Bartholomew's Notes

The Jerusalem Post reports on a new Christian Zionist initiative: a referendum among US Christians:

“Do you support the creation of a PLO state in the Land of Israel?” will be the question that Christians across America will be asked to vote on, according to an initiative of the Apostolic Congress’s Global Israel Alliance and Americans for a Safe Israel.

Unsurprisingly, no alternatives are offered, such as:

“Do you support an independent, democratic Palestinian state outside Israel’s 1948 borders?”

or

“Do you support Palestinians and Israelis enjoying equal citizenship of one state consisting of historic Palestine/Eretz Israel?”

Either of which are, I suggest, rather more sensible formulations. But the whole exercise is rather pointless because, as the Post reports:

The referendum ballots will be disseminated through every church and community center that considers itself within the Christian Zionist spectrum. Once tabulated, the results will be presented to every member of Congress, to Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and to Bush.

In other words, the referendum will be sent exclusively to Christians who believe that Israeli expansionism and Palestinian dispossession represent God’s will. Somehow, I think the result is a foregone conclusion.

But who’s behind this? The Apostolic Congress is indeed Christian Zionist, but with a difference: it represents the Apostolic Christians of the Oneness Pentecostal tradition, which rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. The Congress represents the Apostolics in Washington. According to its website:

In 1981, early in the Reagan Administration, Brother Stan Wachtstetter was able to open the door for Apostolic Christians into the White House…Pastor Robert G. Upton is currently the Executive Director for The Apostolic Congress. Pastor Upton has always had a keen interest in the world of politics, but it was not until he attended a White House briefing in June 2000 that he realized his vision of touching world leaders with prayer for our nation.

Wachtstetter and Upton appear here as part of a delegation to meet Karl Rove in May 2003. The accompanying report features this curious sentence:

Pastor Upton…posed questions about the war with Iraq. Due to the nature of Mr. Rove’s answers, we cannot write his answers to all these questions.

However:

Mr. Rove offered opportunities for these delegates to participate in a bi-monthly conference call and welcomed us to the White House for a meeting every six months for our voice to be heard. This was a milestone for the Apostolic movement in the United States.

The Congress’s Gallery features Upton meeting with a number of conservative political figures, and conservative Christians do not appear to mind his disbelief in the Trinity.  Indeed, Americans for a Safe Israel’s “One State Solution Campaign” consists of him, Gary Bauer and Ed McAteer along with the Jewish Herbert Zweibon (whom I discussed a few days ago).

But such ecumenism in the name of reaction should not be surprising – just yesterday I noted an alliance of two individuals connected to Pat Buchanan and Benjamin Netanyahu in the cause of selling apocalyptic novels. Brother Stan Wachtstetter is also a big fan of the Reverend Moon; according to Unification Reverend Michael Jenkins (whose own contribution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict appeared on this blog at the end of March), in 2001 Moon organised a conference

to continue to break down all religious barriers. Now the conference became a vortex of the first encounter of the major Moslem world leaders with Western Christian leaders. Global Violence: Crisis and Hope. In this historic conference Father showed the standard of True Love. He embraced the Moslem leaders from all backgrounds – moderate, liberal , radical and passive and brought them together as one family with Christians and Jews as well as heads of state. Rev. Stan Wachtstetter told me, ” I saw for myself that Rev. Moon, through that conference, prevented a global Muslim / Christian war. When the people arrived at the conference there was enormous uncertainty, tension and animosity. The Holy Spirit moved and the enemy spirit left the major Moslem and Christian leaders sowing seeds for peace.” I believe that Rev. Wachtstetter was right.

Wachstetter is also involved with Moon’s American Family Coalition, and in 2002 he was handling Faith-Based Initiatives for Mississippi Congressman Ronnie Shows in Jackson.

(PS – click here to see John Gorenfeld’s coverage of Moon’s recent coronation in the Dirksen Senate Office)

UPDATE (20 May): The Village Voice has a piece on the Congress’s more recent meeting with various White House officials. It’s discussed on my blog today.

