Looking Like the Devil?

The likeness of the devil on the cover of Charisma is not what Scripture depicts (“The Angel Who Fell From Heaven” by Mark A. Pearson, October). He doesn’t look like a monster. He’s a beautiful angel of light created by God, and he’s smart. How else could he have duped billions of sinners into rebellion? If I had a “spiritual” camera, I’d send you a picture of him.
Don Hebard
Lake Oswego, Oregon

More From Catholics

I was deeply shocked at the mean-spirited comments from individuals who claim to be Christians and yet have such hatred for Catholics. It is sad to see such venom toward my faith. I am as Christian as the people who wrote those anti-Catholic letters.

I believe in respecting other faiths and not casting the first stone. I love my faith and the blessings I have gained.
Cinda Lippman
Sparks, Nevada

What an awesome man of God Pope John Paul II was! Thank you for putting him on the cover of your June issue.

Having grown up in the 1960s and 1970s, we Catholics who were filled with the Holy Spirit at that time had experiences that were sometimes hard to put into words. But the pope knew what we couldn’t explain.

I suspected all along that Pope Benedict XVI, whom I prayed would become John Paul’s successor, is a man of the Spirit as well. Now the revival that John Paul spent so many hours praying for must surely be here!
name withheld

I’m a Catholic charismatic and very much a Christian. A lot of Catholics read your magazine, and we respect everyone in other faiths. Please let your other readers who have hate in their hearts know that we forgive them. Love is the true message of the gospel. We love the Lord too.
Vangie Santos
Oakdale, California

Midwives With a Mission

I was delighted to read about Hilary Overton’s unique ministry in the Philippines, Glory Reborn (News, September). It is evidence of what God can do with a life fully yielded to him, regardless of age, experience or circumstances.

I praise God for Overton and her husband, David, and the midwives who serve and honor the poorest of the poor with Christ’s love. Thank God, also, for all those who support them financially and in prayer. Thank you for letting the world know about this little clinic in Cebu that has delivered more than 400 babies into the world!
Jane Maxey
El Paso, Texas

Joel Osteen

Stephen Strang’s Final Word about Joel Osteen (“The Osteen Legacy,” September) was greatly appreciated. Osteen, as Strang commented, “represents the best of what has come out of the charismatic community.” And Joel has promised to walk in integrity and live a godly life. That alone would make him unique in charismatic circles.
Keith W. Mitchell
via e-mail

I’m missing how Joel Osteen’s ministry is carrying on his father’s legacy when there are few similarities in their ministries. Yes, Pastor Joel reaches millions. But I don’t believe he provides strong spiritual leadership. He preaches a feel-good, motivational gospel rather than leading the way to repentance.

In recent interviews he said he believed same-sex marriage was not what God intended, neither was abortion the best, but he doesn’t call anyone a sinner. He also said he doesn’t use the word “sinner.”

Thank God that “while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” If we weren’t sinners, Jesus died for nothing.
Teri Hamrick
Marietta, Georgia

Joel Osteen said on Larry King Live that he doesn’t use the word “sin.” That troubles me. If we don’t talk about sin, then we don’t need to talk about repentance and the need for Christ’s atonement.

Isn’t sin the reason man is separated from God? If the pastor of the largest, fastest-growing church in America doesn’t talk about sin, I fear for the church.
Rev. Lincoln Murdoch
All Nations Church
Peoria, Arizona

In Defense of T.D Jakes

Your article on T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest event in Atlanta reported that a protester stood outside the auditorium and criticized Jakes for having performers like Gladys Knight (News, October). I believe God can use MegaFest to reach families and the unchurched. You have to use your resources to reach those you can.
name withheld

The Devil and Hollywood

In J. Lee Grady’s online review of the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, he castigated the priest as a failed exorcist. Grady should know that there are levels of demonic activity to which he may never have been exposed. Deliverance differs from exorcism, and not all is solved with a wave of the hand.
Michael H. Brown
via e-mail

I cannot fathom how a Christian can write a review of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and say that it has redeeming qualities. Have we become so desensitized to the garbage coming out of Hollywood (even films directed by so-called Christian movie makers) that we ignore God’s Word?
Anne Sasso
Lake Wales, Florida

Editor’s note:

Our review of the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose appeared in J. Lee Grady’s biweekly online column, “Fire in My Bones.” You can access this by going to www.charismanow.com.

My Turn

I read the letters from Catholics (Feedback, September), and I agree with some of them. We Catholics do need more of God. As for others who criticized the Catholic Church, they need to be careful whom they judge. I am a Spirit-filled Catholic, and more and more Catholics are experiencing the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

If you watch evangelist Benny Hinn on television, you will notice that many Catholics receive healings easily because we have a hunger for God. The return of Christ is near. Instead of debating who’s a Christian, we should be reaping the harvest.
Sylvester F. Birchem
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

BOOKS

The Way of the Warrior
By Harry R. Jackson Jr., Chosen Books,
softcover, 192 pages, $13.99.

