PENTECOSTALISM: Some needed questions are asked about Todd Bentley!

Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion - Fire In My Bones

In his latest "Fire In My Bones" column, J. Lee Grady asks some needed questions of his faith family ... but I've grown weary of reporting on the embarrassing lives of the Pentecostals and the Episcopalians, so go to Grady's column and read it for yourselves.

I will, however, post the questions so you'll have them in your mind before you get there.

1. Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the beginning?

2. Why didn’t anyone in Lakeland denounce the favorable comments Bentley made about William Branham?

3. Why did God TV tell people that “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”?

4. Why did a group of respected ministers lay hands on Bentley on June 23 and publicly ordain him? Did they know of his personal problems?

5. Can anything good come out of this?

Grady answers his own questions but they leave me as repulsed as did Bentley's original snake oil pitch.

The answers to these questions won't be found in Grady's article, they are simple answers and are found elsewhere! Do you know where?

Christianity, Heresy, Hubris,
Pentecostalism, Religion

SOTERIOLOGY: Did anyone catch Obama's heretical statement!

Obama's German presidential speech | American Thinker Blog

It is so hard to be perfect in our speech in this fallen world but leaders (sectarian or otherwise) who profess a religious element in their worldviews must be doubly vigilant with their words. Obama blew this one ...

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.

That's the key paragraph in BO's tear down those walls comment ... now answer these basic questions:

1. How will the Jews tear down the Mosaic Law wall - salvation by works? They rejected the One who offered to tear it down; what makes Obama supporters believe he can do what Christ alone can do?
   
2. How will the Mohammedans tear down their own peculiar salvation by works wall? War, deprivation, oppression, and the Crusaders couldn't get it torn down; so now a young American politician from Chicago has the answer?
   
3. And, how will we Christians tear down the wall of the blood of Jesus Christ? [Luke 22:20] No flesh has the power to do that; yet does Obama have the temerity to tell us all to tear it down?
   

These simple questions are only three of many that come to mind. Then consider this ...

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD." [Matthew 10:34-36]

That sounds like a pretty indestructible wall to me!

What arrogant carelessness is it to treat profound articles of religious conviction as mere human constructs.

What simple-minded foolishness to assume religious doctrines, established by centuries of faithful adherents, are common religious conventions ... created by human will, ergo eradicated by human will!

Name one individual mentioned in Scripture capable of deceiving the masses all at once?

Christianity, German speech,
Obama, Religion, Soteriology

MEGA-ANGLICAN ANGST: A family reunion that's not!

Quarter of world's Anglicans boycott conference - Yahoo! News

When 25% of a royal family's princes stay away from a once each century family reunion ... you've got a regal knot in your imperial breeches!

Church officials said that 230 of the 880 bishops in the Anglican worldwide communion were staying away from the Lambeth conference being staged in the English cathedral city of Canterbury, spiritual home of the deeply divided church.

Referring to Gene Robinson, the queer Bishop from New England, who was forced to stay away from Lambeth, and remains the catalytic issue for the boycott, Reuters said ...

Robinson, whose decision to be open about his homosexuality provoked so much Anglican angst, agreed it was time for the church to stop being so self-obsessed.

"With young men knifing each other in the streets of London [a reference to the "growing knife" culture of the capital city] and a billion or more people going through life on less than a dollar a day, what a shame , what a waste it is for the Anglican communion to be tearing itself apart over two men or two women who want to make a Christian family together," he told Reuters.

How magnanimous!

Your denomination has just certified you a heretic in the least offensive and most unofficial-official way possible (like a director of a corporation being excluded from the firm's annual meeting by the other directors) and you wax eloquent about their corporate failure to stop English violence and global poverty. Not a word about the cause of it all: your personal failure.

Simultaneously, you reveal an extremely low opinion of Scripture's infallibility and inspiration, dissing (by extension) the Creator of the Living Word, thus disparaging the nature and magnitude of it, and ignoring two thousand years of biblical scholarship, as-well-as the collective wisdom of the men and women who were motivated to that scholarship.

