Ted haggard considers Senate Run
Ted Haggard, senior pastor of 11,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said he would consider a run for Congress in 2006 if Republican Rep. Joel Hefley retired and he couldn’t comfortably support another candidate, the Associated Press (AP) reported. “I love this region of the country, and the people here need to be represented the way Joel has represented us,” Haggard, 49, said. But he said he is not itching for a new job. “Colorado Springs is used to me being a pastor, and I am very comfortable in the role I currently fill,” he told the AP. “I am not restless.”

Christian Films Win Awards
George W. Bush: Faith in the White House received three of the highest awards offered by the International Christian Visual Media Association, which recognizes TV shows and films that present family values. The documentary, produced by Grizzly Adams Productions, received Crown Gold Awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Documentary over $50,000. Meanwhile, a seven-minute documentary about Rachel Scott, who was murdered during the Columbine High School shootings, received the grand prize in the Tribeca Film Festival’s Short Film Competition. Jon Lindgren, who runs ViaMedia in Midland, Texas, was awarded the $50,000 prize for Rachel’s Challenge based on an Internet audience vote. Lindgren’s upcoming projects include a documentary about contemporary Christian martyrs.

Taizé founder stabbed at prayer service
Brother Roger, the 90-year-old founder of the French religious TaizÈ Community, was stabbed and killed by a mentally disturbed person during evening prayers Aug. 16, members of his community told Agence France Presse (AFP). At press time, police had detained a 36-year-old Romanian woman as a suspect. The TaizÈ movement started during World War II, when Swiss-born monk Roger Schutz, living in TaizÈ, located near Cluny, in the eastern Burgundy region, provided a refuge for those fleeing the conflict, regardless of their religion, AFP said. Roger, a Protestant with a degree in theology, was committed to seeing reconciliation between Christian groups.

Florida pastor settles Lawsuits
Pastor Clint Brown and his 6,000-member FaithWorld church in Orlando, Fla., have settled two lawsuits filed by a former member and a prominent Denver pastor, the Orlando Sentinel reported. On June 15 the ministry reached an agreement with former member Deborah Mitchell, who claimed the 42-year-old pastor refused to repay a $200,000 loan. On June 22, church attorneys “amicably resolved” a similar lawsuit in which Bishop Dennis Leonard charged that Brown hadn’t repaid a $100,000 loan from his Heritage Christian Center. Meanwhile, Florida minister Clark Whitten has resigned as senior pastor of Calvary Assembly in suburban Orlando. During his 10-year tenure, Whitten, 55, helped the 2,200-member church eliminate an $11 million debt on its facility, which is one of the largest structures in the Assemblies of God. Whitten plans to write and speak, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Lutheran Church Votes Down Gay Clergy Proposal
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) rejected a proposal Aug. 12 that would have allowed homosexuals to serve as clergy in certain situations, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The proposal, which was rejected in a 503-490 vote, would have retained the churchís ban on ordaining sexually active homosexuals but allowed exceptions for candidates in long-term relationships. The ECLA, which represents some 4.9 million members, also upheld a 1993 statement that bans blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Despite the statementís prohibitions, it is generally acknowledged that some Lutheran pastors have been presiding at such ceremonies without consequence for years, the AP said.

Chinese House Church Pioneer Dies
Chinese house-church leader Allen Yuan died Aug. 16 in a Beijing hospital. He was 91. Yuan was one of 11 preachers, including Watchman Nee and Wang Ming Dao, who refused to join the Three Self Patriotic Movement after Mao Tse-Tungís communist rule began in 1949, Open Doors reported. In 1958, Yuan was arrested because of his “counter-revolutionary” faith and sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. But due to policy changes over the next few decades, Yuan was released in 1979. As recently as 2003 Yuan was baptizing 300 new converts each year. He is survived by his wife and six children. His second son, Yuan Fu Sing, continues to lead his church.

Habitat for Humanity Names New CEO
Jonathan T. Reckford has been named head of Habitat for Humanity. The 42-year-old is a former executive pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minn., and previously served as president of stores for the Musicland division of Best Buy. Reckfordís appointment comes six months after the nonprofit home-building organization’s founder and CEO, Millard Fuller, was fired in the wake of a sexual harassment investigation. The board found “insufficient proof of inappropriate conduct,” according to a January statement from the organization, but fired Fuller because he made comments the board considered critical despite an agreement he made to keep quiet.

Investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell says he saw God’s hand at work when 1960s murder cases were reopened

The reporter whose work has led to convictions in several civil rights killings said his main motivation is a biblical sense of justice.

Jerry Mitchell of the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger has been credited with reviving a string of civil rights-era cases, prompting lawmen and prosecutors to bring them back to trial.

Those trials have resulted in the conviction this year of Edgar Ray Killen in connection with the 1964 murders of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner; the 1998 conviction of Sam Bowers for the 1966 killing of Vernon Dahmer; and the 1994 conviction of Byron de la Beckwith for the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers.

