The Bible is the Foundation of Public Policy

 I find it egregiously odd that so many people are so ignorant as to not know our own history and to still think public policy cannot be legislated with any help of morality and more specifically Scripture. In Chuck McDaniel's letter, Nondiscrimination issue: Scripture cited to influence public policy, he improperly deduces that Scripture has no place in public policy. This idea would have been foreign to our founders. Sadly thanks to football coach history teachers this ignorance is accepted truth.

Samuel Chase said this of Christianity in America, "By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." This was the reasoning behind the first amendment. Not freedom from religion but a freedom of religion so one denomination was not given a special place over another, as was the case in England. It is foolish and outright bad history to think America ever kept Scripture and policy separate, until recent history. Most colonies had state paid churches up until 1840's. Look it up, read a history book folks.

Patrick Henery said this, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." This too was brought up when they were forging the first amendment. Sadly, more and more live in a lie that America was some how never founded on faith, even though the primary sources clearly say otherwise. So, if that is the case why would we not seek the scriptures for direction in our public policy??

James Madison the father of the Constitution said that. "Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government." However, we still think it has no place in policy. The fact is all legislation is in one form or another someone's morality or lack thereof. Mr.McDaniel insulting those people of faith who use the Bible as their foundation of Government should realize they are no different that then men who founded our Government

William Penn founder of the sate of Pennsylvania said this, "If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God, and to do that, thou must be ruled by him....Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants." Fellow founder and author of the first dictionary Daniel Webster says it better than all, "Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary.” Never were truer words spoke.

Confederate flag not a symbol of racism

The issue with the Confederate flag is not an issue of race but one of historical ignorance and political posturing. The News-Leader and the Nixa School district are wrong to discriminate against students desiring to wear the flag to school to honor their school-mate and as a symbol of their Southern heritage. I find News-Leader's portrayal of Southern students honoring their friend as a“gang” and “intimidating” because of this misunderstood symbol delusional. I am also saddened by the misleading way it says the friends are imposing their beliefs onto the other students but fail to mention the Gay students were allowed to impose their beliefs by wearing Gay Pride shirts.

Mr. Kleinsmith, as a district superintendent, should be more educated on the subject. The truth is the Confederate flag is not a symbol of hate and racism in anyone's mind but those who have a political agenda to make it one; like the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center (who needs this myth to stay relevant). If it was so racist why did 160,000 black, Spanish and Native American people fight under it? If it stood for hate, then why did a black representative from the Mississippi state legislature get out of bed sick to vote to build a Confederate monument? John F. Harris, a black Confederate veteran and elected official from Washington County, Mississippi, said this about his vote. "I want it known to all the world that my vote is given favor of the bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead."

Sadly, this is an issue of racism. However the racism is not against the blacks who find the symbol racist. No the racism is against the Southern men and women who had an ancestor die for that flag. This includes many blacks, Latins, and Native Americans as mentioned. Sadly, I do not have the word count to fully educate one on the real history but a simple Google search will be a great start. Since we are in Missouri the first person the Nixa students should study is that of John Noland. They will learn that he was a black Confederate who rode with Quantrill and Missouri Governor and Confederate General Sterling Price. I really hope we stop the reverse discrimination and spreading of lies against the Confederate flag. Hate and prejudice is wrong no matter who is is against and this poor choice by Nixa Schools is egregious and needs to be reversed.

In the interest of full disclosure my Ancestor was Lewis F Branson and served in the Missouri Fighting 10^th. His Brother was Galba Branson who was a corporal in the 31st and later a founding member of the Baldknobbers and were both staunch Unionist. So to say I am just a prideful Confederate is foolish. What I am is pro-historical truth. The fact is the Confederate flag is not a symbol of racism.

Web Cam Abortions coming soon to Missouri?