Wow! What arrogance!

Apparently Robinson and the Reuters reporter did combine to forecast one likely outcome ...

... it will end with a typically fudged Anglican consensus, [the Gay cleric] said "It will drive the press crazy. There will be no resolutions, no proclamations, no lines drawn in the sand."

And this is a once in a century conference ... ho-boy! Forgive us all sweet Jesus, Your heart must be heavy these days.

Anglican, Christianity, Heresy,
Gene Robinson, Lambeth, Religion

ANGLICAN ANGST: Somehow I knew this was coming!

The once late great Anglican Church takes another blow for its heresy, apostasy, and debauchery ... only this time it is from one of its own, one who is known as a mountain of theological righteousness ... J. I. Packer.

One of the world's most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada this week because he believes many of its bishops are "arguably heretical" for adhering to "poisonous liberalism."

James (J.I.) Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet's 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth.

Vancouver-based Packer, who has sold more than four million copies of his many books, said he and 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy left the national denomination this week to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican archbishop because they felt they were being "starved out and worn down." [HT: Black Kettle]

I can only, and sadly, grieve over this event ... it truly marks a turning point for the coming split between conservative and heretical Anglicans.

One must read the Vancouver Sun blog post to see the true depth of the depravity of Canadian clergy. Another sad day for the Body of Christ.

Anglican, Canada, Christianity,
Heresy, Packer, Religion

END TIMES: Convergence of the unrelated!

Two unrelated stories got me thinking:

first, the revelation that, in a Pew Forum survey, nearly 60% of those who indicated an evangelical worldview believed there are many roads that lead to heaven and,

second, an offer to sell an original, first edition copy of George Orwell's seminal ditty "nineteen eighty-four" with an accompanying quote, "He loved Big Brother."

How thought provoking that quote is in light of the sad condition of the Bride of Christ. Everywhere I turn, people are open to and looking for authentic Christianity ... but the visible church (including me) has done its best to conceal the real thing from the unsaved masses.

I'm not surprised the people (searching for real truth) love Big Brother and buy into his lies. Bottom-line, however, the church, like Peter, will soon hear the cock crow for her virtual denial of Christ.

Big Brother, Bride of Christ,
Christianity, Church, Religion

Paulk: A question for all Christians

The heretics of divine deception continue to rack up headlines for the secular media. It's bad enough the Bride is bloodied from without but now she's being unmercifully battered from within.

Add to the embarrassment of Senator Grassley's intent to investigate six huge mega-ministries and the continued slipping and sliding of our Episcopalian and Lutheran "brethren," Pentecostalism's penchant for heresy and debauchery ... specifically the brothers Paulk.

When all is said and done, which will be the greater contribution of the Paulk ministries ...

The number of souls delivered to Heaven and the Throne of Grace
or the number of souls delivered to Hell by their total disgrace?

This fiasco will end with the damnation of thousands as a result of the Paulk's heresies, debaucheries, deceits, immoralities, chicaneries, and continuing churchwide denials? Read the latter - SIN! Something we're all guilty of but not to the degree or with the flagrancy of these sons of Belial!

Will the tally of those rescued by their labors be sufficient to exceed those lost by their lies? Do we really believe God reckons His ledger in that manner?

The eternal question will be: How it is that congregations allow these things to happen?

RELATED CRIB POSTS ON OTHER HERETICS AND APOSTATES:

BEAM
CHARISMA
PAULKS I
PAULKS II
PAULKS III
PEARSON
PENTACOSTALISM
WHITES I
WHITES II

Apostasy, Christianity, Heresy,
Heretics, Paulks, Pentecostalism

WHITEHEADS: Once they fester, they must be popped!