“As a matter of faith I feel like God’s hand has been involved in these cases,” said Mitchell, 46, who has written a number of devotionals in addition to his award-winning newspaper articles.

The son of a former preacher, Mitchell was born in Missouri, raised in Texarkana, Texas, and was working as a reporter in Mississippi when he saw the movie Mississippi Burning in 1989. It opened his eyes to the South’s legacy of racism.

That same year he got to look at files from Mississippi’s long-secret Sovereignty Commission that documented state complicity in racist acts. And he reported on the 25th anniversary of the Goodman-Chaney-Schwerner murders. “It was kind of a perfect storm that took place in 1989,” Mitchell said.

He has no doubt that God brought it all together. “We don’t begin to understand how God works. His ways are so far above ours. What we have to do is try to get in tune with His will,” Mitchell said.

Some suspects in civil rights killings went to trial but got off with acquittals or hung juries even when guilt seemed apparent. Mitchell found evidence that the state secretly assisted in defending such suspects and that some lawmen lied under oath. Wanting to help redress such injustices, Mitchell began to investigate the Medgar Evers slaying in 1989. But there was little left to go on.

“There was no murder weapon, there was no transcript, no evidence, only a few pages in the court file,” Mitchell said. “But [widow] Myrlie Evers prayed, and amazing things happened.”

A few months after Mitchell began investigating, police ran across a bag of crime scene photos, including a fingerprint. Then Myrlie Evers found a transcript of the original trial. And prosecutor Bobby DeLaughter discovered the murder weapon among some old evidence. “If you wrote a novel and you put that in there, people would say, ‘No, that would never happen,'” Mitchell marvels.

He doesn’t mention his own dogged reporting—work that has been lauded by Newsweek, American Journalism Review and a host of other publications, and has brought him several distinguished awards and a Pulitzer nomination. An actor even played his part in the movie Ghosts of Mississippi, which is based on the Evers case.

Seldom explored in articles about Mitchell are his religious beliefs. “The way I view myself is [as] a disciple of Jesus,” he says simply.

His literary aspirations lean toward writing a discipleship manual and other Christian books. In recent years he’s even felt drawn to the ministry.

Mitchell has caught flak, even been threatened, for his work. The main charge is that he’s digging up a past that’s better left alone.

Mitchell doesn’t mind listening to—and answering—such critics. “As it says in the Psalms, God loves justice,” he said. “Justice is part of the nature of God. He’s a just God. He’s a merciful God, yes, but He’s a just God.”

Especially chilling are people like Beckwith and Killen, who call themselves Christian ministers. Mitchell recalls the night Beckwith told him that if he wrote negatively about white Christians, either God would punish him or “several individuals will do it for Him.”

Although Mitchell believes in the importance of securing justice, he also believes in the possibility of redemption. One of his favorite Psalms is chapter 51, “the idea of recognition of sin and being made white as snow,” he said.

“Some people have called these atonement cases,” Mitchell said. “I view these trials not only as atonement but as kind of redemptive.”
Ernest Herndon

SPOTLIGHT

Audio Adrenaline’s Mark Stuart is riding for a cause.

Audio Adrenaline frontman Mark Stuart spent two weeks in August riding his Victory motorcycle from Florida to California to raise money for the Hands and Feet Project, an orphanage his parents run in Haiti. “This is an opportunity for us as a band to put our money where our mouth is,” said Stuart, who’s been involved in ministry in Haiti since he was in the sixth grade. Stuart hopes the tour will help raise at least $80,000, which could build eight homes, and inspire Christian youth to reach outside their comfort zones to “be the hands and feet of Jesus.” At the end of the trip on Aug. 26, Stuart planned to auction his bike on eBay and give the proceeds to the ministry.
Adrienne S. Gaine

Prayer Point

This month marks the second annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, which organizers plan to hold on the first Sunday of October until Christ returns. In the wake of the Gaza resettlement, we are reminded of Psalm 122, which tells us to pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem. We encourage you to:

My Turn

Charisma’s 30th anniversary issue, (“Who Is the Holy Spirit?” August) was awesome! To be connected with the body of Christ through such a common denominator is truly amazing. Specifically, the article “Holy Spirit, Make Me Bold” by Wayde I. Goodall summed it all up because it took us from the early church experience to the filling of the Spirit—a gift that the article clearly states is available to us today.

What could we possibly accomplish that would benefit the kingdom of God, as well as our brothers and sisters, without the unction of the Holy Spirit? How effective would a car be if its navigation system didn’t work properly? The driver would be lost.

So it is with believers and the Holy Spirit. He is our resident guide. The entire magazine made it clear just how much we Christians need the Holy Spirit to fulfill our purpose so we can enjoy life the way God intended.
Leonie Chandersingh
Orlando, Florida

New Look, Same Message

Thank you for devoting so much of the redesigned August issue to God’s empowering Holy Spirit. It is His Spirit who can transform a Christian into a powerful servant of God. It is also the Spirit who gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding. That’s why He is called the Comforter.
Larry Higgins
Denver, Indiana

Although your 30th anniversary issue is much glossier, I have two concerns that surfaced after seeing it. Now that it is being sold on mainstream newsstands, will this limit the topics that need to be addressed? Second, will your editors be tempted to water down things that need to be said to the body of Christ but are not appropriate now that so many others are looking over your shoulder?

