- Rene Lafout - Jackson Lahmeyer - Richard Land - David Lane - Becky Laney - Barbara Latta - Mike Law - Lanny Lawler - Paul Lawler - Charles Lawson - Deborah Layton - Mike Leake - Brent Leatherwood - Lecrae - Alyssia Lee - Jack Lee - Jeff Lee - Justin Lee - Richard G Lee -
==rene lafout===============
Rene Lafout was born in South Africa, and immigrated to Canada in 1977. He went to a university but while working on a PhD, He became brutally ill with Schizophrenia. He is currently working at a shelter in Vancouver, BC. His books are available for sale on IngramSpark distributing channels, Amazon and your friendly neighbourhood bookstores. Format’s available are eBooks (kindle & Kobo & Apple Books & others), paperback and hardcover. His three most important books are called: "Exploring Faith, Hope & Love"; "Dismantling the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Within So Love Can Thrive"; and "Contrasting Humility and Pride". His books are about how to navigate learning curves when it comes to love and overcoming sin strongholds.
Brad Jersak’s book called, Can You Hear Me? (Copyright Permissions granted) Gives a working model on how the imagination works and is very helpful in taking healthy control of it. He views the imagination as an interior screen that we use to project images on. We can project good images with the help of God. Or bad images with the help of the devil. On the contrary, we can conceive a mixture of the two when we have a divided hearts. Initially, we hold the power over what we project or imagine. But if we give ourselves over to darkness in an area, then what is imagined takes on bad energy and can hurt others, self, and be very unwelcome by God. The more we believe in the bad constructs of our imaginations, the more they will lock in our expectations, desires and judgments. They will create an unhealthy faulty reality in our interior lives. Once the structures are created via our imaginations they make their presence felt in our hearts and minds as powerful forces for good or evil. But we can sense the pursuit of the Good Shepherd and His call on our lives. We can begin to see some of the created structures as unwelcome and begin to petition God to dismantle them from within our lives. Because we often don’t know how to pray, repent, and renew our minds correctly we can feel stuck in this area. So how do we clean up our imaginations and what they make us do? In conclusion, we in part get healthy imaginations through confessing to God the sins we create through them. Next, we repent in prayer from these sins with God’s help. Then we begin to renew our thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and attitudes in conversations with God, His Word, and close sisters and brothers in Jesus. When we imagine good stuff God joyfully enters into the process. When we imagine evil stuff the devil enters into the power of our imaginations. And he robs us of the joys the imagination was intended to be. --Rene Lafaut; Christian Learning; Have You Ever Overlooked Cleaning Up a Dirty Mind? 1/20/21
==jackson lahmeyer=================
Jackson Lahmeyer earned a B.A. and M.A. in theological and historical studies from Oral Roberts University. Lahmeyer's career experience includes owning a business and working as the lead pastor of Sheridan.Church. Lahmeyer (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oklahoma. He lost in the Republican primary on June 28, 2022.
Over 12K Sign Christian Petition Condemning 'False Prophet' Mike Johnson
In response to Mike Johnson recently becoming the new House speaker, over 12,000 people have signed a Christian petition condemning the congressman as a "false prophet" among other Republican Party members.
Faithful America, an online Christian group that supports social justice causes, released their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign featuring a list of top Christian-nationalist leaders in both church and politics along with a petition on Tuesday. The list, which in addition to Johnson, identifies former President Donald Trump, pastor Mark Burns, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Julie Green, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, conservative activist and radio talk show host Charlie Kirk, pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, Texas' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with NAR Lance Wallnau, and co-founder of Moms for Liberty and school board chair in Sarasota, Florida, Bridget Ziegler as "false prophets."
(Natalie Venegas/Newsweek 11/4/23)
Read More>>>>>
In response to Mike Johnson recently becoming the new House speaker, over 12,000 people have signed a Christian petition condemning the congressman as a "false prophet" among other Republican Party members.
Faithful America, an online Christian group that supports social justice causes, released their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign featuring a list of top Christian-nationalist leaders in both church and politics along with a petition on Tuesday. The list, which in addition to Johnson, identifies former President Donald Trump, pastor Mark Burns, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Julie Green, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, conservative activist and radio talk show host Charlie Kirk, pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, Texas' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with NAR Lance Wallnau, and co-founder of Moms for Liberty and school board chair in Sarasota, Florida, Bridget Ziegler as "false prophets."
