Here's an anthology containing John's previous posts, with some                                         narrative context by Frederick Clarkson and Bruce Wilson, and related posts which have appeared on Talk To Action

by Bruce Wilson on Tue Feb 14, 2006 at 12:09:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I can't speak much on the SBC (as, relatively speaking, they are new-ish players in the field of overtly dominionist denominations) but in the case of the Assemblies of God I can tell you that "sheep stealing" and even attempting to start dominionist movements in mainstream churches is "standard procedure" and nothing entirely new.

One of the biggest ways the Assemblies targets mainstream churches is through the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International.  The FGBMFI has claimed to be an "ecumenical" group but is dominionist-only, and in fact is a front group of the Assemblies of God that is used both to recruit potential members and to infiltrate mainstream institutions.  (Of note, the FGBMFI is one of the two earliest documented dominionist groups--being involved in both the US and international politics since its very creation in the early 50's--and heavily uses Amway upstreams as a form of "bait and switch" evangelism (as documented in the excellent book Merchants of Deception).

One of the earliest documented churches targeted by the Assemblies and its fronts for brewing up a dominionist movement and supporting dominionist hijackings is, ironically enough, the Southern Baptist Convention:

      The effort to build bridges between secular and religious conservatives was spearheaded by four activists with no background in the Christian Right community: Howard Phillips of the Conservative Caucus; John "Terry" Dolan of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC); Paul Weyrich of the National Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress; and Richard Viguerie, a major fund-raiser for conservative causes. The basis for coalition would be a frontal attack on "big government" as a threat to traditional religious and economic values. In response, the National Christian Action Coalition, the first national organization of the Christian Right, was launched in 1978. Television evangelist Jerry Falwell organized the most prominent of the new organizations, Moral Majority, in 1979. To reach into the Southern Baptist Convention, Ed McAteer started the Religious Roundtable, while Christian Voice, composed primarily of members of the Assemblies of God, concentrated on the western states.
       The leaders of these movements embraced the issues that concerned secular conservatives, but they did so with a religious rationale. Increased defense spending, for example, was justified as a way of keeping the nation free for the continued preaching of the Gospel, and support for the government of Taiwan was defended as necessary to protect Christian allies from the "Godless forces of anti-Christ Communism." In practice, however, conservative social values drove the formation and activity of the New Christian Right (Glazer 1986; Wattenberg 1995).

(Ed McAteer is widely acknowledged as being a primary architect of the hijacking of the Southern Baptist Convention by dominionists.  McAteer was also a member of the secretive Coalition for National Policy, and per some documentation may have even been explicitly premillenial-dispensationalist and tried to get official church support for these policies.)

One way in which the SBC was infiltrated--and other churches have had dominionist movements seeded in them by the Assemblies and FGBMFI--is via "cell church" movements.  The people who ultimately hijacked the SBC actually were goaded on by Assemblies-based promoters of dominionism:

It was the Full Gospel Business Men and Charismatic Renewal that brought in the Discipling or Shepherding movement, which continues to grow rapidly as many in leadership take the position they are neither to be doubted nor questioned. Parallel names for the theology involved are: headship, discipleship, covenant relationships, cell groups and accountability groups.

Bob Mumford and Ern Baxter were two of the instigators of the Shepherding movement. Eventually called the "Ft. Lauderdale Five", the main leaders besides Mumford and Baxter, were Derek Prince (Assemblies of God), Don Basham (Disciples of Christ), and Charles Simpson (Southern Baptist).

Bob Mumford of Lifechangers, recounts some of the history of his personal involvement in Shepherding in the article "Forty years later."  

"...In 1963, we took a position as Professor of New Testament and Missions at Elim Bible Institute in New York. While teaching at Elim doors began to open with the Full Gospel Businessmen, allowing us to teach on the renewal in denominational churches. During this same time we also became involved in the Charismatic Renewal because of the vision imparted to me by David Duplessis. He came as a visiting ministry and spoke about John 17:21 and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in mainline denominations around the world, and the need to facilitate unity in the larger Body of Jesus Christ...California in 1969 to work with Ralph Mahoney and World MAP...In 1971 we became officially involved with New Wine Magazine and Christian Growth Ministries in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Derek Prince (Assemblies of God), Don Basham (Disciples of Christ), Charles Simpson (Southern Baptist), and two years later Ern Baxter (Charismatic). There was a sense that out of the five of us there would be a diversification of teaching which would give more of a balance and less of a personality emphasized..."

 "In 1972, four of the teachers held extensive seminars on the truths of God's Word as we saw them emerging, namely: spiritual unity, spiritual authority, more personal pastoral care, covenantal understanding, and discipleship. Basically, the vision sought to establish the truth needed to prevent the Charismatic renewal from disintegration or a degeneration into subjectivism and experience fixation. The response to these truths was remarkable... Out of this came what is now known as the "discipleship - shepherding" movement. All of this was consummated in 1977 in what became known historically as the Kansas City Conference... We moved to Ft. Lauderdale for the primary purpose of the development and maturity of new leaders..."

