Protestia

Category: News

  • Francis Chan Joins Benny Hinn as Speakers for Upcoming ‘Pastor’s Conference’

    Francis Chan Joins Benny Hinn as Speakers for Upcoming ‘Pastor’s Conference’

    Francis Chan is once again partnering with an arch-heretic on the preaching circuit, joining Benny Hinn for the upcoming ‘Pastor’s Conference,’ hosted by Jesus Image.

    Jesus Image, led by Michael and Jessica Koulianos, frequently collaborates with Benny Hinn and is a run-of-the-mill hyper-charismatic/‘you must receive the second baptism in the spirit’ sort of ministry.

    The conference’s purpose is so that people can “learn from trustworthy men and women of God who have invaluable wisdom to share from lessons they’ve learned in ministry” so they can “receive training and encouragement.”

    It’s par for the course for Francis Chan, once a Master’s Seminary grad and now a spiritually squirrely scoundrel who was last seen healing an entire village without the Holy Spirit, butchering church history, speaking at a Roman Catholic conference, praising false teachers like Todd White and Benny Hinn, claiming that taking communion Is basically like having ‘intercourse’ with Jesus, getting upset that Roman Catholics won’t take communion with him, and recently claiming that the Holy Spirit is moving Baptist and Roman Catholics to worship together and become one big church.

    The two previously participated in a Send event together where Chan was cautiously optimistic about Hinn attending, saying:

    I did know there was a possibility that he [Benny] would be there, and actually, my friend said ‘hey, I know you’re speaking in this conference, I’m considering having Benny Hinn there.’ And I’m like ‘whoa!’ And he says ‘hey, will you come to meet with him? I don’t even know what I think about it.’ And I’m like ‘alright, let’s go.’

    …The first thing Benny does is say ‘you guys eat. Do you mind if I just talk for awhile?’

    And he just starts pouring out his heart. He starts saying ‘do you guys believe you can lose the favor of God? Like he doesn’t trust you anymore?’ He goes ‘I believe I have lost God’s favor. He gave me a gift and I got concerned about money, about friendships about my family and fame, and I have not been close to Jesus in years.’

    He goes, I want to say two or three months ago, he says ‘I’ve blocked out this time where I just want to be alone with Jesus and nothing.’ And I mean, he goes on this whole discourse where I’m like ‘whoa, this is not at all what I expected.’

    And then he plays this old hymn, he says ‘before you talk about this or that, will you just quiet yourselves into the presence of God, because this is where I have failed.’

    Francis says that Hinn concluded by pointing to him as a random audience member and exhorted him to never love anything more than Jesus and keep his heart pure, and talks about the struggle of trying to fight and come back.

    And so am I saying ‘hey, I’m a Benny Hinn follower now?’ I started praying for him after that because he’s got his world that kept sucking him into these things and yet there was something inside that was pulling him away from the money.

    And I don’t know where he is today. I don’t know where that is, but I’m just going, gosh, when I hear someone talk like that-and no I didn’t do all the research and everything else- I just, I was scared of him you know, so I say that and to anyone whose listening, I don’t know you guys (Remnant Radio hosts) and [yet here we are talking]

  • Disgraced Pastor Stovall Weems Files Lawsuit Against Association of Related Churches

    Disgraced Pastor Stovall Weems Files Lawsuit Against Association of Related Churches

    (Ministry Watch) The story of Stovall Weems and his former church—Celebration Church of Jacksonville, Florida—has taken yet another turn. Weems and his wife Kerri filed a lawsuit July 12 against the Association of Related Churches (ARC), claiming the leaders of the ARC “masterminded” to destroy the couple and take over Celebration Church for their benefit, which include “expand[ing] their church growth business interests” and “effectively gain[ing] control over its operations and substantial assets.”

    The couple is seeking more than $75,000 in damages claiming they were framed for financial crimes they did not commit that destroyed their reputation and ultimately led to their dismissal from Celebration Church.

    Weems resigned from the church in April after the church suspended him in light of allegations of financial misdealings involving church money. The week following Weems’ resignation, the church released findings of an investigation they initiated into his behavior. Accusations ranged from Weems leading the church to the brink of insolvency to him creating a culture of fear…to continue reading click here.

    This article was written by Daniel Ritchie and published at Ministry Watch

  • Veteran Cleared Over Silent Prayer Near Abortion Clinic

    Veteran Cleared Over Silent Prayer Near Abortion Clinic

    An army veteran who was fined for praying silently within an abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’ will not face criminal charges.

    Adam Smith-Connor was approached six months ago by community safety officers near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth.  A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) zone was imposed around the clinic by the local council last October banning prayer, counselling and acts of “approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means”. 

