Evelyn Roberts played a vital role in helping her husband build his international healing and evangelistic ministry
Evelyn Roberts, wife of evangelist Oral Roberts, died May 4 in a California hospital after suffering a head injury during a fall.

According to Tulsa, Okla.-based Oral Roberts University (ORU), Roberts, 88, fell in the parking lot of a Newport Beach dentist’s office the day before, striking her head on the pavement and causing massive internal bleeding. Roberts, who had been in generally good health, then lapsed into a coma and died later.

Oral and Evelyn Roberts married more than 66 years ago, and she worked with her husband to build his TV ministry and university. She wrote several books, including her best-selling autobiography, His Darling Wife, Evelyn. She also penned Evelyn Roberts’ Miracle Life Stories and the children’s book, Heaven Has a Floor.

“Mrs. Roberts played a vital role in her husband’s worldwide evangelistic ministry from its beginning in 1947,” ORU’s Web site said. “In obedience to God’s call on their lives, she was instrumental in helping Oral carry the message of God’s saving, healing, delivering power through the building of Oral Roberts University and the many other outreaches of the Oral Roberts Ministries.”

Healing evangelist Benny Hinn said his family mourns the loss of “a great woman of faith and beauty.”

“Wife of my dearest friend and mentor, Evelyn was known for her beautiful spirit, sharp wit, and undying devotion to her husband,” Hinn said on his Web site. “She was, to her last day on this earth, a wellspring of inspiration and strength to her husband and to many, including myself.”

Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson said Roberts was “a rock and a standby with Oral’s ministry. … She was with him from the early days all the way through, ‘his darling wife,’ and he meant it sincerely,” Robertson said on The 700 Club. “They said that when they went into a town to hold a crusade, Evelyn always had a bag that had some little mementos and Scripture verses so that they could make a hotel room, in a sense, like a chapel, so they would feel the presence of the Lord.”

Hinn said Roberts’ commitment to support her husband in ministry will be part of her legacy “and a standard for others to follow.”

“A dear saint of God has gone home,” Robertson added. “We are sorry it took place in such a seemingly unnecessary tragedy. … But she’s with Jesus. For that we rejoice.”

Besides her husband, who is 87, Roberts is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Lindsay Roberts; her daughter and son-in-law, Roberta and Ronald Potts; 13 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, two sisters and three brothers. A “celebration” of Roberts’ life was held May 9 at ORU’s Mabee Center.
Eric Tiansay

Holly McClure says movie theaters are this generation’s pulpits, so the church must shine the light of Christ in the darkness
Though she has spent the last decade writing movie reviews to warn parents of the objectionable content that may be in the latest hit film, Holly McClure doesn’t want Christians to swear off Hollywood entirely.

“It is important that Christians get involved in Hollywood and the entertainment medium,” said McClure, who teaches film and journalism at Biola University and mentors potential film students as part of the Biola Film Task Force. “I feel strongly about the church becoming media- and culturally savvy. For years we’ve lost ground. … We’re just getting it back.”

McClure is helping the church reclaim that ground through her radio show and by serving as a guest on TV programs such as Politically Incorrect, The Sharon Osbourne Show and The Montel Williams Show. She also is a popular recurring pundit for such outlets as FOX News, Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC, Scarborough Country and CNN.

It’s been almost 20 years since she found her passion. After doing some acting and voice-work, McClure began doing movie reviews in the late 1980s when she realized parents like herself needed someone to review films from a conservative point of view. It was before the Internet was being widely used, and she couldn’t find what she was looking for. “So I started my own reviews,” she said.

After moving to California, she began writing movie reviews for The Orange County Register and within six months the column was run in other papers and was eventually syndicated nationally. McClure became known as a family film critic.

She was sought-after for interviews, which led to a radio talk show, Holly on Hollywood, giving her experience and enabling her to expand. In the mid-1990s, she began Saturday Night With Holly McClure on KKLA, one of the leading Christian radio stations in the country. Because she tackled tough topics on the show, such as Christians and drug abuse, homosexuality and abortion, McClure gained notoriety as a conservative talk-show host.

McClure’s popularity led to a phone call from Mel Gibson in 2002 asking her to produce a behind-the-scenes special for Icon Productions’ film The Passion of the Christ. She was the first member of the media to be allowed on set and the first journalist to write an exclusive article about the film, which appeared in the New York Daily News.

“I knew every day I walked on that set I was watching history being made,” McClure said. She wrote about her experience in the forward of the book The Passion, published by Allegiance Press.

McClure has since produced filmographies and behind-the-scenes specials for feature films such as One Night With the King (Gener8xion Entertainment) and Hangman’s Curse (Namesake Entertainment). “Movie theaters are the pulpits to our generation in the world,” she told Charisma. “People who would never go to church will go to a movie.”

