Herescope: Sacred Cows and Stars The Cult of Evangelical Leadership

From the earliest days of the modern evangelical movement the church followed the same sociological patterns as the culture at large and elevated certain men to Superior Status. By the late 1970s, as the broader evangelical media became an integral part of the American church landscape, leaders naturally – and unnaturally – arose. The television ministry became a new channel for popularity. In this climate of excess, Robert Schuller built his exotic Crystal Cathedral. The old humble revival meeting circuit gave way to the popular conference circuit. Prominent leaders like Pat Robertson and Dr. James Dobson rose to the forefront. Evangelical Stardom was birthed.

…Somehow Born-Againers never quite repented of their proclivity to follow the Stars. And a cult of leadership idolatry arose and became utterly acceptable. The only ones who seemed to notice with dismay were pastors who watched their own dethroning as their sheep flocked to the new ministry experts. Stardom took over the lucrative job of herding the sheep/fans.

There was money to be had in Stardom. Sacred Cows are Cash Cows. The Stars thrived on publicity. They published books, wrote articles, went on tours, ran the gamut of conference circuits, and addressed receptive audiences from behind the fancy new plastic podiums in rising megachurches. Some Star Performers launched their own media outlets, and others formed mega-ministries. Their name became their brand name. Evangelical show business became big business.

…How did this tabloidesque culture of the Stars emerge so easily in evangelicaldom? These Superior Superstars owe it all to training the Superstitious Sheep. Fawning Followers, captivated, bow down at their platforms. Time and again the malleable sheep will follow ostentatious or pretentious Shepherds, no matter how far off the narrow way they journey. Fallen Shepherd? Hey! An occasion for even more publicity! The “Touch not God’s anointed” mantra guarantees that meek sheep won’t question the deceptive path. The Revered Stars are above questioning. They are Sacred Cows, after all.[3]

Spiritual starvation tactics work well. Hungry sheep will follow Snakes into the pit, hoping a bit of the Charm of their Stardom will rub off. “Benny Hinn laid hands on me!” my friend exclaimed in awe, after he followed Hinn around the country seeking a cure for his cancer. Clever magician tricks on a spectacular stage entranced him into believing that Hinn – not Jesus – would meet his needs. “But the crowds!” he explained when pressed. “They stretched around the building for blocks!” That made it right. If plenty of sheep/fans follow the leader, then Stardom must be okay. Meek sheep don’t dare question the popular fads of rising Stars unless they want to get a terrible backlash. Some churches will show them to the door.

Finally.

WASHINGTON – Three female plaintiffs claim an evangelical church group covered up allegations of sexual abuse against children, failed to report accusations to the police and discouraged its members from co-operating with law enforcement, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit was filed in Maryland state court against Sovereign Grace Ministries, a 30-year-old family of churches with more than 80 congregations. Most of its churches are in the U.S., but it also has planted congregations in other countries. The alleged abuse happened in Maryland and northern Virginia in the 1980s and 1990s.

The plaintiffs allege a conspiracy spanning more than two decades to conceal sexual abuse committed by church members. They accuse church representatives of permitting suspected pedophiles to interact with children, supplying them with free legal advice to avoid prosecution and forcing victims to meet with and “forgive” the person that had molested them.

“The facts show that the Church cared more about protecting its financial and institutional standing than about protecting children, its most vulnerable members,” the lawsuit claims.

About half a dozen Sovereign Grace pastors and church officials are named in the suit.
Sovereign Grace Ministries statement.

While I am not a big fan of lawsuits, I applaud this one. I hope others join this class action.

For some time Sovereign Grace Ministries has been understandably self-imploding, and events have been well-documented on-line  As is common with self-protective organizations, even those documenting and tracking what has occurred have been mocked, lambasted, threatened, condemned, called names, and dismissed; attitudes and behaviour which merely lends credence to the claims of former SGM members.

SGM Survivors and SGM Refuge have the stories of former members, such as Wallace and Noel, and news about what is going on with this diminishing group of churches as well as sections on SGM polity and theology  The Wartburg Watch has written extensively on the theology (reform/charismatic) of SGM as well as the polity (or lack thereof) and has looked at the leadership of SGM and the celebrity worship and neo-reform networking.

Regular commenter Brad/futurist guy is an organizational developer, and his latest comment at The Warburg Watch caught my attention for its astuteness.

The past few months, I have made the argument that the scrutiny of American non-profits of all kinds has been irrevocably changed in the post-Penn State world. I’ve suggested that the social overseeing applies not just to issues of dealing with sexual abuse perpetrators and advocacy for those victimized, but also to the system issues of peers, administrators, and boards of directors. In the case of Penn State, investigators found that these other parties held some significant levels of responsibility for the damage done to a host of individuals and their families.

Because of the allegations raised in the just-reported class action lawsuit against churches related to the Sovereign Grace Ministries association, I thought this might be a particularly instructive time to take another look at the Freeh Report on Penn State. So I re-read the 7-page press release, which gave a summary of the investigative team’s findings. You’ll find the press release (7 pages), the full report (267 pages), and press conference video of July 12, 2012, at this site:

http://thefreehreportonpsu.com/

As an organizational developer, some of my main concerns for the future of churches, ministries, and Christian non-profit agencies are at the systems level – such as passive boards/trustees and failure to act, lack of holding leaders accountable, active attempts to protect image and reputation at the cost of perpetuating injustice, and ignoring and revictimizing those already harmed by people in the organization. These are exactly the kinds of core problems that were uncovered in the Freeh Report and have come back to haunt Penn State in ways that may never be overcome. And these are exactly the kinds of indicators I have personally witnessed of toxic systems and malignant ministries in multiple Christian settings.

The courts will now sort through the facts and impacts of what happened with those involved in this SGM lawsuit. But if our own organizations are at risk because of deficient and/or unethical systems, what will we do to bring those issues into the light and deal with them … lest we bring on our own lawsuits for our gross negligence and/or active victimization?

So, the Freeh Press Release and Report – worth a reading or re-reading as both a cautionary case study of what NOT to do, and for concrete suggestions on how such system failures can be addressed constructively.

The plaintiffs have hired a good lawyer, and I hope these families have the stamina and thick skin needed for what will be a long and arduous journey through a U.S. court.

There are 3 Sovereign Grace churches in Canada, two in BC and one in Ontario.

previous SGM posts 

The Tennessean:

LifeWay spokesman Marty King told the paper that a National Association of Evangelicals report on Olivet’s theological compatibility with the Southern Baptist Convention’s resources arm, commissioned by LifeWay and Olivet, was completed last week.