(Natalie Venegas/Newsweek 11/4/23)
Read More>>>>>
Far right 'Pastors for Trump' trashed by evangelical leaders for flirting with Christian nationalism
Allies of former President Donald Trump, including Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, are backing a far-right Christian group designed to keep evangelicals in the former president's camp for 2024 — but more mainstream Christian denominations are standing up and fighting back, reported The Guardian on Monday. The group, Pastors for Trump, is drawing sharp rebukes from mainstream Christian leaders for being extremist, distorting Christian teachings and endangering American democracy, by fueling the spread of Christian nationalism," reported Peter Stone. "The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based evangelical pastor and businessman Jackson Lahmeyer leads the fledgling Pastors for Trump organization. Lahmeyer told the Guardian it boasts over 7,000 pastors as members and that he will unveil details about its plans on 11 May at the Trump National Doral in Miami, an event Trump will be invited to attend."
(Raw Story 5/1/23) Read More>>>>>
Allies of former President Donald Trump, including Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, are backing a far-right Christian group designed to keep evangelicals in the former president's camp for 2024 — but more mainstream Christian denominations are standing up and fighting back, reported The Guardian on Monday. The group, Pastors for Trump, is drawing sharp rebukes from mainstream Christian leaders for being extremist, distorting Christian teachings and endangering American democracy, by fueling the spread of Christian nationalism," reported Peter Stone. "The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based evangelical pastor and businessman Jackson Lahmeyer leads the fledgling Pastors for Trump organization. Lahmeyer told the Guardian it boasts over 7,000 pastors as members and that he will unveil details about its plans on 11 May at the Trump National Doral in Miami, an event Trump will be invited to attend."
(Raw Story 5/1/23) Read More>>>>>
==richard land=====================
Richard D. Land (born 1946) was the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, a post he had held since July 2013. October 23, 2013: Land announced his intention to retire. Russell D. Moore filled the post.
Apr 29, 2023: The Published Reporter: The Christian Post Wins Awards At Evangelical Press Association Christian Media Convention
Dr. Richard Land, executive editor of CP, won second place for Editorial with his piece, titled “The Will Smith event: Why it matters.” Land said the slap seen by a billion people worldwide was “shocking, painful and inexcusable,” as Smith admitted.
Dr. Richard Land, executive editor of CP, won second place for Editorial with his piece, titled “The Will Smith event: Why it matters.” Land said the slap seen by a billion people worldwide was “shocking, painful and inexcusable,” as Smith admitted.
Richard Land says he has ‘read about’ some Christian nationalists but he doesn’t know any
Richard Land insists he’s not a Christian nationalist. The former president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and currently president emeritus at Southern Evangelical Seminary, wants to set the record straight: “I’m not a Christian nationalist. I’ve read about some, but I don’t know any.” He added: “I think it is a tactic by the Left and their toadies in the media to suppress patriotic beliefs and to suppress the idea that America is a unique country. They hate that, they don’t believe it themselves.” In Land’s imagination there are no Christian nationalists. It’s like arguing there are no Native Americans in our country. It’s like saying there’s no coffee at Starbucks. (Baptist News Global 9/29/22)
Read More>>>>>
Richard Land insists he’s not a Christian nationalist. The former president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and currently president emeritus at Southern Evangelical Seminary, wants to set the record straight: “I’m not a Christian nationalist. I’ve read about some, but I don’t know any.” He added: “I think it is a tactic by the Left and their toadies in the media to suppress patriotic beliefs and to suppress the idea that America is a unique country. They hate that, they don’t believe it themselves.” In Land’s imagination there are no Christian nationalists. It’s like arguing there are no Native Americans in our country. It’s like saying there’s no coffee at Starbucks. (Baptist News Global 9/29/22)
Read More>>>>>
March 31, 2012: On Richard Land Live!, Land accused the Obama administration and civil rights leaders of using the Trayvon Martin case to deliberately stir up racial tension and "gin up the black vote" for Obama in the 2012 presidential election.
