Wankers

The Potter’s House church ‘a cult’:murdered ex-pastor’s widow

The Waikato Times reported in May 2008…

“The widow of slain former Hamilton [NZ} preacher Richard Watson says he had grown to regret his actions as the leader of an anti-gay Christian "cult" The Potter's House which was based in the city through the 1980s and 1990s.

Speaking from her daughter Lisa's home in Western Australia yesterday, Louise Watson said her 50-year-old husband - stabbed twice at a party in [the Perth suburb of Embleton] on April 20 had turned his back on The Potter’s House-Christian Fellowship Ministries (CFM) movement he ministered for. She said he felt he had been manipulated and brainwashed by the group’s Australian-based leaders.

A Ngaruawahia man is in custody in Perth facing a wilful murder charge after the stabbing at a 21st birthday party.

Mrs Watson disputed suggestions by a Waikato Times source that Mr Watson may have inflamed the incident at the party which led to the stabbing. She and her husband were invited to the party, where she said there had been no fight. Her husband and the accused had not known each other before the 21st, held for Miss Watson’s partner’s cousin.

An at-times emotional Mrs Watson said her late husband was a calm, kind and gentle man and a loving father and grandfather who had realised in hindsight his evangelical teachings in Hamilton in the 1990s including screenings of anti-gay films at The Potter’s House church had harmed some people.

Mrs Watson said the couple were with The Potter’s House for 20 years, including ministering in Hamilton for 14 years to up to 200 parishioners. They left the group in 1998, around the same time as “hundreds” of other couples departed, she said. Before leaving Hamilton, Mr and Mrs Watson had confronted leaders of the church about some of its teachings, “and that didn’t go down too well”.

She would not say what those issues were.

“We came to Hamilton and started the church from scratch. We gave a lot of our youth and our time to the church. It had become very controlling, to the point of being a cult which was the reason we left the organisation. We didn’t want any part of it any more. We actually resigned from the church.”

Asked if she and her husband had been brainwashed by church leaders, she replied: “Pretty much, yes. They (The Potter’s House/CFM) are very close to being a cult. It was evangelical, we used to preach the gospel in many forms that other churches didn’t.”

Mrs Watson said the couple “definitely regretted a lot of our years of our youth”, including some of their views and teachings leading Potter’s House.

Her husband had “laboured endlessly (for The Potter’s House in Waikato) for very little money and we did a lot of good for a lot of people,” including working with people with drug problems and people in prison.

“We did help a lot of people, a lot of Christian work but it was the wrong way to go about doing things.”

Her husband was no longer anti-gay, and the couple now had gay friends in Perth: “We’re much more open (now) than we were.”

She offered an apology, also on behalf of her late husband, to anyone in The Potter’s House or its opponents they had harmed while ministering for the church.

“We had good hearts, we didn’t mean any harm.”

The couple had found it “very hard” to re-establish themselves in Perth after leaving the church.

No-one from The Potter’s House/CFM had offered condolences to the family after Mr Watson’s death, Miss Watson said. She said some former members of The Potter’s House had attended the funeral, and the family had received supportive calls from people her father had previously had “fallings out” with.

“They’re devastated at the news, and have said to me if it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t be alive.”

Mr Watson, born in Pukerua Bay north of Wellington, had been working in Perth as a painter for several years, writing poetry and “taking care of his family” before his death, said Mrs Watson. The couple were married for 28 years. Mr Watson returned to New Zealand late last year to visit family members.”

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/4516198a6579.html

‘I don’t fit into the religious right crowd anymore’:Haggard

Arrested Pentecostal pastor hid in ceiling

The New Vision, Uganda reports…

“Two pastors of a pentecostal church in the city were yesterday arrested in an early morning raid.

The pastors are being held over their dealings with officials of Dutch International, a micro- finance institution at the centre of a financial scam, spiraling into billions of shillings.

Pastors David Mwesigwa and Lawrence Keya Larry of the Garden of Peace Christian Centre in Ggaba were picked up by plain clothes detectives from their residences in Munyonyo Mulungu zone and Bunga zone.
The Police said Mwesigwa was hiding in his ceiling.

The pastors were taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate at the Police headquarters in Kibuli for interrogation.
A third pastor, the Police are looking for, escaped.

During interrogation Keya, the senior pastor recounted how on several occasions they used to pray for the officials he described as their flock.
“There are a number of issues we want them to answer,” CID spokesperson Fred Enanga said yesterday.

The Police also seized a vehicle with registration number UAK 453B that was allegedly donated to the Church by Nixon Balikowa, the secretary general of the institution.

Balikowa and his secretary Joshua Kasaga, have since been charged at Buganda Road Court and remanded to Luzira Prison.

The Police are also investigating the duo over claims that they were conduits through whose accounts huge amounts of money were wired on behalf of the firm’s officials. Hundreds of people countrywide were conned.”

From http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/669718

Ex-pastor ‘had his own Mercedes and BMW stolen’:Police

The Port Elizabeth Herald reports…

“The date has been set for trial in a matter involving the national spokesman for SA Roadlink, Samuel Fidelis, who is at the centre of an alleged insurance fraud involving two luxury vehicles.

He appeared in the Port Elizabeth commercial crimes court yesterday and the case has been set down for four days starting from April 14.

Fidelis, whose address was given as Carlswald Lifestyle Estate, Midrand, is facing two counts of insurance fraud involving a BMW and a Mercedes-Benz. He is also facing a charge of attempting to defeat the course of justice.

The alleged offences were committed in Port Elizabeth in 2003 when Fidelis was still a pastor of the Harvest International Church in Govan Mbeki Avenue.

It is alleged that Fidelis bought a BMW 526i, financed by the Stannic group. During the same period, he allegedly bought a Mercedes-Benz, financed by Wesbank. Both vehicles were insured with SA Eagle Insurance.

According to the charge sheet, Fidelis had difficulties in honouring the monthly instalments for the two cars. Wesbank threatened to repossess the Mercedes-Benz in October 2003.

On October 13 that year he went to the Humewood police station and allegedly reported that the BMW had been stolen. He submitted a claim for the BMW to the insurance company, claiming various items including duplicate keys for the Mercedes. He was paid out R215098.

The document also said that on November 28, 2003, Fidelis reported to the Mount Road police that the Mercedes-Benz had been stolen from where he had parked it and submitted claims to the insurance company.

The car was later found at a scrapyard with parts of the BMW. The outstanding amount for the Mercedes-Benz was R304675.

The state alleges that Fidelis conspired with other people to have the motor vehicles stolen so that he could institute false insurance claims.”

From http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n16_28012009.htm

Cheated out of your money? And everyone said ‘Amen’!

The Brisbane Times reports…

“Angry investors say they have lost millions of dollars after their dealings with Gold Coast solicitor and former preacher Glenn Phillip Duker.

At least 25 people attribute the loss of a total of $9 million to their involvement with companies associated with Mr Duker, 38, and his wife, Lorilea. The schemes included property joint ventures, loans and buying million-dollar homes on the Gold Coast.

The Dukers, through at least 30 companies, have run complex real-estate schemes in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and possibly Western Australia. The latest scheme allegedly involved buying homes from Gold Coast residents and borrowing through vendor finance more than the amount agreed with the seller.

The excess was allegedly paid to one of the Dukers’ companies.

Mr Duker is understood to have offered vendors about 70 per cent upfront; the rest owing was held as vendor finance to be paid later with interest.

He then mortgaged the properties for their total value. This meant that if the company were to become insolvent, the seller would be unable to recoup the outstanding money.

The Dukers allegedly used signed contracts as equity to borrow for more property, “on-selling” properties before paying the balance of the debts or the interest.

In such cases, when banks are not paid what is owed on either the first or the second mortgage, they can repossess the properties and sell them, usually at much less than they are worth, and the seller has no way of recouping their money.

Ian Hosking, a design manager, said he and his wife had lost about $600,000 on their Sorrento home.

The Hoskings listed their home for private sale for $1.65 million in 2007. Mr Hosking said they had sold to the Dukers for an initial payment of $1.1 million and a second mortgage of $500,000 with interest payable annually. In July, the Hoskings saw their old house advertised for sale for about $900,000.

“We realised something was wrong because the house was still worth in excess of the original purchase price,” Mr Hosking said. “The agent said it was being sold as mortgagee in possession.”

He said Mr Duker blamed “the downturn in the property market” for the low price. Mr Hosking then learned the Dukers’ first mortgage was for $1.45 million, 90 per cent of the purchase price. “We then became aware of many other properties in the same situation,” Mr Hosking said.

Lynette Orloff said she lived in her car or with friends after losing her Carrara house and other assets following her dealings with the Dukers.

Ms Orloff, who buys properties to renovate before selling, said the Dukers were “living it up” on investors’ money. “I’ve lost everything while they’re living like millionaires and it looks like no one can touch them,” Ms Orloff said. “I suffered a nervous breakdown and I’m on antidepressants.”

Broadbeach builder and renovator Craig O’Brien said he and his wife, Samantha, had lost about $700,000 after Mr Duker failed last year to honour the sale of their Broadbeach Waters house. The banks had repossessed the property and sold it, but the O’Briens had received nothing from the sale.

Mr O’Brien said he had learnt last year the Dukers lived in the exclusive Melbourne suburb of Brighton, and he had Mr Duker followed. “They were paying huge rents, sending their kids to expensive private schools and both of them were driving brand new BMWs,” he said. “They employ a nanny and fly interstate regularly staying at five-star resorts . . .”

Mr Duker reportedly works as a solicitor at a St Kilda Road firm in Melbourne. He and his wife were recently employed by Settle It Legal, a conveyancing company he originally set up in Surfers Paradise, where the office no longer operates.

Mr Duker is a former pastor of the fundamentalist church Revival Centres International, which has branches around Australia including five in Queensland. Many investors in the Dukers’ failed RVP Group – of which Mr Duker was a director – were also members of the church.

The RVP Group went into liquidation in June. Banks took out caveats on the Dukers’ personal property. The RVP scheme involved the Dukers buying properties in the buyers’ names or on behalf of RVP.

Solicitor Michael Hayter, of Gillis Delaney Lawyers, last year acted for RVP liquidator Bruce Gleeson in the NSW Supreme Court. Mr Hayter said Mr Duker had not advised the joint venturers to seek independent advice or explained that they could be liable for any mortgage shortfall.

He said Mr Duker also had failed to tell them they were liable for GST worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, which RVP had claimed.

Mr Gleeson confirmed last week that more than 25 creditors in Queensland, NSW and Victoria are owed more than $6 million by the failed company. He is recommending the Australian Securities and Investments Commission take further action against the Dukers.

“Creditors of RVP are also pursuing Mr Duker under personal guarantees and have indicated they intend to make Glenn bankrupt if he does not either pay them or alternatively declare bankruptcy himself,” he said. Mr Duker had said he had no assets or money to pay creditors, Mr Gleeson said.

The phone number the liquidator had for Mr Duker had been disconnected.”

From http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/preachers-prey-count-lost-millions/2009/01/28/1232818498952.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

The Sunday Age reported in June 2008…

“The role of the fundamentalist church Revival Centres International in a failed property development company could come under scrutiny in the NSW Supreme Court, as creditors owed almost $6 million queue up to find out what went wrong.

Glenn and Matthew Duker, the two former directors of RVP Group, a failed Gold Coast property development company, were pastors of the Melbourne-based church. Five pastors in total, including the church’s deputy leader, Vic Samoilenko, were investors, as were many of their flock.

Victims have told The Sunday Age they invested in the high-risk venture, without seeking independent advice, because they trusted the Dukers. Common law recognises that the relationship between religious leader and parishioner is of greater influence even than that between parent and child.

But RVP Group’s former auditor, retired Melbourne accountant Allan Walker, suggested investors had been “stupid”.

“Who is being stupid here? … You’re spending more than half a million dollars on a house … I mean, how in God’s name can you sign a document … where you’re handing over control? … Would you not seek both legal and accounting advice on it?” Mr Walker said.

The church and its leader, Pastor Simon Longfield, continue to stand by the Dukers, instead ostracising the complainants, Craig and Sue Williams, and forcing them out of the church.

On the day three weeks ago that The Sunday Age revealed the allegations against RVP Group, Mr Longfield told an assembly of the faithful in Melbourne that they would support Matthew Duker, to which the other pastors replied “Amen”. Mr Longfield then invited Mr Duker to lead the communion.

But liquidator Bruce Gleeson told The Sunday Age: “I want to look at whether or not there was any misusage of the church group they belonged to.”

He is checking documents and will interview the current company director, Glenn Duker’s wife, Lorilea. As well as the church, he will also consider Supreme Court examinations for Mr Walker and Mr Duker’s legal advisers.

The Duker family has declined to comment, but Mr Walker, who has been a friend of the family for decades as well as RVP Group auditor, said they had authorised him to speak. He said that everyone was “fighting over a skeleton, because there are no assets there”.

It was likely that Glenn and Lorilea Duker would go into bankruptcy as a result of the collapse. They, and other family members, had poured their father Jim’s inheritance into the company and lost it, he said.

“The main person who has been burned is probably (Glenn Duker),” Mr Walker said. “To the tune of $10-$20 million … He’s had probably 500 breakdowns in the past two weeks … he’s been presented as a bad person, and I don’t think he is a bad person. I think Glenn in some ways has been probably over-Christian, and not been a big enough bastard.”…………….”

