McChurch - Colorado Megachurches Re-shuffling

Ted Haggard's Likely Successor Preaches First Sermon

New Life Church congregants packed their Colorado Springs house of worship in the US on Sunday to hear a sermon from the top candidate to replace their disgraced leader, Ted Haggard.

by Lillian Kwon, Christian Today US Correspondent

Posted: Tuesday, August 14, 2007, 9:20 (BST)

New Life Church congregants packed their Colorado Springs house of worship in the US on Sunday to hear a sermon from the top candidate to replace their disgraced leader, Ted Haggard.

"I want to be your pastor," the Rev Brady Boyd told thousands, drawing laughter and applause from the packed auditorium.

It was the first of three Sunday sermons Boyd, a 40-year-old associate pastor at a suburban Dallas megachurch, is to preach for the leadership post of one of the most influential churches in the country. New Life attendance has dropped by around 25 per cent since the fall of their former and very prominent evangelical pastor last year over a sex-and-drugs scandal. Now the megachurch is ready to appoint a new leader and bounce back.

"I don't have any moral failures in my past, no bones in my closet," said Boyd, adding that he was not perfect, according to Rocky Mountain News. "I have sinned, but I am not a failure."

And he has never been unfaithful to his wife, Pam, he said at a news conference later that Sunday.

In his sermon, Boyd listed his "non-negotiable values" that he said he would never give up for money, material goods or weak moments of the flesh, as reported by The Gazette. Those values include following Jesus, protecting and leading his family and being merciful to people.

With positive feedback from congregants, Boyd already looks like he will be taking up the New Life pulpit for good.

“We prayed, fasted and probed. The Lord spoke to us and said this is the man," Mike Ware, one of the church overseers and senior pastor at Victory Church in Westminster, told the congregation, according to The Gazette. “He told me that his most important goal was to make Jesus famous and not himself ... and he also said this was not a career move, but a Kingdom [of Heaven] assignment.”

“We are so excited, we’ve been anticipating this moment – for God to bring us a shepherd,” said Paula Gabriel of New Life, to the local Gazette.

Church leaders acknowledged on Sunday the painful decision they made to bypass Ross Parsley, the associate pastor who served as interim pastor and who many in the congregation hoped would succeed Haggard.

Boyd asked Parsley to stay with him for the next 25 years.

Currently an associate pastor of Gateway Church, another well known megachurch in suburban Dallas, Boyd said he was ready to be a senior pastor even if it means taking up the challenge of rebuilding the reputation of New Life.

"We're here to serve the city. And we're going to win them over," he said, as reported by Rocky Mountain News.

And the Dallas-area pastor clarified that he will not try to fill Haggard's shoes.

"I've been working for 40 years to fill my own shoes," said Boyd, adding that he has deep respect for Haggard who left a great heritage. Haggard founded New Life Church and it has grown to 14,000 members.

The New Life congregation will vote on whether to approve his appointment on 27 August. Boyd needs a two-thirds majority vote.

Copyright © 2007 Christian Today. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

McChurch - Another One Bites the Dust

TV station pulls plug on Keller

The televangelist says complaints from local Muslims are to blame.

By SHERRI DAY, Times Staff Writer
Published August 24, 2007

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ST. PETERSBURG - For the first time in nearly five years, controversial Christian televangelist Bill Keller is going off the air.

Keller - known for his vitriolic criticism of religious, political and pop culture figures - said Thursday his program was yanked in response to pressure from local Muslims.

Earlier this month, officials from the Council on American Islamic Relations wrote to executives at CBS asking them to investigate Live Prayer with Bill Keller, an hourlong nightly program.

In a May 2 broadcast, the televangelist said Islam was a "1,400-year-old lie from the pits of hell" and called the Prophet Mohammed a "murdering pedophile." He also called the Koran a "book of fables and a book of lies."

