SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS ACCUSED OF PROSELYTZING CHILDREN
Three Indonesian women have been accused of trying to convert Muslim children, Compass Direct reported. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun were questioned about activities and materials used in their Christian education program for elementary-school children. Bangun said the children prayed, read the Bible, sang and sometimes colored pictures. Judge Hasby J. Tholib responded by telling the women they never should have allowed Muslim children to participate in the program. Bangun and Zakaria said they had no hidden agenda, adding that the childrenís parents gave full consent to the program ó though none would say so during the trial. Before the hearing ended, the prosecuting attorney announced that the case would be transferred to the High Court, which observers say could lengthen the trial considerably.

STREET PREACHING BANNED IN KENYAN TOWN
Street preaching has been banned in Malindi town, located on Kenyaís north coast, unless it is sanctioned by police, said the Daily Nation, Kenyaís largest-circulation newspaper. Imposed at a meeting of Muslim and Christian religious leaders, the ban was intended to end religious confrontations, said District Commissioner Jan Ireri. ìThe globalization of religious concepts and faiths and the freedom of worship enshrined in the constitution should not be allowed to cause a breach of peace,î Ireri said. He told religious leaders that he was concerned that night prayers were infringing on the rights of citizens by disturbing their sleep. He also said there had been complaints that ministers who used the public address systems were a nuisance. An interfaith committee was formed to find a permanent solution to the religious conflicts and promote peace, the Daily Nation said.

STAINES KILLER INSPIRES DOUBLE MURDER
Kokala Govardhan, 25, has confessed to killing pastor K. Daniel and pastor Isaac Raju in Hyderabad, southern India, Compass Direct reported. Both murders occurred in May; in late June police arrested Kokala Govardhan, who told reporters he was inspired by Dara Singh, the man who orchestrated the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons. Though Dara Singhís death sentence had been commuted to life in prison, Christian groups are now calling for the death penalty to be reinstated as a warning to extremists. Stainesí widow, however, has maintained her stand of total forgiveness. “If we don’t forgive men of the wrong that they do, then how can we be forgiven?” Gladys Staines told the BBC.

Illusionist Lawrence Khong says the real pulpits of the world are not found in churches but in the entertainment field
The art of illusion has opened new doors for Lawrence Khong, senior pastor of the 10,000-member Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore and executive producer of the Magic of Love musical. Khong and his crew of 40 wrapped up their eight-city U.S. tour in June and will travel to Japan and China for performances this fall.

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Although U.S. ticket sales were disappointing, the feedback has been encouraging. “It is an outstanding show by any standardóbut trying to make a dent in the commercial sector is very challenging,” said Khong, who has been performing magic since the age of 10.

Magic of Love has attracted more than 160,000 people throughout Asia since it made its debut in 2001.

Khong said his goal was to produce a show containing good Christian values that can compete with some of the best shows in the world. Magic of Love tells the story of a father and daughter who are bonded together by their love for magic and eventually are torn apart by their greed for fame and fortune. The show stars Khong and his daughter, Priscilla Khong, who also is a magician.

About five years ago, Khong said God showed him that “the real pulpits of the world are not found in churches.” His church launched an entertainment company called Gateway Entertainment that has produced several movies and TV serials, and has underwritten Khongís magic shows.

“God has called me to get into the entertainment world and take it back for the Lord,” he said. “I don’t think I can take it back for the Lord completely, but at least I contribute my share.”

Khong has long been criticized for using magicówhile attending Dallas Theological Seminary in the 1970s and in recent years as the pastor of a charismatic megachurch.

“Magic takes you into a fantasy world, where the audience tends to momentarily suspend their unbelief,” he said. “The danger is, you can tell them whatever you want, and they will believe you.”

Though not easily offended, Khong said he hasnít received any negative comments from U.S. believers who saw the show. “You canít get too upset when people donít understand you,” he said. “Otherwise, you’ll never get going.”

C. Peter Wagner, presiding apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA), of which Khong is a member, attended a Magic of Love performance in Dallas with his wife, Doris. Afterward, he sent an e-mail of his thoughts to ICA members.

