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

The statistics are alarming: Fewer teenagers attend church today than ever. If we don’t reach them soon, we will face a spiritual crisis.
On the way home from church one Sunday several years ago my brother, Ralph, became an unassuming hero. He pulled out of the church parking lot, following a car with two teenage girls in it. About a mile down the road, a pick-up truck ran a stop sign and slammed into the side of the girls’ car.

Instantly, the car exploded. The driver, 16-year-old Ashley, was thrown from the vehicle and killed. The other girl, 14-year-old Amy Cifranic, was trapped inside the burning vehicle.

Ralph jumped from his car and pried open the door of the burning vehicle. He grabbed Amy by the belt loop and managed to drag her from the car. Soon the paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital.

When I called to congratulate my brother on the rescue, I asked him: “What were you thinking? I mean, what was going through your mind as you approached the car?” I still remember his response.

“I didn’t do anything that anyone else in my position would not have done. When the car is on fire, you do whatever you have to do to get the girl out!”

If we saw a car explode in front of us, the shock of what we had just seen would stun us. Few among us would simply drive by and act as if nothing had happened. Yet many Christians are standing by watching flames engulf our teens and doing nothing to rescue them.

I’m here to tell you, the car is on fire-and it’s up to us to do something about it.

Nation at a Crossroads

I’m not writing just to move you to care a little bit. A pattern is developing right under our noses here in America that demands our attention as Christians.

It is a well-documented fact that the percentage of Bible-based believers (evangelicals) has been steadily decreasing since the Builder generation. In his book The Bridger Generation, Thom S. Rainer gives the following statistics:

SPOTLIGHT

Man on Fire

Day of Fire’s Josh Brown (front) says he’s been witnessing miracles after concerts

Day of Fire vocalist Josh Brown knows the truth. If it weren’t for Christ, he would still be lost in a world of sex, drugs and hopelessness. “I was definitely chosen,” he said. “I was on such a terrible path. God uses people like me to show the world that He exists.”

In 1998, all of Brown’s dreams had come true. He had money and fame. He was on MTV with his band Full Devil Jacket (FDJ), playing Woodstock ’99, and touring with bands such as Creed. He was also addicted to every drug he could find. In 2001, after a heroin overdose, Brown accepted Christ and quit FDJ to wash dishes at a retirement home. “I had to hit rock bottom before I would listen to [the Holy Spirit’s] voice,” he recalled.

In the last year, Brown entered Christian music and has seen his band Day of Fire score several chart hits and play in front of thousands of fans. Still, it’s the one-on-one contact that he savors most. “I’ve had the opportunity to pray with people stricken with drugs, alcohol, schizophrenia, whatever,” he said. “There was a woman I met who heard voices for years. At that moment, faith rose up inside of me and I began to pray. She said that for the first time in three years the voices stopped. I’ve seen God move on people. His desire is to set His people free from the chains and weight of sin.”
Steven Douglas Losey

Stirring the Pot

Exodus International created a stir in Orlando, Fla., when it began posting billboards asserting that homosexuals can change. The ads are to be featured for six months in Orlando, where Exodus is based, and a similar sign is posted in Houston. Exodus, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, has more than 125 member ministries in North America that have helped some 400,000 people who contact the organization each year.

FAITH & CULTURE

Big-Screen Debut

Brandon T. Jackson has less than three months of experience in Hollywood, but already he’s landed a major role in the upcoming film Roll Bounce. The 19-year-old preacher’s kid from Detroit says it is an answer to many prayers.

Jackson appears on the big screen this month alongside teen sensation Bow Wow, who stars as X in the 1970s era roller-skating movie. Jackson depicts X’s best friend, Junior. “This [breakthrough] is something I always prayed for,” Jackson told Charisma. “I [would pray], ‘God, if You are going to use me, use me in entertainment, for Your glory.’”

Jackson’s father, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Detroit’s Great Faith Ministries International, has the church interceding for his son, and he sent one of the ministry’s young leaders to Los Angeles to be his son’s prayer partner and Bible study leader. Although the PG-13 film will stir up more hoots than hallelujahs, Jackson’s performance could position him for bigger roles and greater influence. All part of the plan, says the young actor, who once wanted to follow his father’s footsteps into the pulpit. Now he wants to preach “in a different way” and be a transforming force in Hollywood.
Steven Lawson in Hollywood

Famous Faces

Couple says God has given them a unique ministry tool

A Florida man is on a campaign to “glorify God” as a President Bush impersonator. Orlando native John Morgan, 49, is 10 years younger than George W. Bush, but he is a dead ringer for the 43rd U.S. president.

