The New York Bible study offers practical tools for Christian living in a fast-paced environment
A charismatic minister has put his own spin on the rules for successful relationships and is creating a buzz among New York City singles.

Christopher L. Burge, 38, a former Wall Street whiz kid, has turned a Manhattan Bible study into a reality check for Christian singles facing sexual temptation, loneliness, unemployment, difficulty in finding a godly mate, and a competitive marketplace that could sap anyone’s strength.

“There are people in the city starving for the things of God,” said Burge, co-author of His Rules: God’s Practical Road Map for Becoming and Attracting Mr. or Mrs. Right (WaterBrook Press). “They just donÕt know where they can go and fellowship with their peers.”

Through the Bible study and book, which he co-wrote with Pamela Toussaint, Burge offers a practical, biblical take on the bestselling 1996 relationship guidebook The Rules. And the message is striking a chord.

I’ve grown so much spiritually since I’ve been attending this ministry,” said DuJuan Newsome, a 26-year-old accountant. “As a young Christian single, especially in a high-pace work environment, there are a lot of temptations out there. As it relates to relationships, women and lust, the Lord has really washed me over the last couple of years.”

Vivienne LaBorde, an attorney, toils 60, 80 or even 100 hours a week in her mergers and acquisitions legal practice. In such a high-stress job she needs Jesus to overcome fear, worry and anxiety. “When I come here I get practical tools in order to defeat strongholds,” she said. “It really challenges you, showing you how to be a warrior for Christ.”

About 100 men and women mostly in their 20s and 30s, gather for two weekly Bible workshops conducted by Burge. They represent a spectrum of ethnic backgrounds, occupations and evangelical denominations from Pentecostal to Baptist to Presbyterian to Episcopal.

The workshops take place in a midtown Manhattan apartment and at St. George’s Episcopal Church on East 16th Street. In addition Burge recently launched a 12-week course based on His Rules. Burge teaches for 50 minutes and then leads a frank Q&A session. No subject is off limits.

Dressed casually or in business attire directly from work, participants juggle open Bibles while taking serious notes, sipping water or coffee, or wolfing a sandwich. Burge’s delivery is informal but precise and sprinkled with computer-speak. “All of us are a work in progress,” he said.

The teaching covers practical subjects such as relating to non-Christians at work, communication between the sexes, relationships, fighting materialism and finding God’s purpose.

“Church is cool, but sometimes you need something intimate broken down into a smaller group that talks about issues I’m going through,” said Corey Darnell, a marketing executive. “This ministry helped me realize that I’m human. I will make mistakes. I will fall on my butt. That’s all in the journey God is taking me through.”

Darnell, like other members of the group, said he feels more comfortable sharing with peers in an informal setting rather than a structured church environment.

Seeds of the ministry were planted 13 years ago when Burge led a Bible study with four men in his one-room apartment. It eventually grew to 20 people.

A graduate of Brown University, Burge was a rising star at Solomon Brothers, a prestigious Wall Street investment firm. He made vice president of fixed income and institutional sales at the age of 25, but in 1999 he quit to study at Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Okla.

“The Holy Spirit was tugging on me strongly,” he said. “I loved my job to death and then in a very short window my enthusiasm started to wane. I just recognized that I could not turn my back on this calling. Money didn’t matter because I always wanted to be in God’s perfect will.”

While at Rhema he caught the vision to establish a teaching center where people from different denominations would receive practical Bible teaching. After graduating in 2002 he returned to New York to apply what he had learned. Attendance at the Bible study blossomed and requires two locations now.

The ministry’s next step is a permanent location in Manhattan. Burge said he wants to keep helping people live out biblical Christianity in the 21st century. “We want to keep teaching lay people how to apply biblical principles in their respective spheres of influence,” he said.
Peter K. Johnson in Manhattan

HOSTAGE SAYS “GOD BROUGHT” ATLANTA FUGITIVE TO HER
In the days after an Atlanta fugitive’s capture March 12, few could stop talking about Ashley Smith, the 26-year-old widow whose 9-1-1 call effectively ended the two-day manhunt. Authorities say Smith’s gentleness contributed to Brian Nichols’ peaceful surrender after he held her for more than seven hours in her suburban Atlanta apartment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. On March 11, Nichols, 33, a jailed defendant in a rape trial in Atlanta, overpowered a deputy and fatally shot a superior court judge, court reporter, sheriff’s deputy and off-duty customs agent before taking Smith hostage. Smith reportedly talked to Nichols about faith, read from The Purpose-Driven Life and told him that he must be held accountable for what he did, but his life still has a purpose. By ministering to other inmates, “you can go to jail and save many more people than you killed,” Smith told him. When Nichols let her go so she could visit her 5-year-old daughter, Smith called the police. While some observers say Smith was too kind to Nichols, others say she exemplified Christian principles, showing him that though he was wounded and messed up, he was not beyond redemption, the New York Times reported.

CALIFORNIA JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer ruled March 14 that withholding marriage licenses from homosexuals would constitute discrimination, the Associated Press reported. “Simply put, same-sex marriage cannot be prohibited solely because California has always done so before,” Kramer wrote in his decision in a pair of lawsuits seeking to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage. The decision was automatically stayed for 60 days, allowing time for both sides to appeal. Both opponents and supporters are expecting a long fight. “The decision will be gasoline on the fire of the pro-marriage movement in California as well as the rest of the country,” said Mathew Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, which is representing the Campaign for California Families, one of two groups defending the ban.