    Smith-Connor had been praying silently for his son who was aborted over 20 years ago and for the women, men, and children still being impacted by abortion today. After being quizzed by community officers about his praying within the PSPO zone, he later received a letter from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council informing him that he was being fined and threatening criminal charges if he failed to comply. 

    After he launched legal action against the fine, his lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK) made submissions arguing that the state had no power to restrict thoughts directed towards God. The police informed Smith-Connor that praying silently…. to continue reading click here.

    This article was written and published at Christian Today

  • SBC’s Baptist Press Promotes Ministry That PAYS Men To Abstain From Violence

    SBC’s Baptist Press Promotes Ministry That PAYS Men To Abstain From Violence

    Between 2018 and 2022, the city of Philadelphia experienced a 50% increase in the number of shootings. Baptist Press, the Pravda of the Southern Baptist Convention recently highlighted the response by Philadelphia churches to an increase in “gun violence” in their city. The tenor of the article reflects the shift in attitude by many institutionalist leaders in the Convention, including the ERLC’s Brent Leatherwood, who views the Convention’s 2018 resolution on gun violence as a blank check to use cooperative program funds as a means to advocate for gun control and left-leaning social policies.

    The article focused on efforts by Great Commission Church of Philadelphia through its Man Up Philadelphia program. The program, led by Solomon Jones, seeks to curb shootings by listening to men considered vulnerable to cycles of violence and providing these individuals with mentorship, job opportunities, and a stipend of $15 per hour for participation in the organization’s activities.

    In a meeting of the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety, Jones explained his rationale for paying participants in the program.

    “We do pay stipends to our participants, and those stipends are fifteen dollars an hour. We are cognizant of the fact that folks have been fighting for a long time to raise the minimum wage to 15 an hour, and we felt like that was something that we should do as an example of what happens when you pay somebody 15 an hour. They come in to mentoring sessions where we do character, we do conflict resolution, we do trauma we do job readiness, and we also do financial literacy, and in in conjunction with that we ask these questions around gun violence the causes the effects and the solutions, and that’s when we do a whole lot of listening.”

    The idea of listening to the culture and allowing unregenerate people to define the causes and solutions of their own problems is a sure way to become distracted from the root cause of sin, which is a wicked and corrupt heart that rushes headlong into evil. Pastor Larry Anderson of Great Commission Church told Baptist Press that believers need to learn to “exegete the culture.” Pastor Anderson believes that this mission must be accomplished before the Gospel is presented to those who would be involved in violence:

    “We’ve got to save their life in the present before we can save their life eternally.”

    Solomon Jones of Man Up Philadelphia is known for his social justice activism. He believes that “systemic inequality is driving America’s gun violence” and that the only way to resolve systemic injustice is through national reparations. 

    In his recently released pro-Black Lives Matter manifesto, Ten Lives, Ten Demands: Life-and-Death Stories, and a Black Activist’s Blueprint for Racial Justice, Solomon uses the deaths of Black people who Solomon argues died in an unjust manner, such as Michael Brown, to argue for reparations and defunding the police, as a means to achieving justice and equality. 

    Solomon Jones and the Man Up program treat men who are statistically likely to commit crimes as victims of their circumstances. The only solution in Jones’ mind is the enactment of leftist policies such as defunding the police and socialist government schemes designed to redistribute wealth to these so-called victims of circumstance who will otherwise turn to “gun violence.” Jones actively advocated for the Defund The Police movement during the riots of 2020. As a result, the Philadelphia City Council removed $47 million from the 2021 police department budget, resulting in a surge of unbridled violence, as average police response times soared to an average of 22 minutes. 

    While advocating for the defund the police movement, Jones and his family have been active in “mostly peaceful protests.” From the pulpit of Great Commission Church, Jones recently advocated for “attacking the system” and young people “putting their bodies on the line” in a way that leads to arrests, a decidedly different picture than the one presented to Baptist Press.

    “Sometimes we old folk just need to get out the way and make sure we got the bail money when our kids stand up and get arrested.”

    The way that many leftists in the SBC approach violence and gun control is no different than the way they approach the issue of abortion. Solomon Jones’ “whole life” violence prevention philosophy that advocates the use of various temporal measures as a means to dissuade men from committing acts of violence is no different than the “whole life” approach of leftists like Karen Swallow Prior, who believes that the answer to preventing abortion is to give women financial support and resources.

    These approaches are not Gospel-centered. They don’t direct a wicked generation to repent of their evil hearts that are quick to shed innocent blood. Instead, they treat those in desperate need of repentance as victims of circumstance.

