Cindy Jacobs Promotes Prosperity Gospel, Makes Tone-Deaf Statements About Jews

New Apostolic Reformation preacher Cindy Jacobs of Generals International recently spoke at the King of Kings Worship Center in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Right Wing Watch brought attention to her controversial comments about Jews during the event, but I'd also like to bring attention to the rest of the event's content. Jacobs spent her sermon promoting prosperity theology and making tone-deaf comments about racial and ethnic groups, as she has done in the past.

"I'm a seer, really," Jacobs told the audience as she delivered prophesies to the congregants. Jacobs told one young man that he wanted to help people and prevent suffering, and delivered a prophesy to another congregant about their church getting a bigger facility. At the 25:05 mark, however, she expressed her desire to give a prophesy to some Asian congregants. "I want to prophesy over an Asian couple," she said. "I love these Asians. I may be part Asian. Of course, my hashtag is #whitechocolate, so I think I'm part black. I don't know."

Awkward, I thought.

At the 29:44 mark, she bragged about how she converted a Mongolian man to Christianity by name-dropping a famous Mongolian actor.

"I was just eating at the Monocle Restaurant. You know what that is in Washington D.C.? Anybody been to the Monocle? It's where a lot of the Congress people go, and a guy came up to me ... I looked at his name tag, and I said, 'Oh, are you a Mongolian?'. He goes 'yes!' 'cause nobody ever pegs him for Mongolian, and I said, 'I've been in Mongolia ... By the way, I know like the top movie star in Mongolia named Anwar.' And he said, 'You know Anwar?' I mean, he's like famous, like the president will pay a million dollars to have a picture with this guy, you know. I go 'Yeah!'. And he said, 'Did you know he was in Marco Polo?'. I said, 'Not only do I know that, but I prophesied over him in Mongolia that he would go to Hollywood and that Hollywood was going to look for him and that he was going to open the door for other Mongolians, and I'm the one that made the contact in Hollywood so he would make that film.' He is freaking out right in the Monocle.

And I said, 'And not only that, why am I here talking to you when I talk to presidents all over the world, and I was in Mongolia? Now I'm talking to you, Mongolian. God loves you." And I just started witnessing salvation to him, and he goes, 'My wife watches Joel Olsteen!' I go, 'And I'm telling you what, then you need to receive Jesus!'"

I found her story puzzling. I could find no Mongolian actor by the name of "Anwar" during a Google search. Neither the 2007 Marco Polo film nor the 2014 Marco Polo series featured a man named "Anwar" among its cast members. Did I misspell the actor's name?

Jacobs proceeded to promote the prosperity gospel, telling the audience that Christians can reach a "state of blessing" if they believe God's word and donate to charity. Christians can enjoy "abundance" in every aspect of their lives, including their financial lives, she argued, urging listeners to abandon "poverty mentality".

"Poverty in the church should be an exception, not the rule, because we are the ones that are the change agents of society," Jacobs said at the 40:37 mark. She stressed the importance of money for her ministry at the 44:26 mark.

"I have learned to both abase and abound, but I much prefer abounding. I don't have to have those things to follow Jesus, but in order to do my job description in the Earth, I need money so I can do the works I'm supposed to do. You understand this?"

As reported by Right Wing Watch, Jacobs had unsettling things to say about money and Jews. After quoting Bible passages suggesting that born-again Christians are the spiritual heirs of Judaism, Jacobs argued that the Holy Spirits empowers Christians more than Jews. At the 41:57 mark, she claimed that Christians could convert Jews by gathering wealth, thereby making the Jews jealous and demonstrating that God has rewarded them for obedience.

"What the Jews have, we have. However, we have more when we’re in Christ because the Holy Spirit is inside us, empowering us to do the good works we’re called to do ... I want to say to you that one of the things I believe that’s going to bring a great harvest of Jews is the Christians becoming so profoundly wealthy ... that it’s going to make them jealous. The wealth and the riches that we’re able to obtain is going to make them jealous. Do you think our poverty is going to make a Jew jealous? Come off it! No, we are meant to prosper. Why? Because they understand, in their culture, that obedience to God brings blessing. We're called to live a blessed life, not a cursed life."

I was stunned. Jacobs was not only promoting stereotypes about Jews as money-lovers, but making rash assumptions about Jewish culture. Somehow, I don't think promoting Jewish stereotypes and adopting condescending attitudes toward Jewish culture will earn her any new Jewish converts. I would like to remind Cindy Jacobs that people of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are not feathers in one's cap, not storytelling elements, and especially not walking stereotypes.

Jacobs shared a childhood story of how her family lived in a tar paper house and the soles of her father's shoes had holes, despite his fervent piety. This story seemed to contradict everything she'd preached about obedience to God resulting in material abundance. Soon thereafter, Jacobs told listeners a crass story about how God wanted her to have $600 leather shoes at the 45:53 mark.

"One day I was in Hong Kong ... and somebody said, 'I want to buy you a pair of shoes for your birthday. I said 'Okay. I know what I need. I want some black patent leather flats, okay? If my feet get tired, I want to have these black patent leather flats.' So we went shopping, and we got home, and I didn't know what the exchange rate was, you know. She said, 'I want to buy you these,' and she chose them. So I go back to the hotel, and I looked, and those were $600 shoes. I was like [gasps]. I mean, I'd never had $600 shoes before.

Actually, this poverty thing came in and said, 'I'd better sell those shoes and give that money to the poor.' And the Lord said, 'That's scarcity thinking! Don't you think I can give you what I want to give you and help you feed the poor too? You think I have a limited budget? Come on! We're not of this world!'

And then the Lord said to me, "Your daddy died when he was 49. Don't you think I saw your daddy's shoes and don't you know I knew he couldn't buy you shoes? Wow. Don't you think I want to give good gifts to my children? If I want to buy you a pair of $600 shoes, you'd better wear those shoes!'"

Why the Almighty couldn't provide Jacobs and her loved ones with shoes when she was a child was unclear. For that matter, why her God, who supposedly wants to give "good gifts" to his earthly children, allows poverty to afflict anyone was unclear.

At the 50:09 mark, Jacobs speculated that poverty exists because Christians have a "poor church". God expects Christians to address poverty in their communities, she explained.

"Maybe there's a reason there's so many people poor, because we have a poor church and we're not doing our job! ... There's a problem with food poverty, systemic poverty. Children in America go to bed hungry, no food in their bellies, and there's a church in America? What is wrong with that picture? That makes me upset. It should make you upset! I hope to upset you! Prophets kind of do that."

Why Jacob's desire to lift people out of poverty was admirable, a sound blueprint for ending poverty has no room for prosperity theology nonsense. Furthermore, her statements do not paint a picture of a compassionate, reassuring God. If the Creator can provide Jacobs with overpriced shoes, why can't he feed "children in America [who] go to bed hungry"? Many people cultivate faith in their God, but they remain poor.

Jacobs may hope to draw people to her version of Christianity by promising prosperity in exchange for piety, but these promises are empty. Prosperity theology might sound seductive to people who have suffered hardship, but they will soon discover that religiosity does not bring wealth.

New Apostolic Reformation Preachers Pray for Trump, Pence, and Their Families

Even before the inauguration, Religious Right figures prayed for Trump. On January 12th, several preachers gathered at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. to beseech God to protect and guide the Trump and Pence families. The POTUS Shield Prayer event featured New Apostolic Reformation figures such as Lou Engle, Cindy Jacobs, and Lance Wallnau.

In a video from the event, individual preachers led prayers for members of the Trump and Pence families. Prayers for Melania, Ivanka, and Tiffany asked that the women would know God and declared that no weapon formed against them would prevail. Other prayers were more revealing. For example, at the 1:27 mark, Lance Wallnau prayed that Donald Trump Jr. would have the wisdom to navigate embarrassing media reports.

"We thank you, God, that there is a grace on the entire Trump house and on Donald Jr. right now to be able to step into protecting, discerning where the enemy's entrapments are, where the legal processes and the media would try to trip up or embarrass or accuse the household of impropriety."