April 14, 2012: Baptist blogger Aaron Weaver discovered that Land's commentary on the Martin case had been lifted almost verbatim and without attribution from a column by Jeffrey Kuhner of The Washington Times. According to Weaver, while Land included a link to the article in show notes that were posted online, he did not disclose that his commentary was based almost entirely on that column. Weaver also discovered that Land had also lifted material in previous broadcasts from other sources as well and passed them off as his own words.
November 19, 2012: At a American Enterprise Institute event on immigration reform, Land stated that he was "ashamed" of the Republican Party in the 2012 presidential election.
April 14, 2012: Baptist blogger Aaron Weaver discovered that Land's commentary on the Martin case had been lifted almost verbatim and without attribution from a column by Jeffrey Kuhner of The Washington Times. According to Weaver, while Land included a link to the article in show notes that were posted online, he did not disclose that his commentary was based almost entirely on that column. Weaver also discovered that Land had also lifted material in previous broadcasts from other sources as well and passed them off as his own words.
November 19, 2012: At a American Enterprise Institute event on immigration reform, Land stated that he was "ashamed" of the Republican Party in the 2012 presidential election.
==david lane======================
David Lane (born c. 1955) is an American political activist who works to increase the political strength of religious groups on the Christian right, to promote social conservative values in the United States.
Funded largely by the American Family Association (AFA), Lane has organized political briefings with appearances by fundamentalist pastors such as David Barton and politicians such as Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Haley Barbour. In his behind-the-scenes work for right-wing politics, Lane has been described by The New York Times as "something of a stealth weapon for the right".
Funded largely by the American Family Association (AFA), Lane has organized political briefings with appearances by fundamentalist pastors such as David Barton and politicians such as Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Haley Barbour. In his behind-the-scenes work for right-wing politics, Lane has been described by The New York Times as "something of a stealth weapon for the right".
"God’s enemies—Big Business, Big Tech, Bud Light, Fortune 500, and Big Biden--venerate the golden calves of multiculturalism, political correctness and secularism as they incite instability in the culture, whip up division between races, and promote political upheaval. Deifying wokeism, Critical Race Theory, DEI [diversity, equity, inclusion], and radical environmentalism, the State’s sacrosanct sacraments include abortion, “anti-racism” struggle sessions, vaccines, and obsessive recycling.
As individual freedoms wane, government mandates and edicts are now viewed as the ultimate source of authority. American Christendom meanwhile cowers behind the four walls of the church building, giving center stage to butts, buildings, and budgets instead of getting involved in the culture. Yet it would seem that a focus to ascertain God’s model for cultural transformation would be deemed essential for a healthy church." --David Lane: Charisma: Like Martin Luther, Today’s Believers Must Destroy Golden Calves; May 28, 2023
As individual freedoms wane, government mandates and edicts are now viewed as the ultimate source of authority. American Christendom meanwhile cowers behind the four walls of the church building, giving center stage to butts, buildings, and budgets instead of getting involved in the culture. Yet it would seem that a focus to ascertain God’s model for cultural transformation would be deemed essential for a healthy church." --David Lane: Charisma: Like Martin Luther, Today’s Believers Must Destroy Golden Calves; May 28, 2023
Dec 14, 2022: The Independent: Evangelicals may be turning away from Trump, but Christian nationalism isn’t going anywhere
David Lane, the leader of the American Renewal Project, which is dedicated to mobilising evangelical pastors to run for office, wrote in an email to some 70,000 evangelicals following the midterm elections that Trump’s original “mission and the message are now subordinate to personal grievances and self-importance.”
David Lane, the leader of the American Renewal Project, which is dedicated to mobilising evangelical pastors to run for office, wrote in an email to some 70,000 evangelicals following the midterm elections that Trump’s original “mission and the message are now subordinate to personal grievances and self-importance.”
==becky laney==============
Becky Laney is a reader who has a background in English literature and library science. Laney has a BA and MA in English literature from Texas Woman’s University. She has a MLS degree from Texas Woman’s University. Her specialization is children’s and young adult literature. She says "this is my calling in life to promote the love of reading, the love of books, to connect books with readers, to encourage lifelong reading habits." She writes at Becky's Book Reviews, Young Readers, and and Operation Actually Read Bible.