“One of the things that Doris and I wanted to check out was the spiritual cleanliness of this show,” Wagner wrote. “When demonic forces are present, [Doris] usually discerns it. Magic of Love, much to our delight, reflected nothing of the occult. It was good, clean fun, with Lawrence and Priscilla demonstrating incredible skills that are fascinating to watch.”

These days, Khong is away from Faith Community nearly six months out of the year; however, the church continues to grow. “I’m teaching my people not to see what I do as two different things,” he said. “They are praying for this tour just as they would pray for an evangelistic outreach.”

Khong was awarded the Master Magician Award in Las Vegas in 2002. His wife, Nina Khong, serves as producer of Magic of Love. She is a medical doctor and deputy senior pastor of Faith Community Baptist Church.
Carol Chapman Stertzer in Dallas

Iran-born pastor Donald Fareed says democracy will prevent new Christians from being killed in Muslim nations
Donald Fareed, a former Muslim, is used to receiving death threats during the call-in segment of his satellite TV show. But attempts at intimidation, illness and meager funding have not stopped the Iranian-born pastor from preaching the gospel to Muslims.

From his base in San Jose, Calif., Fareed reaches millions of Muslims in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and parts of Iraq each week through his broadcasts. If his salvation message wounds radical Islam, his calls for democracy adds salt. “Without democracy, new Christians are killed,” Fareed said.

Born in Iran during the Shahís reign, Fareed said the secret police arrested him at the age of 12 for complaining about government corruption. Though raised as a devout Muslim he fled a few years after the Iranian revolution in 1978-79, arriving in the U.S. with $23.

After launching a successful janitorial business, Fareed drifted into Sulfism, an Islamic cult, and embraced several New Age religions, including Scientology. But when three ministers wound up in his home in 1990 he came to Christ.

A few months later he said Jesus appeared to him in a vision, explaining the meaning of the cross. Soon his wife, Rima, accepted Christ and both were baptized in a local Iranian church. Recognizing his zeal, church leaders sent him to Istanbul, Turkey, in 1993 to do street evangelism. There, he met Bishop Heik Hovsepian, head of the Iranian Assemblies of God. They became friends, and Fareed began helping him get Christians, endangered by the new regime, out of Iran.

Then in January 1994 Hovsepian was killed in Tehran. “They carved his heart from his chest,” Fareed said. “Before that I was afraid to speak out about the oppression. But right then and there I made a commitment to follow in his footsteps.”

He soon planted two Persian churches in the Bay Area that have since brought more than 500 American Muslims to Christ. In 2000, he started the nonprofit Persian Ministries International and was soon struck by a sometimes-fatal muscle condition called Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Yet instead of slowing him, the thought that he might soon die intensified his efforts. So when longtime Muslim friend Sattar Deldar offered to sell him airtime on Deldarís Appadana International, Fareed started his broadcast.

Through his Bridging the Gap Ministries, he also teaches churches how to evangelize Muslims. His ìWhy I am Not a Muslimî sermon announcement on a church sign created a Bay Area controversy that put him on several TV stations.

“His ministry has had an incredbile effect in Iran and the U.S.,” said Kyle Windson, global ministries pastor at San Jose’s South Valley Christian Church, which oversees Fareed’s ministry. “The attack in London shows us how important it is to reach Muslims for Christ.”
Ed Donnally

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.

Glory Reborn, which offers free maternity care to poor and homeless women, has delivered 400 babies since 2003
A 20-something woman from Texas has launched a midwifery ministry in the Philippines, causing hundreds of expectant women to experience new birth.
Since September 2003, Hilary Overton’s Glory Reborn Organization (GRO) has provided free maternity care to the homeless and poor mothers of Cebu City, located 365 miles south of Manila.

Overton, 24, said GRO has delivered more than 400 healthy babies and helped many more women in the community through medical care and services. Expectant mothers are offered prenatal and post-natal checkups, vitamins, health teachings and a feeding program, as well as weekly prayer and worship sessions before their babies are delivered.