At the 9:43 mark, Lou Engle initiated a second prayer for Barron and the rest of the Trump family. At first, Engle seemed to be demonstrating empathy for Barron, who must be drained by all the controversies swarming around his father. As Engle went on, however, he prayed that the Trump family not nurse "offended hearts".

"When they were praying for Barron, I just felt God's heart for him. We need to pray for a shield around them, 'cause they're going to live under the constant criticism of their dad, or their family. We need to pray that their hearts will not be offended ... Lord, I pray, fill them with such encouragement from people all over the nation, from your people the church. We ask, cover them and deliver them from an offended heart. Give them the grace of forgiveness, in Jesus' name."

At the 11:39 mark, Clarence McClendon prayed for Vice President Mike Pence. McClendon likened Pence to the biblical Joseph, who served alongside Pharaoh. Was this comparison a veiled commentary about Trump? McClendon also praised Trump for being "malleable and pliable" in God's hands.

"You said that in a time of crisis and danger, that you sustained Egypt not only because of its Pharaoh, but because it had a covenant man second in command. And I thank you, Lord, that great counsel and great wisdom will come from Vice President-elect Pence into the ears of President-elect Trump. God, President-elect Trump is a man who is seeking you and finding you. He is malleable and pliable in your hand, and you spoke in my heart and in my spirit that his pliability and his malleability in your hand was one of the reasons that you selected him."

Finally, a speaker I did not recognize prayed for Donald Trump at the 14:33 mark, hoping that God would speak to Trump like he did to King Solomon. Revealingly, he also hoped that Trump would not end up like Solomon.

"Father, we pray for President Trump, Lord, that you will give him a knowledge of you, Lord, that exceeds our expectations and hopes. Lord, we thank you that he has surrounded himself with evangelical people. Lord, he's magnified Christianity. We've talked about being a Christian nation. Lord, we pray that you will somehow give him supernatural "download" ... Lord, we pray that you will also speak to him directly, like you spoke to Solomon, but lord, we pray that he will not end up like Solomon."

I'd say that Trump is already like Solomon. Immense wealth? Check. Ambitious architectural projects? Check. Multiple wives? Check. Just as Solomon practiced idolatry, so too does Trump worship his own ego as a false idol.

I found the prayers at the POTUS Shield event revealing. The participants seemed concerned about legal and media snarls, and the references to Pharaoh and Solomon suggested some unspoken anxieties about Trump. Are these New Apostolic Reformation preachers worried about what the future may bring for the Trump administration? Will Trump prove "malleable" and "pliable" not only to the Religious Right, but to other political forces as well?

Cindy Jacobs Encourages Christian Women to Vote

With the 2016 presidential election on the horizon, one Religious Right figure is urging women to vote. Cindy Jacobs, co-founder of Generals International, launched a campaign called Red Shoe Votes to mobilize Christian women voters, according to Charisma News. Red Shoe Votes encourages to register to vote and wear red shoes to the polls, although it carefully refrains from endorsing any candidate or political party.

Upon inspection, the campaign is infused with dominionist values. Red Shoe Votes seeks to "shift the nation" with women's votes and ensure that different spheres of society will be "standing on the firm foundation of biblical truth." The Red Shoe Votes website claims that, "For too long, we as Christian women have allowed so many other voices to speak for us, including influential women who do not share or respect biblical values."

In the Red Shoe Votes Women's Manifesto, organizers lay out their opposition to abortion and transgender identity, as well as their support for "biblically-based systems of education, healthcare, justice, economics, and government".

"We believe in the sanctity of life—that all individuals have the right to life from the point of conception to death; therefore, no one has the right to take the life of another person through crime, abortion, euthanasia, or assisted suicide.

Additionally, we believe that the quality of life for every individual matters; therefore, we believe in addressing systemic issues like poverty, racism, and human trafficking, as well as advocating for biblically-based systems of education, healthcare, justice, economics, and government.

We believe that God entrusted humanity with the stewardship of the earth; therefore, we believe we have a responsibility to properly care for the environment and wisely use our natural resources.

We believe that God intentionally created human beings as male and female; therefore, the gender identity we are born with is not a mistake and is unchangeable. Additionally, we believe that God created men and women as equals; therefore, we believe in addressing systems, doctrines, and practices that treat women as inferior or less valuable."

The authors describe their attitudes toward seven areas of society -- education, family, government, religion, business, media, and arts and entertainment -- which coincide with the seven "mountains" over which Christians must establish dominion in Seven Mountains theology. For example, with regard to family issues, the manifesto recognizes only heterosexual marriage.

"We believe that marriage between one man and one woman is the biblical foundation of the family. We acknowledge that many families have been fractured; therefore, we seek to extend support and promote wholeness for every parent desiring God’s best for their children."

Regarding government, the manifesto encourages Christians to secure positions of political power.

"We believe that Christians should not shrink back from serving in elected and appointed government offices, as this brings peace and justice to the land."

The manifesto sees Christian proselytization and conversion as a "right", adding that Christians are entitled to share their faith in every social institution. Separation of church and state is not mentioned.

"We believe that Jesus Christ is the one true God, the Creator and owner of the world. Every individual has the right to hear that Jesus is God and needs to personally accept Him as Savior.

We believe it is the role of the church to steward His world and represent His kingdom; therefore, it is the right of all people to have the freedom to share their faith in every institution of society." 

Red Shoe Votes' promotional video condemns racism and features multiple women of color. Given Cindy Jacob's history of racially insensitive comments, I find this highly ironic.

Red Shoe Votes seems to be a means of getting Religious Right-friendly candidates into office. While Red Shoe Votes does not endorse any candidate or party, we can reasonably assume that its supporters will vote for right-wing candidates in gubernatorial, House, and Senate races. Regarding the presidential election, I doubt that its supporters would vote for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, given their manifesto's stance on issues such as the place of religion in society, abortion, and LGBTQ issues. Clinton and Sanders have both expressed support for church-state separation, LGBTQ equality and reproductive rights, whereas Trump has taken either ambiguous or negative stances on the issues. However, evangelicals remain divided over Trump, so there is no guarantee that Red Shoe Voters will cast votes for him in significant numbers.

As November draws near, we can expect initiatives such as Red Shoe Votes to encourage Religious Right supporters to vote. While we can safely assume that many such voters will cast ballots for right-wing candidates in state and local elections, their behavior in the presidential election remains to be seen. Will they unite behind Trump, or refrain from supporting either presidential candidate?

The Response Louisiana Scheduled for January 2015

In August 2011, the Response Rally took place in Reliance Stadium in Houston, Texas, which I had the dubious pleasure of live-blogging. The gathering, promoted by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, was intended as a day of Christian prayer in the midst of economic decline and "moral relativism". Sponsored by the American Family Association and the International House of Prayer, the Response Rally featured a plethora of anti-gay and anti-abortion speakers from the Religious Right, including James and Shirley Dobson, John Hagee, Mike Bickle, Alveda King, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, and Rick Perry himself. Now, Louisiana plans to host its own Response Rally.

The Response Louisiana is scheduled to take place on January 24th, 2015 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to the Response website, the gathering will be a time for "humility and repentance" as worshipers ask God to intervene in America's struggles.

"We believe that America is in a state of crisis. Not just politically, financially, or morally, but because we are a nation that has not honored God in our successes or humbly called on Him in our struggles. The Response: Louisiana is committed to prayer above politics, to seeing the church moved to stand for righteousness, and to pray for God’s mercy for America.

According to the Bible, the answer to a nation in such crisis is to gather in humility and repentance and ask God to intervene. The Response will be another historic gathering of people from across the nation to pray and fast for America."

The front page of the Response website describes just what is wrong with America, according to its organizers.

"America is in the midst of a historic crisis. We are besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. Our nation is faced with fatherless homes, an epidemic of drugs and crime in our inner cities, a saturation of pornography in our homes, abortion, and racism."