CAIR officials asked for equal air time for Florida Muslims to counter Keller's assertions. The show, which aired nightly from 1to 2 a.m., is broadcast on WTOG-TV CH. 44, a CBS-owned station that airs the CW network locally.

"I'm saying nothing now that I haven't been saying for five years," said Keller, who plans to hold his last broadcast on Aug. 31. "Ultimately, it was pressure by CAIR that intimidated these people into taking me off the air. It was not mutually agreeable. They told me they were taking me off the air, period."

But WTOG station manager Laura Caruso said the decision to end Keller's contract was a programming one, made by station executives and the televangelist.

"It really doesn't have anything to do with any special interest groups or anybody in the community," Caruso said. "I think he has a good program, and I wish him all the success in the world."

CAIR claims credit

After speaking with CBS executives, CAIR claims credit for Keller's demise on WTOG. His contract, set to end in December, will terminate on Sept. 11.

"They really based their decision upon our letter," said Ramzy Kilic, CAIR's civil rights coordinator. "They really did not know that Bill Keller was involved with this kind of anti-Muslim rhetoric."

Acting on complaints from bay area Muslims, CAIR officials began monitoring Keller's programs in May.

History of controversy

This is not the first time Keller, 49, has upset religious groups. Since he began his Live Prayer Internet ministry in 1999, he has skewered Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists, calling them false religions and cults. He also speaks against abortion, calls Oprah a "new age witch" for embracing diverse religions and says megachurch pastor Joel Osteen is a "gutless wonder."

In May, Keller raised the ire of Americans United for Separation of Church and State when he wrote devotionals on Liveprayer.com saying that a vote for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney equals a vote for Satan. The group asked the IRS to investigate Keller for a possible violation of tax laws, which prohibit tax-exempt nonprofit groups from engaging in partisan politics. Keller, took the debate to a national audience on The O'Reilly Factor, where he sparred with host Bill O'Reilly, who called Keller's words "irresponsible, un-Christian, uncharitable and flat-out wrong."

In his nearly eight years with the Live Prayer ministry, Keller estimates he and his volunteer staff have answered more than 60-million e-mail prayer requests and helped introduce 190,000 people to Christ. Last year, he took the show to a national audience by buying a late-night time slot on the i Network. His national platform lasted only a few months because of lack of financing.

New program in works

Keller remains undaunted. He is a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show and also plans to start a new morning program, Live Prayer AM on WTTA-Ch. 38 in the bay area. Keller says the one-hour live program will feature his trademark sermonettes but also will include lifestyle issues and local secular guests. It is scheduled to air at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 3.

"I'm going to keep doing what I do," Keller said. "I'm going to bring a biblical message. It is what it is."

Sherri Day can be reached at (813) 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com

© 2007 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

McChurch - Can a Mormon Be Saved?

GOP presidential race

Will Romney give that 'I'm-a-Mormon-but-it's-OK' speech?

By Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated:08/27/2007 06:27:30 AM MDT

