Pulpit staged protest set to take on the I.R.S.

Thirty-three Pastors across twenty-two states staged a political protest from the pulpit Sunday.  They all announced who they were going to vote for, or in some cases, who they were going to vote against.  One Pastors message was titled, “Voting according to the scriptures.”

A church-state separation group filed complaints Monday with the Internal Revenue Service against six churches whose pastors either endorsed or made pointed comments about political candidates from their pulpits Sunday in defiance of federal tax law.

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based conservative legal group, orchestrated the pulpit protest to invite IRS scrutiny and a legal fight it hopes will lead to the restrictions being found unconstitutional.

The group released a list Monday of 33 participating pastors — most if not all from conservative evangelical churches — and pledged to defend them.

The pastors intend to send copies of their sermons to the IRS. But Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State didn’t wait for that: The group filed complaints Monday with the IRS about six pastors whose sermons were detailed in media reports.

Five of the six supported Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The sixth, Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., said: “According to my Bible and in my opinion, there is no way in the world a Christian can vote for Barack Hussein Obama.” Drake was not among the pastors Alliance Defense Fund selected for the protest and was acting independently.

The five others reported to the IRS were Jody Hice of Bethlehem First Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Ga.; Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Okla.; Gus Booth of Warroad Community Church in Warroad, Minn.; Francis Pultro of Calvary Chapel Kings Highway in Philadelphia; and Luke Emrich of New Life Church in West Bend, Wis.

The IRS has said it would “take action as appropriate.” The agency does not comment on specific complaints.

Pastors schedule Press Conference to discuss Chaplain Firings

Prominent Christian leaders in Virginia will address the media, revealing a letter they presented to Gov. Kaine last Friday in which 86 Virginia Pastors vowed to mobilize their people to vote, in response to the Kaine Administration’s verbal ban on public prayer “in Jesus’ name,” which forced 6 State Police Chaplains to resign.

Copies of the letter, with the names of 86 pledging Virginia Pastors, (and the details of what they want), will be available to all press or media personnel who personally attend on October 1st. All others may view the letter (on October 2nd) at http://www.prayinjesusname.org/.

Depending on Gov. Kaine’s response to this letter, the unified Pastors are contemplating bringing their churches together for a state-wide prayer-rally to honor the chaplains, entitled “Virginia, Stand Up For Jesus,” on November 1st at 10am at the Capitol Square Bell Tower, (900 Bank Street), Richmond, within earshot of the Governor’s Mansion, just three days before the election.

“This could impact the national election, since Virginia is such a close race,” said Former Navy Chaplain Klingenschmitt. “These 86 Pastors pledged to mobilize their people to vote accordingly, so the courage of these six Police Chaplains who were forced to resign because they prayed ‘in Jesus name,’ could turn America’s head on November 4th. Just imagine if all churches in Virginia united at a prayer-rally to Stand Up For Jesus on November 1st, near the Governor’s mansion. But first, we’ll wait to see how Gov. Kaine responds to our letter.”

Zoning Complaints Filed Against Apostolic Church

The Word of Life Apostolic Church in West Chester, PA recently learned that local residents had filed a complaint against the church for bringing a number of trailers on to the 1.25-acre property of the church.

According to Bishop Rayford Moulden, pastor of the assembly, the trailers were to be used for a Christian day school.  The trailers were donated to Word of Life, and Bishop Rayford admits that permits were not secured, citing the time sensitivity of the donation.

Neighbors also complained that church members were digging on the property, particularly in the vicinity of an old cemetery.  Some also claimed that people were living in the trailers.  Moulden denies these claims.

The township zoning board is reviewing the church’s request to keep the trailers on the property and to eventually open up a religious school.

Click here to read the full story.

Pentecostals and Others Respond to Offensive Washington Post Cartoon

Pat Oliphant, Political Cartoonist

Pat Oliphant is a political liberal, and his cartoon attack on McCain/Palin turned nasty when he drew a sketch mocking speaking in tongues, the hallmark of Pentecostalism.

According to Washington Post columnist Deborah Howell, the cartoon inspired complaints from over 750 readers from around the United States, which was “more than I [Powell] heard about the financial crisis.”  One complaint was issued by Charles Martin, a Buddhist from Boulder, Colorado.