I have appreciated your integrity and passion in the past. But I fear this new paying audience will compromise your editor and other writers.
Rev. Rosie Farnsworth
Kingston, Washington

More and more Christian publications are looking like the celebrity tabloids we see in the grocery store checkout line. The photos and content all are focused on personalities, with just a few articles of real substance.

In these last days, much is at stake in the lives of your readers. Please don’t offer them just articles about personalities. We are drowning in personalities—even if they are “Spirit-filled”!

This is happening everywhere we turn, even in the church. We are drowning out the melody and watering down the new wine.
Dennis Wood
Palmyra, Pennsylvania

No More Pope Bashing

Your article about Pope John Paul II was a powerful witness to the things God can do with a surrendered heart and an openness to the Holy Spirit (“Vicar of the Spirit” by Stephen Mansfield, June). What puzzled me were the letters to the editor sent to discredit the pope. Is it so hard to believe that God will pour out His Spirit on all who call on Him, including Catholics?
Marianne Kluesener
Cincinnati, Ohio

I did not appreciate the anti-Catholic letters you published from readers. To give a platform for people to spread lies and misunderstandings about the Catholic Church serves no good purpose. Archbishop Fulton Sheen hit the nail on the head when he said: “There are not a hundred people in America that hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they think is the Catholic Church.”
Kim Parnis
Livonia, Michigan

I am responding to the letters from readers who accused Roman Catholics of being pagans, cultists and practitioners of witchcraft. It’s ironic that some Christians say the same thing about charismatics!

Regarding the question of whether the pope is born again, consider the fact that his daily devotion included the Apostle’s Creed. We could all benefit from daily declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord through His virgin birth, crucifixion, death, resurrection and imminent return.

There are many expressions of the Christian faith. But the universal church agrees on the foundational revelation that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. There are traditions even in independent charismatic churches that have no root in Scripture. But I will not judge them as unsaved simply because I disagree with their fringe beliefs.
Teri Hamrick
Marietta, Georgia

I was appalled by some of the readers’ responses about the Catholic Church. In some of their letters they described Catholics as pagans, witches and cult members. Give me a break!

The way you learn things is basically from other people. This includes religion. I appreciate your special June issue on the pope.
Tracy Kern
Cumming, Georgia

I have been impressed with the open-mindedness and acceptance that Charisma shows—especially with your issue about Pope John Paul II. Unfortunately when I received your anniversary issue—with many letters criticizing Catholics—I felt compelled not to read your magazine again.

Then I realized that if I stopped reading Charisma that would make me just like the judgmental readers who wrote to you to criticize the pope. So rather than debate the misrepresentation of the Catholic Church (in letters full of idiocy, inaccuracy and close-mindedness) I will suggest that your critics read the New Testament.

Jesus would not spew the hate that oozed from those letters in the August issue. Those who wrote those letters have a translation of Jesus’ message that is both frightening and sad.
Michelle M. Mead
Wappingers Falls, New York

Thumbs Down on Hollywood

In response to Leigh DeVore’s review of the movie Cinderella Man: Shame on Charisma for using space and ink to support Hollywood by suggesting that readers waste money on this film.

This film has violence and cursing. Why are we supporting Hollywood in the first place? And since when did Hollywood ever care about Christians?

Charisma ought to get a backbone and recommend to its readers that they should not be seeking entertainment from Hollywood unless another Chariots of Fire or The Passion of the Christ comes along.
Curt Vieselmeyer
Boise, Idaho

Thumbs Down on Book Reviews

I was extremely disappointed in Eric Wilbank’s review of Francis Frangipane’s new book This Day We Fight (Vibes, August). I couldn’t help but wonder if he actually read the book or perhaps just skimmed it.

In this age of terrorism, drugs, war and immorality, it is sometimes easy to become complacent in prayer. The needs of the world can seem overwhelming. But this book shows that we can make a difference.

This book is about fighting and not giving up. It’s a wake-up call. But it’s also about perfecting our faith and developing the character of Christ so we can move in supernatural power and do what otherwise would be impossible.
Terri Rowray
Robins, Iowa

Lost Integrity

Kudos to editor J. Lee Grady for addressing greed among ministers (“Charismatic Idols,” June). Has Charisma ever written about The Salvation Army? You’ll never find their ordained ministers wearing Rolexes or driving luxury cars. You’ll find them in inner cities across the nation dealing with people few others care about.
Shane Gilmore
via e-mail

Thank you for addressing the issue of greed and lack of accountability in our churches. I was in a church in California for 23 years where the pastor treated his congregation like children. He stopped having business meetings, and the deacons had no say about anything. This man was given a $1,500 monthly housing allowance, a credit card from the church and a $12,000 anniversary gift each year.

