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Servus Christi Imports Bride, Fakes Marriage, Sends Her Back After Consummation

What if the most vociferous critic of the church’s best leaders was in fact an abuser of women, a fornicator, adulterer, and unrepentant hypocrite? Well, it turns out, he is.

A controversial YouTube figure and top lieutenant in Jacob Prasch’s multi-national Moriel Ministries, Servus Christi, is known for his lengthy videos critiquing evangelical leaders. The pseudonymous personality says his real name is Joshua Chavez, although he has been accused by some former Prasch followers of using various aliases. He’s certainly been caught on more than one occasion operating with fake names online, occasionally that of women.

Jacob Prasch and Joshua Chavez have built their large following online by imitating the work of Christian polemics, a discipline of theological study that is highly despised but still often utilized, most of the time for the edification of the church. But the type of polemics engaged in by Prasch and Chavez stands in contrast to that which is done by most; theirs seeks to take people out of churches rather than building them. Painting themselves as discernment ministers, Moriel Ministries builds a level of credibility by critiquing the low-hanging fruit of notoriously false teachers, many of whom desperately need to be exposed. Chavez, for example, critiques sermons just like Chris Rosebrough is famous for doing, creates power-point presentations like Justin Peters does, and designed his website as a counterfeit look-alike of Pulpit & Pen. But instead of pointing to Christ Jesus, Moriel Ministries and its henchmen have built a worldwide cult of personalities for Jacob Prasch, the ranting lunatic who has been proven to have lied about his (non) Jewish ancestry and holds to uniquely bizarre doctrinal beliefs (like Jesus is the Metatron or that John MacArthur is a tool of the antichrist).

But unlike the discernment ministers Chavez counterfeits, he doesn’t stop his critiques at Beth Moore, Joel Osteen, or Kenneth Copeland. Chavez spends endless hours splicing videos of Justin Peters, Chris Rosebrough, Paul Washer, John MacArthur, and even a few of yours truly (JD Hall), mostly out of context, out of order, or partially fabricated. His recent claims about a convert to Christianity from the New Age Movement, Doreen Virtue, have been particularly libelous and wolf-like, seeking to devour new converts to Christ and slander those who helped them find Biblical theology. And almost all of Chavez’ attempted coup de graces include a unique form of Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon, assigning not only guilt by association, but guilt by association of association of associations.

The two men – Moriel and Chavez – don’t have inconsequential ministries, either. Moriel’s camera work may give the appearance of him being a destitute, sad old man holed away in a non-descript trailer park somewhere, but in reality, Moriel Ministries has ten branch offices around the world, with an estimated million dollars or more per office being received each year. And Chavez, who many believe is an heir-apparent to Prasch, exploded into prominence several years ago after picking high-profile fights with some of evangelicalism’s most straight-shooting preachers. He currently has fifty thousand subscribers on YouTube, a feat that isn’t easy for cultists.

Both Moriel and Chavez have the same Modus Operandi, which serves to build their audience while emptying churches of their congregations. Mostly, this consists of convincing their listeners that no good churches exist, that all other spiritual leaders are compromised, and that they should leave their local churches and listen to them exclusively online. Instead of filling up churches, the Moriel-Chavez guild empties churches, a sure sign of textbook apostasy if ever there was one. And ironically, their apostasy is done in the name of fighting apostasy, a devilish twist on the purpose of Christian polemics.

For example, when I spoke to Chavez on the phone several years ago – a conversation which we both recorded – I pressed upon him to tell me if he had ever enjoyed a lasting healthy relationship with any local church. Chavez, after long orations on what really constitutes a church and if the pastorate really exists and if “organized religion” is really Biblical, and having provided other arguments of deconstruction, he eventually had to answer with no. He has never enjoyed a healthy relationship with any church and neither should he expect to. I marked him immediately as a Sectarian Minimalist heretic, a designation I’m happy to have made accurately. Biblical discernment ministers desire to equip, edify, and build up local churches (Ephesians 4:12), not dismantle them. Prasch-Chavez do not have a ministry of building up, but only of tearing down.

This, by and large, is because they are schismatics. Or, as Titus 3:10 would call them,αἱρετικὸν (heretics).

It should not surprise me then – and in fact, it didn’t – to discover that Joshua Chavez is as morally sound as he is theologically sound (in other words, not at all). While rumors have circulated for over a year that Chavez recently had a live-in girlfriend (while working for Moriel) with whom he soon eloped and then immediately divorced, we were unable to verify that information. That is, we were unable to verify the information until her concerned friends from various support groups reached out to us with their desperate pleas for help. We have since been able to verify their accounts through various sources to the best of our journalistic ability. And we have cross-referenced those accounts with correspondence sent us that originated directly from his female victim. But the story is even worse than has been whispered.

Chavez imported a woman from South Africa under the guise of marrying her, conducted a private fake wedding ceremony, consummated the “marriage,” and immediately sent her back to Africa, refusing to ever speak to her again

The story begins as a Chavez’ “career” in internet discernment ministry was taking off. As his notoriety grew while criticizing the work of Paul Washer, John MacArthur, and other leaders, Chavez soon developed fans in other countries. Many of those fans were followers of Prasch’s Moriel Ministries, which is best characterized as an anti-church with strong Judaizing tendencies. And it was Jacob Prasch himself who began to utilize Chavez as a top figure in his online outreach.