From http://www.theage.com.au/national/church-may-face-scrutiny-over-failed-investment-20080628-2yk4.html?page=-1

Ted and Gayle Haggard interview

Part one

Part two

Part three

Church leader advocates ‘peer review’ for new pastors

The Swazi Observer reports…

“Now more than ever before is the time to have a concrete mechanism to vet and screen all people who come to the country to open churches.
The time has come for an effective multi-denominational ‘central committee’ whose duty is to test the doctrine and teachings of the churches in the country to ensure that they are spiritually sound and that the nation is not fed something that is not in line with the true ‘Word of God.’The Church should ensure that its services are decentralised and that there is effective outreach to the poor and deprived.

This is the view of Chairman of the Swaziland Christian Churches United in Christ (SCCUC) Reverend Nicholas Nyawo who said every country has to test all doctrines and religious teachings that are given to the people.
“There is a strong need to ensure that our people are well protected from false religion. We need to come together as emabandla [denominations] to protect the integrity and value of the Word by subjecting all people who profess to be carriers of the message into a peer review or test of the things they are talking about. We need to ensure that the people are fed the correct gospel as advocated for by the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo said they were currently engaged in talks with the government to see to it that this becomes a reality.
“What happens now is that a person comes from wherever in the continent and applies for a permit to open a Church. They follow all the procedures that are laid down by the government and if they are found fitting they are granted that permit. What we need now is a mechanism, that will come from the church leadership itself to screen these people and make a contribution to the process that is used by government. There is also the need to conduct regular checks on the teachings in the churches to see to it that it always conforms to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo said such a move whould not be unique to Swaziland as it happens in other countries.

“Jesus Himself taught us that all gifts must be taken through a rigorous system of checks to screen if they are authentic. We would not be offside, but we would be in line with what the lord expects and demands of us,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo stressed though that it is not everyone who professes to be a preacher who  can be described as a ‘wolf in sheep skin’.
“But, as you know there are characters whose intentions are not noble, nor pure. So, that is why as the Church in Swaziland we have to come in, in a bid to save the flock. We shall be judged harshly by the Lord if we do not protect His people from people who want to prey on them,” Reverend Nyawo said.

He said it was important, now more than ever, to ensure that all people who profess to work for the Lord and to spread the Word of God, are genuine.
“This is a calling. You must have a calling and the Lord must give you a vision to pursue and tools to assist you as you go about doing the Lord’s work. This calls for self-denial and to be ready to lay down your life for the work of the Lord. This is not just a matter of making money or feeling important in society. Far from it. This is not easy and calls for prayers without ceasing,” Rev. Nyawo said.
“Yes, there are people who are not called of the Lord who are going about preaching. That is not right, which is why we have to screen everyone and what they teach. We cannot turn the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a business or to use it to serve our interests at the expense of the truth,” he said.

These were the words of Reverend Nicholas Nyawo, the chairman of the SCCUC, when asked to articulate the role of the Church in society.
Commenting on the issue that ‘money seems to run the Church,’ Reverend Nyawo said money should only be used as the ‘facilitator’ of the activities of the Church as it tries to reach the poor and to assist communities to be the best they can be.
“The focus should not be on the central. No. It should be out there, with the people. Jesus taught the Gospel of caring and sacrifice for others. He did not preach self enrichment. It becomes a problem when the greater whole suffers whilst the central part of the Church lives in luxury. The resources of the Church should be used for community work and to spread the goodness of the Almighty,” Reverend Nyawo said.
He added that people should not be blinded by the promise of wealth and lush living at the expense of the truth and the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As reported last week, Reverend Nyawo is at all fours with John W. Whitehead, a constitutional lawyer and author in the United States of America who observed that with the promises of success and materialism, prosperity gospel tends to lure believers away from the real issues and message taught by Jesus Christ – that is, one that eschews riches and focuses on helping the poor.
“Instead, broad distorted ideas are substituted for a message that appeals to as many people as possible. And many prosperity gospel preachers eventually find themselves swimming in so-called ‘blessings’ of material success, which are derived from their ministry. Yet, materialism, pleasing the crowds and jet-setting have nothing to do with Christianity,” he observed. Reverend Nyawo said Christians should take joy and comfort about the good they do in society.
“As it is, we are not doing enough good. We can do more if we can concentrate on what  God sent us out to do. This is especially the case when we talk about the poor in our society. It is not hard to do something good for the poor. The little that you have can go a long way to assist,” Reverend Nyawo said.

International Tabernacle’s Reverend Absalom Muntu Dlamini also concurred with Reverend Nyawo, last week, when he said the time has come for a review mechanism within the church itself.  “The church itself will have to strengthen mechanisms to screen if the people who come up saying they want to preach have all the spiritual attributes and a calling. As church leaders we need clear guidelines and procedures to check if what the people are fed is spiritually sound.  “We need to come out with one collective voice and take a clear stand to protect the people and to preserve the integrity of the Word,” Rev. Dlamini said.”

From http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=923

Christian fraud scheme ‘controlled Australian developments’

The Arizona Republic reports…

“Edward Purvis, the man who promised churchgoing investors in Arizona and 12 other states he could make them wealthy while funding Christian causes, was indicted Friday on 43 counts of fraud and theft.

Authorities accuse the 40-year-old Chandler man of operating a multimillion Ponzi-scheme through Nakami Chi Group Ministries International.

“These are very serious charges,” Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said Friday. “Several hundred years (of prison) are in the offing.”

The indictment comes on the heels of an $11 million restitution order imposed last month on Purvis and his partner Gregg Wolfe and their wives by the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates the sale of securities in the state.

Authorities said that while Purvis promised investors 24 percent annual returns, Purvis was dipping into their money to buy cars and jewelry, to make a down payment on an $800,000 home and to pay gambling debts and other personal expenses.

A Ponzi, or pyramid, scheme is an investment scam that uses money from new investors to pay old investors. Nakami’s investors included at least one pastor, church elders and members of Chandler Christian Church and Vineyard Church in Avondale, many of whom continue to defend Purvis and Wolfe.

Purvis and Wolfe told investors that their company was worth $170 billion and it controlled assets around the world, including gold mines, Australian developments, telecom firms, banks and a Phoenix technology company.

An Arizona Republic investigation in 2006 raised questions about the size and holdings of Nakami, which used a Scottsdale post-office box as its company business address.

State records showed Purvis was a licensed practical nurse and Wolfe is a former roofing contractor. Records also show Purvis and Wolfe do not have licenses to be brokers, lenders or bankers.

Goddard said his office takes fraud cases very seriously and compared Purvis to some of the worst offenders for his aggressive style of marketing.

“These people act without conscience and their victims are often the aged who invest on trust rather than knowledge,” Goddard said, adding that fraud destroys lives no differently than other crimes.

Neither Purvis nor Wolfe could be reached for comment Friday. Purvis is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for bribing a Chandler police officer and filing a series of bogus legal claims against public officials in an attempt to thwart the Corporation Commission’s investigation.

Purvis and Wolfe filed so-called admiralty claims against two attorneys, a judge in the case and the clerk of Maricopa County Superior Court. They also filed liens and lawsuits against a reporter and a financial adviser who alerted authorities to their scheme.

Admiralty law concerns ships and commerce on navigable waters, but groups with roots in militia movements have used it to suggest that it supersedes the Constitution.

Tony Senarighi of Prescott, who invested $50,000 with Purvis and later got his money back, said the fraud charges are deserved.

“Justice took a long time,” he said, “so long as justice prevails.”

From http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/01/17/20090117purvis0117.html

Ted Haggard’s ‘Grant’ tells all

KRDO reports…

“For more than two years, Grant kept a secret from those he considered his family.

“It’s a lot of pain, a lot of mistrust with that church,” reveals the former New Life volunteer.

In order to protect his identity, NEWSCHANNEL 13 is choosing not to reveal 25-year-old Grant’s last name. 

Back in the summer of 2006, Grant was invited to go to Cripple Creek by the man he trusted and looked up to as a mentor.    

“He asked me if we were going to be godly or bad that night,” Grant says, recalling their trip.   The former volunteer says that meant either hanging out as friends, or buying Haggard porn and masturbate. 

“I told him that I didn’t want that,” says Grant.

After a day in the small mountain town, both went back to Haggard’s hotel room. Grant says he just wanted Haggard to be his pastor and friend, but according to the young man, as they were lying in bed Haggard asked if he could masturbate. Grant told him no, but says Haggard did it anyway.

“I couldn’t move,” says Grant. 

Grant was fearful to say anything to anyone. 

“He kind of made me have a guilt trip about it, so I wouldn’t say anything about it,” Grant remembers. 

Before the encounter in Cripple Creek, Grant came to Colorado Springs after being kicked out of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

“I was a good student, I had a G.P.A of 3.6, I was class president for two years. I really had a great life there.”

While he was only a semester away from getting his Bachelors in Pastoral Theology, he wanted to come clean about his sexual identity.

“I pretty much went to the Dean of Students and told them I was struggling with wondering if I was gay or not and they pretty much told me they wouldn’t be able to help me.”

The college recommended he come to Colorado Springs to get help with his struggle with homosexuality. Four months into attending New Life Church, Pastor Ted Haggard personally introduced himself.

According to Grant, Haggard asked, “What’s your story and what are you doing here?”

At first, Grant lied about why he was kicked out of Moody Bible, but finally admitted to him that he thought he was gay.

“It seemed like at that moment his eyes lit up and his whole attitude toward me changed,” says Grant.

Haggard gave Grant his personal cell phone and took him to lunch the next day.

“In my mind, from a religious standpoint, I thought the Holy Spirit was speaking to him and God was telling him to help me out of this situation I am in.”

Grant’s dream was to be a pastor of his own church, and with Haggard ready to help, he thought it would become a reality.

Grant tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 that as their relationship grew, Haggard began text messaging him, sometimes in the middle of the night.

“Texting me all kind of weird things, texting me about all the different sexual positions, practices he was engaging in and it was just really weird,” says Grant.

Over the next several months he would get between 1,000 to 2,000 text messages a month.

“He had the church get him a different phone so he could text message me anywhere in the world at any time.” Grant adds that if he texted Haggard, he would get a response within 30 minutes. 

Grant also claims Haggard would frequently talk about the party formula.  “From his words, was pretty much: Viagra, some poppers, some crystal meth, porn and masturbation, just doing all of those things at once,” says Grant. 

Over the next couple of months, Grant felt Haggard’s behavior was sporadic.

“It was like he had two personalities, it was like here is this 50-year-old pastor who is the ultimate man of God and then, this 16-year old horny boy who couldn’t keep himself together,” Grant recalls. 

The next day after Haggard would text Grant, he would sometimes call, frantic about the messages stored on Grant’s phone.

“He would become paranoid of his family finding out, anyone finding out.”

NEWSCHANNEL 13 obtained a recorded phone conversation between Haggard and Grant. In the conversation, which was recorded in July of 2007, Grant tells Haggard that he deleted those messages.

“I don’t have your text messages, they were deleted,” says Grant.  Haggard is then heard asking,

“So you deleted them all of those text messages?”

“Yes,” answers Grant.

“Wow! And you didn’t save them in any other form?” questions Haggard.

“I didn’t save them, I don’t have them saved on my computer, I don’t have them saved, it was a different phone and I have a new phone,” responds Grant.

Grant recorded the call after he says the church failed to keep their promise to help him with counseling and medical bills.  In part of that call, Haggard admits what he did with Grant was wrong.

“You’re not going to get your pain taken care of by punishing me, or my family to the church,” says Haggard in the recording.

He then tells Grant,

“I would be happy, happy to find you money for you to move somewhere.”  Haggard then asks Grant to “forgive.” But Grant says he couldn’t when the church continually neglected to pay his medical bills – something he says church leaders promised.

“I really felt the church staff did what they could to get me to move to a different city, to get me to stop going to the church, to make these promises to do whatever they could to help, but their main focus was to cover it up,” says Grant. “They think Ted Haggard is not a harm to this community and I really think they’re wrong, they’re dead wrong.”

He says unless people come out and speak out about this man, he could do this again.

Grant still hasn’t seen all the money he was promised.  He tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 he is due one more payment check – $46,000.  Once all the payments are made, Grant would receive a payout of $179,000.

As for the money already paid out, Senior Pastor Brady Boyd says he won’t be demanding the money back from Grant for violating the settlement agreement.

Boyd also told his congregation on Sunday the money was paid by insurance, not member’s tithings.

Haggard has issued a statement in response to the NEWSCHANNEL 13 investigation. He admits it was an ” inappropriate relationship,” while Boyd told the media this was a “consensual relationship.” 

Haggard asked for forgiveness for the “inappropriate relationship.” Haggard ended the statement with, “Although there was no physical contact, I have regretted my irresponsible behavior.”

From http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9737380

“Pastor Brady Boyd refused to meet with me” : Haggard accuser

The Ledger-Enquirer reports…

“The gay prostitute who had a sexual relationship with New Life Church founder Ted Haggard has posted a video on YouTube saying several male church members contacted him to tell him that the pastor had inappropriate relations with them before he resigned in 2006.

Mike Jones, whose revelations led to Haggard’s dismissal from the church, said he made the video to express his anger at New Life church – both for failing to help the men, and for refusing to meet with him.

Jones said he contacted Brady Boyd, New Life’s senior pastor since August 2007, about Haggard’s alleged relationships.