“LifeWay Christian Resources has reviewed the report from the National Association of Evangelicals, and decided not to go forward with the sale of Glorieta Conference Center to Olivet University,” said a statement given to the paper by King. “We are appreciative of our relationship with Olivet’s leadership, and indebted to NAE for their thorough work. We will now renew our pursuit of viable options for the sale of the property.”

Olivet University, based in California, was founded by David Jang, who has been under ongoing scrutiny in Korea for his teachings, and who was the subject of recent investigative reports by Christianity Today.  Jang has several business interests in the US,  his involvement with the World Evangelical Alliance has also been questioned.

Olivet University failed in a bid to buy Bethany University, a defunct Assemblies of God college in California, and also lost its bid for a campus property in Massachusetts. Olivet has been leasing space at the conference centre.

The National Association of Evangelicals inquiry results will not be made public. Olivet U President and Christian Post chairman William Wagner hopes that the school and Lifeway Christian Resources can still make a deal:

“Olivet University leadership has been made aware that Lifeway Christian Resources plans not to proceed with the transfer of the Glorieta Conference Center,” wrote Wagner, a former Baptist missionary who ran for president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2008. “Olivet intends to further discuss the decision of LifeWay Christian Resources’ leadership in moving forward and continuing negotiations in hopes an agreement can be reached regarding the purchase of the Glorieta Conference Center in Glorieta, N.M.”

ABP News
Christianity Today
Baptist Press: background, current
The Christian Post hasn’t picked up this story as yet…

Tampa Bay Online:

NEW YORK — The conservative scholar behind a high-grossing film that condemns President Barack Obama resigned Thursday as head of an evangelical college following a report about his engagement to a woman while still legally married to his wife.

The board of The King’s College announced school president Dinesh D’Souza was stepping down immediately after their discussion with him during a marathon meeting to decide his future.

D’Souza, director of the anti-Obama documentary “2016: Obama’s America,” has said he’s done nothing wrong. He could not be immediately reached for comment today.

The resignation was announced two days after the evangelical magazine WORLD reported that D’Souza spoke at a Christian values event in South Carolina and brought along his fiancée  Organizers said they confronted D’Souza after concluding that he and his fiancee had shared a hotel room while attending the gathering.

D’Souza said he’d been going out with 28 year old Denise Odie Joseph II for 3 months. The Kings College students have said the now former fiancée had been hanging around the NY campus longer. It is also being reported she is married. (according to her Facebook page she married  the end of 2011). He has been separated from his wife since 2010, and has a daughter.

D’Souza came out swinging at World Magazine, denying he and the 29-year-old shared a room, or that he was having an affair, and say the North Carolina conference organizer or World Magazine quoting him about ‘nothing happened’ was pure libel. D’Souza’s denial interview with Christianity Today yesterday was awkward.

In another interesting twist, the pr department at the 300 student college released a resignation statement for D’Souza he had not approved of.

CORRECTION: Due to a premature press release from The King’s College, Mr. D’Souza was quoted saying “[his actions] have not been consistent with the standard of leadership required for the position of president at The King’s College, and have created a distraction that would make it difficult, if not impossible, to continue in my role without adversely affecting the students and school I have grown to love.”  This quotation was drafted by a press officer and not said or approved by Mr. D’Souza himself. King’s has attempted to correct the error but the erroneous  quotation has been picked by some media.

The use of ‘premature’ is ironic.:^) His resignation statement:

I am grateful for the past two years that I have spent as president of The King’s College. But now it is time to move on. My resignation will enable The King’s College to go forward without distraction. And it will also enable me to address personal matters in my life as well as to pursue new opportunities made possible by success of my recent book and film.

Fred Clark at the Slacktivist points out that D’Souza’s politics, his racism and homophobia endeared him to many evangelicals. He commanded about 10 thousand dollars per speech at various religious/political conferences. No, no, no –we were fine with the racism, but the adultery is upsetting:

But D’Souza wasn’t embraced by the evangelical tribe just because he affirms the creeds and C.S. Lewis. What made CT and King’s College and the rest of mainstream evangelicalism decide that D’Souza was one of us was his political history — a former policy aide in the Reagan White House, D’Souza is fiercely opposed to abortion, gay rights, feminism and progressive taxation.

Yes, conspiratorial warnings about Africans and anti-colonialism contributed to D’Souza’s legitimacy among evangelicals.
As Sarah Posner said, “D’Souza’s … rise in the evangelical world is due in no small part to his conspiracy-minded claims about President Obama’s ‘Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior.’”

The film 2016: Obama’s America, directed by D’Souza and based on one of his books, is fourth highest US grossing documentary and has brought in over 33 million dollars.

The King’s College statement
The small college was formed in NJ in 1938 and closed in 1944. Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) started it up in NY five years later. The college teaches business, politics and philosophy.

The student newspaper reports the school may now move away from being known as a politically conservative institution and more toward its original branding as a Christian college.

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Canadian Christian filmmaker Paul Lalonde has big news that has just moved on Charisma News.

He’s planning a remake of his company’s first Left Behind film, made a few years ago, and says that Nicolas Cage is set to star.

I’d like a confirmation from, say Variety, but what Lalonde shared is at the link if you are curious.

Most people have never heard of Rev. Jerry Johnston.

Canadians who watch 100 Huntley Street regularly have seen him a fair bit the past few months. I doubt  viewers who watch 100 Huntley Street religiously know about Johnston’s background, and I suspect that Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. would prefer that their viewers do not go online and look up his rocky history.

People in Kansas City Kansas know Johnston as the high living founding pastor of one of the city’s former mega-churches.  They know him as the guy who lost First Family Church and who promptly opened another.

Johnston’s First Family Church, once described as among the fasting-growing megachurches in the country, had a rocky history.

In 2007, The Kansas City Star reported that hundreds of members had left over concerns about financial accountability. The newspaper also found that the church was structured in a way that provided little financial oversight.

The Kansas attorney general launched an investigation into the finances of Johnston and his church after receiving complaints about church money. The investigation was later closed because it did not find any activity that violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, an attorney general spokesman said.

Complaints also were filed with the Internal Revenue Service. In 2008, the IRS attached tax liens to the church property, citing more than $107,000 in unpaid payroll taxes from 2007. The church quickly settled, and the lien was released.