Chavez soon took interest in a young, devout religious follower, whose identity and name will be withheld from this article, as is the longstanding practice of Pulpit & Pen when dealing with the victims of spiritual or sexual abuse. The woman, an attractive and pious believer, worked as a professional in a respectable career. And through an online relationship with Chavez, she was soon promised a trip to America to marry the internet minister.

The woman’s religious convictions were very clear from the beginning; sex should be reserved for marriage, marriage was to be a lasting covenant between a husband and wife before God, and remarriage was not permitted under any circumstance. Chavez assured the woman that he too held these convictions, and that it was God’s holy will the two should be united in holy matrimony.

The details surrounding this tragic abuse are as follows:

Chavez carefully groomed the young follower from Africa, pledging his undying love and promising her betrothal.

The details of Chavez’s relationship with his victim were spoken plainly in a number of Facebook support groups. These include Fasting for Marriage Restoration, Standers for Covenant Marriage, and Covenant Marriage and Betrothal Divorce.

Chavez’ victim, convinced to be a “stander” (someone who is in a marriage and remains faithful despite their spouse’s infidelity or unfaithfulness), spoke candidly about her situation, without saying the last name of her “husband,” merely referring to him as “Joshua.” However, according to her, Joshua had an important online “ministry,” which he “put her away” (Matthew 1:19) to focus upon.

After she posted one photo in a support group (see below), some recognized “Joshua” as Joshua Chavez, the full-time minister of calumny who “calls out” the world’s finest preachers for supposed infractions of doctrinal standards. When they saw that her husband was Jacob Prasch’s right-hand man, their jaws dropped in disbelief.

As the details of her relationship with Chavez came out, friends and fellow survivors encouraged her to speak to Biblical counsel. Some suggested that she speak out, lest Chavez do it again to another woman. However, the woman claimed that the exposure would make him “hate her” even more, and he already “hated her plenty.”

The young woman’s friends tried to assure her that his behavior indicated his actions were premeditated and intentional, if not predatory. And most of all, they tried to convince her that a marriage proposal based on fraud was not a two-party “covenant” ratified before God, but a scam.

Advice in the groups varied. Some claimed that marriage is forever binding, no matter how fraudulent it began. Others insisted that Chavez’ intentions of using the woman and then discarding her were inconsequential to God’s design of the permanency of marriage.

But almost all in those support groups seemed united on one thing; Chavez never intended to legally marry her, nor did he intend to keep her in the United States as his wife after their honeymoon. She was to Chavez disposable. And those who knew Chavez or followed his ministry or that of Jacob Prasch’s, uniformly believed the church needed to find this out because, as the Scripture says, “judgment begins in the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

According to the woman, Chavez promised her over their 8-month online courtship that marriage was the will of God for her, and that she was meant to be with him. And when she came to the United States on a three-month visa, it was Chavez’s explicit promise to marry her and get her established as his wife in the United States.

Not belonging to any church, Chavez concocted a ceremony officiated by his step-father; the only witnesses to the event were Chavez’ mother and grandmother.

Because Chavez is a Sectarian Minimalist, he had no access to a local church in which to marry this young woman. One of the woman’s friends put it this way to Pulpit & Pen, “That it was a trick to sleep with her and throw her away.” She added, “the [young woman] is absolutely broken by it all. She believes in covenant marriage and that he is her covenant husband so she says that she will never move on. She said she is in ‘deep pain and grief’.”

Interestingly, Chavez never acknowledged his marriage in social media, in his YouTube videos, to his followers or the followers of Moriel Ministries, or clued in his many religious followers that he was either “betrothed” or “married.”

To this day, followers of Moriel or Servetus Christi still do not know that Chavez had a “secret marriage.” But that makes more sense, now that we know he also had a secret “honeymoon” and secret “divorce” to follow.

Perhaps it would be difficult for Chavez to explain that during their brief in-country betrothal, he was living with this woman outside of matrimony. Whatever the reason, this marriage was top-secret and neither known or celebrated among the people who follow him most closely

Did he ever intend to make his marriage known? The answer to that is a resounding no, considering that he was never legally married at all, and neither was his wedding ceremony observed in the assembly of the church or with witnesses outside his wife and sister.

The couple was declared married “in the eyes of God,” but from the very beginning, Chavez had promised to file legal paperwork to have them officially married by law.

It was not the intention of the young woman never to be legally married. In fact, Chavez had promised her that he would file a marriage license when he returned from the honeymoon. However, according to sources close to the young woman, the honeymoon is when Chavez began to mock and belittle the woman and made known his plans to send her back to Africa without being wed.