Overton estimates that at least 200 women have accepted Jesus. “It is amazing to see the many lives that have been transformed not just physically but spiritually throughout the course of pregnancy and delivery, and how many little lives will be impacted to live for Jesus,” Overton said.

A native of El Paso, Overton is part of a family of ministers. Her uncle is popular worship leader Tommy Walker. Her aunt and uncle, Janey and Sam Stewart, head a worldwide feeding ministry called Charlie’s Lunch. Another uncle, Dale Walker, is founder of Heart for the World Mission Organization. And her father, Steve Walker, was founding pastor of Jesus Chapel West in El Paso.

Overton said she fell in love with ministering in Cebu during a June 2000 missions trip with Youth With a Mission. In September 2000, she moved to Cebu and lived there for 15 months while working on her midwifery degree through a New Mexico school.

She went back to Texas for five months to plan her June 6, 2003, wedding to David Overton, also 24. “I came back to Cebu in September 2003 to start Glory Reborn in my apartment, where we delivered our first baby,” said Overton, noting that her husband is GRO’s clinic administrator and “fix-it” man.

Overton said Glory Reborn’s name is based on 2 Corinthians 3:18. “We chose ‘Glory Reborn’ because it sums up the process of going from glory to glory after we are born again,” said Overton, who doesn’t have any children. “The name really has to do with the ministry being a birthing center for new life.”

Mercy Sanchez, 32, knows this firsthand. Shortly after she came to GRO, she learned her baby had died in her womb. “In the midst of all my sadness and despair, I had to look to Jesus for hope, and through this struggle I gave my heart and my baby to Jesus,” Sanchez said. “When I went home, I felt freedom and happiness for the first time, and I knew that my baby was in heaven with Jesus. Now Jesus is helping me change my life.”

According to a newspaper in Cebu City, which has a population of 610,000, only four of 10 births in the region occur at a health facility. Three out of 10 infants in the area die before reaching age 1, and 20 percent of newborns are born with a low birth weight. For every 100,000 births in Cebu City, 200 mothers will die.

Overton said GRO has outgrown her apartment, and she hopes they will soon be able to purchase a facility for the ministry. Support comes mostly from churches and individuals, though GRO (www.gloryreborn.com) hopes to receive a grant soon.

Ron Acton, pastor of 300-member Jesus Chapel West, said God is using Overton “in a mighty way.”

“She is able to do so much with so little,” Acton, 54, said. “She is able to train others to do what they never thought they could do. She gives the glory to God.”

Overton’s mother, Sharon Walker, echoed his point. “At the age of 24, Hilary experiences daily what many of us will never experience in a lifetime,” said Walker, 50. “There are great joys and deep sorrows. Hilary literally handles life and death daily. Even if I was not Hilary’s mom, it is so utterly amazing to see someone so young with such unwavering passion.”
Eric Tiansay

Organizer Cindy Jacobs hopes the event will empower Christians to engage in healing and deliverance ministry

The time has come for all Christians to be anointed to do healing and deliverance. So says prayer leader Cindy Jacobs, who is leading a 40-day prayer and fasting event that she hopes will encourage believers to step into this ministry.

“The days of the traveling evangelist being the only person flowing in healing and miracles are over,” said Jacobs, who founded Dallas-based Generals International with her husband, Mike. “With all of my heart I believe that we have entered into the time of the ‘saints movement,’ the time when every believer can lay hands on the sick and see them recover.”

Jacobs’ 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting is to be held in Dallas Sept. 22 through Oct. 31 at the campus of Christ for the Nations Institute, which was founded by healing evangelist Gordon Lindsay. Participants will pray, fast, worship and give to the poor. “Miracle services” will be held the last 10 nights-from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31-and people will be able to bring in the sick to receive ministry. Keynote speakers include Morris Cerullo, John Kilpatrick, Ché Ahn, Guillermo Maldonado, Dutch Sheets, Steve Hill and Mahesh Chavda.

Jacobs said she believes the event will impact Christians around the globe. “The Lord impressed upon me during a time of prayer that we were to set aside 40 days to seek Him,” she said. “He revealed that we should go to a major well of revival for intense prayer, fasting, spiritual warfare and worship that would result in a tidal wave of signs and wonders sweeping the globe.”