“I wanted to talk to him about the other young men that were coming to me with their stories. This was serious. And you know, Boyd refused to meet with me,” said Jones, whose video comes on the heels of a revelation last week that Haggard had an inappropriate relationship with a male church volunteer.

Boyd did not return phone calls Monday, but in an e-mail to congregants sent on Friday, he said the church did receive reports of “a number of incidents of inappropriate behavior.”

“In each case, we have tried our very best to do the right thing, including disciplinary action when appropriate,” Boyd wrote. “We renew our invitation today for anyone who believes he or she has been hurt to please come forward.”

Jones says in his video that when he broke the news about Haggard in 2006, “I knew that there were others, others that I could not publicly out. They had to do it themselves. But they were scared.”

And he implies that some of the males involved with Haggard were young.

“Some of their parents knew about what was going on at the church, and some of the parents just wanted to turn a blind eye to it,” Jones says.

He rails against the church for not disclosing that Haggard might have had inappropriate relationships with other men, because he felt he was taking the brunt of criticism.

“For over two years, I have suffered being all alone out there, taking all the heat for all that’s going on,” he says, nearly in tears. “For all this time, they knew there were others. And they paid hush money to this man to be quiet, when they could have admitted it, that there were others right at that moment. “And that would have helped me out so much, instead of putting me out there to face it all on my own.”

The church, he says, owes him an apology.

In February 2007, the four-man board assigned to oversee Haggard’s restoration after he was fired from New Life declared that Haggard’s gay relations appeared to be limited to Jones, and noted that no one else had come forward.”

From http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/158/story/594813.html

New Life pastor speaks to new Haggard claims

Associated Press reports…

“New Life Church will recover from new allegations in the 2-year-old sex scandal that brought down founder Ted Haggard, its pastor said Sunday.

Brady Boyd encouraged his Colorado Springs congregation and reminded them of their “holy tenacity,” two days after revelations that a male church volunteer reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard.

It’s the second such claim against Haggard. In late 2006, a male prostitute in Denver said he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with the former New Life pastor.

“I’m sorry that this wound has been reopened for many of you,” Boyd told the congregation Sunday. “One day we may have a little scar tissue, but the wounds will not define us.”

Haggard had confessed to undisclosed “sexual immorality” after the earlier allegations, left New Life and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has declined to comment on the new claim.

On Friday, Boyd said church officials had learned of the second set of claims against Haggard in late 2006, shortly after the male prostitute made his allegations.

Boyd said an “overwhelming pool of evidence” pointed to an “inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship” between Haggard and the male volunteer for an extended period of time.

Boyd said the man was in his early 20s at the time and that he was certain the man was of legal age when the relationship began.

Boyd said that under a legal settlement the church reached with the man in 2007, neither side was to discuss the matter publicly. He said he went public only after learning the man had talked to a local television station.

KRDO-TV reported that the man gave the station an audio recording of his conversations with Haggard. In them, Haggard calls the relationship “inappropriate” and asks for forgiveness, the station said.

Boyd said the settlement paid the man for counseling and college. He said the money came from insurance, not member’s contributions.

Church officials said Boyd would not comment Sunday beyond his remarks to the congregation.

New Life members and leaders said the latest public disclosures were no surprise.

In early 2007, the church disclosed that an investigation uncovered evidence that Haggard engaged in “sordid conversation” and “improper relationships” — but didn’t go into detail.

“I don’t think the people in the church are surprised,” said Wanda Moore, who works in pastoral care for women at New Life. “They’re disappointed and they’re hurt.”

But Jessica Sheasby, an associate child pastor for New Life, said church members she has spoken to have been “very upbeat” since the new disclosures.

“I’ve actually heard a lot of hope, because they know that Pastor Brady is one that protects us and takes care of us,” she said.”

From http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iU3Vgczy1quPsy3F43dGP9dckikgD95UDJ480

“I wanted somebody to want me for me, not for what they could gain from me” – Clark Taylor

Brady Boyd: “It was not a payoff”

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports…

“New Life Church tried to head off the fallout that has embroiled the congregation in its second sex scandal involving Ted Haggard, the Rev. Brady Boyd said Saturday.

Boyd asked the church’s disgraced former pastor in December to postpone the release of the HBO documentary “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” telling him that it could lead to a second gay sex partner coming forward with allegations against him.

Three weeks ago, Boyd told the New Life volunteer not to go public about his sexual relationship with Haggard, which occurred before the evangelical leader was fired from the church in November 2006.

Instead, the documentary will premiere Thursday on HBO, and the young man is scheduled speak about his relationship on Monday.

“The first thing I am so sorry about is that this wound, that was almost healed, has been reopened,” Boyd said. “I will have to go back to the beginning with a lot of people in our church and take them through the process of healing.”

As for Haggard, Boyd is dumbfounded.

“We are making progress, but it seems with him it’s one step forward and two steps back,” Boyd said. “This is my biggest burden ever.”

In a wide-ranging interview on Saturday, Boyd also explained why the church gave money to the man who made the most recent sex allegations against Haggard. Boyd also discussed why New Life will survive this latest scandal, and what he plans to preach about today in the wake of the fallout.

“Let’s separate New Life’s reputation from Ted Haggard’s reputation,” Boyd said. “Ted is not affiliated with New Life. These recent allegations are on his plate. Not ours.”

The latest Haggard scandal began Thursday when Boyd was notified by a Colorado Springs TV station that a church volunteer was going public with allegations against Haggard. On Friday, Boyd sent out an e-mail to inform thousands of New Life members that the church knew about the allegations and gave cash to the man, whom the church won’t name because of confidentiality rules observed by preachers.

Boyd also said in the e-mail that over the past two years several others at the church have come forward to report “inappropriate behavior” by Haggard prior to his firing for sex with a gay Denver prostitute.

Boyd didn’t elaborate Saturday on whether the accusations from those people included sex, or if the relationship with the young volunteer was consensual.

Shortly after Haggard was fired from New Life, church officials learned of the allegations from the volunteer, who was in his early 20s at the time of the relationship.

The man got months of counseling. Then in December 2007, he received the first of several payments for his tuition and board at a Chicago college and other money for continued counseling, Boyd said. The cash came with a confidentiality agreement that barred all  parties from talking about the relationship.

“We offer confidentiality to the people we counsel,” Boyd said. “The pastor-laity privilege is on par with the attorney-client relationship.”

As for the money, Boyd said, “It was not a payoff. It was compassionate assistance.”

The man decided to go public because of Haggard’s documentary, Boyd said. In the film, Haggard at times rails against New Life for not forgiving him.

“The documentary incited this man,” Boyd said. “When a victim feels that the person who violated him is not sorry for it, they lash out.

“It is very, very common. If Ted had not chosen to do the documentary, he would not have come forward.”
 
Over the past two months, Boyd has met with Haggard twice at the disgraced pastor’s Colorado Springs home. Both characterized the meetings as positive. Besides praying together and talking about New Life, Boyd and Haggard discussed the upcoming documentary.

At their first meeting in early December, Boyd asked Haggard to postpone the film’s release because it might cause someone to go public with sexual allegations against him.

“Let’s wait until the whole chapter is written,” Boyd told Haggard.

Though HBO contends that Haggard was not paid to be in the documentary, Boyd said Haggard confirmed that he is being paid to promote it. Since Jan. 9, Haggard has given dozens of media interviews; on Thursday he is scheduled to appear on “Larry King Live.”

Haggard could not be reached Saturday for comment.

Despite the trouble at New Life, Boyd was confident the church will rebound.

He pointed to the congregation’s strength in weathering a the first Haggard scandal and the horrific Dec. 9, 2007, shooting that took the lives of two teenaged members.

Membership is up to 10,000 after dipping to 8,800 following Haggard’s dismissal, and donations were up 9.5 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year, church records show.

“This is one of the most compassionate, forgiving groups of people I have ever met,” Boyd said of his congregation. “We will walk it out together.”

Boyd’s sermon today was prepared five weeks ago, but he said it is fitting given the circumstances.

After a talking about and praying for Haggard, Boyd will preach about forgiveness.

“This is no accident,” Boyd said.”

From http://www.gazette.com/news/haggard_46844___article.html/boyd_life.html

Christians slowly waking-up to Mercy Ministries

Nashville Scene reports…

“Back in October we wrote about Mercy Ministries, a Nashville-based Christian treatment centre for young girls. According to a handful of former residents, Mercy withheld medication, attempted to cure patients with exorcisms and had about as much compassion for the gays as Rick Warren, despite allegations that its own charismatic leader, Nancy Alcorn, was in fact a lesbian.

In the months since, Mercy has been fighting to preserve its reputation on two fronts; filing baseless copyright infringement suits against its internet detractors and watching as the backlash in Australia, where the allegations first gained widespread notice, continues to grow.

For Mercy, however, the controversy almost seemed like a blessing. After all, nothing fills the fundraising coffers faster than some perceived persecution (especially when your leader stands accused as having something of a Christ-complex). And it’s also another benefit of believing in demonic oppression: It offers a simple explanation for everything.

Negative press? Must be Satan!

But it seems one Mercy supporter isn’t buying that line of reasoning…

According to a former survivor, Mercy’s partnership with suicide prevention non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) has ended. TWLOHA started as a blog post on MySpace in March of 2006, about founder Jamie Tworkowski’s experience helping a 19-year-old addict named Renee make it through the five days before she entered treatment.

Tworkowski and friends decided to print t-shirts to help pay for Renee’s time in rehab. Pop-rock acts like Anberlin, Switchfoot and Paramore (represented by lead singer Hayley Williams, pictured above) decided to wear said t-shirts and in no time TWLOHA was a global phenomenon, reaching thousands of kids in dozens of countries.

Mercy, as a fellow Jesus-lovin’, young-woman helpin’, Christian music-endorsin’, non-profit was a natural ally. And up until recently, TWLOHA was reportedly donating a percentage of their t-shirt sales to Mercy.

But word is that TWLOHA, after being contacted by a Mercy survivor with her own horror-story, has quietly dissolved that relationship. TWLOHA has thus far not responded to any calls or e-mails, but the writing is on the wall, literally; Mercy is no longer one of TWLOHA’s top friends on MySpace.”

From http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2009/01/mercy_ministries_update_big_do.php

Haggard church ‘hush money’

Associated Press reports…

“Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard’s former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard — a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image.

Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, told The Associated Press that the man came forward to church officials in late 2006 shortly after a Denver male prostitute claimed to have had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard.

Boyd said an “overwhelming pool of evidence” pointed to an “inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship” that “went on for a long period of time … it wasn’t a one-time act.” Boyd said the man was in his early 20s at the time. He said he was certain the man was of legal age when it began.

Reached Friday night, Haggard declined to comment and said all interviews would have to be arranged through a publicist for HBO, which is airing a documentary about him this month.

Boyd said the church reached a legal settlement to pay the man for counseling and college tuition, with one condition being that none of the parties involved discuss the matter publicly.

Boyd said a Colorado Springs TV station reached him Thursday to say the young man was planning to provide a detailed report of his relationship with Haggard to the station. Boyd said the church preferred to keep the matter private, but it was the man’s decision to go public.

The disclosure comes as Haggard, 52, is about to give a series of high-profile interviews to promote the cable documentary about his time in exile. He is scheduled to appear on CNN’s Larry King Live on Thursday, the date of the documentary’s premiere, and already has taped “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

In early 2007, New Life Church disclosed that an investigation uncovered new evidence that Haggard engaged in “sordid conversation” and “improper relationships” — but didn’t go into detail. Earlier, a church board member had said there was no evidence that Haggard had sexual relations with anyone but Mike Jones, the former male prostitute.

Haggard confessed to undisclosed “sexual immorality” after Jones’ allegations and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and from New Life Church, where he faced being fired.

Anticipating criticism of the settlement with the former church volunteer, Boyd said Friday that it was in the best interests of all involved. He would not name the volunteer or the settlement amount.

“It wasn’t at all a settlement to make him be quiet or not tell his story,” Boyd said. “Our desire was to help him. Here was a young man who wanted to get on with his life. We considered it more compassionate assistance — certainly not hush money. I know that’s what everyone will want to say because that’s the most salacious thing to say, but that’s not at all what it was.”

He said that “secondarily, it’s not great for our church either” that the story be told. Boyd said Haggard knew about the settlement two years ago.

In a letter e-mailed Friday to New Life Church members, Boyd said of the settlement and agreement not to talk: “This decision was made not as an attempt to conceal wrongdoings, but to protect him from those who would seek to exploit him. His actions now suggest that he has changed his mind.”

The letter said the church “received reports of a number of incidents of inappropriate behavior” after Haggard’s fall. “In each case, we have tried our very best to do the right thing each time, including disciplinary action when appropriate.”

Boyd said the “inappropriate behavior” referred to the man who was the volunteer involved with Haggard. After Haggard’s fall, another church staff member resigned after admitting to what was described as “sexual misconduct.”

Boyd said the church will not take action against the man if he tells his story in the press.

“We have legal standing to do that, but not the desire to,” he said.

Boyd said he had spoken to the man once and came away with the impression that he was speaking out because of the documentary. “I think what caused this young man to be a bit aggravated was Ted being seen as a victim, when he himself had experienced a great deal of hurt,” Boyd said. “I seriously doubt this man would have come forward if the documentary had not been made.”

