said. “Since 1997 when this began, there are three or four words I wish I wouldn’t have sent out. I rushed them. I’ve learned as we went.”

Among those advisers are Chuck Pierce, president of Glory of Zion Ministries; James Goll of the Encounter Network; C. Peter Wagner of Global Harvest Ministries; and Cindy Jacobs of Generals International.

Shultz also sits on the board of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, founded by several prophetic leaders including Wagner and Jacobs.

Shultz’s pastor, Denny Cline of Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Albany, said he has been surprised by the way the Elijah List has grown. He believes God has used the Web site to “build up the saints.”

“We are both aware of the hot buttons the prophetic can push, but Steve is prayerful and gets wise counsel from other men and women who many people would know before publishing words that reach so many people,” Cline said. “I am always amazed at how many people are touched, encouraged and stirred because of the prophetic and the many impacting words that go out on the Elijah List.”

The Web site also is criticized for being too commercial. But Shultz explains that like a pastor, a prophet needs to support a family by selling books and CDs, or charging for conferences.

Shultz said he accepts and expects controversy. Yet he remains committed to a spiritual gift he believes is beneficial to church growth.

He believes the best days are ahead for the prophetic movement and plans to release a monthly magazine titled Voice of the Prophetic, which will include prophetic words and teaching articles about prophetic ministry. “We are a lightning rod,” Shultz said. “But it’s worth every bit of it.”
Gail Wood

The Rock and the Rabbi offers a contemporary telling of Peter’s relationship with Jesus
An off-Broadway musical based on the relationship between the disciple Peter and his Lord, Jesus, is bringing audiences to their feet from Orlando, Fla., to Tulsa, Okla., and throughout the Southeast.

This first-time dramatic collaboration between a former television host and a central Florida minister of music is venturing beyond church walls and taking the gospel message to secular audiences amid thunderous applause and testimonies of changed lives.

Told from Peter’s perspective, The Rock and the Rabbi, a contemporary treatment of the classic biblical story, is a cross between a concert and musical theater. The play begins and ends with Peter’s miraculous catches of fish, and follows his relationship with Jesus through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Though its message is strictly biblical, the show defies traditional religious labels. “People expect hymns and a costumed drama with period sets,” said Gary Richardson, the show’s writer-producer and narrator, “but what they get is minimalist storytelling and hip, ‘island-style’ music that’s heavy on percussion.”

The idea for the play emerged in 1974 when Richardson learned of Peter’s two miraculous catches of fish: one at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and one at the end. Then in 1997, after discussing the idea with Danny Hamilton, minister of music at Harborside Christian Center in Safety Harbor, Fla., Richardson believed he had the makings for a good production.

Richardson had produced numerous vaudeville-style shows to existing music tracks, and Hamilton, the show’s composer-music director, had many sacred titles in print. But neither had created a theatrical presentation from scratch.

With the show written, the pair heard Neal Coomer, a former member of the Christian music group East to West, sing at a Tennessee church. Despite numerous hit songs, Coomer was searching professionally, feeling a call to minister outside the church but unsure how to pursue it.

When he took a look at the book and score of the show, Coomer liked what he saw: a strong theater piece with a Christian context, meant to be performed in secular venues. He had found a way to realize his passion, and the pair had their Peter.

After a series of short engagements including the Lamb’s Theatre in New York City and Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios in Orlando, the production eventually found a permanent home at the Plaza Theatre in Orlando. Coomer would commute weekly from New York City, and the other actors, musicians and support staff would commute locally.

The show caught the attention of Larry Peyton of Tulsa-based Celebrity Attractions, a theatrical promotion company that has placed shows such as Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera in a variety of Southeastern venues.

The Rock and the Rabbi opened in Tulsa in July and is scheduled to travel to states such as New York, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri this year, with David Wise now playing the role of Simon Peter.

“The message is so positive,” said Derrick Williams, a Tampa, musician who sings the role of the Rabbi. “It’s not manipulative. It challenges your intellect. Even if you don’t choose to believe it, you’ll still be entertained.”

“People generally leave with a euphoric feeling of hope and joy,” Hamilton said. “They see the truth of this message of forgiveness, hope and love. The show makes it real.”
Amado J. Bobadilla in Orlando, Fla.

