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Publishing, Grady Wrote: ‘‘What Began As Sincere Chris- ‘‘In China,’’ He Wrote, ‘‘Serving the Lord Is a Daily Tian Faith Became Infected with Nauseating Selfishness

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Publishing, Grady Wrote: ‘‘What Began As Sincere Chris- ‘‘In China,’’ He Wrote, ‘‘Serving the Lord Is a Daily Tian Faith Became Infected with Nauseating Selfishness VOL. 21, NO. 4 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2001 EDITOR: KEITH A. MORSE Being Saved After Death is Still Alive in the Worldwide Church of God by Peter Ditzel “There is no need to worry that our 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 10:43; John 12:32; departed loved ones, nor any of the 1 Corinthians 15:22-28).’’2 rest of the masses of humans who This teaching — often called post- have died,’’ writes Worldwide Church mortem evangelization — is certainly of God (WCG) official, J. Michael not the teaching of historic, orthodox Feazell, ‘‘are consigned to the eternal flames simply because no missionary Christianity. Feazell himself verifies reached them with the Gospel mes- this by labeling the orthodox doctrine, sage before they died.’’1 Those might ‘‘the strange but common belief be comforting words if they accu- among many Christians that all rately reflect the teaching of the Bible. people who do not accept the Gospel But do they? Or do they more closely before they die are eternally lost and 3 resemble the heretical beliefs of the without hope.’’ This labeling of or- WCG’s founder, Herbert W. Arm- thodox teaching as ‘‘strange’’ is sadly strong? reminiscent of Herbert W. Arm- strong’s invectives against the Chris- A look at the WCG’s statement of tian Church. It is also paradoxical at beliefs reveals that Feazell’s two-part best for the WCG, which has claimed article, ‘‘No Other Name,’’ which for several years that it is completely appeared in the WCG’s Worldwide orthodox in its teachings. News and on its web site, follows official WCG teaching: ‘‘God will ROOTS IN HERESY gather all the living and the dead Of course, the WCG has been before the heavenly throne of Christ known for its unorthodox beliefs ever for judgment. The righteous will re- since its founding by Herbert W. ceive eternal glory, and the wicked 25:31-32; Acts 24:15; John 5:28-29; (continues on page 11) will be condemned. It is the belief of Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; the Worldwide Church of God that the Lord has made righteous provi- Inside this Issue: sion in the Judgment for the unevan- Charisma s Annual Crisis of Conscience ....................... Page 2 gelized dead, and that many will ’ respond to their risen and glorified Bookstores Pull Tenney Books ..................................... Page 3 Savior in faith and be saved, while the The Second Coming of Tony Alamo ............................ Page 4 rest will be condemned. (Matthew matic preachers who use God to get ‘‘my break- CHARISMA’S ANNUAL through,’’ ‘‘my blessing,’’ and ‘‘my anointing.’’ CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE Grady went further to declare that, ‘‘There’s no Charisma magazine editor, J. Lee Grady, informed brokenness in the preacher’s voice, no surrender in his readers in a recent editorial of the stark contrast between tone and no cross in his message.’’ Christianity in China and in the United States. Grady’s While Grady’s comments may be praiseworthy and comments followed his trip to China last January and right on target, they are just more of the double-speak were featured in the magazine’s June 2001 issue. In that has become fashionable for the magazine which making the comparison, he wrote that the Gospel claims to be ‘‘About Spirit-Led Living.’’ Last year, in an message in the United States is ‘‘so self-absorbed’’ and issue which celebrated the magazine’s 25 years of ‘‘nauseating at times.’’ publishing, Grady wrote: ‘‘What began as sincere Chris- ‘‘In China,’’ he wrote, ‘‘serving the Lord is a daily tian faith became infected with nauseating selfishness. At sacrifice.’’ that point, I believe the Lord withdrew His blessing and moved on.’’ The magazine’s founder and publisher, While his criticisms more accurately targeted Charis- Stephen Strang, has issued similar thoughts in such matic and Pentecostal camps, a clear distinction between editorial pieces as ‘‘Practicing What We Preach’’ (June these groups and non-Pentecostals and Evangelicals was 1993), ‘‘Thoughts About Advertising’’ (July 1995), and not made. Grady’s rebukes included: ‘‘The Vital Gift of Prophecy (March 1999). • Criticizing a prominent evangelist who booked The fact is, despite Charisma’s periodic bouts of simultaneous speaking engagements and eventually conscience, the magazine still is one of the largest canceled the church that offered the smaller finan- promoters of Charismatic and Pentecostal icons who cial return. challenge the very authority and sufficiency of God’s • Indicting celebrity speakers who demand luxury Word with their man-made proclamations and anoint- accommodations and five-figure fees for their per- ings. The magazine also continues to advance the careers formances and then fake the anointing by pushing and ministries of men and women who bring reproach people to the ground. upon the Gospel with their undisciplined and exuberant lives, and their self-serving and heretical theologies. • Objecting to the ‘‘self-centered drivel’’ of Charis- (continues on page 20) Personal Freedom Outreach Missouri New Jersey Pennsylvania Arizona P.O. Box 26062 P.O. Box 514 Route 3 - Box 127 P.O. Box 11512 Saint Louis, MO 63136 Bricktown, NJ 08723 Kunkletown, PA 18058 Glendale, AZ 85312 (314) 921-9800 (732) 477-6577 (610) 381-3661 (623) 825-3150 Board of Directors: James Bjornstad ................................Cedarville, OH Stephen F. Cannon .............................. Glendale, AZ Joan C. Cetnar ................................ Kunkletown, PA Philip C. Cetnar ............................Mount Laurel, NJ G. Richard Fisher............................... Bricktown, NJ M. Kurt Goedelman ........................Saint Louis, MO Keith A. Morse.......................................Denver, CO Board of Reference: Dr. Jay E. Adams.....................................Enoree, SC Dr. Norman L. Geisler ....................... Charlotte, NC Dr. Edmond C. Gruss ...........................Newhall, CA Dr. John P. Juedes............................... Highland, CA © 2001–PFO. All rights reserved. These articles may not be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission. ISSN: 1083-6853. The Quarterly Journal is the newsletter publication of PFO. Published by Personal Freedom Outreach, P.O. Box 26062, Saint Louis, MO 63136. PFO’s Journal files may also be obtained on floppy diskette for IBM-compatible computers by subscription from PFO-Missouri. Visit PFO’s Web Site at: http://www.pfo.org. 2 · The Quarterly Journal October-December 2001 employees at its popular television broadcast, ‘‘Hour of BOOKSTORES PULL Power.’’ The cutbacks have forced the closing of the TENNEY BOOKS church’s infant care nursery and terminated 12 positions within its executive pastor’s staff. LifeWay, the Southern Baptist Convention-owned bookstore chain, will no longer sell Tommy Tenney’s The The mega-church, located in Garden Grove, averages God Chasers or The God Catchers. The bookstore chain 8,000 in attendance each Sunday, having grown from offered no official statement about the decision to drop humble beginnings in the 1950s when the ‘‘self-esteem’’ the best-selling books, but Charisma magazine reported minister began preaching from the roof of a drive-in obtaining ‘‘a copy of a message sent by a LifeWay store theater’s snack bar. The Dictionary of Christianity in manager to a customer who asked about the removal of America says Schuller ‘‘attempts to recast the gospel in a The God Chasers.’’ The manager’s statement specified positive form that appeals to the human quest for a Tenney’s ‘‘unbiblical theology,’’ including the author’s positive self-image.’’ disparaging of Scripture and an emphasis on subjective —MKG experience. Tenney alleges that ‘‘a misinterpretation of his beliefs’’ is the cause for the bookstores removing his publications. In two major articles appearing in this newsletter, PFO SWAGGART ACCUSED detailed Tenney’s unbiblical theology noted in the OF PLAGIARISM LifeWay manager’s observation, in addition to a bent toward pantheism. Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who once wrote that he owes his ‘‘Bible education’’ to Finis Jennings Dake, is Tenney’s roots in the United Pentecostal Church has now being accused of more than just gleaning teaching also cost him book sales within the Assemblies of God. from the heretical Bible commentator. The evangelist and The Radiant Book and Music Store in Springfield, Mo., author, who was disgraced by a sex scandal in the late has also pulled Tenney’s works from its shelves. The 1980s, has been sued by the heirs of Dake and their store maintained that the books are not in doctrinal publishing company, Dake Publishing, Inc. harmony with the Assemblies denomination. However, not all bookstores with AG ties have followed the lead of The lawsuit, filed in late May, charges Swaggart with the Springfield store. copyright infringement and plagiarizing the late minis- ter’s writings and publishing them as his own. Also Tenney says he withdrew direct association with the named in the lawsuit is Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, UPC during the 1980s and claims to no longer hold the Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers, and religious groups group’s ‘‘views.’’ His father still is a UPC superintendent. associated with Swaggart in his hometown of Baton Tenney was quoted by Charisma as telling AG General Rouge, La. Superintendent Thomas Trask, ‘‘I can’t turn my back on my heritage,’’ and that he has ‘‘friends on both sides, and The suit charges that Swaggart and his publisher had I’m sticking with my friends.’’ ‘‘taken and used plaintiff’s proprietary works for their own benefit and profit.’’ Swaggart is said to have taken —MKG large portions of Dake’s writings and, while at times he gave Dake credit, he neglected to receive permission to cite the extended passages. The Dake family seeks SCHULLER’S CHURCH damages from Swaggart, including a share of the profits he made from the sales of his works containing the CUTS STAFF citations, along with an order to stop further use of Dake’s writings. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District The current ebb in the nation’s economy seemingly has Court in Nashville.
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