Oliphant is widely viewed as a premier political cartoonist.  His work is sold by Universal Press Syndicate and was automatically posted to the Washington Post website on 9 September.  Oliphant, 73, delights in controversy and defends his choice for the piece.

Click here to read the full story.

Stolen Church Van used in Bank Heist

The “Take-Over” Bandits chose a United Pentecostal Church’s van to make their get-a-way, except it was the end of the line for their thieving ways.

According to KTRE.Com, Police reports in the bank robbery that occurred on July 6, 2007 indicate two men armed with guns entered the Bank of America branch on Loop 287 in Lufkin, Texas.  Witnesses say the robbers wore long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, sunglasses and bandannas over their faces.  They reportedly stole $50,000 from that location. 

They were seen fleeing the bank in a pickup truck. Police investigators say the robbers were later spotted jumping out of the truck and into a church van with a United Pentecostal Church logo written on it.  Police say both vehicles had been stolen, the pickup truck from Knight Motor Company and the church van from the church parking lot.

Attorneys have said the men are suspected of robbing 15 banks, but were only tried for five.  The “Takeover Bandits” held up five banks and credit unions at gunpoint in Texas from Dec. 5, 2005, through Sept. 21, 2007, in Tyler, Henderson, Troup, Lufkin and Crockett.

Thieves of all types should take note, that if you wish to have a long criminal career, you should stay away from stealing property of an Apostolic Church.

Five chaplains lose jobs for praying ‘In Jesus’ Name’

Christian Newswire

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly “in Jesus’ name.” Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict “non-sectarian” prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers.

House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine’s role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to introduce legislation protecting police chaplains’ right to pray according to their own conscience.

Defending Flaherty’s persecution of Christian Chaplains, Governor Kaine pretended he himself was being persecuted, saying through his spokesman: “It is disappointing that Del. Griffith would make such a political attack on Gov. Kaine about his faith.”

Former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, who was also fired in 2007 for praying “in Jesus name” in uniform (but won the victory in the U.S. Congress for other military chaplains), weighed in:

Former Texas A&M Coach’s Apostolic Mother passes away

Mary Lou Slocum, the mother of Texas A&M Hall of Fame football coach, R.C. Slocum, passed away late Thursday at a Bryan nursing home. She had been staying in the Bryan nursing home after being evacuated from Orange, TX due to Hurricane Ike. She was 88.

Visitation will be held at the United Pentecostal Church at 3406 Edgar Brown Drive in Orange. on Monday, Sept. 29 from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. also at the United Pentecostal Church.

The pastor at Orange United Pentecostal Church, Reverend Gary Wheeler, said that she was one of the sweetest and Godliest women he had ever met.

Pentecostal fired for refusing to wear short skirt

By Robert Patrick/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

A woman was fired from her job at the Hollister clothing store in the St. Louis Galleria for refusing to wear short skirts, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The suit says that the Hollister clothing company refused to allow LaKettra Bennett to wear a skirt that covered her knee, in keeping with her Pentecostal religious beliefs.

Hollister’s “Look Policy” requires employees to wear skirts that fall above the knee, the suit says.

Bennett, now 23, worked for Hollister from June to September last year, said Melvin Kennedy, senior trial attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed the suit in federal court in St. Louis.

Representatives of Hollister could not be reached for comment. David Cupps, general counsel for the parent company, Abercrombie & Fitch, would not comment directly on the suit, but said the company “has a long-standing committment to fostering diversity and inclusiveness.”

Kennedy said Hollister’s policy did not spell out clothing length but required employees to “wear clothes that kind of look like the clothes they sell” and said Hollister at the time did not sell long-enough skirts.

Bennett now attends Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis, Kennedy said. She could not be reached for comment.

The suit asks for back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, and says Hollister and the EEOC were unable to work out a settlement. If successful, the suit would require Hollister to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs.

Federal law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations of workers’ sincerely held religious beliefs.

“Allowing a sales associate to wear a skirt that covers her knees will not injure Hollister’s business,” said EEOC regional attorney Barbara Seely in a prepared statement.