In January 2011, Regions Bank filed a foreclosure petition against First Family in Johnson County District Court, alleging the church owed more than $14 million in mortgage payments and other costs.

A judge ordered the foreclosure, and the church held its final service in September 2011. Johnston then launched New Day Church Kansas City a week later at Olathe East High.

Johnston’s year old New Day Church Kansas City shut down  just about a month ago, shortly after Don Simmonds, CEO of Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. announced on 100 Huntley Street that Jerry Johnston was the  Executive Director of Crossroads USA. Crossroads didn’t respond to a query by The Kansas City Star about Johnston’s appointment.

What don’t 100 Huntley Street viewers know about this hard-core Southern Baptist preacher who loves the camera?

New Day Church Kansas City, which opened in September 2011 in an Olathe school, held its last service Sept. 30.

An Olathe School District official confirmed this week that the church had canceled its contract to lease the building on Sundays. The church originally met at Olathe East High School, then moved to Pioneer Trail Middle School.

Johnston could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He and his wife, Cristie, sold their southern Johnson County home and belongings in an estate sale last year and had been commuting from out of town.

The New Day Church website is still online, but the links have been disabled. Johnston’s sermons, which had been available as podcasts on iTunes, have been inactivated as well.

But Johnston apparently isn’t leaving the ministry.

An evangelist before founding First Family Church in 1996, he now appears to be returning to his roots. In recent months, Johnston has been a guest on “100 Huntley Street,” a religious television program in Canada that is described as the country’s longest-running daily talk show.

Johnston’s rise and fall in Kansas has been well documented in an investigative series by The Kansas City Star.

Here is the timeline of the fall of First Family Church.

The Kansas City Star:

Lavish lifestyles at odds with pastor’s calls for the faithful to sacrifice

Lax financial oversight at First Family Church riles some church followers

Pastor, church have been delinquent in paying tax bills

After losing his building, Pastor Jerry Johnston starts over

Some would like to see Johnston face consequences for what they say are years of misleading his flock. And they worry that a new church means more controversy.

“My concern is that he will take advantage of a whole new group of people,” said Anne Balmer, who with her husband taught a Sunday School class at First Family but left in 2006 after they were pressured to give money to a new children’s building.

“My question was, is he trying to build God’s Kingdom or the Johnston Family Kingdom?”

The Johnston family kingdom is no more, the family has gone their separate ways.
Even his harshest critics agree Johnston is a gifted and driven entrepreneur and salesman. At the height of First Family Church, Jerry Johnston Publications was doing a booming business.  A year later, it too shut down. A US religious radio network dropped his program after one of  newspaper articles in the series noted that Johnston’s First Family Church was not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Dr. Jerry  now has a legitimate, earned education. The title was an affectation, a vain honorary piece of puff bestowed by Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University for services rendered. The tax bills are paid, contractors paid, the investigation dropped, the mansion sold. First Family Church website went offline the first of the year, and the New Day Church web page won’t be far behind.  Does past behavior and choices matter? Has this former preacher boy learned enough to earn or re-earn trust? Isn’t God a God of second chances? Or third chances? If Johnston wants to appeal to his new Canadian viewers he’ll have to simmer down, while Crossroads is working into the US market, the southern airways are saturated with fear and guilt tinged religious programming. The sell right now is to the home audience. The CRTC has rules for religious broadcasters – this polished performer will have to watch his p’s and q’s – Johnston isn’t in Kansas any more.

I don’t know why Crossroads picked Johnston up, viewer/donors will have to make their own decisions, hopefully informed prayful decisions about where their limited charity/ministry dollars need to go.

I’ll end with this sobering post from a fellow Kansas City pastor from 2007.

I guess I was most shocked to read how young Jerry is–only 47 years old. That would mean that I heard him speak when he was in his mid-twenties. He was just a young pup, but even then he was special. He certainly left my middle school self quaking in my high-top sneakers and running down the aisle lest a meteorite hit me before I could “really and truly” be saved.
He seemed older and wiser–like he knew everything.

Do I sound like I’m taking this personally? Like I’ve been betrayed?

I guess I do feel that way. I gave up listening to people like Jerry Johnston a long time ago. Certainly on my trips back to Missouri I felt it was pretty evident what a poseur this guy really is. Yet, I can’t help but think about the 13 year-old me. I believed what he said. I trusted him. I agonized over what he preached. I was tender-hearted, vulnerable and doing my best to be a good Christian. I was manipulated. I only lost a bit of innocence. I never recall giving any money to Jerry Johnston, like so many others. Yet, he betrayed me and he betrayed the Gospel by teaching me about a vengeful God and offering nothing of God’s grace. Jerry’s gospel was about Jerry.

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission

I found something of interest in a Norwegian paper, thanks to the Google Translate verion of a letter in a newspaper there.

Letter writer Martin Hjellvik of Bergen wrote in the oped section of what I am guessing is a local paper, on Sept. 28, that he went to one of Todd Bentley’s meetings in that city and found lots of reasons to find him controversial in his Sept. 28 letter to the paper.

He writes, as translated by Google:

…So I went with a reasoned skepticism Bentley meetings in Bergen. There were a lot of small Bible and Bentley. He even said we had exalted preaching and teaching too much in church. He himself would obviously overcome it by letting the Bible be virtually unused. And when he had opened the book, it was in the name of miracles.

He also spoke of the dead saints and relics may contain anointing. So he would really like to take on Peters dead legs, if he got the chance, to see if there was anything anointing to get there. Moreover he talked about spiritual portals that goes into the sky from the places where before there has been a revival. These portals could get anointing. With this teaching, it is understandable that he would not use the Bible as much. Instead of preaching the Word, we hear a lot about Bentleys experiences. Among the many bizarre claims, he said that 33 people had been resurrected from the dead. Salen devoured everything indiscriminately and rejoiced over what they believed was God’s wonders. But where are the 33 who have been dead? Common to all of them that Bentley claims have risen from the dead is that they are nameless, their testimonies we hear, and news reports, we do not.

If Mr. Hjellvik is accurate in his reporting, it would seem that Mr. Bentley is carrying on several of the bad habits of the Lakeland revival to this day.

Original page is here, if your Norwegian is up to snuff.

I’ve fallen behind a bit in updating the Axcess Automation/Funds saga. A lot has happened lately, with a couple of the key players in the ponzi scheme which saw investors lose millions.

The Ontario Securities Commission has put up “Reasons and Decisions”, the findings of a hearing held in April 2011 involving Reynold Mainse, Steven Taylor and Gordon Driver.