I've been so disturbed by the embarrassment brought about by "Christian" leaders this year and last (Christy, Tester, Haggard, Pearson, Paulks, Whites, Bynum/Weeks), that I promised myself I wouldn't go there again.

Bottom-line, what brought me here again is J. Lee Grady's piece on Pentecostalism's huge White-head! It needs to be lanced before the whole body becomes diseased ... my opinion, not his.

I subscribe to Charisma Magazine to receive Grady's online editorial called "Fire In My Bones" ... always a good, brief read; and Grady is usually a discerning and skilled Christian-writer, but not this time.

His article, There’s a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On, coming from a charismatic leader and and magazine, is not part of the solution, it's part of the problem. At its foundation it's as carnal as "Bishop" Thomas Weeks III receiving a standing ovation from his church after pummeling his wife and being released from jail.

The article is more of the same old Christian-spin and overwrought White-wash. Friends, there is forgiveness, there is self-control, and there is restoration; but there is also condemnation! It is the only thing which will cleanse the pockmarked face of Pentecostalism. Grady even goes so far as to modify Bynum's beating with the politically correct "allegedly."

In reality, Grady is telling us sin is not the problem; he's telling the injured, who lie devastated around the intersection at Avarice and Pride, that its their fault and that THEY need to be careful about how they react to these events. See the following ...

Ultimately we must come to a place of humility as we face this crisis. We must admit that we too might stumble into compromise or moral failure if we held a stressful leadership position. How would you act if you had Juanita Bynum’s preaching skills, Randy White’s huge congregation or Ted Haggard’s access to the White House?

I am so tired of Christian leaders telling us the stress of the calling to higher position is responsible for their transgressions I could puke! That's tantamount to saying Jehovah Jireh called me but is incapable of providing what I needed to do the job He gave me.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25

The advice offered by Grady is the same-old trinity of secular psychobabble that I'm so sick to death of ...

1. It’s OK to be angry.
2. It’s necessary to grieve.
3. It’s essential to pray rather than criticize.

These very public people need to make very public demonstrations of remorse, contrition, and guilt. [Psalm 51] If the church continues to follow the world's methods of discipline the word should be removed from our lexicon.

On the surface there is nothing patently wrong with Grady's advice - in fact, one paragraph sounds more like the true heart of the writer ...

Holy anger should boil inside us as we see how the name of Jesus is maligned and misused in today’s church. We must aggressively seek accountability and integrity at a time when we have been compromised by hyper-prosperity preaching, carnal showmanship and self-absorbed charlatans. America’s pastors should lift their voices in this hour and denounce this shameful charade before the false prophets of Jezebel completely hijack the American church. The people of God need bold prophets who are not afraid to draw lines and call down the fire of holiness from heaven.

Hoorah! Amen! Preach it brother! But then he intermigles this:

For those of us watching this painful drama, it’s tempting to become cynical, discouraged or judgmental.

There's that setup word, "judgmental." The reader is warned, "Don't you dare take offense at what these dear brothers and sisters have done, don't you dare show your God given emotions ... for shame, you'll be worse than them."

Folks, this steals the prophetic voice from among us; it diminishes the prophetic office and those who hold it. Discipline becomes an anachronism.

But godly people sometimes do ungodly things—and these scandals are a clear indication of deeper issues God wants to address. In this time of unprecedented spiritual shaking we must respond properly.

There it is, the spin! The excusing of sin! The adoption of worldliness ... political correctness!

Now a setup phrase, "respond properly." In this context, a proper response would be indignation, outrage, and gnashing of teeth. But that's not what Grady is advising, is it? What in the world does properly mean to a faithful follower, when his leader has betrayed his trust? It means, "You better watch out how YOU respond; your leaders are watching you!"

Friends, the "pewsters" didn't commit these acts, the leaders did.

And this: "godly people sometimes do ungodly things" ... yes, and sometimes ungodly people do godly things. Good grief!

