Just when the president and the new Obama administration was beginning to feel that it had successfully survived the toxic press coverage of President Obama’s former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, who had old videotaped sermons surface that contained remarks, taken for the most part out of context, that threatened to derail the presidential campaign of the then hopeful Barack Obama.
Jeremiah Wright
in the news again...
gosp e l today | Jun 15, ‘09
By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.
2
Last week, the name and words of Jeremiah Wright appeared on news outlets as a results of radio comments made concerning whether or not he has had any recent contact with the new president. According to Sirius Radio, Dr. Wright called into Mark Thompson’s daily radio program while attending the Hampton Minister’s Conference in Hampton, VA and responded to questions by saying “Them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that
he’ll talk to me in five years when he’s a lame duck, or in eight years when he is out of office.” Immediately, news outlets published the comment and the whole matter of the president’s relationship with a Black Preacher became front page news all over again. On Thursday of this past week, Dr. Wright issued a statement. “I apologize for the way I framed my comments. I misspoke and I sincerely meant no harm or ill-will to the American Jewish community or the Obama administration,” Wright said. “I have great respect for the Jewish faith and the foundational (and central) part of our Judeo-Christian tradition.” said Dr. Wright. Dr. Wright explained that while leaving one of the worship cont. on p. 8
Weaknesses of
“Prosperity Gospel” By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.
Bishop Noel Jones
they have such prophetic words. What happens is the church has compromised the gospel and we have preached Americanism for gospel and ultimately we ended up crashing because there is no credulity and authenticity in the whole presentation.” He continues, “The only people who were making any real money were those who were expostulating the theology that left a psychology that debilitated the minds of those who were involved. The debilitation is that everybody expected to bring an offering in church and just get rich though nobody participated and partnered with God. Because at the end of the day, nobody receives a check in an envelope postmarked from heaven. It’s your participation that makes it happen.... The ministry and the preachers have taken so much money from the church and lived lavish lifestyles. We need to put something back. We need to equip our people. As James puts it, very explicitly, ‘Faith without works is dead.’ We co-create, we perpetuate God’s creation by functioning responsibly.” cont. on p. 7
Jun 15, ‘09 | gosp e l today
In a report published by Black Christian News Network, membership in African American congregations are up. However, while numbers are rising in the pews, numbers are decreasing in the offering plate. The article goes on to cite Bishop Noel Jones of the City of Refuge, a 17,000 member congregation in Los Angeles, CA, who identifies several reasons that could explain the rise and fall of church statistics. According to Bishop Jones, “unbalanced teachings in the church are partially to blame for the crisis. We have endured 25 years of health, wealth and prosperity preaching and the prophet should have told us that we were going to be in this kind of situation and circumstance since
3
Launching a Business? read this first! While the idea of starting a Christian business is an awesome task that requires more ink and space than is available here. However, we would like to share with you just a few tips that might help you in your approach to starting a new business. 1. Begin your enterprise with prayer. The Apostle Paul tells us that we can do all things through Christ. With that in mind, you will want to spend some critical time of preparation in earnest prayer. No Christian Business can be successful if it does not place God at the top of the effort. A business that makes God its partner is a business with success in its future. Last week the percentage of unemployed Americans pushed just past 9%. With 6 million people out of
2. Be Sure to Plan. While this may appear to be a simple or an assumed exercise, one can not spend too much time planning. Your planning should not include the things that you can reasonably expect to face, but you should spend time trying to identify the unexpected and develop strategies on how to deal with them as well.
work many are turning to personal entrepreneurship as a possible remedy and solution to the economic
gosp e l today | Jun 15, ‘09
woes that they are
4
currently facing.
3. Seek Advice and Counsel From Everywhere. While you surely will want to consult lawyers and accountants, don’t overlook the insights and wisdom that you can glean from family, friends and even business acquaintances that you have met in your life before the start of your business. It is always better to talk to several people in advance of starting your Christian business than to have to seek out and pay to talk to people after you have started your business and have run into trouble. With the economy being what it is, a number of people will be searching for answers to pink slips and layoffs, a Christian business just may be what you are looking for.
photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
by Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.