Israel asks U.S. permission to bomb Iran

News reports have surfaced that Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert recently raised the question of bombing Iran with U.S. president George W. Bush. According to reports, Olmert asked Bush about the U.S. position on this issue during a May 14th private meeting in Jerusalem.  Bush reportedly rejected the idea saying the U.S. could not currently support such a strike.  Sources say that Bush’s refusal of such military action being considered by Israel is due to potential retaliation by Iran on U.S. targets in the region, including in Iraq and Pakistan.  The U.S. may also be concerned that a single Israeli strike may not be sufficient to disable all of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Many analysts believe that Israel must interpret the current lack of U.S. support for a strike on Iran as an indication that this position will not change during the current administration.  This contradicts prior speculation that an Israeli strike would be more likely before the U.S. presidential election.  Some analysts believed that Israel may strike while Bush is still in office due the uncertainty of U.S. support during the next administration, depending on the results of the election.

Israel considers Iran its greatest current threat due to its nuclear ambitions and the continual remarks from the Islamic Republic’s political and religious leaders predicting the demise of the Jewish state.  Israel, along with the U.S. and its allies, have repeatedly stated that Iran must not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons.  Israel and the U.S. both prefer a diplomatic solution over the Iranian nuclear issue.  But, both nations also hold that all options, including military options, are on the table.

Israel has conducted similar strikes on nuclear development sites of other neighboring enemy nations.  The 1981 Operation Babylon air strikes destroyed a nuclear reactor in Iraq while air strikes in September 2007  targeted suspected nuclear development facilities in Syria.

Read more about the reported Bush-Olmert discussions in the articles, below:
The Guardian (UK)
Fox News

Americans now text more than they talk

In a sure sign of the fast pace of technology in our world today, American cell phone users are now sending more text messages than they are making phone calls, according to a Nielsen Mobile survey released earlier this week.

For the second quarter of 2008, U.S. mobile subscribers sent and received on average 357 text messages per month, compared with making and receiving 204 phone calls a month, according to Nielsen. The new statistic is a clear indication that Americans have jumped onto the SMS text bandwagon.

In the first quarter of 2006, Americans sent and received 65 text messages per month. The number of messages sent and received today has increased 450 percent. But even though people are texting more, it doesn’t mean that they’ve stopped talking on the phone. According to Nielsen, the number of phone calls that people make and receive each month has remained relatively flat over the past two years.

The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, recently noted the explosion in texting in its own report. It recently reported that for the month of June, American cell phone subscribers sent about 75 billion SMS text messages, averaging about 2.5 billion messages per day. This represents an increase of 160 percent over the 28.8 billion messages reported in June 2007.

Original story at Cnet.com

Hurricane Ike relief efforts continue

The Texas District UPC Men’s Ministry, under the direction of Bro. Carl McLaughlin, has been doing their part to assist churches after hurricane Ike. There are many Apostolic churches that are in need of manpower to assist in clean-up and in the rebuilding efforts. 

 

This effort, “The Samaritan Project,” has already sent an 18 wheeler load of supplies to Conroe UPC, Pastor Kent Smith for distribution and another is scheduled to go to Orange, Pastor Gary Wheeler for distribution.  In addition to this, The Pentecostals of Alexandria sent an 18 wheeler load of supplies to Bridge City, Pastor John Harrell for distribution and a second 18 wheeler is scheduled to be sent to Baytown, Pastor K. Grant for distribution. 

 

 

The Samaritan Project has the backing of the Texas District Men’s Ministry and the Texas District to provide assistance.  The Samaritan Project is offering emergency relief to the victims of Hurricane Ike by providing necessities in four categories: (1) Non-perishable food (2) baby items (diapers, formula) (3) Toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc…)  4) offerings that would provide funds to purchase these items.

 

The offerings can be sent to the First UPC of Euless, 709 Midway Dr. Euless, TX. 76039 made payable to UPCI, Section 7. Through a unified effort, many pastors and churches in Section Seven of the Texas District have already contributed $6,000.00.

 

There are still many Apostolic churches without power in these areas. Continue to pray for these churches and those that have been severely damaged or destroyed by hurricane Ike.

Pastors to Protest IRS Rules on Political Advocacy

On Sept. 28, pastors from many different states will give politically based sermons from the pulpit as part of a protest organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal-advocacy group. The protest effort, Pulpit Freedom Sunday,  will challenge an Internal Revenue Code restriction that limits the political activities of charitable organizations – including churches and other religious groups – that are exempt from taxation. According to the Internal Revenue Code, religious groups may lose their tax-exempt status if they officially endorse a political candidate. The ADF says that if its protest leads the Internal Revenue Service to penalize houses of worship for their pastors’ political advocacy, ADF will bring a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of these penalties.

