Spiritual Warfare and Territorial Spirits (~5.5 MB) - Moriel Ministries

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Continued: Life styles of the Rich and Famous - Pt. 7cal missionaries from the City of Faithand He would take Oral home if he didn’traise the $8 million by March of the sameyear. This money was to be used to providefull scholastic scholarships for medicalmissionaries who would be sent toother countries. Oral claimed that he hadalready raised $3.5 million, but he needed$4.5 million more by March 1, in order toget the full $8 million and prevent Godfrom taking him home. [Note: Shortly afterthis, bumper stickers with a dollar signand the red ‘not’ symbol imposed overit started appearing all over America. Tothe right of this emblem were the words,“Send Oral to heaven in ‘87.” Again thename of Jesus was being defamed in theeyes of the American public by a highprofile minister with a lust for Mammon.]In April Oral Roberts said that he hadreceived $9.1 million, which was $1.1million more than was required by God.In November of that very year,Oral Roberts announced that the Cityof Faith would be closing down.In January of The following year,1988, Oral discontinued the medical scholarships.In March of 1988, the medicalscholarship fund went bankrupt and thosestudents that wanted to transfer to other collegeswere told they would have to repaytheir scholarships to ORU at 18% interest.In September of 1989, Oral closed theCity of Faith, never having sent out a singlemedical missionary. And no, He didn’trefund a single dime of the money that hebilked from the faithful. You do the math.”Role Models for theCrouchesPaul and Jan Crouch continue to thisday to uphold Oral Roberts as one of theirgreatest role-models and fathers in the faith.He is still a frequent guest on the Praisethe Lord program and both Crouches havereceived honorary doctorate degrees fromORU and have served on Roberts’ ministryboards. It is easy to see from watchingTBN and the Crouches lifestyle, howthey were impacted by those they honorwho led the way in Christian television.Not only did the Crouches adopt theirrole models’ fundraising methods, butthey also followed in their footsteps in livinglavishly. The Crouches have praisedearly Christian television pioneer, RexHumbard, whose ministry was “sullied byscandal since he first began broadcastingin 1953.” The Cleveland Press reported in1980 how the Humbards had just boughtthree expensive homes in Florida for RexHumbard and his two sons. The Crouchespay honor to Rex Humbard in their newslettersand on the Praise program as a “greatChristian radio & television pioneer.”Whenever there is a major scandalin televangelism, a love for money is atthe heart of it. When prosperity teachersuse their bank account balances to determinetheir ministry’s measure of success,they lose all sight of what God values.Worldliness and greed were the downfallof the PTL empire. Sexual immoralityplayed a part as well, but the love of moneyis the root of all evil and wealth givesaccess to the world’s goods and services.That’s why Jesus said, “It is easier for acamel to go through the eye of a needle,than for a rich man to enter into heaven.”When “Christian” leaders live in conspicuousconsumption, the world lookson and Christianity is tarnished. Thesetelevangelists rant and rage at the secularpress for confronting them about theirlavish lifestyles as they justify themselvessaying they are merely enjoyingGod’s promises to bless His children.Another inspiration for TBN wasChristian television pioneer, KathrynKuhlman. She was an eccentric faithhealer who Benny Hinn identifies as thesource of his anointing. She came toprominence in the 1950s and had her ownreligious television program, “I Believein Miracles,” on Sundays on CBS, beforethere were any “Christian” networks.Jamie Buckingham was a close associateof Kuhlman’s and wrote her biography,“Daughter of Destiny.” Though he was afriendly reporter, he described Kuhlman’slove of money and fame and her penchantfor trying to capture Hollywood’s attention.“Kathryn was, in her later years, a frequentvisitor in the fashionable boutiquesalong Wilshire Boulevard and in BeverlyHills,” wrote Buckingham. “She loved herexpensive clothes, precious jewels, luxuryhotels and first class travel.” He saidthat Kuhlman loved living like a queenbut off the donations of the commoners.Kuhlman’s pianist, TBN regular DinoKartsonakis, according to Buckingham,also took on the duties of her personalescort around the world until they hada falling out in late 1975. Buckinghamreported that Kuhlman’s staff referred toKartsonakis as “Kathryn’s gigolo,” andshe became insanely jealous when Kartsonakisbecame interested in a young ladyhis own age, who became his first wife.Kuhlman would have Kartsonakis flownto Italy just to have his clothes tailormadeand be put up in the finest hotels.Kuhlman died a few months after theirfalling out and many Kuhlman insidersblamed her demise on Dino Kartsonakis.Since the Crouches’ predecessorsseemed to get away with living high onthe hog off the donations of the little people,I suppose they thought they deservedthe same benefits. After all, their ministriesare bigger than any of their forerunnersso they deserve the same perksas any CEO of a billion-dollar empire.PTL & TBNWhen the PTL scandal hit the newsin 1987, Americans were shocked whentheir expensive