A spokeswoman for the documentary, “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” declined to comment Friday.

David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — which has largely focused on the Catholic sexual abuse scandal but also speaks out on cases involving Protestant clergy — said the new disclosures about Haggard are more disturbing because they involves a church volunteer.

“Technically, legally, they were both adults,” Clohessy said. “Psychologically and emotionally, Haggard was dramatically more powerful. … By definition, any sexual contact between a congregant and minister is inherently abusive and manipulative.”

In an AP interview this month before an appearance in front of TV critics in California, Haggard described his sexuality as complex and something that can’t be put into “stereotypical boxes.”

From http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOtUem4ZFcPt5_JdOaHQ1ePIz9ggD95T8IM01

Because, of course, allowing a loved one to die of an entirely curable disease is what being a Christian is all about

NZPA reports…

“Jehovah’s Witnesses have long been a tightly knit and secretive movement and have been accused of unorthodox teachings, which have often angered mainstream Christians.

They believe their faith teaches the only true interpretation of the Bible, that Jesus is not God and the world will end soon.

The most controversial of their beliefs is their refusal to allow followers blood transfusions even when patients’ lives are at stake, claiming God forbids it.

National convenor John Wills said they believed blood was sacred and was to be used in the way that God intended.

“The Christian congregation was required to avoid the taking in of blood even to eat it, drink it or when transfusion was involved, so we hold it sacred and treat it that way,” Mr Wills told NZPA.

The Witnesses have been rejecting transfusions of whole blood since 1945. Blood products like red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma have also been forbidden.

However, the United States and Canadian courts have ruled against the Witnesses in cases involving life-threatening situations.

Last year, a judge in Vancouver ruled against a Jehovah’s Witnesses couple who opposed blood transfusions for their premature sextuplets, saying children’s rights overruled their parents’ beliefs when lives were in danger.

In London in November 2007, a young mother died after giving birth to twins because her faith prevented her from accepting a blood transfusion.

Mr Wills said many doctors now acknowledged the dangers of blood transfusions, and more bloodless surgery was being done.

The movement accepted non-blood alternatives, and advances in bloodless surgery in the US had also reduced medical dangers for Witnesses.

Mr Wills said NZ Witnesses refused blood transfusions quite frequently.

“We have a support system in hospital liaison committees throughout NZ who act on behalf of the patient when a difficult situation arises.” How different are the Witnesses from mainstream Christians? Their central belief was that “Earth is man’s home”, Mr Wills said.

“We put a lot of emphasis on the prospect of seeing a new administration under God’s government, under God’s kingdom which probably is different from the Heaven or Hell alternative generated by Christian churches.” Witnesses also believe the world is going to end soon.

“We don’t mean the planet Earth, we mean human rule being replaced by God’s rule and God’s power and kingdom.” And they reject the belief that Jesus is God.

“We do not feel that the Bible has support for the Trinity that Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit makes up the third one.” However, Witnesses accept Jesus as God’s son which “is clearly stated in the scripture”.

They do not believe in a church or its hierarchy.

So, what’s with the door knocking exercise to “spread the word”? Mr Wills said the Bible provided “the premise for our preaching work”.

“We go out to the people rather than bring them in and by ringing the bell…we get to people on a one-to-one basis and quite often people prefer that informal way.” He accepted the door-to-door preaching could annoy ordinary people.

“Most people are not happy with being interrupted in what they are doing and emotions range from keen interest, tolerance, disinterest or suspicion.” In 2006, a British woman was ordered by police to take down a sign on her garden gate which read “Our dogs are fed on Jehovah’s Witnesses”.

The woman, who insisted the sign was a gentle joke, said her late husband put the sign up more than 30 years earlier, when Witnesses called on Christmas Day.

Mr Wills said the movement did not celebrate Christmas because it did not believe Jesus was born on that day.

“There was no record of Jesus’ birthdate in the Bible.

“We do commemorate his death at Easter time and we have a specific date according to the Jewish calendar.”

Convinced that Satan rules the world, they do not vote, hold public office, serve in the military or salute national flags.

National holiday celebrations promoted nationalism and would affect the worldwide unity of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mr Wills said.

“We remain neutral so that in all countries we maintain the same beliefs.”

Voting was, however, a personal decision.

“Each individual must decide as we cannot. And we do not tell anyone not to serve in the military.”

Although the movement discouraged drinking, dancing, smoking and card playing, they were not forbidden.

Mr Wills said mainstream Christians criticised Witnesses because “we challenge their doctrinal beliefs, and our zeal could be upsetting to some”.

A US study on Christian faiths indicated that among Christians losing their faith, the biggest fall-out rate was among Jehovah’s Witnesses. About two-thirds of those raised in the faith left when they reached adulthood.

In New Zealand, the movement began in 1903 with just two individuals and now has 13,000 active Witnesses who form part of the world’s 113 branches.

According to Statistics Department census figures, there were 17,826 Witnesses in 2001 and 17,910 in 2006.

A committee looked after the affairs of each branch and meetings were held in about 100 “Kingdom Halls”, Mr Wills said.

The Witnesses have had their share of problems.

Nazis persecuted and outlawed them in 1936.

They were declared illegal during 1940 in New Zealand and Australia. The NZ attorney-general said at the time that they were devoting themselves to “vilification of religion, of their fellow-citizens, of the state, and of the Government”.

In 2006, the Uzbekistan government outlawed the Witnesses, accusing them of “aggressive” missionary activity and other violations.”

From http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/40325/jehovah039s-witnesses-cult-sect-or-true-christian-believers

The real Father Ted and Dougal

The BBC reports…

“Two Roman Catholic priests have been accused of stealing $800,000 (£577,000)from the collection plate of their church in the US state of Florida.

They allegedly planned to spend the money on property, holidays and gambling.

One of the priests, Fr John Skehan, 81, abandoned his not guilty plea, but Fr Francis Guinan, 66, denies the charges.

US law – the statute of limitations – prevents the priests being charged with thefts that occurred before 2001.

But the auditors say that up to $8m might have disappeared over a period of 20 years.

It could be the biggest embezzlement case to affect the Catholic Church in the United States.

One of the priests – Fr John Skehan – abandoned his not guilty plea just before his trial began and admitted stealing money given by parishioners at St Vincent Ferrer Church, in West Palm Beach.

His lawyer Scott Richardson said Fr Skehan admitted stealing more than $100,000 “but not close to $800,000″.

The priests allegedly hid the money in the church ceiling and opened offshore accounts.

Fr Skehan – who has been given the honorific title “Monsignor” – served at the church for 40 years.

He admitted spending stolen money on gambling in Las Vegas and a collection of rare coins.

However, Mr Richardson said Fr Skehan denied claims that he had spent money on expensive houses.

‘Well-supported’

Fr Skehan’s colleague at St Vincent Ferrer Church, Fr Francis Guinan, has been accused of using his share of the embezzled money to support a mistress and take her on expensive holidays.

The authorities claim Fr Guinan had an “intimate” relationship with a former church book-keeper and spent much of the money on her.

Fr Guinan denies the charges and will go on trial next month.

Fr Guinan’s lawyer, Richard Barlow, said: “Just because both priests worked at the same church and one pleads guilty, it doesn’t mean my guy is guilty.”

Mr Richardson said: “Fr Skehan accepted responsibility for his actions by virtue of his guilty plea”, adding: “he has the support of many people, many of whom will speak on his behalf”.

He could be sent to jail for as long as 31 years.

Both priests were originally from Ireland. Fr Skehan comes from Johnstown in County Kilkenny and Fr Guinan from Birr in County Offaly.

Fr Skehan was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport in September 2006 on his return from Ireland.

Both the priests left the United States after the Church received a tip-off in a letter, and began an investigation into the accounts at St Vincent’s, and what they called “alleged improprieties”.

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845031.stm

The art of rugby-tackling non-tithers

Planetshakers hounds cancer kid – *updated

The Eskylater blogs…

“So it has officially been a year since I finished school, which for a long time seemed to be the only thing in my world. But since then life has taken me on a most unexpected journey…

So when I finished school last year I spent December partying it up like any right-minded 18-year-old. But by early January I was once again hitting the books in a summer subject at the Australian College of Natural Medicine. I was studying a bachelor degree in Homeopathy, pretty much one of the most exciting health practices I have ever experienced, a four-year hike lay before me. The semester was long and tiring, and I guess coming straight out of school and jumping into the ‘deep end’ wasn’t exactly the best course of action either. The biggest challenge for me was the subject of Chemistry, having only studied biology in high school over two years and needing to learn two years worth of chemistry in only a few months was quite a challenge. But none the less I hit the books, and hit them hard and passed all my subjects.

I met some really amazing people there, but also was opportune to refresh an old friendship in Jarrod De Jong, a friend from high school who was also studying Homeopathy. I enjoyed the company and the comfort of a familiar face in a world that seemed all too big and too new.

Also at this time, I had left Planetshakers City Church. I left in July 2007 to pay further emphasis on my studies, but more importantly my health. As I continued into 2008 there were many people from the church who detested my study of homeopathy. I believe now in retrospect, that their concern was purely misinformed, acted in uncertainty and fear, and selfish. This later continued to the judgement (and condemnation) of every aspect of my life. As I grew into the shoes of an adult, I developed an almost ‘stuff you’ and ‘take me as I am or not at all’ attitude towards these people. By February 2008, I had very few ties with the church and was enjoying the freedom to explore new churches and beliefs without superficial critique.

I later attended a grassroots conference by Forge with my bestie, Digger Randle. It was greatly unlike Planetshakers. The preaching wasn’t preached at you but with you. Real people shared their life’s story and experiences with God and faith, it was almost like camp stories while sitting around a bonfire. It was brilliant!

It was mid-2008 when I felt the real tension of everything I was doing. Between spending large amounts of time at uni, travelling an hour or so daily to and from the city, studying, keeping up with family affairs, fighting off the church hounds, maintaining some form of social life and friends, and attempting to stay relatively sane- I felt exhausted and burnt out. By Semester 2, I had taken time off study to rest.

I returned to Planetshakers Church City that July. It was following a few conversations with some close friends, some life experience under my belt, and a new attitude. I would no longer be pushed around, intimidated, or picked on because my beliefs are just as valuable as anyone’s.
It was hard at first, with the faces of people who detested my return scorning and churning, who would have thought that in a place of ‘love’ there would be such ugliness. But all was forgotten when I saw the faces of my friends. Even now, there are people who gossip and hold false ideals about me but it doesn’t matter to me because lets face it, God will kick their butts for it one day. ………

………In Early September, I ventured into a cancer support network called ‘Challenge; supporting kid with cancer’, based in the city. They supported my family and I through my treatment, which gives me an edge on what to expect from them. They run several events and camps through the year and as a volunteer you simply state your preference of event/camp. My first event was the annual Christmas party in December where I manned the popcorn machine for a VERY long time… long enough to make me smell like butter flavoring. It was a really fun day but also a day that I didn’t feel like the awkward ‘cancer kid’ like I often do in the “real world”. Looking forward to many more bright things to come.”

From http://eskylater.blogspot.com/2008/12/hello-world.html

*Update

…….”I find myself struggling with church at the moment, which in turn does not motivate me to get anymore involved. I am troubled by the defensiveness and lack of trust within the church body, which I guess the Mike Guglielmucci incident does not help. I also see a large lacking of original opinions and willingness to question things. As a person who is very opinionated and very open about what I believe, it’s difficult for me to discuss things without firstly offending someone and secondly making people feel like I’m against the church, in turn making people defensive. Having tasted what it’s like to be in smaller churches, where everything is about closeness, being heard, and developing thoughts and opinions, it’s difficult to loose that expectation in a larger church.

Despite this though, I am hopeful for the future, as I plan to delve deeper into church life this year… not sure where things will go but hey, who cares right?!……..”

From http://eskylater.blogspot.com/2009/01/and-adventure-continues.html

Australia’s do-nothing Government watchdogs

The Sydney Morning Herald reports…

“Ever wondered how to exorcise a demon? There’s a handy publication that guides the uninitiated, with subheadings such as “doing the actual deliverance”, “identifying additional demons” and “what to do with obstinate demons”.

“They sometimes talk: they may threaten the person or you. They have been known to say, ‘I am going to kill you,’ and other unsavoury phrases. Command them to be quiet in the Name of Jesus,” Restoring The Foundations advises.

“The minister’s attitude is one of commanding. He needs to be firm and prepared to press in. He does not need to be loud. (Demons are not deaf.) The ministers’ commanding attitude resembles that of a person speaking to a little ‘yappy’ dog commanding him to go home and stop barking,” the manual says.

This guidebook was used by staff at Mercy Ministries, the Hillsong Church and Gloria Jeans-connected group that purports to provide “care for young women suffering the effects of eating disorders, self harm, abuse, addiction, depression, unplanned pregnancies and other life-controlling issues”.

And although Mercy Ministries now says the book is no longer part of its “curriculum”, it seems it has learnt little else about how to properly treat young women with mental illnesses or drug problems.

Multiple government agencies and investigating bodies are aware of its activities and yet 10 months after the Herald revealed that Mercy Ministries’ staff and volunteers were performing exorcisms on mentally ill young women to drive the demons out, not one of those agencies has found a way to hold this fundamentalist Christian group to account.

At the time, its then-chief executive, Peter Irvine, was quick to tell anyone to beware of these troubled young women. Sometimes they lie, he said, with a sad shake of his head.