One source wrote, “I guess she was blinded by love and trust for him, that she did not make sure she had the right visa before going to the honeymoon. It seemed awfully convenient that he had excuses not to do it legally. Especially since [the young woman] said he just became very negative on the honeymoon, and was starting fights and saying all these bad things about her that he never had before. Before the honeymoon, she said anytime they would fight he claimed he felt physically sick to his stomach if he did not make it right with her before bed. She said it was like something came over him on the honeymoon and he changed and she believes it to be a Jezebel influence. My opinion is that he knew he wanted to depart so he had to start making stuff up so he could blame it on her.”

However, in plans revealed on the honeymoon, Chavez plotted to separate from the woman and send her back to Africa, having fulfilled his carnal desires.

In messages delivered to Pulpit & Pen, the young woman explained from her own perspective where things went wrong and furthermore, believes it was Chavez’s intentions all along to discard her after the honeymoon. However, and this important to emphasize, she repeatedly asks for prayer for Chavez and that God would save his soul.

In one Facebook post, the woman compares Chavez’ actions to that of a human trafficker…

However, one need not think that Chavez only wanted the young woman for sex. She also reports that he wanted her for her money and labor, desiring that she work in her professional field in order to finance his time in “ministry.” Allegedly, the young woman had a fair amount of financial savings, but Chavez became enraged when he discovered it was because of her thriftiness and financial discipline, and not because her job was lucrative.

At one point, after deciding to send her back to Africa when her visa expired, Chavez told her that if she “got a good job, I will buy you a ticket back to America.” Chavez was under the impression that the young woman’s visa would allow her to be employed (it did not), and grew angry that he would instead have to provide for her.

Reportedly, Chavez’s mother is overbearing and “controls him” and was upset the young woman was not as skilled at homemaking as she would like, encouraging Chavez to send her back to Africa. Chavez insisted that her role would not be homemaking, but bread-winning to support his ministry. Nonetheless, his mother remained a driving force in the decision to put away his wife to Africa.

Refusing to legally marry, Chavez would not have to legally divorce. After sending her back to Africa, Chavez immediately stopped all contact with the woman, “ghosting her.”

Content that sending her back to Africa without a legal marriage would conclude the matter, Chavez immediately “ghosted” the young woman, refusing to speak to her. Currently, the only avenue of communication the woman has is to contact him through his media ministry, Servetus Christi. He has blocked her number and email addresses in all other forms of communication.

However, since the release of our “beating the weeds” post late last week, Chavez has sent several messages to the young woman’s father, insinuating that she should be institutionalized, ostensibly to keep her from speaking to the media or sharing her story to others. Additionally, Chavez has promised if any information comes out about him, he will communicate with every asylum in Cape Town, South Africa, to have her institutionalized.

The young woman has no signs of mental illness whatsoever. Her desire to remain faithful to her husband out of a strong religious conviction is what Chavez is characterizing as a mental illness. The woman’s communications with Chavez only amounts to letting him know almost daily that she still loves him and is praying for him; he is characterizing that as insanity.

The woman is currently seeking to restore their marriage, even if it can be rightly characterized as “human trafficking.”

Convinced that it’s valid in the sight of God and should last a lifetime, the young woman is remaining faithful. Chavez, however, says that she will hold him back from ministry and is a “distraction” from the work God has set before him.

The young woman wrote, “Even if someone marries with an evil heart say for sex and a woman to work so they don’t have to, so he can do his ministry…he realized I might not be a good worker; I don’t think he wanted to invest in me. I asked him what happened if one day I got sick and he said he would send me back to South Africa.”

She continued, “I honestly think he is an evil man and God knows his intentions may be that of a human trafficker.”

However, lots of people have lots of bad advice, and she continued, “I already shared this question on Sharon Henry’s ministry and she said even if you marry a human trafficker it is still valid, I don’t want to talk to any pastors about it because I am sure of what is biblical. I still feel married and only God can judge the heart.”

Chavez has worked for Moriel Ministries during this time, who has helped to cover up his sins and allowed him a prominent place in the organization. Chavez has never told his many followers of his sin, and neither has Moriel issued any statement regarding his behavior.

Moriel Ministries utilized Chavez as a high-ranking member of their ministry for nearly six months after his sham marriage and divorce.

However, a video produced by Moriel Ministries on the topic of marriage and divorce, speaks condemnation on the topic. In the video, Jacob Prasch calls such things “abominable, and should be abhorrent to all of us.”

There have been no statements provided by Moriel Ministries in regard to Chavez’s disqualifications from ministry, although it is speculated (it is not fully known) that his behavior might have led to Chavez’s departure from Moriel in late 2019; many months after these events took place.

The young woman believes that Jacob Prasch is a “very bad influence” on Joshua, and just uses him because he’s good at “attacking his enemies.”

While ruining this young woman’s life, importing her for a fake marriage, taking her purity, and then immediately sending her away without a writ of divorce, Chavez has continued his attacks upon men like Paul Washer, John MacArthur, and Justin Peters.