Right Wing Watch recently brought attention to a Response Louisiana prayer guide, which gives readers a taste of the rally's right-wing tone. The guide insists that sin has intensified to a level never before seen in America, thanks to abortion, LGBTQ rights, adult entertainment, and "apostasy". I would argue that America was the setting for far more heinous sins in the past, including slavery, conquest, and ethnocide. Do the prayer guide authors really think that LGBTQ equality and reproductive rights are so monstrous as to dwarf these national sins?

"We have watched sin escalate to a proportion the nation has never seen before. We live in the first generation in which the wholesale murder of infants through abortion is not only accepted but protected by law. Homosexuality has been embraced as an alternative lifestyle. Same-sex marriage is legal in six states and Washington, D.C. Pornography is available on-demand through the internet. Biblical signs of apostasy are before our very eyes. While the United States still claims to be a nation “under God” it is obvious that we have greatly strayed from our foundations in Christianity."

A host of New Apostolic Reformation figures are featured in promotional videos for the Response Louisiana, including Jim and Rosemary Garlow, Cindy Jacobs of Generals International, and Jennifer LeClaire of Charisma Magazine (yes, that Jennifer LeClaire) . Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal has also launched a promotional video for the rally, in which he promised a spiritual revival that could put America back on track. "What we really need in these United States is a spiritual revival," he said. "It is time to turn back to God."

As Right Wing Watch has observed, Bobby Jindal has been wooing the Religious Right as of late, possibly in preparation for the 2016 election. Will the Response Louisiana provide him with enough allies on the Religious Right to be a political contender? Or will it fail to provide him with sufficient political momentum, as was the case with Rick Perry after the first Response Rally? Will ties to anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion figures earn him friends among conservatives, or only serve to alienate liberal and moderate voters?

More Religious Right Figures Respond to Ferguson

As discussed in a prior post, the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson after the shooting death of Michael Brown has generated outrage and debate across the country. Several Religious Right figures have weighed in on the grand jury decision, and I'd like to highlight a few of their responses.

First, Cindy Jacobs, a New Apostolic Reformation preacher with a history of bizarre and racially awkward comments, posted a surprisingly sensitive commentary piece after the grand jury decision. In a November 26th post at the Generals International website, Cindy Jacobs claimed that members of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders had several "dreams and visions" of riots in American cities, suggesting that they had supernatural premonitions of the Ferguson riots. Amidst her strange claims, however, was sympathy for all parties involved in the Brown case and a call for racial justice. "We are Americans and one nation under God, indivisible!" she wrote. "Every single American matters."

"As I reflect in prayer on the situation, my heart goes out to all the families involved in this tragedy. If I were the parents of Michael Brown, I would be in shock that my child left home one morning and was dead that same day. The grief from both the trauma and loss can only be borne through God's supernatural help.

For the police officer who is now receiving death threats, I can only wonder how he is concerned for his pregnant wife and unborn child. The recent statistics that I looked up said that so far this year, 105 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. (1) In the midst of the pain of Ferguson, we need to be grateful for our first-responders and pray for them--particularly for their safety.

I believe that we need to cry out to The Lord to heal the pain of racial injustice in our nation. Evidentially, there is a lot that still remains! Racism needs to be rooted out wherever it exists, in whatever community it wants to rear its ugly, hate-filled head."

Alveda King, an anti-abortion activist and niece of the late Martin Luther King Jr., encouraged a peaceful response following the grand jury decision. In a column posted at the Priests for Life website, Alveda King condemned the Ferguson riots, calling for peace as the best way to honor Michael Brown's memory.

"America, we are truly better than this. Michael’s memory deserves better than this. Michael stole cigarettes. This was a crime. Yet, we have elected at least two presidents who admitted to smoking illegal marijuana in their youth. A crime is a crime. How do we know how Michael’s life may have turned out? Tragically we will never know.

America, we are at a crossed road. Will we settle for burned out cities or will we pray for an arising of hope?

Michael Brown’s parents are calling for peace and justice. We can best honor Michael by agreeing with his parents."

I was disappointed, however, that Alveda King lumped racial tension and violence together with abortion and "sexual immorality".

"Not only are we still grappling with racial strife; what Uncle [Martin Luther King Jr.] aptly described as “man’s inhumanity to man” has escalated in Century 21 to mirror “the days of Noah;” with abortion, sexual immorality, unholy war, greed, violence, much assault on God’s people running rampant."

Bishop Harry Jackson, founder of the High Impact Leadership Coalition and pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, MD, noted the relationship between racism and Ferguson. In an interview with the Daily Signal, Harry Jackson discussed racism in America, describing the response in Ferguson in terms of black frustration.

"I think what I'm seeing here is a lot of black frustration. Certainly last night is not just a response to a verdict. In my opinion, it is a response to a lifetime of anxiety, problems, and frustrations."

Other Religious Right figures responded to the grand jury decision and the ensuing riots with much harsher language. During the November 26th edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson demanded that those who are upset with the grand jury decision "just cool it", arguing that the Michael Brown case was not about social justice. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"African Americans in this society for decades have been subject to discrimination. There's no question about it. And there has been police brutality in various cities. There's no question about that. But right now, we live in what amounts to a pretty much even-tempered type of society. Police are very careful in dealing with people. They're trained to be careful with minorities. The abuses of the past [are] pretty much a thing of the past.

But this young man in Ferguson ... He went into a convenience store and picked up some cigars, didn't pay for them, walked out. There's a  video of him talking to the clerk and ignoring him and busting out right past him with this stolen property ... When this police officer tried to apprehend him, he charged the police officer, charged into his car and began beating on him.

Now, what kind of thing is that? He resists arrest, he attacks a police officer, he robs a store. That doesn't make him a hero! That doesn't make him a martyr! ... It's certainly no excuse to burn a town apart, to overturn police cars, bring in the Al Sharptons of the world and other racial agitators to have them ... talk about social justice. This isn't a case dealing with social justice."

Singapore: Lawrence Khong Calls Same-Sex Marriage "Blasphemy"

Lawrence Khong is senior pastor at the Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore. Khong, an anti-LGBTQ voice who disapproved of efforts to repeal Singapore's anti-LGBTQ legislation, has preached alongside American Religious Right preachers such as Cindy Jacobs and Jim Garlow. In May, Khong and Garlow spoke at the Momentum 2013 conference at Faith Community Baptist Church, where Khong's homophobic rhetoric echoed that of his American counterparts. Gay Star News and Bikya News reported on Khong's sermon at the gathering, "God's Pattern for Marriage", which demonized the LGBTQ community and blasted LGBTQ advocacy as unchristian.

At the 2:49 mark, Khong depicted homosexuality as a "diabolical plot" by the devil to undermine the family and civilization. He listed the LGBTQ movement, Islam, and Christianity as the three chief global movements that seek to change the world.

"I believe that God has awakened the church to face one of the greatest attacks on the family by the evil one, an attempt to tear down the basic building blocks of civilization, a diabolical plot to bring in a new level of lawlessness in human history. You see, there are basically three global movements around the world that seek to impact and influence the world. The first is Christianity, the Christian faith ... The second global movement to impact the world and wants world influence is Islam. The Muslim faith desires to Islamitize every country and every nation of the world. But the third movement is the homosexual agenda. It is a political movement that seeks to normalize homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle around the world."

Khong stressed that he is not ignoring other sins in favor of condemning homosexuality. However, because the LGBTQ community has a global movement behind it, it deserves special attention, he explained. At the 5:46 mark, he elaborated on this point.

"What we are talking about is a movement to normalize a sinful lifestyle and say, 'this is the norm for society'. We're talking about what is mentioned in Isaiah 5:20. "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil" ... There are many global issues in the world. For example, prostitution is one of the global issues in the world, but there is not a movement around the world that legalize[s] and normalize[s] prostitution. Human trafficking, very much related to prostitution, is a major global issue around the world, but there is no movement around the world to say, 'it is okay, let's legalize it'. Drug addiction is a growing problem around the world, even in Singapore, around the world, but there is not a political movement to seek to establish that it is okay, let's all do it, or let's accept it as something that is okay. But there is a movement around the world that seeks to promote the LGBT agenda and make it a norm for society to the extent that we must redefine what marriage is about."