       With the impending arrival of Michelle Obama to a local Springfield Wal Mart to push her pet propaganda, "healthy food choices", I cannot help but to find this very ironic.  The fact she would push for an issue to improve the lives of young kids on one hand and with the other hand push for the murder of the unborn. The Obama's are on record comparing the unborn to an STD and a punishment (Town Hall Meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, March 29, 2008). Why the contradiction? Life is valuable from conception to the grave, yet to our president and his party that is not the case. And this brings me to my bigger concern.
That concern is right now in Jefferson City there is a bill that needs to get some major attention, and more importantly passed. Jeanie Riddle has introduced HB 400. What this bill will do is ban in the state of Missouri, web-cam abortions. Yes, you  read that right, Planned Parenthood has got creative and now do web-cam abortions. It is already happening in Iowa and they want to bring it here because it could circumvent the strict laws already on the books. What happens is a women comes in and has a tran-vaginal ultrasound buy  non-medical personnel and then those are e mailed to a doctor in a central location. The doctor then meets with the women via web-cam where the doctor will, by a push of a button, dispense a chemical abortion pill, like RU 486. The patient has no personal contact with the medical professional and no follow up either.
Are Missourians going to simply sit back and let this happen in our state? I sure hope not. Why is when ones guns are threatened they are up in arms literally. However when the life of a defenceless unborn child is at stake there is little to no uproar. In fact, I have heard more complaint about Michelle Obama's food choice visit than this critical bill. The Government exist to protect those who need it most. Yet, it seems those in office (the GOP has a veto proof majority BTW), are more concerned about issues that are not a matter of life and death. So call your State Representative and Senator and tell them to pass HB 400 this year or loose your vote next year. The Right to Life is guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States. It is about time we act like it.

Politics above Preaching

Sadly in the pulpit today to many are more worried about spreading their politics over spreading the gospel. As long as this continues America will suffer. Our problem is not a politician problem it is a pastor problem.

America Has Lost Its Moral Compass

     America has lost its moral compass. One just needs to have noticed the events of the last several days to see what I am saying. From Roe’s Anniversary to the recent Inaugural prayer service, one cannot help but to see America has lost it’s way. Recent editorials have only served to prove my point even more. The Bible says “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil…(Isaiah 5:20). The last few days America has demonstrated this time and time again. Lets look at the biggest.
    First is gun control. Roger Ray’s calling people heartless because they own a handgun for protection shows us once again why he needs to spend more time in the Bible he claims to preach, Jesus himself was a HUGE advocate for people acquiring a weapon for self defense. In Luke 22:36-38, Jesus explains the importance of having a sword for self defense because he knew what was to come after his crucifixion. Yet democrats, Roger Ray, and even Bill O’Reilly would have you believe it is wrong for an American citizen to protect themselves.
    Secondly, the abomination known as abortion. Obama claims he does not want his daughter punished with a baby because of a mistake. Millions upon millions of babies have been killed in the name of convenience. This is abhorrent and no child is a mistake. How a person who claims to be a Christina can say these things is disgusting. No Bible following believer can justify abortion under any circumstance.  The US Constitution actually has the right to life but the right to privacy as it was propagated by Roe justices is a fabrication of the worse kind.  Even if they could find a way to justify it, they then went on to blatantly ignore the 10th amendment and acted as law creators. Life is never a mistake and this abomination is the real travesty in America.
    Thirdly, is the issue of gay rights. Obama incorrectly stated that homosexuals are not equal under the law. They have the same legal rights as anyone else. Marriage is not a right. Marriage was, and always has been a religious institution. The fact the government has learned to tax it is the only reason it has any civil attributes. Marriage was instituted by God in the Garden and is not a civil right.  Homosexuals can have a domestic partnership, but do not blaspheme the God ordained institution of marriage with your lifestyle choice. However, I do not think any non-Bible following couple should have a marriage so I am not singling out homosexuals.
    Lastly, the Inaugural prayer service.  Obama allowed prayers to strange gods in the name of inclusion and tolerance. The Bible is very clear in Exodus 20:3 that you shall have no other gods before me. The time for America to call itself blessed is over. God won’t bless any nation allowing prayers to other gods. America has lost its moral compass and we will now reap the consequences

The Politics of the pulpit

As a minister myself I have been asked a lot lately about my opinion on the comments “Obama’s pastor” made in his career as a UCC pastor. One of those questions were why would a pastor get involved in politics in the first place. Black liberation theology aside, I find that to be a misinformed statement. With the poor quality education the many public schools offer, especially in History, it is no wonder that so many have no clue that the pulpit was the foundation of the founding of America. I cannot of course in a short article explain the entire history to you, but I will paint a small picture in hopes you will be inspired to investigate further.