A Christian for 30 years and a longtime member of a nondenominational charismatic church in Orlando, Morgan said it was during Bush’s first presidential campaign that people told him how much he looked like the then-Texas governor. But it wasn’t until his wife of 22 years, Kathy, saw a Bush impersonator on TV in fall 2003 that Morgan entertained the thought of being a look-alike.

“She told me, ‘I’ve found you a new career,’” he recalled. “Immediately a spark of interest ignited in my heart. I spent two weeks praying. After two weeks, I was convinced the Holy Spirit spoke to me that it was His will for me to be a President Bush impersonator for five years.”

Morgan has made nearly 60 appearances as the president for corporate and birthday parties, trade shows and sales meetings in the U.S. and as far away as Mexico, Japan and the Bahamas. Morgan’s family is also in the impersonating business. His wife is a Laura Bush look-alike and Morgan’s daughter-in-law, Emily, and her cousin, Jennifer, resemble the Bush twin daughters.

Morgan said he got to meet the president in May when Bush discussed Social Security in Orlando. “I shook his hand and told him, ‘Mr. President, it’s an honor to be your look-alike,’” he recounted. “And in his self-depreciating humor, [Bush] said: ‘Well, I feel sorry for you.’”
Eric Tiansay

LEGACY

Deliverance 101

Frank Hammond has passed away, but his message lives on

Though it sparked a wave of controversy for its assertion that Christians could be demonized, Pigs in the Parlor by former Baptist pastor Frank Hammond and his wife, Ida Mae, has never been out of print since it debuted in 1973.

And though Hammond passed away March 17 at the age of 83, contemporary deliverance ministers say his work will continue to underpin modern teaching on deliverance. “The book truly had an anointing on it,” said Gene Moody, a Baton Rouge, minister known for his comprehensive Deliverance Manual. “I have given many of them away, and I still recommend it today. It was a very good beginning book.”

Though the debate over whether a Christian can have a demon still rages, with the Assemblies of God officially rejecting the idea, C. Peter Wagner of the Wagner Leadership Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., says deliverance ministry is becoming more respectable. Hoping to see the field rise to new levels, Wagner said, Hammond encouraged him to launch the International Council of Deliverance Ministers, which offers members training and accountability.

That fatherly leadership is what Kimberly Daniels, head of Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville, Fla., and author of Clean House, Strong House, remembers most about Hammond. She believes his legacy will continue to impact ministers such as herself for generations.

Eddie Smith, who leads the U.S. Prayer Center with his wife, Alice, agrees. “The book wasn’t the point; he was the point,” Smith said. “His life and his presence and his selflessness will long outlive his book.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Changed Lives

Sherron Williams’ friends say her laughter is contagious. But the 40-something mother of three hasn’t always felt like smiling. At the age of 5 she was molested by a trusted baby sitter; the same year she was burned so badly doctors weren’t sure she’d live. “I was miraculously healed physically, but the scars covering two-thirds of my body left me living in a cloud of self-loathing and destruction,” she said.

As a result, she began abusing drugs and became promiscuous, giving birth to her first child at age 15. Then at age 19, she was led into a life of prostitution.

“I wanted to stop; I just couldn’t,” she said. “I would sit in jail and wonder why I couldn’t be like my sisters who were getting married, working and raising children. I thought something happened to my brain when I almost died from the burns. I gave up, resolving to live that life and die that way. But today I know somebody was praying and God heard their prayers.”

In 1993 she was incarcerated again, but this time she says she was tired. She read the Gideon’s Bible she was given, prayed the sinner’s prayer written in the back and began attending church services. Though she received a 16-year sentence, Williams was released in 1998. Today she’s a Sunday school teacher and intercessor, and has kept the same job for seven years. “I am proud to be a Christian. No more looking over my shoulder; now I look up. God has lifted me out of the muck and the mire.”

Glenda Goodson
In Lancaster, Texas

UNSUNG HEROES

Food for Africa

Back in 2002, Africa was hardly on Rick Tunis’ radar. But when the Pennsylvania pastor came across a Charisma magazine article about a drought in Malawi that was expected to leave hundreds starving due to failed crops, he couldn’t stop reading. “It felt like God tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘I want you to do something about this,’” he said.