WASHINGTON - Political pundits have been clamoring for Mitt Romney to give his big I'm-a-Mormon-but-it's-OK speech, like President Kennedy did about his Catholic faith in 1960. But if Romney decides to give such a speech - he says it's more than likely that he will - there are perils in how he delivers it and what he addresses. Political observers say it can be risky to mix religion and politics, even more so for a candidate who is rising in the polls and needs to overcome the hurdle his faith may become. Polls have shown a sizable number of voters are wary of supporting a Mormon - a faith viewed as a cult by some - and Romney may have to convince voters that his specific religion shouldn't be a deal-breaker. However, there's also a danger in stifling his momentum. "Clearly there could be a downside," says John Green, a senior fellow in religion and American politics at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. "To the extent that Americans disagree with the Latter-day Saints, a speech that emphasized Romney's Mormon ties could re-enforce that skepticism." Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and leader of the successful 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is often tagged with his religion in news stories unlike other contenders. Kennedy faced a similar problem in his presidential bid and took an opportunity to address his Catholic faith at a meeting of the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. "I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition of holding that office," Kennedy said two months before the general election. The speech helped and Kennedy was elected, but Green says there were campaign advisers who said the risk outweighed the benefit. "There was an internal debate and many of Kennedy's advisers were really worried about it," Green says. "Now, of course it worked out. But many of his campaign advisers feared it would not." On the trail, news reporters seem to be the ones mainly bringing up Romney's religion, though a few voters have raised questions about it as well. A few anonymous fliers also have surfaced bashing Romney's faith and rival campaigns have apologized for attacks on Romney's beliefs linked back to supporters or staffers for their candidate. Romney's campaign says there has been no formal decision whether there will be a speech. The question, says Romney spokesman Kevin Madden, is what's the goal of such a speech and is that outweighed by any potential downsides. Romney doesn't want to give a speech that introduces him to potential voters as a Mormon instead of showcasing his strengths "across a spectrum of all the issues," Madden says. "The challenge we face is, do you become singularly defined by only one issue and that's something that no candidate wants," Madden said. Romney is the one deciding whether to give the speech, Madden adds, not the staff. When Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut became the first Jewish vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket, there was no evidence his faith would hurt the campaign, says Dan Gerstein, who served as Lieberman's spokesman. Lieberman didn't have to address his religion in a major speech. But with Romney, there are rumblings that voters are uneasy about his faith, Gerstein says, and that may compel Romney to meet the issue head on. Of course, it could backfire. "There's a reason why people see this stuff as a risk," Gerstein says. "There is always a danger that by elevating it and making it a big deal, you call more attention to it." More often, he adds, the default strategy, and the safest, is to ignore the below-the-surface concerns. Romney sought advice last year from Richard Land, the president of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. Land says it's important Romney carefully craft any speech on his faith to address his presidential campaign, not get tangled in the debate over whether Mormonism is an orthodox Christian faith. "He needs to say, 'I'm a person of deep, personal faith and my faith's important to me, and my faith will certainly guide and direct me if I'm elected president in the same way it did when I was governor,' " Land says. He should stay clear of defending or explaining the faith's doctrines, similar to how Kennedy said he did not speak for his church and his church did not speak for him. "Jack Kennedy was the only one who could make millions of Americans feel comfortable voting for a Catholic," Land says. "Only Mitt Romney can make millions of people feel comfortable voting for a Mormon." Many political observers say Romney may have to do that if there are still questions lingering as the primary season starts drawing near. But, as Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway says, if voters want to know about Mormonism, they should use an Internet search engine, not depend on Romney to explain the "ABCs of Mormonism." Conway, who is neutral in the 2008 race, says the speech only works if Romney gives "an earnest, no-notes explanation on how his religion has impacted him, his personal and professional choices, his value system, his views about government and core issues." Grover Norquist, a conservative leader and head of the Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform, notes there are two ways to deliver the kind of speech Romney is being pressured to give. The first is to be on the defensive about the faith - which Norquist says could actually hurt Romney. The second is to explain to voters that while they may not subscribe to his religion, the country should not get into the business of screening candidates by their specific faiths. That's how Kennedy did it. He said that while he as a Catholic may be under fire, next could be a Jew, a Quaker, a Protestant or a Baptist. "Today, I may be the victim," Kennedy said, "but tomorrow it may be you - until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped at a time of great national peril." tburr@sltrib.com

McChurch - Chaos at the Resurrection

McChurch – “Left Behind” at the Resurrection?

I am having far too much fun at the expense of the Billy-Bob church in Texas that cancelled the funeral of a gay veteran because of the potential that it would “send the wrong message that we endorse the lifestyle,” or some such rationale.

The pastor of that church, you may recall, is the brother-in-law of Joel “My-lips-never-leave-my-mouth” Osteen, a living legend to what we can do for God if we simply think positively enough and take lessons in mime. God, that Great Gargoyle in the Sky, apparently has tired of small accomplishments building toward big things (the weak confounding the strong) and has surrendered the ground of marketing to American genius.

