Joel Osteen On Larry King Live

Do you know what you believe and why you believe it? If so, praise God! Apparently, an overwhelming majority of professing Christians believe all roads lead to heaven. In a September 5, 2005 Newsweek Spirituality in America Special Report, Christians and non-Christians were asked a number of questions pertaining to their spiritual beliefs including "Can a good person who doesn't share your religious beliefs attain salvation or go to heaven?" Approximately 79% of those polled answered "yes."

Respondents by category:
Evangelical Protestants, 68%;
Non-evangelical Protestants, 83%;
Roman Catholics, 91%;
Non-Christians,73%.

It is no wonder then that popular mega church televangelist Joel Osteen can answer "I don't know" when asked this question on Larry King Live, Joel Osteen on Larry King Live, and still continue to pack the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas with congregants, and command a large television audience each week.

Postscript to this story: After getting considerable negative feedback from this interview, Joel Osteen apologized on his website for not defending the faith more strongly. How many people actually saw the apology? No many.

To read my first post on this subject, click on the January archives and read Ease On Down the Roads...to Heaven?

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

The Original Gangsta: Marjoe, the Atheist

Speaking of speaking in tongues, slaying people in the spirit, and prophesying, Marjoe Gortner says in this video,

"If you're going to get into big-time religion, these are the games you gotta play."

This Marjoe Gortner video is must-see material for all who are concerned with protecting the sheep.

Abbreviated Video Description from YouTube.com:

In the 1950's he was known as the youngest ordained minister in the world (officially ordained at just 4 years old). As he grew to manhood, he traveled doing tent revivals, preaching, prophecying and working miracles... but the amazing truth was - Marjoe was a fraud! In fact, he claimed to be an atheist! His general view of "the ministry" was that it was no different than the entertainment business.

In 1972 Marjoe decided to get out of the "ministry" but took one last ride on the tent revival trail... this time with a band of camera men and he exposed his own charade! His self-created documentary ( titled "Marjoe") was made into a feature film and shown all over. Below is a 9 minute clip of him in action, both as a child and as an adult (the file is in Windows Media format).

Today Marjoe is an actor and also a public speaker for social causes he cares about. Foremost among those causes is informing the public about some of the rhetorical techniques that are being used to manipulate their thoughts and emotions. He is still not a Christian, but he visits about 20 colleges a year teaching them how "faith-healers" do their "tricks". People actually still "fall down under the power" in his lectures as he demonstrates how the masters of religion work their "magic."

Remember, it is not Mohmmad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Ages that saves. Jesus saves!

Post your comments to this video below.

UnityFest 2006 Makes BIG Impact

By: Angela Lee Price


Above: Donald Lawrence and the UnityFest Choir; Below: Tye Tribbett & G.A. perform.

Thousands clapped, sang and praised the Lord mightly for hours Saturday, August 26th at UnityFest 2006. The much-anticipated UnityFest 2006, held at Louisville Slugger Field, featured national gospel artists Donald Lawrence, Israel & New Breed and 500-voice UniftyFest choir. Lawrence ministered beautifully between songs, Healed, You Covered Me, Giants, and Blessings of Abraham. Israel & New Breed traveled from South Africa for the event. Many enjoyed their unique style of praise and worship in songs, Not Forgotten, You Are Good, and Again I Say Rejoice.

VOP, VIPs with Tribbett, fest-goers. The young adult choir backed Tribbett on S.O.S. finale, Victory.

Approximately 75 local churches participated in Big Impact Day, a two-day event that included a PrayerFest, Love Louisville outreach, Do the Right Thing youth expo, UnityFest Gospel concert, and official Save Our Kids from the Streets, S.O.S., after party, sponsored by St. Stephen Church, featuring national gospel artists Tye Tribbett and G.A. Tribbett performed gospel favorites, No Way, Everything, and Victory. Local gospel groups Thee Ensemble and Voices of Praiz, both featuring Jason Clayborn, performed contemporary gospel music.