CARDINAL TELLS CATHOLICS TO SHUN DAVINCI CODE
One of the Roman Catholic Church’s top theologians condemned Dan Brown’s best-selling novel March 16, telling the faithful to avoid The DaVinci Code “because this is rotten food,” Reuters reported. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said Brown’s book, which asserts that Christ married Mary Magdalene and fathered children, is “a sack full of lies” that insults the Christian faith. The highest-ranking Catholic leader to oppose the book, Bertone urged Catholic booksellers to remove it from their shelves because the novel sows doubt and confusion. “I am happy that a lot of people have been put on the alert and that I have sounded the alarm of vigilance against the spread of this book,” he told Reuters. “I have arrived too late. Millions of copies have been sold. I can’t hope to slow down sales, but at least to prompt a critical response.” Brown declined to comment, but his publisher, Doubleday, issued a statement saying the book merely examined centuries-old ideas “in an accessible work of fiction,” Reuters reported.

United Pentecostal Leader Nathaniel Urshan Dies

The Rev. Nathaniel Urshan, former leader of United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI), died March 11 at the age of 84. A former minor league baseball player, Urshan went into the ministry after surviving a near-fatal bout with tuberculosis. In 1949 the Pentecostal preacher’s kid became pastor of Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis and served the ministry for 30 years. He went on to become general superintendent of the UPCI, a Oneness Pentecostal denomination that grew from 400,000 members to more than 4 million during his tenure from 1978 to 2002. Funeral services were held March 17 at Calvary Tabernacle. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jean; a daughter; two sons; 13 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Pat Robertson Turns 75

More than 1,000 people gathered in San Antonio March 11-13 to celebrate Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat RobertsonÕs 75th birthday. Also a fund-raiser for the Robertson Endowed Honors Scholarship, the weekend included a Black-Tie-and-Boots gala, golf tournament and barbeque..Participants included Sen. Sam Brownback, Foursquare President Jack Hayford, former Rep. Dick Armey, author Max Lucado, Curves founder Gary Heavin and former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who is to serve as a distinguished professor of law and government at Regent University beginning July 1. The Oak Ridge Boys and Randy Travis provided special music.

200 Million to Convene For Global Prayer Day

As many as 200 million Christians are expected to unite in prayer May 15 for what is being considered the world’s largest prayer gathering ever. Spawned from continentwide prayer gatherings that began in South Africa in 2001, the Global Day of Prayer (www.glob aldayofprayer.com) is expected to be broadcast on television, radio and the Internet, Assist News Service reported. Stadium events are planned in Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Argentina, Dallas, and Alberta, Canada.

BOOKS

The Divine Visitor
By Jack Hayford, Integrity Publishers,
hardcover, 224 pages, $18.99.

Do you need to take a deeper look at who Jesus is–His deity, His humanity, His suffering and His death–and what this meant to humanity? With piercing clarity, Jack Hayford uses vibrant imagery of a soldier’s surprise visit home to illustrate God’s visit to Earth to rescue mankind in his latest book, The Divine Visitor: What Really Happened When God Came Down.

Hayford, the founding pastor of The Church On the Way and chancellor of The King’s Seminary, takes the reader through God’s visit to Earth at the appointed time in history; the limits of God stepping into time and space; the frailty of humanity; the nature and character of Jesus the Visitor; and His suffering, wounds and blood for the redemption of mankind.

Hayford helps the reader grasp how Christ “lowered” Himself to become a man and how He shouldered the weight of His knowledge that the visit would ultimately lead to intense suffering and a brutal death.

In a way that is similar to the portrayal of the crucifixion in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, Hayford paints a portrait of Jesus’ visit to Earth and the work it accomplished.
Tracee N. Mason

The Nearly Perfect Crime
By Francis MacNutt, Chosen,
hardcover, 256 pages, $18.99.

Although both conservative and liberal religious establishments are likely to squeal with indignation at MacNutt’s thesis, this is a significant work that will help more Christians appreciate the vital nature of healing ministry.

A combination history book, commentary and call to restore healing to a place of prominence, The Nearly Perfect Crime: How the Church Almost Killed the Ministry of Healing will stir a passionate response within open-minded readers.

One emotion will be anger over the church at largely downplaying the reality of Spirit baptism, a common occurrence in the first three centuries after Christ’s birth. Another will be dismay at Protestant reformers who invented the theory that spiritual gifts died in the first century, thereby thwarting Christ’s mission of healing and deliverance.

Pentecostals and charismatics will be cheered by the former Catholic priest’s detailing of how the awakening of Pentecostalism in 1901 revived belief in healing. Yet MacNutt includes a word of correction, noting the racism white Pentecostals harbored for their black brethren a century ago, a sin we are still struggling to overcome.

Though a staunch believer in the gift of tongues, MacNutt points out that Azusa Street pioneer William Seymour came to believe that it was not glossolalia that was the best evidence of Spirit baptism, but exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.
Ken Walker

A Biblical Guide to Counseling the Sexual Addict
By Steve Gallagher, Pure Life Ministries,
softcover, 203 pages, $13.99.