Former 100 Huntley Street host Reynold Mainse has acknowledged violating sections of The Ontario Securities Act (OSA) and being a point man in the Axcess scheme. Mainse and his now defunct company World Class Communications Inc. were found to have traded securities without a licence. The OSC determined (as they had with his brother Ron Mainse and cousin David Rutledge) that he was not party to the fraud.

The Hamilton Spectator:

The OSC ruled that he had improperly traded securities without being registered, by recruiting more than a dozen family and friends to participate in Driver’s scheme.

Ron Mainse, Reynold’s brother, and their cousin, David Rutledge, were ordered to pay a combined total of nearly $450,000 in restitution and penalties to the OSC in August 2010 for similar roles as recruiters.

The OSC has described Reynold Mainse, Ron Mainse and Rutledge as unwitting dupes who didn’t perpetrate any fraud themselves.

Driver had been a longtime family friend.

“I feel absolutely sick about it,” said Reynold Mainse. “It’s just a huge, unfortunate situation for me and my family.”

Mainse said he attracted five family members and 10 friends to invest in what he thought was “a great opportunity, which obviously wasn’t,” he said.

“I’ve apologized to them,” Mainse said. “They’re still my family, they’re still my friends.”

Reynold Mainse will be back before the OSC November 7th.  He now runs a photography business out of the Hamilton area.

Pertinent paragraphs in the OSC decision regarding Reynold Mainse.

[11] Reynold and WCC, who were represented by counsel, admitted all of the allegations relevant to them. As Reynold admitted the allegations against him in this matter and was not contesting the evidence presented by Staff, he and his counsel only attended certain portions of the hearing. Reynold appeared on April 11, 15, 19 and 20, 2011, and his counsel appeared on April 11, 13, 15, 19 and 20, 2011.

[23] WCC was incorporated in Ontario in September 1998. According to Reynold, he stopped doing business through WCC in 2000 or 2001, but later re-activated WCC which
contracted with a Christian non-profit charitable organization to lead and promote international humanitarian aid missions. In December 2008, WCC’s registration was cancelled for failure to comply with the Corporations Tax Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.40, as amended.

The OSC states that Reynold Mainse was the sole director of World Class Communications Inc. Pages 14 to 17 outline the allegations Mainse admitted to.

[83] Reynold, who was interviewed voluntarily by Staff and voluntarily provided Staff with documents relating to the Axcess Investments, made admissions on the first day of the hearing on the merits. His counsel explained that, but for Reynold’s personal financial situation, he would have settled with the Commission. His counsel further explained that Reynold does not have the means to disgorge to the Commission the funds he received through his and WCC’s involvement in the Axcess Investments given the nature of his career and the dedication of his time and resources, including the money that he received from Driver, to Christian not-for-profit charitable organizations. As a result, he elected to participate in the the  hearing on the merits and testified to provide a full factual record to the Commission.

[127] From July 2007 to the end of 2008, Reynold acted as a point person between Driver and investors who were identified by Reynold at the hearing as being his family and friends. The Reynold Group, comprised  of 23 people, invested a total of US$4,131,400.96 and subsequently received  payments from Driver totaling US$2,875,054.87.

[158] The evidence shows that Driver had occasionally met or directly communicated with investors about the Axcess Investments. Ronald and Rutledge gave consistent and
credible testimony that they facilitated meetings between small groups of investors and Driver. According to Ronald, two such meetings took place in Burlington, the first in early to mid-July 2007 and, the second, at Ronald’s home in late July 2007. Rutledge testified that he arranged for investors to meet Driver at Ronald’s house in July 2007 and in Las Vegas in February 2009 and personally attended these meetings. Reynold also
testified that he arranged meetings between Driver and investors and that he attended some of these meetings.

[162] For example, Rutledge and Ronald understood that they would receive 5% of “[Driver’s] company’s growth” as commissions which were to be shared between them
(Hearing Transcript dated April 15, 2011 at p. 44). Reynold also understood that he would be paid “five percent of the money that [he brought] to [Driver]” (Hearing Transcript dated April 19, 2011 at p. 125). More specifically, Reynold explained that the
commissions would be 5% of the trading profits that Driver retained, or 3.75% of the total profits generated by Driver’s trading activities.

[163] We accept Staff’s flow of funds analysis which shows that both Taylor and Reynold received funds from Driver. Driver transferred US$1,430,216 to Taylor and the Taylor Companies, and $210,219.50 to Reynold and WCC. Although Reynold testified that there was no clear distinction as to whether the funds he received were a return on his investment or commissions, we find that Taylor and Reynold received payments as a result of acting as point persons for Driver.

Page 40, 41 and 42 [200-212]  lay out the details of Reynold Mainse activity and involvement.

[211] Staff’s flow of funds analysis shows that Reynold received a total of $210,219.50 from Driver, of which $9,987 was received by Reynold personally and $200,232.50 was received through an account in the name of WCC.

[212] Based on Reynold’s admissions and evidence described above, we find that Reynold and WCC engaged in trades and acts in furtherance of trades within the meaning
of the OSA in relation to both the Axcess Automation Investment and the Axcess Fund Investment.

While Ronald and Reynold Mainse made it publicly clear they were victims of this scam,  as point people were also victimizers. Neither brother is facing, or will face criminal charges. They remained ordained ministers in Ontario through out this investigation, despite the fact it was then alleged they violated an Act of the Ontario Legislature (OSA),and a federal Act (CFA).  I posted about Reynold Mainse ministerial credentials previously, which he holds because of the good graces and trust of the Ontario government.

How much did this OSC investigation cost taxpayers? Why do Christians not hold their own accountable for acting contrary to the public interest? Who is Reynold Mainse accountable to as an ordained minister if not taxpayers and the body authorized to ordain him?  How is breaking regulatory law different than breaking criminal law, and why does his leadership turn a blind eye?

I understand that paying restitution is a hardship – a consequence of roping family and friends into a scam. I understand both brothers suffered public shame being yanked off 100 Huntley Street for a few months.  Ron was allowed back on-air, appointed Spiritual Director of the Crossroads Family of Ministries and Executive Director of 100 Huntley Street.  Reynold Mainse started his own company. Unlike his two defendants before the OSC, Reynold Mainse had competent legal representation. The point is, the 252 investors who have never spoken publicly, wsome of who placed their trust in the Mainse brothers face considerable hardship also.