Churches are being ripped off. These types of leaders do not believe they will be punished.
name withheld
Fordyce, Arkansas

Lee Grady recently wrote about a Florida minister who is divorcing his wife and fighting with her over money. His article lacked the balance most reasonable Christians know is necessary in dealing with personal finance and accountability. It is embarrassing to your magazine that Grady has painted ministers with such a broad brush—as if to suggest that people in ministry should not be prosperous in everyday life.
Stephen Spillers
Atlanta, Georgia

Lee Grady declared the charismatic movement over in his August column. I agree that some charismatics have refused to mature and that some groups are approaching apostasy.

Charisma magazine should highlight some of the formerly independent charismatic groups that have adopted in recent years a more sound, biblical understanding. They still teach about the gifts of the Holy Spirit but they have embraced reformed theology.
Dan Becker
Alpharetta, Georgia

For and Against the War

We are losing the war in Iraq because some of God’s people are complaining about our president and the ongoing conflict. First Timothy 2:1-2 says prayer and intercession and giving thanks should be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

All I hear on the news is bad-mouthing against God’s elect. Let’s pray instead of complaining!
C.F. Polston
Darby, Montana

Tell me again how the Iraq war has made us safer from terrorism. Point out for me again how we’ve suffered no terrorist attacks since the day George W. Bush took the fight to the enemy.

You’ll have to speak up, though. It’s going to be hard to hear you over the explosions, sirens and wails of the maimed in London. Sooner or later it will be us again.
Leonard Pitts Jr.
via e-mail

Corrections:

In a July news story about Israel donating 35 acres to a group of evangelical leaders, Benjamin Netanyahu should have been identified as former prime minister. A caption in an August news story about Christian persecution in Sri Lanka misidentified pastor Shawn Turing as pastor Jebamoney Ratnam. Both men have endured attacks by Buddhist mobs. Charisma regrets the errors.

The Patriarchs
By Beth Moore, LifeWay Press,
softcover, 240 pages, $.

For all those gals out there who love Beth Moore’s Bible studies, you’re in for a treat with The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob study. The video production grows steadily better with the release of each study. This is also true for the cover and layout of the new workbook. A Leader Kit is available for $.

Moore herself is even funnier, well researched and more transparent about her own joys and struggles than ever. She unabashedly admits to loving women’s ministry and shares tidbits from letters of those who have been touched by the ministry and feel as if they know her. She reassures them that the feeling is mutual.

As always, Moore never sugarcoats lives of the people in Scripture and demonstrates how students can learn from their victories as well as their mistakes. She can demonstrate the meanings of the ancient Hebrew words and then turn around and bring the truth to bear upon the contemporary lives of women today. Her passion for God is absolutely contagious as she not only teaches but also imparts the fire of the Spirit to those who hunger for God’s Word.
Deborah L. Delk

BOOKS

Forgiving the Unforgivable
David Stoop, Regal Books, softcover, 160 pages, $.

“I think it’s about forgiveness, forgiveness” whispers a lyric in a popular song chorus—quite astute for a top 40 artist. Clinical psychologist David Stoop agrees, and in his book Forgiving the Unforgivable, he takes the workings of forgiveness and details with precision the benefits for all involved.

By providing a path to the end results of forgiveness (healing from hurts, freedom from captive thoughts and other crippling effects), Stoop provides a good reason to take the first step: the belief that God will bring relief and restoration. The root of bitterness assigns blame for unfortunate circumstances that inevitably come.

Forgiving the Unforgivable shows us how to get to that root and prevent others from gaining ground. As Christians, it is an absolute duty to forgive others and ourselves.
J. James Estrada

The Four Seasons of Marriage
By Gary Chapman, Tyndale House Publishers,
Hardcover, 206 pages, $.

Known for his best-selling book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman continues to help couples at various stages of marital relationships in The Four Seasons of Marriage: Which Season of Marriage Are You In? Building on the four decades of his own marriage and more than 30 years as a counselor, Chapman communicates principles to better any husband-wife relationship.

Seeing marriages as “perpetually in a state of transition,” Chapman describes the recurring stages of marriage metaphorically in terms of nature’s seasons, each of which has its own potential for health and happiness as well as challenges. Illustrating the seasons with examples from couples he has encountered, Chapman gives seven strategies to enhance each season, including dealing with past failures and discovering the joy of helping your spouse succeed, and sensitively answers tough questions in the book’s final section.

Although this book does not contain particularly original concepts, Chapman offers hope even when only one spouse is working on the marriage.
Christine D. Johnson

From Darkness to Light
By Jeff Harshbarger with Liz Harshbarger,
Bridge-Logos, softcover, 162 pages, $.

In From Darkness to Light: How to Rescue Someone You Love from the Occult, former Satanist Jeff Harshbarger tells how he gave his life to Christ after two suicide attempts.