A list of pastors, preachers, and evangelists attacked by Servetus Christi during his sin of fornication, fraudulent marriage, divorce, and subsequent cover-up include:

  • Justin Peters
  • Chris Rosebrough
  • Doreen Virtue
  • Costi Hinn
  • John MacArthur
  • Todd Friel
  • Ray Comfort
  • Ken Hamm
  • Kirk Cameron
  • Phil Johnson
  • James White
  • Voddie Baucham
  • Josh Buice
  • And ME (JD Hall)

Little did any of us know that amidst these videos and tirades, Chavez was trafficking in humans, using women for sex and money, fabricating a marriage, and putting away a woman as though she were a used garment. Some of these men have provided their own retorts and rebuttals to his lies, such as this video from Justin Peters (and another one here). But many of these men have ignored his great insults to their doctrine and character.

Is there more to come?

Some have wondered why we published our “Countdown Clock” to the “Terminus of Servus Christi.” Why do so?

We have used this strategy repeatedly with figures who need to be exposed for the goodness of God’s Kingdom, but who are hiding their sins. We call it “beating the weeds.” The fact is, there are far more people negatively affected by Joshua Chavez than just those we know about. And we want to them to be alert that the truth is coming.

Many are afraid of “going up against” Joshua Chavez alone. We aim to help them.

What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops (Matthew 10:27)

Our task is to expose the deeds of darkness.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11).

Joshua Chavez has presented himself as a teacher and rebuker of the church, but he has engaged in secret, unrepentant sin that explicitly forbids him from opening his mouth on the supposed side of Christ.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).

Many other accusations have been sent to us from the public in regards to Chavez’ gross immorality, ranging from other similar situations that have taken place with women to accusations of sodomy. We currently make no claim as to the veracity of those additional claims and are seeking to verify their truthfulness.

One thing is certain; from what we already know about Chavez in regard to his mistreatment of this poor woman, he is disqualified to ever speak any rebuke to God’s faithful ministers ever again – and we’re fairly confident he never had the right in the first place.

(Editor’s Note. Reposting for posterity)

Categories
abortion Featured News Politics

Lecrae Put on Concert to Get Dem Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Elected to Senate

Update. Link to video and concert HERE

Rapper Lecrae, who has devolved into a biblically unsound, theologically progressive paramecium, decided to put his musical chops to bad use by putting on a concert in order to Get Out The Early Vote on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. The purpose of the concert was to help them win their Georgia seats, thereby giving the Democrats a majority in the Senate and giving them the power and numbers to push through their progressive, pro-LGBT, pro-choice, pro-God knows what else policies.

It makes sense that he would do this, given the last few months he’s had. Those watching the trajectory of Lecrae “He went out from us” Moore knows that’s he has been in a bad way for years, showing clear signs that any semblance of formerly professing Christian faith is nearly non-existent.

From promoting and fawning over abortion-loving Democrat Stacey Abrams, to sputtering “You know…well…um…er….ah….I don’t know” when asked about the sin of homosexuality in an interview, to punting the ball when asked whether or not abortion should be legal, he’s barely a blip on the horizon as we wave to him leaving.

Billed as a rally/concert, the event took place December 17 at Turner Field in Atlanta, where he joined fellow-musician Rasheeda and her husband and manager Kirk Frost. Evidently, Lecrae was tasked to get the crowd pumped up and ready to vote the heck out of those ballots come voting day.

We wondered if he played the song “Good, Bad, Ugly” where he confesses that he paid for an abortion years ago.

To that crowd?

Nah, probably not.

Definitely all his new stuff.

In a July 2020 interview with Summer Evans for WABE, Lecrae was asked how he differentiates between political issues and Biblical issues, and the answer he gives is about as clear as mud and twice as dirty.

Issues that I feel are moral, ethical, or Biblical issues, our society has made them into political ideologies. Something that should just be a moral, ethical, or Biblical issue, has been co-opted and made into a policy or agenda. So, when you want to wrestle with that particular thing, then you’re accused of choosing a political side or picking a political agenda…when at the end of the day, loving your neighbor as yourself is not a political agenda, it’s a Biblical agenda.

He doesn’t seem to understand that when a political party chooses to take an immoral, wicked issue and make it the defining, primary plank in their platform; it becomes a political issue.

In fact, all legislation is a matter of morality. No law or piece of legislation exists that isn’t based on moral grounds. Yet in Lecrae’s infantilist world the two are seemingly distinct and unrelated.

Let’s be real about this. If the Democratic party thought they could get away with it, they’d chop off the head of their donkey logo and replace it with a dead fetus with one of its legs cut off, viscera spilling out of her body, and defensive wounds on her tiny hands where the scalpel sliced clean through them, given the fanaticism for which worship at the altar of child sacrifice. Hell, they’d probably use Lecrae’s aborted baby to fill their race-based quotas and infuse a little blackness into their symbol.

Lecrae is helping the ones who are promoting, praising, expanding, and entrenching into law a holocaust that leaves a nation knee-deep in the blood of 12-week old pre-born babies, yet he’s getting a never-ending pass because he paid for some lunatic to murder his child 15 years ago?

We don’t think so. He’s using the dismembered body of his dead daughter as a smokescreen and “get out of jail card” he can point to every time someone questions him on why he’s helping those sending babies to heaven by the truckload.

And it’s about time someone called him out on it. [Editor’s note: In case you missed it, we just did.]