Before you say anything negative about Randy White, Bishop Thomas Weeks, Ted Haggard or any other leader who may have disappointed you, pray for them by name and ask God to grant them His loving correction, His amazing forgiveness and His full restoration.

Just speaking of their confessions is something negative ... we can't avoid it! Especially when addressing their sins. Does this mean they're "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law"? God help us! Unlike non-believers, authentic Christians (to their credit) confess their sins openly. Are we suggesting we cannot speak of their confessions because it's politically incorrect to do so?

I can just hear Isaiah, Amos, Malachi, and Jeremiah confronting the leaders of their day with their disappointment: "I'm angry and you've disappointed me, but I'll pray for you!"

Under normal circumstances, when a leader disappoints you, yes! But not when they've egregiously sinned against God and the church! Cleanse the Temple! Pentecostalism is surely sending the wrong message by leaving these apostates in power and encouraging others to imitate them. Is there no fear of the Lord among them?

Lee, your callers asked you a question, "What in the world is happening to the church?" Tell them, my brother, tell them! Sin and Satan have entered the hearts of Pentecostal leadership and are bringing her down. Period!

BLOGGERS BLOGGING:

Technorati
Read this rather interesting take on the White's split

RELATED CRIB POSTS

BIG AIN'T BETTA
MEGA CHURCHES: Finally Someone Is Making Sense ... !
MEGA CHURCHES: This Report Reminds Me of Why ... !
PENTECOSTAL FAILURE: My Imagination ... ?
SIN: Call It What It Is!
DIVORCE: Paula & Randy raising the White-flag!

Apostasy, Christianity, Church Discipline,
Mega Barns, Pentecostalism, T. D. Jakes,
Randy & Paula White, Without Walls, Word of Faith

HERESY: Reimage this ... "I never knew you!"

Yep! They market a Goddess Rosary at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Sin Francisco ...

In an attempt to use Biblical, century-old images and developing connections with the Holy Other, the Goddess rosary is grounded in traditions of the Christian Church and the proclamation of the gospel which is a vision of release from bondage for a new creation. Midweek is a good time for you to re-center your hectic paced week and allow the sacred to surround and embrace you!

Love that naked little goddess there, have to get me one of those for my key chain. Their "About" page tells us about ELC ...

It is God/dess who created this world and all its blessings. It is the Ever Living One who has forgiven us, restored us, and blessed us with new life through the saving act of Jesus' death and resurrection. And it is God/dess who enables us to turn from lives of self-absorption to live in partnership with God/dess for the sake of the neighbor. At least every Sunday we need to be reminded of the focus and purpose of life, and we are grateful that the Spirit of the Living One blesses us through our sharing of the Word of Grace and the Holy Communion Meal. We are sent into the world to be bearers of that divine word that can raise the dead to new life.

It's not politically correct to mock the spiritually challenged, so I'll just move on.

HT: A Little Leaven

BLOGGERS BLOGGING:

Spirit Water Blood
St. Elizabeth of Cayce

Apostasy, Christianity, Feminism, Heresy,
Idolatry, Lutheranism, Mainline Denominations

CHURCH'S DIRTY COLLAR: The ring-around-our-collar - Part III

The purpose of this post is to follow up on my two earlier posts on the lecherous and debauched behavior of Earl and Don Paulk (here and here). I've chosen the following Scripture to close this three part series on the brothers Paulk to organize my rant along some biblical line.

There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-19

There is no question in my mind Earl Paulk and his brother Don, Paulk's son, members of the church staff, pastoral members of the ICCC (International Communion of Charismatic Churches), friends, and others are guilty of all of these abominations. The brothers Paulk violated each one individually and jointly.

The entire cost of infidelity in ministry leadership is known by God alone ... remember, He's infinite. But the devastation to families, churches, friends, and our witness is enormous at best but beyond measure at worst. There are so many others damaged by the abuses of these servants of the flesh and their minions from hell that one doesn't know where to begin when speaking of the cost.