Since then Irvine has sent a letter of apology to the women in the Herald articles. It seems he was the one wrestling with the truth.

“I would like to apologise for the statements that I made to the press in March 2008. I did not accurately reflect the situation and I regret my comments,” he wrote.

Since then, Mercy Ministries (which has no connection to the Catholic Sisters of Mercy) has churned through two chief executives and closed one of its homes (on the Sunshine Coast), although it appears it is still attempting to establish a facility in Perth.

Some former residents, still recovering from their experience, summoned up the courage to attempt to make complaints to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Centrelink, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, the Queensland Health Quality and Complaints Commission, and two state departments of fair trading.

It is clear there are false and misleading claims in its advertising – Mercy says its program offers “professional support from psychologists, dietitians, general practitioners, social workers [and] counsellors”, yet former residents say those services were not available and that counselling was provided by Bible students with no qualifications.

The claim the service is free is also untrue. Residents are required to transfer Centrelink benefits to Mercy Ministries.

Social security-funded exorcisms. That’s your taxpayer dollars at work, folks. Yet no one, beyond the brave young women who spoke out about the abuse, has done anything to stop it.

A couple of politicians have expressed concern – the former Democrats senator Lyn Allison said: “It is high time this religious group was investigated and called to account for what their victims describe as emotional and spiritual abuse”, and the South Australian Labor MP Ian Hunter described Mercy as a “money-making cult, posing as a Christian-based counselling service”.

This sorry saga has exposed the weakness of our complaints bodies – few, if any, are prepared to investigate despite detailed complaints from several young women over their alleged mistreatment.

Neither the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission nor the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would disclose whether they had investigated Mercy, and the Queensland Health Quality and Complaints Commission said it would “monitor the operation of Mercy Ministries and is in the process of conducting further assessment of the Ministries’ practices” but stopped short of proceeding with a resident’s complaint.

In March last year the federal Minister for Human Services, Joe Ludwig, said: “I am very concerned about these serious allegations, and I have asked Centrelink to investigate its payment arrangement.”

So has Centrelink investigated? “Centrelink conducted a full investigation into the appointment of Mercy Ministries as nominees for Centrelink payments,” the general manager, Hank Jongen, said. “Investigation of the current customers reveals nothing untoward. There are no records of any complaints about the nominee arrangements.”

Nothing untoward? Casting out demons, isolating young women from their parents and friends, preventing them from accessing psychiatric care and medication, inappropriately supervising doctor’s visits – how is any of this not untoward?

Again, it is left to the consumers to hold these groups to account. Forget the eating disorder, the depression, or the related alcohol or drug problems – take on the money-making machine of the Hillsong Church, the coffee chain Gloria Jeans and their related entity, Mercy Ministries, because the Government bodies established to monitor their activities are busy doing something else.”

From http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/time-to-have-mercy-on-the-broken-of-mind-and-spirit/2009/01/16/1231608986802.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Sex ed – Gold Coast church style

Geoff Bullock on grace

Geoff Bullock on Open House with Sheridan Voysey

Hill$ong replaces Fred Nile’s head on platter

SX reports…

“The Hillsong church is set to be parodied in this year’s Mardi Gras Parade, Ethel Yarwood tells Katrina Fox.

Remember the 2006 Mardi Gras Parade in which Kate Moss Line Dancers laid a 2km line of ‘cocaine’ along the parade route? The group behind this and many other humorous and irreverent entries is ethel yarwood enterprises (yes, that’s lower case, just like k.d. lang).

“[We are] a fluid group of like-minded friends, sometimes two, sometimes 40, and in the case of this Mardi Gras possibly up to 200 people, who band together around a theme or cause to put an artistic, satirical, political message to the issue,” CEO Ethel Yarwood tells SX.  “We employ our unique wit to a wide range of issues, lampooning and satirising deserving public figures or institutions.”

The organisation has taken part in every Mardi Gras Parade except 2002 since 1988, assisted with conceptualising parade entries for other groups such as Mature Aged Gays, designed the 1999 Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) entry ‘Carr’s Attacks’ and collaborated again last year with GLRL on the 58′08 float.

This year the Hillsong church is the target of the group’s artistic parody. Entitled ‘Surry Hillsong – Come into the Light’, the theme represents the all-encompassing community values of ‘diversity, respect and inclusion’.

“A God will be spinning discs from heaven’s console in the sky, atop a representation of a ‘religiou$’ multimedia empire,” Ethel explains. “Also the Surry Hillsong bus is involved to transport believers from the parade Start Area near Central Station to the place of worship, our sister multimedia empire ‘Jox Studios’. One hundred to 200 believers will make the pilgrimage in costumes chosen to represent their own religious, blasphemous, atheistic or secular views. And there is going to be some sects in the parade this year! Think dirty ‘sectsy’ denominations. Groups of friends participating around their own theme are encouraged, for example the Greek or Roman gods, a choir, satanic rituals or scientology. Anything is possible.”

Manacle has sponsored the ethel yarwood enterprises’ Parade entry for the past three years, and this year both Manacle and Outbar are sponsors.

“ethel yarwood always has a strong message and it’s a lot of fun but the agenda is the important thing and ethel yarwood always makes the point so well,” says Stuart Fraser from the Clarence Hotel, home of Manacle and Outbar.

ethel yarwood enterprises is currently on a recruitment and fundraising drive. Those interested in becoming parishioners of Surry Hillsong, assisting in the creation and preparation of the float or volunteering time or services for the fundraisers can email ethel@yarwood.com.au  Fundraisers will be held on January 30 and February 13 at the Clarence Hotel in Petersham. More info: www.yarwood.com.au ”

From http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/feature/keeping-the-faith-4758.html

Archbishop Peter Jensen wouldn’t want gay Bishop Gene Robinson welcoming people at the door of his church, but…

The New York Times reports…

“President-elect Barack Obama has asked V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, to deliver the invocation at an inaugural event on Sunday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Gay rights advocates saw the move as a way to compensate for Mr. Obama’s decision to give the Rev. Rick Warren, a prominent megachurch pastor from California who opposes same-sex marriage, the high-profile role of delivering the invocation at the inauguration next week.

Bishop Robinson advised Mr. Obama on gay rights issues during the campaign. He is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, and his consecration in 2003 set off a growing rift in that church’s parent body, the Anglican Communion. Since then, Bishop Robinson has become an internationally known spokesman for gay rights — a hero to some and an object of scorn to others.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Bishop Robinson said that he believed his inclusion in inaugural events had been under consideration before the controversy erupted over Mr. Warren but that Mr. Obama and his team were also seeking to heal the pain that Mr. Warren’s selection had caused among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates.

“They called up and said this has actually been in the works for a long time,” Bishop Robinson said, “and at the same time, we understand that people in the L.G.B.T. community have been somewhat wounded by this choice, and it’s our hope that your selection will go a long way to heal those divides.”

“In many ways,” he added, “it just proves that Barack Obama is exactly who he says he was and would be as president, which is someone who is casting a wide net that will include all Americans.”

Bishop Robinson said that he had learned of the invitation about two and a half weeks ago but that he and the transition team had agreed to break the news on Monday in The Concord Monitor, his local newspaper in New Hampshire.

The event Bishop Robinson will participate in is on the first day of formal inaugural festivities in Washington. It will feature a lineup that includes the musicians Beyoncé, Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.

The pay cable network HBO will broadcast the event and provide a free signal so that nonsubscribers can also watch, said Linda Douglass, the chief spokeswoman for the inaugural committee.

Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.”

“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.”

Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction.

Bishop Robinson said that his partner of more than 20 years, Mark Andrew, would accept the Obama team’s invitation to join him in attending several inaugural events. The two had a civil union ceremony last summer in a New Hampshire church.

Evan Wolfson, executive director of the gay rights group Freedom to Marry, said the choice of Bishop Robinson to deliver the invocation at an inaugural event was “a very powerful statement.” But, Mr. Wolfson added, “at the end of the day, policy is more important than who stands at the inauguration.”

From http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/us/13prayer.html?em

Pssst. Want to buy a cheap church? It’s legit…

The Wall Street Journal reports…

“The auctioneer told the small crowd huddled outside the Talbot County Courthouse that the property would be sold “as is” — rectory, bell tower, oak pews and rose-tinted stained glass windows included.

“Who gives $700,000, 700, 700?” he called out. One man, a representative for a local bank, raised his finger. The auctioneer tried in vain to nudge the price up. “Sold!” he cried. St. Andrew Anglican Church had just been bought by the bank that had started foreclosure proceedings against it.

“It’s probably good for my soul to be taken down a notch,” said the Right Rev. Joel Marcus Johnson, the rector of St. Andrew, after the auction.

During this holiday season of hard times, not even houses of God have been spared. Some lenders believe more churches than ever have fallen behind on loans or defaulted this year. Some churches, and at least one company that specialized in church lending, have filed for bankruptcy. Church giving is down as much as 15% in some places, pastors and lenders report.

The financial problems are crimping a church building boom that began in the 1990s, when megachurches multiplied, turning many houses of worship into suburban social centers complete with bookstores, gyms and coffee bars. Lenders say mortgage applications are down, while some commercial lenders no longer see churches as a safe investment.

Church Foreclosures

“We are seeing more stress in churches than we have in modern history,” says Mark G. Holbrook, president and chief executive of the Evangelical Christian Credit Union of Brea, Calif., which specializes in lending to churches. The credit union has moved to foreclose on seven of its 2,000 member churches this year, and Mr. Holbrook says he expects to take similar action against two more next year. Before now, it had foreclosed on only two churches in its 45-year history.

Church Mortgage & Loan Corp. of Maitland, Fla., another church lender, foreclosed on 10 church properties in the past couple of years. Unable to sell any of them, the company didn’t have the funds to pay more than 400 bondholders the estimated $18 million it owes, says company lawyer Elizabeth Green. Church Mortgage filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March.

Strongtower Financial of Fresno, Calif., says two of its 300 evangelical church borrowers are in default, compared with only one in the previous 15 years.

Dozens more churches are listed as delinquent on their loans, according to a search of county court records nationwide.

Churches were long considered good credit risks, lenders say. Weekly collections tend to be steady, even during recessions, and churches feel a moral tug to pay debts. Most of the nation’s 335,000 churches carry little or no mortgage debt, and are based in buildings that were paid off long ago.

But some churches, especially those not affiliated with major denominations, borrowed briskly to build or expand in recent years. Spending on construction of houses of worship rose to $6.2 billion in 2007 from $3.8 billion in 1997, according to the U.S. Census. Now, churches are seeing congregants lose jobs and savings.

The 125-year-old Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, of Jacksonville, Fla., borrowed about $2.6 million in 2002 to add a new education wing, reflecting pool and tower. In addition, the church’s 1,200 members pledged $1 million to the building campaign, but two-thirds of that money was never actually donated, according to the church’s pastor, the Rev. John Allen Newman.

Dwindling Collections

A quarter of the congregants soon stopped attending church, says Mr. Newman, so weekly collections started to dwindle. He and the church leaders cut staff and electricity use to save costs, but in January, facing a foreclosure judgment of $3.3 million, the church filed for bankruptcy protection. Mr. Newman says the church hopes to settle its debts and emerge from bankruptcy proceedings in the coming months.

“There have been too many churches with a ‘build it and they will come’ attitude,” says N. Michael Tangen, executive vice president at American Investors Group Inc., a church lender in Minnetonka, Minn. “They had glory in their eyes that wasn’t backed up with adequate business plans and cash flow.”

St. Andrew, the recently auctioned Maryland church, opened 17 years ago in a former sporting-goods store in downtown Easton. The town of historic colonial mansions and sprawling farms was once home to Frederick Douglass. More recently, the town has become a retreat for Washington’s elite.

Bats in the Belfry

The rector of St. Andrew, Bishop Johnson, attracted like-minded conservatives who disliked Episcopal innovations, such as ordaining female priests. In 2005, the church borrowed $850,000 to buy a much larger space that had once belonged to a Roman Catholic parish.

The 1868 Gothic revival structure was large for Bishop Johnson’s congregation of 50 people. But the gregarious Midwesterner, who once raised money for a ballet troupe and orchestra, said he was confident his ministry and donations would grow. “I’m well liked, I’m a lucky man,” he says he felt at the time. He wooed real-estate agents, bankers and well-heeled locals — some of whom didn’t even attend the church — and received pledges worth $200,000.

Food Pantry

Some donors said they were impressed with the bishop’s generous food pantry and help given to local Hispanics. For a time, Bishop Johnson said Mass in Spanish on Friday nights for workers at a crabmeat processor, and the parish also offered English classes.

“He served a part of this community that often times does not get served well,” says Lee Denny, president of the local General Motors dealership. Mr. Denny, an elder in Easton’s Presbyterian Church, donated $10,000.

But expenses mounted. There were mice in the basement and bats in the belfry. It cost about $45,000 to stanch creeping black mold. Once the local Catholic parish began saying Mass in Spanish, it drew off most of St. Andrew’s immigrant members. Weekly donations dropped to about $600 from $1,425 three years ago, says Bishop Johnson. And many of those who had pledged $200,000 toward the mortgage payments told the bishop they needed to delay their gifts, saying their stock portfolios were down.