Sexual misconduct by Christians hits the news. Or it remains a silent, ignored problem people are too afraid or offended to discuss. Steve Gallagher, author of best-seller At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, seeks to see change. In his new book, A Biblical Guide to Counseling the Sexual Addict, Gallagher addresses the troublesome issues people face and offers practical strategies for success.

Statistics related to the $10 billion annual industry of pornography, to 25 million Americans visiting cyber-sex Web sites between one and 10 hours each week, to unhealthy attitudes about sexuality, to bizarre sexual conduct and to carnal desires guiding decisions should alarm Christians– especially as Gallagher reveals that believers’ statistics match those of the unchurched.

Gallagher guides readers through the process of identifying and defeating the devil’s schemes. Those wanting change and willing to be honest can follow Gallagher’s advice to see victory over sin.
Chris Maxwell

God’s Cleansing Stream
By Chris Hayward, Regal, softcover,
176 pages , $11.99.

In his book God’s Cleansing Stream: Developing a Life-Changing Deliverance Ministry in Your Church, Chris Hayward offers a guide toward true hope for those who know Christ. Problems, addictions and defeats do not need to remain the rulers of today’s believers.

Modern self-help philosophy isn’t enough either. And Hayward, president of Cleansing Stream Ministries, defines God’s technique of true deliverance.

Though the title might frighten an audience because of unscriptural extremes in the deliverance movement, Hayward’s desire is to use a balanced, biblical guide toward freedom from bondage. Sins, he argues, no longer need to control God’s people. He believes that modern congregations can, through the Holy Spirit, engage in practical strategies to heal wounds of rejection and cleanse the stains of sexual sin that often become the footholds of demonic attack.
Chris Maxwell

FICTION

Monster
By Frank Peretti, WestBow Press,
hardcover, 464 pages, $24.99.

After waiting such a long time between his novels–six years to be exact–Frank Peretti fans will not be disappointed by this lengthy volume. Instead of demons, which he is known to write about, this time the author turns to something more tangible–a real live monster.

Monster is a fast-paced story that draws the eye down the page. Avoiding unnecessary detail, Peretti chooses not to delve deeply into each character’s background. Instead, he simply lets the plot unfold, and readers watching the hunt for this unknown creature that is wreaking havoc high in the mountains of Idaho.

Nothing like the “Darkness” novels that first made him a household name, Monster will attract an ever-widening fan base for Peretti, and as do all his works, this one will make readers think.
Christine D. Johnson

Proof
By Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh,
Howard Pub., softcover, 352 pages, $12.99.

Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, had a passion for the gospel and spiritual awakening and revival. Before he died, Bright teamed with award-winning writer Jack Cavanaugh to create a series of historical novels set against the backdrop of revivals in America.

On September 23, 1857, Jeremiah C. Lanphier and six other believers gathered in New York City to pray for revival. Proof is based on the times and circumstances of the resulting spiritual awakening.

J.K. Jarves is a highly respected attorney and businessman. This atheist is also conniving, controlling and bitter. After his daughter becomes a Christian, Jarves sues the church that led her to Christ.

The church’s only hope rests on an inexperienced lawyer, Harrison Shaw. The trial ultimately becomes a showdown to prove that the Holy Spirit is real.

This tale is full of suspense, corruption and intrigue. But the overriding message is the power of prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit and the proof once again that if God is for you, no one can be against you.
Leigh DeVore

MUSIC

Now Is the Time
By Anointed,
Sony Urban/Columbia Records.

Anointed is back. The duo known for such songs as “Under the Influence,” “Revive Us Again,” “The Call” and “It’s in God’s Hands Now” has returned with its sixth project, Now Is the Time.

Taking much more creative control than on previous albums, brother and sister Steve Crawford and Da’dra Crawford Greathouse wrote many of the songs. “Mighty Long Way” reminds us of God’s faithfulness. “Gonna Lift Your Name” is a festive, praise-filled track.

Steve takes the mic alone on “Now That I’m Free.” His vocal prowess and lyrical interpretation are inspiring. He also takes the lead on a tasteful remake of a song from Andraé Crouch. Anointed’s rendition of “Jesus Is Lord,” featuring Crouch with Da’dra, keeps the integrity of the original recording and gives it an updated sound.

The title tune will encourage, inspire and motivate anyone who has been waiting for the “right” time. “You Are,” a pretty ballad with sparse instrumentation, is a song of worship.

It’s nice to see the return of one of Christian music’s greatest groups.
René Williams

I Am Free
By Ross Parsley, Hosanna! Music.

Ross Parsley is the primary worship leader at New Life Church pastored by Ted Haggard in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On a new CD, recorded live, he offers fresh songs for those who enjoy the music of Phillips, Craig and Dean and Paul Baloche. Parsley’s voice is smooth, unassuming and confident, and the many well-recorded string arrangements add to the full and polished sound of the album.

All the original songs possess good melodic hooks. Beyond them, the congregational standard “How Great Thou Art,” sung with a choir and piano, adds musical diversity. Also featured are catchy modern arrangements of “I Stand in Awe” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.”

Original standout tracks include the title track, the heartfelt and lyrically powerful worship song “Hear Us From Heaven” and “Beautiful,” which talks about God’s indescribable beauty.