lifestyle was revealed forall to see. Remember the air-conditioneddoghouse and the gold plated bathroomfixtures that the secular press made such abig deal over? Yet today the TBN regularsblatantly flaunt their riches and conspicuousconsumption without shame. Fewseem to question the impropriety of it nowadays.It is as if it has lost its shock value.Paul Crouch, on Behind the Scenes, hasoften displayed his expensive white Arabianstallion who, it has been reported byformer staff members, gets VIP treatmentwhen he makes an appearance, and enjoysan air-conditioned portable stable whenhe’s brought to the Irving, Texas, studio.And Paul Crouch’s offices in TBN’sheadquarters in Costa Mesa, California,are said to be so luxurious that few peopleare even allowed onto the third floor of theformer Full Gospel Businessmen’s Associationbuilding where it is located. It hasbeen reported that “Paul Crouch’s 8,000-square-foot executive suite, which occupieshalf of the top floor of the three-storybuilding, is strictly off-limits to the public.Behind doors kept locked throughout constructionare a wet bar and sauna, a personalgym, meticulously handcrafted black walnutwoodwork and ornate velvet furniture.”The Orange County Register’s reporterwas barred from seeing the suite, thereport continued, “but others who havebeen inside or helped build the suite sayit is more befitting a mansion than anoffice building. ‘This makes Hearst Castlelook like a doghouse,’ said Steve Oliver,a master journeyman carpenter. Whilescores of hired hands worked on the exteriorand other public areas of the building,Oliver and others in a crew of highlyskilled carpenters spent several monthslast year on Crouch’s private third-floorquarters. The finished product is ‘reallyrich looking,’ said Willa Bouwens-Killeen,a Costa Mesa senior planner. ‘The woodis the very best quality, and they usedthe best craftsmen,’ she said. ‘It lookslike something you’d expect in a mansiontype of house rather than offices.’”The L.A. Times described the newTBN headquarters as “a cross betweenDisneyland’s Sleeping Beauty castleand a Middle Eastern palace. Inside,10 Moriel Quarterly • June 2007
a sweeping brass and marble staircaseleads to a 15-foot tall statue of Michaelthe Archangel stomping the head of Satan.Behind is a high-definition videotheater with a 48-channel sound systemand a state-of-the-art television studio.”One Pentecostal preacher who touredthe facility was so provoked by whathe saw that he produced a video aboutTBN’s decadence entitled, “Temple ToThe Gods and Goddesses.” In the videoPastor Joseph Chambers shows videoclips of his self-guided tour through theareas that are open to the public. As thevideo scans on the array of red velvet,gold trim, and mirrored walls and ceilings,Chambers gives his commentary.“Now let’s go into the actual headquartersof this temple of the gods and thegoddesses,” Chambers says while rollingthe video footage he took at the newly renovatedbuilding. “Watch with me. Nudepaintings of cherubim and children all overthe ceilings . . . You’ll note that they havefemale angels, I call them new age angels,at the entrance along the way as you leadinto the studio . . . Then you have a pictureof two nude people hanging over a womanfigure . . . I’m not sure what that picturerepresents, but it was quite amazing to me.Now if you look, as we take a look aroundat some other places, there’s ancient godsused in decoration. This is on the statuesand in different places, the legs of tables.It’s all a very motif, a very presence ofa temple of the gods and goddesses.”One thing for sure -- TBN’s décoris done in miserable poor taste. Manycompare the sets and furnishings to ancientbrothels. Jan Crouch takes fullcredit for the interior design. During theSpring, 1999 Praise-a-Thon, Paul Crouchresponded to all the furor that the newstudios created. “Oh how the critics rageover a few nice TV studio sets that Jancreates with poly foam and wood columnsand a little gold paint! It’s all fakefolks. It’s all fake. It’s just a little gildedpaint . . . The heretic hunters just have afield day criticizing Jan and all of us thatcreate a few pretty things that look niceon TV. Of course, God is worthy of it!”TBN’s properties in Hendersonville,Tennessee, were formerly owned by countrysinger, Conway Twitty. TBN revampedthe stage of the Conway Twitty auditoriumto resemble their own grand ole opry withBabylonian trim. The stage is one of themost decadent looking one in TBN’s repertoire,decked out with golden lions oneither side of the stage. Jan Crouch toldthe TBN viewers that she saw the décorin a dream and ordered it to look that way.So is God is worthy of all the fakeryand tasteless flamboyance? I guess thedécor shows how the Crouches view theirGod. But Paul Crouch has a point whenhe compares his temples to Catholic cathedrals.