Last February, the church couldn’t meet its monthly interest payments. The lender, Talbot Bank, a unit of Shore Bancshares Inc., foreclosed in August, seeking $950,000, including principal and unpaid interest. It was one of five properties Talbot foreclosed on in the last two years, but the only church, says W. David Morse, a vice president at the bank.

At the auction’s end, Bishop Johnson shook hands with Mr. Morse. “These people are not Wall Street bandits, for crying out loud,” the bishop said of his bankers. St. Andrew’s congregants will likely stay in the building for several more weeks while the bank seeks a buyer.

The transaction gave James C. Andrew, the auctioneer, some pause. He was married in the building in 1997 when it was a Catholic church and his two children had been baptized there. “I’ll probably wind up with coal in my stocking for Christmas,” he said.”

From http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122999261138328613.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop

All we don’t need is Revival

” ‘Pastor’ Darryl Williams of The cult church, Revival Fellowship, instructs his Adelaide members to shun ex-members… “don’t go to their weddings!”

Wikipedia reports…

“The Revival Centres International is a Pentecostal Church, with its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, it has approximately 300 centres in 22 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji, Italy, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Malawi, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The Revival Centres was formed as a separate identity from the Christian Revival Crusade in 1958, and at a short time later became a registered denomination under the Attorney General of Australia, Sir Garfield Barwick as Revival Centres of Australia.

The Church has a strong emphasis on the need to show evidence of glossolalia, known as ’speaking in unknown tongues’, to demonstrate the receiving the Holy Spirit to be considered a full member of the Church and a saved Christian. Revival Centres International bases its glossolalia teaching on a literalistic interpretation of Acts 2, a trait with some other Pentecostal groups.  However, Revival Centres does not affiliate with any other religious organisation and are not a member of the World Council of Churches……….

………The Church’s beliefs and practices have given rise to some criticsm over its treatment of members and former members.

In mid-April 1998, weeks prior to the church moving in the Campion Books premises in Middleborough Rd, Box Hill South from the Forum Theatre, some former members of Revival Centres International spoke out, via the Whitehorse Gazette, in a bid to warn Whitehorse residents of the organisation’s impending move to the area so as to raise community awareness about the Church. The Whitehorse Gazette also covered the group founder, Lloyd Longfield’s response in dismissing such concerns.

Reported Concerns Raised

Concerns raised by some former members includes the use of guilt, fear, shame and mind control as well as church activities occupying members time spent away from other non-membered family. Other concerns raised by former members were that group members are unable to criticise or question the leaders in any way or associate with any other churches.

Reported Concerns Dismissed

The group founder Lloyd Longfield says that the Revival Centres International did not believe it was the only true Church but did believe its teachings were the only true way. He dismissed suggestions the group was a cult or controlled and dominated its members. “You come along and have a wonderful experience in the Lord,” he said. “You are born again and from that time on you walk, carefully and more reasonably.” “Every religious group is a cult. I suppose they say these things because they think we’re out of line. “

Mr Longfield said those who left the group did so because they could not follow the Bible. He denied members were told to ignore them. “Some people leave because the group doesn’t suit them. They cut themselves off 90 per cent of the time,” he said. “It’s not that no one can speak to them, they’re just not in fellowship any more. They have different interests and we don’t see them any more.”

Mr Longfield said Church members were welcome to discuss concerns with the leaders but those who left the Church chose not to.

Mr Longfield defended the Church’s actions of “disfellowshipping” members for breaking the rules. He said in other churches people who disobeyed the Bible were given a “smack on the wrist” and were allowed to keep attending services. “The church as a rehabilitation centre is ridiculous,” Mr Longfield said……”

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revival_Centres_International

Further information http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/r/rci/

The view from Ted Haggard’s bedroom window

Newsweek reports…

“From his bedroom turned office in Colorado Springs, Ted Haggard prepares people for the afterlife. Not the roof-shaking “power encounters” with God that once defined him as founder of New Life Church and leader of the 30 million–strong National Association of Evangelicals. Now he’s offering deliverance of a different sort: life insurance. Drumming up leads through a referral service, Haggard and his wife, Gayle, work the phones, setting up in-house consultations with the former “Pastor Ted” to close the deal. “One thing we can guarantee our clients,” Haggard likes to say, “is that bad things do happen in life.”

You can say amen to that. It’s been two years since a prostitute named Mike Jones alleged he’d had a three-year, drug-fueled affair with Haggard. Haggard, now 52, ultimately admitted to a crystal-meth purchase and “sexual immorality.” Within a week, he’d stepped down from his posts and into the pantheon of evangelicals (Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart) felled by their own sins. Now, in his first magazine interview since the scandal, Haggard talks about his ongoing struggle with his sexuality, his former church and his plans for the future. Why now? For one thing, he’s pushing “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” a wincingly candid HBO documentary due to air on January 29. But as you can sense in the film, and hear in conversation, Haggard still feels a lot of anger—at New Life Church, as well as at himself.

On that day in late 2006 when he finally dropped the denials, Haggard felt exhausted and lost, and so he did what came naturally: he put his trust in the church. “I was disoriented, confused, depressed. I had thrown my life away, and I had to trust these men,” he tells NEWSWEEK. “I would have signed anything.” Under the terms of his severance package and “restoration” deal, Haggard agreed to never set foot in New Life again and to leave Colorado forever (although the banishment was lifted after just more than a year). He took his family and his severance package—a year’s pay, around $140,000—and began what the Haggards refer to as their life in exile. They spent the next 18 months crisscrossing Arizona with their two teenage sons piled into a U-Haul, staying in a series of budget hotels and the homes of “kind strangers.”

Cash and Christian mercy were in short supply, but at least one friend made sure to come calling: Alexandra Pelosi. The Emmy-winning director (and Speaker Nancy’s daughter) met Haggard in 2005 while shooting “Friends of God,” her tour of evangelical America. She says she initially traveled to Arizona to make sure he was OK, and ever the filmmaker, just started filming when she saw Ted carrying a rack of his church suits into a cheap motel. He wasn’t compensated for Pelosi’s roughly 10 hours of footage, spread over several visits. “This movie was stolen from Ted,” she says. “I was there, I had a camera, that’s it.” Haggard says the film is “fair and even” and let her shoot it. “Here’s the way I’ve worked in my lifetime: I tend to say yes,” he says.

Unfortunately, other people kept telling him no. Struggling to find work in the secular world, he turns to hanging “hundreds, maybe thousands” of mortgage advertisements on suburban doorknobs, and when Pelosi zooms in to ask about his success rate, Haggard’s Grand Canyon smile goes missing. He didn’t get a single response. In another scene, Haggard is feeling confident on the way to his first secular job interview, a counseling position at the University of Phoenix, the adult learning center. “If they don’t Google me, I’ll get the job,” he tells Pelosi. Apparently they did, because he struck out there, too. Finally, Haggard lands work as a traveling insurance salesmen, a prelude to his present-day success with a different commission sales company, Mortgage Protection Group. He now says he makes around $1,000 a week.

And yet, while he strives to turn the other cheek, full Christian forgiveness eludes him. He believes that New Life cast him away when he needed it the most. As he says in the movie: “The Church has said go to hell.” Haggard now thinks that he lashed himself too hard. “I understand why when a criminal is caught they will sometimes admit to things they didn’t do,” he says. “I wanted to overrepent, and I think I did overrepent. In my [resignation] letter to the church I said I was a deceiver and a liar, but I hadn’t lied about anything except to keep quiet about what was going on inside me.”

He’s still struggling. Haggard denies saying in early 2007, after three weeks of spiritual counseling, that he had become “completely heterosexual,” and in the film he puts himself back on the couch, asking, “Gay, straight, bisexual—what are you, Ted Haggard?” Perhaps naively he also allows himself to be filmed lovingly sucking an ice pop. Haggard traces his sexual struggles back to allegedly being molested in the second grade by an employee of his father. In seventh grade, he says, he fooled around sexually with other preteen boys. At 18, he became a born-again Christian and started “dating girls and loving it.” He says he has never had an adult same-sex encounter with anyone other than Jones.

So is he gay or straight? After more than a year of secular counseling sessions, he still ducks the label question. “I believe that sexuality is complex and confusing,” he says. “I no longer struggle with homosexual compulsions. I still have thoughts from time to time, but they’re not powerful thoughts. I still have temptations from time to time, but they’re not powerful temptations. They’re not compelling.” Both he and Gayle say that their 30-year marriage has actually improved in the wake of the scandal. “As you might imagine, with greater openness the intimacy is better,” says Gayle, who says she stayed with Ted for two reasons. “No. 1, he’s worth it, and our children are worth it.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is his conservative philosophy. Haggard still opposes gay marriage, telling Pelosi that “God’s best plan for human beings is for man and woman to unite together,” and he believes that homosexuality is a learned behavior “like alcoholism.” Gays (and many straights) will undoubtedly scoff, but Haggard comes across more like a man striving to be honest to himself, the world and his God. “I am what I am,” he says in the movie. “I was born an evangelical.”

The 42-minute film ends by noting that in January 2008 the Haggards were allowed to move back to Colorado, which they did last June. Shortly after Christmas, the church also opened the door for him to return to New Life—as a member of the congregation. He is cleared to start a new ministry, or preach as a guest, so long as it’s more than 100 miles from his old church. But he has no plans to lead a congregation again, saying it’s no longer his place to shape Christian policy. That said, he believes that “there is a place for everyone in the church.”

Except, for the moment, the Haggard family. “We don’t attend a church because it would create news, and we don’t want to put our children or the church pastor through that,” he says. “So we’re just trying to lay low, do our business, be with our family and do the appropriate things without causing a stir.” Since settling into his old house, Haggard has found a post-preacher routine of fast-food lunches (“I love McDonald’s. I love Wendy’s. I love KFC.”) and weekly runs at a nearby middle-school track. But life is clearly not back to normal. He says he avoids thinking about New Life, which he can see from his bedroom window. He has yet to unpack boxes that it shipped from his office, including his picture with President Bush and a handwritten copy of the Bible transcribed by his congregants. But he has a new flock to tend now. He’s recruited 42 people to join his burgeoning team of insurance agents. Whether it’s prayer or premiums, Ted Haggard is obviously a natural salesman.”

From http://www.newsweek.com/id/178726/

Mandurah Pastor Don Hatch:”I don’t want them parading around the way they do in Northbridge

The Sunday Times reports…

“Plans to hold a Mardi Gras parade in Mandurah have angered residents in the Peel city.

The city council has called for an investigation into the possibility of staging the event `along the lines of similar events in both Sydney and Northbridge’.

Councillor John Hughes, who proposed the inquiry last month, said: “People jumped up and down and said we don’t need that sort of thing here. My comment is what sort of thing?

“People got a bit testy. They said there was concern about morals around Mandurah.”

Councillors expect a report in April and Mr Hughes said: “What have people got to be scared about a report.

“I was bit peeved when people started making comments that were derogatory about other residents.

“The idea caused a little bit of flak down here but that’s life.

“We need something to perk Mandurah up, even if it’s a debate.”

But Les Atkins who spent seven-and-a-half years on the council said: “This is portraying the wrong image of Mandurah.”

Mr Atkins, who is is also a former deputy chairman and trustee of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and was a board member of Healthway added: “There is a lot of objection to the proposal.

“Overall there is no community support for such an event. I haven’t heard any positive feedback.

“Mandurah is a family destination and if such an event was staged it would promote resentment in the community and lawlessness.

“It’s short train ride to Northbridge if people want to attend an event like this or if they want an extended holiday they could go to Sydney.”

Pastor Don Hatch of the Mandurah Gospel Church said: “I don’t want them parading around the way they do in Northbridge.

“I don’t want it to happen here.

“We’ve been portraying Mandurah as a place for families to come and live.”

Pastor Hatch expected the idea for the Mardi Gras to be thrown out.”

From http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24891513-2761,00.html

Phil Baker’s Revenue Church funding new Perth Mercy Ministries home: report

The Perth Voice reports…

“Young Perth girls suffering from eating disorders may soon be referred to a Christian counselling group whose treatment allegedly involves exorcism.

Mercy Ministries’ online newsletter confirms it has bought a property in Mt Helena “30 minutes from the Perth CBD” to accommodate up to 30 women.

A Queensland centre run by the organisation has been closed after its methods were made public by the Mercy Survivors group and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is investigating at the urging of Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison.

In Federal Parliament the Senator questioned whether “treating young women for drug addiction and psychological disorders by using prayer, exorcisms and Pentecostal religion is appropriate and whether or not some misleading and deceptive behaviour might be going on.”

Though Mercy Ministries’ website advertises the treatment as a free service, Senator Allison also claimed Centrelink payments to the centre’s clients [were] going directly to the church group.

Perth Mercy survivor Naomi Johnson spent time at the organisation’s Sydney home and said she was given a “separation contract” to sign that discouraged her from contacting friends and family. Counselling consisted of “repeating pre-scripted prayers, bible reading and Joyce Meyer tape series,: Ms Johnson said.

“Unconditional love was replaced with judgement and condemnation, support was replaced with control, freedom with more fear and shame,: Ms Johnson said.

She also said Mercy’s methods only exacerbated her condition because of the high level of stress she was under.

Another Mercy survivor, who didn’t want to be named, also claimed counselling was based on scripture, prayer, and exorcism rather than treatment by accredited health professionals. A copy of the Restoring the Foundations handbook used by Mercy Ministries and seen by The Voice details methods for “deliverance” from “demonic oppression” and “what to do with obstinate demons.”