Earl Paulk was forced to resign in October as archbishop of the ... ICCC after a member of his local church - the 6,000 - member Cathedral at Chapel Hill in Decatur, Georgia - filed a lawsuit on August 31 charging him with using his position and spiritual role to manipulate women to have sex with himself, members of his family, and others, including visiting pastors, for many years.

The following is just a sprinkling of those who've been irreparably damaged by the brothers Paulk and their soldiers of sin.

What is terribly disturbing to me is that this is appears to be just the tip of an iceberg in the church today. Over and over we've had to confront men who've violated their God given fiduciary responsibilities. Last post I mentioned a number who came quickly to mind; I forgot two of 2005's perpetrators David Seamands (UMC icon) and Lonnie Latham (an SBC executive and pastor) and I'm certain there are many more.

THE LIST:

Haughty Eyes. One has to ask how a man can defile his marriage bed again and again without having a exaggerated opinion of himself? An opinion that looks down the nose at others considered less in stature or station.

How could an adulterer, child molester, and overall deviant lay claim to a calling of God and get in the pulpit three times weekly with a straight face without haughtiness?

A Lying Tongue. Now that the snake is out (no pun intended), we see what others have seen for some time. Classic clinical denial by the perpetrators. And now their accusers are being accused of improper actions and motives.

Look it is entirely irrelevant if the victim enjoyed every liaison, or if she suggested kinky or perverse sex. The point is this: the victim does not have a fiduciary position of trust, nor is the victim the one called to a "higher calling."

It's this simple. Was the perp married? Yes or no? Was the perp in a position of authority? Yes or no? Did the perp use that authority to get what he wanted? Yes or no?

Consider a comment left on a forum at Strange Communications ...

How could ALL these women, children excluded, get caught up in this scandal without being guilty themselves? In my opinion they wanted this relationship or how else could it go on for years? These women have a personal responsibility to God themselves and they chose to go against God's commandments. They are not stupid and are not blind. They know what is going on and in fact they embrace this kind of behavior if not they would not have gotten involved. (Rape is one thing; relationship is another.) My father was a Bishop of a Holiness Church. You wouldn't believe how smart these women were and the way they behaved. It was ugly. The minister is WRONG; but, so are the women. Some cry wolf and pretend like they were misled when they was not misled. These women would have lived the same type of life had they been in any other forum. It just so happened they were church going people.

Though this is most likely a sincere point of view, it's obviously an individual who has no experience with the real world of seduction or with male egos perverted by power and privilege.

Hands that Shed Innocent Blood.

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.

Mark 9:42

It's one thing to seduce a grown woman who is aware of the dangers and aware of her powers, but the exploitation of children is not just disgusting, it's repugnant!

In 2001, a woman in the church charged in a lawsuit settled out of court that Paulk had molested her as a child and teenager.

It's apparent the children of the victims of Earl and Don Paulk are innocent and numerous; the profound affect this will have on them is unknown.

The unsavory tale may get much worse. The discovery process in the case - which attorneys say may not go to trial for several months - is exploring reports that Paulk has fathered a number of children with women in his congregation, and Brewer's attorney has filed a motion for DNA evidence.

And so we see the thread of evil winding its way through the veins of deceit, subterfuge, illicit sex, adultery, and evil, then into the very arteries of the innocent. And whereas the courts normally protect the identities of the kids, the courts recently declared ...

In December, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the church's request for a gag order that had been granted by the trial judge to protect the parties in the case.

If the Paulks fathered children their pain will join with that of spouses harmed by these leaches in clerical garb. And keep in mind we now know of others who've been involved in this debasement of the ministry and abuse of the sheep in numerous denominations.

A Heart Heart that Devises Wicked Plans. Not only did Earl and Don Paulk not act with a fear of God (Romans 3:18), they evidently enticed others to participate.