Categories
Featured News Scandal

Longtime RZIM Staffer Describes how Senior Leadership Obfuscated Ravi Sex Scandals for Years

A longtime employee of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has released an Op-ed in the Christian Post detailing how the Board of Trustees and Senior leadership obfuscated, covered up, and/or swept under the rug accusations and information about the late apologist’s perverse appetites.

Carson Weitnauer, who has worked at RZIM for the last seven years and functions as their their “Innovation and Ministry Partner Specialist” describes a history of close ties and a sense of honor he felt by interacting with Zacharias and other apologists, and now the sick feeling of betrayal he has after the team investigating the allegations confirmed that the rumors were true.

In August 2017, the ministry team at RZIM was informed that a greedy couple in Canada had identified Ravi as a target for extortion – and felt no scruples in falsely accusing Ravi. Taking advantage of his friendly, even naïve, approach to people, they had conspired together to defraud him of millions of dollars. Through prayer meetings and regular updates on these “Satanic attacks,” we managed to get through this trial with renewed unity and commitment to our mission.

As we sometimes heard troubling details that suggested Ravi was guilty of what he had been accused of, it was a relief to hear that his incriminating emails were taken out of context, that exculpatory material had been reviewed by the board, and that his courageous RICO lawsuit had put an end to their falsehoods with a non-disclosure agreement.

We gave thanks that Ravi’s bold leadership had freed us to focus once more on the ministry God had called us to. Convinced of this narrative, I served at RZIM with great passion and joy, and then wept and grieved for weeks when Ravi’s health unexpectedly declined, followed by his death in May of 2020.

Though Weitnauer says he was relieved to hear the emails were taken out of context, we wonder what “proper context” would possibly justify Ravi threatening to kill himself if Lori Ann Thompson told her husband about their relationship?

Weitnauer states that he became convinced in Sept 2020 that “Ravi had personally and repeatedly lied to me and others in the ministry about his relationship with her” and confesses that like others, his “longing for the approval of others” kept him from “asking hard questions and accepting the painful truth much sooner.”

As he was coming to the understanding, the bombshell report that we first published exploded in the public. These were new allegations that Ravi was importing masseuses into his spas and was sexually molesting them, a story uncovered by Steve Baughman.

Weitnauer continues:

As I discussed these revelations with colleagues at the ministry this fall, I have often felt discouraged. A senior leader took the initiative to email me, saying, “While I agree that we should remain transparent with the truth, I don’t think repeating potential lies or passing on judgment are qualities we want to embody at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.”

And despite an obvious conflict of interest, members of the family have actively spoken out in Ravi’s defense, while Ravi’s daughter has guided us through this crisis with the unwavering support of the board and senior leadership. Yet the day after I asked her a series of questions about the non-disclosure agreement between the Thompsons and the Zacharias estate, two senior leaders challenged me on the propriety of my questions. Unfortunately, I have heard similar stories from other colleagues within the ministry. It is only a matter of time before their voices are heard.

While I believe most of my colleagues are not only talented but earnestly committed to serving God, we have been badly misled by our secretive board and senior leaders. If the damage to our witness can be repaired at all, it will take a humiliating acknowledgment of our complicity and shame, as well as an earnest and sacrificial repentance. We will need to implement new processes and learn how to build a culture that cherishes accountability, transparency, and humility.

We could not agree more that the board acts in secrecy and has no transparency whatsoever, being a major part of the problem. What have they done to this point, other than hide cover-up, and lie?

After we broke the story about the allegations, RZIM sent us a statement saying that it was virtually impossible to investigate the claims. This was strange, given that his accusers were still alive, including his business partner who has made the accusation, and in fact still lived in the same city as RZIM headquarters.

Consequently, the ability to investigate was not “virtually impossible” but rather “imminently doable.” They just didn’t want to, and it was only when a larger news source like Christianity Today picked up the story three weeks later that they were forced to do so.

One of the challenges with this organization is that the Senior Leadership of RZIM and the Board are staffed with several of Ravi’s family members, but we have no idea which ones or how many, as RZIM does not make this public, recommending a drastic overhaul of the apologetic organization. This is why it’s not sufficient to investigate just Ravi but rather the board that helped hide and conceal his potentially criminal misdeeds.

Weitnauer agrees.

…RZIM must change its name, remove Ravi’s material, repent for its many failures, and provide a restorative response to the harm that Ravi’s victims experienced. The depth of complicity by the board and senior leadership in this cover-up must be clearly established. Finally, an organization with credibility in the survivor community must be hired to do a thorough assessment of the organization and its culture, and their proposals for reform will need to be implemented.

Categories
Coronavirus Featured Heresies News

Bethel Worship Leader Holds Concerts in L.A’s Skid Row – Homeless Activists Barricade Them Out

Supporters of Sean Feucht march as homeless advocates and their supporters stage a protest against Christian musician Sean Feucht as he plans to hold a public event in Skid Row in spite of the rise of Covid-19 cases in the region, in Los Angeles on December 30, 2020. (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)

Worship leader Sean Feucht, a Bethel Church School of Supernatural Ministry graduate who has been tearing up the cultural scene with a series of worship concerts all across America in the midst of the pandemic, frequently drawing tens of thousands of people to his outdoor concerts and making headlines in major newspapers and media, continued his tour New Year’s Eve, holding a series of concerts in the infamous Skid Row district of Los Angeles much to the chagrin and opposition of the locals concerned about a “super-spreader event.”