Pharmacists challenged for refusing to dispense ‘Plan B’ Pill
Four Illinois pharmacists have sued the U.S. drugstore chain Walgreen Co., saying they were wrongly terminated for refusing to dispense the “morning-after” contraceptive pill known as Plan B, Reuters reported. The pharmacists, represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, argue that the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act entitles them to opt out of procedures they object to on moral grounds. Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said the four were not fired but placed on unpaid leave and offered jobs in other states, Reuters said. Elsewhere, Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogelman said the company planned to comply with a Feb. 14 Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy ruling requiring Wal-Mart to carry the Plan B pill. Before the ruling, only Illinois stores carried the drug.

Appeals Court OKs Home Worship Service
A federal appeals court ruled in January that a Florida county’s land-use ordinance could not be used to prohibit an Orlando rabbi from holding worship services in his home. Rabbi Joseph Konikov filed suit in May 2001 and again in February 2002 after receiving code violations for holding prayer and worship meetings in his home and being charged $50 per day for continuing the meetings. Although the district court initially ruled that the Orange County ordinance was permissible, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found the ordinance to be unconstitutionally vague and in violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, said the Alliance Defense Fund, which represented Konikov.

Advocacy Groups Continue to Push for Ban on Gay Marriage
The Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage announced in February that a nearly yearlong effort to allow Florida citizens to vote on a state constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage fell short of the necessary 611,009 petitions, Baptist Press (BP) reported. The coalition said it will continue the petition effort in hopes of getting the amendment on the 2008 ballot. The petitions signed before the Feb. 1 deadline will remain valid for four years, leaving the coalition 155,000 more petitions to gather before 2008, BP said. So far, 19 states have amended their constitutions to maintain traditional marriage, and four others will be voting on similar measures this year, the news service reported.

Atheist Seeks to Remove ‘In God We Trust’ From U.S. Currency
Atheist Michael Newdow filed a lawsuit in November seeking to prevent the U.S. government from printing the phrase “In God We Trust” on future coins and paper money, arguing that it violates the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the Constitution, CNS reported. Previously Newdow sought to remove the phrase “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Though his first attempt to revise the Pledge was dismissed on a technicality, he sued again, and that case is pending. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), said Newdow’s lawsuit must be taken seriously, but the ACLJ is prepared to defend the national motto, even if it goes to the Supreme Court, CNS said.

Shanghai Community Fellowship reaches out to the estimated 500,000 expatriates in China
In a country known for stifling its underground church movement, a nondenominational charismatic ministry in China is thriving above ground and drawing dozens to Christ.

Christians in China say the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully among the more than 500,000 foreign expatriates, also called expats, working in Shanghai. English services in the ivy-covered Gothic-style Shanghai Community Church (SCC) are bursting at the seams with 1,500 worshipers from 53 countries.

“It’s a slice of heaven,” said Karen Pierce, an aerospace engineer from Minnesota who lives in Shanghai with her husband.

“Every Sunday we experience the miracle of God,” said John Chin, a church elder from Canada.

The nondenominational, charismatic Shanghai Community Fellowship (SCF) blossomed out of two small groups of foreign passport holders meeting at the Shanghai Hilton and Ritz-Carlton hotels. It jelled in 1996 when the Chinese government stepped in, warning believers that they were gathering illegally. Through what church leaders consider a miracle, the Christians gained permission to worship in the state-sanctioned SCC.

Built in 1925 for Americans, the church operated until the 1940s and closed for a time after communist leadership took control of China in 1949. Chinese Christians also worship there, but in separate services.

Although no provision exists yet for foreigners to register legally as a church, SCF operates under the auspices of the officially approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Protestant Churches of China. The Chinese government bans denominations and recognizes only five religions: Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism.

SCF is a lay-led ministry directed by seven elders from denominational backgrounds. The group operates an annual budget of about $500,000 and recently adopted a formal charter. It has distributed more than 1 million Bibles and pays medical expenses for orphans.

Shanghai is a rapidly expanding boomtown of 20 million people gorging on the fruits of China’s new economic power and affluence. Since 2003 SCF attendance has swelled from the rising influx of foreign workers. Standing-room-only crowds led to a second worship service in 2004.

The congregation is a multiethnic mix of expat believers and seekers from North America, Taiwan, Macau, Europe, Africa and Australia. Some raise their hands and speak in tongues during worship. Others stand quietly with eyes closed.