Longtime pastor Harry R. Jackson Jr. sets a new standard for motivational material with this excellent review of principles that apply to everyone’s life. Reading The Way of the Warrior: How to Fulfill Life’s Most Difficult Assignments will give readers a renewed sense of purpose and belief that God has an assignment for them, no matter how lofty or humble their positions in life. The word “warrior” is used as an acrostic to communicate key concepts, such as wealth, achievement and righteousness. Particularly noteworthy is Jackson’s focus on gaining wealth as a means of spreading the gospel, not of lavishing “stuff” on oneself. This is a refreshing book, as Jackson reveals some of his own shortcomings as well as reviews numerous common-sense ways to develop your spiritual life to better answer God’s call.
Ken Walker

A Place for Skeptics
By Scott Larson and Chris Mitchell, Regal, hardcover,
144 pages, $14.99

If you’ve ever questioned, doubted or quietly wrestled with issues related to faith, you are not alone. In A Place for Skeptics: A Spiritual Journey for Those Who Have Given Up on Church but Not on God, Scott Larson, founder of a faith-based program for troubled youth, and Chris Mitchell, a pastor in New England, take a fresh look at the fundamentals of the Christian faith. They apply an innovative format, using the Apostles’ Creed as the backdrop of this 30-day devotional. Each short chapter addresses honest questions about faith, including “Where is God when I feel lonely?”; “Is heaven as boring as it sounds?”; and “Will life ever be the way it’s supposed to be?” The answers are filled with personal stories and core biblical truths presented in a conversational tone. This book is simple without being shallow and provides a great launching pad for further discussion with anyone exploring the Christian faith.
MARGARET FEINBERG

When God Speaks
By Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner
Sytsema, Regal, softcover, 128 pages, $9.99.

Chuck Pierce’s life calling has been to mobilize people to pray, but he’s also a teacher and author. His new book tackles the many facets of personal prophecy. It makes for good Bible study material, with its dissection of Hebrew and Greek words, stipulations for what a prophecy from God should be, and guidelines on how to maximize one’s response to a prophetic word. Most of the illustrations are from Scripture, but Pierce has created a fun read by interspersing not only personal experiences but also stories of life-changing prophecies. Pierce is president of Glory of Zion International Ministries and vice president of Peter Wagner’s Global Harvest Ministries. He also coordinates prayer for major spiritual events and gatherings around the world.
MARSHA GALLARDO

The 7 Love Agreements
By Douglas Weiss, Ph.D.; Siloam; hardcover;
224 pages; $15.99.

Counselor Douglas Weiss, Ph.D., reveals a strategy that has the potential to change marriages for newlyweds or mature couples. He encourages spouses to make individual “love agreements,” meant to promote good behaviors and-with consistency over time-improve the marriage. Subtitled Decisions You Can Make on Your Own to Strengthen Your Marriage, the book offers general areas to consider when making love agreements-faithfulness, patience, forgiveness, service, respect, kindness and celebration. Rather than taking on every problem at once, Weiss asks the spouse to choose one issue to tackle and keep track of the results. Weiss’ clear, practical advice will not seem out of reach even for spouses in troubled marriages, especially considering that one spouse can get started even if the other is uncooperative. Designed to encourage interaction, The 7 Love Agreements includes prayers, spoken agreements and goal-setting exercises.

CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON

MUSIC

All I Really Want for Christmas
By Steven Curtis Chapman, Sparrow Records.

Adoption is a theme on this second Christmas offering of his career from Steven Curtis Chapman. The Chapmans’ first adopted daughter, Shaohannah Hope, opens the album, reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke. The title song paints a tale of an orphan boy who asks Santa for a Christmas wish: “All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in.” The album also introduces several other originals, such as the ballad “The Night Before Christmas,” contemporary “The Miracle of Christmas” and revamped “Angels From the Realms of Glory.” Chapman delivers another enjoyable and fun holiday listen.
DEWAYNE HAMBY

Yuletide Joy
By Sandi Patty, INO Records.

Yuletide Joy showcases Sandi Patty’s immense vocal range and grand personality. She sets the tone for the holiday season with an opening medley: “Sing a Song of Gladness” and hit song “Worship the King.” The Christmas worship continues with “O Magnify the Lord/Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Worthy/Hallelujah.” “Jingle Bells à la Sandra” runs the gamut of Patty’s vocal talent and sense of humor. Chuckles will occur as Patty interjects comments, sings opera-style with a German accent, and offers a tribute to the Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga.” This lighthearted moment only adds to the album’s overall message of celebrating and worshiping Jesus.
LEIGH DEVORE

God He Reigns
By Hillsong Church, Integrity Music.