UPDATE 2 (25 September): Stan Wachstetter has been kind enough to contact me with clarifications and corrections. He tells me that his meetings with Moon are part of his wider ecumenical activities, and are his personal initiatives only. He disagees with Moon, has sympathy for the Palestinians, and thinks that Brother Upton has gone “too far”. As Stan has no leadership position within the Apostolic Congress, I have ditched the “Moon-friendly” part of the title to this entry. Here is Stan’s email (edited for typos and slightly for brevity):

Your article about “Moon Friendly Oneness” is the old, “Hitler drank coffee, Hitler was a Nazi, and thus people that drink coffee are nazis. Your assumption is so wrong that I assume you knew this fact when you wrote this article.

It is true that I, Stan Wachtstetter, have associated with Moon and many other religious leaders such as Catholic Bishops, Steven Couvey, Unitarian George H. Williams, and so many other friends of diverse groups including so many friends that lead in various evangelical groups. This is me, and I do this. My brothers are often accused of being such purists that they are labelled cultists.

Adding to this mix let me assert that I am clearly Oneness, but I am not United Pentecostal and have no leadership nor any other position in the Apostolic Congress. My activities are my activities.

What is absurd is the linkage between Moon’s view of Israel, and Pastor Upton’s view. What little I know of these things it appears they are the opposite.  I question exactly how you link these two positions. I agree with neither of these and I feel the majority of Pentecostals do the same.

From what I understand of Moon’s view, he and they are totally opposed to the defense wall, and favor a two state solution (which in their minds seems to already exist.) Brother Upton by contrast has gotten close to the more right wing groups in Israel, and seems to favor a one state solution.

I certainly do not agree with Moon, and I have told Brother Upton that I feel he has gone to far. He does not believe that Israel must be restored, nor a single state to bring back the Messiah nor anything of that nature. It is true that most Pentecostals favor Israel, and advocate for their right to exist. However, the over whelming majority of Pentecostal see prophecy as something our God will work out, and not us. Thus single state and two state solution have no real meaning to our salvation nor religious view, and thus our political preferences on such matters are diverse.

I am sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians in all the countries of the Middle East. It would be nice to see a Palestinian homeland, and I favor a strong and viable Israel…

I am in retirement. I maintain my right to dialog with anyone I choose, without you or anyone linking me with any religious group to smear them. Pastor Upton has organized the Apostolic Congress, he has done the hard work, and this is his baby. I am supportive of what he is doing. The positional differences between us on such minor issues as a single state solution is not a criticism, but simply differing views on issues.

It is mentioned that I opened the door for Pentecostals into Washington and other governments. This was the work of my youth and I thank God for this. This was based on accommodation that grows out of the first amendment. From Washington and Whitefield, religious leaders have always been welcomed at the White House. All religious groups are welcome there and it seemed to me other fair that Oneness Pentecostals receive the same open door.

There is no special attention given to us. In fact, I am locked out at this administration because I complained about care of our troops in the field. I have been told directly that I will never be invited.  In addition, I have complained bitterly that they (this administration and the Congress) can seldom tell the difference between a Trinitarian Pentecostal and a Oneness. Because of their lack of concern, generally it is Trinitarians invited to honor us. Proportionally, Oneness people are not given fair invitations to events.

In closing let me say that I know nothing of you, and I have no idea what your religious orientation to be, but I urge great Christian care from you.

Stan Wachtstetter

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Chris Lehmann at The Revealer reports on a party for Joel C. Rosenberg’s new book, hosted by World magazine. I discussed The Last Days a month ago, when it was revealed that Madonna’s one-time manager had bought the rights to make movies of this book and its prequel, The Last Jihad. Lehmann credits that 2001 bestseller for the popular belief among Americans that Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11. Quoting directly:

[Saddam was] not simply…a good friend of the Palestinian people…Saddam Hussein had given the Juma boys the chance to wage jihad against the Jews and against all Americans.