“There is no one way of worshiping God,” Pierce said. “There’s dancing in the aisles, liturgy and Spirit-led charismatic worship—without condemnation. All of the petty stuff fades away.”

“Although we are so different, the Holy Spirit has kneaded us together like a blanket with different colors,” said Mexico-native Jorge Solorzano, a plant manager with a auto parts firm.

“We learn to live with each other,” said Maxim Beti, a student from Cameroon. “We have the same aim in Jesus Christ.”

Although overt proselytizing is forbidden in China, people are won to Christ through one-on-one evangelism. Friends invited Constanza Leon, who is from Mexico City, to a church-sponsored Alpha course, which is an evangelism outreach. She became a born-again Christian after a few weeks, and she said her new faith helped her get through a serious personal problem. “It was Jesus in my life,” she said. “He changed my character.”

Observers say seeds of revival among Shanghai’s expat community are starting to bloom—even under China’s communist regime. Said Chin: “God is working something impossible.”
Peter K. Johnson in Shanghai, China

The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. was remembered for her work to keep her husband’s vision alive.
Four U.S. presidents, numerous preachers and members of Congress were among the 10,000 mourners who converged in suburban Atlanta for the funeral of a woman hailed as the “first lady” of the civil rights movement.

Coretta Scott King, 78, wife of the late Martin Luther King Jr., died Jan. 30 of pneumonia brought on by complications of ovarian cancer.

In 2005, King had suffered a heart attack and a stroke that left her partly paralyzed. She was diagnosed with cancer in November and sought alternative treatment at the Santa Monica Hospital in Rosario, Mexico, nearly a week before her death, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott met while attending college in Massachusetts. He was a doctoral student at the University of Boston, and she was attending New England’s Conservatory of Music. The two married in 1953.

Coretta Scott King’s commitment to nonviolent social change spanned some 50 years. She marched beside her husband during the tumultuous civil rights movement and continued to champion his cause when an assassin’s bullet claimed his life in 1968.

She went on to become the voice of his legacy, speaking out on issues such as racial equality, poverty, women’s and children’s rights, and health care. She successfully lobbied Congress to make her husband’s birthday a national holiday. In 1983 Congress passed a law making the third Monday in January Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Kings’ youngest daughter, the Rev. Bernice A. King, delivered the eulogy at her mother’s Celebration of Life funeral service held Feb. 7 at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where she is a minister.

King told the crowd that her mother’s death had prophetic significance. “[God] said, Make no mistake that the very thing that took your mother out is the same thing that emerges across the nations,” she said. “The cancer was concentrated in the reproductive area.

“What God is saying to us through the transition of Coretta Scott King is that we … are suffering from complications of a cancer of materialism and … racism and violence. … It’s a cancer that’s eating away at the … nature of what God created humankind to be.”

Although King commanded national attention during her life, her passing made history. She became the first African-American and the first woman to lie in state at the Georgia Capitol, where 42,000 mourners viewed her body. The state response stood in sharp contrast to segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox’s refusal in 1968 to allow Martin Luther King Jr. to lie in state after his death.

Standing in the pulpit of the crowded, 10,000-seat sanctuary, President Bush expressed his condolences to the nation and to King’s adult children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice.

“Coretta had every right to count the costs and step back from the struggle,” the president said. “But she decided that her children needed more than a safe home; they needed an America that upheld their equality and wrote their rights into law.”

Dignitaries at the service included first lady Laura Bush, former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter and former President George H.W. Bush.

Other speakers included poet Maya Angelou, noted civil rights activist Andrew Young, Malaak Shabazz, daughter of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, and Oprah Winfrey, who spoke at a memorial held Feb. 6 at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor. More than 115,000 flocked to the historic church to pay final respects, the AP said.

News of King’s passing prompted President Bush to order federal agencies to fly flags at half-staff, and Dekalb County Schools canceled classes Feb. 7 in honor of the funeral. Many ministers crossed denominational lines to honor King’s life and her contributions to the world.