“Hey, if you’re gonna get mad,why don’t you take the Catholic Churchon? I just been over in Italy and I love togo into those beautiful old cathedrals.” Aswe’ll cover in the ecumenism chapter, theCatholic Church wrongly thinks their cathedralsand churches hold the actual bodyand blood, soul and divinity of Christ intheir tabernacles on their altars, and usereal gold plates and chalices to containhim. This is in total contradiction to theWord of God that says that God “doesnot dwell in temples made with hands.”Another similarity between TBN andPTL that many people point out is thefounders’ colorful wives. Many havecompared Jan Crouch to Tammy FayeBakker (Mesner) as if to say that Crouchcopied Bakker, but they have the orderwrong. Tammy Faye, as already pointedout, learned the tricks of the tradefrom the older and wiser Jan Crouch.Like Tammy Faye, Crouch donstons of make-up and false eye-lashesand wigs, sometimes blue or pink-tintedones. One writer of a letter to the editorof Charisma magazine, wrote, “I don’t’judge others by the clothes they wear.However, I can tell you that many peopledo change the channel because of Jan’sextreme appearance. That’s unfortunate.Jesus does not want Christians tooffend others or cause them to stumble.”The letter was in response toCharisma’s June, 1998 issue that featuredTBN as the cover story. In the side-bar,“Jan Will Be Jan,” author J. Lee Gradywrote, “Channel surfers who visit theTrinity Broadcasting Network on weeknightsoften do double takes when theysee Jan Crouch chatting on the flashyPraise the Lord set. Her pink bouffantwig, heavy eye makeup and constantgiggling put her in a category all by herselfwhen it comes to talk-show hosts. .. She doesn’t care if you are offended byher clothing style, her makeup or her recentdecision to have cosmetic surgery.”Certainly her appearance doesgrab the attention of channel-surfers,but diminishes from anything shesays since she can’t be taken seriouslyin the minds of the casual viewer.The Tonight Show’s host, Jay Leno,once commented on her during hismonologue. He said that his wife sometimeswatches Christian television andasked his audience if they have seen thiswoman who “looks like Tammy Fayeon a bad day. White hair piled up high,Continued: Life styles of the Rich and Famous - Pt. 7eye make-up that looks like it’s appliedwith a trowel and wearing a fur coat.”Jan Crouch really goes to work duringthe Christmas holidays. Just likePTL’s Heritage USA theme park thatlit up every Christmas, TBN’s studioscome alive in December. Tammy Fayewas the first to boast of having one millionlights hung on PTL’s property, andnow Jan Crouch has outdone Bakker andhas more than one million lights on theCosta Mesa headquarters alone. Unfortunately,that didn’t sit well in SouthernCalifornia when residents were enduringrolling blackouts due to power shortages.An article appeared in the December20, 2000, issue of the L. A. Timescalled, “A Glaring Exception: Energy CrisisPuts TBN in an Unfavorable Light.”Times Staff Writer, William Lobdell’slead paragraph read, “It’s that time of yearagain: to mail cards, trim the tree—andcomplain about the light display at TrinityBroadcasting Network headquartersin Costa Mesa. But this December, thecomplaints—usually centered aroundmatters of taste—have had greater resonanceas the state endures its worst energycrisis in more than two decades.”The article went on to explain thatTBN made a few concessions to thecomplaints, but still lit up the building,only for shorter periods of time. The localsin the vicinity say you can see thelights from the TBN building for a milebefore you pass by on the 405 Freeway.One of TBN’s brochures boasts ofthe Holiday decorations at their Hendersonville,Tennessee studios. “Marvelat the Yuletide beauty of ChristmasCity USA. Over a million lights sparkleon 30 acres of beautifully decoratedgrounds. Stroll through ChristmasAround the World and see delightfulChristmas traditions from many nations.”Jan Crouch’s former personal assistant,Kelly Whitmore, used to haveto go and purchase furniture and décorat Crouch’s command. “I felt soguilty going and buying those things,”said Whitmore. “Christmas lightswere absolutely phenomenal in cost.”What a bad portrait of ChristianityTBN portrays to the world when they seethe gaudy sets and the painted womanthat resembles her surroundings. On aBehind the Scenes show in December,2000, Jan Crouch gave a guided tour ofthe conference room at TBN’s new CostaMesa facility. The room was full of banquettables and chairs and decorated withred velvet curtains. Mrs. Crouch used thetime to promote the seminars available toall TBN partners in Southern California.June 2007 • Moriel Quarterly 11
Page 3 and 4: when no man can work” (John 9:4).
Page 5 and 6: altars. It was the beginning of the
Page 7 and 8: up to hear John Wimber and Paul Cai
Page 9: Jackie AlnorLIFESTYLES OF: THEGuest
Page 13 and 14: The video is available from Paw Cre
Page 15 and 16: sen people does not necessarily tra
Page 17 and 18: Dr. Thomas Ice CommentaryBy, Dr. Th
Page 19 and 20: [16] Hanegraaff, Apocalypse Code, p
Page 21 and 22: er to God, is not in the Word of Go
Page 23 and 24: Israel Tour - October 2007S P A C E
Page 25 and 26: ularly in Latin America, his major
Page 27 and 28: “Church,” not in His flesh.AN A
Page 29 and 30: nities, and also trials and blessin
Page 31 and 32: Moriel MissionsDear FriendsDavid Ro
Page 33 and 34: the pain she was feeling. She thens
Page 35 and 36: used in the Protestant churches eve
Page 37 and 38: ally, and can be used to both grasp
Page 39 and 40: little girl. Over the last three mo
Page 41 and 42: Moriel AustraliaDusty Peterson & El
Page 43 and 44: ComfortingTrust in YHWH with all yo
Page 45 and 46: Letters & CommentsFeedback Australi
Page 47 and 48: Be AlertMINISTRIES“ So Then let u

Spiritual Warfare and Territorial Spirits (~5.5 MB) - Moriel Ministries

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?