First, it is sadly unknown that a signer of our Declaration of Independence was indeed a minister. John Witherspoon represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress and was in fact one of many to sign the all important document. More importantly was his influence on America politics. As a professor and president of what became Princeton University, his students would later become judges, thirty seven in fact. Three of which would later hold spots on the Supreme Court. Ten became cabinet members, and twelve served in the Continental Congress. Twenty-eight served in the senate, while forty-nine became US Congressmen. Most importantly one Aaron Burr became Vice-President and another , James Madison became the President of the United States. One pastor had a huge influence on the politics of the day. His pulpit was the classroom since the main purpose of the college then was to train ministers. If there was such a thing as separation of Church and state, why would he sign the Declaration, and also serve in the Congress himself?

This Presbyterian minister was one of the most influential founders in America. His sermons, as well as his classes, shaped America’s future leaders. How can the NEA stand here today and say we were not founded on Christian biblical principles? Many Revolutionary Era sermons were calls to shrug off tyranny and stand up for the moral high ground. Today’s pulpits are void of this because they foolishly think their tax exempt status would somehow be in jeopardy. So they avoid what God’s word says about key cultural issues like gay marriage, abortion, poverty, and yes even racial equality. Was what Wright said justified. Absolutely not! But does God speak on racial equality? Absolutely yes! God is not a “respecter of persons.” Race or gender is not an issue with the Father. Does he care about the poor. You better believe it, and what so-called churches are doing about now is embarrassing. They build giant buildings to house the hypocrites that walk on the other side to avoid the down and out. Occasionally tossing token money to an issue Jesus said we would have with us always. The pulpit, when we were founded, was the center of the Revolution to dispose tyranny. Today it is nothing more then the Harlot of party politics, both sides, and has lost it’s once prominent position of moral compass, and is now so blurred that it seems to resemble the world more then the Lord Jesus Christ. This has been One Man’s Opinion, I pray you share it.

Rev Chris M Fluharty

God made the Heavens and the Earth.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

God created this earth. There is no other explanation. A house has a builder. A painting has a painter. Just as creation has a creator. Science is only now catching up to what the Bible has taught for centuries. Science demands a physical sign yet ignores its own demand. Even Darwin said that "As by this theory innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in the countless numbers in the crust of the earth?" Darwin knew his theory was bunk. But because public schools teach it as fact we have many generations now accepting this faith as pure fact. When in truth it is pure absurdity to think it came from nothing.

Hindu Prayers dooms America!

Thursday’s prayer by a Hindu guest chaplain sponsored by Sen. Reid-D was an abomination to God and an insult to the fabric on which this nation was founded. This nation was not founded on Buddha nor Mohammed, but on the God of the Christian Bible. While these religions are free to practice without state interference, they have no right to defile the chamber built on the principles of the one true God. History was made Thursday, but it was also erased as well. This nation in its conception decided that every session would begin with a prayer offered to God. As this nation was battling inner factions Benjamin Franklin offered this piece of sound advice from the Holy Bible. “Unless the Lord builds it they labor in vain“. The Lord is not Buddha or Mohammed. The Lord is Jesus Christ. So Sen. Reid-D has sealed the fate of this nation. We should prepare for events worse than 9/11 and Katrina. God will not let His name be blasphemed so flippantly by Zed or Sen. Reid-D. With the 2008 election just around the corner, maybe faith should play a major factor on who we put in power. God forgive our nation.