That something began as a fundraising campai gn in his 30-member church, Living Word Fellowship in Allentown. It has since grown into a nonprofit organization called Bread of Life International (), which he founded with his wife, Nancy, in 2003. He has teamed with Arn and Elsie Bowler of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAC) and has taken two trips to the nation, which is loacted in southern Africa.

During the first trip, in May 2003, Tunis teamed with Steve Chetepa, the general superintendent for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Malawi, to buy 20 tons of food and distribute it in the worst-hit areas. “It’s emotionally overwhelming to see people fight over food,” Tunis said, but he noted that the whole trip “was a bombardment of affirmation that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” Hundreds made decisions for Christ.

Tunis expected to return to Malawi in August, and his 16-year-old daughter, Patricia, planned to tag along. Each year, he said, his vision grows. He hopes to someday see Bread of Life assist Sudanese refugees, help feed people in nearby Zambia and partner with PAC to establish a home for AIDS orphans. “I would like to see this get much bigger,” Tunis told Charisma. “But for now, Malawi is a strong base for us.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

NOTEBOOK

The Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF) elected Bishop James D. Leggett as its new chairman on May 4. Leggett, who is general superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, is the fourth person to lead the international network of charismatic and Pentecostal ministries since its founding in 1947. The PWF convenes every three years, with its next meeting scheduled for Indonesia in July 2007.

California pastor Frederick K.C. Price of Crenshaw Christian Center was to be honored July 23-29 for more than 50 years in ministry. The weeklong celebration was also to mark the 15th anniversary of the Fellowship of Inner City Word of Faith Ministries, which Price founded. The festivities were to begin with a ceremony during which 79th Street and Vermont Avenue in Crenshaw were to be renamed Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Square.

Evangelist morris cerullo was indicted July 12 on three counts of filing false individual income tax returns, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The president of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism allegedly underreported his income by $550,000 between 1998 and 2000. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count, the Associated Press said. Cerullo planned to contest the charges.

Singer Pat Boone, 71, is ending his recording career with the release of five albums in one year, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Each project will reflect a different genre, ranging from patriotic songs to country hits to romantic ballads to R&B tunes. The gospel CD, Glory Train, is to release in September and will feature a tribute to Billy Graham that Boone recorded with U2 lead singer Bono, the AP said.

Considered the fastest growing church in the U.S., Without Walls International planned to finalize the $14 million deal in August
Three years after it first entertained the idea, a large charismatic church in Tampa, Fla., has purchased the property of what was once one of the largest church facilities in the world.

On June 14, Without Walls International Church (WWIC), a 22,000-member nondenominational congregation, signed a contract to buy Carpenter’s Home Church (CHC) in suburban Lakeland, which is about 45 minutes east of Tampa.

In the $14 million agreement, CHC would receive $8 million plus a 3,000-seat auditorium in Auburndale, Fla., which was used by Without Walls Central (WWC), a satellite of the Tampa congregation. The Auburndale church has been appraised at nearly $6 million, WWIC officials said. Auburndale is located about 25 minutes east of Lakeland.

“I think it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Randy White, who pastors WWIC with his wife, Paula. “Carpenter’s Home Church gets an almost brand-new sanctuary debt-free. We get a facility that we can grow into. It’s been our dream and ambition to impact the state of Florida.”

CHC’s spokesman Greg Gillman called the sale “a great win in the kingdom of God.” CHC is affiliated with the Assemblies of God (AG). “There are many wins in this arrangement,” said Gillman, CHC’s CFO and treasurer. “First and foremost, the grounds and buildings that pastor Karl Strader have ministered on for over 20 years will continue to be used to spread the gospel, which is the legacy of our pastor.”

Under Strader, the First Assembly of God of Lakeland built a 10,000-seat sanctuary in 1985 at a cost of $12 million, renaming the church Carpenter’s Home in the process. At the time, CHC had about 5,000 members, a TV ministry and a radio station. But in 1989 about 800 members split from CHC in a dispute over Strader’s leadership and formed Victory Church.

In the early 1990s, CHC was the site of services by Rodney Howard-Browne, the South African preacher who introduced the “laughing revival” to America. But Strader’s son, Daniel, was arrested in 1994 on fraud charges and convicted the following year of swindling investors, including some church members. The congregation of Strader, 76, who has served as CHC’s pastor for the last 38 years, now attracts only about 750 people on Sundays.

In contrast, Church Growth Today, a megachurch research center, recently named WWIC the nation’s fastest growing church. White said the ministry has 15,000 members in 240 satellite congregations across the U.S. and in Europe.