The event, where masks and social distancing were not followed, drew several thousand people. Between and as part of events, Feucht let his charismatic and pentecostal roots come to bloom. They visited the home of the heretic Aimee Semple McPherson and prayed for revival there. They went to Azuza street, where the charismatic movement was born, and planted a tree to bridge the generations.

They went about town performing “miraculous healings,” “doing the work of Jesus” and “casting out demons.”

They received a “prophecy/vision from the Lord” that would have won a game of Chris Rosebrough’s “prophecy bingo” for sure.

They also visited Skid Row, had a worship concert there, gave out hundreds of meals, and were assaulted with smoke bombs, pepper spray, and death threats.

Homeless activists set up a vehicle blockade near the intersection that stretched for several blocks in an attempt to stop what was planned. Though Feucht was expected to arrive there, he chose to go elsewhere, leaving several dozen supporters to clash with protesters.

It was “elsewhere” where he put on a series of concerts that were attended by thousands of people, directly flouting Los Angeles Lockdown restrictions that only seem to be allowed at Black Lives Matter protests.

Commenting on Feucht’s presence, Mayor Garcetti said:

I would encourage him, first of all, not to do it. If you care about human lives and what God has given us — this human life — don’t do it. We will enforce the public health rules. We will have the LAPD patrolling the city to stop large gatherings.

Though the coming was controversial, Feucht, said that nothing they could have done would have kept him away, and released a statement on social media, saying:

The world will tell you to not push in, not minister, not gather. But JESUS pushed in, He ministered, He gathered. Don’t be discouraged. FOLLOW JESUS!”

Categories
Charismatic Nonsense Featured News

Singer Justin Bieber Studying to be a Hillsong Minister, Apparently

Unnamed sources are coming out of the woodwork claiming that Justin Bieber is studying to become a minister with Hillsong Church, with Daily Mail, Ok Magazine, and others reporting that he plans to become ordained in 2021.

Given that there are no names attached to the piece, only “sources close to the singer” alleging that “Justin has never felt happier or healthier, and he says he owes it to the church. [He] believes he can take a leadership position in restoring order,” referring to Hillsong NYC and the aftermath of disgraced Pastor Carl Lentz’s adulterous joyride taken right through the heart of the congregation, the whole thing is a non-starter.

The fact this is so believable is the real story, however. We can see Hillsong giving him the keys to the kingdom. Bieber is active on social media making consistent professions of faith, inviting a variety of pastors on to give the gospel, and talking a lot about Jesus and his relationship with him. He is a member of Hillsong Choir and has led worship at pal Judah’s Smith Churchome, as well as has preached from the pulpit.

Bieber explains a more recent message he gave:

My whole message at church the other day was, there’s power in your weakness. So when you feel weak — there’s so many people in this world who are struggling — there’s just power in that weakness. So, when you fight through that season you usually get to the other side, and it gets better.

Sounds terrible.

Here’s another spine-shuddering theological poison pill.

Again. What the heck.

While Bieber is anything if not completely unqualified to preach or become a minister, he is consistent in his earnestness, with his understanding of biblical truth being underdeveloped, and is reminiscent of a newly converted 14-year-old trying to explain the Christian faith and gospel to his parents after just one weekend at bible camp.

It’s not great, and you don’t want to see him sharing that with anyone, but you have to admire his willingness to put himself out there. It may be happening with a lot of scrunched up faces and raised eyebrows, but the gist of the internal change is communicated. These sources continue:

[He] doesn’t plan to give up his music career, but he feels there’s a bigger calling out there for him. He wants to be a full-fledged minister next year.

Someone tell The Master’s Seminary to give this kid a scholarship already!

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News

Bill Johnson Promotes ‘Bethel Edition’ Of Demonic ‘Bible Translation’

Bethel Church overseer Bill Johnson took to YouTube last week to promote the new 2020 edition of the Passion Bible translation paraphrase, or as what he described as “The Bethel Edition” due to his having a forward. He says:

It’s a special time for us to do it through the Passion Translation, which is no secret around our place that the Passion translation I have a very special affection and love for. This of course is the new 2020 edition, the Bethel edition, and I have a forward in there.

But there’s 1000 new and revised footnotes…it’s just a worthwhile investment for your own personal life. I actually read the passion translation every night before I go to sleep…

This bible “translation” might as well have been called “The New Apostolic Reformation Translation” given that it’s pretty much exclusively endorsed by NAR folk, from Bethel to Bobbie Houston, James Goll, John and Lisa Bevere, Patricia King, Chuck Pierce, and is infused with their special kind of theology.

The Passion is a single-author “translation” of the scriptures by NAR “Apostle” Dr. Brian Simmons of Stairway Ministries, who claimed that Jesus appeared to him and gave him “secrets” of the Hebrew language. Lest you be confused about the “Dr.” in front of his name, it wasn’t due to his scholarly prowess.