Jacobs said Dallas is one such well, noting that pioneering healing evangelists such as Lindsay, F.F. Bosworth, Maria Woodworth-Etter and Oral Roberts ministered there before becoming prominent.

Steve Hill, pastor of Heartland Fellowship Church in Dallas and a former leader in the Brownsville Revival, agrees. “Never in my life have I seen hunger like I have seen here in Dallas,” Hill said. “Hunger is the prerequisite to a move of God.”

The late Ruth Ward Heflin also identified Dallas as the next epicenter of revival. During a 1997 conference held at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Fla., Heflin said, “I know this may come as a surprise to those of you who live in Pensacola, but a much larger revival than this one will be coming out of Dallas.”

Jacobs considers hosting the event at Christ for the Nations an integral part of tapping into a “major well of revival.” The ministry has reached out to 120 nations in the last 54 years through its Bible schools, churches and Christian materials.
Renée DeLoriea

Billy Graham

Regarding your very good article about Billy Graham (“A Faithful Witness” by Sandra Chambers, July), I must say that he has no mantle to pass on. Like D.L. Moody, C.H. Spurgeon, Billy Sunday and others, Billy Graham will stand as one of God’s unique chosen few.
Rev. Michael A. Albert
Damascus Road Ministries
Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania

I saw Billy Graham on Larry King Live when he said he was a Democrat and that he thought Hillary Clinton would make a good president. There are many high-profile Christians who vote Democrat. I’m sure they aren’t too dumb to realize when they’re voting for a person who supports abortion and same-sex marriage. Should Clinton be elected president, she will put a stop to the gospel message.
Betty Lemmon
Ellicott City, Maryland

Healing in the Delta

Thank you for the article “Healing in the Delta” (by Ernest Herndon, July). It was so heartening to read about the work that reformer Dolphus Weary is doing in the state of Mississippi. When I left there, I didn’t want to return because of the racist attitudes I encountered. (I’m white, but I saw many hurtful things while growing up there.) Churches are still segregated, but I hope that is changing because of Mission Mississippi and Weary’s work. Hats off to him!
Dianne Lang
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

More on catholics

I want to thank J. Lee Grady for his excellent column about the need for a fresh wave of the Spirit in Catholic and Protestant churches (“Do It Again, Lord,” June). I say: “Lord, turn all of our churches upside down.” We need God—no more business as usual but a radical hunger for the things of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Lord in our midst.
Marietta Alexander
Everett, Washington

As a former Catholic baptized in the Spirit, I have been grieved by the slander of Catholic Christians. Even though I am now part of a Pentecostal church, I still have respect and affection for my “separated brethren.” I implore Christians who disagree with Catholic theology (I am among them) to embrace Catholics as fellow believers and allow the Spirit to renew their minds.
Marilyn Rej
Columbia, South Carolina

It’s true that some fundamentalists would deny there are any Christians in Catholicism. But Catholicism is more like the church at Sardis in Revelation 3:1-5; a church Christ described as having the reputation of being alive, though it actually was dead. Still, Jesus said it had “a few who have not soiled their garments and will walk with Me in white.” Be careful about judgments.
Janelle Olney
Lubbock, Texas

It was good to point out that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict are traditionalists. Sometimes Protestants don’t like to hear much about the Catholic Church, but we are part of the body of Christ too.
Berta Medina
St. Johns, Michigan

If you can write an article about Pope John Paul II, will you do one about the Dalai Lama next? I am surprised that your editorial is warming up to Catholics.
Jeff Mills
Antigua, Guatemala

Your story about the pope gives the impression Charisma endorses the view that salvation is obtained by works. Catholic doctrines such as the theology of purgatory speak to the fact that Roman Catholicism does not reflect Christianity. In fact, it opposes it.
Bruce C. Bennett
Medford, New York

How can the Catholic Church make the front cover of a supposedly Christian magazine? Has anyone studied its teachings? Just because the name of Jesus is used by this group doesn’t make them holy.
Rev. Robert Johnson
Word of Faith Church
Sumter, South Carolina