“I know I speak for The Potter’s House congregation when I say that her untiring efforts as a leader of the civil rights movement and undying commitment to protect the dignity of a people was an inspiration to us all,” said Bishop T.D. Jakes, who also spoke during the funeral. “It was truly a blessing to recognize such a strong woman, one who laid a foundation of character and integrity for the next generation of this nation’s female leaders from all cultures and creeds.”
Valerie G. Lowe

Elsie Mason, ‘First Lady of Church of God in Christ,’ Dies
Elsie Louise Washington Mason, wife of Church of God in Christ (COGIC) founder Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, died Jan. 31 in a Memphis, Tenn., hospital. She was 98. Widowed in 1961, Mason served as an evangelist, was secretary of the denomination’s missions department and helped found an orphanage in Haiti, the Commercial Appeal reported. She also served as editor of COGIC’s official newspaper, The Whole Truth, and despite failing health recently completed a history of COGIC titled The Great Cloud of Witnesses. “She was a very distinguished lady, a good wife and a dedicated church worker,” David Hall, pastor of Temple COGIC in Memphis, which was founded by C.H. Mason, told the Appeal. “She was very active in many facets of our church and she will be greatly missed.” Funeral services were held Feb. 6 at Temple of Deliverance COGIC in Memphis. She is survived by three sisters: Ceneta Qualls and Ida Jamison of Memphis, and Clara McAdams of Los Angeles.

Jordanian King Urges Cooperation among Christians, Muslims and Jews
King Abdullah of Jordan urged cooperation among Christians, Muslims and Jews at a luncheon speech during the National Prayer Breakfast events Feb. 2, the New York Times reported. The speech was the first by a Muslim head of state before a mostly Christian audience. Quoting as often from the Bible as the Quran, Abdullah told the 3,000 attendees: “Extremism is a political movement under religious cover,” the Times said. “Its adherents want nothing more than to pit us against each other, denying all that we have in common.”

End of the Spear Opens in Top 10
End of the Spear opened at No. 8 and by February had grossed more than $10 million amid criticism that it lacked an overt gospel message and that its producers should not have cast an openly gay man as the lead. The film, released Jan. 20 by Every Tribe Entertainment, is based on the true story of five missionaries who were killed by the Waodani tribe in the jungles of Ecuador 50 years ago. Though some Christians said casting gay activist Chad Allen as the lead was irresponsible, Every Tribe CEO Mart Green maintains that Allen was the best man for the part. “[Allen] raised the bar for us,” he said. The film is expected to release on video in May.

Canada’s Christian Prime minister May Put Gay Marriage Before Voters
Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper, who is a member of the Christian Missionary Alliance, became Canada’s prime minister in January after promising to let Parliament vote on whether to reopen the issue of same-sex marriage, Reuters reported. Canada is one of four nations worldwide where gay marriage is legal. If Parliament were to approve the motion and a bill were introduced defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, observers question whether it would pass in the House, and they doubt it would gain approval from the Senate, which is led by the Liberal Party.

Hispanic Ministers call for immigration Reform
A newly formed coalition representing more than 20 million Hispanic evangelicals announced its opposition Feb. 3 to immigration reform proposals its members regard as anti-immigrant. Among the group’s concerns is H.R. Bill 4437, which would subject to arrest anyone assisting undocumented workers. Comprised of leaders such as the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Jesse Miranda of AMEN ministries, the Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform outlined four major goals, including humanitarian border protection policies and an opportunity for immigrants who are already contributing to the U.S. to pursue an option to eventually become citizens. “What we are looking for is a more balanced and comprehensive approach to immigration,” said Mark Gonzalez, founder and president of the Standing for Truth Foundation, “and we believe [these proposals] accomplish that.”

World Council of Churches seeks to dialogue with Pentecostals
More than 50 Pentecostal groups were expected to participate in the World Council of Churches (WCC) assembly held Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The council, whose liberal-leaning members are losing congregants to Pentecostal and charismatic churches, planned to discuss ways to begin serious dialogue with Pentecostals and similar groups, who make up 25 percent of the world’s churches. “We need a fresh look at global Christianity,” WCC head Samuel Koiba told the AP. “I will also call on Pentecostals, charismatics and others to approach us in an open mind and not with the hostility of history that has led to suspicion.” While participating in the WCC conference as “observers,” the Pentecostal and charismatic groups were to hold a separate, smaller gathering during the weeklong event, the Christian Post said. The WCC meeting—the largest since its 1998 gathering in Zimbabwe—was also expected to address rifts over same-sex unions and homosexual clergy, and discuss ways to forge closer ties between Christians and moderate Muslims, the AP said.

BOOKS

Operation Desert Light
By Brother Andrew and Al Janssen,
Revell, softcover, 297 pages, $.