I have no idea if Reynold Mainse does contract work for the charity his dad founded. I remain troubled that neither brother faced suspension of their ordination during the OSC investigation. Is breaching a provincial Act no big deal to Christian leaders?

[301] We also find that Reynold authorized, permitted or acquiesced in WCC’s contraventions of subsections 25(1)(a) and 53(1) of the OSA and is, therefore, responsible for such contraventions pursuant to section 129.2 of the OSA.

[308] The conduct of the Respondents undermined the integrity of and confidence in the
capital markets, which we find to be contrary to the public interest.

Section V of the document lays out how the scam unfolded and how the point people and their investors got sucked in.  My grandmother used to say, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. The returns on investments promised (and in some cases received) makes shows the read in hindsight, the blinding effect of greed.

Both brothers wanted some of the money they made to go to ministries. In the OSC document it was suggested that Axcess investors donate their returns to ministries of choice.

In July of 2009, the board of Crossroads Christian Communications made it clear that a forensic audit had determined no donor funds had gone into the Axcess scam. Back in that 2009 post I wondered which ministries were recipients of the monies the brothers and cousin made. Did Crossroads receive donations from the brothers ill-gotten gains?

Reynold Mainse remains on the board of Heaven’s Rehearsal, a registered charity described as a ‘missionary organization, evangelism’, which produced an extravagant concert at the Rogers Centre in  2007, with grand plans to hold a similar show in the future in Africa. He took over Heaven’s Rehearsal from Norm MacLaren, a former 100 Huntley Street host.  According to the 2011 T3010,  Heaven’s Rehearsal is making a bit of money from product sales and donations, and is in a deficit position.

I’d hardly call a concert a “Christian non-profit charitable organization to lead and promote international humanitarian aid missions [23], which is why I wonder if the brothers donated money to ministries and if they did, where it went.

Reynold Mainse and his cousin David Rutledge are pleading financial hardship in regards to  restitution and penalties required by the OSC. November 7th, Reynold Mainse will find out how much more financial hardship he’ll face.

Gordon Driver, already looking at a 41 million dollar civil judgement in the US, was arrested in Las Vegas October 9th. He made bond and was ordered to appear for arraignment in a Los Angeles court this past Wednesday. Ponzitracker:

 Gordon Driver, 54, was arrested October 9th and charged with two counts of mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, two counts of commodity pool operator fraud, and three counts of making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.  If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 275 years in federal prison.

…Despite being successfully prosecuted by civil regulatory authorities for masterminding a massive Ponzi scheme, any intervention by criminal authorities remained conspicuously absent.  In a Forbes article I authored earlier this summer pondering this same question, I noted that “while the CFTC outlined allegations in its complaint that could form the basis of mail and/or wire fraud, the five-year statute of limitations continues to tick.” Among the criminal charges Driver now faces are two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of mail fraud.

Also noteworthy is the decision to charge Driver with three counts of making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Authorities rarely bring this charge against those accused of Ponzi schemes, with the only known exception to be Laura Pendergast-Holt, the former chief investment officer under Allen Stanford’s massive $7 billion Ponzi scheme who received a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to obstructing an SEC investigation.  Driver was presumably charged under 18 U.S.C. 1001, which forbids making any false or fraudulent statement in “any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch” of the U.S. government.  Each charge carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison.

United States Attorney’s Office Central District of California

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

It’s not like Hugh Hefner will have to stand in line at a food bank any time soon, but something that I thought would never happen is happening–one of his magazines is ceasing publication.

Playboy is still ticking,, but as I walked into my local corner store, I noticed the words COLLECTOR”S ISSUE and FINAL EDITION emblazoned on the plastic wrap cover of Playboy’s College Girls magazine.

I was immediately curious as to why. Was Hefner feeling guitly? Had pressure from campus feminists finally done the magazine in? Not that I was expecting them to admit to something like that, but Larry Flynt professed being a Christian for an incredibly brief period, so who knows?

So I bought a copy for blogging purposes–in case it was amazing news–and yes, the issue on the newsstands now is the final one that will be printed on paper anyways. There is a brief note that accompanies a “looking back series” of pictures. The note states that College Girls, first published in 1983, was the “most popular” of what Playboy calls its Special Editions. No reason was given for ceasing publication of its print edition.

Before people who are concerned about the influence of Playboy celebrate, however, I’d caution that the devil is in the details, as it were.

I’ve noticed something else too. Stores selling adult materials are closing and up for rent. Since I was young, they had been noticeable and had even made news. In Vancouver and other B.C. cities and towns during the early 80s, adult video stores like the Red Hot Video chain had led both feminists and Christians to protest against what they were offering. A group of radicals called the Sqwamish Five were infamous for their involvement with firebomb attacks on some Red Hot Video outlets.

You’f figure that anyone who coulod survive that would have the staying power to last forever. Well, one Red Hot Video outlet stood in Vancouver for years. It was renamed, due, perhaps, to new ownership. I rode past there on the bus the other day. Shuttered. Vacant. Up for sale.

How could you not make money doing this? Well, a 2009 New York Times piece on Playboy has what I think is the answer.

That fall, Playboy was announcing to its advertising clients that they were only going to guarantee that the magazine had 1.5 million readers, down from a figure of 2.6 million, a 38 per cent decrease.

Why the slump? “Playboy is battling declining ad revenue, a problem faced by almost every magazine. But it is also losing readers to online pornography. And mass magazines in general are having a tough time…” The story portrays Hefner as being sentimentaL, and wanting to keep Playboy the magazine, itself, as the center of what he is doing.

So, I would say that the fate of College Girls is not due to some reformist zeal. When in trouble, consolidate what you are doing to save what is essential. (Journalists–one of whom I know saw a similar drop in editions in their case to one and then zero–will tell you that is not fun to go through.) This issue of College Girls appears to have no ads too, so if newsstand sales slump…

But this points to another issue, online porn. It may even be “free”, but there are other costs.

Interestingly, the syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage talks about online porn in his column this week. Even though his beliefs are more easygoing on sexual matters than many hold–he starts his answer to the online porn question doubting that pre-teen children have ready access to it on a widespread basis and seems to approve adults using it, he sees problems with online porn.

Savage’s worldview results in his seeing different problems with online porn than some of us might see. He sees issues with underage portrayals. It paints a completely unrealistic view of sex. Online porn is often made by “angry and resentful” men whose attitude “seeps into a lot of porn.” [However, he goes on to argue, users of online porn can realize this and guard against it.]