That is why she believes it is so important for Christians to get involved in Hollywood and be salt and light. “For a long time, Christians avoided Hollywood and movies, but the more we take an active role, break down our preconceptions as a church and let God work outside the box, the more we’ll be that light in the darkness,” she said.

Still, she says Christians must be discerning about what they view, a topic she explores in her book, Death by Entertainment: Exposing Hollywood’s Seductive Power Over You and Your Family, which offers an informative look at the impact of the entertainment industry on families.

Because children are learning their values and morals from television, “as a church we have to get youth leaders teaching teens and youth what it is to be discerning,” she said. “Be careful. Now that Hollywood knows we are a market–just because it has that name labeled on it –we have to be discerning.”

McClure’s reviews can be seen on Lifestyle Magazine, which is broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and she can be heard on Salem Radio Network. A member of Life Church, a charismatic ministry founded by Phil Munsey, she also is co-hosting the show Bible Prophecy Unraveled with Hilton Sutton, which is syndicated around the world on LeSEA Broadcast Network and she serves on the board of the Parents Television Council.

McClure believes God has called her “for such a time as this,” to be used for His purpose in an industry that is influencing the world.
Lesa Henderson in Los Angeles

The members of Flatfoot 56 are at home sharing their faith in secular clubs and in their Chicago-area church
The members of a Celtic punk band are as comfortable singing about Christ in nightclubs as in their Chicago Pentecostal church.

Brothers Kyle, 17; Justin, 20; and Tobin Bawinkel, 22, spend most Sunday mornings leading worship at Risen Savior Assembly of God, where their father, Dan Bawinkel, 52, is pastor. But on Saturday nights, the Bawinkel brothers and longtime friend Josh Robieson, 20, share the gospel with a very different crowd–scores of teens packed like a box of spikes into a local coffeehouse for a night of punk and hard-core music.

Their band, Flatfoot 56, plays a high-energy mix of accessible Celtic punk, with Robieson’s bagpipe and mandolin adding a muscular Irish accent to Flatfoot 56’s good-natured but uncompromising set.

A punk show and a worship service may seem like two different worlds, but Tobin Bawinkel says they have more in common than one might think. “Our main purpose on this earth is to worship Christ,” he said. “Punk is a different way of expressing our love to Him, and gives us another way to tell others about what He’s done in our lives.”

The band is committed to living an authentic faith before their audience, a subculture known for having little tolerance for hypocrisy. Lyrics such as, “The faith that lies within our hearts doesn’t come from the halls of a church / It’s not about religion, its about a Friend, and it’s Him that gave us worth” leave no doubt about the band’s spiritual heartbeat.

When his sons started playing punk music in 2001 in the empty church sanctuary, pastor Dan Bawinkel didn’t pay much attention. “I knew from past experience that sometimes boys go through phases, and I thought that punk was one of those phases,” he said. “But when they incorporated Josh, their buddy from a nearby fellowship, into the band, I took notice. They started sounding pretty good.”

Others started to notice too, and soon the band with the funny name–a combination of a family joke and an old-school name for a police officer–began getting invitations to play around the Chicago area and beyond. Flatfoot 56 has since opened for nationally known Christian bands such as The O.C. Supertones, Superchick, Five Iron Frenzy, Bleach and The Insyderz. They also play regularly in skate parks, secular clubs and concert venues.

“We have found that in the kind of places we usually minister, the best way to reach people is to show them what Christ has done in our lives,” Tobin Bawinkel said. “We have had many people ask us why we are so different from everyone else in this scene. We are not ashamed to tell people that we are Christians and there are definite references to Christ in our lyrics. There are times when we are playing at a secular venue where people are not interested in our beliefs. When this happens, we show the love of Christ by living it in front of them.”

One way they do this is by traveling as a family. Robieson’s sister, Lynn, and the Bawinkel sisters, Cori and Emma, often work the merchandise table at shows. Mom, Dena Bawinkel, handles shipping duties for the CDs and T-shirts that the band’s growing legion of fans orders from their Web site (www.flat foot56.com).

In addition to his full-time ministry at the church, Dan Bawinkel is the band’s manager. “I started to see both saved and unsaved young people showing up to listen to the guys play. I thought, Could this be a way to reach teens and young adults for Christ?”

Dan Bawinkel said that at first, some members of his congregation weren’t too sure about the wisdom of the worship team members stage-diving into the punk world. “After much prayer, the Lord told me to get involved with the band and share the band’s ministry with the church,” Dan Bawinkel said. “Our people realized that there was a place for outreach through music that may not have been the style taste of many in the congregation.”

The church also has learned to welcome the sometimes-intimidating-looking Sunday morning visitors who respond to invitations from one of the guys at a punk show the night before. “Our church supports the band big time,” Tobin Bawinkel said. “They allow us to use the church van for our travels, and the congregation prays for us when we’re on the road.”