When we give into "vain imaginations," when we neglect to "bring into captivity" our [natural] thoughts, we set ourselves up for trouble.
In our imaginations we often rewrite things our own way:
We rewrite who we were, who we are, who we are going to be.
--Becky Laney: Operation Actually Read the Bible: Vain Imaginations 9.15.18
In our imaginations we often rewrite things our own way:
We rewrite who we were, who we are, who we are going to be.
- We rewrite who God is and what he is like.
- We rewrite what we need, what we expect, what we DESERVE.
- We rewrite relationships: how we relate to each other and how we relate to God.
- We rewrite priorities. We make big things little and little things big.
- We rewrite definitions and truths.
- We rewrite "good" and "evil." Isaiah 5:20
- We dismiss the realities we don't like and thrive upon fantasies.
--Becky Laney: Operation Actually Read the Bible: Vain Imaginations 9.15.18
==barbara latta=================
Barbara Latta is a freelance writer with southern roots. She grew up in Arkansas and several addresses later, home is in middle Georgia. She is a member of the Conyers, Georgia chapter of Word Weavers International and is a graduate of the Christian Writers Guild Apprentice program. She completed the first year of study at Charis Bible College in Colorado and is a current student of the Israel Bible Center. She is a contributor to Christian Devotions, Refresh Magazine, CBN.com, and Living by Design. Her articles have appeared in Georgia EMC magazine, The Upson Beacon, The Glenwood Herald, and she currently writes a monthly column in the Pike-Journal Reporter. Barbara has also contributed to the anthologies Pens in the Piedmont, More Christmas Moments, Stupid Moments, Loving Moments, Abba's Promise, and The Power to Make a Difference. Her book, God's Maps, Stories of Inspiration and Direction for Motorcycle Riders was published in 2018.
Paul prayed this prayer for the Ephesians and all believers to receive wisdom and revelation.
After Solomon was anointed king over Israel, he asked Jehovah for wisdom to administer justice among the people (1 Kings 3:9).
We face opportunities to make decisions every day. Some are more important than others, but our response makes a difference in the outcome. We need godly wisdom to avoid emotional and sometimes physical disasters.
---Barbara Latta: Crosswalk: 9 Prayers in the Bible and What They Mean to Us
After Solomon was anointed king over Israel, he asked Jehovah for wisdom to administer justice among the people (1 Kings 3:9).
We face opportunities to make decisions every day. Some are more important than others, but our response makes a difference in the outcome. We need godly wisdom to avoid emotional and sometimes physical disasters.
---Barbara Latta: Crosswalk: 9 Prayers in the Bible and What They Mean to Us
==mike law===================
Mike Law, prior to serving as the Senior Pastor of Arlington Baptist Church, Mike Law Jr. served as the planting pastor of a local church in Northern Virginia and as a Pastoral Assistant to Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Mike was privileged to grow up in a Christian home and recalls sitting under a preacher as a child and being convinced of his sin and need for a Savior. Mike’s mother first thought he would enter the ministry when he was suspended from the public school bus at age 8 for sharing the gospel, but it wasn’t until he was studying Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland that he was compelled to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. Mike is a graduate of the Reformed Theological Seminary (DC)
The SBC Will Sell Insurance, Retirement to Women Pastors — If They Aren’t Southern Baptists
GuideStone, which provides insurance and retirement plans to pastors, is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, which last summer passed a constitutional amendment that bars member churches from having women in any pastoral role. That amendment, first proposed by Mike Law, an SBC pastor from Virginia, must be confirmed in 2024 to take effect... Law told RNS that the Bible, not the amendment he backs, bars women from the pastorate. However, he did not see the amendment affecting GuideStone’s work. “God limits the pastorate to men in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, not an amendment,” said Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia. “The proposed constitutional amendment addresses which churches may send Messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting. It does not address who GuideStone serves, that decision is left to the trustees of GuideStone.”(Word & Way 1/10/24) Read More>>>>>
GuideStone, which provides insurance and retirement plans to pastors, is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, which last summer passed a constitutional amendment that bars member churches from having women in any pastoral role. That amendment, first proposed by Mike Law, an SBC pastor from Virginia, must be confirmed in 2024 to take effect... Law told RNS that the Bible, not the amendment he backs, bars women from the pastorate. However, he did not see the amendment affecting GuideStone’s work. “God limits the pastorate to men in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, not an amendment,” said Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia. “The proposed constitutional amendment addresses which churches may send Messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting. It does not address who GuideStone serves, that decision is left to the trustees of GuideStone.”(Word & Way 1/10/24) Read More>>>>>
March 24, 2023: Christian Post: Docs show churches paid up to $100K to be part of Hillsong Family, an alleged honorarium scheme
“Many have claimed that female pastors in the SBC is not a growing problem, but the data says otherwise,” begins a page on the website created to promote the constitutional amendment proposed by Mike Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Va.