Recorded live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre with more than 10,000 in attendance, this new album offers a fresh round of worship cuts from some of Australia’s best songwriters, including Darlene Zschech, Joel Houston and Reuben Morgan. The album opens with the soft, inspirational “Let Creation Sing,” a reminder that as part of God’s creation we were designed to worship Him. Other standout songs on the album include the slow, tender “Saviour” and the punchier, chorus-driven “Wonderful God,” as well as the powerhouse title song, “God He Reigns.” A 96-minute DVD is also available and features the full worship event as well as behind-the scenes commentary, guitar workshops and lots of extras. Whether you choose the CD or DVD, you’ll find God He Reigns to be a solid new offering from some of Hillsong’s finest.
MARGARET FEINBERG

Nothing Is Sound
By Switchfoot, EMI CMG.

San Diego alt-rockers Switchfoot are back with a fifth record, and it’s riding a wave of appeal similar to the one started by the band’s 2003 multi-hit CD, The Beautiful Letdown. It sold 2.5 million and broke these surfing-loving guys out of the Christian genre pack. Nothing Is Sound debuted in September at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. Frontman and guitarist Jon Foreman continues to drive the vocal end for the five members, who include brother Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keys) and Andrew Shirley (guitar). The band returns with its signature sound-a framework of melodic yet stick-to-your bones rock welded to a wall of monster sound with emotive chorus hooks. While Nothing Is Sound is meant in part to echo the cry of Ecclesiastes that everything in life is “unsound” except God, it nonetheless offers plenty of sound music. If you liked Letdown you won’t be let down by this one.
Jimmy Stewart

Surrender
By Jeff Deyo, Gotee Records.

Since his departure from Sonicflood, Jeff Deyo has become one of the leading voices in modern praise and worship music. His latest release, Surrender, was recorded live in New Zealand during this year’s Parachute Conference and is a
collection of new and previously recorded songs. Deyo’s penchant for creating fresh arrangements of popular worship songs continues with his rocked-out version of “We Are Hungry”-recorded on Passion’s 2000 release The Road to OneDay-and Paul Oakley’s “Be Lifted Up.” Favorites such as “You Are Good” and “Let It Flow” have been added as well, bringing some familiarity to the album. As Deyo’s anthems of devotion continue to draw listeners, it will only be a matter of time before we’re all singing “Jesus, I Surrender.”
PAUL NORRIS

A Collision
By David Crowder Band, Sixsteps Records.

Collision is David Crowder’s second CD release of this year. But that’s a good thing. It means more songs by this eclectic and original singer-songwriter-musician. Crowder has gained a following as a worship artist (and solid live performer). His current single, “Here Is Our King,” previously released in a live version, exemplifies his strong inspirational side, known for igniting Passion festivals with song. Yet, in reaching beyond “worship music,” Crowder has sown Collision with an element of surprise. You never know what’s coming next-rootsy Americana, scatchy rock ‘n’ worship, or something else altogether. Crowder transitions easily between moods, being quirky-campy at one moment (“The Conversation” or “I Saw the Light,” recorded with Marty Stuart) or vulnerably heart-moving the next (“Come and Listen”). As he likes to say: “When our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision.” It’s a hook-up that also makes for some cool music.
Jimmy Stewart

Narnia Resources

Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia
By various artists, EMI CMG.

The Roar of Love
By The 2nd Chapter of Acts, Sparrow.

Each artist on EMI CMG’s Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia offers an original song. Included are Jars of Clay, Rebecca St. James, Delirious, TobyMac, Nichole Nordeman and others. Also on CD from Sparrow is The Roar of Love. This 1980 album of 14 original songs by The 2nd Chapter of Acts features Phil Keaggy on guitar and Michael Omartian on keyboards.

Beyond the Wardrobe
E.J. Kirk, HarperCollins, softcover,
128 pages, $19.99.

This beautiful book is the official guide to Narnia. Readers will discover C.S. Lewis, Narnia’s historical and mythical origins, its important locations and their significance, and more. The photos from Lewis’ life and the live-action film are sure to make the tale come alive.

The World According to Narnia
By Jonathan Rogers, Warner Faith,
softcover, 208 pages, $14.99.

Jonathan Rogers, who has a Ph.D. in 17th century British literature, writes that one of the “delicious ironies of Narnia is the fact that Lewis so carefully constructs a world of metaphor in order to insist that the God of the Bible is not a mere metaphor.” Rogers guides readers into deciphering the Christian meaning in this classic allegory.