Khong complained that the LGBTQ community supposedly has disproportionate power in many branches of society, such as media, government, and business, despite comprising only a small percentage of the global population. He lamented that the LGBTQ rights movement allegedly has more power than churches across the world.

Branding the LGBTQ rights movement as "diabolical", Khong warned that the movement starts by asking for tolerance. "They play the victim card. This is true in every country in the world," he said. Once "sodomy" is legal (i.e., if Singapore's 377A law is repealed), the LGBTQ community asks for "acceptance", he claimed. Anti-discriminatory laws emerge, so if someone says homosexuality is wrong, gays can sue them in civil court, or state will punish them. In making this claim, Khong caricatures anti-discrimination legislation, ignoring what such legislation actually says. Then comes celebration of gays as "preferred lifestyle", just as in ancient Greece, Khong claimed. In such a situation, women are reduced to breeders, and sex between two men is glorified as the highest expression of sexuality. The fact that lesbian women, bisexuals, and straight allies are part of the LGBTQ movement seems to have escaped Khong, who can only imagine the LGBTQ "agenda" as an oppressive male one.

Then, he claimed, homosexuality is promoted as a social good, and society is subjected to "forced participation" in the gay "program". As examples of this alleged forced participation, Khong cited businesses that have been boycotted for refusing to collude with same-sex marriages, as well as Christian welfare organizations that have lost tax-exempt status for refusing to let same-sex couples adopt children. The fact that discriminating against same-sex couples is unethical seems to have escaped Khong, who can only see resistance to discrimination as "forced participation" in some diabolical gay agenda. Finally, Khong claimed that the LGBTQ seeks to punish its oppressor and enshrine sexual orientation as a human right.

At the 17:25 mark, he urged believers to see homosexuality as an "abomination" that God hates, lest they fail in their mission to be salt and light for the earth.

"Unless you understand that the Bible calls this [an] abomination, that  God hates it with all his heart, we will not be able to rise up and take a proper position in which we become the light of the world and the salt of this earth." 

God's pattern for marriage is between a man and woman for life, Khong insisted. Any sexual activity outside heterosexual marriage is sin, he said, be it premarital sex, same-sex sexual activity, or any kind of "sexual perversion".

Khong recounted the Genesis creation story, telling listeners that God created the first human (adamah) in his image. God extracted the feminine aspect of adamah, creating Eve, thus establishing Adam and Eve as complimentary halves of a primordial whole. A man or woman alone cannot express the fullness of God's image, Khong insisted. Only together as husband and wife do the two halves of the original adamah reunite and reflect the image of the divine. Two men or two women cannot express the image of God as a heterosexual couple can, he claimed.

Marriage is for children, Khong argued, but two partners of the same sex cannot conceive offspring through sexual union. For this and other reasons, Khong dismissed the idea of same-sex marriage at the 28:15 mark, calling same-sex relationships "sacrilege" and "the vilest of blasphemy".

"There's no such thing as a gay marriage. Don't ever say that ever again from this church. There's no such thing. Gay marriage [is] an oxymoron. If someone says 'gay marriage', you say, 'you are redefining what marriage is' ... It's moving away from the natural and what is in line with the image of God. Gay marriage, bringing of two men together, two women together, is the greatest profanation of God, the worst kind of sacrilege, the vilest of blasphemy against God!"

He called same-sex marriage a "diabolical" attempt by the Devil to "tear down" the image of God. He dismissed LGBTQ Christians and queer theologians who claim that the Bible does not forbid homosexuality, insisting that the story of Lot and the angels in Sodom was indeed condemnation of gay sex. Oddly, Khong didn't seem perturbed by Lot offering his virgin daughters to the Sodom mob in the story.

Khong favorably paraphrased Jim Garlow, a fellow New Apostolic Reformation preacher, at the 42:38 mark. His words suggested that demons might have a role in promoting same-sex marriage (!).

"What God has joined together, let no parliament, no court of law, no judges, no legislation, no community of men or demons redefine the marriage that God has set as a basic pattern of life."

At the 43:57 mark, Khong dismissed liberal pastors and theologians who do not see scripture as inerrant, accusing them of sacrificing their salvation.

"You're going to go out, and you're going to hear pastors who are liberal. There's a whole apostate church in the church of Jesus Christ, and its' everywhere. People, seminary teachers [who say] that Bible is not the ultimate source of authority. In fact, they will teach [that] the Bible is just a good book, it's not even the word of God, so we don't take it seriously. Forget that! They are not even saved! I can tell you that. This is the apostate church. It is! And God will take care of it in the last days."

In short, "God's Pattern for Marriage" cast same-sex marriage and LGBTQ equality as diabolical, depraved, and corrosive to society. Instead of recognizing LGBTQ persons as human beings deserving of rights, Khong cast their love as an "abomination" and their partnerships as "blasphemy". Vicious homophobia, sadly, is not limited to the American Religious Right.

Khong's harsh rhetoric did not go unnoticed by Singapore's LGBTQ community. Leow Yangfa, editor of the LGBTQ anthology I Will Survive, was appalled by Khong's hateful words. In an interview with Gay Star News, Yangfa said that Khong's homophobia was "beyond disbelief", adding that Khong's Christian fundamentalist ilk wield disproportionate power in Singapore.

"How is it that someone like that can spout such hate? It's beyond disbelief. That's not the first video and that's not the first time he's opened his foul mouth to say such things.

It's not just homophobia but Islamaphobia as well. Although in Singapore we don't have legislation to protect people against homophobia, we do have laws that protect people against discrimination based on race and religion. So he should be caught out on that. He's making hateful comments not just about gay people but about non-Christians.

It's a known fact that the Christians are in a minority as a religion in Singapore, but it's quite clear they exert disproportionate power and influence in the country." 

With luck, enlightened Singaporeans will recognize the harms of homophobia and the dangers of Religious Right rhetoric such as Khong's. Hostile rhetoric burdens LGBTQ people and their loved ones, dehumanizes real human beings, and poisons spirituality. Fundamentalism and bigotry are harmful, whether they fester in the East or the West.


For more information about Lawrence Khong and Faith Community Baptist Church, visit their website.

(Hat tip to Bartholomew's Notes on Religion)

Cindy Jacobs Links Native American Lineage with Leviathan

10 Minute Prayer School: The Leviathan Spirit from Generals International on Vimeo.

Generals International posted a new 10 Minute Prayer School video on Leviathan, an alleged water demon and "territorial spirit" who distorts truth. "Our culture is stalked by a territorial spirit that works to twist, undermine and otherwise pervert the truth. This spirit, known as the Leviathan spirit (Job 41), is usually cloaked in deception and often at the root of many kinds of division and strife," the video's description claims. The video is jarring not only because of its superstitious statements about demons, but because of its insensitive racial content.

"I have seen this spirit tearing up so many people's lives that I just really feel from the Lord that I should teach it," says Cindy Jacons at the 0:25 mark. Jacobs proceeded to describe the nature and effects of Leviathan's alleged presence at the 1:28 mark, which she linked with worship of serpent and crocodile deities.

"I'm convinced it's the cause of divorce, tribal wars, church splits, family feuds, sibling rivalries, ministries breaking up. It is more responsible, I believe, than any other spirit ... This spirit is particularly active where there's been some kind of worship, the crocodile worship of the serpent. We know many animists that, water spirits. Leviathan is a water serpent. Particularly active will be when you live near bodies of water. Many cultures actually release water spirits into their waterways. We see this in Japan, for instance. Of course I mentioned Africa where they actually worship water spirits such as the crocodile."

At the 2:33 mark, Jacobs claimed that people with Native American ancestors need to "repent for the sin of animism" perpetrated by their forefathers, lest Leviathan prove active in their bloodline.

"If you have in your bloodline any animists, any Native American blood, for instance. Not all Native Americans worshipped the serpent or crocodile. Many did, but you might want to renounce that and repent for that generational iniquity. If you are--perhaps you're Mexican and you might have indigenous blood in you, or Mayan blood, those who have Aztec blood anyway--you need to repent for the sin of animism before you begin to deal with this spirit, because it'll be very active in your bloodline. We know that some of the totem poles, even in the north of America in the Virginias and places like that, would have a crocodile in their totem poles, so if in the totems, there is a crocodile spirit, you can say that there could be a  very strong spirit of the Leviathan operating in that area if it has not been dealt with as a territorial spirit."