“Many have claimed that female pastors in the SBC is not a growing problem, but the data says otherwise,” begins a page on the website created to promote the constitutional amendment proposed by Mike Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Va.
July 14, 2023: Christian Headlines: J.D. Greear Supports National African American Fellowships' Challenge of SBC's Ban on Woman Pastors
During the 2023 Annual Meeting in June, SBC messengers voted by a two-thirds majority in approval of a constitutional amendment sponsored by Mike Law, senior pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, declaring that SBC-affiliated churches "affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture."
During the 2023 Annual Meeting in June, SBC messengers voted by a two-thirds majority in approval of a constitutional amendment sponsored by Mike Law, senior pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, declaring that SBC-affiliated churches "affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture."
June 30, 2023: Christian Post: Elevation Church withdraws affiliation with Southern Baptist Convention
The amendment proposed by Virginia Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church will become permanent if it gains majority support at the SBC annual meeting in 2024, according to the SBC Constitution.
The amendment proposed by Virginia Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church will become permanent if it gains majority support at the SBC annual meeting in 2024, according to the SBC Constitution.
==lanny lawler==================
Feb 28, 2023: The Herald Bulletin: Saving the Sacred: Indiana church closings cause real estate concerns
In July, Rev. Lanny Lawler, the church’s pastor from 2004 to 2015, called the closing “bittersweet.”
“It’s always sad when a congregation closes its visible ministry,” he said.
In July, Rev. Lanny Lawler, the church’s pastor from 2004 to 2015, called the closing “bittersweet.”
“It’s always sad when a congregation closes its visible ministry,” he said.
==paul Lawler====================
Christ Church United Methodist (Memphis)
There is No Holiness but Social Holiness
Why Did John Wesley Say, “No Holiness But Social Holiness?” John Wesley was a theologian who founded the Methodist movement in the 18th century. He believed that the Christian faith should not only be practiced individually but also in community with others. This idea is encapsulated in his famous phrase, “there’s no holiness but social holiness.”
Wesley’s penned words emphasize the importance of social holiness, stating that “true religion was never designed to be confined to solitary retirement or narrow, selfish circles.” He explained that holiness is not just a personal matter but also a social one, requiring Christians to unite and help each other grow in faith.
The phrase “there’s no holiness, but social holiness” became a well-known and oft-quoted expression of Wesley’s emphasis on the importance of Christian community and accountability.
Why Did John Wesley Say, “No Holiness But Social Holiness?” John Wesley was a theologian who founded the Methodist movement in the 18th century. He believed that the Christian faith should not only be practiced individually but also in community with others. This idea is encapsulated in his famous phrase, “there’s no holiness but social holiness.”
Wesley’s penned words emphasize the importance of social holiness, stating that “true religion was never designed to be confined to solitary retirement or narrow, selfish circles.” He explained that holiness is not just a personal matter but also a social one, requiring Christians to unite and help each other grow in faith.
The phrase “there’s no holiness, but social holiness” became a well-known and oft-quoted expression of Wesley’s emphasis on the importance of Christian community and accountability.
==charles lawson================
Charles Lawson is head pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. His style is serious and intellectual. He Is a hellfire and brimstone type of preacher.