You’ll feel as if you’re in an action movie when you read along with Brother Andrew and Al Janssen on their daring missions to the Middle East. Since 1955, Brother Andrew, author of God’s Smuggler, and his Open Doors ministry have supplied millions of Bibles and training to churches around the world that are experiencing persecution and discrimination. For the last 15 years Brother Andrew has made expeditions twice a year to seek out Christians in the Middle East, learn about their conditions and needs, and do whatever he could to strengthen them. This book tells the stories of those expeditions. With him, readers will meet the families living among terrorist bombings and snipers and corruption. You’ll see Brother Andrew’s grit when his outreach includes Arabs and Palestinians, even Yasser Arafat. Though written to inspire teen and young adult audiences, Operation Desert Light puts faces and feelings to the Middle East conflict and makes missions an exciting venture to support.
Marsha Gallardo

Sister Freaks
By Rebecca St. James, Warner Faith,
softcover, 320 pages, $.

Compiled by Rebecca St. James, with several contributing authors, Sister Freaks is a 12-week devotional containing stories about women who have chosen to live uprooted and victorious lives for God. From the story of abbess Claire of Assisi to that of Marolda, who, after two abortions and facing a third unwanted pregnancy, received God’s forgiveness and call to ministry, the stories here are relevant and inspiring. Sister Freaks: Stories of Women Who Gave Up Everything for God brings an inventive approach to what is often a cliché area of Christian publishing. Although written more as a teen devotional, the book’s strong gospel message and engaging stories make it a valuable college outreach tool as well.
Sarah J. Cobb

Sex and the Single Soul
By Jack W. Hayford, Regal,
softcover, 160 pages, $.

Father figure and pastor Jack W. Hayford offers warm, straightforward encouragement and challenge in his new book, Sex and the Single Soul: Guarding Your Heart and Mind in a World of Empty Promises. Hayford points out that every “single soul” is individually accountable to God for walking in integrity and purity-married or not. He also offers a fresh viewpoint on single life: “Singleness isn’t second-class-it is the true freedom to pursue what God has for your life now. And now stretches to tomorrow and the day after that until the day someone comes within that embrace, not to separate you from God but to change the nature of your singleness.” This much-needed paradigm shift will comfort singles who encounter the stigma of singleness within the church and within themselves.
Anna Flynn Stewart

Unrelenting Prayer
By Bob Sorge, Oasis House,

softcover, 192 pages, $12.

Bob Sorge has been part of the ministry team at the International House of Prayer of Kansas City since it began its 24/7 nonstop prayer ministry. He lays out the dynamics of what happens when you don’t give up praying in difficult circumstances. Not only will you please God, but if you survive being distracted, tempted and discouraged, you’ll also be changed yourself. Sorge writes: “While we’re still waiting for justice, the intimacy cultivated through unrelenting prayer makes us fruitful even during the wait.” Another payoff is seeing how God will avenge you, with as much as a sevenfold return. He uses the examples of Job; Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; and Naomi, mother-in-law of Ruth. Some readers may contend with Sorge’s advice on depression and seeking medical help. Still, because he’s a victim of a faulty operation that damaged his voice, Sorge relates to feeling imprisoned by an infirmity. He encourages others to do as he does, and pray relentlessly.

Marsha Gallardo

Behind the Screen
Edited by Spencer Lewerenz and
Barbara Nicolosi, Baker Books,
softcover, 224 pages, $.

In 1999, a group of Christian producers and writers got together and started a nonprofit program called Act One to provide training to Christians who want to make a difference in Hollywood. This valuable organization has provided classes for dozens of people who are now signed to major talent agencies, writing scripts and helping shape modern entertainment. Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture is a direct result of their work. Written by the faculty of Act One and developed from the program’s curriculum, the book contains a variety of essays from Hollywood insiders and thinkers. Chapters examine the history of Hollywood, filmmakers who are changing the way we view our world and what it takes to survive in the entertainment industry. Contributors include Ralph Winter (X-Men) and Janet Scott Batchler (Batman Forever). This is a valuable resource for anyone who feels called to shape our culture through prayer or personal involvement.

Margaret Feinberg

God Is My Success
By Larry Julian, Warner Faith,

hardcover, 256 pages, $.