So, although I am not a fan of College Girls and its own mindsets, replacing it with something ubiquitous and free poses problems of its own. And as “free” and “plentiful” drives out something like a magazine that can at least be placed under some controls, it creates different problems.

People in Terrace, Prince Rupert,Port McNeill, Kitimat, Smithers, Sayward, and Quesnel report significant shaking from a 7.7 quake, near  Haida Gwaii, (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) 198 kilometres south-southwest of Prince Rupert, depth of 7 km. – U.S. Geological Survey Aftershocks are occurring at depths of about 10 kilometres.

This map of a potential tsunami path comes from Global Disaster Alert and Co-ordination System.

Readers in BC  - what did you experience? Comments are open.

Update: Tsunami warning ended CBC British Columbia

Earthquake Report

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

Another of the spinoff “Special Editions” of Playboy has announced that it is shutting down.

I was at my corner store last night when I noticed that “Playboy’s Lingerie” also was wrapped with plastic wrapping, this time stating “FINAL LINGERIE Issue”. The front cover had a “Farewell” on it, so you didn’t have to buy the magazine to realize what was happening.

As I wrote in a post on the folding of Playboy’s special College edition, a few days ago, this may not be wholly good news for those averse to the “Playboy philosophy”. Probably the exact same reasons that played into the death of that magazine–explored in that post–are at play here so I won’t repeat myself.

One quick note though. An insert card for a subscription offer had come out of a Lingerie magazine and was visible through the plastic.

It advertised an introductory offer of 12 issues of Playboy magazine itself–the main, famous, magazine which these edition closures and probable layoffs of staff is designed to save–for only $12.

Desperation time?

Don’t blame me, blame Rick.:^)
Just acknowledging the day to the south of us.

[Rick butting in here. The link to the famous Simpsons' parody of presidential elections is here...

http://videosift.com/video/Citizen-Kang?loadcomm=1

...if the embed doesn't work for you.]

Well, hell just froze over. Greenville News:

Bob Jones University said it has appointed an outside Christian organization as an ombudsman to review “past instances in which it is alleged that the university under-served a victim or didn’t comply with the law in handling reports of abuse.”

The action follows the recommendations of a committee that was appointed by the BJU board of trustees upon the request of President Stephen Jones “to review the institution’s sexual abuse policy and its application.”

The committee had 3 outside members, a doctor, sexual abuse counsellor and a child advocate. For leadership at this school to release control to outside parties is unprecedented. BJU pr:

 As part of its recommendations, the committee suggested the University appoint an independent ombudsman to review past instances in which it is alleged that the University underserved a victim or did not comply with the law in handling reports of abuse. The University agreed to the recommendation and said that when an ombudsman was appointed, information on how to contact the ombudsman to communicate past issues would be posted on the University’s website.

Whether the fundamentalist university will be able or willing to follow the recommendations G.R.A.C.E. makes, remains to be seen. No ones knows how many students have suffered spiritual abuse, assault, blame, shunning or expulsion for being a victim of crime, the culture of the school has not been open to reporting.

The school apologized in 2008 for it’s racial policies, and has been seeking accreditation. BJU has also moved away from it’s involvement in politics.

G.R.A.C.E. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) is a Virginia based organization, founded in 2004,  which works to prevent and respond to child abuse in religious organizations (church and parachurch).  G.R.A.C.E. provides prevention training, response assistance, consultations and investigations. The organization, made up of professionals such as prosecutors, investigators and a mental health professional has had it’s public profile raised with investigations of the abuse of missionary kids. (New Tribe Missions,  Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) via: MK Safetynet.

During the coming weeks, GRACE will finalize its procedures for collecting data from individuals who feel they were underserved by BJU when they reported abuse. Upon finalizing its procedures, GRACE will notify BJU who will post on its website procedures for contacting GRACE. GRACE has informed BJU that the independent investigation will begin immediately after the new year. At that time, GRACE will act independently of the University and work directly with any possible complainants.

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission.

If you are not a supporter of Barack Obama, you could be making the President fail. Thus saith the Lord. Per Wendy Alec, at any rate.

As you no doubt know, conservatives in the United States can be very critical of Obama. And Wendy Alec, in an e-mail and prophetic word she just sent out this morning, says that she has been worried about this since the President was first elected in 2008.

In her cover e-mail accompanying the link to her word, Alec writes this:

….I sense that the Lord has been very grieved by the flow of criticism by the Church concerning Barack Obama these past four years. Instead of fervent prayers for the President of the United States, many times it has been criticism instead that has risen to His throne.

In fact beloved, I sensed that the Father said that our words as Christians have in fact somewhat imprisoned President Obama, which has enabled a Jezebelic spirit to intensify over certain aspects of the Whitehouse..…

I’d agree with Alec that we should be prayerful first, but to never critique while trying to have a Christlike attitude is wrong. We need to speak truth to power, as it were.

If Alec, in the summer of 2008, had told progressive Christians that their critiques of President Bush had caused the ongoing issues in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the banking crisis, it would be just as wrongheaded, I believe.

There is a balance to be struck in such things, but to say: “the Lord says don’t do this at all…”? Well I don’t know about that.

I also don’t think our words have that sort of voodoo power over people, but that is a subject for another post, perhaps.

What do you think?

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission.

Canadian Press is reporting that pro-life MPs have discovered another tactic that they can use in the House of Commons.

Following the failure of Motion M-312, what pro-life MPs have started to do is to present pro-life themed petitions to the House. Petitions from the public are almost always heard after Question Period, and this allows the presenter of the motion to address the subject briefly.

However, the story adds, “The House of Commons manual of procedure and practice states that MPs are not bound to present any petition, nor does presenting a petition signify an endorsement.” This would allow Tory MPs to tell Harper, “I’m just presenting the petition. You don’t want me to tell my constituents to get lost, do you?”

CP adds that of the more than 20 such petitions so far, all save one by Lawrence MacAulay of the Liberals have been presented by Tories.

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Fans of the Calgary Stampeders in Sunday’s Grey Cup may be interested to know that one of their players takes a position on the long running Anglican debate over whether gays should be ministers in that church.

Jon Cornish has good reason to do so, reports Cam Cole in today’s Vancouver Sun. His mom, Margaret is an Anglican minister, with a female partner, and his repect for the both of them has led him to become involved in You Can Play movement.

Says Cornish:

“I’m actually pretty outspoken. I don’t like certain slurs being used, and any time I hear them, I speak up,” he said. “I think for the most part, my team’s pretty respectful. We have a lot of smart people on this team.