Brewer's lawsuit said Paulk required her to have sex with him, "other members of the church community ... [and] leaders of other churches as well as his family members, sometimes with other individuals observing the sexual acts."

And the word of God knew them before they were born ...

and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Romans 1:32

Paulk had a special and secret bedroom built in order to have his time with his victims. Rooms aren't built and furnished without a lot of planning; they're not maintained without a lot of clandestine efforts.

And Mrs. Paulk has been putting up with knowledge of the truth since the late '50s and early '60s.

Feet that Run Rapidly to Evil. In spite of pastoring and managing multiple ministries and programs these men still had time to set up liaisons with their victims and from reports hurried to them often.

A False Witness Who Utters Lies. We're told that Paulk denied in depositions and under oath he had any of these affairs; he denied the same to his congregation and supporters, his wife and family; and he lied to his peers ... what few challenged him. Instead he turned upon his accusers and slandered them.

One Who Spreads Strife Among Brethren. I know of several women whose churches and personal lives have been virtually destroyed by perverse church leaders. Men who played off their positions of influence and played upon the vulnerability of their victims - marriages destroyed, trusts broken, phobias and paranoias created, unspoken fears nested, and a feeling of uncleanliness that just won't go away. The sheep were shorn and abused by the very shepherd sworn with their care.

Rev. Larry Tomczak, pastor of Christ the King Church of Greater Atlanta, said he grieves over what has happened to the victims. "Having been in the city for 10 years, I wish we had reached out to these women," said Tomczak. "We should have taken initiative and provided a refuge for restoration."

Bobby Brewer told Charisma last month that he and his wife filed the suit "to give victims a voice."

The count of families reported directly affected runs to at least eight; this doesn't take into consideration the Harvester family.

One cannot throw the monster out with the filthy sewage from this corroded and embarrassing episode in charismatic life without noting Paulk was the founder and "archbishop" of International Communion of Charismatic Churches (ICCC). Certainly it doesn't take much imagination to visualize the friends and supporters the Paulks would have within their circle of influence.

How does a decades long supporter feel now that the fox in the hen house is none other than head fox? How does a young preacher who idolizes and reveres the brothers Paulk feel? And what does the young woman preyed upon by her pastor do when she sees the horrible publicity of this sordid affair?

The ICCC, ... claims a membership of 263 bishops [sic] overseeing congregations in 29 countries ....

The stain of sin moves out from this pagan letting of blood and touches the lives of God's servants and their families in no less than 30 nations.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages ... from the church's board of directors for acquiescing and covering their misdeeds.

Consider this my friends, these men and women, who failed in their fiduciary duties out of misguided love and loyalty for their depraved leaders, each have spouses, children, grand and great grandchildren, as well as employers, neighbors, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, friends, and fellow workers.

How must a believer, saved under the ministries of the brothers Paulk or under the umbrella of the ICCC, feel? Who will come alongside and tend them, sooth them, and heal them?

"Public" figures have publics; by default there are non-believers, seekers, and backsliders looking for answers ... often they look to the lives of religious figures who have large followings, such as the brothers Paulk. What must the damage in and around Atlanta be?

And the Paulks aren't the only ones ... Catholic priests aside. Fourteen percent of SBC church leaders admitted to a sexual indiscretion in a survey conducted in 1993.

There are upsides, though.

The pastors of 13 independent charismatic churches in the Atlanta area issued a public statement of condemnation, as well as contrition for not disciplining Paulk earlier. After the recent charges went public, they said, "We offer a deep-felt apology for tolerating this type of behavior and heretical teaching among those who say they represent God."

Initially, this will engender a healthy respect for our fiduciary responsibility to admonish one another. Sadly, history tells us this won't last long.

The statement apologizes to women who were "betrayed, victimized, abused and wounded by sexually inappropriate actions" and states: "We repent for being afraid to get involved in helping bring the truth of what has been happening for a long time into the light while the media exposed and mocked what should have been handled by the authority of Christ in the church."