NEW ON DVD

Ben-Hur Collector’s Edition
Warner Home
Video
$39.92

Get ready for an astounding 768 minutes of all things Ben-Hur. This four-disc collector’s edition includes the original 65mm film remastered with Dolby Digital audio, commentaries, documentaries, the 1925 silent version, outtakes, Bible study guide and more. Experience again this award-winning epic film demonstrating the redemption of Jesus Christ.

The Sound of Music
40th Anniversary Edition
Twentieth
Century
Fox
$26.98

Embrace the Austrian von Trapp family in a new way with this two-disc set. Many surprises are included in this anniversary collection, including several “fireside” chats with stars Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and all seven von Trapp “children.” Forty years later the hills are still alive with The Sound of Music.

Highway to Heaven
A&E
$59.95

Fans of this 1980s hit TV show can now enjoy the second season on DVD. The six-disc set includes all 24 episodes, plus commentary from Michael Landon’s widow, Cindy. Highway to Heaven paved the way for current spiritual favorites such as 7th Heaven and Touched by an Angel. Enjoy again this inspiring series.

Zambian pastor Nevers Mumba believes Christians will lead a ‘wind’ of political change that is coming to Africa
Although Nevers Mumba is running for president in 2006, Zambia’s leading newspaper, The Post, still calls him “Pastor Mumba.” It’s a title not easily shaken from the man who launched Zambia’s first Christian television ministry in the early 1990s called Zambia Shall Be Saved.

After Mumba completed a two-year program at Christ for the Nations in 1982, he returned to Zambia, founded 42 churches and launched a TV ministry that draws 2.5 million viewers each week.

African citizens weren’t the only ones watching TV; Zambian politicians began calling Mumba for counsel and prayer.

Although Mumba was content to be Zambia’s pastor, he said two prophetic encounters changed the course of his life.

During a visit to Virginia Beach, Va., to appear on The 700 Club, he received a call from someone wanting to speak with him. The young man was African evangelist Christopher Alam, who told Mumba, “The Lord is going to use you in the political process in your country.”

“At that time I had no thought of becoming involved in politics,” Mumba told Charisma, “and my theology totally contradicted his prophecy.”

Mumba put the prophecy aside and returned to preaching. But a year and a half later, while Mumba was preaching in Canada, a South African preacher asked to meet him for lunch. The two ministers had never met before, and when they sat down to eat in a restaurant, the preacher told Mumba that God would “bring His word to pass, and you shall be in political leadership in your nation.”

Mumba never saw the minister again. But within five years he handed over his TV ministry to an associate and formed an organization now called National Citizens Coalition, which gave him a platform to run for president in 2001.

Mumba lost that election but remained in politics, focusing most of his work on outreach to the poor, orphaned and uneducated. This humanitarian work coupled with his stand against political corruption motivated Zambia’s current president, Levy Mwanawasa, to appoint Mumba as his vice president in May 2003.

Mumba’s popularity increased, and within a year and a half he surpassed Mwanawasa in Zambian opinion polls by 65 percent. While Mwanawasa was traveling internationally, Mumba exposed political corruption that was going on between Congo and Zambia. As a result, Mwanawasa dismissed him as vice president.

Despite this rocky beginning in politics, Mumba announced in March that he planned to run for the presidency as Mwanawasa’s opponent in the 2006 elections. Afterward, Mwanawasa suspended Mumba from his leadership role in the National Executive Committee of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) Party.

In April, another opinion poll showed Mumba leading Mwanawasa by a large margin. Mumba hoped to be elected as presidential candidate for the MMD Party at the convention scheduled for May 4-8.

However, President Mwanawasa postponed the May convention and then expelled Mumba from MMD Party membership, erasing all possibility of Mumba running for president under that party. Mumba’s supports planned to form a new party that will give him a platform to run.

Despite the setbacks, Mumba is not deterred. “I’m convinced once we achieve our goal in Zambia, there will be a domino effect,” Mumba said. “Men of integrity and morality will rise up to take positions of political leadership in countries across … Africa. There is a wind of change, and the church is going to lead this new change that is coming on this continent.”
C. Hope Flinchbaugh

Ministers in the Emerald Isle say the ‘wind of Pentecost’ is starting to blow in the nation’s second largest city
Church leaders in the second-largest city in Ireland, which has a minute number of Christians, say “God is moving” in Cork City, with many accepting Christ and being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Located on the southwest coast of Ireland, Cork is home to 123,000 people, with a college student population of more than 25,000. However, local Protestant leaders estimate only about 2,000 people belong to an evangelical church. In addition, the area is plagued with alcoholism-among the highest rates in the world-as well as depression, suicide and domestic abuse.