The Alliance Defense Fund is seeking pastors who will preach from the pulpit a sermon that addresses the candidates for government office in light of the truth of Scripture.  By standing together and speaking with one voice, it is our hope to recapture the rightful place of pastors and churches in American life”. 

www.alliancedefensefund.org

Stereotyping Palin and Pentecostalism

By Gabriel Salguero

Recently, Dr. George Wood of the Assemblies of God denounced a Pat Oliphant cartoon that made light of not just Gov. Sarah Palin but also a practice among some Christians, particularly Pentecostals, of glossolalia (also known as speaking in tongues). Independent of my political or ideological convictions I can see how many may have seen this as offensive and beyond the pale.

While I respect the freedom of the press, and Mr. Oliphant’s constitutional right to speak, write, draw his mind, this cartoon reveals a myopic view of Pentecostalism that needs to be addressed in our society. I am the son of Pentecostal ministers and was originally ordained in the Pentecostal church, although I now serve the Church of the Nazarene. Nevertheless, as a son of Pentecostal ministers and as an educator I feel it necessary to clear up a few misconceptions and judgments regarding Pentecostalism..

U.S. Pentecostalism, from its inception, has been viewed by some as intellectually challenged. In the film Borat, there was a scene that also made light of speaking in tongues and the passionate worship of Pentecostals. Regrettably, there still remains in parts of U.S. society a great deal of ignorance regarding Pentecostalism. It is never wise to feed this ignorance with comments that may caricature a segment of society that seeks the common good. While there may be some abuses in every denomination a broad brush caricature is both unwise and unfair.

There are many Pentecostal denominations and they span the cultural, racial, ethnic, socio-economic spectrum (Assemblies of God; Church of God in Christ; Church of God, Cleveland, Tenn.; Pentecostal Foursquare, are just a few of these denominations). Many of these denominations have universities, seminaries, hospitals, charities, and other ministries that contribute to the common good. Contrary to popular opinion, even though a great majority of Pentecostals are social conservatives, Pentecostals are not a monolith. Pentecostals are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Perhaps it may be more accurate to use the nomenclaure Pentecostalisms in the plural. Pentecostals have engaged in ecumenical conversations and conversations for peace and justice (Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship). In short, Pentecostals should not be dismissed as aloof, uninformed, and naive. There are accomplished Pentecostals informing every sphere of U.S. life in homes, industry, government, academia, and the arts.

Church Billboard Takes Aim at “I Kissed A Girl” Song

COLUMBUS, OH — Mixed feelings. That’s the best way to describe how people feel about a controversial church sign that was seen in Blacklick this past week.

For 24 hours, the message board outside Havens Corners Church, 6696 Havens Corner Rd., read, “I kissed a girl and I liked it, then I went to Hell.”

The message refers to the chart-topping song by pop artist Katy Perry “I Kissed A Girl.”

Pastor David Allison said he didn’t put up the sign to draw attention to the church. “We didn’t intend to get into all this, but it’s become a bigger thing,” Allison said. He was just very concerned about the implications of the song for teenagers and what he called a music video so suggestive it borders on pornography.

“If anyone’s seen the video and understands how lewd and suggestive the video is for this song, that is not something young people should go toward,” Allison said. He thought the message would be a loving way to remind teenagers that the Bible denounces homosexuality. Taking a look at the other side of this story, some people can’t believe the church displayed that message so publically.

A viewer sent us a picture of the sign with the subject title “Worst Church Sign Ever.”

The sign was removed Thursday.

Pastor Allison said it was not due to outrage. He said he received volumes of support from throughout the state.

Instead, he said, it was confusing to many people who called in or e-mailed because they didn’t know to what he was referring. They were unaware of the song.

Click here to read the full story.

‘Spiritologist’ Credits UPC with Spiritualist Development

Spirit Fest recently concluded at the Memorial Auditorium in Pittsburg, Kansas.  The event brings together New Agers from spiritualists to numerologists to astrologists.

Genia Rodgers, who practices dowsing, or the practice of using rods to discover knowledge, among other pratices attended the event.  She says that she grew up Apostolic and makes the incredible claim that she “learned all her practices through the United Pentecostal Church.” 

The United Pentecostal Church International is strongly opposed to the New Age Movement and all practice of superstition or magic.

Click here to read the full story.