Thanks guys, repentance is nice but hollow at this late date. This has been going on for decades; somehow your words sound more like the child who's sorry he got caught than the child who's deeply remorseful.

I've known men like the brothers Paulk, and their ilk, up close and personal; totally in love with themselves and the influence they have over others. One thing I know for sure, these guys love to talk about their conquests. And they don't talk to strangers; they talk to friends ... you guys were their friends and you knew! Period!

... a growing number of pastors who are signing the statement. "Christian leaders who see unrighteousness done in the name of Christ simply cannot sit back and say nothing ... ."

Empty and hollow! How in God's name can your word be trusted now, after all of this. You are as guilty as those you now name scoundrel.

At this time there exists ...

a moderated forum for former members of Earl Paulk's church, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit/Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, Georgia, to connect and discuss our experiences, try to find some healing and move on with our lives.

This appears to be a forum for the Harvester survivors not the victims; I wasn't able to find out exactly but if anyone could tell me, I'd like to know.

I'd think one thing all those repentant "bishops" of the ICCC could do to demonstrate their remorse is to establish a legal expense fund for the Brewers and others, as well as pay for counseling costs for those abused by their clerical "brothers."

All-in-all, I'm glad this series is done ... I need to go take a bath and then pray for the lost wolves of this debacle.


Read more >>>

CRIB Related:

Dirty Collar Part I
Dirty Collar Part II

TAGS: Adultery, Christianity, Church, Church decay, Church leadership,
Earl Paulk, Fidelity, Hypocrisy, Infidelity, Religion

CHURCH'S DIRTY COLLAR: The ring-around-our-collar - Part II

... it's not The CRIB's job to hang out the church's dirty laundry but, in the presence of the filth below, I feel burdened to do so. And I don't give a flip if anyone but me cares ... but you all should.

That this kind of behavior can go on in the presence of the Bride of Christ, let alone in His presence, is patently foreign to the Good News I understand and love.

Before I address the horrible fiduciary and fidelity failure of the church by certain of her leaders, I want to clear up an inadvertent error in my last post on this subject.

The error occurred in this paragraph ...

In the report linked above we're told Pastor Earl Paulk stood with the family as a precious baby girl was born; later Paulk would dedicated her to the Lord, then celebrate her high school graduation, and then, when in her thirties, he would foul her marriage bed ... this in spite of the fact Paulk arranged her marriage to his best friend.

I confused and collapsed the circumstances of two of Earl and Don Paulk's apparent victims into one ... one was the baby born in the church and later seduced and used as a young woman by both Paulks; the other was another young woman, who married Paulk's best friend, who was seduced and used two years after her marriage to his friend. I am sorry to my readers for the carelessness.

However, the issues were and remain the carnal, deviant, perverted, immoral, and evil behavior of church leaders, as well as the absolute need for leader accountability (I'm joining an accountability group today).

For example, the behavior of Earl Paulk was enough to make a believer puke; but the following aspect of "the rest of the story" is enough to bring about spiritual cardiac arrest ...

In 1992, six women accused Paulk, his brother and two nephews - all ministers - of sexual manipulation. In seducing them, the women said, the men had talked about "special" or "kingdom" relationships not bound by earthly interpretations of morality. [...] (CRIB NOTE: sort of like 70 virgins justifying a suicide belt)

By 2001, the church had gained new members and seemed to have recovered from the 1992 scandal. But a new one was breaking.

Jessica Battle, a college student who had been a dancer in the church's arts ministry, filed suit in DeKalb State Court alleging that Paulk had molested her from the time she was 7 until she was 11 years old. Battle also accused him of forcing intercourse on her when she was 17.

For the sake of discussion lets assume one of the women or both seduced Paulk; bottom-line it changes nothing regarding a pastor's biblical and fiduciary responsibility to his flock.