“People are always surprised when I tell them about my mom’s situation, but for me, it’s something I’m proud of. Because she’d been through a lot, and she finally found someone who she loved, and for me, there’s nothing more positive in the world.”

Stamps coach John Hufnagel, quoted in the same story, is concerned that any gay player can throw, run fast, and catch, but adds “It’s a free country.”

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

Damian Goddard, the sportscaster who was dismissed from SportsNet for sharing his views on gay marriage, knows exactly why the Argos won the Grey Cup this year.

It’s due to Argo team discipline and taking few penalties, he says in this video. And, you can extrapolate that, he goes on to argue, to support various so-con views.

Two questions.

Had the Stamps won, would Goddard say that that proves the inherent moral superiority of ordaining gays and lesbians in the Anglican church? Jon Cornish’s mom is a lesbian Anglican minister, and he is very supportive. Had he starred in the game, would that prove that Cornish’s position on the gay ministers question was right? Goddard would fall all over himself to not say so–so why use *that* sort of logic here? Follows here, follows if the other gay-positive star’s team wins, right?

What if–in a hypothetical different matchup–the Argos had also been disciplined in regards to penalties, but had been playing my beloved B.C. Lions instead? Had the Lions won in that example, as I would say would have been likely…would Goddard have made a “The Argos lost in a way that supports my own personal values…” video? Doubtful.

In contrast, I appreciate Cornish’s own view, as cited in my previous post. Whether he is a star or a third-stringer, he loves his Mom and believes as he does because he holds those to be the best views. Full stop.

I wonder–was Goddard sacked because his former bosses saw that he had a general propensity for logical own goals when straying away from straight factual reporting?

By Rick Hiebert All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

Why does evangelist Todd Bentley, after the disgrace at Lakeland and being banned from entering Britain earlier this year, feel the need to keep going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny?

An e-mail of his from a few days ago shows that if God is trying to show Bentley that he needs to stop what he is doing through painful circumstance—in the same way that you learn not to hit your head with a hammer because it smarts a bit—He is not listening at all.

Todd Bentley seems to be incredibly stubborn. I’ll explain…

On November 30 [2012], Bentley sent out the e-mail Restoration Is Like A Two Edged Sword. Part of his e-mail reads like this:
…. But we need to remember that in the process of restoration there is always a divine test. Before Joseph’s freedom was restored, and he took the throne in Egypt (second only to Pharaoh), he was taken into a great God-ordained time of testing (Gen: 37-50). Psalms 105:19 says: “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.” Joseph had the prophetic word of the Lord but until it actually came to pass, this word tested him.

Likewise, many of you have the prophetic word of the Lord concerning areas of restoration coming upon your lives; however, today, the fulfillment has not manifested it’s still on its way. Stand your ground in the time of testing, the time of waiting. God will surely come and bring restoration exactly at the perfect moment…..

Yes, Joseph was severely tested, and we may be tested as well. But the danger in looking at the Bible’s history is to assume that anything that happened back then should and will happen to us in the same way.

Joseph had a special role and destiny. How accurate would it be to assume that his example applies to everyone? Would it perhaps be hubris for Bentley to assume that Joseph’s example applies to himself?

Ah, but it has to apply. If it doesn’t apply yo Bentley he either goes back to be the low profile itinerant teacher that he was before Lakeland, or starts asking people if they want fries with their meal.

Bentley should, of course, be free to pursue whatever he wants to do. But if he is being pigheaded in wrongly continuing, there would be collateral damage. Bentley would not be the only person affected.

This brings to mind a couple items from earlier this year—when Bentley was banned from Britain’s immigration authorities from entering their country. Bentley’s latest musings are merely the latest example of his thinking “I *will* be a famous evangelist and no one will stand in my way of doing whatever I want to do when and where I care to do it.”

Back on September 21 [2012}, Bentley sent an e-mail to to his e-list. Intended to connect with Bentley’s supporters, it contains an interview with a lady who went to Lakeland and felt blessed by her experience there. (Her daughter, Sophia, after being “healed” of an incurable disease is now being “mentored” by Bentley and his second wife.).

Her question to Todd Bentley, and his response, is interesting:

… What was it inside of Todd that gave him the drive to overcome the adversity that he went though after Lakeland, because a lot of people would just have given up. There had to be something inside of him that gave him the courage to say, “I am not done” and stand up even after all the controversies. What was the one thing that really drew him to say, “I am not going to give up and I am not going to quit and I will continue to serve God”?

Todd’s Response: “A lot of people ask me this question. People always want to know how I kept myself strong, loving the Lord, and continued to pursue my purpose. During the first 6 months after Lakeland, which was a challenging time for me was a battle of depression and discouragement. I felt like Elijah the Prophet, I wanted to give up. It was the constant encouragement of Fathers and a few true friends that kept speaking life into me that kept me going. One blessing in this hardship that I endured, was that in the midst of it all, I fell back in love with Jesus for Jesus again and not for ministry.”…

Most people would be reluctantly willing to consider that God has another “purpose” in mind for them after the sorts of things that happened to Todd Bentley. Had Bentley been willing to pursue a regular job for a few years, we could place more credence in his saying that he loves Jesus before ministry.

No one else can possibly do what Todd Bentley does, I guess.

The fact that Todd Bentley is now mostly under the radar and not drawing huge crowds or the sort of attention that he did at Lakeland would imply that many christians are looking at Todd Bentley and saying “I’ll pass”.

But not all. And one response–which threw me for a bit of a loop—to Bentley being banned from entering Britain may show my Bentley will never deliver pizzas for a ,living, as long as he wants to keep evangelizing.

You have to credit blogger The Ugley Vicar for getting right to the nub of the matter. His August 23, 2012 post is entitled “We Have The Right To Be Stupid”.

Britain’s Home Office, as they write, has just decided that Bentley may not enter Britain for a series of evangelistic meetings.
This, the blogger decides, is a use of “dictatorial powers” :

“…And what, exactly, have we been saved from? The answer is a tattooed former drug addict who claims God heals via him giving them a punch or a kick.”

“Now I am quite happy to say this is bonkers (although I do remember reading about a bloke who was healed after somebody rubbed spit on his eyes – but then the government didn’t like that healer either, because he was a threat to the establishment too).

When it came to these shores, I similarly said the Toronto Blessing was bonkers, and I continue to maintain that to this day. (Indeed, I would go further and say it was spiritually damaging in a way far beyond anything likely to be achieved by Mr Bentley.)