==Deborah Layton================
Nobody joins a cult. You join a self-help group, a religious movement, a political organization. They change so gradually, by the time you realize you’re entrapped – and almost everybody does – you can’t figure a safe way back out. Deborah Layton joined the Peoples Temple in Northern California when she was 18 years old, and eventually became a trusted aid to Jim Jones, the group’s charismatic leader.
In her memoir, Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor’s Story of Life and Death in the People’s Temple, she describes how she fell for the answers Jones seemed to offer, and eventually found herself involved in the upper levels of his organization.Faced with increasing media scrutiny based upon allegations by former members, Jones in 1977 moved his followers — including Deborah — to Guyana. Jones promised them a tropical paradise, free from the supposed wickedness of the outside world.
But when she arrived, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. The settlement of the ‘Peoples Temple Agricultural Project’ — informally known as Jonestown — was surrounded by armed guards. Food was scarce and members were forced to work long hours and follow rigid codes of behavior. She also noticed that Jones became increasingly delusional and dictatorial.
By May 1978, Deborah Layton was ready to make her escape. Four weeks later she submitted a 37-point affidavit about the compound in Guyana, which helped convince United States Congressman Leo Ryan to make his journey there to investigate claims that people were being held there against their will.
Six months later tragedy struck.
On November 17, 1978, Leo Ryan, a Congressman from the San Francisco area investigating claims of abuse within the Peoples Temple, visited Jonestown. During this visit, a number of Temple members expressed a desire to leave with the Congressman, and, on the afternoon of November 18, these members accompanied Ryan to the local airstrip at Port Kaituma. There, they were intercepted by Temple security guards who opened fire on the group, killing Congressman Ryan, three journalists, and one of the Temple defectors. A few seconds of gunfire from the incident were captured on video by Bob Brown, one of the journalists killed in the attack.
On the evening of November 18, in Jonestown, Jones ordered his congregation to drink a concoction of cyanide-laced, grape-flavored Flavor Aid.
– Source: Peoples Temple, Wikipedia. Cited on Sunday, May 24, 2015 – 10:37 AM CET
A total of 918 people, including 276 children, died in the organized mass murder/suicide — the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the events of September 11, 2001.
It was a tragedy Layton had predicted with eerie accuracy.
Seductive Poison, reads like a thriller, but it is a true story — presented with scrupulous honesty and thoughtfulness. It is generally considered the most important personal testimony to emerge from the Jonestown tragedy.
In his review of the book, Dr. Philip Zimbardo said
Deborah Layton takes us behind the scenes in her chillingly brilliant memoir of her adolescent descent into his hell and her ascent years later as the woman courageous enough to expose this evil to the world. Her privileged status as a trusted inner circle member – responsible for depositing millions of dollars in foreign banks – gives her story an untold perspective on this charismatic leader and the transformations of human nature that took place among so many followers under his domination. Layton’s is a remarkable narrative that reads like a novel, but sadly is all too true.
This mesmerizing, well-written story shows how people from any background — regardless of race, culture, class, or education — can fall prey to the seductive poison of cult leaders and their cults.
--Apologetics Index; Nobody Joins A Cult
In her memoir, Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor’s Story of Life and Death in the People’s Temple, she describes how she fell for the answers Jones seemed to offer, and eventually found herself involved in the upper levels of his organization.Faced with increasing media scrutiny based upon allegations by former members, Jones in 1977 moved his followers — including Deborah — to Guyana. Jones promised them a tropical paradise, free from the supposed wickedness of the outside world.
But when she arrived, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. The settlement of the ‘Peoples Temple Agricultural Project’ — informally known as Jonestown — was surrounded by armed guards. Food was scarce and members were forced to work long hours and follow rigid codes of behavior. She also noticed that Jones became increasingly delusional and dictatorial.
By May 1978, Deborah Layton was ready to make her escape. Four weeks later she submitted a 37-point affidavit about the compound in Guyana, which helped convince United States Congressman Leo Ryan to make his journey there to investigate claims that people were being held there against their will.
Six months later tragedy struck.