Reverse the scenario anyway you want, you still have to deal with the fact that the Paulks have evidently been involved in immoral and adulterous behavior with women other than their wives. And they both continue to step into the pulpit each week. Shame on us for allowing this to continue.

Paulk denied the Brewers' allegations in court papers. But Dennis Brewer, his Texas attorney (no relation to Bobby and Mona) acknowledged a sexual relationship between the bishop and Mona Brewer. [CRIB emphasis]

"About nine years ago, there were two or three incidents wherein she was the aggressor," he said in a telephone interview.

The lawyer said the bishop had "absolutely not" had a sexual relationship with Cindy Hall, and that Don Paulk, the bishop's brother who is also his client, "absolutely denies" having sex with Hall.

He said he thinks Hall and Mona Brewer are "writing a book or want to ... be movie stars."

If we assume all of this to be true, it still doesn't mitigate the fact an under-shepherd of God Himself is guilty of numerous egregious sins while carrying the mantle of ministry. One sin, no matter how it is spun, makes another sin right!

As you should recognize, this is entirely consistent with our modern relativistic culture where no ones accepts responsibility for his or her actions. But, one day coming soon, God will see to it that all mankind takes responsibility.

Equally hard to believe, but apparently true, is the complicity of other men in the church to assist Paulks in his perversion and later to hide the dark secrets of "bishop" Paulk.

Likewise, the failure of peer clergy in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches (ICCC), an organization Earl Paulk was instrumental in founding, is patently unacceptable. Only one group has apparently made a statement of apology ...

The pastors of 13 independent charismatic churches in the Atlanta area issued a public statement of condemnation, as well as contrition for not disciplining Paulk earlier. After the recent charges went public, they said, "We offer a deep-felt apology for tolerating this type of behavior and heretical teaching among those who say they represent God."

According to Brewer, Paulk had her service visiting evangelists and his brother Don.

In 1992, when his brother Don Paulk stepped down from the pulpit briefly after confessing adultery, she said, Paulk asked her to have sex with him to make him feel better. Once, the brothers took turns with her. Soon after that, her intimacy with the bishop began to taper off.

We must remind ourselves the Paulks are only two of many whose pride allowed them to thumb their noses at Christ, the Scriptures, and their flocks. I can quickly think of Gordon MacDonald, Jim Bakker, Lonnie Latham, Jesse Jackson, David Hocking, Randall Terry, a multitude of perverted Catholic priests, Jimmy Swaggart, and a dozen lesser known clergy ... shall I continue?

Probe Ministries reports ...

An article in a 1997 issue of Newsweek magazine noted that various surveys suggest that as many as 30 percent of male Protestant ministers have had sexual relationships with women other than their wives.

The Journal of Pastoral Care in 1993 reported a survey of Southern Baptist pastors in which 14 percent acknowledged they had engaged in "sexual behavior inappropriate to a minister." It also reported that 70 percent had counseled at least one woman who had had intercourse with another minister. [CRIB emphasis]

A 1988 survey of nearly 1000 Protestant clergy by Leadership magazine found that 12 percent admitted to sexual intercourse outside of marriage, and that 23 percent had done something sexually inappropriate with someone other than their spouse.

This my friends is an abomination and ought not to be. I know how difficult it is to maintain fidelity to your wife and church ... it's hell, especially in a world where far too many women fail to help us maintain our integrity. But the job can be done and must be done. Nothing crushes the spirit of a church and her people like the failure of its main spiritual leader.

Next week I'll make my final post on this subject and discuss the damage done to the innocent. Then I plan to leave it in the Lord's hands ... what will you do?

UPDATE (2/13/06): Blogotional has an excellent personal take on this post here; as well as a reaction to my first post here. These are worth the visit because they come from a lay-leader not a member of the clergy and a non-Baptist.

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Adultery, Christianity, Church, Church decay, Church leadership,
Earl Paulk, Fidelity, Hypocrisy, Infidelity, Religion