Though the musical style of the songs on I Am Free isn’t entirely unique, Parsley’s use of a familiar sound is powerfully effective.
Matt Fehrmann

In her new book The God Adventure, Terry Meeuwsen, co-host of CBN’s The 700 Club, challenges people to choose the extraordinary life God has for each of us.

Meeuwsen says we are created not only to be in relationship with God but also to walk through life with Him and to be used by Him. “He absolutely … wants us to come to Him with our concerns. But I think He also wants us to learn to just want to be with Him, not asking Him for anything, just letting Him pour His heart into our hearts.”

She says the adventure is trusting God enough to know that nothing is going to happen without His approval first. Once we embrace that truth “then it becomes this adventure of wanting to see His hand all around you and work in things going on around you. And the fear of what is that going to require of you or what’s the cost of that going to be fades away because the anticipation of what He is doing is just replacing it.”

In the book, Meeuwsen shares her testimony of coming to Christ and then her step of total surrender to the adventure God had for her. When she married her husband, Andy, they both determined to be risk-takers. God has led them to do many things, including adopting three sisters from Ukraine, giving them seven children.

Life is no cakewalk, Meeuwsen says, but “as far as Andy and I are concerned, there’s only one thing worse than a difficult life–and that’s an irrelevant life. A life lived in the safe, tepid shallows. A life that doesn’t make any difference at all.”
Leigh DeVore

When needs arise in the world, the church must help the church.
I hope you’ll read Matthew Green’s article on the response to the tsunami by the church in Sri Lanka (see page 54). I’m sure you’ll be inspired. As you know, we asked Charisma readers to respond generously to the need right after the tsunami hit–and so far, more than $239,000 has come in. We worked with the churches in the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) to provide immediate assistance to those who were left homeless and without food.

Then we sent Green, editor of Ministries Today, to Sri Lanka in February to see how the money was spent and how the church is responding. He brought back a good report. Not only was the money used wisely, but also the church, a persecuted minority, is showing the love of Jesus to those in need.

We made contact with the NCEASL through Clive Calver, former president of World Relief. He believes that when needs arise, the church must help the church. That’s what we did in the tsunami crisis.

But the needs are still great. Homes and churches must be rebuilt.

I hope many pastors will follow the lead of Bishop Keith Butler of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, Michigan. He had planned to take an offering for the tsunami victims and give it to a large secular relief organization. When he found out Charisma readers were helping the Christians in Sri Lanka through Christian Life Missions–Charisma’s nonprofit partner–and the NCEASL, he chose to send the donation to Christian Life Missions.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if thousands of churches would take offerings and channel them through the church to help meet the need?

We pledge to send 100 percent of what comes in to the church in Sri Lanka. Please mail your tax-deductible gift to Christian Life Missions, P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, Florida 32795-2248.

Secular Newsstand

We’ve all heard the expression about getting outside the four walls of the church. Charisma is making great strides next month in going beyond the boundaries of the Christian community to get the gospel message into the marketplace. Beginning with the June issue, as many as 50,000 copies of Charisma will be on secular newsstands in two major drugstore chains and in other places magazines are sold.

For many years it was nearly impossible for Christian publications to find a place among the many titles on magazine racks. But the leaders of Curtis Circulation Co. say they see a new interest in spirituality in the nation and think there are opportunities for Christian magazines. Along with Charisma, they are initially placing New Man and Vida Cristiana and later more of our titles as well.

Now we need your help in getting the word out. Tell your friends to look for one of our magazines on the newsstand. Or buy a copy and give it to someone to read. With hundreds of thousands of our readers each doing his part, I believe we can sell out of Charisma’s June issue.

Congratulations to Southeastern

On April 30 Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida, became Southeastern University, and we want to congratulate President Mark Rutland and his team for this important milestone. We told Rutland’s story–an inspiring account of how he provided vision to a small college that was dying–in the November 2004 issue. (See his article on higher education on page 65 of this issue.)

Many don’t know that I have ties to Southeastern going back to 1962. I was 11 years old when my father became a professor there. At the time, it was a small Bible college with only about 400 students. Later my mother graduated from Southeastern. And my brother-in-law James Ferrell was a professor at the college for nearly 30 years.

So I feel a personal tie to Southeastern even though I was never a student there. And I am happy to congratulate Rutland on the college’s new status as a university. I know that even as it grows academically, the school will retain its spiritual foundations, continuing to provide a quality higher education in a Pentecostal atmosphere.

Pro-life advocates redirected their efforts after the Supreme Court refused to reopen Roe v. Wade
Christian activists are refocusing their efforts to overturn abortion after the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to revisit Roe v. Wade, which legalized the practice in all 50 states.

Attorneys for Norma McCorvey, “Jane Doe” in the 1973 lawsuit, have now set their sights on reversing the case of Sandra Cano, “Mary Doe” in the companion Doe v. Bolton lawsuit. Roe is better known because it legalized abortion, though only through the second trimester. Doe extended abortion access up to birth. Lawyers expect it to take two years to get Doe before the Supreme Court.

Both pro-life advocates today, McCorvey and Cano hope the decisions in their cases will be reversed based on more than 5,300 pages of evidence citing that abortion harms women. The appeals also include sworn testimony from more than 1,000 women who say they were hurt by abortion.