Rather, he received it from Wagner Leadership Institute – an NAR organization founded by C. Peter Wagner that offers courses in subjects like dream interpretation and miracle-working and where you can get a “Masters of Spiritual Healing, Deliverance, and Warfare” or a “Masters of Apostolic Leadership and Applied Ministry.”

Not to be rude, but that dude is as crazy as a rat in a coffee can. See below. (Warning, brief representation of Jesus)

This is the guy who “translated” the bible

As you’d expect, Simmons gets all testy when people call it a paraphrase and not a translation, but what does he expect with passages like these provided by Sara Boyd that are added in and are drenched in NAR terminology and doublespeak, not to mention the running commentary found in thousands of footnotes?

Galatians 2:19

ESV: For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

TPT: It was when I tried to obey the law that I was condemned with a curse, because I’m not able to fulfill every single detail of it. But because the Messiah lives in me, I’ve now died to the law’s dominion over me so that I can live for God in heaven’s freedom!

Galatians 6:6

ESV: Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

TPT: And those who are taught the Word will receive an impartation from their teacher; a sharing of wealth takes place between them.

Psalms 18:1

ESV: I love you, O Lord, my strength.
TPT: Lord, I passionately love you!  I want to embrace you, For now you’ve become my Power!

Proverbs 3:3-6

ESV: Beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right…

TPT: Can’t you hear the voice of wisdom? From the top of the mountains of influence she speaks into the gateways of the glorious city. At the place where pathways merge, at the entrance of every portal, there she stands, ready to impart understanding, shouting aloud to all who enter, preaching her sermon to those who will listen. “I’m calling to you, sons of Adam, yes, and to you daughters as well. Listen to me and you will be prudent and wise. For even the foolish and feeble can receive an understanding heart that will change their inner being. The meaning of my words will release within you revelation for you to reign in life. My lyrics will empower you to live by what is right.

More details on The Bethel Edition can be found here.

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News

Liberty University Students Call for Shutdown of Falkirk Center for ‘Tarnishing’ Christian Witness

(Christian Post) A group of students and alumni at Liberty University are calling for a think tank at the evangelical Christian college focused on political activism to be shut down.

More than 400 students have signed a petition calling on the Lynchburg, Virginia-based university to shut down the Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty, a think tank founded last year by then-Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The petition, titled “Liberty United Against Falkirk,” contends that the think tank has “waged war against decency, respect, and Christian charity, all while misrepresenting Liberty students and the Christian church.”

The stated purposes of the Falkirk Center are to “uphold the Christian faith and defend America’s Constitution” and to “inform all Americans in matters of faith and liberty, and then deploy these faithful men and women across every medium and platform to protect and defend our strongest-held beliefs in every facet of society.” The think tank also stresses the importance of “bold, unapologetic encouragement and initiative on the part of every conservative American.”

The petition took issue with the Falkirk Center’s assertion that “although we do, as Jesus taught, turn the other cheek in our personal relationships…

To continue reading, click here

Editor’s note. This article was written by Ryan Foley and published at the Christian Post.

Categories
abortion Breaking News

Argentina Legalizes Abortion in Historic Evil Vote

Argentina has become the first Latin American county to legalize abortion, after a grueling and hard-fought campaign, and despite heated opposition from the influential Roman Catholic Church.

Making abortion legal up to 14 weeks, the Senate voted 38-29 to give women the ability to access legal baby-killing under law supported by Argentina President Alberto Fernández, as women celebrated and wept openly in the streets at the realization that they acquired the right to poison and dismember their children in the womb.

https://twitter.com/goldensmac/status/1344185546185322497

Previously abortion was only permissible in cases of rape and incest and was otherwise punishable by up to 15 years – though that punishment was rarely if ever enforced.

It is expected that this diabolical ruling will have a far-reaching impact in the region and embolden other pro-abortion activists to pass their own legislation and fight for abortion in their own countries, many of which have strict and restrictive laws, and where the Roman Catholic Church continues to wield pervasive cultural influence.

One lawmaker, Monica Macha, tweeted out:

“We did it sisters. We made history. We did it together. There are no words for this moment, it passes through the body and the soul.”


Come quickly Lord Jesus.

[Editor’s Note: Given the fact that people who support legalized infanticide also tend to be absolute Karens about masks and social distancing, don’t these pictures show the level of hypocrisy they have?]

Categories
Church Critical Race Theory Evangelical Stuff Featured News Social Justice Wars

Rick Warren Blasts Christians for Having No Discernment and Not Caring about Black People

Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren, acting like he didn’t give us the monstrosity of the purpose-driven life, did an interview with Steven Strang of Relevant Magazine where he discussed issues of social justice and discernment.

Speaking candidly, he unloaded on Christians for not caring about black people after they are born, suggested they’re engaging in subtle racism, and decried many of them as not having discernment or a biblical worldview when it came to who they voted for.

These are, of course, pretty rich claims for a man who recently had a prayer meeting with a Trinity-denying heretic, affirmed Roman Catholic as Christians, and about a hundred other things as can be seen here.