Don’t be put off by the simplistic title. You might miss a book worth reading, whether you’re up for some life coaching or just curious about Larry Julian’s Dr. Phil-like advice on living a Christian life. Julian claims people take charge of what they should surrender to God and yet don’t take responsibility for the things for which they’re accountable. We run from pain, for example, but if we embrace it, Julian says, “it clarifies reality and becomes a catalyst for change.” The illustrating stories are dramatic. An advertising agency owner, who lost everything nearly overnight, traded in a controlling spirit for a giving one. Rhonda Anderson went from being a shy stay-at-home mom to co-founder of Creative Memories, with the confidence that she was helping people see God in their lives via unique photo albums. Julian is an executive coach and author of God Is My CEO. He offers a plan that will allow anyone to find his destiny, financial freedom, confidence, peace, and true success if he knows what to surrender and how to take charge.
Marsha Gallardo

Purifying the Prophetic
By R. Loren Sandford, Chosen,
softcover, 208 pages, $.

In view of the proliferation of prophetic ministries, Loren Sandford warns that the Western church is caught up in self-absorption and calls for the cleansing of such ministries through discernment and humility. Sanford discusses his own personal struggles to keep his gifting pure. “The true prophetic word breaks down and builds up. It plucks up the old and plants the new. It gets us ready for the move of God and releases the power to accomplish it.” He is senior pastor of New Song Fellowship in Denver and son of John and Paula Sandford, prominent founders of inner-healing ministry. Alongside his parents he saw multitudes resort to blame instead of hearing the message of repentance and sacrifice. He sees the same tendency today and tackles the “word of faith” and “prosperity” doctrines as distortions and not true Christianity. “Too often they have served the culture of self, rather than the purposes of the kingdom of God.”
Marsha Gallardo

Fiction

HISTORICAL
Storm
By Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh, Howard Publishing, 368 pages,
softcover, $.

It’s the late 1800s and the Great Awakening is beginning to wane in America. A young Yale College student comes under attack for his faith. He discovers that a secret society is trying to hinder the revival on campus. This political thriller will remind readers of the power of the Holy Spirit to change both individual lives and an entire nation.

SUSPENSE

Imposter
By Davis Bunn, WestBow Press,
hardcover, 300 pages, $.

The son of a politician, FBI agent Matt Kelly sets out to discover his mother’s murderer. Officer Connie Morales, demoted to police deskwork, decides to help Kelly. The clues lead Kelly to his father’s soldier days in Vietnam, which could threaten the elder Kelly’s quest for Senate. Matt and Connie reveal secrets of their own as they search for truth.

YOUTH

Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam
By R.K. Mortenson, Barbour Publishing, hardback,
204 pages, $.

In this sequel to the first Landon Snow book, Landon returns to the fantasy world of Wonderland. A war is going on, and he must fight the wicked Malus Quidam to save his sister from Malus’ evil power. This series uses adventure and fantasy to teach spiritual truths.

MUSIC

I Stand for You
By Tree63, Inpop Records.

All the way from South Africa, Tree63 is back with its latest addition to a rich roster of worship albums, I Stand for You. The album is paced with 13 rock ‘n’ roll worship cuts and edgy vocals that make you want to dance. The recording opens with the sugary, upbeat “No Other,” which is filled with contagious guitar riffs and punchy rockish appeal. A handful of songs, including “Treasure,” “King” and “Amazing Grace” are all live concert recordings. The crowd’s energy and applause will put listeners into concert mode. I Stand for You is packed with energy and an unmistakable sense of optimism and hope. It’s a CD you can listen to a dozen times and not grow tired of it.
Margaret Feinberg

The Mission Bell
By Delirious, Sparrow Records.

Delirious, the band from across the pond, is back with its new rock-infused worship album, The Mission Bell. After making a splash in modern worship for more than a decade, the band’s style continues to evolve into something edgier and more passionate than ever before. The album opens with the hopeful, melodic “Stronger” and closes with the softer ballad, “I’ll See You.” Throughout, the recording rings with a loud and clear call to action. “Our God Reigns” raises issues of social justice while “Now Is the Time” serves as a call to be the city on a hill generation. Artist tobyMac joins the cast on a remake of the hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock,” shortened to “Solid Rock.” Overall, the album delivers alternative rock worship that’s worth listening to over and over again.
Margaret Feinberg

The Faith
By Da’ .,
Cross Movement Records.

