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If the SBC is to adopt a new mission statement -- and such adoption should be considered a huge undertaking -- what is the statement it replaces? The SBC was formed in 1845, according to our founding documents, for the "purpose of carrying into effect the benevolent intention of our constituents by organizing a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the denomination for the propagation of the gospel." The purpose of our convention, according to Article II of our bylaws, is "to provide a general organization for Baptists in the United States and its territories for the promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God." Are a "purpose" and a "mission statement" the same thing? If the proposed mission statement is an add-on, it can be enthusiastically endorsed. If it is to change the purpose statement of the convention, it needs far more serious consideration than to be the first of seven recommendations from a task force formed for a different purpose entirely. The task force still wants to dilute the Cooperative Program by making it the "first and primary component" of something they would call Great Commission Giving. The progress report in February basically would have taken any responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion and "returned" it to the state conventions. The new version still doesn't recognize that the states have always had primary responsibility for CP promotion and it urges the SBC Executive Committee to work with state conventions to form a "unified strategy with clearly established goals" by 2013. My strategy to encourage churches to higher CP giving is this: Demonstrated commitment to CP from those who lead the Southern Baptist Convention. SBC president Johnny Hunt, who has pledged to double his church's CP giving this year to about $900,000, rightly reminded the editors that no one responds positively to criticism. You can't get someone to do more of something by emphasizing how little of it they currently do. He reminded us that "thousands" of churches that claim SBC affiliation give nothing to CP -- and the six-percent average church CP commitment would be much smaller if not for the large dollar amounts churches like his provide. [article link]

Gimme That OC Religion - Crystal Cathedral Declares Bankruptcy - Why Robert Schuller Had it Coming - Schuller ultimately influenced American Christianity [but not in a lasting, positive way] the most of any pastor in OC - at the expense of his own flock and for personal benefit

Because, when all of OC's titans of Christianity eventually meet Charles E. Fuller in the afterlife, the world will see that Schuller [Robert H. Schuller (Sr.)] ultimately influenced American Christianity the most of any pastor in OC--at the expense of his own flock and for personal benefit. While Chuck Smith revitalized American evangelicism [according to Chuck Smith - because everyone knows that it was Billy Graham not Chuck Smith that 'revitalized American evangelicism'] via Calvary Chapel, the [TBN] Crouches [Paul and Jan Crouch - Trinity Broadcasting Network] revolutionized broadcasting the words of Christ (including Schuller's own Hour of Power) and Rick Warren built a global megachurch without peer, Schuller put too much of his church's focus on himself--the best-selling books, the television program, the many lectures. **His message of possibility thinking [i.e. Chuck Smith "made room in his heart ... generating a movement of the Holy Spirit"] and seminars for pastors made Warren possible, created the megachurch movement, and brought in millions to build his Crystal Cathedral--but while Schuller mugged for the cameras, he never did set a course of succession for his flock [Robert H. Schuller (Sr.) had a clear succession in his son Robert A. Schuller - but Robert A. Schuller turned out to be an actual Christian and that was unacceptable to NWO instigator Robert H. Schuller]. If I was more up-to-date on my Scripture, this is the part where I'd quote Jesus or some prophet about vanity--oh, Ecclesiastes!--and say Schuller didn't [want to] learn. I've brought this point up before, but it demands repeating: maybe if Schuller had ditched the endless tours and paid more attention to his church [Christianity], the Crystal Cathedral wouldn't be in this situation today. Or maybe he understood that it's Christ's message that's more important, not so much paying bills on time. But what do I know? I'm just a pissed-off Papist [Catholic]. [article link]

Yahoo: Schuller pleads for dollars for Crystal Cathedral - Church officials have said that for the time being, "Hour of Power" will remain on the air though the number of stations airing it has been cut - Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a *business to keep operating while it tries to put its finances in order under court supervision {Note: Legal - financial documents are already being filed and it will be interesting if we get to see a detailed 'court supervision' financial history of Robert H. Schuller's travel/expenses/perks and of the Crystal Cathedral's general spending habits.}