And, of course, this fanatical attachment to jihad allows us to understand the Palestinians. One villainous character recalls that:

From the earliest days he could remember, he had been inspired by the Great Revolution led by Saddam and Yasser Arafat and the imams of his youth.

Lehmann brings to our attention Peter Robbio, “a freelance publicist who represents a number of conservative religious authors”. Good to see Robbio back in action (mostly hawking Regnery wares judging from his web presence) since his resignation as Steve Forbes’ New Hampshire campaign manager in 1999 after he was arrested for pulling a gun on someone at a restaurant.

Funnily enough, Robbio worked for Pat Buchanan back in 1996, around the time that Rosenberg was working for Benjamin Netanyahu. Happily, working respectively for an anti-Jewish bigot and an anti-Arab bigot does not seem to have stood in the way of an alliance in the cause of making sure that ordinary Americans remain in the dark about the actual nature of the Middle East and the USA’s involvement in it. And with luck, Daniel Pipes might be able to force all universities to teach the book in the name of avoiding “bias”.

Next in line to cash in on the LaHaye phenomenon will be Omen author David Seltzer, whose new mini-series is due out over the summer.

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Languishing in the “European news briefs” section of the NY Times is a Reuters report that:

A court has reimposed a death sentence on a history lecturer for blasphemy — a verdict that sparked mass student protests when first announced in 2002. Zekrollah Ahmadi, judiciary chief in Hamadan Province, said the judge had confirmed his original ruling against Hashem Aghajari after a review of the case ordered by the Supreme Court. Mr. Aghajari was convicted after the Hamadan court found him guilty of blasphemy — a capital offense — for a speech in which he said Muslims were not “monkeys” to follow blindly the teachings of senior clerics.

So, having reviewed his own case, Ahmadi has decided to approve his original judgement that judicial murder was the appropriate response to someone criticising the religious hierarchy.

The report does not add if the other sadistic elements of Aghajari’s punishment have also been reimposed. According to Human Rights Watch back in 2002, reporting on the original trial:

In addition to the death sentence, Aghajari received a sentence of 74 lashes of the whip, eight years imprisonment and internal exile, and a 10-year prohibition from teaching.

However, Aghajari, who lost a leg fighting Saddam Hussein, does have a lot of popular support, especially among students. There’s more detail here.

Human Rights Watch also reports that

Iranian authorities are holding scores of professors, lawyers, students and activists arrested after expressing their views.

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The British Daily Mail has explored Madonna’s faith in Kabbalah, or, as the tabloid inevitably puts it, her attachment to “a sinister cult”. Apparently there is a certain amount of expense involved for members of the Kabbalah Centre, London, including a tithe of 10% of one’s income. And if that’s not bad enough:

[Guy] Ritchie’s own blind adherence to the strictures of the controversial ideology has exacted a toll on his once glittering career.

Clearly, when people put their religion before their career or accumulating cash, the only explanation must be brainwashing!

Naturally, no one from the Kabbalah Centre is interviewed for the piece, or any academics, although we do hear a lot from Rick Ross. We also get the Chief Rabbi’s take:

Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, has publicly disassociated the Jewish faith from the London Kabbalah Centre because of the claims of abuse and profiteering.

Well, Sacks is very good at issuing excommunications. Some of us remember his characterization of Rabbi Hygo Gryn, a Holocaust survivor and popular British figure, as a “destroyer of the faith” after his death simply because Gryn’s Reform tradition accepted some of the Biblical scholarship that has been fairly mainstream for the last hundred years or more.

The Mail does, however, provide interesting accounts of what the group believes:

They variously assert that through the ‘positive flow of energy’ believers can heal themselves and stop the ageing process…

More bizarre still is their declaration that negative energy can be absorbed by swinging a chicken above the head.

Plus, Richie gave up shooting because

the souls of dead pheasants might come back to haunt him.

As well as this there is, of course, the famous water, sold at £2.80 ($5) a bottle. All of which, the paper notes, has led to Jewish commentators labelling the Centre as “McMysticism”.