Where do I begin? I'm stunned, as usual, that Jacobs actually believes in demons and "territorial spirits", and encourages others to see the world through her superstitious lens as well. I'm disappointed, again, that Jacobs has made an off-the-wall comment about indigenous people and Hispanics.

Sadly, this is not the first time a New Apostolic Reformation preacher has said something outrageous about race. Jacobs accused ancient Native Americans of "defiling" land through abominable practices in a 2011 segment of God Knows. Lou Engle has tried to make reproductive rights and racist oppression morally equivalent by using the term "shedding of innocent blood" to refer to both racial injustice and abortion and likening abortion to the Native American "Trail of Tears". At Firestorm 2011, Engle encouraged Hispanics to have children to resist abortion and oppression. Engle's comments about slavery during a 2011 conference call appalled many people. Both Engle and Jacobs made offensive and surreal claims about Hispanics and the indigenous people of the Americans at TheCall Aviva in 2012. Despite the New Apostolic Reformation's outreach to communities of color, two of its most prominent preachers remain oblivious to what actual respect for different races and ethnic groups looks like.

Nor is this phenomenon limited to New Apostolic Reformation figures. The American anti-abortion movement has painted abortion as a threat to communities of color, ignoring the fact that they are targeting reproductive health services that help women of color. Last year, Human Rights Campaign posted confidential documents from the National Organization for Marriage, outlining NOM's misguided plan to use people of color to create a wedge in the Democratic party. Australian Religious Right figures have appropriated the language of the Aboriginal "stolen generation" to oppose LGBTQ equality. Too many Religious Right figures seem to see people of color as tools or symbols rather than people.

Religious Right leaders need to think before they speak. There is no reason to use this kind of insensitive, tone-deaf language about people of color.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch)

Oh, and while we're on the topic of crocodiles . . .

Wise Words After the Boston Marathon Attack

On Monday, April 15th, two explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, resulting in fatalities and scores of injuries. The explosions came from two rudimentary bombs likely constructed from kitchen pressure cookers and metal debris, reports the Los Angeles Times. Authorities are seeking a man seen on video for questioning, although no arrests have been made at this time, reports CNN.

My thoughts are with those hurt by the explosions, many of whom sustained devastating injuries. My thoughts are with Boston, which will need strength and healing in the wake of this tragedy. Finally, I hope that authorities can quickly track down those responsible and hold them accountable before the law.

The progressive blogosphere has been busy documenting the far right's response to the tragedy, and I have included links to some of the more absurd or shocking responses below. This time, instead of cataloging Religious Right responses as I usually do, I'd prefer to highlight some wise words in the wake of the attack.

Whenever a terrorist attack occurs, speculations fly and whole groups are scapegoated, often before all the facts are available. As the far right speculates and simmers, calmer voices are urging Americans to remain mindful and wait for facts to emerge. Political Research Associates, a watchdog group that monitors the far right, released a statement with wise words. In an April 16th statement entitled "Resisting the Marathon of Fear",  PRA executive director Tarso Luis Ramon reminded readers that now is the time for "mourning and affirming our common humanity – in part, by challenging efforts to manipulate anger and suffering for cynical purposes." Ramos encouraged readers to approach the incident with level heads.

"Resist the rush to judgment. Responsibility for this horrible act has yet to be established. Early press accounts are often inaccurate. We are reminded of the immediate aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when “terrorism experts” were quick to suggest that foreign, Arab terrorists were likely behind the bombing. Of course, a U.S. citizen, Timothy McVeigh, was found to be responsible.

Challenge efforts to blame or demonize groups of people. The Tea Party Nation homepage declares, “It is a pretty safe bet right now that this attack was carried out by an Islamist.” Fox News contributor Erik Rush blames Muslims for the Boston Marathon bombings via his Twitter account. When challenged, he doubled down on his accusation: “Yes they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.” Such demonization is no less dangerous for being predictable. We caution against blaming any group of people based on their faith, nationality, or ideology.

Beware attempts to expand police powers. Violent public attacks are often followed by appeals to cede our liberties to achieve greater security. Calls to enhance government surveillance of domestic groups with “extremist” ideas were widespread, strident, and bipartisan following the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, leading to passage of draconian national security laws. That mid-’90s legislation provided the basis for some of the most notorious domestic abuses of the George W. Bush administration in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Panic rarely yields sound policy. (http://www.publiceye.org/liberty/Repression-and-ideology-13.html)"

When acts of violence and cruelty take place, we must not forget the good people who help victims. Amidst the sorrow surrounding the bombing, comedian and actor Patton Oswalt has uplifting words. (Hat tip to Infidel753).

"But here's what I DO know. If [the perpetrator is] one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."

In the wake of the Boston bombing, we must remain vigilant, but also compassionate, reasonable, and level-headed.


For additional commentary on the far right and the Boston bombing, visit the following links.

Bartholomew's Notes on Religion: Cindy Jacobs Claims God Warned Her about Boston Attack

Religion Dispatches: Who Bombed the Boston Marathon?

Right Wing Watch: Beck: Muslims Responsible for Boston Bombing Because American Terrorists Always Target the Government

Media Matters: Pat Robertson On Boston Bombing: "Don't Talk To Me About 'Religion Of Peace,' No Way"

Infidel753: The Boston murders and the Nutty right

Commentary Tidbits

God Discussion: Christian fundamentalists are driving our country into the Dark Ages

The Wartburg Watch: Christian Filmmaking: Is There a Hidden Agenda?

Right Wing Watch: How Cindy Jacobs and Her Prayer Warriors Saved the Global Economy

Good As You: FRC Stamps Branding On "Scout Sunday"; Prints Church Bulletin Inserts Warning of Supposed Safety Threats

Sojourners: Top 5 Best and Worst Bits of 'Christian Sex' Advice

Aztecs, Warlocks, and Blood: Quotes from TheCall Aviva

TheCall Aviva took place on September 1st, 2012 at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California. The event was a prayer gathering hosted by Aviva, "a Hispanic-led prayer movement for revival" according to its website. Now that TheCall's website features a video archive of its past rallies, I was able to watch several segments of TheCall Aviva.

Prominent among the TheCall Aviva 2012 speakers were two New Apostolic Reformation preachers: Cindy Jacobs of Generals International and Lou Engle of TheCall and the International House of Prayer. Amidst Jacobs' and Engle's bombastic messages about idolatry, demons, and prophesy, one could detect a strong anti-abortion undercurrent. Much of Jacobs and Engle's talks were characterized by unvarnished attempts to recruit Hispanics into anti-abortion activism. TheCall Aviva was not the first time Engle in particular had spoken of race and abortion in the same breath (see here, here and here), so an event linking anti-abortion activism and Hispanic identity was a natural outgrowth of Engle's ministry. To shed light on the racial and abortion-related themes at TheCall Aviva, I have shared several quotes from Jacobs' and Engle's talks.

First, at a "PreCall" gathering, Cindy Jacobs acknowledged the racism and struggles faced by Hispanics in the U.S. However, she claimed that God would grant Hispanics immigration reform in exchange for their opposition to abortion. At the 2:21 mark of the PreCallAviva 02 video, Jacobs had this to say.

"The Holy Spirit showed me clearly that as the Latino community moved to a pro-life position and took a stand for righteousness and justice, that God would begin to give justice in immigration. And we're seeing it happen, aren't we?"

At the 5:20 mark, Jacobs told the audience that Hispanics would be a seminal force in ending abortion in California and the country as a whole.

"There's going to be in word, in deed, not just word, that Latinos are pro-life. Something new is beginning here in this nation, here in California. It's so historic, and it will be said, says the Lord, that this was the generation that stopped abortion. And it will be said that the Latino community, you were the key to stopping abortion."