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Crystal Cathedral founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller on Sunday tearfully asked his parishioners for help in overcoming the megachurch's bankruptcy and tens of millions in debt. Schuller, 84, made the plea from the pulpit as he spoke publicly for the first time since the church filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 18. "I need more help from you," Schuller said, according to the Orange County Register. "If you are a tither, become a double-tither. If you are not a tither, become a tither. This ministry has earned your trust. This ministry has earned your help." -- (596) Comments: Steve| Maybe he can book the Beck & Palin Travelin' Salvation Show! Their little gig seems to bleeding the ignorant of tons of money! ... People's Political Co| ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! F-U Schuller and your phony religion. "Give me more money so I can live like an Oriental Potentate". ... Lep| Maybe they should have tried "Biblical money management" from the get-go. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I'm sure it doesn't include multi-million dollar mortgages and tens of thousands of dollars renting livestock for Christmas pageants. ... Lee| If they REALLY want to save their "church" they should work for a dollar a year until this "crisis" is over. Will they do that?? No, they would have to dip into their personal fortunes to continue living in the lifestyle they have become accustomed to. They would rather have someone, their followers, bail them out. ... WadeS| Anybody who sends these frauds money is brain dead and a fool. [article link]

Part 4 - Chuck Smith's Fabricated Background - The "common" story behind the Calvary Chapel story is that Chuck Smith saved [an already saved] hippie named Lonnie Frisbee and single handedly instituted the Jesus Freak movement making Chuck Smith the father of [the already existing] Jesus Freak movement

Surprisingly the Chuck Smith Sr. ministry story from childhood until even now [Calvary Chapel (miles from any beach) is now claiming to have been a mecca church to both hippies and surfers] is almost as fabricated and fictitious as the well-known fictitious Ergun Caner [my life as a Muslim terrorist] ministry story. - Supposedly Chuck Smith led a hippie Lonnie Frisbee to the Lord creating the Jesus Freak movement however apparently Lonnie Frisbee was already a 'born again' Christian when he first met Chuck Smith - so what really happened? In 1965 Chuck Smith made his switch from his longstanding Foursquare Church denomination to the unknown Calvary Chapel fellowship. The question remains was this 'late season' denomination move on Chuck's part an attempt on Chuck Smith's part to enter the coming 1966-1969 Satanic Revolution that would soon be sweeping America? On cue in 1968 Chuck Smith had finally scrounged around enough and found the defanged hippie that he had been looking for as his entrance into the hippie movement in order to play "Papa Chuck" in his diabolical, controlling and manipulating role as father of the hippies all the while undermining the foundations of the true Christian Church. [article link]

There are at least three versions of the Calvary Chapel story regarding how Chuck Smith first met the hippie Lonnie Frisbee - The least credible of the stories is the story that Pastor Chuck Smith tells regarding his daughter Cheryl (wife of Pastor Brian Broderson) according to Chuck Smith she had a boyfriend at the time who introduced Lonnie to Chuck Smith

Another person altogether has claimed [and insists] to have first introduced Lonnie Frisbee to Pastor Chuck Smith. [article link]

Calvary Chapel Chuck Smith - With a sincere concern for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his heart and his home for a generation of *hippies and *surfers {Note: The Chuck Smith Calvary Chapel myth has grown to now suddenly include both hippies and surfers. Hint: Calvary Chapel is located in Santa Anna, CA and is miles from the beach but can't let a little reality get in the way of a good "grab it (from somewhere else) and blab it" Calvary Chapel story.}

Chuck Smith Senior Pastor: In 1965, Pastor Chuck Smith began his ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Only twenty-five people attended. What began as a small chapel has now grown into a church that seats over 2000 and is filled almost nightly. From the beginning, Pastor Chuck welcomed all, young and old, without judgment, placing his emphasis on the teaching of the Word of God. His simple, yet sound, biblical approach draws 25,000 people weekly. With a sincere concern for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his heart and his home for a generation of hippies and surfers; **generating a movement of the Holy Spirit that spread from the West Coast to the East Coast, bringing thousands of young people to Jesus Christ. Included among this generation of new believers were Greg Laurie, Mike MacIntosh, Raul Ries, and Skip Heitzig, as well as hundreds of others who now have ministries of their own. {Note: Chuck Smith thinks that whatever he personally does becomes approved by God [regardless of what the fruit develops into] and has a type of Biblical [equal to the Bible] human divinity associated with it "generating a movement of the Holy Spirit" the guy just isn't all there!! Also Note: True Christianity is the exact opposite of what Chuck Smith, Dave Hunt, Norman Geisler, Jerry Falwell Jr., Rick Warren, John Piper, John MacArthur, Lee Strobel, Greg Laurie and many others are subtly preaching and directly practicing. True Christianity is NOT 'generating' an alleged move of God one that happens to immensely and directly benefit (preferably financially) the person or persons involved but True Christianity is to participate [in a personal relationship way] in what God is already involved in. -- "Jeremiah 33:2-3 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is His Name; *Call unto Me, and **I will answer thee, ***and shew thee great and mighty things, ****which thou knowest not."}
[article link]