These non-churchy church boys bring a little dose of Sunday morning into each Saturday night performance, no matter where they play. They end each show by inviting the crowd to sing along to their bagpipe-led, punk version of “Amazing Grace.”
Michelle Van Loon in Chicago

Gwen Edland describes book of Acts-style miracles when recounting her ministry travels to more than 40 nations
Instead of relaxing in retirement, a 70-year-old Nebraska grandmother has become a globetrotting evangelist, willing to share the gospel even in the world’s more dangerous places.

Sometimes teaming up with the Omaha Rapid Response Team to offer food and supplies, other times going off on her own, Gwen Edland has prayed with thousands to receive Christ in more than 40 nations, including Iraq, China and Russia. A registered nurse, certified teacher and licensed pastor, Edland has given away countless copies of the Jesus video and the evangelistic Step Up to Life (SUTL) booklet, which has been translated into 28 languages.

Despite the danger she sometimes faces, Edland believes she is serving out her life’s purpose. A widowed mother of four and grandmother of 12, the Canadian native once prayed that God would send her to places where people have not heard about Jesus. It seems her request was granted, though her first missions trip wasn’t exactly to reach a remote people group deep within the 10/40 Window.

Instead, in 1991 she traveled to Sweden, where she said God miraculously taught her to speak Swedish and she preached the gospel to everyone who would listen. “All people have a right–it’s their birthright–to know their Creator,” Edland said.

A member of Trinity Interdenominational Church in Omaha, Neb., Edland accompanied a Baptist medical team to Hinche, Haiti, in 2000, 2003 and 2004. They assisted a Haitian dentist and doctor and distributed Creole Bibles, eyeglasses and medicines. She reported that 200 people made decisions for Christ each trip. Among them was a voodoo priest who accepted Christ in 2000 and subsequently brought 25 of his warlock friends to hear about Jesus. In 2003 Edland saw him again, cleaned up and studying the Bible with other former warlocks.

“[Edland] is constantly encouraging people to reach out to the poorest of the poor in the world,” said Trinity missions pastor Connie Bissen. “This woman will travel anywhere in the world in order to share the love of Jesus. What a beautiful example she has been to many in our congregation as well as our city.”

Edland accompanied a Tennessee medical team to Recife, Brazil, in 2003. The group visited men sentenced to life in prison for murder and their involvement in gang violence. That year, she said, 480 inmates came to Christ; the following year she reported 850 converts.

In Rio de Janeiro, Edland and her translator went into the darkest ghetto, where the police wouldn’t go. “You need this. Jesus loves you,” she told the drug lords as she handed out SUTL. “They started reading it on the spot,” she said.

Edland has taught English in Chinese universities nearly every summer since 1994. She said the Bible is her textbook, and she shares Jesus with everyone she meets. One year a university president affiliated with the Communist Party accepted Christ after he and Edland read SUTL together during lunch.

“Being with Gwen is like walking with a modern-day Moses because it seems like the sea just parts and we walk right through,” said Dave Collins, who heads Trinity’s pastoral care ministry and has accompanied Edland on trips to China. “It’s an astounding experience. She’s so dedicated and so focused in her devotion to the Lord and the Chinese people.”

And the testimonies keep coming. From her Omaha home, where she hosts parties and Bible studies for international students, Edland describes one adventure after another, many ending with dramatic accounts of miracles or salvation experiences.

On their first trip to Iraq, Edland said, one of the intercessors began praying intently as she handed out SUTL booklets on Iraqi streets. The police came to arrest her, but then stopped suddenly and left.

In Brazil, a missions team prayed for a deaf and mute teenager who came to their medical clinic. Edland anointed his tongue, and his ears popped and he began to speak.

When Edland accompanied an international disaster team to Iraq in 2004, thieves shot a hole in their car door as they traveled between the Jordanian airport and Baghdad. “God kept us safe,” Edland said. On their return trip she said there was a dense fog around their car until they passed through the area where the shooting occurred.

This year Edland journeyed with the Omaha Rapid Response Team to southern Asia after a tsunami devastated the region. She helped build shelters until pain in her hip sent her to the hospital. While there, she said she led the head of the orthopedic department to salvation.

“I remember Jesus said, ‘If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me,'” she said. “If people don’t hear about Jesus, they will go to Hell, and that is unthinkable.”

Audrey Hebbert in Omaha, Neb.

Diane Knippers Dies
Diane Knippers, president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, a conservative think-tank in Washington, D.C., died April 18 of complications from colon cancer. She was 53. Named by Time magazine as one of the nation’s most influential evangelicals, Knippers was an outspoken critic of liberal moves within mainline Protestant churches, especially the Episcopal Church, and was an advocate of persecuted Christians around the world. She is survived by her husband, parents and brother.