McChurch is a phenomenon known for its collective righteousness. Noted for hundreds (preferably thousands) of active members and white male pastors with capped teeth, it stands as a reminder that there is safety in numbers. God could not possibly reject so many adherents metaphorically joined at the heart and hip.

“You ought to try our church,” we are told. “The music is out of this world!” Indeed, that is as it should be. For McChurch is a “Christian” church, anxiously waiting the Resurrection.” By its profound coarsening of both theology and politics, it may already have departed, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces.

We have morphed from “Christian Church” (as opposed to smaller, less successful churches) to “Christian Nation,” “Christian Company” and “Christian Party” (namely Republican sans Rudy). We even have “Christian Lobbyists,” reminding us that in such a world as we now live, God may well need lobbyists. Now we discover to our astonishment, “Christian Graveyards.”

Christianity being an Abrahamic faith rising out of the person and work of Jesus Christ, I have taken to wondering of late whether Jesus died for countries, companies and graveyards. If so, what kind of a mess will take place at the Resurrection? Taking into consideration that most of us, with the notable exception of the faceless faithful of McChurch, have fallen short of the glory of God, there may be more property rising into the air than there are believers.

After all, if the property is left behind, so also will be some of the keepers of the property. That cannot be permitted to happen in a system of collective righteousness.

Will the corporate records of Christian companies rise with the saints on that Great Day? Will there be any Democrats or Greens; will Dunkin Donuts rise again for the comfort of Republican saints? How about all those gravestones in the “Christian” cemeteries?

I understand that Service Master is a Christian company. Will they be selling franchises in Jerusalem after all the non-believing Jews are slaughtered at Armageddon and where there is neither adequate sanitation nor housing for McChurch?

Did you know that there is “Christian” music and “Christian” books? What a mess that will make at the Resurrection! All those paperbacks and CD’s!

These are questions that demand thoughtful answers – perhaps a Council or two. Maybe there is a way to leave behind the trappings of Christianity in preference to the heart of Christianity – humble, repentant sinners. The problem is, of course, that the heart has been buried under layers of entertainment.

As for me, “My hope is built on nothing less than Scofield’s notes and Scripture
Press!”

McChurch - How Many Gays in the Graveyard?

McChurch – How Many Gays in the Graveyard?

I was greatly inspired recently by a report on Nation News regarding the decision by a megachurch in Arlington, TX to cancel the funeral of a veteran of the Gulf War because he was gay before he assumed room temperature.

“Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service,” said his sister, Kathleen Wright. “But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors,” she said, “it was called off.”

The decision to cancel the funeral was made with only 24 hours notice. God, of course, gave this poor guy more than 24 hours notice to make his arrangements, as he had an ongoing heart condition and was waiting for a transplant.

I happened to be preaching a sermon on Sunday, August 12, 2007, on how God honors our faith even when buried under weakness and compromise. This story came in handy, it being a classic illustration of weakness masquerading as strength.

McChurch is in need of a heart transplant – no question about it. This particular church, presided over by the brother-in-law of tele-giant Joel Osteen, pastor of a 38,000 member church in Houston, was on the horns of a spiritual dilemma. Its pastor, Rev. Gary Simons, described the action as based neither on hatred nor discrimination but done out of love and kindness toward the family. Since the church believes homosexuality to be a sin, to hold the funeral would, in some strange way, appear as an endorsement of the lifestyle.

This certainly is a living example of taking yourself too seriously on the one hand and not seriously enough on the other. On the one hand, who would give a flying care to what the average person on the street thinks of that church. They already know that these people are more interested in their image than in their mission. By their actions, it has now been publicly confirmed.