“Cork is a very dark city,” said Nick Cassidy, pastor of Donnybrook Pentecostal Church, which is located in the heart of Cork. “It’s full of alcoholism and false religion. Less than one quarter of 1 percent of the Republic of Ireland claim to be born again. We have never seen Pentecost come to this country, not in its real form, but the wind is starting to blow.”

Cassidy, 38, has witnessed it firsthand. He pioneered the church more than 10 years ago with a handful of adults and three children. Today, Donnybrook (www.cork church.com) is a congregation of about 400 people, comprised of 20 nationalities due to Cork’s large influx of foreign workers.

Located in the middle of the city’s notorious “red light district,” the church is referred to by locals as the “Holy Ground” of Cork, Cassidy noted.

“But since the church has taken up residence here, it is truly becoming holy ground,” explained Cassidy, noting that 100 people received Christ this summer during one-on-one street evangelism. “Every week we see souls come to Christ and people filled with the Holy Spirit. We have seen prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, suicidal people, people suffering from depression, and people who were sexually abused by clerics become born again and set free from their suffering.”

Keith Cullen, 29, accepted Christ this spring after he started attending Donnybrook. “Before that my life had been a bad one,” he told Charisma. “I started drinking when I was 13. At 17, I started getting into trouble because of my drinking. In the last five years, I have seen nine friends and two cousins die of suicide.

“Now that I have been saved, I no longer drink and have peace of mind and love towards people,” Cullen added.

Tony Kirby, 33, also became a Christian while attending Donnybrook earlier this year. Like Cullen, Kirby had an alcoholic background.

“When I came to church, I met some of the nicest people on earth,” Kirby said. “After attending the church for a few weeks, my life changed totally. I stopped drinking, cursing and my way of living got better. I gave myself to the Lord.”

An Assemblies of God (AG) minister in the United States for 15 years, John Bailey, 42, and his family moved to Cork earlier this year to become the only AG missionaries in this region of Ireland. Ironically, Bailey’s family immigrated to the United States from Ireland during the Potato Famine.

Today he works with Donnybrook and other area churches, and he said the spiritual landscape of Ireland has changed in the last few years, with many small churches springing up all over the nation.

“At Donnybrook, as well as in many churches across Ireland, there is a pure river of God flowing,” said Bailey, noting that on Monday nights, a group of about 70 adults pray for Cork as well as for revival in Ireland. “I truly believe that Ireland is one of those places that God has on His spiritual map. Darkness has prevailed here for many years, but there is a time of refreshing and spiritual life coming to the Emerald Isle.”
Eric Tiansay

Prominent charismatic leaders seek to raise awareness about the importance of the Ten Commandments
Fueled by the recent Supreme Court decision that barred the display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses, a commission has been formed with a mission to bring the Decalogue back to the conscience of America.

The Ten Commandments Commission, formed the day after the June 27 ruling, was launched with a threefold purpose, said commission chairman Myles Munroe.

“We want to restore the values of the principles contained in these commandments back to our postmodern society; replace the Ten Commandments back to the consciousness of society; and challenge the powers that be to reconsider the decisions being made,” said Munroe, a best-selling author and pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, one of the largest churches in the Caribbean.

The commission was launched at the International Charismatic Bible Ministries convention in Tulsa, Okla., where Munroe urged fellow Christian leaders to join his efforts, and where Roni Wexler, commission president and CEO, unveiled the commission’s Ten Commandments pin (www.tencommandmentspin.com).

Munroe says the pin, which displays the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, was designed to make a statement: that “collectively, we can make a difference.”

“Democracy works on numbers, and we believe that there are a lot more people who are for the Ten Commandments than against them,” Munroe said. “We want to rally millions of people to not only take a stand but to do it in a unified way.”

“The slogan here is, ‘If we can’t wear it in public and on buildings, we can wear it on the building of God, which is our bodies,'” Wexler added.

The commission hopes to educate the charismatic community by “getting people to understand what we are standing against and identify themselves with a symbol,” Wexler said. That symbol is the Ten Commandments pin.

Washington, D.C-based motivational speaker Charles Phillips says the battle is not only against ignorance, but also darkness. “I think that this movement through the Supreme Court was not just to take away the Ten Commandments from … public places,” said Phillips, the commission’s spokesman. “I think it’s also a part of the devil’s strategy to remove God from the consciousness of people.”

Phillips said the group’s efforts are not politically motivated. “Right now we’re just trying to make a statement,” he said. “We’re simply emphasizing the fact that we can display the Word of God, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Mark J. Chironna, commission board member, hopes to see a renewed appreciation for the values embodied by the Ten Commandments. “Those values have to be once again appreciated and understood for a generation that has really been so numbed by situational ethics,” he said. “History proves that when nations do not embrace those kinds of values, they end up being destroyed. If we ignore God, we ignore Him to our own detriment.”