Wikipedia: Lonnie Frisbee - Contemporary accounts attributed his accomplishments to his incredible anointing of the Holy Spirit - Frisbee was a key figure in the Jesus Movement and eyewitness accounts of his ministry documented in the 2007 Emmy-nominated film Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher explain how Lonnie became the charismatic spark igniting the rise of two worldwide denominations Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel and John Wimber's Vineyard Movement

Lonnie Frisbee (June 6, 1949 - March 12, 1993) was an American Pentecostal evangelist and self-described "seeing prophet" and mystic in the late 1960s and 1970s. Despite (or because of) his hippie appearance and being a man who struggled with homosexuality, Frisbee had notable success as a minister and evangelist. Contemporary accounts attributed his accomplishments to his incredible anointing of the Holy Spirit. Frisbee was a key figure in the Jesus Movement and eyewitness accounts of his ministry documented in the 2007 Emmy-nominated film Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher explain how Lonnie became the charismatic spark igniting the rise of two worldwide denominations (Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Movement). It was said that he was not one of the hippie preachers, "there was one." ... Jesus movement, Calvary Chapel: Frisbee and his wife had left the [Christian] commune of the House of Acts [near San Francisco] to go to Southern California. Chuck Smith, meanwhile, had been making plans to build a chapel out of a surplus school building in the City of Santa Ana, near Costa Mesa when he met Lonnie Frisbee. Lonnie and his wife Connie joined the fledgling Calvary Chapel congregation and Smith was struck by Lonnie's charisma, "I was not at all prepared for the love that this young man would radiate." Frisbee's attachment to the charismatic Pentecostal style caused some disagreement within the church since he seemed focused more on gaining converts and experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit than on teaching newer converts Biblical doctrine. Chuck Smith, however, took up that job and welcomed Frisbee into his church. Frisbee's appearance helped appeal to hippies and those interested in youth culture, and he believed that the youth culture would play a prominent role in the Christian movement in the United States. He cited Joel the prophet and remained upbeat despite what the young couple saw as unbalanced treatment as Frisbee was never paid for his work yet another person was hired full-time as Smith's assistant. Under Frisbee's ministry his most visible convert was evangelist Greg Laurie whom he mentored and has since gone on to establish Harvest Christian Fellowship, the eighth largest church in America with over 15,000 members. Frisbee became one of the most important ministers in the church when on 17 May 1968 Smith put the young couple in charge of the Costa Mesa rehab house called "The House of Miracles" with John Higgins and his wife Jackie, within a week it had 35 new converts. Lonnie led the Wednesday night Bible study which soon became the central night for the church attracting thousands. The House of Miracles grew into a series of nineteen communal houses that later migrated to Oregon to form Shiloh Youth Revival Centers, the largest and one of the longest lasting of the Jesus People communal groups which had 100,000 members and 175 communal houses spread across North America. This may have been the largest Christian communal group in US history. [article link]

Lonnie Frisbee and Chuck Smith [1968-1971] - from the DVD The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (YouTube)

Lonnie Frisbee meets Chuck Smith and together the two men shepherd Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa into a new spiritual revival. -- DVD available at www.lonniefrisbee.com [article link]

DVD The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher [Lonnie Frisbee] - TRAILER 1 (YouTube)

Frisbee recounts the life of a radical hippie turned Christian evangelist whose call into the ministry came while involved in the Laguna Beach homosexual scene. Even though he was the spark who propelled two of the largest evangelical denominations in the last thirty years into existence, he was treated with contempt throughout his career because of his sexuality. What do you do when the Jesus freak who starts your church dies from AIDS? Simple. Erase him from history. [article link]