Falwell Spoke the Truth

Woe to you, you leftist hypocrites! You cast stones in glass houses and blame the Christians as Rome burns. Why is that God haters came out of the woods when the Rev. Falwell passed away last week? The left wing politicos were quick to remind everyone of Falwell’s so-called bigoted statements, but how is that any different then their bigoted rebuttals this week. Does the media ignore Christian bashing rhetoric when they feel it is well founded? Why does Bill Maher get away with joking about the death of Falwell and a monologue that assaults Catholics and Fundamental Christians on his HBO show. Funny how just a few months ago, Don Imus was fired for a bigoted tirade, but because Maher’s target is those pesky Christian’s, it is ok to speak hate about them. I guess freedom of speech does not apply to a preacher who is suppose to speak out against the sins that we all commit. I guess Springfield just wants Roger Ray and Rick Warren in the pulpit so that they are not convicted of their sins. A punishment worse then 9/11 is coming if we (society) do not turn from our wicked ways. God help us! God will not hear our prayers until we humble ourselves, pray and seek his face, and turn form our wicked ways. Do it now!!!!

Virgina Tech is a sign of things to come

America, not guns caused the tragedy last week. We as a nation have forsaken Christ for the last time. Our children are reaping the fruits of what we have sown before them. In the 1960’s, we kicked Christ out of our schools. In the 1970’s, we legalized (unconstitutionally) the murder on demand of the unborn. And since then, we have began to reap what we sewed, when Oklahoma City was rocked and Columbine was violated. Not much has changed. School violence is becoming common. Abortions are still legal. And Christ is still unwelcome in schools. Jesus , or any mention of His name, was missing from the “invocation” the day after VT’s tragedy? All those so-called ministers of God never once encouraged the people to find hope in Jesus. So America, you will keep reaping violence until you get a clue and restore Christ. May God have mercy on those so-called clergymen. You are not His priest. Hosea says it best, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6

Prosperity gospel is heretical

Redemption in Hell Researched by Pastor Joe M. of Holy Rock Church in Springfield MO

Did Jesus “Die Spiritually” and Go To Hell at Death?

Make no mistake about it; these are heretical views with absolutely no biblical accuracy whatsoever.

I. Redemption in Hell
In the words of one Faith teacher, "Satan conquered Jesus upon the Cross." Proponents of Faith theology say that Jesus endured three days and nights of unimaginable abuse at the hands of Satan and his hordes of demons in hell. This was God’s payment to Satan so that He could get back into a universe from which He had been banished.

§ Frederick Price
Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God…Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." (Frederick K.C. Price, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger (June 1980), 7.

§ Kenneth Hagin
"He [Jesus] tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner man went to hell in my place. Can’t you see that? Physical death wouldn’t remove your sins. He’s tasted death for every man. He’s talking about tasting spiritual death." (Kenneth E. Hagin, How Jesus Obtained His Name (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, n.d.), tape #44H01, side 1.

"Christ's physical death on the cross was not enough to save us." (Kenneth Hagin, How Jesus obtained His Name, Tape 44H01)

Here is a picture of Christ in awful combat with the hosts of darkness. It gives us a glimpse of the tremendous victory He won before He rose from the dead. The margin of King James reads, "He put off from Himself the principalities and the powers." It is quite obvious and evident that whole demon hosts, when they had Jesus within their power intended to swamp Him, to overwhelm Him, and to hold Him in fearful bondage. But the cry came forth from the throne of God that Jesus had met the demands of Justice, that that man's redemption was a fact. And when that cry reached the dark regions, Jesus arose and threw back the host of demons and met Satan in awful combat. God has made this investment for He has made this deposit on which the church has a right to draw for. Oh that our eyes would open, that our souls would dare to rise in the realm of the omnipotent where that name would mean to us all that God the Father intended it to mean! In one sense, this is practically unexplored table land in Christian experience." (Kenneth Hagin, "The Name Of Jesus: The More Excellent Name," The Word of Faith [April 1976], pp. 4-6)

§ Kenneth Copeland
"When Jesus cried, ‘It is finished!’ He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. There were still three days and nights to go through before He went to the throne…Jesus’ death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption." (Kenneth Copeland, Jesus—Our Lord of Glory, Believer’s Voice of Victory 10, 4 (April 1982):3.

