From the Chattanoogan:
Dr. Steve Ball, a Chattanooga area church and community leader, arrived in Kenya on Wednesday and will be traveling to Uganda and Rwanda through next Tuesday at the invitation of international spiritual leader, Bishop Robert Kayanja of the Miracle Centre in Uganda (a church with more than 80,000 members).
He will participate in meetings with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, President Museveni of Uganda, and the president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, as well as 3,000 pastors and community leaders in Rwanda and some 500+ Ugandan business leaders.
Throughout his visit to Africa, Dr. Ball will be participating in a multi-national crusade taking place in Rwanda’s National Stadium.
Ball, who pastors the Metropolitan Tabernacle Ministerial Fellowship in Chattanooga, is not someone of whom I was previously aware. His website informs us that
Greatness lies within you…
You can walk in power!
You can live in prosperity!
You can experience healing and hope!
Everything about you is built to GO FORWARD!
You are purposed for success!
You have a devil-conquering destiny!
It also tells us that he
…networks with and mentors “spiritual sons” across America and around the world.
He and his wife are hosts on TBN’s Praise the Lord! show.
American preachers enjoy considerable access to African presidents such as Kagame and Museveni, as I have blogged a number of times in the past – Californian evangelist Rick Warren intends for Rwanda to become the first “Purpose-Driven Nation”, following precepts derived from his Peter Drucker-inspired book The Purpose-Driven Life, while Museveni and his wife have been praised for taking evangelical advice on combating AIDS (with mixed results). Earlier this year, Museveni was praised by healing evangelist Morris Cerullo, who opined that “You are the right man in the right country at the right time and God has blessed your leadership”.
Bishop Robert Kayanja (whom I profiled here) is the link-man in many of these cases; as well as hosting Cerullo and Ball, a few months ago he brought Benny Hinn to Uganda, which backfired somewhat when Kayanja had some kind of spiritual experience on stage, suggesting that Hinn had greater spiritual power and leading to rumours that Hinn had exorcised him. Hinn was soon followed by the aptly-named US evangelist Creflo Dollar, whose lavish lifestyle is currently under the scrutiny of the Senate Finance Committee.
The Kigali New Times has some details of the latest crusade in Rwanda, although Steve Ball is not mentioned:
About fifty people claimed to have been healed by the power of God at the opening of Pastor Kayanja’s Miracle crusade on Friday evening at the Amahoro National Stadium.
…One man jumped out of his wheel chair, and a woman dropped her clutches after the pastor’s prayers.
A man who claimed lost his sight for ten months claimed to have regained it.
…The convention was attended by many dignitaries including the Mayor of Kigali City, Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira.
(Meanwhile, Ed Brayton has written a very interesting piece for the Michigan Messenger on Keith Butler, an exponent of the Prosperity Gospel who is poised to become Michigan representative on the Republican National Committee. The piece provides a good overview of the movement as a whole.)
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[…] Kitenge is a genocide survivor; and Ball is a prosperity gospel evangelist whom I have noted in the past, and who has long-standing links with Kayanja (whom I profiled […]