Chironna, pastor of The Master’s Touch International Church in Orlando, Fla., says his church plans to be a part of The Ten Commandments Day, which the commission has declared for Feb. 5.

“I feel that every pastor everywhere on that day should include in their sermon the message of the Ten Commandments, which is bringing the Word of God back to the nations,” Wexler said.

America cannot afford to ignore this discussion, explained Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in constitutional law. “I think the idea of getting the Ten Commandments out of the context of a painting on the wall, into the reality of what the Ten Commandments stand for is important,” said Sekulow, whose firm has defended more Ten Commandment cases than any other in the country.

“We need to come together on this,” Wexler stressed. “So it’s Jew and Gentile, black and white. It’s everybody coming together, holding hands and saying enough is enough.”
Suzy Richardson

Observers say Sight & Sound Theatre reaches people who might never step foot in a church
What started with a slide projector, screen, turntable and microphone has become the leading faith-based theater in the nation, attracting some 800,000 patrons a year.

Glenn Eshelman, founder of Sight & Sound Theatres in Lancaster County, Pa., said he and his wife, Shirley, stepped out in faith 30 years ago with their first production, The Wonder of It All.

Today he says that title has become a fitting way to describe the ministry’s growth and popularity. “What you see in the natural absolutely should not be,” said Eshelman, a former dairy farmer and Church of the Brethren minister. “It is a miracle.”

Sight & Sound’s Millennium Theatre, nestled in Lancaster County’s Amish farm country, is considered the largest faith-based live theatre in the U.S. Some even refer to it as “the Christian Broadway.” To Eshelman, it’s a way to reach people who might never sit through a traditional sermon.

Ruth was on stage at the Millennium through Oct. 22. Complete with a 68-member cast and more than 35 animals, the show carried the audience through Ruth and Naomi’s tumultuous journey of faith, love, loss and redemption. The gleaning fields of Boaz came to life on a 300-foot, wraparound stage illuminated by the largest moving light system on the East Coast.

“There is a strong need in the world today for this type of a ministry,” Eshelman said. “For too long, the world has looked at Christian drama as bathrobes and half-cut wigs. Why should it not be equal to that of Broadway, equal to that in Las Vegas.”

Sight & Sound Theatres, which includes the more intimate, 643-seat Living Waters Theatre also in Lancaster County, uses innovative production technology while remaining faithful to its mission. Patrons return year after year for more.

Lancaster County resident Beth Fisher said she has visited Millennium Theatre dozens of times. “The message is the draw,” she said. “I love how they represent the Bible so well. [The stories] are not stretched out of proportion.”

Though it isn’t a traveling theater, Sight & Sound has reached theatergoers outside the U.S. “Delegations from China have visited the Millennium Theatre in hopes of taking Noah the Musical to the Olympics to represent Christianity amongst the other religions,” Eshelman said. “Impossible logistics deterred it from taking place.”

The theater has also helped ministries from within the U.S. develop their drama departments. “Churches are doing [theatre] with excellence, not to compete with the world, but so that it would be intriguing for the world to come in and say, ‘Let me see,'” said producing director Earl Grove. “We’re just doing it in the culture in the way that the culture can understand it.”

Area ministers agree that Sight & Sound is an effective evangelism tool. “Many people that won’t come to a church will come to a theatre,” said Tommy Stoudt Jr., pastor of Victory Church in Lancaster. “They play a critical role in reaching people.”

“The Bible speaks that the body has many members,” Eshelman said. “I feel like we are an arm or member of the body of the church that presents the gospel in this fashion. [It is] all part of God’s final program here to bring in the final harvest.”
Psalms of David is on stage at the Living Waters Theater through December. Noah the Musical is to open in a Branson, Mo., Sight & Sound Theatre in June 2008.
Paula Hornberger in Lancaster County, Pa.

Charismatic attorney David French fights for religious rights as president of secular civil liberties organization
When the new school year started, ReJOYce in Jesus Campus Fellowship hoped to again attract up to two dozen students to its weekly Bible study meetings.

Affiliated with a charismatic church in Los Angeles, the group spent most of the 2004-05 academic year fighting for official recognition after running afoul of the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s (MSE) anti-discrimination policies.

The school yielded in April after intervention by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a Philadelphia-based organization that publicizes campus First Amendment violations.

“We’re happy we don’t have to have this problem again,” said ReJOYce chapter adviser Daphne Wilson. “We just want to continue to do the Lord’s work, have our meetings open to everyone and be there to help them and spread the gospel.”