Florida Pastor Clint Brown Faces Legal Battle
Dennis Leonard, pastor of Heritage Christian Center in Denver, has filed suit against Florida minister Clint Brown, saying Brown has refused to repay a $100,000 loan he sought to help buy a building for his church, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Leonard’s attorney, Howard Marks, said the pastors made a verbal agreement that FaithWorld would repay the loan. The suit claims that Leonard has not received the money and seeks compensatory damage and interest, the Sentinel said. At press time, neither attorneys for FaithWorld or Brown had commented on the suit. Brown also has been sued by a former member who claims he owes her $200,000. Brown says the money was a gift.

Gospel Artists Recognized At Dove Awards Show
A cross section of Christian music artists were recognized April 13 at the Gospel Music Association’s 36th annual awards show in Nashville, Tenn. Among the Dove Award recipients was Casting Crowns, which was honored with seven awards, including Group of the Year and song and songwriter of the year awards for lead singer Mark Hall. Switchfoot received four awards, including Artist of the Year. Jeremy Camp and Nicole C. Mullen were awarded male and female vocalist of the year awards respectively. The Crabb Family received four awards, including recorded song of the year honors in the Southern Gospel, country and traditional gospel categories. Awards show co-host Israel Houghton received Doves for best contemporary gospel song and album.

‘PREACHER BUSH’ SHARES FAITH WITH REPORTERS
President Bush talked to the seven reporters traveling with him on Air Force One about Jesus after attending the pope’s funeral in Rome April 8. For 47 minutes, Bush and the journalists had an intimate, friendly chat largely about the pope, his legacy and Bush’s own “walk with Christ,” The Washington Post reported. Bush said attending Pope John Paul II’s funeral strengthened his faith, his belief in a living God and in how religious faith is a lifelong journey. “I think a walk in faith constantly confronts doubt, as faith becomes more mature,” Bush said. “And you constantly confront, you know, questions. My faith is strong. The Bible [says] … you’ve got to constantly stay in touch with the Word of God in order to help you on the walk.” Bush told the pool of reporters who travel with the president that it is necessary to find ways to strengthen one’s faith. “It’s called a ‘walk,'” he said “It’s not called a moment or a respite. It’s a ‘walk.'”

PASTOR SPEARHEADS CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUGE GAY EVENT IN JERUSALEM

Joining forces with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel and rabbis from the U.S., a charismatic pastor has launched an international campaign against the 10-day WorldPride Parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem this summer. Leo Giovinetti, who leads 2,500-strong Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego, is seeking 1 million signatures for a petition (www.israelblessgod.com/protest.asp) against the mid-August gay-pride festival, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor, Uri Lupolianski, opposes the event but said he is powerless to interfere because the police, not city hall, license public events. Giovinetti planned to hand-deliver the petition to each member of the Knesset. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Prayer Team (www.jerusalemprayerteam.org) has also started a petition against WorldPride.

OREGON SUPREME COURT NULLIFIES GAY MARRIAGE LICENSES
In a unanimous ruling the Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County in Portland last year, the Associated Press (AP) reported. In its April 14 decision, the Court said a county cannot defy state matrimonial law, which bans gay marriage, and noted that voters approved a constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex unions even more explicitly. Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said April 13 that he will push to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions, giving them many of the legal rights of marriage. The Oregon Court’s ruling came a day after Connecticut became the second state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples. Massachusetts is the only state that permits gay marriage.

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION ENDS PROCTOR & GAMBLE BOYCOTT
The American Family Association (AFA ) has suspended a four-month boycott of Proctor & Gamble (P&G) products, claiming the company has backed off efforts that were supportive of homosexual lifestyle. The AFA reported that 400,000 people signed pledges to boycott P&G after the campaign was launched in November and endorsed by Focus on the Family. “Insofar as we can tell by our monitoring, P&G has stopped their sponsorship of TV programs promoting the homosexual lifestyle, such as Will and Grace, and they have stopped their sponsorship of homosexual Internet sites,” AFA chairman Donald Wildmon said. His organization claims P&G has sponsored gay pride parades and gay workshops, and has required its employees to participate in sensitivity training that promotes acceptance of homosexuality.

Jordanian Islamic Court Grants Child Custody to Christian Widow
A court of Islamic law in Amman ruled in favor of Christian widow Siham Qandah, revoking the legal guardianship of her children’s Muslim uncle. On April 12, the court removed Abdullah al-Muhtadi from his court-designated guardianship and ordered him to repay misspent funds, Compass Direct reported. Al-Muhtadi, who had 30 days to appeal the ruling, has been fighting a seven-year legal battle to wrest custody of his niece and nephew from Qandah. Qandah and her children live in the northern city of Husn, where they attend the Husn Baptist Church. Under Jordanian law, once the children turn 18, they are allowed to choose whether their official identity will be Muslim or Christian.