Fest-goers remained on their feet throughout the concert and weathered early-evening showers to participate in the event.

Angela's Labor Day Comments on WLOU on UnityFest

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Looters and Finders - In Review

As the nation looked back this week to August 29, 2005 and Hurricane Katrina, many were reminded of just how sickened they were by the events that unfolded before our eyes on national television that terrible week. I don't know about you, but I felt I was personally violated -- so much so that I was moved to send the following e-mail to several Louisville-area media outlets a few days after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region. It was picked up by The American Baptist Newspaper and published in their Editorials section on September 12, 2005.

I want to thank The American Baptist Newspaper for allowing a sistah to vent her rage. I also want to thank Rev. Lesa Dae for having me as a guest on her radio talk show, A New Dawning on Saturday, September 3, 2005 to discuss the Katrina tragedy and the federal government's disgustingly slow response to our Gulf Coast citizens.

WLOU listener dedication to Katrina Survivors
--------------
Photo right from the the September 1, 2005 BlackNews.com article by Dante Lee entitled, Black Looters, White Finders- Is the Media Racially Biased About Hurrican Katrina?

There is considerable tension today between the races due primarily to lack of serious dialogue and understanding about race. This is very evident as African Americans express outrage about coverage of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe in mainstream media as the e-mail below demonstrates. Many African Americans, including myself, are very upset about the following:

1. African Americans being referred to as “looters” while white Americans are referred to as “finders.”
2. The citizens of New Orleans being referred to as “refugees.”
3. The continual replaying of old footage of “looting” African Americans as though they were the only ones with sense enough to find food and survival necessities.
4. President Bush’s hostile and inflammatory “shoot-to-kill” rhetoric as victims of the tragedy die in the streets from lack of attention.
5. The military’s pre-General Honore, guns-pointed entrance into New Orleans as though all victims were criminals.
6. The Red Cross’ answer to their late arrival – “It was unsafe to enter the city.”
7. The defensive reply of at least one cable television news host to Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP concerns that race was a factor in the government’s slow response to evacuate the citizens of New Orleans – something to the effect that “New Orleans Major Nagin is African American, and I don’t hear you accusing him of incompetence.”
8. Rita Cosby referring to the five African Americans killed yesterday in the gun battle with the military as “thugs” without presenting proof of their background with arrest records.
9. The continual insistence that poverty and class are issues being uncovered with this disaster and that race has nothing to do with it.
   

Many African Americans believe that had the residents of New Orleans been 70% white and poor they would not be depicted on television and in newspapers this way nor addressed and handled in this manner by President Bush and government agencies.

Mainstream media is oftentimes too quick to emphasize stereotypical images of African Americans as savages, beasts, prostitutes, and happy-go-lucky entertainer types, while de-emphasizing efforts to educate and uplift the race. Case in point. On the front page of the August 28th edition of the Courier Journal Newspaper in the article, City Pays Price for Gun Violence, statistics were presented relating to the numbers of gunshot-wounded victims handled at Louisville’s University Hospital between 2003-2004. The article stated that 88% of the gunshot suicides were white males, however, I have yet to see detailed articles, such as the August 28th article, on white male suicide. I have seen more than enough articles about the horrible violence in west Louisville.

My suggestion is that you consider an in-depth story on the issue of race, an issue that is being brought to the national forefront as a result of the Katrina catastrophe. I believe that at the root of the race issue is lack of understanding about African civilization, African American culture, and significant African American contributions for some 400 years to this nation.

Article published in The American Baptist Newspaper, Editorial section, pages 2 & 12, September 12, 2005.

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Sharpton Speaks Sharply In Louisville

By: Angela Lee Price

Pictures courtesy of George Williams

The Lord certainly knew what He was doing when he gave civil rights activist and 2004 presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton the last name “Sharpton.” On Thursday, August 3rd, he was sharper than a two-edged sword...again! Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the keynote address, Believing An Evil Report on Simmons' Night at the General Association of Baptist in Kentucky’s 138 Joint Session. The event, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Louisville, Kentucky drew an audience estimated at 400.