Harshbarger’s journey into darkness began when he was a child. The son of an alcoholic and distant father, he often felt a “presence” watching him, received messages from a Ouija board and had out-of-body experiences. Soon he began seeking supernatural experiences—reading books about telepathy, listening to pop psychics and hard-rock music in which band members sang about dark themes.

After meeting a local Satanist and starting a coven, Harshbarger’s life plummeted into deeper depths of despair. When he heard the Lord speak to him after the second suicide attempt, he became a Christian.

Harshbarger, who with his wife now operates Refuge Ministries—which offers biblical counseling and other support services—presents a quick study of the occult, which he says is “the quest for knowledge, or the claim to possess hidden knowledge.”

He gives detailed information on sorcery, fortune-telling, necromancy (contact with the unknown to gain desired knowledge) and dealing with those involved in the occult.

The author’s candor and faith provide a safe backdrop to explore how to rescue those trapped in the darkness of the occult.
Tracee N. Mason

Changing My Mind
By Chris Maxwell, LifeSprings,
Softcover, 160 pages, $.

When an illness damaged Chris Maxwell’s brain eight years ago, he plunged into a world of forgetting the simplest information. He couldn’t remember what ice cream tasted like or how to use a fork. Names, people and events often eluded him. In Changing my Mind: A Journey of Disability and Joy, Maxwell challenges people to confront the pain that comes from change, coming to terms with life and
becoming what you never expected to be.

Using his own story of illness and recovery and the continual memory loss he deals with, Maxwell focuses on the problem believers have of wanting to know instead of just wanting to be—to control our situation instead of just living.

Maxwell, the senior pastor of Evangel Assembly in Orlando, Florida, demonstrates the need to live the message of the cross: in losing you gain. His is a heart-wrenching story that will help anyone who has faced unexpected tragedies gain the courage to go forward in the face of obstacles.
Tracee N. Mason

MUSIC

Now More Than Ever … Worship
By Joann Rosario, Verity Records.

A few years ago, Latin gospel artist Joann Rosario wowed the gospel industry with her debut project, More, More, More, and its hit title tune. Noticeably absent after her initial success because of the temporary loss of her voice, she is now back.

Crediting God with her complete healing, she delivers her sophomore project, Now More Than Ever … Worship. Rosario opens with a live rendition of “Welcome Into This Place” followed by the Latin urban cut “Never the Same.” “My Desire” finds her ministering purely from the heart. Giving God thanks throughout the project, Rosario includes the pop-oriented “Thanks be Unto God,” the jazzy “Life so Wonderful” and the thoughtful “Sing of Your Goodness.”

Other memorable cuts are the inspiring “I Hear You Say,” the horn-tinged, funky “Psalm 27 (He Reigns)” and the infectious “Open My Eyes Lord.” Another gorgeous ballad is the Babbie Mason-penned “With All My Heart.” “God,” arguably the best and one of the most genuine in this collection of songs, was written by Donald Lawrence and is backed with a wailing gospel choir.

René Williams

What I Was Made For
By Big Daddy Weave, Fervent Records.

What I Was Made For is a pop-rock collection that encourages listeners to draw closer to God. In this follow-up to its successful sophomore effort, Fields of Grace, Big Daddy Weave proves again that the band’s strength rests in its collective talent—musically, lyrically and vocally.

The 11-song collection mixes acoustic-based ballads with electric guitar-driven tunes. Highlights include a duet with BarlowGirl on “You’re Worthy of My Praise,” the danceable “Just the Way I Am” and the praise number, “It’s All About You.”

Listeners who enjoy music from strong songwriters/artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Dave Matthews Band or Casting Crowns will appreciate What I Was Made For.
Ginny McCabe

MOVIES

Dreamer
DreamWorks Pictures, PG, opens Oct. 21.

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story stars Dakota Fanning, Kurt Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue and a prize-winning racehorse named Soñador. But it’s Dakota who, with her Shirley Temple charm, steals the show. Dreamer yarns a tale about accomplished horseman Ben Crane (Russell) who struggles as a husband, father and son.

Crane makes an extraordinary decision, refusing to put down the injured horse—not a smart move in the rarefied world of Triple-Crown madness. He loses his job, but gets to keep the filly.

Hope, a daring rescue, a restored father-son relationship and a young girl chasing an improbable dream fill carefully crafted scene after deftly directed scene. Destined to become a family favorite, the movie will cause parents to laud the values of respect, sacrifice, honesty, responsibility, restoration and more woven into the story.

Not since Chariots of Fire has a film so ably juxtaposed a major sporting event and a heart-warming story of the simplest but richest of dreams come true. Enough written: Dreamer is highly recommended.
Steven Lawson

The Greatest Game
Ever Played
Disney Pictures, PG, opens Sept. 30.

As a boy, Francis Ouimet, son of immigrant parents, is intrigued by the gentlemen’s game of golf. A chance encounter with golf great Harry Vardon ignites his passion. Ouimet comes as close to the game as possible, serving as a caddy at the country club. When he gets one chance to play as an amateur he falls short.