Eritrean Christians Jailed For Viewing Home Video
Eritrean police arrested 16 members of the Kale Hiwot Church on March 13 after they were found watching a Christian video together in the town of Adi-Kibe, Compass Direct reported. Two older women were released the following day after paying fines, but at press time the other 14 remained jailed, though no official charges had been filed. In September, the northeast African nation was added to the U.S. State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern” for its religious freedom violations. Eritrean officials deny ever-increasing reports of a severe government crackdown under way against Protestant churches, Compass said.

Pentecostal Pastor Still Missing in Indonesia
The family of Pentecostal pastor Jokran Ratu, kidnapped Dec. 3 on the remote Indonesian island of Buru, still does not know whether he is dead or alive, Compass Direct reported. “We always ask the police whether they have made progress or found Mr. Jokran’s body,” the Rev. Henry Lolaen, a pastor from nearby Ambon island, told Compass. Meanwhile, police were preparing for the April 25 anniversary the Maluku Sovereignty Front’s failed attempt to gain independence. Last year, an illegal flag-raising ceremony led to violence between Muslim and Christian groups in Ambon, leaving at least 20 people dead and dozens of buildings destroyed, Compass said.

BOOKS

Changing the World Through Kindness
By Steve Sjogren, Regal, hardcover,
224 pages, $16.99.

With a simple but powerful message, author Steve Sjogren challenges Christians to use the oft-forgotten weapon of kindness to win unbelievers to Christ and help transform lives. In his latest book, Changing the World Through Kindness, Sjogren puts a practical handle on this spiritual principle.

Using colorful illustrations and vivid examples, Sjogren, who founded the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, writes that kindness is every bit as important in spiritual warfare as casting out demons or praying earnestly for others. Kindness can penetrate the spiritually darkened hearts of people with God’s love.

The author leads Christians to witness to nonbelievers in unconventional ways such as cleaning toilets at bars and stores, feeding expired parking meters and washing cars. “By serving in kindness we’re building bridges to the unchurched that will transport them toward a relationship with God,” Sjogren writes.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever thought they “weren’t spiritual enough” to engage in spiritual warfare, or for those who are looking for ways to influence others with their faith. The author is simply challenging Christians to be available to be used by Christ in word and in deeds.
Tracee N. Mason

Launching Your Kids for Life
By Bob and Cheryl Reccord,
W Publishing Group, softcover,

240 pages, $14.99.

All good parents want their children to grow up to be happy, productive and effective adults. And for Christian parents, they add to this determination the desire to see their children bringing glory to God by fulfilling His purposes for their lives. A daunting task, but with God’s grace and wisdom–and with the insights Bob and Cheryl Reccord offer in their newest book, Launching Your Kids for Life–families can have more direction, vision and success.

The Reccords offer mental pictures, poignant parallels and practical steps to help parents create childhoods that lead to meaningful adulthoods. Consulting with NASA executives and astronauts, the authors weave an inspiring comparison between child “launching” and space-shuttle launching–both “launches” have similarities–from mission control (parents) to ground crews (grandparents, teachers, church staff and others).

The authors challenge parents to have the humility and the spiritual fortitude to “abort” a mission; in other words re-evaluate situations and begin again. For example, if extracurricular activities are distracting children from school or causing negative attitudes, parents need to stop the activities, decide what is best and then start again on a new, adjusted course.

These are tough decisions, but “it comes down to [parents] having the guts to make judgment calls, regardless of the criticism and hurt feelings that may result,” the authors write. It’s not easy to “abort” a mission. But regrouping can help parents learn what they did right, how to do better and what has to change in order to help their children become all that God created them to be!
Kristi D. Shores

MUSIC

Great River Road
By Jason Upton, Gotee Records.

Worship leader Jason Upton’s new release, Great River Road, is a collection of introspective acoustic worship tunes. Upton’s voice blends well with the low-key musical experience, which mixes elements of folk, pop and world music.

Upton fuses many flavors of international music on songs such as the orchestral “King’s Way,” “Chop Down the Tree,” which features spoken-word Scripture, and the melodic title track. “When It Thunders” speaks lovingly of a paternal relationship with God, and the romance of “Return to Me” parallels the far-reaching love of Christ. “Trust Again” is a solemn message of healing for the hurting.

Because Upton has been compared to music pioneer Keith Green, a fitting track to end on is a new pop version of the late singer’s “You Are the One.”

Great River Road is an intimate journey that will help create a unique, relaxed time of personal worship.
DeWayne Hamby

It’s My Time
By LaShun Pace, EMI Gospel.

LaShun Pace, a former member of the Anointed Pace Sisters, has provided inspiring gospel music for years. With an unbelievable vocal range and a powerful delivery, she has released a number of independent, top-five-charting albums.