The conflict in Milwaukee is only one of numerous battles FIRE pursued in the last year. Among others:

As battles over stem-cell research rage, pro-life couples are calling the adoption method a ‘noble’ choice
As the battle over federal funding for stem-cell research intensifies, some Christians are using leftover embryos for what they say is a more noble cause.

Adoption of embryos-the earliest stage of fetal development-from people who have gone through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and have spare embryos is now a popular choice for infertile couples who believe in the sanctity of life and want to experience the joys of pregnancy.

Doni and Jim Brinkman of Phoenix had their son Tanner after adopting an embryo through Snowflakes, a branch of Nightlight Christian Adoptions agency, located in Fullerton, Calif. “I always wanted a big family, so when we discovered Jim was infertile in 1996, we were devastated,” Doni Brinkman said. “We dabbled with different options, but when I heard about embryo adoption on Focus on the Family in 1999, it seemed like the perfect thing for me to do.”

The process involves adopting several embryos and implanting two or three at a time in a woman’s womb. After completing a home study with Snowflakes, the Brinkmans adopted 11 embryos in February 2000. Doni started carrying two embryos that August but lost one after seven weeks. In May 2001, she gave birth to Tanner, a mischievous redhead with brilliant blue eyes.

“There are no words to describe the miracle that he is, even down to his hair color,” Doni Brinkman said. “I always dreamed of having a redhead, but it seemed impossible because I’m very dark-haired and so is my husband.”

Doni lost the other nine embryos after three successive tries. Still determined to have a large family, the Brinkmans tried traditional adoption. The first two times the birth mothers backed out, but the third time the couple experienced a “second miracle,” when their son Ty Jordan joined the family.

Snowflakes program director Lori Maze said Nightlight started embryonic adoptions in 1997 when the agency’s Christian owner recognized that couples with extra embryos from IVF treatments had two options: stem-cell research or thawing.

“We’ve learned by listening to clients that families who see life as sacred and have extra embryos feel guilty and/or responsible, while those who don’t see embryos as life [at that point] still want to help another couple start a family,” Maze said.

Snowflakes charges $6,600 for embryo adoption and implantation. Shipping and blood work is extra. Since 1997, roughly 151 families have adopted embryos through Snowflakes; 88 babies have been born and 11 more are on the way. Maze said the live birth rate of implanted embryos adopted through Snowflakes is 37 percent.

Although half of all American fertility clinics allow their clients to donate their embryos to other couples, only a handful of adoption agencies give clients the option of adopting an embryo. There are no adoption laws in place yet for embryos, but the agencies that do it have legal papers drawn up for the transfer of ownership. Donors and adoptive parents have three choices-anonymous donation, anonymous adoption and known adoption, in which both sides meet each other.

Diahn Oakley, public relations manager for the National Embryo Adoption Center in Knoxville, Tenn., said the center suggests that donors and adopting families live at least 500 miles apart. “If they live in the same town, a donor might think a child they see on the sidewalk looks like them and wonder if he came from one of their embryos a few years earlier.”

The center, located within Knoxville Baptist Hospital for Women, started in May 2004 through federal funding and donations from the Christian Medical Association. Clients have come from 48 states and four countries to the one-stop shop, where couples can fill out the paperwork and have their embryo transfers done on-site by a fertility specialist. The package, including studies and legal documents drawn up by an outside adoption agency, costs $5,000.

Bonnie Bernard, a professional counselor and executive director of Embryos Alive, an embryo adoption program in Cincinnati, said emotional attachment to the embryos can happen the same way it does with traditional adoptions. “So far, we’ve only had one couple who have chosen to re-adopt their embryos,” Bernard said.

According to the latest statistics available from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, in April 2002 there were 400,000 frozen embryos in fertility clinics across the U.S.-9,250, or 2 percent of them, were available for donation or adoption.
Josie Newman

Christian Teachers Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Three Christian women in Indonesia were sentenced Sept. 1 to three years in prison for allowing Muslim children to attend a Christian Sunday school program, Compass Direct reported. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun were found guilty of attempting to convert children under the Child Protection Act of 2002. Jeff Hammond of Bless Indonesia Today said the women asked the children to get permission from their parents before attending the program, and those without permission were asked to go home. The Sunday school teachers were not given the maximum sentence of five years in prison but said they were devastated by the prospect of being separated from their students, who range in age from 6 to 19, Compass said.

International Church in Vietnam Shut Down

Local authorities shut down a 500-member international church in Vietnam Aug. 27, Compass Direct reported. Eric Dooley, pastor of New Life Fellowship, had sought a permit to meet since it was founded in 1997. Dooley said District 5 police ordered the church to close because it had no permit-though the government has repeatedly ignored the church’s efforts to get permission to worship. On Aug. 28, the Sunday after the church was closed, Dooley stood outside the hotel where the church has been worshiping to inform those showing up that they would not be able to meet. Church leaders hope the action does not represent an effort by the national government to harass the church, Compass said.