Keeping a promise, Ouimet gives up the game but never loses his desire to play—nor his talent. Several years later he gets a chance to compete in the 1913 U.S. Open, which becomes a showdown between a working-class amateur and the greatest players in golf.

The Greatest Game Ever Played is about perseverance, sacrifice and fulfillment. Families will enjoy the beautiful scenes that bring to life the true story of a young man discovering he has the courage to pursue his passion.
Leigh DeVore

Thousands reported salvation and deliverance during two weeks of youth-led revival meetings in São Paulo
Instead of basking in the sun during a summer trip to Brazil, about 250 teens and 20-somethings spent their two-week stay in the South American nation preaching the gospel and ministering healing and deliverance in dozens of churches.

In a joint effort to raise up a new generation of healing evangelists, revivalist Randy Clark of Pennsylvania-based Global Awakening ministry and Brazilian pastors from across Sao Paulo brought North and South American youth together for Youth Power Invasion July 4-17.

Instead of returning home with traditional travel stories, the young ministers talked about the cane left by the wayside after its owner was healed, a platform shoe no longer needed because the ownerís leg had grown out to match the other, the images of parents weeping as their children receive healing and their memories of standing before crowded churches and arenas teaching and preaching.

Aaron Bass, an 18-year-old from Franklin, Tenn., l’d one young man through deliverance from drug addiction. “Some time during the deliverance, two broken bones in his hand were put back together and realigned,” Bass said. “It was a two-for-one!”

The first phase of the three-pronged “invasion” featured ministry training by Clark, a former pastor who is credited with sparking the Toronto Blessing revival; Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, Calif.; Jaime Galloway, an itinerant minister from Nashville, Tenn.; Tom Ruotolo of Global Awakening; and eight Global Awakening interns. At the end of the training, Clark told the youth to “get ready for more” because “the anointing always increases in phases two and three.”

During phases two and three, the leaders organized the youth into “attack forces” and sent them into São Paulo. Teams of 14-58 youth held three-day mini-conferences in assigned churches. Replicating what they had learned during the training sessions, young leaders taught on the biblical basis of healing, how to receive words of knowledge and specific prayer models to minister healing and deliverance.

Jaime and Emily Galloway later led groups of young people into the streets of São Paulo, where they spent their mornings ministering healing to people alongside the road, in hospital emergency rooms and in grocery stores. In the evenings the youth ministered in packed churches.

Testimonies of healing and supernatural experiences ran rampant throughout the trip. Brazilian pastor James Baptista Ferreira of Campinas, located in São Paulo state, was visibly touched while watching children seated in the front rows crying as God touched them. Their parents also were moved to tears.

“Their hands started to shine,” he said, adding that he believed gold-colored dust was appearing on the youths’ hands “as a sign of anointing for healing.”

Many of the youth experienced much more than an anointing to heal others. Some said they received visions. Others said they felt an overwhelming sense of God’s love for them during an evening focused on worship led by renowned Brazilian ministry leader Davi Silva of Casa de Davi (House of David).

“When Davi prayed for me, I kept feeling this love that I had never felt,” said 16-year-old Kateland Hilty of Wasilla, Alaska. “It was a love I only wish I could express.”

Global Awakening leaders said by the end of the trip, the youth had impacted more than 44,000 people in some 50 churches throughout São Paulo and Curitiba, which is located in southern Brazil. More than 800 people reported decisions for Christ, and 8,673 people reported physical healing. Team members also noted that more than 2,000 people said they experienced emotional healing and deliverance.

“I know of no better or quicker way to be trained in the ministry of the supernatural than go on a trip with Randy,” Johnson said. “To spend time with passionate young people and those who have the commitment and anointing to shape the course of human history is an honor beyond words. Every day is filled with the gut-level awareness that anything is possible at any time. Everyone involved will be changed forever.”

Kathleen Seagram, a 25 year-old Global Awakening intern who helped teach basic ministry training in one of the churches, believes the youth should be allowed to minister in U.S. churches. “There have been so many different kinds of healings that it has made me realize that we would be wise to have youth teach in North America, in our own home groups and churches,” she said. “Look out North America, here we come!”
Julia Loren

Los Angeles officials recently decided to name an intersection after prominent pastor Fred Price, but then they refused to pick up the tab for the ceremony because of his stance against same-sex marriage.

City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who is openly gay, pressed his colleagues July 22 not to waive the fees for the official dedication of “Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Square” after he was alerted to Price’s views on homosexuality, The Los Angeles Times reported.

“I’ll vote against this … to show that homophobia will not be supported by the city of Los Angeles,” said Rosendahl, who took office earlier in July.

Price, 73, leads 21,000-member Crenshaw Christian Center and has been in ministry for more than 50 years. He is a major spokesperson for the Word-Faith movement. In February, the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) and Price hosted a summit at Crenshaw Christian Center on the dangers of homosexual marriage.

The 70 black pastors who attended were urged to pressure lawmakers to oppose gay marriage. Price took a key leadership role in encouraging pastors to actively defend marriage from criticism by gay activists, TVC said.