WWIC was close to an agreement to buy the CHC sanctuary in 2002, but in February 2003 CHC reportedly rejected a $10 million offer from WWIC because the board was asking $12.5 million, The Tampa Tribune reported. White said CHC contacted him in the spring to see if WWIC was still interested in the 75-acre property.

“We’re extremely excited to acquire this property,” said White, 47, noting that he expected to finalize the deal on the Aug. 1 closing date. “We believe this is part of God’s plan. Several years ago, prophet Kim Clement saw Carpenter’s Home filled to capacity. He said one day we would own the property.”

The agreement calls for a one-year transition period during which CHC would continue to hold worship services in a theater on the campus. Without Walls Central will worship at the massive CHC sanctuary starting this fall.

WWC pastor Scott Thomas, 38, will lead the Lakeland congregation, White said. Launched in January 2004, WWC started with 115 members, and it now has 1,500 people attending Sunday services.

Gillman said CHC owns the property, not the AG, adding that voting members approved the sale. “Pastor Strader has notified the Assemblies of God concerning the sale of our property,” he said. “We will continue to be Assemblies of God.”

Gillman added that the sale will enable CHC to move into a new era of ministry. “Prior to the congregation approving the sale of the property, pastor Strader cast a dynamic vision of raising up young pastors and planting them in multiple locations, providing them with the wisdom of his years and the resources necessary for them to be successful,” he said. “The sale of our property will provide Carpenter’s Home the unencumbered, debt-free resources that are critical to make this vision a reality, as well as provide a beautiful campus to a congregation of like faith.”
Eric Tiansay

Christian activists say they will work even harder to block similar legislation in the United States

The tempestuous six-month parliamentary debate over legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Canada ended with its passage June 28. But Christian traditional marriage activists on both sides of the Canadian border say they’ll continue fighting the acceptance of gay marriage in mainstream culture.

Following a close vote of 158 to 133, marriage was redefined as “a union between two consenting adults,” rather than a union between one man and one woman. The legislation includes a provision that permits religious officials to refuse to marry gays and lesbians.

Canada is the third country in the world-following Holland and Belgium-to legalize same-sex marriage. Spain followed suit in approving gay marriage legislation just two days after Canada did. Seven of Canada’s 10 provinces and one of its three territories already allowed civil marriages for same-sex couples prior to the parliamentary vote. Ontario was the first province to do so, following an appeal by a gay couple in June 2003 to the Supreme Court of Ontario.

“June 28 was a sad day for Canada, a sad day for marriage and a sad day for children,” said Charles McVety, head of Defend Marriage, a coalition of Christian groups seeking to maintain traditional marriage in Canada. “I don’t know if traditional marriage will be the norm by the time my 7-year-old daughter grows up.”

The House of Commons sat for several days into its summer break to allow the Liberal minority government time to finish voting on the controversial legislation. A parliamentary drama unfolded, with some Liberal Members of Parliament becoming independents or joining other parties, and others losing their cabinet positions because they refused to follow Prime Minister Paul Martin’s orders and vote in favor of legalizing gay marriage.

Critics say rushing the legislation was a ploy to keep gay marriage from becoming an issue in the upcoming federal election, and they say a referendum should have been held for the Canadian people. Opinion polls show Canadians are as equally divided as their politicians over the issue.

Christian watchdog groups say the legislation has already caused a lot of problems for Christians working in the public sector. Two human rights complaints were filed in January against Catholic Bishop Fred Henry following a letter he wrote to his own diocese, in which he said homosexuality, prostitution and pornography should not be accepted and that the federal government should use coercive power to outlaw same-sex marriage.

Civil marriage commissioners in several provinces have been told in writing that they’ll lose their jobs if they refuse to marry same-sex couples. Some have resigned, and others have lodged complaints with their provincial human rights commissions. Chris Kempling, a guidance counselor and teacher in British Columbia, has been suspended from his job twice for statements he made about homosexuals.

The legal repercussions for Christian business owners affiliated with the wedding industry are tremendous, said Janet Epp-Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. “Business owners who say they’re refusing service because the client wants a gay wedding can be charged with discrimination under the Human Rights Code,” Epp-Buckingham said.

“I had a Christian caterer phone me in tears because her husband unknowingly told a gay client that she was available the day of the client’s wedding. At that point she couldn’t refuse service.”