“Every girl who has been at Mercy Ministries in Australia has had Restoring the Foundations used on them. That was the only counselling. There was no other counselling.” the survivor said.

Gloria Jeans Coffee, Megachurch Hillsong, and Perth’s Riverview Church raise funds for Mercy Ministries, with Riverview listing the organisation as a partner on its website. The website calls for financial partners for the Perth home and claims that ” we are looking forward to opening a third home in Perth in the not too distant future.”

“If they are trying to open up here, where not many people know about them, we have to stop them,” Ms Johnson said.

Mercy Ministries declined to comment.”

By Alan Fyfe.

December 20, 2008 edition of The Perth Voice (published by Fremantle Herald)

Christian Shitty Church Vs the cyclists of Mudgeeraba

The Trinity Chapel family-run business

 

 

Trinity Chapel Mug – $5.99

Trinity Chapel Keychain $6.49

https://www.trinitychapel.org/267575.ihtml?productid=11079

The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reports…

“The congregation of the 7,000-member Trinity Chapel in Powder Springs learned Sunday that founding pastor Jim Bolin had stepped down from his position because of “inappropriate sexual behavior.”

During an emotional 90-minute service, church officials said Bolin would go through a two-year “restoration process,” which includes counseling, through the Church of God.

Bolin did not attend the service and, no details were released about what he’d done wrong.

Bolin, 56, will be inactive in the ministry during that period, said Justin Harley, Trinity Chapel’s director of counseling.

Bolin’s 32-year-old son, Jason Bolin, raised in the church his parents started in an Austell Road storefront 25 years ago with five families, will take over as head pastor, assisted by his wife, Sarah Bolin.

He had been on the church staff the last 10 years, most recently as executive pastor.

The announcement was made from the pulpit by Donald M. Walker, the state administrative bishop for the Church of God.

Walker called the day “rueful and sobering” and often choked up and dabbed his eyes. He began by reading a letter to the congregation from Jim Bolin.

Bolin opened the letter that says “I have sinned against God” and takes “full responsibility and blame” for the circumstances that have rocked the church during the last week. He provided no other details.

“Today you see what a wrong choice has caused,” Bolin wrote. “Please learn from this.”

Bolin also said “the road to restitution is long,” adding, “I’m not finished yet.”

The more than 2,000 people who attended the first of two morning services often gave standing ovations to Walker and Jason Bolin when they asked forgiveness for their founding pastor and called on the church to unite and move forward.

“I think the church will be stronger than ever,” said Teri Burns of Powder Springs, a member for six years.

“Jim Bolin was my hero. But he is also human, and I forgive him. It’s been a tough week, but it’s over. There’s a new week ahead,” she said.”

From http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/15/trinity.html

Dana Jenkins blogs…

“Sadly, it has happened again.  Another megachurch pastor comes tumbling down because of a sex scandal.  This has happened before.  It will happen again.  But once is way too many times.

This time, it was Pastor Jim Bolin and the good folks at Trinity Chapel in Powder Springs, GA near Atlanta.  You can verify everything I’m writing about by reading the various articles at www.ajc.com

This scandal hits a little close to home for me.  First of all, Jim Bolin and Trinity Chapel are associated with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN).  I was a Church of God minister for 5 years, and I graduated from Lee University, which is owned and operated by the COG.  I have known both members and staff members of Trinity Chapel.  During my senior year, I worked as an office assistant at The Center For Spiritual Renewal.  Jim Bolin was one of its financial supporters and a close friend of the Center’s director, Dr. Robert Fisher, who passed away in September 2005 (in a way, I’m glad he’s not here to see this, he’d be devastated).  Furthermore, Jim Bolin came and preached more than one chapel service during my time at Lee…I’ll never forget him saying in one message, “Has God called you to be a pastor?  Then don’t go take over someone else’s church – go find a community that needs something fresh and start a church.”  Those words hit my heart…hard.

Jim Bolin started Trinity Chapel 25 years with a handful of people…today it has 7,000 members.  And yesterday, Bolin was not on the campus of the megachurch he built when it was announced that he was stepping down as pastor and beginning a 2-year- restoration process because of “inappropriate sexual conduct with an adult woman.”  His 32-year-old son will step in as Senior Pastor. 

I’m blown away by this.  I hardly know where to begin collecting my thoughts.  It is interesting how so many other pastors and denominational officials have immediately begun the rhetoric of forgiveness and reconciliation…this is one thing that drives me nuts about Christians.  This pastor has done permanent damage to his family, his 7,000-member congregation, his denomination, his community, and himself, but immediately the discussion is forgiveness and healing.  There is no talk about righteous anger.  Is this how the conservative Christian, Dobson crowd reacted to President Clinton in 1998?  Uh, not hardly.  But if the person is a Christian, we immediately jump to the forgiveness rhetoric.

Sorry, I don’t buy that.  There is a country song that says, “I just want to be mad for awhile.”  I fully agree that we all must forgive Jim Bolin and move forward, but I think his family and the good people at Trinity Chapel have every right to be furious.  Everything that God has done through this church for the past 25 years comes to this…a scandal, a “moral failure”, and a pastor who couldn’t live by a simple rule – if you’re not married to her, don’t have sex with her!

I know someone will read this and say, “You’re being very judgemental.”  You’re right!  I’m judging the actions of this pastor according to the teachings of the Bible about marriage and sexuality, and I don’t think there is anything sinful about that. 

I’m not being super spiritual here, either.  I know the same sin nature that pulled at Jim Bolin’s heart pulls at mine everyday.  In fact, the Bible has this somber, sobering warning to offer in Galatians 6 – “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” 

We don’t know this whole story.  The church is not disclosing the details, not even to the church.  We don’t know who this woman is or how it started, but I’d be willing to bet it did not start with him walking up to her and saying, “Are you interested in an extra-marital affair of a sexual nature that will, in a single Sunday, bring to a screeching halt everything I’ve spent 25 years working for?’  It might have happened that way, but probably not.

It was probably one small, seemingly unimportant, seemingly unproblematic decision after the next.  Remember, big disasters start with small decisions.  The decision to spend time on the internet late at night without accountability software.  The decision to do counseling sessions with women without another staff member.  The decision to travel with or have lots of “business, working” meals with a woman.  The decision to open up and become emotionally vulnerable in conversation with another woman…so that you can help her open up about her problems and receive spiritual help, of course.

It’s scary to think that everything can fall apart in a moment, but it can.  But on the bright side, God’s grace not only saves us from sin at the moment of salvation…it can also protect us from sin everyday.

This story is not just a reminder about how small decisions can lead to big disasters, it is also yet another reminder about not thinking higher of people than we should.  I literally got the chills when I read one article that quoted a Trinity Chapel member saying, “Jim Bolin was my hero.”

That might be part of the problem.  As a pastor, I want the people who attend my church to love me and respect me, not just as a friend but as a pastor and spiritual leader…in the same way they want a pastor who will love and respect them.  Even though I hope to be a great pastor, and even though I take my role as a Bible teacher and church leader very seriously, I do not want to be nor could I ever be someone’s hero.  If you keep your eyes focused on a man, you will eventually be very disappointed and disillusioned…there are no exceptions to this.”

From http://whynotanewchurch.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/if-youre-not-married-to-her-dont-have-sex-with-her/

“For 30 years, I thought that you could take care of any problem with prayer. Now, a good therapist has helped me understand how the brain works.” – Ted Haggard

Reuters reports…

“Ted Haggard, the powerful U.S. evangelist who fell from grace in 2006 amid a gay sex scandal, returned to the spotlight Friday saying his faith was stronger but he wished people had been more forgiving.

Haggard, 52, was exiled from the New Life mega-church he founded and told by church elders to leave Colorado after admitting “sexual immorality” and buying methamphetamines from a male prostitute.

It was a stunning admission for the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, a formidable force among U.S. conservative Christians and a group that had the ear of the White House.

An HBO documentary about Haggard’s year in exile, his struggle with his sexuality in the face of his past condemnation of gays, and his attempts to make a living outside the church, will air on the cable TV network on January 29.

Haggard, his wife Gayle and two of his five children appeared on a panel for U.S. television critics Friday to promote the documentary, “The Trials of Ted Haggard.” He had previously been barred by evangelical leaders from speaking to the media.

“I don’t think it is a flattering piece. I think it is even-handed,” Haggard told Reuters in an interview. “It is embarrassing for me for people to see it, but it does answer their questions.”

Haggard refers to himself in the documentary as a sinner who deserved the punishment meted out to him. He says he came close to suicide.

“I DESERVED IT”

But he said the year his family spent living in cheap motels or the homes of friends had ultimately strengthened his faith — although he held out no hope of returning to work as a pastor.

“I can’t imagine very many churches inviting me to speak, even though I am a better Christian now and have a better understanding of scriptures than ever,” said Haggard, who is back in Colorado working as a life insurance salesman.

“It has strengthened my faith. I do wish others had been more forgiving toward me. But I think those who hate me and judge me had a reason. I deserved it.”

Three weeks after church elders told Haggard to leave and ordered him to undergo “spiritual restoration,” they announced that after counseling he was “completely heterosexual.”

Haggard smiled wryly at the statement, saying he fits into neither the gay nor the evangelical community.

“My therapist says I am a heterosexual with complications. I don’t say that because it is more complex. I love my relationship with my wife. I am so much better than before. I am not restless,” he said.

“For 30 years, I thought that you could take care of any problem with prayer. Now, a good therapist has helped me understand how the brain works.”

During his exile, he told documentary maker Alexandra Pelosi that he continued to “struggle from time to time with same-sex attraction.”

“Even though I’m a sinner, even though I’m weak,” he told Pelosi, “God’s best plan for human beings is for men and women to unite together.”

Pelosi, the daughter of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Reuters that Haggard asked to change nothing in the documentary.

During his exile, he attended a church in Arizona but sat at the back to avoid being recognized. He applied to work as an online admissions university counselor, and at one time got a job delivering fliers door to door.

“I wish I had resigned my position with the church way earlier than I did, and been more open with my family. But I was afraid,” he told journalists. “I now know more about hatred and judgment than ever before, and I know it doesn’t help.”

From http://uk.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUKTRE5090EG20090110?sp=true

You can turn any bible teaching into cash

‘The Christian Post’ advertises ‘The Widow’s Mite

http://thewidowsmite.net/

“Next time you buy Christian Jewelry, think outside the cross

TheWidowsMite.net offers Widow’s Mite Christian Jewlery & Gifts containing authentic ancient widow’s mite coins excavated in Israel from the time of Jesus

Jewely should mean something. When women rejoice upon receiving a beautiful diamond ring, the joy isn’t in receiving a rare crystallized form of carbon. The joy is in receiving a symbol — a symbol so powerful that a man is willing to spend a month’s salary on.

A diamond is forever, but a faithful heart is Eternal.

The same should be true of Christian Jewelry. A cross, for example, is likewise a powerful symbol. Someone who wears a crucifix immediately associates himself with Jesus’ selflessnes. The problem with symbolic Christian Jewelry is that there really aren’t any choices outside of the cross.

That’s the power of the Widow’s Mite. When you give the gift of the Widow’s Mite, you are saying to the recipient, “When you wear this piece of Christian Jewelry, you are connecting yourself to the poor Widow of Mark and Luke whom Jesus praised for her ultimate sacrifice. She gave her last two ‘mites’ to the Holy Temple because she knew God would provide for her next meal.”

Just imagine holding an actual coin from the time that Jesus walked the earth. Hold your new Widows mite pendant in your hand and close your eyes and be transported back in time. Did this coin pass through Jesus’ hands? It’s certainly possible. It’s truly amazing when you stop to think about it.”

From http://www.thewidowsmite.net/index.html

God’s economic outlook

Associated Baptist Press reports…

“Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said that God told him to look for a quick rebound of the economy in 2009 but warned against threats of long-term runaway inflation and instability in the Middle East.

In what has become an annual tradition for the Christian Broadcasting Network, Robertson shared on “The 700 Club” Jan. 2 his forecasts for the coming year. Robertson says he bases the predictions on messages he discerns from God during an annual prayer retreat.

Last year Robertson correctly predicted an economic recession and a major stock-market crash in the United States, with details including predictions that the price of oil would rise to $150 a barrel and gold would reach $1,000 an ounce. Oil prices peaked at a record $147 a barrel in July and gold hit a record $1,000 mark in March.