In fact, Warren was last seen having racially segregated services so that the “black fold” can have a “safe space” to “heal,” and explaining how Christians and churches aren’t being discriminated against or persecuted by lockdown policies.

In this segment of the interview, he doubles down on his criticisms by employing some very Critical Race Theory language, making one wonder to what extent this ideology has been sopped up by the megachurch.

Q. We’re in an unprecedented era of political division; what’s that been like for you? Obviously, many Christians are and have always been concerned about pro-life issues. 

What I see is a lot of people only care about Black people if they’re in the womb. They don’t care about Black people once they’re born. I’m going, ‘No, no, no, no. You’ve got to care about that little girl after she’s born.’ That’s a subtle racism and you just need to own up to it.

Christians today lack biblical discernment. They’re making decisions based on political values rather than biblical values. This is a real problem. The whole election, regardless who you voted for, revealed that most Christians don’t have a biblical worldview. They don’t vote from a biblical worldview. They vote from a political worldview. Their identity comes primarily from politics. It’s partisan.

Warren laments that the topic of “poverty” is an under-taught doctrine, despite there being thousands of verses about it. He describes how he went through “Christian college, two Christian seminaries, and got an earned doctorate” without ever hearing anything about the poor, and that likewise the word “justice” is frequently used in scriptures, but Christians have an aversion to it.

Q: The Church has struggled intensely with this year’s reckoning of racial injustice in America. Looking at our response, it hasn’t been pretty. How can Christians improve our response? 

Of our 20 Saddleback campuses, most of those pastors aren’t white guys. They’re Hispanic, Asian, Black. They are Middle Eastern. But when I saw this happening, and the brutalization and racism coming back to the forefront, I thought, “OK, it’s not enough to simply be a multicultural church. We’ve been a multicultural church for 20 years. We have to be an anti-racist church.”

We have to be a pro-reconciliation, pro-justice church. I invited my Black staff to spend time with me. We did a Zoom call and I said, “Guys, I need you to just level with me. I don’t want to hear about when you experienced prejudice and rejection as a kid. I want to hear about how you’ve heard and felt it at Saddleback.” 

It was a two-and-a-half hour meeting. It was brutal. It was painful. It was beautiful. It was healing. We all cried together. We did seven staff meetings, over two hours each. They shared their stories, and then I let the staff respond. There was weeping, and there was repentance.

I had a call with all the Black members of Saddleback. People said, “Rick, I love my church, I love you. But many times, I just feel like my church doesn’t understand. I’m the only Black woman in a small group of white women. Not one person has asked me: ‘How do you feel about these shootings?’ I have a son who’s about Ahmaud Aubrey’s age and it scares me.” 

I’ve been pulled over like everybody else has. It always raises your fear level. But I’ve never been afraid somebody was going to throw me on the ground. I’ve never been afraid that somebody’s going to pull a gun on me me driving while white.

People should not be afraid in their own country. 

Look, 1619: the first slaves arrive. That’s two years before the pilgrims got here.

Slaves have been here longer than pilgrims. It’s their country too. People say, “Go home.” Well, they’ve been here longer than you. 

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News

Rick Warren: Churches Aren’t being Persecuted by COVID Restrictions

In an interview with Steven Strang of Relevant Magazine, Rick Warren, Lead pastor and overseer of the 25,000 members, 14 campuses Saddleback church last seen having racially segregated services so that the “black fold” can have a “safe space” to “heal,” described how his church has been thriving amidst the pandemic despite remaining shut down since March. He also explains how Churches aren’t actually being persecuted by restrictions, given that concerts and large sports events are likewise closed.

He further argues that churches that have opened up are gambling with the lives of their congregants and that it’s out of love his campuses continue to stay closed, with ostensibly no plans to open in the near future.

Q: Why do you think COVID has been such a contentious issue for the Church in the U.S?  

COVID revealed a fundamental weakness in the Church. Most churches only have one purpose: worship. And if you take worship away, you’ve got nothing. They’re in a hurry to get back to worship because that’s all they’ve got.

Saddleback is built not on one purpose, but on five. You take one circle out, we’ve still got four other circles. We’ve got ministry going on. We’ve got mission going on. We’ve got fellowship going on. We’ve got discipleship going on. Those all stand on their own.

You could take away one thing, and the church didn’t shut down. We have led over 16,000 people to Christ since March. We’re in revival. We’re averaging about 80 people a day coming to Christ—80 people a day. 

But a lot of churches are nervous about the religious freedom aspect. They don’t want to wear masks. They don’t want to meet outdoors. They’re worried about religious discrimination.

They might have a discrimination case if theaters weren’t closed, football games weren’t closed, concerts weren’t happening. But they are. We’re not being discriminated against. This is a safety issue. Regal Cinemas closed down 650 theaters. Disney laid off 28,000 people. We’re not being discriminated against. 

Some churches are willing to gamble the health of their people. I’m not. The good shepherd prays for his sheep, cares for his sheep. One day I will be responsible. I don’t want to be a super-spreader. I’m not doing this out of fear; I’m doing this out of love. You wear a mask for love of your neighbors, yourself.