Same-sex marriage also has caused rifts within the Canadian church. When an Anglican diocese in British Columbia added a service of blessing for same-sex unions in 2002, a group of Anglican clergy broke formal ties with the church and established The Anglican Communion of Canada. The communion, which acts as an international advocate for traditional biblical values for Anglicans, now has 12 Canadian parishes on board who report to archbishops in other parts of the world.

Epp-Buckingham says the problem is worse for United Church clergy who disapprove of same-sex marriage. “Their superiors won’t back them legally if they decline doing a same-sex ceremony because the United Church of Canada has already sanctioned the process,” she said.

Americans fighting same-sex marriage in the U.S. say its validation in Canada is making them gear down harder. “It’s alerted us that there’s a virus to the north, and we better not let it cross the border,” said Lou Sheldon, president of the Traditional Values Coalition based in Washington, D.C.

“I think federal passing of it in Canada will get us moving to tighten up on same-sex marriage here,” said Mathew Staver, president and general counsel for Florida-based Liberty Counsel. “I think what’s intended to tear down marriage will actually strengthen it because it’ll make us rethink the importance of marriage.”

Staver said the Defense of Marriage Act protects any state from validating a same-sex marriage license issued elsewhere. He said a same-sex couple who was married in Canada launched three lawsuits seeking to get Florida to recognize their marriage. All were rejected.

Same-sex marriage is now permitted in Massachusetts, and California and Vermont allow civil unions for gay couples.

Glen Lavy of the Alliance Defense Fund cautioned that the legalization of gay marriage in Canada and other nations could prompt courts that look at international law to use that as rationale to force same-sex marriage through U.S. courts.
Josie Newman in Toronto

China pastor on trial over Bibles

A leader in China’s underground church stood trial July 7 on charges of operating an illegal business. Last year, pastor Cai Zhouhua, who oversees six house churches, was detained with 200,000 copies of unauthorized Bibles, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Cai was arrested with his wife and two relatives in what Christian human rights groups say is an ongoing crackdown on underground churches. No verdict has been handed down, and Cai’s lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, said he is not optimistic about the outcome, BBC News reported. Though Gao said the Bibles were to be given away for free, the authorities “are always using economics as a pretext to deal with religious and political issues,” BBC News reported. Only the state-sanctioned church is authorized to publish Bibles in China, and they are produced in controlled numbers and cannot be sold in ordinary bookstores, the AP said.

Missionaries’ Killers Sentenced to Life in Prison

The death sentence of a Hindu extremist who killed Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons six years ago has been reduced to life in prison. In June, the high court of Orissa State ordered life imprisonment for Dara Singh, Reuters reported. The court also acquitted 11 people sentenced to a life term by a lower court for burning alive Staines and his sons in a remote village in the state in 1999. Staines’ widow, Gladys, and her daughter, Esther, stayed in India after the deaths and opened the Graham Staines Memorial Hospital for lepers in 2004, but have since returned to Australia. Gladys Staines said she had forgiven the killers.

Pastors forced to Apologize for Statements About Islam

Australian pastors Daniel Scott and Daniel Nalliah, both of Catch the Fire Ministries Inc., were ordered June 22 to apologize for comments they made last year that a Muslim group said disparaged Islam. Last December the two were found guilty of breaching the Victorian Racial and Religious Tolerance Act after the Islamic Council of Victoria accused the pair of making derogatory comments about Islam on their Web site and in a seminar, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported. They were then ordered in June to apologize to the council, place a notice on their Web site giving the judges’ verdict and take out a newspaper ad for two weeks stating that they have been found guilty of inciting religious hatred. They were also banned from speaking about Islam anywhere in Australia. The pastors have taken out a “staying order” against the verdict and are appealing to the Supreme Court, CSW said. They also have launched a fundraising campaign to help cover their legal fees, arguing that the case is a fight to preserve religious freedom in Australia.

Lakewood Church, the nation’s largest congregation, now meets in a renovated sports arena that seats 16,000 people
Mercedes Garces remembers when Lakewood Church pastor John Osteen predicted that the ministry he founded would one day occupy Houston’s Compaq Center.

“Everything is possible with God,” said Garces, who has attended the church with her husband, Abel, for 14 years. “We believed it. At least I did.”

Osteen passed away in 1999, but on July 16 his bold claim became a reality when 16,000 people crammed into the former sports and entertainment venue for the grand opening of the nation’s largest church facility. Another 3,000 watched from an overflow area.