But I also think the government is talking rubbish when it gives as a further justification for this ban, “Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who might seek to undermine our society.”…

I follow the point they are making. The fact that, knowing all that I do about Bentley, I still watch what he is doing implies that I think that most Christians are grownups and can take care of themselves.

“We have a right to be stupid.” Indeed, you do.

I did ask myself, however, is this person being serious? Is this a “reducto ad absurdum” argument where they are going way over the top to really argue that the British government is really being reasonable?

(And would it be odd for a “Brit” to use a Canadian blogging server?)

But whatever the merits of what the blogger has to argue, they allow me to make a small point. Todd Bentley will always have someone willing to take his side and support him, no matter how unreasonable people, and the powers that may be, are.

With such a base of support, Todd Bentley will be able to keep evangelizing to the end of his days. He should be able to make a living of some sort.

Good read. Chicago magazine reporter Bryan Smith’s in-depth look at the culture of First Baptist Church of Hammond Indiana in Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church: 

Last September, Schaap, 54, a married father of two, pleaded guilty to taking a 16-year-old girl he was counseling at First Baptist across state lines to have sex. Denied bond, he awaits sentencing in the Porter County Jail; the minimum term is ten years.

But Schaap is not simply one of those rogue evangelists who thunders against the evils of forbidden sex while indulging in it himself. According to dozens of current and former church members, religion experts, and historians interviewed by Chicago—plus a review of thousands of pages of court documents—he is part of what some call a deeply embedded culture of misogyny and sexual and physical abuse at one of the nation’s largest churches. Multiple websites tracking the First Baptist Church of Hammond have identified more than a dozen men with ties to the church—many of whom graduated from its college, Hyles-Anderson, or its annual Pastors’ Schools—who fanned out around the country, preaching at their own churches and racking up a string of arrests and civil lawsuits, including physical abuse of minors, sexual molestation, and rape.

Smith gives a solid history of the troubled church,  weaving up to the present, giving voice to former members and victims of Hyles men who preyed on obedient, isolated and unquestioning congregants, while noting the number of predators who have been tied to this church.  He focuses on Schaap, the most recent disgraced leader, and at some the fallout from Schaaps arrest and guilty plea.

Walking into federal court last September for a hearing about his alleged sexual misdeeds with a minor, Jack Schaap smiled and looked relaxed. Wearing a gray blazer, a red patterned tie, and dark pants, clutching a Bible in his left hand, he stopped in front of the TV cameras and planted a long kiss on his wife, Cindy, 52.

Before the judge, if Schaap wasn’t exactly defiant, he was far from submissive. He said that he didn’t know he had broken “man’s law” but knew he had violated “God’s law.” With that, he entered a guilty plea—and was immediately escorted to Porter County Jail to await sentencing.

Back at First Baptist, prayers for “Brother Schaap” have been asked for and received. (Similar concern has yet to be expressed for his victim.) One of Schaap’s adult children, Kenneth, has mounted a letter-writing campaign to the judge.

Eddie Lapina, a Hyles-trained church fixture, is acting as interim pastor while a committee searches for Schaap’s replacement. Among his moves: announcing in October that fully a quarter of the church’s staff had been laid off.

Hyles-Anderson College appears to be struggling, too. About 1,000 students are currently enrolled, down from 2,700 in its heyday, according to admissions director Joe Peete, who gave a Chicago intern a tour of the premises in late October.

Meanwhile, the church’s lawyer, David Gibbs, has called for other victims to come forward with their stories. He promises that “there will be no cover-up. There will be nothing swept under any rug. . . . This is a moment when we need, as people of integrity, to be honest in all of this. So [authorities] have asked us to come in and conduct a thorough investigation. And it shall be done.”

Critics are skeptical. “They will no doubt tighten the reins some,” says Glover. “But all that needs to happen is for the right pastor to come along—i.e., a man with a strong, charismatic personality who is a leader—and boom! They are right back in the same trap.”

Media coverage of the years is mentioned, as well as books written by former members.

Smith generously includes comments by Jerri Massi of Blog on the Way. Jerri has tirelessly documented the IFB culture. The outstanding efforts of the Facebook group, Do Right Hyles-Anderson, populated with many former members who faced spiritual, emotional and sexual abuse in the Hyle kingdom, is also featured. The closed world of Independent Fundamental Baptists can no longer silence the voices of it’s abused. Leaders at First Baptist Church of Hammond chose not to be available for this article. Those who know the church expect leaders to come out swinging: shooting the messenger, demeaning those willing to go on record and discounting the damage done to so many lives.

Independent Fundamentalist Baptists rocked by dismissal and investigation of Jack Schaap
Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Pastor Jack Schaap enters guilty plea

Jack Schaap – Polished Shaft sermon

By Rick Hiebert. All Tights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Don’t mess with Todd Bentley. He’ll have you “whacked” by the Lord.

One of the local papers in Croydon, England–where Todd Bentley was to evanglize earlier this year before he was banned from entering by immigration authorities–is rightly appalled by Bentley’s latest action.

Local MP Malcolm Wicks, who had lobbied to have Bentley restricted passed away of cancer on September 29. The Croydon Guardian, noting that Bentley has recently released a video touching on this, is aghast after what Bentley says on the subject:

Footage has now emerged of Mr Bentley telling followers that 65-year-old Mr Wicks’s death on September 29, after a battle with the disease, was “the Lord’s justice” for his opposition.

In the video, Mr Bentley says God had told him in a dream after the ban that “something very significant” would happen on September 29.

He says: “One thing that is significant about the whole thing is the Lord’s justice.

“On September 29 I was preaching in Ohio when I got a report that the man who lead the campaign against us in England had died suddenly of cancer.

“This was a clear release of God’s presence and power. The fear of the Lord is going to come.”

The leader of Croydon’s municipal Labour politicians sees this as “sick and abhorrent.”

I heartily agree, but I’d like to add a few things.

How does Bentley expect to ever be let into Britain again if immigration authorities realize that he’s basically said. “The Lord killed the man who had me banned. Good.” How stupid is he?

Why didn’t the Lord kill me after my Report newsmagzine stories on Bentley, which Bentley saw as so damaging that he has to slam them in his autobiography?

It’s ironic that only recently Bentley was talking about the Lord restoring and being merciful. Buit only for him, I guess. God has no mercy for Labour MPs? No restoration for them?

“As ye sow, so shall ye reap,”, Mr. Bentley.