I’m sure it wasn’t your intention to imply that John Paul II was the Holy Spirit’s substitute, but calling him “Vicar of the Spirit” means exactly that. I’m happy he was godly, but long-standing aberrations still exist in the Catholic Church. They, and we, need cleaning by the real Holy Spirit.
Maurice L. Fuller
Calgary, Alberta

I was shocked to receive your glowing articles about Pope John Paul II. The pope was known for his energetic search for common ground not only with Protestants but also with other religious affiliations. This approach is not condoned in Scripture. His interest in the Holy Spirit should not negate the fact that “one God, many paths” isn’t what the Bible teaches.
Karen Johnson
Tehachapi, California

Mixed Signals

I love your editorials and look forward to reading them, but they confuse me. I am getting mixed signals. I read your editorials about the mess the charismatic preachers are making in the area of false prosperity—but then I see your magazine full of articles and pictures of preachers who are of the very school you are against in your editorials. Please explain.
Rev. Raffoul Najem
via e-mail

I am beginning to object to your taking advertising dollars from the very people who are preaching “another gospel.” We are straying from the message that Jesus preached. He taught self-denial, self-control and holiness.
Carmela Croteau
East Branch, New York

BOOKS

The Supernatural Life
By Cindy Jacobs, Regal, hardcover, 224 pages, $17.99.

Cindy Jacobs wants believers to realize that they can experience the supernatural power of God. In her latest book, The Supernatural Life: Experience the Power of God in Your Everyday Life, Jacobs shares experiences and adventures she has had with the supernatural life.

Using a simple, informal approach, Jacobs teaches about speaking in tongues, healing and miracles, laying hands on the sick, testing the spirits (but, she warns, “Don’t go overboard and think there’s a demon behind every bush”), the gift of discernment, words of knowledge, and a phrase she coined, “prophetic evangelism,” or reaching others through a word of knowledge. This book is for those who have never experienced the supernatural life firsthand or those in the Pentecostal-charismatic movement who want to return to their first love, Christ.

The anecdotal style and examples from the lives of past charismatic leaders, such as Smith Wigglesworth and Aimee Semple McPherson, help demonstrate that the supernatural life is available to all believers.
Tracee N. Mason

Losers and Winners Saints and Sinners
By Greg Laurie, Warner Faith, hardcover, 336 pages, $18.99.

In his latest book, the founder of Harvest Crusades weaves lessons from the lives of familiar biblical characters with modern-day vignettes to sound the call for Christians to remain faithful.

Subtitled How to Finish Strong in the Spiritual Race, the book shows how faithful men kept going after they stumbled. Such perseverance makes the difference between those who finish life well and dropouts who crash and burn.

In a world of relativism that is blunting the church’s impact, this book is a dynamic reminder that our actions matter. As Laurie notes, too many people excuse their participation in sinful activities by shrugging, “God will forgive me.”

With 22 chapters, this book is a bit long for a weekly study. But by combining multiple chapters on one character, it can be shortened for use in cell groups, home churches and Bible classes.
Ken Walker

CollegeBound
By Thomas A. Shaw, Moody Publishers,
softcover, 224 pages, $12.99.

For more than 20 years, Thomas A. Shaw has been involved in Christian higher education as an administrator and as a parent. Now, as an author, he hopes to pass along an informed perspective to other parents.

In his book Collegebound: What Christian Parents Need to Know About Helping Their Kids Choose a College, Shaw covers topics such as determining whether college is right for your child, choosing a major and understanding the different types of schools. Perhaps the most important aspect Shaw discusses with parents is striking a balance between being either too controlling or too uninvolved in the choices. It is important to stay between these two extremes because kids need both their parents’ input and to be respected as young adults who take ownership for the direction of their lives.

This book is a helpful resource for parents and teens in finding the best environment not only for career preparation, but for the development of their faith walk as well.
Deborah L. Delk

God@Work, Vol. 2
By Rich Marshall with Ken Walker,
Destiny Image, softcover, 192 pages, $13.99.