She now offers her EMI Gospel debut, It’s My Time, her first project in four years. During her absence, she endured the sudden death of her daughter Xenia, a divorce and illness. Songs such as the power ballad “For My Good,” the catchy up-tempo “Hey” and the urban-touched title tune carry a special poignancy in light of her recent trials.

Other great church tracks include the traditional “Emotions” and the choir-backed “I Trust You.” She also includes a tasteful remake of the church classic “The Lord Will Make a Way.” One of gospel’s best voices is back.
René Williams

Pressing On
By various artists,
Discovery House Music.

The apostle Paul receives a musical homage with the release Pressing On: Songs Inspired By the Journey of the Apostle Paul. This album features songs rooted deeply in scriptural references and a lineup of skilled vocalists, including Larnelle Harris, Michael O’Brien (NewSong), Travis Cottrell and a reunion of the original First Call lineup: Bonnie Keen, Marty McCall and Melodie Tunney.

First Corinthians 13 gets a musical retelling courtesy of Harris, who belts out an inspiring call for brotherly love on “The Greatest of These.” The title song displays O’Brien’s vocals with a message of faithful determination. First Call fans will be thrilled to hear the trio’s return on “Living Sacrifices” and “Nothing Can Separate Us.”

Though the inclusion of musical pioneers and an “easy-listening” soundtrack make this release sound somewhat dated musically, it still proclaims timeless truths.
DeWayne Hamby

NEWS

Filming of Left Behind: World War III Wraps Up

Cloud Ten Pictures is in post-production of Left Behind: World War III. The movie, which is based on the popular Left Behind series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, is the third installment in the film series and stars Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains), Lou Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Gordon Currie (Left Behind II: Tribulation Force).

Directed by Craig P. Baxley (Storm of the Century), the film is based on the last part of the book Tribulation Force. It follows the story of the U.S. President (Gossett) who works against those who oppose the self-proclaimed messiah (Currie) until a surprising discovery forces him to change sides.

“There are two reasons I came back [and one] is that the script was really good,” said Cameron, who plays the role of Buck Williams. “It got better as we began working on it together. The second reason is that I’ve gotten so much positive response from normal, everyday people on the streets who like the Left Behind movies and say [the films] really brought some of the things from their childhood faith back to life. If the third movie can plant more seeds along those lines, then I think it’s worth it to give it our best shot.”

At press time, Cloud Ten Pictures was still in discussions regarding the film’s theatrical release date. Left Behind: World War III will be distributed on DVD and video by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment this fall or next spring.
Margaret Feinberg

When worship leader Paul Wilbur travels overseas, he often brings doctors, dentists and medicine–but not because he’s a hypochondriac. Wilbur believes that ministry to the poor is an integral part of true worship, and he makes sure his outreaches include not only music but also mercy.

On recent tours to Ghana, Nigeria, Nicaragua and El Salvador, for example, Wilbur’s team examined the sick, counseled with them and prescribed medicine. At each clinic 1,200-1,500 people were treated and had an opportunity to hear the gospel.

“We work with local pastors and leaders who meet with each person individually and share a salvation message,” Wilbur explains. “As a result, there is a huge number of salvations. If we could double the number of doctors, we could double the number of salvations. … We’re believing God for an increase of $50,000 a month so we can do six outreaches this year.”

Wilbur, who is a Messianic Jew, recorded his latest CD, The Watchman (Hosanna! Music), live on Yom Kippur at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. “The timing is significant,” Wilbur says. “Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, was the one day of the year that the high priest was allowed to come into the presence of God with blood, making atonement for himself and all Israel.

“I believe this recording will carry that anointing in a very special way and will sweep many into the kingdom of God.”
Elisabeth Farrell

I fear that charismatics are fitting in more and emphasizing the Holy Spirit less.
When my son Cameron graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1998, the speaker was Atlanta pastor Creflo Dollar. His topic was unusual for a commencement address–he talked about the importance of praying in tongues and interpreting the message.

It wasn’t unusual to hear someone talk about speaking in tongues at ORU. Oral Roberts has testified that when his campus was just a pasture he prayed in tongues and God showed him how to build a great university.

In the early days of the charismatic movement it seemed that every week I heard another story about someone being baptized in the Spirit and speaking in tongues. The joke back then was that after someone was filled with the Spirit we needed to lock them up for months because they were so crazy for God!

The late Jamie Buckingham, my longtime mentor, described the first time he spoke in tongues. In his 1976 book Risky Living he wrote: “From the very depths of my inner being, I heard the Holy Spirit Himself beginning to speak. … I was speaking the language of the angels. It was an unforgettable moment. Sheer ecstasy.”