  • Megachurch Faces Civil Lawsuit After Church Elder Starves and Tortures Daughter to Death

    Megachurch Faces Civil Lawsuit After Church Elder Starves and Tortures Daughter to Death

    Last year, an elder from Miles McPherson’s 19,000-member Rock Church in San Diego, California, was taken into custody and charged with the gruesome murder of her 11-year-old adopted daughter, Arabella, by way of torture and starvation. Now, a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Arabella’s two remaining biological sisters, taking legal action against the church and accusing it of ignoring the signs of abuse and failing to report it.

    The tragic chain of events unraveled in late 2022, when a distress call about a child led police to the home around 2 am. Emergency crews discovered the young girl in dire straits and rushed her to the hospital, where she later died.


    Detectives observed signs of abuse and malnutrition, leading them to arrest Leticia McCormack, the adoptive mother, along with Arabella’s adoptive grandparents on multiple charges, including murder, torture, and deliberate cruelty to a child. Arabella weighed just 48 lbs when found, was covered in bruises, and was later discovered to have 13 still-healing bone fractures. Her adoptive father, Brian McCormack, chose to end his life rather than face arrest, shooting himself in his truck on the day Arabella died.

    In the aftermath of this tragic incident, a civil lawsuit has been initiated. This legal action accuses the San Diego megachurch and one of its employees, along with several employees of the county Child Welfare Services, San Diego police and fire departments, and Arabella’s preschool of negligence for not reporting the clear and obvious neglect and abuse, with particular ire directed toward Rock Church, writing:

    At some point, the Rock Church Child Abuse Investigator and Safety Operations Manager Kevin Johnstone became involved and visited the McCormacks’ home and the girls on multiple occasions.

    In fact, Mr. Johnstone visited all three children just the week prior to Arabella’s death…(and) their neglect and abuse was apparent to him. All three girls were severely emaciated, underdeveloped, and the victims of prolonged starvation, isolation, lack of medical care, torture, and abuse.”

    At the time of the death, Rock Church issued this statement, but has not commented since:

    The Rock no longer has any official relationship with Leticia. Her ordination at Rock Church was previously suspended and is in the process of being revoked.

    We continue to grieve for Arabella and her sisters. We are so sorry that their family and friends are experiencing this unimaginable loss and pain. We send our deepest condolences to all that are grieving at this time. Our hearts go out to each of them.

    h/t Church Leaders

  • Worship Duo Shane & Shane Silent After Being Beat Up for Partnering with Bethel Music

    Worship Duo Shane & Shane Silent After Being Beat Up for Partnering with Bethel Music

    Famous worship duo Shane and Shane have so far remained silent after getting absolutely dragged following a July 5 announcement that they were performing a worship set with Bethel Church’s Brian and Jenn Johnson, with the overwhelming number of comments on their post deeply critical and negative of the joint venture.

    So far there has not been any follow up or statement from the musicians about the post, which has 1100 sad face emoticons, 51 angry faces, and only 107 hearts.

    Jenn Johnson is the senior worship ‘pastor’ at Bethel Church in Redding, California. The co-founder of Bethel Music and Bethel Music Worship School, she is also a musician, songwriter, singer, author, and speaker. We wrote about her last after she claimed that angels sit around the throne of God and have ‘farting contests‘ and claiming that Jesus has ‘Armpit Reflectors’ that bounce our worship off him and back to us.

    For more on Bethel:

    Bethel Pastor Claims Adam is ‘Procreating With God’ and ‘Co-Creating’ When Naming the Animals
    Little God Theology? Bethel Prophet Says you are ‘Made like God’ and Made ‘After the God-Kind’
    Never Forget: Bethel Church Promoted Prophetic Uno Cards
    Bethel ‘Pastor’ Says Michael the Archangel Dresses in ‘Wrestling Tights,’ is ‘always Grumpy’
    Bethel Pastrix: ‘Jesus Laid in that Bed with Me and Started to Play with my Hair’
    Bethel Church “Pastor” Says Angels Sit Around the Throne of God Having “Farting Contests”
    Bethel Chief Prophet says God made Adam ‘Male’ AND ‘Female’ + Adam ‘co-created Eve’
    Bethel Church Has a ‘Lab’ Where they Apply Scientific Methods to The Prophetic + People. Only

  • Pope Confirms Bishop Handpicked by Chinese Communist Party

    Pope Confirms Bishop Handpicked by Chinese Communist Party

    Demonstrating yet again what a sad and compromised ‘leader’ he is, Pope Francis bowed to China and confirmed a Bishop hand-selected and appointed by Communist authorities, according to a report from LifeSiteNews.