The world seeks evidence that Christians will bring practical solutions to problems they face. In his book God @ Work, Vol. 2, Rich Marshall details how “marketplace ministers,” business people who do the work of an evangelist, are that “evidence.”

Because God never stops seeking the lost, those He finds may not come from the aisles of a traditional church but might instead be reached in a bank lobby or on the call-in line of a late-night TV program. The author points out that God has found individuals who not only make profits but also become prophets in an increasingly global work place.

Marshall describes how these Monday-to-Friday ministers cannot afford to rely on anything other than solid foundational truths from the Bible in the fiercely competitive settings where they work. He documents some amazing signs and wonders that follow these servant leaders who pastor “congregants” on the job.
J. James Estrada

Biblical Principles for Releasing Financial Provision!
By Frank Damazio, Rich Brott; City Christian Publishing,
softcover, 439 pages, $19.99.

“Fantastic” describes this huge resource produced by pastor Frank Damazio and leadership guru Rich Brott. In this day and age of rampant materialism and self-serving doctrines that present God the Father as some divine sugar daddy, Releasing Financial Provision is a welcome relief.

The book is divided into seven “keys” for opening the heavens and obtaining the favor of God in your personal and vocational life. Biblical principles about finances bolster each key, enabling the book to read like a daily devotional, with each principle including specific Scriptures and a short teaching on the subject that is always practical and often pleasantly insightful. In addition to the 98 or so principles expounded upon throughout the book, there are at least 100 pages of Scripture references on everything financial, as well as an excellent bibliography of printed and electronic financial resources.

This book is a must-have for anyone who is serious about understanding and applying a biblical approach to finances.
Eric Wilbanks

SHE TEEN

By Rebecca St. James, Tyndale House,
softcover, 208 pages, $12.99.

Today’s teens face countless opportunities to make wrong choices, which seemingly are becoming the norm.

With her latest book, SHE Teen, music artist Rebecca St. James comes along as a big sister, mentor and friend to tell teen girls that they can be “safe, healthy and empowered” by allowing Christ to define their identity.

Packaged as a magazine, SHE Teen offers a fresh, culturally relevant tool for girls to acknowledge their own questions, fears and concerns. It also offers practical everyday advice on relationships and self-esteem. There’s even a recipe for “a fruit smoothie that will change your life”!

Although the style of this book might make you think it’s made for a quick, one-time read, the truth the book conveys is not sugar-coated. Mixed with the lighter segments are tough questions. One quiz helps girls analyze what their makeup communicates (harsh? lazy? seductive?). Throughout the magazine, readers are reminded by biblical truths of how beautiful and valuable they are to God.

Today’s teens respect those who speak the truth yet are vulnerable, and St. James fits that bill. As she shares her own struggles and triumphs, young women will be encourage to choose the freedom, protection and power God’s higher standard provides.
Leigh DeVore

MUSIC

Rock of Ages: Hymn & Faith
By Amy Grant, Word Entertainment.

Rock of Ages: Hymns & Faith is a follow-up to 2002’s Legacy: Hymns & Faith that showcased hymns that have had an influence in artist Amy Grant’s life. Certainly Grant has been the premier artist of Christian music for nearly three decades, having many awards and platinum records, so the idea of her returning to the hymns of her youth at this time in her career is understandable.

Produced by Grant’s husband, Vince Gill, and her longtime producer, Brown Bannister, Rock of Ages features some beautiful hymns, great studio production and lovely vocals, but it would be stronger if it were expressed by Grant with more intimacy. The hints of country, blues and Americana used in the production perhaps could have been stronger as well, which might have made the hymns come to life more.

The title track, “Rock of Ages,” is a duet with Gill, whose strong, passionate vocals are out of balance with Grant’s, which sound almost weary. The compilation “Jesus Loves Me/They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love/Helping Hand” weaves together a single thought, which helps the listener reflect on older and newer texts together.

Other highlights are “Abide With Me” and “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”—which includes Grant’s sisters singing harmony and her father doing a speaking part—”I Surrender All” and “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” which has an upbeat and simplistic arrangement that allows the true nature of the hymn to emerge.