But why is the Mail coming on so strong? The paper’s basic formula is reactionary politics mixed with New Age “inner self” stuff. It regularly serialises books by the likes of Graham Hancock, and I recall the paper giving a lot of space to Michael Drosnin’s Bible Code. Drosnin, who claimed to find secret codes in the letters of the Torah, was following the lead of a particular practice in Jewish mysticism, although in a rather debased way. But then, I suppose, the Mail was cashing in, so that particular example of Jewish “McMysticism” was just fine.

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Days after a report in the Los Angeles Times on Catholic exorcism comes a profile of Lloyd Maxwell, head of Faith Deliverance Ministries International, based in Jamaica. Talking to the Jamaica Gleaner, Maxwell explained that

a person’s being…has ‘compartments’ and so it is possible for God to be in one section and for Satan to be in another part.

And how do the demons enter in?

ancestral curses – such as that which comes through one’s progeny because of one’s involvement in the occult; sexual sins; curses set by others or self-inflicted curses.

During his ministry of casting demons out of Christians, Maxwell has had to endure them leaving messages on his voice mail and a demon in his bed:

he rebuked the demon, saying ‘I am a Minister of the Gospel, I have done my day’s work, I am entitled to sweet sleep and I am drawing a line here on this bed over which you cannot cross.”

This is not the Gleaner‘s first foray into this area. Back in 2002 Mark Dawes, who covers the Gleaner‘s demon-beat, profiled Donald Stewart (1), pastor of Faith Deliverance Ministries International. According to Stewart, demons have often identified themselves as “Masonic Lodge”, and he

spoke too about having counselled several persons who are members of the Church of Satan in Jamaica. He gleaned from these counselling/exorcising sessions that there is at least one such church in every parish. Delivered persons hardly ever seem to remember the actual locations of these churches, as there seems to be a built-in amnesia within those delivered from Satanism.

Shame Mike Warnke never thought of that one. Stewart also recalls a boy

viewing ‘Days of Our Lives’ and he saw a woman in the show who had psychic powers, and he said “I wish I had powers like that,” and instantly the demons came on him and he became suicidal.

Stewart was challenged by magician André Kole, who did a Randi on him:

VISITING MAGICIAN André Kole is offering US$1million to the Rev. Dr. Donald Stewart if he can prove his statement that Satan gives supernatural powers. Such evidence, he said, should be verified by an independent group of people. “If he can’t he needs to shut up and quit causing all this problem and superstition about something that is totally unBiblical,” said Mr. Kole.

Dawes has also profiled Bishop Joseph Adegold, who has been published by American Charismatic firm Whitaker House and who puts a lot of the blame on traditional African practices. He has also used the Gleaner to promote Rebecca Brown, the discredited fantasist who used to be published by Jack Chick:

Some have dismissed the writings of Dr. Brown, claiming she fabricated some of the stories and there are a few Web sites that denounce her as a fraud. But then if one is exposing the ugliness of Satan shouldn’t one expect to be labelled in order to be disregarded?… Rebecca Brown’s writings are Biblical, and to the extent it assaults a conservative Christian mind set, it is radical.

However, even Dawes is forced to add: “Don’t let her werewolf and vampire stories turn you off. If you are interested in deliverance ministry – be there!”

*******

(1) Donald Stewart should not be confused with the American disciple of A.A. Allen, Don Stewart.

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Russian Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar has called for religious sects to be banned:

Reports available to us suggest that more than one million Russian citizens are members of various sects. This is a serious threat. We shouldn’t sit back and wait until something bad happens. We don’t need such sects.

Lazar had previously given lukewarm support to the Moscow ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses, who soon will not be able to worship even in private:

there are serious questions about the practice of the Jehovists in Russia; for example, it is completely impermissible that ministers of the faith to force children to cut off relations with their parents if they are not members of the same religious  society.