    While there is no such thing as a ‘good’ pope, since they are the head of an evil and wicked heterodox church, Francis has been particularly noxious and vexatious, doing things like affirming the faith of Joe Biden and saying he would never refuse him communion because the President’s love for abortion is between him and God, endorsing civil unions for gay couples, appointing multiple pro-choice people to his pro-life organization, asking pagans to send him ‘good vibes’ and releasing an outrageously blasphemous statement.

    LifeSiteNews explains:

    In the daily bulletin on July 15, the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis had appointed Bishop Joseph Shen Bin as Bishop of Shanghai, thus “transferring him from the Diocese of Haimen, Jiangsu Province.” 

    …If the name of Bishop Shen Bin is familiar, that is because he was already appointed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as head of the Diocese of Shanghai back on April 4 of this year, in a move which the Vatican was only “informed” about but not involved in.

    His April appointment came from the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Group, part of the official Chinese state-approved Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA)… the Vatican stated via its press office that “the Holy See had been informed a few days ago of the decision of the Chinese authorities” and then “learned from the media of the settlement” on the morning the event took place. 

    While Protestants have no pope over them, it would be not unlike Governor Gavin Newsom in California appointing a new pastor to be senior leader over Grace Community Church once John MacArthur passed away, and then the board of elders backing the appointment.

    It’s a complete betrayal but also par for the course for the decrepit and corrupt pontiff.

  • John MacArthur’s ‘Essential Church’ Film May Show in 1000 Theaters- But It Needs Some Help

    John MacArthur’s ‘Essential Church’ Film May Show in 1000 Theaters- But It Needs Some Help

    According to a report from Justin Peters, the Essential Church movie – a film about Grace Community Church’s struggle against the County and State of California to stay open during the pandemic amid worldwide opposition and condemnation from pagans and pastors alike- is set to be relased in 170 theaters on July 28, with the possibility of 1000 more if they sell out.

    In order to help other people see this film around the world, go to http://essentialchurchmovie.com, click ‘Get Tickets Now,’ enter your zip code and select your theater
    As per the promo material :

    Mandated restrictions cause the church to close its doors indefinitely. The church congregation led by Pastor John MacArthur takes a courageous stand and re-opens its doors. Amid health and political uncertainty, the church files a lawsuit to protect their God-given rights. Facing fines and jail time, the church learns what is truly at stake. This feature-length documentary explores the struggle between Church and government throughout history. This story takes us to multiple countries and uncovers those who have sacrificed their lives for what they believe in.

  • Sound of Freedom Hits $100M Box Office, On Track for Another $20M Weekend

    Sound of Freedom Hits $100M Box Office, On Track for Another $20M Weekend

    The Sound of Freedom is a bonafide hit for ‘The Chosen’ studio Angel Studios, hitting $100M at the box office domestically and making it the most successful independent film of 2023.

    Originally filmed in 2018 for $14.5M, it sat unreleased for years until Angel Studios picked it up and distributed it, using a blend of faith-based marketing and encouraging fans to ‘pay it forward’ by buying multiple tickets to give away to others to watch. The film has a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 100% audience score based on over 10,000 verified reviews.

    Unlike many big box-office movies that bombed this year, including The Flash, whose budget and marketing exceeded $300M yet only brought in $107M domestically, Sound of Freedom is expected to quickly blow past them this weekend, with many experts saying the film will finish at $150 domestically or more, and it still hasn’t hit international markets yet.

    Starring Jim Caviezel, the film is “based upon the true story of former government agent Tim Ballard who quit his job to rescue a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. In the process, Tim saved 123 people, 55 of whom were children, from one mission alone.”

    Notably, Ballard is not a Christian but a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

  • ‘Daughters of Manipur’ Two Christian Women Gang Raped, Family Killed in India

    ‘Daughters of Manipur’ Two Christian Women Gang Raped, Family Killed in India

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to safeguard the “daughters of Manipur” following the horrific gang rape of two Christian women by an alleged Hindu group.  

    A chilling video circulating online shows the women, stripped of their dignity, being molested by a group of Hindu men before being forcefully led into a field where they were reportedly violated, as per The Times.  

    The victims, one in her 20s and another in her 50s were seen imploring the mob for mercy amidst the escalating ethnic violence in the state. When the younger victim’s father and brother intervened, the mob beat them to death/.

    Modi voiced his condemnation, “I assure the nation, no guilty will be spared. The law will take its course with all its might. What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.” He urged state government leaders to reinforce women’s safety and labeled the May 4 incident “a blemish on any civilized nation.”  

    He expressed deep anguish and fury, stating, “My heart is filled with pain and anger.”  

    This brutal incident has occurred amidst a backdrop of escalating tensions threatening to plunge the nation into civil war. According to reports, nearly 250 Christian churches, mostly Baptist, have been destroyed and burned down in the last 3 months.