“That’s the heart of it,” said Allan Parker, lead attorney on both cases and president of the Justice Foundation, a nonprofit San Antonio-based law firm. “You cannot take the life of your own child without it producing severe psychological and emotional trauma.”

The foundation filed a petition for writ of certiorari on Jan. 14, asking the Supreme Court to hear the Roe v. Wade case based on a federal rule that allows an original party to request a ruling be vacated when factual and legal changes deem the decision no longer just. The Court refused without explanation on Feb. 22. “We’re saddened greatly that they didn’t listen to the women that they purport to protect,” Parker said, “but we will not give up.”

Previous attempts to reopen both cases have been unsuccessful. However, observers say that with four of the nine Supreme Court justices believed to oppose abortion, the appointment of a pro-life justice during President Bush’s second term could tip the scales in favor of reversing the 1973 decision. “Reversing Roe v. Wade would mean that women would no longer suffer the trauma of abortion,” said McCorvey, who now regrets her role in legalizing abortion.

McCorvey was 21 years old and pregnant for the third time when she signed on for the case. After the ruling, McCorvey strongly advocated abortion even working at an abortion clinicÑuntil an unlikely friendship changed her mind, and her heart. “I came to the Lord through the wisdom of a 7-year-old child,” she said.

Through that childss persistence, a hardened McCorvey finally attended church. It was a day that changed her life forever. In 1995, McCorvey was baptized; today, she calls herself “100 percent pro-life, no exceptions.”

Before the ruling was handed down, McCorvey gave birth to a girl, who was adopted. “I never had an abortion, so I can honestly say when [Roe v. Wade] is overturned, then my job is done.”

Similarly, Cano never had an abortion and claims she never sought one. “I was nothing but a symbol in Doe v. Bolton with my experience and circumstances discounted and misrepresented,” she said in a sworn affidavit.

Cano claims she simply wanted a divorce and help regaining custody of her two children when she met the attorney working on Doe v. Bolton. Pregnant at the time with her fourth child, she said she thought she was signing divorce papers when she was actually signing a lawsuit against the state of Georgia for refusing her an abortion. “I never sought an abortion there or anywhere else,” Cano claims.

Though she gave her baby up for adoption, Cano said she knows what it’s like to feel responsible for an abortion. “I have been forced to live with the consequences of this false compassion for too long for me not to bring to the attention of the Court the fact that abortion is not in a woman’s interest, and the fact that legalization of abortion began with manipulations and misrepresentations,” she said.

“Abortion trauma and grief is real,” said Joyce Zounis, director of women’s outreach for Operation Outcry: Silent No More, a movement encouraging women to speak out about how abortion affected them. “Just like driving through McDonald’s for a hamburger, I thought this was my quick fix,” said Zounis, who had her first of seven abortions at age 15. “No one told me that there are possible physical or psychological complications.”

Arlene Campbell testified that her uterus was perforated during her only abortion, resulting in an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 22. “Having to be told that I had a complete hysterectomy caused self-hatred, shame, years of rejection. It just tore my life apart,” she said.

Today, at the age of 53, Campbell has no children, yet she wants women “to know that there is forgiveness and healing in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“If this is supposed to be protecting women, it’s not working,” said Theresa Burke, Ph.D, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries, a program whose goal is to help bring healing to post-abortive women and their families. “It forces [them] to live with the reality and the psychological impact of taking a human life.”

Burke submitted a 250-page expert witness affidavit to the court. “We should be able to find nonviolent alternatives that don’t invade a woman’s physical and psychological integrity,” she added.

For Alveda King, niece of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the battle to overturn Roe v.Wade is a personal one. She had two abortions and says today, “If there had been no Roe v. Wade, I would have never on my own had an abortion, ever.”

King said she will carry on her uncle’s legacy by speaking for all children. “How can the dream survive if we murder the children?” she asked. “None of us are winning as long as we are killing.”

Overturning either abortion decision will be a monumental challenge. A November Associated Press poll found that 61 percent of Americans say President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who would uphold Roe v. Wade, though 34 percent said he should nominate a justice who would overturn it. Parker said there is only one reason those figures do not intimidate. “It will be God that breaks through the stronghold of abortion,” he said.

Some of Parker’s strongest opposition comes from Christians, such as the Rev. Carlton W. Veazey, president of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, who says there is no basis for the appeal. “If they say it causes serious psychological damage, what does that mean?” Veazey asked. “We’ve learned now that having a bypass operation causes depression. But people don’t stop having bypasses because of that.”

What Veazey calls a choice, Parker calls sin. “How can the God that gives us life, who says that every child is a blessing, want to allow us to kill them? It is contrary to God’s nature,” Parker said. “I’m not a theologian, I just know God.”

Suzy Richardson

Hinn said he is careful with ministry funds.
Televangelist Benny Hinn says a Dateline NBC report about his use of ministry contributions was distorted and filled with half-truths.

In a nine-page statement posted on TheTruth Line.com, a Web site Benny Hinn Ministries (BHM) launched in response to the March 6 broadcast, Hinn said he was falsely characterized by a secular news outlet that is “hostile to the gospel” and motivated by ratings.

While Dateline reported that Hinn paid as much as $10,000 each night for a hotel suite in Milan, Hinn said his ministry spent an average of $129 per night on hotel rooms last year.