Jun 1, ‘09 | gosp e l today
5
Shattering the
Stained Glass Ceiling by Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.
gos p e l today | Jun 15, ‘09
St. Paul's Baptist Church (Philadelphia) appoints first female pastor
6
Dr. Leslie Callahan is one of the most talented and gifted scholars in the church community today. For the last several years she has taught African American Religion at the University of Pennsylvania. More recently, she transferred to the New York Theological Seminary where she continues to teach African American Church History. However, Dr. Callahan making a different kind of history as she assumes the pastorate of the historic St. Paul Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA. Her formal education includes the Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Harvard/Radcliffe, the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Religion from Princeton University. Before coming to New York Seminary, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of
religious studies. Her research interests include religious history in the United States, particularly independent African American Christianity and Pentecostal studies. The crowd swelled and murmurs of anticipation rolled up and down the pews Sunday morning as the congregation awaited something never seen in the 119-year history of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Philadelphia. A woman pastor was about to take the pulpit and deliver her first sermon. While women aren't officially barred from leading Baptist churches, tradition and expectations have made female pastors a rarity. Many members of the congregation said they thought St. Paul's, at 10th and Wallace, was leading the way for others to break down old barriers.” reported the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspaper. As Leslie Callahan makes the transition of moving from “Dr.” to “Pastor” she does so while simultaneously shattering a long standing stain-glass ceiling. For years the ministerial community of Philadelphia has struggled with the issue of Women in Ministry in general and women pastors in particular. The church had been without a pastor for three years as it underwent a complex search and selection process. One member of the selection committee was Constance Clayton, the first African American woman to become superintendent of schools in Philadelphia. Clayton said there were more than 80 applicants for the job. Eventually the pool was narrowed to two finalists on which the whole congregation voted. "Another glass ceiling has been broken," said Clayton, who has attended St. Paul's since she was 7. "It is time, and, as a matter of fact, it's overdue," noted the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Prosperity Gospel...cont. from p.3
Bishop Jones said many Christians have basically lived on credit and owned nothing. “So, what everybody was talking about as God’s blessing was people living on credit. And the Bible says that the borrower is subject to the lender. So, Christian America simply joined the capitalistic bandwagon— and in the name of God—articulated a theology that has no credulity.” To counteract the new pattern and reality that is taking place in the marketplace of ministry, one strategy is to position the church as a resource that people can use to battle their financial woes. In the case of Bishop Jones, he is doing business
incubation— a marketplace at which his congregation gathers every Sunday. There are 80 to 100 booths in which people present goods and services to the church and to the community. He says he finances some of the stronger business ideas and teaches management and budget skills to the owners, thereby recycling the money within the parameter of the church. He also holds “Urban Seminars” around the country, teaching fundraising/grant writing, financial reporting and compliance for organizations; prudent investing, corporate structuring and growth management.
subscribe to gospel today magazine (in print!!) gospeltoday.com or 770.719.4825
Jun 15, ‘09 | gos p e l today
7
services at the Hampton Conference he was stopped by one of his students who introduced a reporter who wanted to ask some questions. Dr. Wright further explained that his comments were only a small part of an interview that lasted over twenty minutes that primarily addressed the historic role and value of the Hampton Conference to the African American pulpit. Despite the apology, Lonnie Nasatir of the AntiDefamation League’s Chicago office accused Dr. Wright of classic anti-semitism. “Reverend Wright’s comments claiming that ‘them Jews’ are preventing him from communicating with President Obama are inflammatory and false. The notions of Jewish control of the White House in Reverend Wright’s statement express classic anti-Semitism in its most vile form. In a short succinct sentence, Reverend Wright manages to both label some of the president’s closest advisers solely by their religious beliefs and give them powers superior to the president himself.” Only time will tell if the current windstorm circling Dr. Wright will blow over or continue to feed the frenzy of those wanting ammunition to criticize the new president.
advertise in gospel today magazine... gospeltoday.com or 770.719.4825
THE GATHERING
1200
INTERCESORS THROUGHOUT AMERICA WITH DR. DEXTER EASLEY
COMING TO YOUR CITY PRAYER GATHERING 2009 In this, Gods’ Time the call has gone forth for men and women of God to rise upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Those mighty men and women of Prayer saw the results of their labor. AND SO SHALL WE… NOW is the time of the GATHERING. A time for a swift, quick, miracle harvest. A harvest of souls, peace, unity and prosperity in every area of your life. GATHER in prayer with me and my team of intercessors.
MAY CHARLESTON, SC JUNE JONESBORO, GA JULY TBA AUGUST LOS ANGELES, CA SEPTEMBER TBA OCTOBER TBA NOVEMBER TBA DECEMBER TBA
TO SCHEDULE A PRAYER GATHERING
This year we will travel from city to city and state to state seeking 1200 + intercessors that will gather with us in prayer and tear down the strongholds in every city.
IN YOUR AREA CALL 843.764.0418
“The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” Mathew 11:12
WWW.NEWLIFEGCSC.ORG
866.910.5433 (LIFE) OR VISIT US ON THE WEB AT