Jacobs urged listeners to donate money to TheCall, insisting that some people would be called by God to "give largely". She prayed to God to "anoint your people to give" to TheCall for the sake of immigration reform and anti-abortion activism. "How much do you want California to turn?" she asked. "How much do you want the Latinos to arise? Then you give in proportion to your need. You give in proportion to what you want God to do."

Jacobs would continue to preach about abortion (the "shedding of innocent blood") at the Aviva rally itself. At the 8:37 mark of the Aviva 06 video, Jacobs attributed the ascendancy of abortion to idolatry and "Baal worship" among the Mayans. She blamed California's economic dire straits to the proliferation of sins in the state.

"We want to overthrow the culture of death, but in order to overthrow the culture of death, we need to understand there was an ancient sin that brought the culture of death. It was called the shedding of innocent blood. And the shedding of innocent blood opened up something in the heavens that allowed abortion to come in, and the Mayans worshiped in a way the sun, but death. It was really that Baal worship, and that's the strongman, and we have come to this point of worship in communion where we have the sword of the Lord. We have authority now to pull down the stronghold. Leviticus 18:25 says that because of these ancient sins -- idolatry, sexual sin of all kinds, and even shedding of innocent blood -- Biblically we understand that the Bible says that the land will vomit out its inhabitants. So therefore, the land cannot prosper. Let's think of California today. Cities going bankrupt! Listen to me! City after city going bankrupt! Could it be that the cup of iniquity is full?"

Jacobs prayed for California to become a "pro-life state" so that its spiritual power would "cancel out the shedding of innocent blood". At the 11:04 mark of the Aviva 06 video, she claimed that Hispanics have unique spiritual influence against abortion, given the Mayan and Aztec blood in some of their lineages (!).

"We know that the Mayans have come this way, and many Latinos are descendants of the Mayans or Aztecs, so there's great authority today to take down the culture of death."

Lou Engle, overflowing with anti-abortion enthusiasm, spoke at several points during the Aviva gathering. Blood seemed to preoccupy him, as his speeches brimmed with talk of the blood of Jesus, the "bloodshed" of abortion, and the blood spilled in ancient human sacrifices. For example, at the 1:32 mark of the Aviva 04 video, Engle spoke of abortion in the same breath as drug cartel violence and street crime.

"We're entering into this moment, and it many ways its a centerpiece of why we've come here. We have come to break the death culture over the Hispanic world and community. We are going to bring the blood of Jesus to bear on the bloodshed of drug cartels, on the bloodshed of innocent murders in the streets, on the bloodshed of aborted babies, millions of them. There is a better blood today than the blood of those babies. They cry for justice and judgment."

Engle showed a slide on-screen that read "The World's Largest Abortion Clinic Targeting Latinos & Black Americans". The slide showed a reproductive health clinic next to an ancient Aztec temple where human sacrifice took place. At the 5:00 mark of the Aviva 04 video, Engle correlated abortion with ancient Aztec human sacrifice, insisting that "it's the same temple".

"On the right we see an Aztec temple. Blood sacrifices were done in full human view. On the left is a similar kind of structure. It's the largest abortion facility in the western hemisphere. Six stories high. It is in the middle of three Hispanic neighborhoods and one African-American neighborhood. The ancient temple is rising again. You can't see the bloodshed in the one on the left, but God sees the bloodshed ... Today, we have sanitized our sacrifices."

Engle warned his Hispanic listeners that abortion clinics were in their neighborhoods, anguished that "thousands and thousands of your people are going there". He spoke at length about how the "shedding of innocent blood" through abortion appalls God, and how God will demand judgment for such bloodshed. He cited Numbers 35:33-- "Do not pollute the land where you are; bloodshed pollutes the land" -- urging Hispanics to repudiate abortion. At the 11:48 mark of the Aviva 04 video, Engle compared Hispanic immigrants to the chosen people of the Bible immigrating to a new land.

"This passage was spoken to a people that were immigrating into another land. When you enter into the land, don't offer your children and the blood of your babies. Hispanics immigrated into California. There was righteousness on you. There was family in you. There was the fire of revival in you, but we begin to worship the gods of California, and people in the church offered up their babies' blood, and California--the land is polluted with blood and it demands a day of reckoning."

Outrageously, Engle claimed that abortion is a form of child sacrifice to demons. Engle has made similar claims about abortion before at TheCall Detroit, the Prayer and Prophetic Conference, and Russia IHOP, as have other anti-abortion activists (see here and here). At the 13:35 mark, he claimed that "witches and warlocks" understand the relationship between abortion and demons far better than many preachers.

"Brothers and sisters, the offering of our children in abortion is actually to demons. Abortion is fueling the demonization of a whole culture. Why do the witches and warlocks understand this more than the pulpits of America? Where is the preaching of the prophets in the pulpits telling the people that we're offering our children to demons?"

In conclusion, TheCall Aviva tried to recruit Hispanics into anti-abortion activism by linking anti-abortion attitudes to Hispanic identity. Abortion was depicted as an alleged threat to the Hispanic community and a sin hearkening back to their ancestors' practice of human sacrifice. Magnetic preachers compared Hispanic immigrants to the chosen people of yore, promising that if they condemned abortion, God would bless their community with immigration reform and a prosperous land.

This use of race rhetoric struck me as cynical. Instead of contributing to the discussion of reproductive issues and the Hispanic community, Jacobs and Engle talked about demons and Aztec sacrifices. Instead of focusing on real ways to bring about immigration reform, Jacobs promised it as a divine bribe in exchange for anti-abortion activism. This simplistic appeal to race suggests a simplistic understanding of the issues facing Hispanics.

Finally, TheCall Aviva's approach to abortion left no room for the messy complexities of real life. Abortion was branded as murder of innocents, a sin that defiles the land, and an idolatrous sacrifice to demons, but never as a complex social issue deserving of debate. The causes of unwanted pregnancies, the need for medically necessary abortions, and women's reasons for seeking abortions were neglected in favor of black-and-white rhetoric. By demonizing abortion, Jacobs and Engle made meaningful discussion of abortion impossible.

Jacobs and Engle have their sights set on Hispanics as the next wave of anti-abortion Christians. The question is, will the Hispanic community take the bait?


For more information about Aviva, click here.

To watch video recordings of TheCall Aviva or other TheCall gatherings, click here.

Cindy Jacobs: Pastor's Death Was God's Warning Over Same-Sex Affairs

Cindy Jacobs Mensaje de Santidad CAP 2008 from Kaloyán Stefanov on Vimeo.


This video from the 2008 Conferencia Apostólica y Profética (CAP) shows Cindy Jacobs of Generals International speaking at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. At the 21:44 mark, Jacobs claims that an unnamed pastor's death was God's warning to African-American clergy against having same-sex affairs.

"Two Januaries ago, I gave a word of warning to the African-American church in America. And I said this: God is going to judge those pastors on the down-low who are having homosexual affairs and think they're going to preach from the pulpit. And I said, to show you what I'm saying is true, God is going to give you a time to repent, but if you don't repent as the sign that God is serious, there will be a pastor drop dead in the pulpit. And it happened! Forty-two years of age, dropped dead! You might say, are you trying to scare me!? No, I'm try to put the fear of the Lord in you, because I love you! I am sanctifying you!"

Charisma Magazine Confronts the Threat of Demon Nookie

I'm used to hearing over-the-top demon rhetoric from certain New Apostolic Reformation preachers, but this takes the cake. In a November 19th article posted at Charisma Magazine, Cedric Harmon discusses incubi and succubi, demons that supposedly sexually assault humans and "lure people into homosexual behavior." The article hilariously blames demons for nightmares, erotic dreams, and homosexuality.

The Charisma article introduces readers to Contessa Adams, author of a 1999 book on alleged sexual demon possession, Consequences. Adams, described as a former stripper turned ministry leader, claims that she contemplated becoming a lesbian after a succubus attacked her. Obedience to God, she argues, is the best defense against sexual demons. "The Holy Spirit has to reprogram you. If you're not programmed for obedience, it's hard to do so," she told Charisma. "Once you come out of that world, you're learning what you can do and what you cannot do. With the Holy Spirit, if [you] go to touch that fire, He will quicken you and tell you, 'No.'"