Preaching from Numbers Chapter 14:36, Sharpton said too many people in the church are believing an evil report. “We’ve built mega churches with miniature missions….We’ve built a generation of people with titles and no function, ministers that don’t minister to nobody, and trustees that can’t be trusted."


Left to Right: Rev. K. L. Moore, Barnetta Cosby, Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Rev. Dr. A. Russell Awkard

The church is believing an evil report, he chimed repeatedly. He told the audience of mostly pastors, preachers, and church leaders that many of our people don’t work, but run from church to church looking for the next fix. “When you don’t work, you become Holy thrill freaks, he said.” We’ve got bigger houses, but we are not speaking to each other; new cars and nowhere to go,” Sharpton said.

Speaking on the final night of the four-day convention, the 52-year-old Sharpton sharply criticized African Americans for believing false stereotypes and not trying hard enough to advance themselves. “Even if you are not responsible for being down, you are responsible for getting up,” he said. Black men who abuse their women believe an evil report. “Ain’t nothing hip about degrading your mama, calling your sister and girlfriend out of her name,” said Sharpton.

Simmons College of Kentucky President and St. Stephen Church Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby gave a glowing report on the state of Simmons, Kentucky’s oldest historically black college, just one and a half years into his presidency.

Cosby told conferees his role as president is to acquire “bucks, buildings, bodies, and brains.” Cosby helped raise $2 million dollars for the school since becoming the 13th president in January 2005; helped Simmons re-acquired its former campus at Eighth and Kentucky; completed major renovations at the Seventh Street campus; hired new staff and professors; and established ties with Campbellsville and Kentucky State Universities. The school expects to enroll more than 200 students this school year, and is in the process of becoming accredited.

Cosby introduced head coach Stan Hughes and unveiled the school’s new basketball team, the Simmons Panthers. The St. Stephen Voices of Praiz performed contemporary and hip hop gospel music. Simmons raised an additional $75,000 for scholarships.

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Mo Money! Mo Money! Mo Money!

The sitcom theme song once rang, "You can do what you wanna do, In Living Color!," and Rev. Ike would add, "as long as you got money!" In this six-minute seminar, Rev. Ike has nothing against money circulating while he's talking. In fact, he encourages it. The Ten Commandments of Money, from the Rev. Ike "Big Money" Bible translation (BMB), include, "Thou shalt not think money is evil, money is real good stuff, and my desire for money is totally good." Humm..., My Bible says, "For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered far from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:10 NLT).

Post your comments in the comment section of this post.

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Hinn Pecked: Will the Real Deal "Holy Fill" Please Stand Up?

Just because certain athletes, actors and hip hop celebrities support certain high-profile mega-church pastors and faith healers doesn’t necessarily mean those preachers are the “real deal.” Former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield goes by the nickname “The Real Deal.” But did “The Real Deal” chose the real "Holy Fill?” Holyfield dislocated his shoulder in a fight against opponent Michael Moorer in April, 1994. He was diagnosed with a heart condition at the hospital. On December 27, 2003, Dateline NBC aired an expose on Bennie Hinn in which Evander Holyfield was slain in the spirit and reportedly cured of his heart ailment. Holyfield later contributed $250,000 to Bennie Hinn Ministries.

Bennie Hinn has been the subject of many documentaries calling his miracles and lavish and unethical spending into question. This 41-minute excerpt from a follow-up Dateline NBC expose’ entitled The Preacher’s Life aired on NBC on March 6, 2005. It features Hinn's lavish spending including stays at hotels for $10,000 per night, reports on lavish travel expenses, and interviews with family members of people supposedly healed at Hinn’s crusades. They reported that their loved ones either still had the same diseases they were supposedly cured of or had later died from those same illnesses. This expose revealed that the Mayo Clinic stated that Evander Holyfield never had a heart ailment. He was misdiagnosed.

Are you Hinn pecked or pecked by the right hen? Will the real deal "Holy Fill" please stand up? Post your comments below.