§ Jan Crouch
The wife of TBN president Paul Crouch, approvingly recited the following words from Paul Billheimer’s book during a live communion service aired on TBN: "Because He was "made sin," impregnated with sin, and became the very essence of sin, on the cross He was banished from God’s presence as a loathsome thing. He and sin were made synonymous…[I]t was not sufficient for Christ to offer up only His physical life on the cross. His pure human spirit had not "descend" into hell…His spirit must not only descend into hell, but into the lowest hell…The Father turned Him over, not only to the agony and death of Calvary, but to the satanic torturers of His pure spirit as part of the just dessert of the sin of all the race. As long as Christ was "the essence of sin" he was at Satan’s mercy in that place of torment…While Christ identified with sin, Satan and the hosts of hell ruled over Him as over any lost sinner. During that seemingly endless age in the nether abyss of death, Satan did with Him as he would, and all hell was "in carnival." (Paul Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, special edition for TBN (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1988 [orig. 1975]), 83-84. Quoted by Jan Crouch during the "Praise the Lord" program TBN (August 20, 1987).


II. Jesus Was “Born Again” in Hell

§ Kenneth Copeland
“In hell He [Jesus] suffered for you and for me. The Bible says hell was made for Satan and his angles. It was not made for men. Satan was holding the Son of God there illegally…The trap was set for Satan and Jesus was the bait." (Kenneth Copeland, Walking in the Realm of the Miraculous (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1979), 77. Satan blew it on a technicality, according to Faith theology, because Satan had dragged Jesus into hell illegally. As Copeland puts it, "The Devil forgot to take into consideration that Jesus hadn’t sinned Himself but, rather, had merely become sin as a result of the sin of others." (Kenneth Copeland, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1990), audiotape #02-0017, side 2. Satan and every demon in hell tortured Christ’s allegedly "emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit" without legal right. (Kenneth Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory program (April 21, 1991). And this was exactly the opening God had been looking for. Seizing the moment, He spoke His faith-filled words into the bowels of the earth, and suddenly—"[t]hat Word of the living God went down into that pit of destruction and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life. He began to look like something the devil had never seen before. He was literally being reborn before the devil’s very eyes. He began to flex His spiritual muscles…Jesus was born again—the first-born from the dead." (Kenneth Copeland, The Price of it All, Believer’s Voice of Victory 19, 9 (September 1991):4-6. Kenneth Copeland called upon revelation knowledge when he said: "The Spirit of God spoke to me and He said, ‘Son, realize this. Now follow me in this and don’t let your tradition trip you up.’ He said, ‘Think this way—a twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain.’ And I threw my Bible down…like that. I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘A born-again man defeated Satan, the firstborn of many brethren defeated him.’ He said, ‘You are the very image, the very copy of that one.’ I said, ‘Well now you don’t mean, you couldn’t dare mean, that I could have done the same thing?’ He said, ‘Oh yeah, if you’d had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could’ve done the same thing, ‘cause you’re a reborn man too." (Kenneth Copeland, Substitution and Identification (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989), tape #00-0202, side 2.

Kenneth Copeland (through whom Jesus allegedly delivered the following prophecy): "They crucified Me [Jesus] for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him [the Father] and that He was in Me." ("Take Time to Pray," Believer's Voice of Victory 15, 2 [February 1987]:9.)

§ Benny Hinn
"My, you know, whoosh! The Holy Ghost is just showing me some stuff. I’m getting dizzy! I’m telling you the truth—it’s, it’s just heavy right now on me…He’s [referring to Jesus] in the underworld now. God isn’t there, the Holy Ghost isn’t there, and the Bible says He was begotten. Do you know what the word begotten means? It means reborn. Do you want another shocker? Have you been begotten? So was He. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn. You say, ‘What are you talking about?’…He was reborn. He had to be reborn…If He was not reborn, I could not be reborn, I would never be reborn. How can I face Jesus and say, "Jesus, You went through everything I’ve gone through, except the new birth?" (Benny Hinn, Our Position ‘In Christ,’ Part 1 (Orlando, FL: Orlando Christian Center, 1991), videotape #TV-254.

§ Jan Crouch read Paul Billheimer’s commentary on TBN
"In order to be made alive unto God and restored to fellowship with His Father, He [Jesus] had to be reborn—for He had become the very essence of sin. Since sin had totally alienated Him from the Father, the only way He could be restored to fellowship with the Father was through a new birth to new life." (Paul Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, special edition for TBN (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1988 [orig. 1975]), 83-84. Quoted by Jan Crouch during the "Praise the Lord" program TBN (August 20, 1987).