On the other hand, they might have enhanced their image had they considered this a great opportunity to speak in love to how they feel about homosexuality – a live object lesson on the evangelical mantra of loving the sinner but hating the sin. At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a homosexual corpse – only dead corpses and, of course, spiritual corpses like the church in question.

As I was preaching my sermon on faith to a handful of thoughtful Christians (as opposed to high rolling, image-conscious, God-bless-the-American-Dream Christians), I glanced out the window at the graveyard next door. I asked, “How many gays are buried out there?” All I got was a laugh. I then said, “I don’t know how many gays there are out there, but I do know of a lot of secrets that are buried there. Another laugh.

I wondered how many funny uncles there were out there and how many women out there who had had backroom abortions. My mother is buried there, for one. The family scuttlebutt is that she had had an abortion before I was born. There have been times when I have been accused of being the one aborted. Yet, despite all those secrets, there was always someone throughout the years who was big enough to exercise a Godly attitude and help grieving families get through their loss. Some churches are hospitals for sinners, while others are resting places for the self-righteous, of which there are legion.

We are in trouble, folks.

This incident was right up there with the report this week of Evangelicals who will not vote for anyone for President who does not keep the Ten Commandments. Nobody had the courage or scholarship to remind them that abortion and homosexuality are not in the first ten. On the other hand, bearing false witness against your neighbor is in the first ten. If memory serves me correctly, our current President, a darling of the Christian Right, has displayed an uncanny disposition to violate that one. Some of the victims of his witness are toughing it out in Guantanamo Bay.

No, there are no gays in the graveyard – only histories and memories, some of which have undergone Christian revisionism by those bold enough to openly congratulate themselves for loving their God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength.

Stan Moody is the author of "Crisis in Evangelical Scholarship" and "McChurched: 300 Million Served and Still Hungry

McChurch - Sending Jesus to the Back of the Bus

Evangelicals not impressed

GOP presidential candidates fail to appeal to a key constituency

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR

August 1, 2007

This is an amazing bit of inanity! Here we have a so-called Evangelical who doesn’t know Rule No. 1 concerning the Christian faith…”If a person can’t live by the Ten Commandments, how can he lead the nation?”

If anyone could live by the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need for Jesus…Any human being cannot get by the first and most important commandment – love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…The bedrock principle of the Christian faith is that only one person in human history – Christ – has kept that commandment…Disobey that one, and you have disobeyed all the others…

When are these McChurch hypocrites going to get back to the faith?

Stan Moody is the author of "Crisis in Evangelical Scholarship" and "McChurched: 300 Million Served and Still Hungry

When it comes to the Republican presidential campaign, some conservative Christian voters say they ain't seen nothing yet.

That is, none of the top-tier GOP candidates is addressing the issues that these Iowans care passionately about, and few exhibit the moral values they want to see in the leader of the free world.

"Morality is the No. 1 issue with me," said Ken Rogers, 62, of Altoona, a member of Central Assembly of God Church in Des Moines. "If a person can't live by the Ten Commandments, how can he lead the nation?"

Evangelical Christians have traditionally been a strong factor in Iowa Republican politics. They were credited with helping to push President Bush to victory in Iowa in 2004.

As the Aug. 11 Republican straw poll approaches - the candidates' first test in the nation's leadoff caucus state - it's unclear whether conservative Christians will be able to find a candidate to rally around. Republicans Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo and Tommy Thompson have all worked to appeal to conservative Christians.

"The founders used God's word to establish the Constitution," said the Rev. Jeff Bradley, pastor of Central Assembly of God Church. "No one is saying that all the Founding Fathers necessarily were great men of God. But they recognized a great God. We're looking for candidates who will govern on a basis of what is best."

Some of the people attending Bradley's church are turned off by poll-driven and single-issue candidates who are ignoring their top priorities - abortion and same-sex marriage. As Iraq and national-security issues continue to dominate the campaigns' focus, they are concerned that Republicans of faith will be distracted.