The article also quotes from U.S. Prayer Track president Eddie Smith, who works with people experiencing "demonic sexual attacks." Smith claims that such demonic attacks are common in "pagan religions" such as Voodoo and Santeria which allegedly invoke demons.

How does one respond to this kind of insanity? Part of me wants to laugh at the superstition and sheer silliness in the article. On the other hand, I can't laugh because there are people in the world who actually believe this medieval nonsense. For example, New Apostolic Reformation preacher Lou Engle speak of demons constantly, blaming demonic influences for "sexual immorality" and "demonization of culture". This literal demonization of homosexuality only serves to ostracize the LGBTQ community and induce shame in believers who are attracted to the same sex. The idea that homosexuality is a natural variation of human sexuality is never considered.

I think such attitudes are rooted in deeply pathological attitudes toward sex, where normal sexual feelings are branded as evil and non-heterosexual orientations are demonized. Such attitudes are fueled by fear: fear of sexuality, fear of the body, fear of LGBTQ persons, fear of non-Christian religions, and fear of the human condition. Healthy sexuality is part of our humanity, and we should acknowledge our sexuality in respectful, responsible ways instead of worrying about demon nookie.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

Bridal Mantles and Iron Skillet Hands: Quotes from Reformation Day

Ready for some New Apostolic Reformation rhetoric before Election Day? Good!

Generals International and Christ for the Nations hosted a Reformation Day prayer rally in Dallas, Texas on October 31st. Meant to coincide with the 495th anniversary of Martin Luther submission of his Ninety-Five Theses, the Reformation Day rally overflowed with rhetoric about American exceptionalism, abortion, homosexuality, and reclaiming America for God. The intent, it seemed, was to condemn political issues in America that the New Apostolic Reformation leaders frowned upon (abortion, LGBTQ issues, church-state separation, debt, secularism) as a pivotal election loomed on the horizon. For your reading pleasure before the election, I have selected some choice quotes from the rally.

The event began with music, prayer, and the waving of American, Israeli, and Christian flags as musicians performed "God Bless America." Cindy Jacobs of Generals International praised the intercessory prayer of David's Tent D.C., whose prayers during Hurricane Sandy's onslaught she compared to the steadfastness of Valley Forge soldiers who persevered against severe weather and bleeding feet. At the 40:22 mark, Jacobs prayed that her fellow Christians would replace America's "veil of deception" with a "bridal mantle."

"There has been a veil of deception over this nation, and we believe that tonight we are here to rend the veil and remantle the nation with a bridal mantle of intimate worship, restoring the tabernacle of David, that a generation will seek the face of God. COME ON! This is good news!"

Later, the rally played a video of Jim Garlow speaking at Statutory Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building on May 8, 2012. At the 45:01 mark, Garlow claimed that American exceptionalism sprung from its recognition that God bestows rights.

"Let me pose a question. How many people in a debate format when asked by the moderator of the debate,'what is the first thing you will do if you're elected,' how many times have we heard someone say, 'my first official act, I will call on Almighty God.' That's what our first president did in his first speech as his first act ... American exceptionalism doesn't mean we're great and they're not. It doesn't mean we're hot and they're not. It's not some kind of elitism statement. It says that there is something within our fabric that is an exception. What is that? ... At its core, American exceptionalism says that of the 192 nations of the world, only one of them has in its sacred documents specifically its birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence, a statement that clearly states all of our rights come from God, endowed by their creator. It is a tragedy when high level elected officials manage to delete those three words when citing the Declaration of Independence."

Garlow blamed the "silence of the pulpits" for the current moral state of America, insisting that if religious leaders had spoken up, America would not be facing enormous debt, the "Holocaust" of abortion, or the "catastrophic price" of same-sex marriage. He plugged pulpitfreedom[dot]org, urging the church not to "abdicate" its role in American affairs. At the 49:32 mark, Garlow depicted religious leaders as persecuted by "radical secularists."

"I recognize that radical secularists and historical revisionists will try to write you out of the scope of history and cause you to feel less than wanted at the table. Stand up and declare authentic Biblical truth ... If you are going to be a disseminator of truth and freedom and justice and righteousness in this age, they're going to come after you. Accept it as part of the price. It's our time to demonstrate the courage."

Jerry Tuma, president of Cornerstone Financial Services, told listeners that the U.S. is allegedly showing symptoms of an empire in decline, such as military overreach, moral decay, emphasis on personal rights, etc. He urged the government to be rid of socialism and radical Islam, urging "reformation" in education, immigration, tax structure, and other areas of public life. At the 1:23:00 mark, he warned the audience that God will tear down "certain social structures," a warning he delivered after reciting the Biblical story of a drought that befell Israel after King Ahab imported paganism into the land.

"We're in an age right now where we're going to see God beginning to tear down certain social structures in this land and certain things that do not rely on God. The government is not God. The government is not the messiah and it has to be changed and reformed from the inside out."

Several preachers of color from the Religious Right spoke at the event, including 8:18 The Sign founder Dehavilland Ford. In the throes of ecstatic prayer, Ford repented of complacency and a "stagnant spirit" in the church, begging God to remove everything that exalts itself against his glory. At the 1:47:38 mark, she prayed to God for forgiveness for the church's "complacency" regarding abortion and sexual matters.

"That would you would raise up voices and you would forgive us for being complacent on the issues that are burning in your heart! You would forgive us for being complacent over the shedding of innocent blood! You would forgive us for being complacent on the issue of sexual purity! You would forgive us for being complacent when we have defiled your altars, oh God!"

Will Ford of Hilkiah Ministries made convoluted correlations between ancient human sacrifice, abortion, homosexuality, and adultery, insisting that too many people in the church overlook such things in favor of religious entertainment. At the 2:11:00 mark, he made this odd statement.

"The reason why I believe abortion has such a stronghold in this nation [is] because it has such a stronghold in the church. That's the truth of the matter. See, back when they used to worship Baal, they would actually beat religious drums to drown out the screams of the children as they were being burnt in those iron skillet hands of Moloch and Baal, to drown out the screams. Ain't it interesting how they use religious entertainment to cover up the immorality in their midst. Yeah, we do it today. You know, we see that person we know is leading the choir, know something is not right, homosexual or whatever, and we just go ahead and say, 'You know what? Turn up the music a little bit louder.' We got the pastor we know is sleeping around with other women and sometimes men, we say, 'You know? Go go ahead and whoop and preach a little bit harder. In other words, entertain us while we watch you die, because all we care about is your ability to entertain us instead of your walk with the living God.'"

Audience members as well as scheduled speakers promoted the right-wing themes of the evening. During a prayer call, an unnamed young man prayed ecstatically on stage, exalting America for God and condemning abortion at the 1:59:20 mark.

"This is your nation! You bled for this nation! You sent your son for this nation! Father God, we were founded in you, Lord. As Israel was founded under God, Father God, so was the united states of America, Lord! And we are the United States under Jesus Christ ... We will be in government, we will be in jobs, we will be in media, and we will take this nation by storm! ... Those babies that have been slaughtered, Father God, the blood that cries out! ... I pray right now, no longer will it happen. No longer will it happen, Father God. The end of abortion is near!"

Despite all the ecstasy and spiritual language of the event, Reformation Day resembled the many New Apostolic Reformation events of the past, condemning abortion and homosexuality while promising Christian hegemony in America. For attendees at Reformation Day, the spiritual mingled with the political in a time of upheaval and elections.


To watch a full recording of Reformation Day, visit www[dot]generals[dot]org/reformationday/

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Right Wing Watch: Highlights from the Generals International 'Reformation Day' Pre-Election Prayer Rally

Christian Research Network: NAR's Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets Seek 'Reformation Day for America'

Cindy Jacobs on Raising Children from the Dead

Remember the video in which Becky Fischer of Jesus Camp fame told a group of children in Singapore that they could raise the dead? New Apostolic Reformation preacher Cindy Jacobs recently made a similar claim.