Kenneth Hagin
Why did He need to be begotten or born? Because He became like we were - separated from God. Because He tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner men went to hell in my place. Can't you see that? Physical death wouldn't remove your sins. He's tasted death for every man. He's talking about tasting spiritual death. Jesus is the first person that was ever born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God." (Kenneth Hagin, "How Jesus obtained His Name" audio tape #44-H01)


III. The Reincarnation of Jesus through Rebirth
Jesus was reincarnated from demonic to divine and then emerged from hell as an incarnation of God. When you are born again, you too are reincarnated from demonic to divine, becoming "as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth."
According to Faith Teachers, Jesus regained His divinity the moment He was reborn in hell. Commenting on Hinn’s remarks about Jesus defeating Satan in the underworld,

§ Paul Crouch
"That’s when His [Jesus’] divinity returned." (Paul Crouch, Praise-a-Thon program on TBN (November 6, 1990).

§ Kenneth Hagin
"Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth." (Kenneth E. Hagin, The Incarnation, The Word of Faith 13, 12 (December 1980):14.

§ Kenneth Copeland
God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself, and in the Garden of Eden He did just that. He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even. . . . Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus. . . . Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh." Kenneth Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham I, side 1

"I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is....The biggest one in the whole bible is God....I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the Fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least--that's a big loss, man. Kenneth Copeland, Praise-a-Thon program on TBN [April 1988]

IV. The Cross was Insufficient

§ Charles Capps
"Notice that when Jesus said, 'I have finished the work' [John 17:4], we know that He had nor finished the work. But I want you to catch something in the way He prayed and the way He talked--He spoke the end results. He never spoke what was. He never admitted death or defeat. . . . Jesus was speaking the end results in His prayer to the Father." (Authority in Three Worlds, 258-.59, emphasis in original.)

§ Frederick K.C. Price
"Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God. . . . Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound. And they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." (Ever Increasing Faith Messenger [June 1980], 7; quoted in D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988], 120.)

§ Kenneth Copeland
"It wasn't a physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin...anybody can do that." (Kenneth Copeland, What Satan Saw on the Day of Pentecost, audiotape #BCC-19, side 1)


V. Jesus took on the Nature of Satan

§ Charles Capps
"The sinless son of God became as a serpent that He might swallow up all evil....If you will behold what happened when the sin offering was made and the fact that Jesus became a serpent upon the pole, it will change your life. . . . Jesus died spiritually, not for any of His own sin! He became the serpent on the pole, the snake on the ground, in the Old Testament type." (Authority in Three Worlds, 177, 166-67.)

§ Paul E. Billheimer
"The Father turned Him over, not only to the agony and death of Calvary, but to the satanic torturers of His pure spirit as part of the just dessert of the sin of all the race. As long as Christ was 'the essence of sin' he was at Satan's mercy in that place of torment. . . .While Christ identified with sin, Satan and the hosts of hell ruled over Him as over any lost sinner. During that seemingly endless age in the nether abyss of death, Satan did with Him as he would, and all hell was 'in carnival.' " (Destined for the Throne, special edition for TBN [Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1988(orig. 1975)]. 84.)

§ Kenneth Copeland
"He [Jesus] is suffering all that there is to suffer. There is no suffering left apart from Him. His emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit is down in the bottom of that thing [hell]. And the Devil thinks he's got Him destroyed." ("Believer's Voice of Victory" program [21 April 1991]. This message was originally delivered at the Full Gospel Motorcycle Rally Association 1990 Rally at Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas.)

§ Benny Hinn
"Jesus Christ knew the only way He would stop Satan is by becoming one in nature with him...He became one with the nature of Satan, so all those who had the nature of Satan can partake of the nature of God."(Benny Hinn, TBN December 15 1990)


VI. Jesus was Tortured in Hell

§ Charles Capps
" If there's any part of hell Jesus did not suffer, you'll have to suffer it. But, thank God, Jesus suffered it all, for you! In the place of the wicked dead, all the demons of hell and Satan rejoiced over the prize. The corridors of hell were filled with joy. 'We've done it! We've captured the Son of God! We'll no longer be in the pit of the damned! The earth and all that is therein is ours! Forever it will be ours!' Rejoicing in hell had never been so great as it was that day. But it was short-lived." (Authority in Three Worlds, 143, emphasis in original.)