He said international stopovers in London, Italy and Mexico allowed him to rest and refresh. “I only have one body to use for [God], and I will not let the work of the Lord be sacrificed by lack of rest or taking unnecessary risks,” he said.

Dateline reported that it could not document miracles or that BHM helped feed and care for 20,000 orphans overseas as the ministry claimed. Hinn described the latter report as “a tragic disrespect to the precious little ones receiving generous love and care, made possible by this ministry,” adding that BHM does in fact support 20,000 children worldwide.

Though some consider Hinn’s lifestyle lavish, he said he is cautious with ministry funds and that his organization submits to an external audit each year. “I love my precious Lord too much to ever trifle with the money entrusted to me by His dear people,” Hinn wrote in a letter to partners.

Before the Dateline report aired, Hinn sued NBC and the show’s producer seeking an injunction to prohibit the use of allegedly stolen documents. BHM spokesman Ronn Torossian said the ministry is examining the segment and will consider taking action against “anybody who has done harm to Benny Hinn Ministries.”

Both charismatic and non-charismatic critics of Hinn have cautioned Christians to use discernment when choosing ministries to support. BHM is not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and has frequently received low grades by Wall Watchers, a watchdog group that monitors how open various Christian ministries are with their financial statements.

Hinn, however, remains optimistic about upcoming crusades expected to draw historic crowds. Torossian said Hinn is “committed to demonstrating religious good” and “will continue to fight for the work of the Lord.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

A founding member of the band Korn, Brian “Head” Welch says faith in Jesus helped him beat depression and addiction
One of the founding members of the multi-platinum alternative metal band Korn has left the group after rededicating his life to Christ and is hoping to lead others to faith in Jesus.

More than 10,000 people attended three Sunday morning services at Valley Bible Fellowship (VBF), a nondenominational church in Bakersfield, Calif., to hear guitarist Brian “Head” Welch share his testimony Feb. 27.

“I used to be like this,” Welch said as he lowered his head to the ground and scowled. “Now, I am like this.” The congregation laughed as Welch sat straight up in his chair, threw his hair away from his face and smiled from ear to ear.

Though he told a California radio station he had been distancing himself from Korn for more than a year, Welch officially parted ways with the band Feb. 22, giving a litany of reasons for his departure, MTV News reported. Among them was his concern about having his face superimposed on a dog patrolling a strip club in a video for the group’s cover of Cameo’s “Word Up.”

Welch, who resides in Bakersfield, started attending VBF in January after a long struggle with suicidal feelings.

“[Pastor Ron Vietti] invited me to church,” Welch said during the service. “I hit the bottom of my life. I didn’t know if I wanted to go. But I couldn’t kill myself so I decided to go see if God could turn me around. I looked to God when I was 12, then I got into Korn.

“He’s been yanking on my shirt, steering me back to Him. I kept falling down, but He kept calling me back. Finally I came back here.

“I was a methamphetamine addict,” he said unable to finish his thought as tears welled up in his eyes. “I look at my kid,” Welch said, referring to his 6-year-old daughter. “That stuff makes you not have control. The only way to quit is through the Lord. Drugs. I’m convinced that drugs, and other very bad things, steer all of us back to the Lord. But for me, drugs are done.”

Welch told attendees that his method of coping was to seek God. “This is the Book of Life right here,” Welch said holding up a Bible. “It’s not about religion, it’s not about this church, it’s not about me. It’s about the Book of Life, and everybody needs to be taught this. It’s crazy, it’s gonna do stuff like this, like change a guy from a rock band.”

VBF executive pastor Jim Crews said Korn’s mission was to help its fans heal through the expression of their anger. Now, he said, Welch wants to take that healing to the next level and explain to his fans that there is light at the end of the anger tunnel. “He is now an extension of the Korn ministry for those fans,” Crews said. “He wants to complete the process.”

More than 300 people accepted Christ after Welch spoke to the Bakersfield congregation; others were unsure but supportive.

Stephanie Alvarez and Jody Gutierrez, both 22 and from Bakersfield, have traveled all over the state to see Korn perform.

“What makes them good is the combination of all five of them,” Gutierrez said. “It’s not going to be the same without him because they are a package deal. But they are like family. They are close with each other and close with their family, and I respect that a lot.”

Alvarez said she was disappointed about the split. “If he’s changed to better himself I can’t be mad at him about that,” she said. “I’ve never seen him so happy.”

Kyle Cavazos, 14, of Bakersfield waited in the long line outside VBF with his three friends, wanting to hear Welch’s message for himself. “Their music is not about the melody, it’s about the words,” Cavazos said. “And if he wants to do [this], it’s not going to stop me from listening to him.”

Chris and Angie Vega, both 30 and from Bakersfield, showed up at the service to lend Welch their support. Chris Vega is Korn bassist Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu’s cousin. The couple said they will continue to love and listen to Welch as he heads into the next phase of his career.

Welch was baptized in the Jordan River in early March, tagging along with other VBF members on a trip to Israel. Welch told MTV News that he believed he would return from Israel a “different person.”