Remember, it is neither Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Drunk On the Spirits

By: Angela Lee Price


This next time someone approaches you in church with a little liquor on their breath asking for help in turning their life around, don't talk about them. Pray for them. Their sincere request to walk with the Lord delivered from their addiction has to be more pleasing to God than anything that happened in this Kenneth Hagin service.

In this six-minute video, the Father of the Word of Faith Prosperity Movement the late Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the "Money Cometh to Me Now Man" LeRoy Thompson, and others are seen sliding from their seats, laughing uncontrollably, running, and crawling on the floor in what was deemed a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

I Fold At A Hundredfold

By: Angela Lee Price

When it comes to "a hundredfold," I fold! I draw the line! Word of Faith televangelists the late Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Fred Price, and many other prominent "prosperity preachers," have popularized the terms "sowing a seed," and "seed faith offering" by telling followers that sowing money into their ministries will produce a "hundredfold return." As a result many trusting Christians, mostly poor, have sacrificially given to these and other mega ministries, some have even mortgaged their homes, in hopes of cashing in on the "hundredfold" blessing. I fold at a hundredfold. I draw the line. One hundred dollars for every one dollar is not what is promised in the Word of God.

On pages 135-136 of the book, When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook On Cultic Misinterpretations, authors Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes cite Kenneth Copeland's twisting of Mark 10:30, the scripture use to prove a "hundredfold return," and provide commentary on the misinterpretation of this verse:

"but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethen, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the the world to come eternal life."

You give $1 and the Gospel's sake and $100 belongs to you; give $10 and receive $1,000; give $1,000 and receive $100,000....Give one house and receive one hundred houses or one house worth one hundred times as much. Give one airplane and receive one hundred times the value of the airplane. Give one car and the return would furnish you a lifetime of cars. In short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal. [Copeland, 1978, 54]

In response to Copeland's misinterpretation, Geisler and Rhodes state:

This verse has nothing to do with money or riches. It is speaking specifically of those who forsake home and loved ones for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. These individuals will receive a "hundredfold return" in the sense that they become a part of a community of believers. It is in this new community that they find a multiplication of relationships-many of which are ultimately closer and more spiritually meaningful than blood relationships (cf.Mark 3:31-35; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Tim. 5:1-2).

Geisler and Rhodes go on to provide a biblical perspective on money citing numerous scriptures that prove that it is not a sin to be wealthy, as Abraham and Job were quite wealthy, but God hates the love of possessions and riches (Luke 16:13; 1 Tim. 6:10; Heb. 13:5; Matt 6:33).

Pastor John Cherry, Senior Pastor of the 26,000-member From the Heart Church Ministries, Inc., Temple Hills Maryland, warned against the "hundredfold" teaching in the 2003 sermon series, Beyond the Decision: When Famine Arises:

Don't let faulty prosperity teachings trick you into making foolish decisions with your money. There are many predatory lenders just waiting to put people in homes they can't afford so that they can say God gave them the houses they claimed. Many Christians are speaking to their wallets when they should be speaking to God. If you have a problem with out-of-control spending, start speaking to God and asking him to deliver you from your addiction. Ask, seek and knock. Get a grip on your finances before the prosperity wolves get a grip on you.

The fortune tellers, soothsayers, and prosperity preachers don't have a clue about our personal futures. Otherwise, they would have predicted, 9-11, the Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina. Be a good steward with what God has given you, and keep an eternal perspective on riches, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matt. 6:6-19-20a NIV). God only knows what tomorrow will bring. It's certainly not a hundredfold return on your money.

Read the article, Blacks Saddled With High-Interest Loans: Study shows disparity in subprime lending

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!

Kenny and the Jet

By: Angela Lee Price

Prosperity televangelists Kenneth and Gloria Copeland abandon a business venture leaving business partners in debt. Soon after, their ministry purchases a $20 million dollar private jet. This expose was posted on youtube.com on May 4, 2006.

Please post your comments below.

Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!