"We saw ourselves in a military model, like commanders involved in spiritual warfare...In 1975 the controversy began... We began to understand how dangerous it was for charismatic leaders to teach God's people what other pastoral leadership did not know. By doing this we were contributing to the injury, pain, and pressure of a church and society that was already fragmenting..." {Bolding added}

 "While many of these original principles have been mastered and adjusted, I still believe in them with all my being... 1984 saw the break up of the five teachers. My choice was to renew my relationship with the Elim Fellowship once again."29  http://www.lifechangers.org/

Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York had several 1948 Latter Rain Movement members on staff, including the president, in 1976. Demos Shakarian invited the president of the school to a FGBM convention in 1953, which indicates there was Latter Rain influence in FGBM.  New Wine was also a conduit for Latter Rain teachings.30 New Wine Magazine was applauded at the National Religious Broadcaster's 1986 convention. 31 The issue, included in convention materials, presented a special report on "M.G." Pat Robertson who had denounced "the Five" in 1975. At the same convention, "shepherding leader Charles Simpson was with an elite party of guests at a private reception in Robertson's honor."32

In 1986, Bob Mumford sent a letter to his followers describing changes and that, "it seemed necessary to decentralize in order that we might minister more effectively."33 The strategy of decentralization seemed to work. By 1987, (Late) Don Basham appeared on Pat Robertson's 700 Club, and Bob Mumford appeared on Trinity Broadcast Networks' PTL talk show. 34

As early as 1974, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Don Basham, Charles Simpson and Ern Baxter entered into a `covenant relationship' with Ralph Martin and Steve Clark, founders of the Word of God Catholic charismatics in Ann Arbor, Michigan..." 35 Their alliance was called "The Council" and "its purpose was to strengthen the shepherding system across the denominational lines." By the mid-1970's, the Council had expanded to include Catholic shepherding stalwarts, Paul DeCelles and Kevin Ranaghan and also Larry Christianson, a leader in the Lutheran charismatic renewal. 36  

See: General Council Minutes of the "Ft. Lauderdale" Elders from 1974.

It was to Bob Mumford that Lonnie Frisbee went in 1971, when he left Chuck Smith of Costa Mesa Calvary Chapel, where he'd been unofficial youth Pastor since 1968.  At the invitation of Mumford, Lonnie entered the beginning of the shepherding movement "to join with other Jesus People leaders,"37 for five years of "intensive Bible study"38, where upon he returned to Calvary Chapel for a short time. He then joined John Wimber in 1980. Some suggest that Bob Mumford and Derek Prince gave the "discipling" a `test run' in one church which ended up splitting, followed by the Five going public, with similar widespread results.39  

---
Ern Baxter wrote the workbook study course, The Chief Shepherd and His Sheep  which organizers sold at the July 1987 Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization in New Orleans. Ironically, over 40,000 charismatics attended and received free copies of Charisma magazine. It had the cover story "After Discipleship", which was about the controversy of the `shepherding movement.' 40

Dennis Peacocke is one of the many disciples of Bob Mumford. Peacocke has been on the board of advisors of the Family Christian Broadcasting Network. (FAM/CBN) He networks with numerous shepherding and New Right organizations, including sponsoring right-wing conferences, at least one of which included Phyllis Schlafly. (CNP) 41 Anatole Fellowship was founded by Dennis Peacocke, who "shepherded" Colonel Doner, founder and director of Moon-controlled and financed Christian Voice mentioned in CNP biographies.

Dennis Peacocke leads The Convergence, a reconstructionist/dominionist global leadership conference "that is focused on the conversation that must take place between the Church and the postmodern secular world. By definition, convergence occurs when people of different ideologies begin to approach the same point, even though they may be coming toward it from different directions, and engage each other in meaningful dialogue. This dialogue can change the world by aligning it more closely to God¹s will and God¹s Kingdom." http://www.theconvergence.org/purpose2000.htm

For his opening address at The Convergence, Dennis Peacocke, also president of Strategic Christian Services, "called the principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness to task for their dissemination of lies in this century..." http://www.theconvergence.org/report1999.htm

---

The inaugural leadership conference, hosted by Dennis Peacocke and Strategic Christian Services was held in Santa Rosa, California on June 24-26, 1999. According to their Purpose, "The Convergence signaled the emergence of a far-reaching multinational movement to do exactly that: care enough to bring biblical solutions to the nations¹ wounds..."  http://www.theconvergence.org/report1999.htm

Besides Dennis Peacocke, the 1999 Conference included: Bishop Eddie Long, Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (a 22,000 member Atlanta fellowship); Bishop Flynn Johnson, Senior Pastor of Atlanta Metropolitan Cathedral; Wallace Henley, former staff assistant to President Richard Nixon, former senior pastor of The Encourager Church, and now running for the U.S. Senate in Texas; John Kelly, former NFL lineman, founder of Antioch Churches and Ministries; Dudley Hall, President of Successful Christian Living Ministries and pastor-teacher at Restoration Church near Dallas; and Richard (Dick) Bruner, Senior Pastor of Christ Church North Bay and President of Sent International, a prophetic ministry."