Perhaps Lazar hasn’t heard Martin Niemöller’s famous poem “First they came for the Communists”. His comments are also somewhat ironic given that Lazar is a Lubavitcher, an ultra-orthodox Jewish group that some see as the JWs of Judaism. Meanwhile, alternative Chief Rabbi Adolf Shayevich (1) has called on ISKCON to relocate from Moscow to distant Kamchatcha:

When young people with an unmistakably Slavic appearance shave their heads like Krishna followers and put on the robes of Hindu ascetics, it looks artificial to other people. Why should such things appear today if nothing of this nature has ever been on Russian soil?

However, one shouldn’t be too critical. Clearly fearful of anti-Semitism, Jewish leaders are being careful to show that they fit into Russian society. The main force behind the banning of particular religious groups is, of course, the Russian Orthodox Church. Obviously, it makes no sense to try to get more converts in a religious free market when you can just persecute your opposition. Especially recalling that the JWs chose to suffer in gulags under Stalin rather than compromise and allow half their leadership to get infiltrated by the KGB.

*******

(1) Shayevich was ousted as Chief Rabbi by a Lubavitcher lobby supported by the Kremlin, but he is still recognised by many Orthodox Jews inside Russia and by The Conference of European Rabbis. See here.

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While gearing up for his appearance at a Christian Zionist prayer breakfast and a possible bid for the Presidency, Roy Moore has graced Boyle County High School in Danville with his presence at a “Foundations Festival”.

According to the Advocate Messanger, Moore told his listeners that

the Constitution of the United States was based on the “organic law” of God. He blamed “indoctrination in schools,” a liberal media and “hypocritical” judges for perpetuating the “myth” of the Constitution’s separation of church and state…He urged the audience to become active politically and support a bill in Congress, the “Constitutional Restoration Act of 2004,” which would limit the power of the judiciary in cases involving religion.

The Foundations Festival‘s website informs us that:

A classic definition of war is two mutually exclusive worldviews fighting for domination of a society.  The war on terror certainly reflects this definition, as does the clash of cultures that we witness in America today.

The foundations of our Christian worldview are under attack, and nothing less than the future of our children is at stake.  The battle is being waged for the minds and souls of our youth, and we can no longer stay on the sidelines.

So, whom should we compare with the Muslim terrorists? Well, obviously, it has to be liberals, scientists, divorcees, history teachers, people who don’t like Likud, and so on. The Festival saw Moore rub shoulders with the following speakers:

Grady McMurtry: With his science background, he “knows the lies of the evolutionists”, as well as, one assumes, the lies of the geologists, astronomers and linguists, as he takes a “young universe” position and asserts the literal truth of the Tower of Babel. As he helpfully informs us on his Creation World View website: “Karl Marx and Adolph Hitler formed many of their beliefs around the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest…As long as the KKK is around and as long as evolution is being taught in the classroom…the cancer will get bigger.”

Phil and Cindy Waugh: leaders of the Covenant Marriage Movement. According to the Waughs’ website:

The world views marriage as a legal contract between two or more individuals. Contracts are based on rights and responsibilities and are motivated by self-interests rather than on unconditional love…For the past 30 years, our nation has been wandering in the wilderness of “no-fault divorce” brought about by an acceptance of the view that marriage is simply a contract.

(Optional Covenant Marriage laws have been passed in Louisiana, Arizona and Arkansas.)

Allen Quist: An educator, his website points out that Federal school education is too narrowly focused on job training. OK, but why? The Feds are censoring America’s heritage because it wants to bring in a “state-planned and managed economy similar to that of the former Soviet Union”. So does this mean Bush is a Communist?

Darrell Young: The Christian Zionist element. Interestingly, Young’s Focus on Jerusalem website shows how Christian Zionists may actually turn against Bush. As he warns us:

The involvement of the United States in enforcing the partitioning of the promised land conveys serious implications for our beloved country. Zechariah 12:2-3 indicates that all nations that become preoccupied with enforcing a world solution upon a reborn Israel, shall be cut to pieces. Joel 3:2 also indicates that the partitioning of Israel in the days when the God of Israel has restored her back into the land that he gave to the forefathers of Israel will cause destruction of all those nations who oppose the repossesion [sic] of the land by Israel.