“How do you like our new home?” asked John’s son, current pastor Joel Osteen, who in the last five years has seen the church grow from 8,000 to 30,000, making it the nation’s largest. The crowd responded with one of many thunderous ovations.

Even before the doors opened two hours prior to the event, hundreds of people gathered outside waiting to get a closer look at the renovated facility. Once inside, church members and guests saw little resemblance to the arena that hosted NBA and WNBA championship games and rock concerts featuring the likes of U2, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley.

The floor has been replaced by additional seating, and the stage, designed by four-time Emmy Award-winner Rene Lagler, features a hydraulically operated orchestra pit, elaborate choir lofts, a pair of cascading waterfalls and a large golden globe that spins.

Throughout the evening, the congregation heard from dignitaries such as Joel Osteen’s mother, Dodie; his brother, Paul; and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Other notable attendees included evangelists R.W. Schambach and Norvel Hayes, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston Texans quarterback David Carr and about 30 members from the original Lakewood church.

“The growth of this church has been nothing less than phenomenal,” Perry said. “It’s been that way because there was a big welcome mat out. … And why shouldn’t it be that way? When you strip away all that makes us different, we’re all very much one in a great sense. We’re all made in the image of God.”

Osteen used the grand opening as an opportunity to encourage those in the crowd or watching live on Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network. “If you have a dream in your heart, my prayer tonight is that that dream is going to really take root,” Osteen said. “And you’re going to know that you know that you can be all that God’s created you to be. You can accomplish everything God’s put in your heart.”

Irvine Team, a leading design and construction strategy team based in Houston, oversaw the 2-1/2-year renovation process that cost $95 million. “This is a superb sanctuary,” said Team President Dennis Irvine. “It’s a state-of-the-art, television-friendly environment. … It has been painstakingly thought-out and very well executed.”

The facility houses an interactive children’s ministry area that seats another 3,500 people. Adjacent to the church is a new five-story building that houses the church offices, media services, broadcast production suites and youth ministries.

Osteen said the new facility has several advantages, including a more centralized location, better access to parking and a more complete setup for its television broadcasts that reach an estimated 7 million people worldwide. “At our other place we were limited because of the street sizes and things,” Osteen said. “So just having a place that’s designed for 16,000 or 20,000 … will let our base grow so that we can touch the city and touch the world even more.”

He also said the record-setting facility could inspire other ministries to think big. “I think God’s helped us to be an example,” he said. “When I grew up, it was a big deal to have a church of a thousand. But I believe we can have churches where 20,000 people come, like this.”
Chad Bonham in Houston

Christian Groups Applaud President’s Supreme Court Nominee

Christian organizations praised President Bush’s choice of John Roberts Jr. to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Described as a “strict constructionist,” Roberts, 50, has served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the last two years and has argued conservative positions on abortion and public school prayer at graduation ceremonies before the high court during his years as a lawyer. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, said Roberts “is exceptionally well qualified … and has a judicial temperament that is respected by all who deal with him.” Ohio pastor Rod Parsley, founder of the Center for Moral Clarity, said Bush’s choice “sends a clarion call to return our country to the principles of its Founding Fathers.” He also encouraged Christians to pray that Roberts “would be on the bench on Oct. 3, when the court is back in session.” Roberts’ confirmation hearings were to begin in August.

Oklahoma Zoo Nixes Creationism Exhibit

A Tulsa, Okla., city board rejected plans July 7 to add a creationism exhibit to the Tulsa Zoo, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The 3-1 vote, made during a special board meeting, reversed a June 7 decision to add a Genesis story to the zoo. Tulsa resident Dan Hicks, who lobbied for the exhibit, said the creationism display would balance other religious items at the zoo, which he said include a globe sculpture that promotes pantheism and a Maasai display that contains the equivalent of posting Scripture. Dale McNamara, who voted against the exhibit, said the zoo should develop displays that explain the cultural significance of animals. She said an elephant-like stone statue near the elephant exhibit, which Hicks said depicts a Hindu god, fit within that mission, the AP said. Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune was the only board member to support the creation exhibit.

Christians decry high court decision

Christian groups say the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of using eminent domain for development that would increase a city’s tax base may make churches and other tax-exempt organizations vulnerable to land seizures. Several legal experts say various state and federal laws, as well as the First Amendment, make it almost impossible for churches to be targeted for condemnation, the New York Times reported. But the American Family Association, Focus on the Family and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) all warned that the ruling puts churches at risk. In June, the ACLJ announced a petition campaign in support of the Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005.