Fans likely will hear a different message in the solo music he plans to work on this year. Now sporting a “Matthew 11:28” tattoo on his neck and “Jesus” on his fist, Welch told MTV his new music will have a “Christian, spiritual edge to it,” and he plans to use the proceeds from the album sales to help build a skatepark and possibly help Vietti plant “rock’n roll churches’ across the country.
Michelle Lovato
in Bakersfield, Calif.

In order to see national revival, author Peter Marshall says the church must rediscover “why America is worth saving”
Peter Marshall is looking for a great awakening–the Third Great Awakening, to be exact; the kind of nation-shaking revival that would change America’s social and cultural fabric.

Well known for his books and lectures on America’s Christian heritage, Marshall says corporate prayer movements such as this month’s National Day of Prayer May 5 and the Global Day of Prayer May 15 are steps in the right direction.

But the son of former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall and author Catherine Marshall says winning the culture war also requires that Christians remember why they’re fighting. “People don’t realize why America is worth saving,” Marshall told Charisma. We must rediscover our Christian roots, he added, “for without a vision the people perish.”

Marshall hopes to help cast that vision this month as he speaks at Maryland-area events commemorating the National Day of Prayer. But educating Christians about the nation’s spiritual foundation shouldn’t be limited to one day in the year, he said. Marshall believes U.S. churches should hold regular American heritage classes.

“This nation’s future is very much in doubt,” said Marshall, a Presbyterian minister who leads Restoring America Ministries (www.restoringamerica.com) based in Orleans, Mass. “While abortion has been the major quarrel God has had with this nation, homosexual ‘marriage’ has become the galvanizing moral issue, for it’s the most blatant example of the rejection of God’s laws and intentions for humans. The continual onslaught of attacks aimed at the destruction of the family is unraveling our society.”

Last year, Mission Connecticut invited Marshall to speak at West Point and its first Greater Waterbury Civic Leader Prayer Breakfast. “He gave people the vision this country was founded on,” said the group’s president, Peter Scalzo. “He also stimulated them to a great deal of wonder–and anxiety–about where our country is and where it’s going.”

John Tomicki of the League of American Families in New Jersey uses Marshall’s books in his group’s seminars and church presentations. “His books show people the biblical foundations of our culture and our government,” Tomicki said.

With a clear understanding of America’s Christian roots, Marshall said, churches can begin to assess their own role in the nation’s downturn. “God is trying to get our attention, to turn us back to Him,” Marshall said. “We must come to a deeper repentance and let God change us.”

He said the church also must understand the concept of true Christian community. “We need to be involved in each other’s lives, so we grow in Christ,” he said. “In turn, we will find that ministry comes out of that shared life in Jesus Christ. Then we Christians will become more deeply involved as salt and light in our society.”

Marshall is co-author of The Light and the Glory, From Sea to Shining Sea and Sounding Forth the Trumpet, which describe the faith of the early architects of the United States. He said he plans to release a collection of his father’s famous World War II sermons, and is co-writing a series of historical fiction for youth.

But his passion is to see revival. “I believe the Lord is serious about bringing this nation alive in Him,” he said. “The situation is serious, but God still rules.”
Catherine J. Barrier

Organizers say the upcoming event in New York may mark the start of a new era in evangelism
Organizers of what may be Billy Graham’s final crusade believe the June 23-26 event carries prophetic significance and could mark the beginning of a new era in evangelism.

“The crusade symbolizes the end of one evangelistic period and the beginning of a new period,” said A.R. Bernard, chairman of the Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade executive committee and senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center (CCC) in Brooklyn. “We saw a greater significance than just a crusade. It’s the passing of the anointing to a new generation of leaders.”

He said this will begin to jell when Graham addresses key ministry leaders and pastors from around the world in a special service during the crusade. The result could launch a new global wave of evangelism, organizers say.

In addition to other evangelical denominations, the executive committee has a heavy concentration of Pentecostals, including Carlton Brown of Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem; Joseph Mattera of Resurrection Church in Brooklyn; and several Assemblies of God (AG) pastors.

“Pentecostal churches are having a tremendous impact on New York City,” Mattera said.

The AG in New York is gearing up to train volunteers, said Mark T. Gregori, pastor of Crossway Christian Center in the Bronx and AG presbyter for the Bronx and Manhattan counties.

The 2005 event signals Graham’s fourth crusade in New York. His most recent crusade, in 1991, attracted 250,000 people. Crusade director Art Bailey said the schedule is still evolving. Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan will be the main site, but he is trying to line up outdoor venues such as Central Park.

Bailey, a veteran of 34 crusades, leads a full-time staff of 25, evenly divided between members of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association team and local hires. Their plates are full, running 43 church-involvement seminars, 34 outreach seminars and 17 leaders meetings.

The crusade is recruiting 15,000 to 25,000 volunteers, including personal workers and counselors, ushers and a 5,000-voice choir. Discipleship responsibility will be passed on to participating churches. The Youth Outreach Committee, co-chaired by Jeremy Del Rio, pastor of Abounding Grace Ministries, and Dimas Salaberrios of Youth for Christ, is mobilizing teenagers and 20-somethings to invite friends to the special crusade service aimed at young people. The committee also proposes prayer walks around the city and “random acts of kindness.”

“We recognize that evangelism doesn’t stop with the proclamation of the gospel,” Del Rio said. “It’s as much about the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.” Other special outreaches are aimed at the arts; police, fire and rescue personnel; and the business community.