Part 5 - A Fraudulent and Deceptive System - A system that entraps, entangles and ensnares unsuspecting people [for generations] within a fraudulent , misrepresented system - A system that then seeks to exchange people within the system [a mock freedom of choice - but only within the supervised system of control and manipulation] from one fraudulent ministry into another i.e Calvary Chapel youth being vigorously marketed to attend the Norman Geisler/Ergun Caner VES school

A fraudulent and deceptive system has been systematically put in place attempting to give the effect that these men [their families] and ministries are more influential and more powerful than they really are and of course with the appearance of more power and influence comes more prestige and with it much more money. This is actually a very diabolical system because it is a false system, a system that only pretends [i.e. Rev. Robert H. Schuller] to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a system that only pretends [i.e. Dr. James Dobson - Jerry Falwell Jr.] to uphold family values and causes. It is a system that only pretends [i.e. Chuck Colson] to represent conservative voter values. Note: many supposed Christian, conservative, family values ministries have been doggedly determined in their referring of occult [i.e. Harry Potter] material [and other resources i.e. occult movies 'The Matrix' and 'V for Vendetta'] into the greater Christian Church body. Both Chuck Colson's [Prison Fellowship] ministry and Dr. Dobson's [Focus on the Family] ministry have recommended the Harry Potter books to their Christian audiences. This is the very disastrous effect of having wolves guard the sheep [and worse pretending to minister and protect the sheep] and the sheep (Christians) are being discouraged, disheartened and devoured both spiritually and physically (financially) because of this deliberate, diabolical system enacted and entrenched by diabolical men. [article link]

Veritas Evangelical Seminary: UPCOMING ANNUAL VES APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE!! 11/05/10 - 11/06/10 - VES Annual Apologetics Conference (Calvary Chapel - Costa Mesa, CA) {Note: Previously the VES Apologetics Conferences had an admission fee (about $40) but now in some cases the fee seems to have been dropped, because it must be very difficult to lure young potential students into a diabolical Veritas Seminary system by both lying to them and charging them money for the introduction the (VES) sales pitch [aka VES Apologetics Conference] so apparently something had to be dropped and it was the fee that was dropped while the phony Apologetics show remains in yet more attempts to attract young unsuspecting students to Norman Geisler's fraudulent VES school.}

11/05/10 - 11/06/10 Speakers: Joel Rosenberg (Israel, Middle East, and the Last Days), Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ), *Norman Geisler (Responding to the New Atheism & If God, Why Evil?), Ron Rhodes (Answering Brian McLaren and the 'The New Kind of Christian') William Dembski (The Theological Case for Intelligent Design & The Scientific Case for Intelligent Design), Stephen Meyer (Signature in the Cell: DNA Evidence for Design), *Ergun Caner (The Secret of Islam), Steven Collins (Archaeology Confirms the Bible). ... 05/06/11 - 05/07/11 - VES Apologetics Conference (Mt. Airy, MD) (Calvary Chapel) [Note: all or almost all of the VES Conference are hosted exclusively at various Calvary Chapel affiliated Churches - even though the Calvary Chapel name is not always used by VES in order for VES to give an appearance of a wider scale of acceptance of their agenda.] Speakers: *Norman Geisler (2 Lectures - From Evangelical to Agnostic: The Error's of Bart Ehrman & Pluralism: Is Jesus the Only Way to God), Ron Rhodes (2 Lectures - Responding to Brian McLaren and the 'New Kind of Christian' & 10 Keys to Answering Cultists at Your Door), Ed Hindson (2 Lectures), *Ergun Caner (2 Lectures - Why I Am Not a Muslim & The Secret of Islam), Joseph Holden (1 Lecture - Archaeology and the Bible: What the Stones Tell Us About the Reliability of Scripture). [article link]