When gospel artist Kirk Franklin describes a Christian rap CD as “hip-hop at its finest,” it’s worth taking note. As Christian hip-hop has fought to mature, artists have either offered great music with shallow lyrics, or a strong message backed by outdated beats. Some lacked both musicianship and lyrical skill. But with his sophomore release, The Faith, Philadelphia native Da’ . (aka Emmanuel Lambert Jr.) couples grinding hip-hop beats with lyrics that, like other artists affiliated with Cross Movement Ministries, borders on Christian apologetics. Part evangelist and part teacher, Lambert, who holds degrees from Philadelphia Biblical University and the Institute of Jewish Studies, raps as much about the Christian lifestyle as the reality of God and authority of Scripture. A standout cut is “The Portrait (Da Vinci Code Snapshots),” in which . exposes the deception laced within the popular novel that is soon to become a major film. .’s music will keep heads bobbing (especially fans of mainstream rapper Jay Z), but it will also get listeners thinking about the one who is Lord of all-including hip-hop culture.
Adrienne S. Gaines

An Invitation to Worship
By Byron Cage, Gospo Centric.

Artists such as Byron Cage have helped fuel praise and worship’s popularity in the African-American church. Dubbed The Prince of Praise, Cage has released his sophomore Gospo Centric offering, An Invitation to Worship. Cage, the senior minister of church worship and music administration at Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Md., recorded the project at his old stomping ground, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Living up to its name, the CD invites the listener to partake in worship, especially on breathtaking ballads such as the title tune, “Invitation,” and “Broken but I’m Healed,” written by noted songwriter V. Michael McKay. The lead single, “I Will Bless the Lord,” and the J. Moss duet, “We Love You,” are upbeat church songs. Favorites include the worshipful “Majesty,” the Thomas Whitfield-penned gem “In Case You’ve Forgotten” and a soulful rendition of Michael W. Smith’s “Breathe.” Cage delivers a stunning project with An Invitation to Worship.
René Williams

Area churches are partnering with police to combat a recent increase in youth violence
A series of deadly gang shootings that culminated in November with the shooting of a 17-year-old boy on the steps of a church while he was attending the funeral of another slain boy has caused black pastors in Toronto to work with police and civic leaders to find effective solutions.

Increasing handgun violence in poor, predominantly black Toronto neighborhoods motivated Orim Meikle, pastor of Rhema Christian Ministries, to start prayer walk outreaches and home visits to the city’s five most violent ghettos in 2004. Hundreds of the church’s members walk and pray en masse through the gang-infested areas during the summer months.

Initially Meikle said his team knocked on residents’ doors and asked how they could help. “Their unanimous answer was jobs: ‘We need jobs,’” Meikle said. “So we got some government grants-for skills training and small-business startups-started training youth on computers, and showed them how to dress, walk and behave during a job interview. If you dress like a gangster, you’ll be treated that way. But if you dress for success, that’s what you’ll get.”

Rhema also opened a transitional home for young men at risk for criminal activity, and the church plans to buy more houses.

Meikle believes dysfunctional families, coupled with the glorification of violence, gratuitous sex and drugs in gangsta rap music, has wrongly influenced some young black males to become gangsters themselves. His 2,000-member church includes four families who have had a child gunned down or stabbed. Many other families live in violent areas where fear of gang threats and shootings are a constant companion.

Omar Hortley, the 21-year-old only child of a single mother, was a member of Rhema until he was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2004. Meikle counseled and comforted Hortley’s mother until she pulled through the shock.

“What do I say that will comfort the mother? It’s very difficult,” Meikle said. “In that tragedy, God brought some good out because she committed her life to Christ.”

Meikle, a 38-year-old father of two who immigrated to Canada from Jamaica in 1975, has swiftly risen to a place of prominence with both police and politicians for his outspoken attitude on black empowerment. “Sometimes we have this attitude that people should just accept us as we are, but we also have a responsibility to lift ourselves up,” he told Charisma. “So we’re not going to take the handout approach, but we’ll come to the table to collaborate with other community members.”

He believes churches must once again become an integral part of the city’s fabric in order for them to work effectively with schools, government agencies, grass-roots organizations and the police. “Functional churches should lead the charge,” he said. “The spiritual component sets the tone for the whole city infrastructure.”

Don Meredith, chairman of the Greater Toronto Area Faith Alliance and pastor of Grace Christian Life Centre, echoes that sentiment. Meredith, a 41-year-old father of two teenagers, detected the gang problem back in 2002 and, along with 24 other pastors, followed up by visiting the city’s police chief for answers.