"The whole faith and values conversation is falling by the wayside," said the Rev. Mike Rose, senior pastor of First Federated Church in Des Moines. "The country as a whole feels there are issues more pressing at this time. The war with Iraq is on everybody's mind. Right to life and gay marriage, which are important to Christian conservatives, aren't as big with the general public."

Mary Tiffany, communications director for the Republican Party of Iowa, said candidates will be forced to be more specific on moral issues as the caucuses and general election approach.

"Because conservative Christians are raising questions, the candidates are going to be forced to go into detail about how they feel about these issues," Tiffany said. "So far, they've only scratched the surface, and they've been able to get away with it. But these issues are the heart and soul of the Republican Party platform, so we can't stray away."

Even though 10 Republican candidates are vying for their vote, conservative Iowans say none are easy choices like Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush were. Several candidates have divorced and remarried, with Rudy Giuliani having gone to the altar three times.

Most fundamentalists and evangelicals believe in God's ability to transform a person's life, Bradley said.

"But we can't discount the decisions a person has made all through his life," Bradley said. "Decisions made that aren't made in line with God's laws are bad decisions."

"Three marriages is a bad example for the younger generation," said Mevalyn Rogers, 62, of Altoona, a Central Assembly member.

The morality issue hasn't come up as Giuliani campaigns across the state, according to Jarrod Agen, a campaign spokesman. The campaign prefers to focus on Giuliani's leadership and executive experience.

"He just completed a swing through Iowa and did several meet-and-greet events, and the majority of questions were about energy, how he plans to lead the country, domestic issues and foreign affairs," Agen said. "That seems to be what's most on people's minds."

Rose, of First Federated Church, said making a selection involves balancing many factors.

"Each candidate has something that would cause me to step back," he said. "Probably the top-tier Republican candidate that best represents our family values is Mitt Romney. But he's a Mormon, and that's a problem with evangelicals."

The Romney campaign is aware that people have questions. The campaign's faith-based outreach adviser, Joe Earle, who is an evangelical Christian, said the more opportunity he has to talk to conservative Christians, the more comfortable they are with his candidate.

"He's a moral man, a man of faith and family," Earle said. "It's gotten to a point lately that people rarely say they have an issue with his faith. On the stump, he tells them that while their religious denominations may have different theological views, they share the same moral and political concept - faith, family and patriotism."

Christian conservatives may need to consider a candidate trailing in the polls if they're serious about voting their values, according to Chuck Hurley, director of the Iowa Family Policy Center.

Huckabee, a Baptist pastor and former Arkansas governor; Brownback of Kansas; Tancredo of Colorado; and former Wisconsin Gov. Thompson have all made serious efforts to reach out to evangelicals. But caucusgoers who also focus on a candidate's electability have been wary of backing a dark horse.

"People place their money on the horse they think will win," Hurley said. "So the (straw poll) and primary are the places for people to stand on principle and work hard for a second- or third-tier candidate. They may become a first-tier candidate when their campaign catches fire."

The confidence this bloc of voters has enjoyed in the past decade seems to be slipping away, they said.

"We seem to be losing traction," said Larry Carder, 59, of Des Moines, also a Central Assembly of God member. "The pendulum seems to be swinging in the other direction."

Republican candidates seem to be campaigning on issues they believe are more likely to get them elected instead of taking a moral stand, the pastors said.

"There are few candidates out there who have real integrity, who will say what they mean and mean what they say," Rose said.

Citizenship is hard and takes work, Hurley said. Christian conservatives can't be so cynical and disappointed that they just drop out.

"In this election, the choices aren't going to be easy, and politics isn't a game for the lazy," he said. "We may not have a perfect person to vote for. Jesus is not on the ballot."

"People need to remember we're not trying to elect a pastor, we're trying to elect a president," Rose said.

Religion Editor Shirley Ragsdale can be reached at (515) 284-8208 or sragsdale@dmreg.com