Bailey paints the crusade as a walk of faith. Plans were delayed when Graham broke his hip in January 2004, and some still question whether the 86-year-old will be healthy enough to make it. “It is by faith that it happens,” Bailey said. “God will deliver us and give us victory. Like David, I’m standing in the stream picking up stones.”

He said thousands of e-mails offering prayers for Graham’s health and the crusade have flooded his computer. “The crusade site is the most prayed for spot in the world,” Bailey said.

The crusade has corralled an unusual mix of denominations. “Billy brings them to the cross,” Bailey said. “There is always more to agree on than separates us.”

The Council of Churches of the City of New York (CCCNY), representing 29 denominations and church agencies, endorses the crusade. Council members include diverse theological persuasions such as Baptist, Reformed, Episcopal, United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Moravian, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, and Russian, Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches.

“Our board of directors took a special vote to endorse the Billy Graham crusade,” said John Hiemstra, CCCNY executive director. “We have some people who are very excited about the crusade. We applaud the commitment to Jesus Christ.”

Bailey anticipates the crusade could thrust world evangelism into the spotlight for the future. “Not necessarily for Billy Graham, but for the body of Christ,” he said. “It could be the spark that ignites something bigger.”

The crusade will be a milestone in Graham’s illustrious career as the world’s most famous evangelist. But the question remains. Will this be his final bow on the evangelistic circuit? “We’ve been doing the last crusade for 10 years,” Bailey said. “God will make that call.”
Peter K. Johnson .in New York City

Ministry leaders say confrontation over this issue will continue, but Christians must respond with love and kindness
Gay-rights activists converged on a historic downtown Chicago church in February, decrying it as a house of hate and protesting the pastor’s opposition to same-sex marriage. Christian observers say such confrontation will likely continue as believers become more vocal in opposition to homosexual unions.

Erwin Lutzer, pastor of The Moody Church, was one of two ministers targeted by the Gay Liberation Network (GLN) during a series of demonstrations Feb. 12, a date recognized as Freedom to Marry Day in the homosexual community.

Some 35 participants carried rainbow flags and held signs that read “Christians for Equal Rights” and “Marriage is a Human Right,” while chanting slogans such as “Separate church and state; Moody is a house of hate.”

“We’re at Moody because of Lutzer’s book titled The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage,” said Andy Thayer, protest organizer and a member of GLN, which was formed in 1998 as the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network in response to three violent attacks in Chicago against gays.

Protesters decried Lutzer’s view that same-sex marriage “is arguably the most damaging social experiment to ever be attempted in this country.” A proponent of gay-rights legislation, Thayer said GLN wants to protect homosexuals against violence. Comparing the experience of homosexuals to that of African-Americans during the civil rights era, he said violence against blacks was at its highest when legal discrimination reached its peak.

Other gay activists agree. In a message on GLN’s Web site, member Bob Schwartz said he believed “hate from the pulpit” could foster “an environment that gives rise to the violence.”

After staging a demonstration at Moody, activists including Deborah Mell, daughter of Alderman Dick Mell and sister-in-law of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich marched a few blocks east to the home of Cardinal Francis George, the highest-ranking Catholic clergy in Chicago, and shouted: “Shame on you! Shame on you!” George made headlines in January after the Chicago Sun-Times reported on a Vatican statement opposing legal recognition of same-sex unions.

Gay-rights organizations have been regrouping since November when voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. GLN member Craig Teichen said he hopes to tear down institutions opposing same-sex marriage vocally, if not physically. “We have resources and passion they don’t have,” he told the crowd, “and our relationships are stronger than their corporate ties.”

While the demonstrations were not as provocative as they might have been had they been held on a Sunday, observers say Christians should expect more confrontation over gay marriage. “If they call Moody a house of hate, any church in America that believes the Bible could be called a house of hate,” said Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute.

He said gay activists are targeting mainstream congregations that have been less vocal politically as part of an intimidation tactic. “The gay community is coming out of the closet, and they’re trying to push Christians into the closet,” he said.

He said Christians must not opt out of the culture war; if they do extreme groups will be the only ones offering a religious point of view. He said Lutzer’s book, released in July by Moody Publishers, and The Homosexual Agenda by the Alliance Defense Fund, can help believers understand the issue and craft a response.

Chad Thompson, founder of Loving Homosexuals.com, says that response must include a strategy for ministering to those in the gay lifestyle. “It’s true that as churches become more vocal on this issue, they will see more and more opposition from the gay and lesbian community,” said Thompson, author of Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would (Brazos Press). “We must prepare for this by making sure our churches are a safe place for gay and lesbian people.”

“If God’s people are not equipped to give homosexuals the special kind of love they need in order to heal the wounds of their past and move into heterosexuality, then we have no right to oppose them politically,” he added. “No one has any business reading a single book about how to oppose homosexuals politically until they’ve read a book on how to love them personally.”

Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, an ex-gay ministry based in Orlando, Fla., said Christians must not be intimidated by the gay-rights movement, but should respond in truth, love and grace. “Imbalance on either side is damaging to the cause of Christ, and fails to represent His heart accurately,” he said, noting that judgmental attitudes can cause a homosexual to reject Christ, while total acceptance can cause the person to avoid repentance.
Karen Tom in Chicago