It Takes a Long Time to Clean Up [Internet] Falsehoods - The Internet is such a huge "place" - It takes forever to clean up evidences of your past---if you are trying to do that, anyway - I was just referred to this (2005) press release on Ergun Caner's own website (better click fast, it will be gone before long!) - Note this further example of the mysterious "misstatement" that Ergun Caner seemed to be making over and over and over again for years on end {Note: ***Ergun Caner is going around preaching a 100% Emergent Church doctrine, principles and theology i.e. "God = Love" actually "God = God" and love, patience, faithfulness, justice, longsuffering, faithfulness, etc. are all Attributes of God. - Also Note: It is Dr. Norman Geisler (Veritas Evangelical Seminary) [one of Ergun Caner's biggest supporters and a mentor] that is going around from Church to Church doing "Apologetics Conferences" with Ergun Caner (also one of Geisler's Veritas Seminary instructors) as Geisler pretends to be informing Christians and preaching against the Gnostic Emergent Church Movement that is currently infiltrating Evangelical Christianity on a massive scale all the while Dr. Norman Geisler is forwarding, promoting and covering for Emergent Church prompter Ergun Caner. -- July 31, 2010 Calvary Chapel Downey - Apologetics Conference Speakers: Norman Geisler, "Understanding and Answering the Emergent Church" - Ergun Caner, "5 Reasons Why I am not a Muslim" Source: www.cccsdowney.org/high-school/monthly-letter/}

Ex-Muslim to lead at Liberty U. By Bob Lowry ASSOCIATED PRESS LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The new dean of the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University theological seminary is a former Sunni Muslim who plans to turn out a hipper generation of graduates by relating to them with lyrics from rapper 50 Cent, TV's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the latest movies and film stars. Ergun Mehmet Caner cracks one-liners as easily as he quotes a Bible verse. Lecturing to a packed auditorium of 450 students, Mr. Caner mixed religion with jokes to keep his students on their toes in a late afternoon theology class. He asked his students which popular actors they would marry "if she or he was a Christian." Their answers brought howls of laughter from the classroom. "In a given lecture, I'll talk about 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' C.S. Lewis, 'Plato's Cave' and some lyrics by 50 Cent," Mr. Caner said of some subjects one normally wouldn't associate with Mr. Falwell's university. Mr. Caner sees it as a way to connect with his young audiences. "Most college students lose attention every seven minutes and with that, it's important to have that humor to bring us back in and teach us more," said Travis Bush, a junior from Rocky Mount, N.C., in Mr. Caner's class. "He's the best professor here. With the humor, it keeps us interested." Mr. Caner, 39, said he wants a different approach for a new generation of Liberty students, whom he dubs "tecumenicals." "I call them techies because, on one hand, they were raised with e-mail" he says. "And yet they are so ecumenical. This generation is different. They've been there, seen it and done it. They're looking for some *authentic passion that's got a pulse and that sweats. "The point is I'll use anything at my disposal. I'm not hiding from culture and I don't boycott culture. If I'm turning out students who say 'What's that dot on your head for?' That's ignorance. Or, 'Why'd you wear your laundry on the top of your head?' That's ignorance." Mr. Caner takes over as dean of the seminary in July after only two years at the 8,000-student school. The shaven-headed, goateed Mr. Caner [Proven False], whose family emigrated from Turkey [Sweeden] to Toledo, Ohio, when he was a teenager [two years old] ... Boyd Rist, Liberty's vice president for academic affairs, said Mr. Caner was the clear choice for the job after the former dean left for the presidency of another school. As for Mr. Caner's Muslim background, Mr. Rist said Mr. Falwell [Sr.] doesn't mind doing the unexpected at the school he founded in his hometown in 1971. Copyright 2005 News World Communications, Inc. Source: www.erguncaner.com/home/press/documents/ap_04152005.pdf [article link]

APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE - SATURDAY, JULY 31, 8:00AM - 5:00PM - You won't want to miss this all day conference featuring some of the best Apologists in Christianity [Dr. Norman Geisler, Ergun Caner] who will be responding to some critical issues confronting the church today - See bullentin insert {Note: It will be interesting to see if Calvary Chapel will withdraw Dr. Norman Geisler and Ergun Caner from participation in this Church event and begin to put an end to this obvious charade, hoax and falsehood that is taking place or if Calvary Chapel will continue on in its business as usual manner and continue to be a part of the Caner [Ergun and Emir] cover-up, deceit and lies that are now openly taking place within Christianity.}