Jamie often joked that trouble was the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. That’s because entire congregations were being swept up in the charismatic renewal during the 1960s and 1970s, and many churches split over it. Today, churches that once opposed the gifts of the Spirit are open to renewal.

The charismatic experience was also a bridge builder. Christians who argued about how to take communion or perform water baptism were swept up in this renewal movement. As more and more Christians experienced the intoxicating power Jamie described, it became more difficult for us to argue about secondary doctrines.

One of the most surprising bridges between denominations was built when charismatic renewal erupted in the Roman Catholic Church. Before the 1962 Vatican II reforms, Catholics believed anyone outside their church was lost. But after Pope John XXIII called for a “new Pentecost,” they began viewing Protestants as “separated brethren.”

A few years later, in 1967, a group of Catholics at Duquesne University received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fervor spread to Notre Dame, where my colleague Bert Ghezzi was then a graduate student. I’ve enjoyed listening to Bert’s stories of how a group of Catholic students spoke in tongues and prophesied for hours after some businessmen prayed for them in South Bend, Indiana. The renewal in the Catholic Church has now touched an estimated 60 million Catholics worldwide.

One of the first leaders of the Catholic charismatic renewal, Ralph Martin, wrote a feature in this issue on Pope John Paul II, who endorsed the renewal (see page 46). Martin and others believe the pope himself was charismatic.

Catholics, in fact, were the first to use the term “charismatic”–deriving it from the Greek word charism, or spiritual gift. The word was mentioned in a Vatican II document, which called on the church to “embrace charismatic gifts … with thanksgiving.” When we chose to name this magazine Charisma in 1975, the term had become widely used by Protestants.

The charismatic movement has evolved and changed since then. Charismatic churches are growing. The entire evangelical church seems more open to charismatic worship styles.

But at a time when the media pays more attention to evangelicals, I fear that charismatics are fitting in more and emphasizing the Holy Spirit less. Many people are still baptized in the Holy Spirit, but hardly anyone talks about it. It seems our fervor has waned.

God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost to empower the church. He did it again during the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, and again during the charismatic movement, to renew and empower us all.

I believe we need to heed the words of Pope John Paul II, who said these words in 2004, less than a year before he died: “Whenever the Spirit intervenes, He leaves people astonished. He brings about events of amazing newness; he radically changes persons and history.”

Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will again intervene in our lives, empower us afresh and astonish our generation.

Two Atlanta ministers hope to unite clergy who disagree on which issues should take priority
An Atlanta pastor and the daughter of a slain civil rights leader are seeking to build bridges between black ministers who have expressed divergent views on the overall agenda for black America and how vocal African-American clergy should be in opposition to gay marriage.

Bishop Eddie Long, senior pastor of New Birth Baptist Church, and the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and a member of New Birth, are taking active steps to build open communication in the black church. In April the pair hosted the first Kingdom Summit, a closed-door, invitation-only meeting aimed at fostering honest dialogue between veteran, civil-rights-era pastors and prominent charismatic ministers in hopes of bringing unity between the two groups. A second meeting was to be held in May.

Long declined to name the summit participants in hopes of keeping the dialogue confidential. Since the November presidential election, there has been increased public disagreement among black religious and civic leaders about which issues are most critical to the African-American community.

Some younger leaders–the majority of whom are charismatic or Pentecostal–have expressed opposition to gay marriage, many supporting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions. Other veteran, mostly mainline clergy say arguing about amending the Constitution draws attention away from more pressing moral issues, such as ending the Iraq war and creating a more equitable health-care system.

In January the four oldest black Baptist denominations–the National Baptist Convention USA Inc., the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America and the National Baptist Convention of America–held a first-ever joint meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Though they expressed opposition to gay marriage, they said ending the Iraq war, reforming President Bush’s education plan and calling for more funding to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean were more urgent concerns.

Days later, the newly formed High Impact Leadership Coalition unveiled its Black Contract With America on Moral Values, which expresses support for a federal marriage amendment alongside calls for education, health-care and prison reform, and small-business development.

Affiliated with the conservative Traditional Values Coalition, the group is hosting a series of summits aimed at mobilizing black clergy to support a ban on same-sex marriage. The first was held in January at Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles. A second was held at The King’s College in New York in April.

The Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III of Azusa Christian Community in Boston said the divergent views represent a larger trend in which Pentecostals and charismatics are emerging as the dominant political force in the black church.

“We’re coming to the end of an intellectual age,” said Rivers, who supports an amendment banning gay marriage and plans to announce his own document, God’s Gift: A Christian Vision of Marriage and the Black Family, during a Washington, D.C., press conference this month.

“The paleo-liberal civil rights industry leadership has come to an end,” he said. “They no longer have political, moral or intellectual traction. Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are good men who represent a philosophically and intellectually exhausted political paradigm.”