Like other Christian Zionists, Young has nothing to say about the alternative, which would have to be equal citizenship of Jews and Palestinians in a bi-national state. Unless, of course, the history of the South points to other possible arrangements…

Other speakers include Mike Crowe, a minister who seems to spend his time writing letters to OutSmart, Houston’s Gay and Lesbian Magazine; Stewart Thompson, whose “Crossover” Ministry “ministers” to homosexuals; and black conservative anti-welfare activist (or “freedom fighter”, as she puts it) Starr Parker.  The whole event was sponsored by a local Danville group called Brothers in Christ.

On all of the above Bush has compromised: with his alleged Middle Eastern “peace process”; by not actually banning evolution; by allowing no fault divorce to continue; and by letting teachers train children to be cogs in the Communist machine. Run, Moore, run!

UPDATE (May 4): Fred Clarkson at Salon has just done a piece on Moore and the Constitution Party. It links to a long essay on the party’s website called “Why Christians Should not Vote for Bush“. Among the many reasons is Bush’s support for “pro-abortion, pro-sodomite Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger”.

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Life President Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo has apparently survived a supernatural attack. According to the Ghanaian Chronicle

a delegation of penitent fetish priests from the local voodoo Anyigbaton Hunorgah fetish shrine of Klikor in the Volta Region of Ghana was shown making a pilgrimage to Lome, begging President Eyadema to free them from a demonic curse…Looking remorseful, the fetish priests, led by Togbui Soglohogah Amewuda Akumey, narrated how two well known Togolese opposition leaders had come to their shrine in Ghana to offer them some drinks and large sums of monies for the sole purpose of “the spiritual killing” of President Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo…He said that… their rituals boomeranged and backfired into the nightmare of fatalities in which their children began to die, strangely one after the other every other day…“Since we performed the rituals to kill President Eyadema, our families have never known peace, with our children dying one after the other,” he said regretfully.

The President received them “unamused” but with “compassion” and forgave them, and so hopefully broke the curse.

Now, might this by any chance have been set up to some degree? You would think that travelling to Togo to tell the President that you have conspired against him is likely to be a one-way trip. But this kind of thing is just what Eyadema’s image is made from. As was noted by Charles Piot, summarised here:

In the mid-1970s, Eyadéma walked away from a plane crash, leading to stories of his invincibility and magical powers. Cleverly, Sarakawa, the site where the plane went down, was made into both a national shrine/pilgrimage site, and the name of a day of the week (in the north).

Once Eyadéma had acquired this reputation of invincibility, other events fed into it. A few years after the “miracle of Sarakawa”, an assassin entered the presidential palace and shot at Eyadéma from close range. In a ghostlike fashion, the president walked away unscathed when the bullet lodged in a small notebook in his breast pocket.

Also, confessing wrong-doing before Eyadema is bit of a ritual. Ebow Godwin, a Togo-based Ghanaian BBC correspondent who filed the Chronicle story, has reported similar events in the past:

When 29 people were found dead in a Togo lagoon six years ago, the local fetish priests carried the bodies to foreign embassies and cast spells against the Eyadema army…But now the priests said they were wrong…The priests chief concern was to be exonerated by the gods, but in the course of their “confession” they added that it was opposition leaders, not the Eyadema troops, who had killed the men in the lagoon.

And what’s more, a group of Togolese deserters confessed to attacking Eyadema in 1993. After the plot failed, one of the conspirators mused that “Maybe, it was an act of God that we did not succeed to assassinate Eyadema after all…We were manipulated by the politicians who were only hungry for power, we came back to ask President Eyadema for forgiveness, and pardon”.

Eyadema would seem to be a regular Buddha of compassionate forgiveness. Unfortunately, though, his “magical powers” don’t seem to have done much for the people of Togo.