§ Kenneth Copeland
"Satan didn't realize He [Jesus] is in there [hell] illegally. . . . This man had not sinned. This man has not fallen out of the covenant of God, and He had the promise of God for deliverance. And Satan fell into the trap. He took Him into hell illegally. He carried Him in there [when] He did not sin." ("What Happened from the Cross to the Throne" [Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1990], audiotape #02-0017, side 2.)

§ Kenneth Copeland
"I can't understand Christians that refuse to believe that Jesus went to hell. I want to tell you something if he didn't go, you're going to have to." (The Christian Channel Europe "Believer's Voice of Victory" [May 1998)

§ Charles Capps
"When Jesus was in the pit of hell. in that terrible torment, no doubt the Devil and his emissaries gathered around to see the annihilation of God's Son. But in the corridors of hell, there came a great voice from heaven: 'Turn Him Loose! He's there illegally!' And all of hell became paralyzed." (Authority in Three Worlds, 143, emphasis in original.)









VII. Other Heretical Doctrines About Jesus Christ

Kenneth Copeland (through whom Jesus allegedly delivered the following prophecy) : "They crucified Me [Jesus] for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him [the Father] and that He was in Me." ("Take Time to Pray," Believer's Voice of Victory 15, 2 [February 1987]:9.)


E.W. Kenyon : "Jesus was conceived without sin. His body was not mortal. His body did not become mortal until the Father laid our sin nature upon Him when He hung on the cross. The moment that He became sin, His body became mortal, only then could He die. When this happened. spiritual death, the nature of Satan, took possession of His Spirit....He was to partake of Spiritual Death, the nature of the Adversary. . . .Jesus knew that the moment had come, and He was to he made Sin. He must partake of that dread nature of the Adversary. His body would become mortal. Satan would become His master. . . . He [Jesus] had been lifted up as a serpent. Serpent is Satan. Jesus knew He was going to be lifted up, united with the Adversary." (What Happened from the Cross to the Throne [Lynnwood, WA: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1969], 20, 33, 44-45.)

Joyce Meyer
“And you’ve got to really glean some things out of the Word of God to really get hold of what He [Jesus] did for you during those three days. Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ And He meant the Old Covenant. The job He had to do was just getting started. He really did the job the three days and nights that He was in hell. That’s where the job was done.” (Joyce Meyer, “What Happened from the Cross to The Throne?” audio)

“He was pronounced guilty on the cross but He paid the price in hell.” (Joyce Meyer, “What Happened from the Cross to The Throne?” audio)
“There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell” (Joyce Meyer, "The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make", 1991 pg. 36)

Is Taxes Lawful?

Taxes- Are they Christian?
Tax day is here and for many of faith we are like so many others required to fund the civil government with the sweat of our brow. While my political opinion is that taxes on labor is unconstitutional and unethical; as a Christian I know I have a commandment from my Lord to be civilly obedient as long as it does not violate the Word of God. So what is the Word of God on Taxes? If we remember, the Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up with this very question. Jesus’ answer is priceless. “Who’s picture is on the coin“, he asked? So then he said, give to Cesar what is Cesar’s and what is God’s to God. So what do we owe Cesar? Paul expounds on this in Romans 13. In this chapter he explains the civil government is a tool of God to maintain order and that we are to obey and honor them. And that includes taxes. In verse six it says, “because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting them to this very thing” What is “this” in that verse? It is the fact we are to obey the civil magistrate as long as they do not violate God’s law. So sad to say we have to pay taxes no matter how unconstitutional they are. Remember the magistrate does not yield the sword in vain (Romans 13:4). Break the law (even though there is no law to pay Federal income taxes) you should be prepared to pay the consequences. So, as verse five says “Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath (the sword), but also for conscience sake.” So be a good Christian and pay your taxes, God loves a cheerful giver and so does George W.