Dick Bruner had worked with Kent Philpott, a pastor who had a youth ministry, in San Rafael/Marin County during the Jesus Movement.

Dennis Peacocke's Strategic Christian Services provides the parallel mission and support to The Convergence:

    "Our mission is to pioneer in transforming the world we know into the world God has intended. This transformation, which requires genuine, lasting change in every area of contemporary life, is the venture to which the men and women of Strategic Christian Services have dedicated their lives." http://www.gostrategic.org/Mainmenu.asp

Mr. Peacocke's associate, Jay Grimstead, drafted the "Worldview Documents," which involved cell groups for `sheep' and pastors. In 1986, Grimstead organized pastors of the National Association of Evangelicals into "accountability groups." 42 In other words, they became "shepherded."  

(Footnotes:

29.   http://www.lifechangers.org/   Bob Mumford, Lifechangers' Mission
    
30.    op.cit. Riss, p. 140
    
31.    Sara Diamond, Spiritual Warfare; The Politics of the Religious Right; p.118; South End Press, 1989
    
32.    Ibid
    
33.    Ibid. p. 119
    
34.    Ibid
    
35.    Ibid. p. 122
    
36.    Ibid.
    
37.    Lonnie Cognate Essay by David Disabatino
    
38.    Ronald Enroth, Edward E. Ericson, Jr., and C. Breckenridge Peters, p. 93, The Jesus People: Old-Time Religions in the Age of Aquarius. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972.
    
39.    Online Discussion String, Statement by one who parents attended the church that split
    
40.    Op.cit. Diamond, p. 111-112
    
41.    Ibid. p. 128
    
42.    Ibid. p. 128-129)

Yes, you read that right--not only did Assemblies-affiliated preachers assist SBC dominionists in spreading a highly abusive tactic, but actually developed it as a way to split mainstream church congregations and turn them dominionist.  Of note, it also notes how "Charismatic" movements in mainstream churches have occasionally been seeded by the Assemblies, particularly in the Catholic church, and in some of the same mainstream churches that are now having dominionists attempting to split them via Institute for Religion and Democracy frontgroups.  In the case of the SBC and the National Association of Evangelicals, this (sadly) succeeded in the hijacking of those groups by dominionists.)

There are other documented cases of either dominionists within mainstream denominations being helped by, or dominionist movements being actively "farmed" by, the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International and the Assemblies in general; at least one former FGBMFI member talks about how "Catholic Charismatic" movements have been "farmed" by the FGBMFI.

This isn't the only type of sheep-stealing practiced.  There are upwards of forty or more documented front-groups of the Assemblies that operate on a national or international level, and many more that operate on a state or local level.  A large number of these fronts directly target other Christian groups:

Royal Rangers and Missionettes (may be promoted outside of the AoG proper, per the Wikipedia entries on the groups (Assemblies-operated "Christian Alternative" to Scouting programs; other churches (outside of the neopentecostal movement) may not be familiar with the Assemblies links)
Bible Bowl/Bible Quiz (which is promoted to churches outside the Assemblies and is supposedly the largest "Bible Bowl" group in the country in terms of participants)
Gospel Publishing House (religious publisher owned/operated by the Assemblies of God)
Global Youth Leaders Net (another branch of the Assemblies targeting youth, promoted as a "Christian alternative" to Junior Achievement et al)
Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (Assemblies-operated "front group"/accreditation mill for dominionist schools and homeschooling programs; may be promoted outside the Assemblies of God proper)
KingdomBuy (defunct dominionist "shadow economy" promoter, which is an Assemblies front group; per this page it is noted the group is affiliated with the Assemblies of God and per the following WorldNetDaily article is also one of the major funnelers of money to dominionist groups like the AFA; many major retails as a result have specifically disaffiliated themselves from KingdomBuy and retailers are now putting in policies of refusal to affiliate with any religious groups (THIS is the reason Target is no longer allowing the Salvation Army on its property; it's because of groups like KingdomBuy).)
"Messianic Jew" movements in general (the vast majority of "messianic Jew" groups that are not directly affiliated with Jews for Jesus are in fact essentially satellite churches of Assemblies of God congregations; the very church I walked away from hosted "messianic Jew" groups, and Rick Ross Institute has reported re coercive religious tactics and harassment; the movement in general and one particular Assemblies-affiliated "Messianic Jew" group in particular have led the state of Israel to consider banning Christian missionaries altogether)
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (an Assemblies front group focusing on both "Messianic Jews" and of AoGers themselves adopting Jewish holidays and ritual in the form of Messianic Jews; extremely controversial in Israel itself; of special note, has (ironically) been linked to a Holocaust Revisionist work called "The Pink Swastika" (re sponsor list: see annotated version; also note that at least one other Assemblies church is affiliated with this hate work) which claims that gays were not only NOT killed in the Holocaust but that the Nazi Party was almost entirely homosexual)
Together in the Harvest Ministries (main front group of Brownsville Assemblies of God church in Pensacola, major focus of "Third Wave" flavour of pentecostalism (which is widely recognised as particularly coercive; see http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com<wbr> for more info); this site also has good info on coercive religious practices in Brownsville and similar "third wave" Assemblies churches; main focus of "Together in the Harvest" is spreading of "third wave" theology to other churches including outside of the Assemblies itself)
Youth With A Mission (may well qualify as Assemblies front group; group was originally founded by an Assemblies church, per the Assemblies of God is listed officially as an affiliated group, and is probably one of the front groups of the Assemblies most consistently associated with spiritual abuse.  YWAM is also linked with Assemblies televangelist Benny Hinn (per this article); is promoted outside of the Assemblies proper, either as Youth With A Mission or the group Mercy Ships, see below)
Mercy Ships (group associated with "Youth With A Mission" and promoted as dominionist "parallel economy" alternative to Doctors Without Borders aka Medecins Sans Frontieres; per this article noted affiliation with YWAM (another "stealth evangelism" front) and in fact the organisation admits its link with YWAM)
Chi Alpha (front group operated by the Assemblies for "stealth evangelism" in campuses in style of Campus Crusade for Christ; is associated with Assemblies of God per Wikipedia article on group; very interestingly, group was apparently founded by John Ashcroft's father showing the level of deep political links with the Assemblies itself; has been known to promote itself on college campuses as a "Christian Fraternity")

This isn't even counting televangelism--the Assemblies essentially invented televangelism and radio-preaching, and practically every religiobroadcasting network of any size not connected with Calvary Chapel or the Catholic Church is in fact linked with the Assemblies of God in some way:

PTL (now defunct) (was operated by Assemblies preacher Jim Bakker; archive of misbehaviour here)
Trinity Broadcasting Network (associated with Assemblies per Wikipedia article on founder; also major broadcasting source of most present Assemblies-affiliated TV preachers per this page; presently subject of investigation re financial accountability)
World Mission Media (the main center of the Assemblies' broadcasting empire proper)
NewsBreak (front group promoted as a "news service" and often broadcast on religious channels)
WorldBeat (Assemblies-produced programming targeted at teenagers)
Go360 (children's programming "front group" of Assemblies)
CrossWalk (dominionist website that is operated as division of Salem Communications, promoted by Assemblies frontgroup Healthcare Ministries; Salem Communications also has close links with Calvary Chapel religiobroadcasting empire)
WORD Broadcasting (front group operated by large Assemblies megachurch in KY that is de facto center of dominionist movement in that state; of note, is licensee of WJIE International (formerly WJCR), a shortwave godcaster (to which link goes).  Proof of front group obtained by fact church owns TV station licensed to WORD Broadcasting, operates radio station (with same call letters) licensed to church's school. Has set up pirate radio stations in other countries; also associated with High Adventure Ministries/Voice of Hope Jerusalem, below)
High Adventure Ministries d/b/a Voice of Hope Jerusalem (shortwave and satellite godcaster, associated with WJIE and carried on Dominion Satellite dba Sky Angel (dominionist DishTV reseller); partner with WJIE in setting up massive shortwave godcasting network; has operated clandestine radio station in Lebanon in past; major party in funding of "Messianic Jew" movements)

(Full disclosure--I am a walkaway from the church which operates both WORD Broadcasting and High Adventure Ministries.  Hence my familiarity with the abusive tactics :P)

But yes, this is "standard operating procedure" for the Assemblies--heck, a big part of how they recruit new members is "bait and switch" evangelism, among other things.  Seeding dominionist movements in mainstream churches is nothing new for them, sadly.

by dogemperor on Wed Feb 15, 2006 at 11:52:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

In the near future, I will do a feature piece on the Pastoral Referral Network, and also an article on churches who become vulnerable during times of pastoral transitions and why - these are key times for churches to get targeted for takeover. And yes, if the pastor comes from outside the UCC, alarm bells should go off.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed Feb 15, 2006 at 12:42:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]