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Herbert Zweibon, head of Americans for a Safe Israel, warns in the Jerusalem Post that if

Israel withdraws from Judea, Samaria and Gaza, I think you will see anti-Semitism in America like you have never seen. These people [Christian Zionists] will see it as a betrayal of their own trust.

This is because the Christians will reason that

Why should they stand by [Israel], if the Jews don’t?

Zweibon is quite correct – I’ve heard Christian Zionists in effect say that anti-Semitism is God dropping a hint to Jews who don’t want to relocate to Israel, and other Jewish and Israeli commentators have voiced misgivings about Christian Zionists over their support for The Passion. But in Zweibon’s case, his admission that most of his allies (whom he is due to join at a prayer breakfast for Israel very soon), are, under the surface, anti-Semitic is astonishing, and why he thinks this will persuade more Israelis to embrace expansionism is beyond me.

(NB: The Post states that Americans for a Safe Israel is a “US Jewish organization fighting for a two-state solution”. This is incorrect, and I suspect a typo for “fighting against”. Zweibon is bitterly opposed to a Palestinian state, although he doesn’t speak in favour of the only logical alternative: a bi-national state.)

PS – I’ve updated my entry on Vanunu from two days ago.

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Salon’s Right Hook brings to my attention Doug Giles, Pastor of Clash Christian Church and His People Christian Church, Miami. Giles has just written a call for the return of Christian masculinity. He notes that

The masculine spirit being absent…has…weakened our nation’s morality.Put an end to preaching by cheesy, whiny, quiche eating, preening Nancy Boys…Hire a pastor who throws off a good John Wayne vibe instead of that Boy George feeling…The Church has got to eliminate its effeminate drift and re-establish a masculine base…Beware, young man, of parents and pastors who want to “mother” you.

One can sympathise when he calls worship music “saccharine-laced slush”, and anyone who has dealt with some of the more creepy passive-aggressive Evangelical characters will most likely prefer a full-blooded Ian Paisley. Of course, we’ve had the Promise Keepers for a while now, and pictures of Jesus as a body-builder, but Giles would appear to be part of a new trend explored a few weeks ago in New York Times  (click here for bootleg copy):

The gentle, pacifist Jesus of the Crucifixion is sharing the spotlight with a more muscular warrior Jesus of the Second Coming, the Lamb making way for the Lion.

Stephen Prothero points out in the article that

When you see [Jesus] stand up at the end of [The Passion], he reminds you of Schwarzenegger. I think that movie shows more of a macho Jesus, who, in this case, is brutalized instead of brutalizing.

The Times also points out the Jesus of Glorious Appearing, who massacres the ungodly.

Giles’ His People Christian Church is described as targeting

the twenty something crowd with the purpose of getting the slack out of slackers. Doug giles is creative and a preteen, teen and adult audience hear is message and get restless and unsatisfied with status quo chrisitianity. This church is into christians taking the bible, philosophy, economics, history, law and just about everything else as seriously as god does. Don’t sleep on this church. The next generation of god’s warriors are coming out of this ministry.

The website for his Clash Church connects him with David Limbaugh (whose brother, we all know, was a real warrior in the 1960s battling the anal cyst), David Aikman (author of Jesus in Beijing, and whose views on Christianity in China I discussed a while back), and David Barton, Vice Chairman of the rather disturbing Republican Party of Texas.

For further hints on how to proceed with injecting Christendom with testosterone, Giles could check out the old muscular Christianity movement. Miss Poppy Dixon also makes available John Cross’s 1946 tract The Hard Road to Manhood:

I am acquainted personally with many young men who have voluntarily denied themselves all feminine companionship. … Instead of having a family of six or eight, they have thousands of boys who feel that these young men are like brothers or fathers to them. Many boys will grow up better men and fathers because these young men set everything else aside in life and devoted all their time to showing boys the pleasure and happiness that can be found by taking the hard road to manhood.

Meanwhile, for another all-American Christian warrior, may I commend Jesus’ General?

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