Although this disc could have delved further to find common ground with a younger audience, Rock of Ages: Hymns & Faith is soothing and uplifting.
Debbie Gibboney

Reflection of Something
By Todd Agnew, Ardent Records.

The latest CD from Todd Agnew is a guitar-driven and edgy mix of blues, rock, gospel and contemporary sound.

His flexibility is highlighted on such cuts as “New Name,” with its blues feel and sassy guitar sound and the slow, soft ballad “Blood on My Hands.”

Agnew tackles trials of faith such as battered self-esteem and doubts. His rugged sound reveals some of his musical influences, such as Led Zeppelin and Memphis blues. On Agnew’s second CD, his background as a worship leader comes through on songs such as “Unchanging One.”

Reflection of Something will satisfy the most devoted of Agnew’s fans and likely bring in new ones.

Tracee N. Mason

Rescue
By New Song, Integrity Music

Although NewSong is a veteran to the music industry, Rescue is the group’s first worship album and live recording. Yet, this award-winning band still displays the fresh sound listeners expect and enjoy.

Rescue’s 12 tracks combine several well-known worship songs such as “How Great Thou Art” and “You Are Holy” with new songs and a new version of a NewSong classic, “Arise My Love.”

“You Are Holy” is a fun, fast, call-and-response song while “Blessed Be Your Name” is soothing and mellow. The title cut is a modern, worshipful love song to Jesus that stands out as an anthem, and “I’ll Rise” is inspirational and romantic.

If NewSong’s 16th album is any indication, the band shows no signs of slowing down in delivering powerful music, and they have found a comfortable fit with their first worship CD.
Tracee N. Mason

Movies

Aimee Semple McPherson
By Richard Rossi Productions, $29.95.

The new movie Aimee Semple McPherson (currently on DVD) is as provocative as it is touching and explores the human side of one of America’s towering spiritual icons.

Get past the shoestring production values by former minister turned producer Richard Rossi and you’ll find a sensitive script, ample acting and a story that portrays the Pentecostal woman, who, like the rest of us, lived in a skin of real flesh.

In Sister Aimee’s acutely dichotomous world, she founded the International
Church of the Foursquare Gospel and the first Christian radio station and used illustrated sermons. Thousands were healed at her crusades, and millions came to Christ through her ministry.

Sister Aimee, played by screen newcomer Mimi Michaels, was friend to the famous and a provider to the poor. Yet her ministry was rife with controversy. History records arguments with her mother, church-leader shake-ups, lawsuits, court appearances, a kidnapping by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and two divorces.

A study in contrasts, she is seen as a creative genius who was vulnerable, often melancholy and most of all lonely. “A lot of leaders anointed by God with spiritual gifts feel they have to hide their despair because they would be considered unfit for leadership,” Rossi says. “Healers, especially, pour out into everyone else and come to find out they are depleted.”

In a life that was as amazing as plagued, the movie is fairly accurate historically. Critically, the film is middle-of-the-road. The viewer must decide its merits.

The movie traces Sister Aimee’s early life as daughter of Canadian farmer James Kennedy, portrayed by Ron Howard’s father, Rance, and her shrewd, strong-willed mother, Minnie, played by Teres Byrne.

Her conversion, aided by traveling evangelist and future husband Robert Semple, and her husband’s death on the China mission field are treated with sensitivity. She returns, pregnant with daughter Roberta, and soon marries Harold McPherson, a kind man who does not fully understand her call to preach and leaves her evangelistic tent.

Yet the movie best explores Sister Aimee’s aching earthliness through her short third marriage to former Angelus Temple singer David Hutton, her strange 39-day disappearance and her death by an accidental overdose of barbiturates.

On May 18, 1926, three years after she opened Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, Sister Aimee walked into the surf at nearby Ocean Park for a swim and disappeared. Many thought she had drowned. But 39 days later she walked in from the desert near Douglas, Arizona.

Newspaper writers and the local district attorney, Asa Keyes, alleged she had spent at least some of that missing time in a cottage with her married audio-engineer Kenneth Ormiston. Sister Aimee insisted she was kidnapped by the KKK. Hundreds of journalists and two courts of law spent five years and more than a half-million dollars, but never proved otherwise.