Though he represents the emerging leadership, Long hopes his summits will help build a bridge. He said honest dialogue could benefit everyone involved. “That’s a good thing because now we’re stirring each other to search the Scriptures and to really dig into why they believe what they believe,” he said.

In December Long and King led a march in downtown Atlanta to advance a moral agenda for the nation. Media coverage targeted their opposition to gay marriage, but Long said his purpose for the march was to mobilize the church.

“The church has been silent for so long and not really giving a clear voice in the community about what we stand for and why we stand for it,” he said. “So often we stay in our sanctuaries and … never really [get] out in the main conversation of what [is] really going on in the world, and we become irrelevant.”

Neither Long nor King supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. They say changing the Constitution should rarely be done and that other legal remedies exist to ensure gay marriage is not legalized.

Though Coretta Scott King has been an advocate for gay and lesbian rights, Bernice King said her mother also does not support same-sex marriage. “Her view has been twisted by the majority media,” King said. “My mother does not believe in same-sex marriage. However, she is very concerned and is an advocate for preserving the Constitution and not tampering with it.”

Long said he and Coretta Scott King communicate regularly, adding that she, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III visited New Birth for a prayer meeting in 2002. “They laid hands on me in reference to moving forward in that which her husband had started,” Long said.

Since then, Long has appeared more outspoken on sociopolitical matters. He said the December march was a means of issuing a challenge to African-American Christians. “When we put the call out, they were able to break camp from their groups, break camp from their associations because they knew in their spirits it was God calling them to this move,” he said. “I believe it is a time now that people are drawing a line and God is saying ‘choose this day who you’re going to serve.’ At least you have to come out and say something.”

The Republican Party has made strides in wooing black voters, with President Bush getting 2 percent more of the black vote in 2004 than he did in 2000. But King says neither party truly connects with the black church or the church in general.

“Because you take a biblically based stance does not mean you are necessarily Republican; that’s the tragedy of our times,” King said. “At the end of the day, morality is not just confined to homosexuality and abortion. The Republican Party has been able to hone in on these two things and get the support of those in churches across America.”

King said a pastor from New Zealand has begun an alternative political party in his country. “I believe this is something we need to look at in the body of Christ in America,” she said. “Honestly, there are truths that come out of both parties.”

Long said there will always be people who choose homosexuality, but he believes a nation cannot avoid consequences when it promotes this lifestyle. “History has proven that that route will destroy a nation,” he said. “The issue really grabs us at our foundation of being in the very image of Christ.”

Long said he knows there are practicing homosexuals in his and other churches. Many are coming to church because they don’t want to remain in the lifestyle, he said, but even if they don’t change their ways his message to them centers on God’s love, not man’s hate.
Richard Daigle in Atlanta

Detroit pastor Keith Butler announced April 12 that he will run for U.S. Senate in Michigan’s 2006 election.

“With all that I have seen, heard and felt in my soul, running for the United States Senate at this time and place in Michigan’s history is not a mere opportunity,” said Butler, founding pastor and bishop of 21,000-member Word of Faith International Christian Center, the Associated Press (AP) reported. “It is something much more important: a responsibility.”

A longtime Republican and former Detroit city councilman, Butler said he believed he had a moral obligation to oppose Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, citing such issues as gay marriage and challenges to religious freedom as motivation for his run, the AP said.

Republican state Sen. Alan Cropsey is endorsing Butler and said he believes his chances of winning are strong, though the primary will likely be a tough race. “He’s a staunch conservative on fiscal issues; he’s a staunch conservative on moral issues,” Cropsey said. “But he’s more than a conservative. He’s a spokesman. He’s a leader.”

Butler is not as well known among Michigan Republicans outside the Detroit area, and Cropsey said white conservatives might not immediately see why they should vote for a black man from a densely urban part of the state. But he says Butler will win their support when they realize he shares their values. They also will likely be impressed with his business acumen, Cropsey said, as Butler has built the state’s largest church, which has 15 branches in the U.S. and abroad.

He added that Christian voters–a block that Cropsey said “will swing any [Republican] primary”–likely will not be deterred by Butler’s affiliation with the Word-Faith movement. “I take a look at Keith Butler, and I say, ‘This man holds my values. On the key issues, this man believes as I believe,'” said Cropsey, a Christian who has known Butler since the early 1980s. “I may disagree on some of the charismatic issues, but I know this is a man of God.”

Observers say if Butler wins the Republican primary, he could unseat Stabenow if he gains the typical percentage of Republican votes and at least 20 percent of the black vote. Butler supporters from Cropsey to Traditional Values Coalition founder Lou Sheldon to former National Religious Broadcasters chairman Glenn Plummer say he could win at least that percentage.

Cropsey said he believes Butler is called to this race. “In my spirit I sense there is a strong anointing from God on Keith Butler,” he said.
Adrienne S. Gaines