Chinese Christian Denied Asylum in U.S.

In August, Xiaodong Li was denied asylum in the U.S. because he was a member of an “illegal” house church, Assist News Service ANS) reported. Li, who is receiving assistance from Virginia-based Christian Freedom International (CFI), fled to the U.S. after police raided his apartment in Ningbo, China. CFI said Li was punched, kicked and shocked with electric batons until he “confessed” to organizing “unauthorized” Christian house-church meetings. The 11-member Board of Immigration Appeals determined that Li fled China because he feared legal action, not persecution, ANS reported. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the board’s decision and denied Li asylum. CFI said the ruling will make it hard for others who face religious persecution to find refuge in the U.S. “America was founded by men and women fleeing religious persecution,” CFI said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that a group of unelected officials … have lost sight of this.” The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian law firm that specializes in religious liberty issues, has taken over as Li’s lead counsel.

Diane Bickle contributes all the profit from her Glad Heart Realty to the International House of Prayer
Diane Bickle, wife of International House of Prayer (IHOP) founder Mike Bickle, started a real estate company in 2001 that is a model for effective marketplace ministry. “God told me to do it,” she said. “When God speaks, you don’t know why, you just do it.”

When she heard that still, small voice, Bickle was working for a real estate company while serving as co-pastor of a 3,000-member church in south Kansas City, Mo. She started working in real estate in 1997 for the broker of a small company. “I was in real estate previously, but it was a switch to start my own company.”

The start of Glad Heart Realty coincided with the launch of the IHOP ministry, which facilitates 24-hour prayer and worship. “People were moving here to be a part of the ministry,” she said. “As the CEO, I could set up the company to facilitate and serve the ministry.”

The connection between IHOP and Glad Heart Realty shows in the prayer meetings that the staff have weekly and their commitment to fast for the first three days of every month. “The House of Prayer has prayer for us on a daily basis,” she said. “I have a prayer meeting with the agents once a week. We pray for our clients, for their health, finances and communication, and we pray for one another.”

In the last five years, 17 people have joined her staff. They are all Christians with a heart to reach the city. “We’re making an impact on the community,” Bickle said. “It’s not uncommon for us to lead clients to the Lord. We’re a presence of light and salt as we move into the community.”

Glad Heart Realty owns the building it’s housed in. The 50,000-square-foot shopping center includes IHOP, a food pantry, a child care center, a coffee shop, a bookstore and an international missions center.

Glad Heart contributes all its corporate profits to IHOP. “After the agents and the bills are paid, everything goes to the International House of Prayer,” Bickle said. “We’ve contributed tens of thousands every year. An example is the first year we were in business, we installed stucco on the outside of the shopping center.”

The agents are actively involved with IHOP, and Bickle leads a prayer meeting every Wednesday at 6 a.m. for professionals who want to reach the marketplace. She also has the freedom to pray in the Healing Room for two hours every Thursday.

Bob Frasier, founder of the Joseph Company, said he asked Bickle to lead the prayer meeting. “Diane is an example of where God is leading many business people, to make Jesus the center of their pursuit and prayer as their chief methodology,” he said.

Glad Heart client Cindy Dodd said Bickle’s faith-based business approach set her apart from other real estate companies. “When Diane came to look at our house, she said we had three strikes against us but because of our motive for selling the house, she believed God would move on our behalf,” said Dodd, who wanted to sell her 3,800-square-foot home because of the time it took to care for it.

“The first person who looked at our house decided to buy it,” she said. “I was so glad to have a real estate agent who trusts God.”

Since Glad Heart opened its doors in 2001, Bickle says there has been an impact on the community. “Property values have risen around the shopping center because of the quality of residents moving in who are joining IHOP,” she said.

IHOP also has purchased two apartment complexes near the shopping center. The complexes are full of hundreds of students attending IHOP’s ministry-training center.

Bickle said she drew the name of her company from Scripture. “Hebrews 1:9 says Jesus was the gladdest person who lived,” she said. “This truth that Jesus is kind and happy about people has really impacted me. I decided this would be the personality of this business. I wanted Glad Heart Realty to reflect the gladness Jesus has when He reaches people.”

The name piques people’s curiosity and sets the tone for the working relationship with clients. “All of the agents have a reputation for honesty and hard work,” Bickle said. “Our clients and other real estate companies know that we are different.”

What’s the next step for Glad Heart Realty? “I’m praying for wisdom and expecting miracles in my business,” Bickle said. “I’m expecting that we are going to lay hands on the sick and they will be healed. It’s about the harvest, that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Leilani Haywood in Kansas City, Mo.