That effort resulted in the formation of the Faith Alliance, an interfaith coalition representing 40 churches. Today Meredith spends much of his time networking with politicians, police and social agencies to find holistic solutions to curb violent crime in poor neighborhoods.

The group has put forth several solutions that have proved effective, such as the mingling of police officers and youth to play after-school basketball in the church gymnasiums of high-crime neighborhoods. Rhema is a participating church.

Meredith’s conviction that there often is a lack of parental involvement in Toronto’s urban communities compelled him last year to visit Rev. Eugene Rivers, a Boston minister who created the National TenPoint Leadership Foundation-named for the 10 tenets the document says are necessary for neighborhood transformation.

“Meredith and I met, and we said there are lessons to be learned here, and it’s got a spiritual dimension. The root component of the problem is fatherlessness,” said Rivers, who grew up in poor, violent neighborhoods in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago and eventually attended Harvard.

In 1988, Rivers established the Azusa Christian Community in one of Boston’s most dangerous neighborhoods. The house where he lived with his wife and children was shot at twice and burglarized six times. The purpose, he said, was to live on the same level as the street youth so they’d feel safe enough to trust his group’s motives.

“The way you raise a child is by going to where he lives,” Rivers told Charisma. “The black churches need to put men on the street to live with the troubled youth.”
Although Azusa Christian Community was launched in 1988, Rivers said area churches wouldn’t pay any attention to their efforts until 1992 when a young man was shot during a funeral just as the 17-year-old was in Toronto.

“The first churches to pay attention and come on board were the high-steepled ones-the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians,” Rivers said. “Now our coalition has 47 churches of almost every denomination who work in close conjunction with the police, social and community services.”

Rivers’ efforts helped reduce Boston’s homicide count by more than 80 percent between 1990 and 2000. His plan has since been implemented in cities worldwide.
Josie Newman in Toronto

The much-anticipated Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe raked in a whopping $65 million domestically at the box office, securing its place in best-opening-weekend history at No. 23. But more important than Walden Media and Disney’s collective payoff is how the film’s underlying message ranked in the hearts of moviegoers.

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Torrance, Calif., rented out two showings opening weekend. Members were encouraged to bring along unsaved friends. A fellowship night commenced directly after the movie, where both kids and adults created ice cream sundaes and played Narnia-themed trivia games with prize giveaways.

“We sent out 10,000 postcard invitations, gave away Narnia-themed booklets and sold over 400 tickets,” said pastor Bob Rognlien, who preached a Narnia-themed series that began Christmas Eve. “We wanted to make a connection with people so that they’d come back for the series.”

Pastor Bruce Cadle transformed his New Hope Church in Melbourne, Fla. , into the fantasy world of Narnia, complete with wardrobe and falling snow. “The response was just incredible,” Cadle told Charisma. “We saw a 50-person increase in one week. Almost all of them said they’d be back and would bring visitors.”

Many pastors got their creative inspiration and materials from Narnia Sneak Peak Events organized by the Mission America Coalition. The group’s goal was to encourage church leaders “to consider the fantastic ministry opportunity” provided by the film. In cooperation with Outreach magazine, Mission America held events in 150 cities nationwide.

“We were so blessed by their personal support,” said René Bogue, service coordinator at New Life Foursquare Church in Canby, Ore. “This was a good wake-up call. Many people did not know the story was a Christian allegory.”

Mission America’s outreach ideas included organizing book giveaways, forming Narnia-themed reading groups, buying out entire theaters and having children act out scenes from the story. Pastor Dave Johnson of Kalamazoo Community Church in Michigan said his church sold out almost 400 tickets in less than an hour. “We were pretty impressed by the reaction,” he said.

The positive response prompted them to purchase 400 more tickets, which also sold out. Members and guests received gift bags filled with Turkish Delight and a copy of Knowing Aslan, which explores the parallels between Aslan’s character and the character of Jesus.

Just weeks after the film released, Mission America was getting feedback from churches that hosted Narnia outreach events. Deacon Godsey of Trinity Church in Omaha, Neb., said 40 people accepted Christ after a showing. “And 20 others rededicated their lives,” he said. “I’m convinced we might encourage members to send thank-you letters to Disney for making the movie.”
Danielle LoCicero