On the August 6th edition of God Knows, Mike and Cindy Jacobs of Generals International talked about the power of spiritual devotion. The episode featured the usual New Apostolic Reformation rhetoric about "powers and principalities," spiritual warfare against Satan, and God's power. Amusingly, at the 22:54 mark, Cindy Jacobs attempted to raise a dead child from afar.

"The Bible says the same power is in us that raised Christ Jesus from the death. I see someone, you literally have had a child that just died. And I speak to the spirit of death in that child in the name of Jesus, and I command you to leave that child. I speak to the spirit of infirmity that caused the child's death and I say, live in Jesus name! LIVE! And I see a child coughing, waking up, oh! We saw that in Pakistan. We saw a little boy raised from the dead just like that. God is on the move."

At this point, I've heard so much kooky rhetoric from New Apostolic Reformation leaders that nothing shocks me anymore. I don't know if this statement was intended to stir the emotions of vulnerable listeners who had lost loved ones, or was just another example of the delusional thinking characteristic of the New Apostolic Reformation. Either way, it's unhealthy.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. To watch the episode in question, visit vimeo[dot]com/channels/godknows#/channels/godknows/47041074)

Abortion Tornadoes and Gay Hobbies: Awakening 2012 Flashback

I regret that I didn't cover Awakening 2012 right away, since the quotes that emerged from the conference were hair-raising. The start of a post on Awakening 2012 has been sitting in my "draft" folder for several months, neglected in the wake of more pressing blog topics. Better late then never, eh?  --Ahab

An annual Religious Right conference called the Awakening 2012 took place on April 20-21 at Calvary Assembly in Orlando, FL. The conference featured prominent anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, and New Apostolic Reformation speakers, as it has in prior years (see here and here).

"A war is raging against our shared values," the Awakening 2012 site warns. "Our faith and freedom are under attack. Silence in the face of this war is not an option." To discuss this alleged "war" on Religious Right values, the conference offered several workshops with titles such as these:

• Religious Liberty, Life, and Family
• Pastors, Churches and Political Activity: Re-energizing the Pulpit
• The LGBTQ (QIAAP) Agenda: Winning the Battle and Messaging the Masses
• Radical Islam and National Security
• Winning the Battle for Human Life

Right Wing Watch was kind enough to share video excerpts from the conference, from which I've gathered several surreal quotes from Religious Right speakers. First, New Apostolic Reformation preacher Cindy Jacobs offered this convoluted statement on marriage, American exceptionalism, Marxism, and Satan.

"From the beginning to eternity, God established family with a man and woman. To go against this passage and this pattern usurps God's created order and disrupts his purpose both for individuals and nations. It is God who has called us to disciple nations, and Satan's desire to weaken nations. One of his primary ways that Satan's tried to do this is to reengineer the way our children are taught, to steal the belief system that God is the ultimate authority and must be obeyed. Satan wants to steal God's family and create tyranny to have a people he can rule over. This is why he wants to destroy the concept and belief in American exceptionalism and put government in the place of God. Godly government constitutes a climate of freedom, and the removal of this belief system has the fruit of a Marxist-type government where people are no longer free from oppression."

Ooookay then. Next, New Apostolic Reformation preacher Lou Engle led his audience in prayer, begging God to unleash revolution upon America. Oddly, he reworked the ending of the Lord's Prayer into "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in America."

"Father, in agreement together, we are asking for hundreds with the mantle of Chuck Colson. Be released this very moment ... This very moment, we agree God that as that man has gone to heaven, let the mantle come on a whole new generation who will take their place with a double portion anointing. Father, we right now agree together that as you did in the days of Elijah and you shook Ahab and Jezebel's death culture, do it in America ... God, do it in America! Release an Elijah revolution, God. Release a cultural revolution. We ask in your presence this moment in the name of your son, who's seated far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in America.”

Later, Engle told conference attendees about a dream he had involving "homosexual and abortion tornadoes." Engle expressed frustration with obstacles he has encountered in his anti-gay and anti-abortion activism.

"In 2006, we did 50 days and 50 nights of intercession of seven young people, we were given a dream of two tornadoes coming to destroy America and they were the homosexual and abortion tornadoes. In the dream I was given a sight to raise up intercession to confront those tornadoes ... And Bound4Life was raised up but I'm haunted that God has not opened the door for me to go after this thing, I’ve tried, I’ve gotten blasted ... I don't know how to do it but I am crying out to God for an answer."

Young Conservatives of California chair Ryan Sorba was scheduled to speak at a panel discussion entitled "The LGBTQ (QIAAP) Agenda: Winning the Battle and Messaging the Masses." He dismissed homosexuality as "capricious desires," refusing to acknowledge LGBTQ status as an innate trait. Alarmingly, he compared LGBTQ status to hobbies and sports, dismissing calls for LGBTQ rights.

"A lot of people lose their confidence when they talk about this issue, because the other side is so good at putting you into a corner with their terms, which is why this panel is so important, because he who defines the terms controls the debate. Stop using the word gay, because implicit in the notion of a gay identity is the fact that they’re born gay and that it should be a fundamental human right, but fundamental human rights are based on human nature, not on capricious desires. If fundamental human rights are based on capricious desires, guess what? We’d have every group on this planet with a different hobby arguing for fundamental rights and benefits based on the fact that they play hockey, based on the fact that they play basketball or surf, or anything that they’re interested in."

Finally, Kamal Saleem was scheduled to speak at two workshops entitled "Radical Islam and National Security" and "Israel and the Middle East." Saleem, who claims that he was a former Islamic terrorist before converting to Christianity, had plenty of scathing things to say about Islam and President Obama. For instance, in one workshop, Saleem insisted that President Obama is trying to "import" Muslims into the U.S. so that they can overwhelm conservatives and Christians, then institute sharia as law.

"The immigration bill is not against the Hispanic, per se. Many people think it’s against the Hispanic. No, it’s not. On the contrary, our President is sending millions to Hamas to import Muslim people to United States of America ... Check your media. Google that. He just sent $23 million dollars to Hamas recently to Hamas, just this year. We’re about to [go] bankrupt and he sent the money to Muslims. So what happened is he’s trying to import them to United States of America to throw the power of conservatism and the church out, you know, God’s people, so what happens is they will become the upper hand or the equal hand. Because if you read the Muslim Brotherhood theology and their memorandum that they came to destroy [the] United States of America with, is to populate United States of America with a multitude of millions of Muslims. So what happened is, when they are here, the sharia law will--what happened when he allowed in the name of the Hispanic people, Mexican people, ‘let’s make them American,’ now all the illegal Muslims will be legalized here and terrorism will be legal in United States of America ... One day we’ll be wearing ragheads and walking on the street and everybody will say, ‘that used to be a Christian country where Islam conquered.'"

Sadly, these kinds of outrageous claims are par for the course with Saleem. In another video excerpt, Saleem said that sharia will usurp the Constitution and bring fascism to America.

"When and if sharia law is allowed into United States of America, the first amendment will have to be broken, because [it will] become [a] hate crime bill ... The Constitution [will] have to be brought down and establishing fascism will have to take place. Why? Because Islam is a fascist place, just like Nazism or any other fascist religion."

Disturbingly, a woman in the audience asked Saleem, "Is our president of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim?" Other audience members said "Yes, he is," laughing and applauding.

What can I say about such rhetoric that I haven't said hundreds of times before? How do you extinguish this kind of hatred? How do you reason with people this divorced from reality?


For more information about Awakening 2012, visit freedomfederation[dot]org/content/awakening_2012

What Schools Were Like Back Then

Right Wing Watch posted commentary on an episode of God Knows, in which New Apostolic Reformation preacher Cindy Jacobs claimed that school violence erupted only after prayer was removed from public schools in 1962. The claim that school problems can be traced back to the removal of guided school prayer is a well-worn trope among the Religious Right.

Jacobs conveniently ignores problems that existed before 1962, including the pervasiveness of Lovecraftian abominations in our schools. As this 1950s home economics video illustrates, our children had to attend schools that were crawling with otherworldly horrors. I don't want to go back to those times. Do you?



Okay, okay, I promise I'll behave now.