The council was expected to sign off on waiving the city’s $1,000 cost for the dedication ceremony, which was held July 23. But Rosendahl heard from a gay activist that Price is despised in some circles for his views on homosexuality.

Councilman Bernard Parks, who initiated renaming the intersection after Price in May, defended the decision to honor the pastor. “I don’t know of many pastors in the … district that I represent that do support gay marriage,” Parks told the newspaper. “It’s not like he’s alone.”

The street-renaming ceremony was part of a weeklong celebration honoring Price’s many years in ministry and the 15th year of the founding of the Fellowship of Inner City Word of Faith Ministries. Los Angeles County officials declared Sunday, July 24 “Frederick K.C. Price Day.”

Gay marriage has been hotly debated in California since 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Though the state Supreme Court determined that Newsome overstepped his authority, several groups have challenged the constitutionality of California’s marriage law, claiming it violates the constitution’s equal protection clause. California lawmakers also have made several attempts to pass a gay marriage bill.

In response, has initiated a petition drive that would allow voters to decide during the 2006 election whether the state constitution should be amended to permit only traditional marriage. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 22, which amended a state statute to prohibit gay marriage. Observers say only a marriage amendment will prevent challenges to the statute’s constitutionality. Marriage amendments have passed in all 18 states that put the issue before voters.
Eric Tiansay

Participants wait in line for hours to get into the 5 a.m. meetings led by preacher Juanita Bynum
More than 2,000 people from across the U.S. are gathering at World Revival Church in Kansas City, Mo., for prayer at 5 a.m. Led by popular preacher Juanita Bynum, the Tuesday morning services have caused traffic jams at 3:30 a.m. with lines of people who wait more than 10 hours to get into the meetings.

Bynum said she received a vision for the prayer services in June while she was preaching at World Revival Church. “I saw myself standing in the middle of the aisle wearing a white dress and white head wrap,” said Bynum, noting that the attire symbolized her coming before God in sackcloth and ashes. “I knew God had called me to lead prayer at 5 a.m. in Kansas City.”

Host pastors Steve and Kathy Gray were jubilant when Bynum announced that she would start leading prayer in the next few weeks. “This was the second biggest surprise in ministry,” Steve Gray said. “The first surprise is when the power of God hit me in 1996, which led to the Smithton Outpouring. I was taken completely by surprise, but we grabbed it because we were ready for God to do anything.”

“This is a different kind of revival, a prayer revival,” Gray added. “We’re pretty excited and grateful that God picked this place out of all the places in the world.”

Bynum said the services, which began July 5, are in line with her passion to teach Christians about intercession and strategic spiritual warfare. For seven years she led a prayer meeting in New York City that grew from 25 people to more than 800 at its peak. Since those meetings, Bynum led prayer services briefly in Dallas.

“I felt lost after I finished leading prayer in New York City,” she said. “God sent us to World Revival Church. It’s multicultural and [reflects] people from different walks of life. There’s something about this prayer meeting in Kansas City that’s going to affect the world.”

People stand in line for hours to get into the services. Evangelist Diane Lee of It Is Written Worship Center said she waited 11 hours to get into the service because she was hungry for an outpouring. “There’s a great need for prayer in Kansas City,” she said. “I’m thirsty for God and have a hunger for the Word.”

“This prayer service was mandated by God,” said Elder Mike Beasely of Place of Peace Family Worship Center. “The city has been focused on killings and violence. We can’t do anything to pull down the strongholds of the enemy except call on the power of God.”

Bynum said she’s teaching principles on intercession that she has never taught anywhere else. “I’ve never taught on this level on strategic prayer,” she said. “[My book] Matters of the Heart represented the levels of purification. My new book coming out in September, The Threshing Floor, is who I am. This book is Juanita Bynum.”

She added that she wanted to be remembered as someone who provoked the nation to prayer. “In my last hour, my mantle is to provoke a people to prayer to take responsibility for the nation,” she said. “We’ve been given the power to alter and change the course of history.”

At press time, Bynum planned to continue the Kansas City prayer services indefinitely. “We’re going to other cities all around the nation,” Bynum said. “Next year, we may be going to Atlanta.”
Leilani Haywood

in Kansas City, Mo.

Bishop T.D. Jakes’ giant conference in Atlanta drew 100,000 faithful-and a handful of protesters
More than 100,000 people from the U.S. and abroad converged on Atlanta to attend the second annual MegaFest event in early August.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of The Potterís House in Dallas and creator of the huge four-day gathering, fused his popular Woman Thou Art Loosed and Manpower conferences with Mega Youth Experience and MegaKidz to offer a smorgasbord of preaching, teaching and entertainment.

Participation this year was shy of the 140,000 who attended in 2004, but Jakes said meeting attendees’ needs was the event’s priority. “We quantify success in how we provide them with services, and the tools to help families leave MegaFest stronger than when they arrived,” he said.

His strategy seemed to work. With general sessions and workshops held in the Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena and International Plaza, conference-goers scurried from one venue to the next to participate in festivities geared toward faith and family.