Robertson hasn’t always been so accurate. In 2005 he predicted “triumph” for President Bush during his second term. In years past, he has also predicted that Russia would invade Israel (1982), projected a worldwide economic collapse (1985) and said U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) would be elected president (1996)……”

From http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3739&Itemid=53

A summary of contemporary church worship theology by J. O’Keefe

“Well I can’t do nothin’ with the blues I got
But sing, sing, sing
I guess the only thing to keep me from-a blowing my top
Is to sing, sing, sing
I’m gonna sing a little song that has a rockin’ beat
I’m gonna sing (sing) sing (sing) si-i-ing
Then a-tell-a my troubles to the friends I meet
I’m gonna sing, sing, sing

Everybody, sing away your troubles
Let’s be happy and gay (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Let’s shout hallelujah
Sing your blues away, hey-hey-hey-hey-hey
If you feel downhearted, join me in my song
And te-ell (and tell) the blues (the blues) so long (tell the blues so long)

Well if you wanna be a-happy, sing a happy song
Come on a-sing (sing), sing (sing), si-i-ing
Everything’ll be a-right that you thought was wrong
If you sing, sing, sing
When you’re best friend steals your clothes from you
You’ve gotta sing, sing, si-i-ing
‘Cause tomorrow you’ll find a love that’s true
If you sing, sing, sing

Everybody, sing away your troubles
Let’s be happy and gay (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Let’s shout hallelujah
Sing your blues away hay-hay-hay-hay-hay
If you feel downhearted, join me in my song
And te-ell (and tell) the blues (the blues) so long (tell the blues so long)

One more time, I said,
Te-ell (and tell) the blues (the blues) so long (tell the blues so long)
And sing a song
Now te-ell (and tell) the blues (the blues) so long (tell the blues so long)”

I’m not Attila The Hun:Bishop

The Warrnambool Standard reports…

“Warrnambool’s Anglican parishioners have been asked to pray for their diocesan bishop Michael Hough as he tackles bullying and harassment complaints.

The 56-year-old, who is a well-known visitor to the south-west, is at the centre of Australia’s first-ever attempt to depose an Anglican bishop.

At least five clergy in the broad Ballarat diocese have made formal complaints which will be heard by an episcopal standards commission.

Warrnambool’s parish has the most parishioners in the Ballarat diocese.

Parish priest Father Scott Lowrey yesterday said he could not elaborate on the situation except to say he hoped for “a fair and just outcome”.

“The bishop and his family and all clergy and families in the diocese are in our thoughts and prayers at this trying time,” he said.

“It is a difficult and complicated issue.”

Father Lowrey said the issue was mentioned during Sunday service addresses yesterday.

“We asked people to be mindful in prayers and thoughts of the whole situation,” he said.

Australia’s Anglican leader Archbishop Philip Aspinall, of Brisbane, has sent the complaints to the commission to decide if there’s a case to answer.

If so, it will be heard by a special tribunal which has the power to remove a bishop from office.

Last week Bishop Hough said the complainants were a small group of “malcontents” unable to adapt to a changing church.

He said his zeal may have offended some people.

“I have a zeal for the gospel,” he said. “If in that zeal people have been cut off and hurt, as a Christian I regret that. But I’m not Attila the Hun.

“I expect the clergy to get out there.”

From http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/parish-prays-for-its-bishop/1399376.aspx

Haggard tells all this week

9NEWS Denver reports…

“Ted Haggard says he has a lot to say, but he has to wait a bit longer to say it publicly.

On Jan. 9, a documentary about the scandal that cost him his position as a national figure among evangelicals will premiere.

In it, he says he is committed in his marriage to wife Gayle for the sake of his five children, but he still struggles with his sexuality.

9News has obtained a copy of a letter that severs the final ties between Haggard and New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where he was the founder and lead pastor. The legal agreement has kept Haggard from talking publicly about the scandal that forced his resignation from his position as senior pastor of the congregation of 14,000 people two years ago.

Haggard told 9News he would be happy to talk more about his story closer to the date that the documentary airs.

He says that HBO is handling all his media scheduling surrounding the premiere, and he cannot talk to reporters on camera until then.

However, the letter ending Haggard’s silence states, “You and Gayle are hereby released from any remaining obligations set forth in the Separation Agreement.”

It also says, “It is our desire to bring a healthy and biblical resolve for you, Gayle and New Life Church. We are hopeful that a relational restoration process can start soon and the Gospel can once again be demonstrated in all our lives as a result.”

From http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11347129

Pastor Scott Ochsner – professional bullsh*t artist

ECFA accredits Mercy Ministries, discredits itself

A press release, published by the International Business Times, reports…

“The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) announced today the accreditation of Mercy Ministries of America of Nashville, TN, an organisation committed to transforming lives of generations searching for truth and wholeness.

ECFA accreditation is based on standards of responsible stewardship, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fund-raising.

Mercy Ministries of America, www.mercyministries.com  joins a growing number of churches and evangelical organisations across America, representing more than $18 billion in annual revenue, that have earned the right to display the ECFA seal. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability.

“We are pleased to include in our membership a ministry committed to providing hope and healing to young women seeking freedom from life-controlling problems,” said Dan Busby, acting president of ECFA.

Founded by Nancy Alcorn in 1983,  Mercy Ministries of America exists to provide opportunities for young women to experience God’s unconditional love,  forgiveness, and life-transforming power. Mercy Ministries is dedicated to providing care for young women suffering the effects of eating disorders, self-harm, abuse, addiction,depression, unplanned pregnancies and other life-controlling issues.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to leading Christian non-profit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fund-raising and board governance. For more information about ECFA, including information about accreditation and a listing of ECFA-accredited members, visit www.ECFA.org or call 1-800-323-9473. “

From http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081211/mercy-ministries.htm

I don’t recall being this stupid when I was a little tacker

The Ballarat Bishop bully

The Age reports…

“Anglican clergy in Ballarat are trying to depose their bishop — a first in the church’s Australian history — accusing him of bullying and harassment that have damaged relations beyond repair.

The clergy say at least half the diocesan priests have made formal complaints, while Bishop Michael Hough says it is “five and a half — five full-time priests and one part-time”.

Australia’s Anglican leader, Brisbane Archbishop Philip Aspinall, has sent the complaints to the new Episcopal Standards Commission, which will decide whether there is a case to answer. If so, it will go to a tribunal which can remove the bishop.

Bishop Hough said yesterday the disaffected priests were a small group of malcontents unable to adapt to the changing church. Asked if he might resign or be removed, he said: “Not a chance. I’d have to do a lot worse than what they are accusing me of. Traditionally, it’s the big ones — adultery, theft, heresy.”

He conceded his zeal might have offended people, for which he was sorry, but said he was annoyed at leaks to the press. “They feel if they go hard enough and long enough I’ll give up and go. I won’t. I think God put me here and the people of God in the diocese want me here.”

Some Ballarat Anglicans call Bishop Hough a Jekyll and Hyde character, “gracious and charming in public but vindictive and vitriolic in private”.

According to one senior priest, who did not want to be named, “if these circumstances were happening in the private sector, the CEO would have been stood down. Unfortunately, it’s beyond mediation.”

The priest said: “I don’t think Bishop Michael realises how vulnerable a spot he is in. The primate and chancellor (Melbourne QC Michael Shand) are trying desperately to find a way forward, but they are not going to be able to save him.”

Bishop Hough said he spent seven weeks last year walking around the diocese for Lent, sleeping on a swag by the side of the road and preaching reconciliation and repentance. “I have a zeal for the gospel. If in that zeal people have been cut off and hurt, as a Christian I regret that. But I’m not Attila the Hun. If I’ve done wrong I can repent. Is there no repentance for bishops? Aren’t we as entitled to repentance and reconciliation as anyone?”

Former archdeacon Robert Newton — now priest at Christ Church, Brunswick, who says he left Ballarat in 2007 because he was tired of “putting out the spot fires” — says Bishop Hough is a peculiar cross between Australia’s two best-known bishops — Sydney’s Catholic cardinal George Pell and Anglican archbishop Peter Jensen.

“Bishop Michael can be incredibly pastoral but if people rub him the wrong way there can be a different response,” Father Newton said.

“He’s a very gifted man. He doesn’t have a lot of time for people who won’t go along with him, which is almost everyone in the diocese at some stage or another. He’s a great teacher, a visionary, but he needs people around him who can manage people.”

A leading lawyer and member of the Ballarat Cathedral council, Euan Thompson, said: “The bishop is a difficult, obnoxious, prickly person who has poor people skills and an abrasive manner. He upsets people. Bishops are usually urbane, empathetic people.”

The most celebrated case is that of the former dean, Father Geoffrey Tisdall, who stood down at 65. According to Mr Thompson, the dean was told he had to go when he turned 65, although the dean and cathedral council expected him to stay for a five-year term. “For his last service, the bishop suddenly turned up and just took it himself. That upset everyone.”

Father Tisdall told The Age: “The circumstances of my stepping down were very unhappy, and certainly quite different from what I expected.”

But Bishop Hough says he was happy for Father Tisdall to stay on and the dean left at 65 on his doctor’s advice.

Other complaints relate to allegedly abusive emails Bishop Hough sent various clergy. One senior priest told The Age: “When he gets upset with a priest, he sends a long, denigrating and abusive email marked ’strictly personal and confidential’. It was when we got together we found a whole series of people had been treated that way.”

According to the priest, between 12 and 20 priests have been “cast out” into early retirement or other dioceses in the past four years. “What they all have in common is a profound sense of personal hurt and alienation.”

Asked if he were a bully, Bishop Hough laughed. “That’s like, ‘Have you stopped beating your wife?’ I’m not an orthodox bishop in terms of style. I get out and about the people. I’m not a bully, I’m not about harassment, but I expect clergy to get out there. You can’t spend all day writing a sermon.”

He said Ballarat had only 22 parishes and 2000 people in church on any given Sunday, with an average age of 67. “Gone are the days when a priest could be an administrator and people flock to the doors, and they can’t cope with that. So it’s nice to have someone you can shoot.”

From http://www.theage.com.au/national/prickly-obnoxious-bishop-must-go-say-alienated-priests-20090102-794g.html?page=-1

 

There is none righteous, not even one

The Falls Church News-Press reports…

“If 2008 taught the world one lesson, it is that religious people are not morally superior to those who are non-religious.

Indeed, faith often shelters the shameless and provides cover for the most corrupt among us.

Sanctimony was the sanctuary of Bernard Madoff, the con artist who bilked fellow Jewish people who never imagined this man of piety would mastermind a Ponzi scheme. A New York Times article summed it up: “…Jews all over the country are already sending up something of a communal cry over a cost they say goes beyond the financial to the theological and personal.”

The article quoted Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angles who said, “I’d like to believe someone raised in our community, imbued with Jewish values, would be better than this.”

Apparently, the rabbi has a short memory. In 2006, corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff disgraced the Jewish community. When he wasn’t stealing from Indian tribes and polluting Washington, he could be found in synagogues extolling his Jewish family values.

Many in the Jewish community seem shocked by recent events. They have the same befuddled looks on their faces as Christians ripped off by televangelist Jim Bakker. Or, the wide-eyed puritans in the pews who were stunned that Revs. Jimmy Swaggart and Ted Haggard had a proclivity for prostitutes.

This is not to say that religious people are necessarily more corrupt. But, the myth that faith makes one less fallible and more pure must be punctured. This fable comes at a great cost to the holy who keep getting hosed. Charlatans are acutely aware that when religious institutions confer credibility, it is easier to con the credulous. Needless to say, churches, temples and mosques are often a refuge for reprobates. As escaped slave turned abolitionist Frederick Douglas noted in his tome “Autobiography,” the most devout Christians made the most brutal slave owners.

Clearly, there are many people of faith who live exemplary lives of upstanding morality. It is the assumption, however, that attending temple makes one less likely to succumb to temptation that is dangerous. Madoff would still have fooled many of America’s wisest investors had he not immersed himself in the Jewish community. But, without this powerful veneer of morality, perhaps investors would have looked closer at his scam.

In 1997, James Hedges, founder of LJH Global Investments, met with Madoff to discuss investing money for wealthy clients. He says that there were red flags for those who bothered to look.

“His whole tone during the meeting was curt, truncated, and he volunteered nothing,” Hedges told Barron’s. “It was an extraction process to get him to answer anything. “…What it told me was that it was a fraud.”

A separate New York Times article discussed religious extremism among students in the nation of Jordan. Frustrated with dishonest “secular” politicians, these students wrongly assume that religious leaders are less corrupt and mindlessly regurgitate the slogan, “Islam is the answer.” They ignore the endemic corruption among Shiite leaders in Iran, the barbarism of Al Qaeda and the suffocating repression in Sunni Saudi Arabia.

Honesty is the answer – not Islam, Judaism or Christianity. If people of faith happen to be honest, it is really beside the point, not a prerequisite for morality.

The largest problem with religious leaders is that they have trouble apologizing for their sins – because they are supposedly speaking for God. So, if they apologize, it is akin to God having been wrong.

One example of such spiritual arrogance is Saddleback pastor Rick Warren, who clearly and unquestionably compared homosexuality to incest and pedophilia. As a result, gay activists accurately called him anti-gay. Now that his reputation has taken a hit, he put out a new video denying that he verbally assaulted gays. Wouldn’t a true moral leader simply say, “I’m sorry,” rather than offering slick PR from the pulpit?

San Francisco State University’s Family Acceptance Project released a study this week that found that young gay people who are rejected by their parents after coming out were more likely to attempt suicide, experience depression and use drugs than those whose parents were accepting. Will a single religious leader, including Warren, reconsider the harm they are doing to gay youth?

The U.S. has spent more than $200 million on abstinence-only programs, which promote ignorance over education in schools. A new study, reported in Pediatrics, shows that such programs are a fraud, with teenagers who pledged to avoid sex until marriage as likely to have sex as other students. The teens that took virginity pledges were also less likely to use birth control pills or condoms than those making no promise. Will a single religious “leader” have the morality to give up their dogma to prevent the deaths of teens that are having unsafe sex?

This New Year, let’s vow to judge people by their good principles and not their piety. As we learned in 2008 – they are not necessarily the same thing.”

From http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3936:anything-but-straight-religion-and-morals&catid=17:national-commentary&Itemid=79