In 1931, she married singer David Hutton, who may have been slightly less of a scoundrel than the movie indicates. Her second divorce in 1934 was especially painful, and the movie touches on her well-documented bouts with depression. It ends in 1944 with her unusual death from an overdose of barbiturates.

Because the movie explores both sides of her disappearance and her bipolarlike personality, controversy will likely hound it as it did her ministry. Yet, the movie as well as Sister Aimee’s life adds a dynamic dimension when draped with frail flesh.

“In a sense, we’re all wounded soldiers,” Rossi says. “She was a powerful conduit for the Holy Spirit, yet she struggled. It’s ironic that a lot of churches today would reject her because she was divorced twice. But hers is a story of grace, and it’s grace that gives all us sinners hope.”

After she won the legal battle regarding her disappearance in the movie, her father tells her, “But whether you’ve done something wrong or … something right [Christ] is there for forgiveness.”

And that is the proper way to view Sister Aimee’s life and this movie. If you can believe that Christian legends still wear skin that longs to be touched, this movie is a must-see. Rossi says he believes depicting her humanness will attract non-Christian viewers. And he hopes church leaders, especially those in her denomination, will view the movie with objectivity.

The film will be in select theaters this fall. The DVD is now available. For a copy send a donation of $29.95 or more to Eternal Grace, 5030 Whitsett Ave., #1, Valley Village, CA 91607. Movie-related news can be found at www.aimeesemple mcphersonmovie.com.
E.C. Donnally

More than 240,000 believers and seekers endured 90-degree weather to hear evangelist Billy Graham speak at his final mass crusade June 24-26.

The crowd at the Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens was a mosaic of colors, ages and ethnic backgrounds. Many came to see Graham in person for the first and last time. “I have listened to Billy Graham all my life and read his books,” said Gail Yawn, a member of Shirley Hills Baptist Church who traveled from Warner Robins, Ga., to hear Graham. “I know he’s a man anointed of God. I felt led to be a part of [the crusade]. I felt the Spirit of the Lord moving.”

“God uses Billy Graham in a tremendous way,” said Patrick Necerato of Jackson, N.J. “You get encouraged in the Lord. I’m blown away.”

Muddying the waters about his future, Graham, 86, told the audience at the beginning of his sermon on June 26: “This is not the end. They may think so, but I don’t.”

However, insiders report that his health problems make another mass crusade unlikely. In July he declined an invitation to hold a crusade in London later this year. Graham suffers from prostate cancer and hydrocephalus (water on the brain), a condition that mimics symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A frequent patient at the Mayo Clinic, he wears a hearing aid and needs a walker to get around. Graham told CNN talk-show host Larry King during a pre-crusade interview that he travels with a nurse, who also attends to his medical needs at home.

Steered to the podium by his son Franklin Graham, the evangelist appeared fit as he delivered his final sermon holding on to the podium. In a surprisingly strong voice, he warned the audience of 90,000 about the approaching end of the world system and the return of Jesus Christ. “I believe today that God is warning the United States,” he said.

“When he began to share God’s word I saw such power and the anointing come over his frail body, ” said Jimmy Jack, director of Long Island Teen Challenge. “God took over. He doesn’t preach as fast as he used to, but it’s more clear.”

Thousands crammed the platform area each night when Graham invited seekers to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Counselors fanned out, assisting seekers in 20 languages. The crusade generated 9,445 decisions for Christ, half of which were said to be first-time conversions. “God is saving,” said prayer counselor Mary Roacher. “It’s incredible what He does.”

About 1,400 churches representing 82 denominations backed the crusade with 11,000 volunteers, prayer and help in raising the $6.8 million budget. A.R. Bernard, senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn and chairman of the crusade executive committee, said the event coalesced both charismatic and non-charismatic evangelicals in metro New York—a trend that he believes will continue. “The crusade brought diverse evangelical groups to the forefront,” he said.
Peter K. Johnson in Queens, N.Y.