“My faith isn’t what I believe God for,” preacher Juanita Bynum told thousands of people who attended her Morning Glory session. “It’s who I believe God is.”

The list of speakers read like a who’s who of famous preachers, musicians and authors. Festivities included a family expo, an Xtreme Sports event hosted by actor Stephen Baldwin, a parade, a fashion show, puppetry and much more.

But not everyone agreed with Mega-Fest’s blending of sacred with secular. One protester, Orlando Bethel of Loxley, Ala., held a sign outside an arena and distributed literature condemning MegaFest. Bethel, 38, said he believes it is wrong for Jakes to put on such a big show for Christians while ignoring the unchurched.

“How can we market to as many people as possible without standing on godly principles,” Bethel said, just as a police officer arrived.

Bethel was particularly upset that well-known mainstream singers and speakers participated in MegaFest. Last year, R&B singer Patti LaBelle and neo-soul artist India Arie were among the performers. This year financial guru Suze Orman; comedian Steve Harvey; Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki; and Gladys Knight topped the list of participants.

“Gladys Knight is not saved,” Bethel told Charisma. “The Word of God says don’t be unequally yoked!”

Knight, who is a Mormon, sang her popular 1970s hit “Midnight Train to Georgia” during MegaFest’s Women of Purpose Concert. Billed as a tribute to Coretta Scott King, the event also featured gospel artists Martha Munizzi, Vickie Winans and the Clark Sisters, along with R&B artists Stephanie Mills and Chaka Khan—who is now a Christian.

Concertgoers arrived at the arena early and waited in line for hours to get inside. They responded to Knight’s performance with rousing applause, shouts and cheers.

MegaFest manager Derrick Williams defended Jakes’ decision to feature Knight’s performance, saying that she was not there to promote her Mormonism. “The purpose of the Woman of Purpose concert was to honor Coretta Scott King,” Williams said. “Gladys Knight and the others were there for that reason. We wouldn’t put [Knight] on the platform to preach.”

Although some believers question the need to include secular entertainers in religious events, big-name sponsors are taking note of the growing Christian market. Noticeable at MegaFest were well-known corporations such as the Coca-Cola Company, Bank of America and American Airlines.
Valerie G. Lowe in Atlanta

The ruling protects Orlando’s Holy Land Experience from owing more than $1 million in property taxes
Concluding a four-year legal battle, a circuit judge has granted a religious-themed Florida attraction the same tax-exempt status that is afforded to churches and museums.

The ruling spares Zion’s Hope, owner of The Holy Land Experience, from paying a delinquent property-tax bill that would have exceeded $1 million by the end of the year. Modeled after ancient Jerusalem, the Orlando-based theme park, which opened in 2001, includes recreations of Herod’s Temple and courtyard, Jesus’ garden tomb and the Qumran Dead Sea Caves. It also houses a scriptorium, which boasts the largest private collection of biblical texts and artifacts in the country.

“From beginning to end we are a missionary organization,” said Marvin J. Rosenthal, who stepped down as CEO of The Holy Land Experience in July.

But after pointing to the $30 admission fee, $5 parking fee and a slew of souvenir shops, Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan denied the park’s tax-exempt status in 2001 when he cited that the park behaved more like a business than a religious ministry.

“When you look at The Holy Land, although it has a religious theme to it, it is a business that charges admission, charges for parking, has restaurants, has shops,” he said. “Now, if that constitutes a religious exemption, the court will tell me.”

But the court has already spoken, said Frank Manion, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represented Holy Land.

“In this case, the judge has already said there are no disputes about the facts,” Manion said. “The only question is: Is this entity entitled to a tax exemption under the law? And the judge has already ruled that in fact we are and that the property appraiser was wrong.”

In her July 5 ruling, Circuit Judge Cynthia MacKinnon sided with Zion’s Hope. “The property appraiser has failed to direct the court’s attention to any evidence that Plaintiff is using The Holy Land Experience to make money or for some other purpose than evangelizing and worshipping,” MacKinnon wrote in her decision.

MacKinnon also said Donegan violated the park’s due process rights by refusing to explain why the tax exemption was rejected. “The law requires that if an entity that has applied for property exemption has been denied that exemption, they’re supposed to be told why,” Rosenthal said. “We weren’t told for over four years.”

Donegan responded to the ruling by filing a motion for reconsideration, Manion said, adding that those are rarely granted.

The ACLJ partnered with the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel in representing The Holy Land in its suit against Orange County. Counsel President Mathew D. Staver said the ruling sends a clear message.

“I think what it means for others is that the government cannot determine what’s orthodox regarding your church outreach,” he said. “There are a lot of things that are taking place today that may not look and act like the typical Sunday morning service … and I think that doesn’t make [them] any less Christian or any less biblical.”

Scott Pierre, chairman of the board of the Holy Land, said the ruling will affect scores of ministries. “This is something that sets a precedent to protect other ministries that have the same goal that we have and that is sharing the truth,” he said.
Suzy Richardson