On November 17, 1978, Leo Ryan, a Congressman from the San Francisco area investigating claims of abuse within the Peoples Temple, visited Jonestown. During this visit, a number of Temple members expressed a desire to leave with the Congressman, and, on the afternoon of November 18, these members accompanied Ryan to the local airstrip at Port Kaituma. There, they were intercepted by Temple security guards who opened fire on the group, killing Congressman Ryan, three journalists, and one of the Temple defectors. A few seconds of gunfire from the incident were captured on video by Bob Brown, one of the journalists killed in the attack.
On the evening of November 18, in Jonestown, Jones ordered his congregation to drink a concoction of cyanide-laced, grape-flavored Flavor Aid.
– Source: Peoples Temple, Wikipedia. Cited on Sunday, May 24, 2015 – 10:37 AM CET
A total of 918 people, including 276 children, died in the organized mass murder/suicide — the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the events of September 11, 2001.
It was a tragedy Layton had predicted with eerie accuracy.
Seductive Poison, reads like a thriller, but it is a true story — presented with scrupulous honesty and thoughtfulness. It is generally considered the most important personal testimony to emerge from the Jonestown tragedy.
In his review of the book, Dr. Philip Zimbardo said
Deborah Layton takes us behind the scenes in her chillingly brilliant memoir of her adolescent descent into his hell and her ascent years later as the woman courageous enough to expose this evil to the world. Her privileged status as a trusted inner circle member – responsible for depositing millions of dollars in foreign banks – gives her story an untold perspective on this charismatic leader and the transformations of human nature that took place among so many followers under his domination. Layton’s is a remarkable narrative that reads like a novel, but sadly is all too true.
This mesmerizing, well-written story shows how people from any background — regardless of race, culture, class, or education — can fall prey to the seductive poison of cult leaders and their cults.
--Apologetics Index; Nobody Joins A Cult
==lecrae========================
Jan 25, 2023: Catholic News Agency: Alabama governor adds another layer of protection to religious freedom
Grammy award-winning artist Lecrae took to his Facebook page to give his condolences over the death of Keller, saying that the notable pastor was there in times of spiritual pain and “he changed my life.”
Grammy award-winning artist Lecrae took to his Facebook page to give his condolences over the death of Keller, saying that the notable pastor was there in times of spiritual pain and “he changed my life.”
==mike leake=====================
July 25, 2023: Sight: Church and politics: Some critics see Trump's behaviour as un-Christian. His conservative Christian backers see a hero
In rural south-west Missouri, pastor Mike Leake of Calvary of Neosho – a Southern Baptist church – says support for Trump within the mostly conservative congregation seems to strengthen the more he is criticised and investigated.
“It further convinces them of their rhetoric that there is a leftist plot to undermine our nation,” Leake said. “So if everybody from the Left hates Trump, well, he must be on to something.”
In rural south-west Missouri, pastor Mike Leake of Calvary of Neosho – a Southern Baptist church – says support for Trump within the mostly conservative congregation seems to strengthen the more he is criticised and investigated.
“It further convinces them of their rhetoric that there is a leftist plot to undermine our nation,” Leake said. “So if everybody from the Left hates Trump, well, he must be on to something.”
"It further convinces them of their rhetoric that there is a leftist plot to undermine our nation.
So if everybody from the Left hates Trump, well, he must be on to something. Many of his congregation members who strongly support Trump “are not our most dedicated members. Anytime we’ve seen someone go full on MAGA, we lose them. Attendance and involvement drops. Giving drops. It’s all consuming - just as with any other idol.”
--Mike Leake; Calvary of Neosho 7.25.23
==brent leatherwood============
A sizeable US demographic, many Evangelicals are sending money and manpower to Israel
“In keeping with Christian Just War tradition, we also affirm the legitimacy of Israel’s right to respond against those who have initiated these attacks as Romans 13 grants governments the power to bear the sword against those who commit such evil acts against innocent life,” says the statement. Because of that belief, “calls for a ceasefire are tantamount to forcing Israel to live with these heinous violations,” said ERLC president Brent Leatherwood.
(Cathryn J Prince/The Times of Israel 11/12/23)
Read More>>>>>
“In keeping with Christian Just War tradition, we also affirm the legitimacy of Israel’s right to respond against those who have initiated these attacks as Romans 13 grants governments the power to bear the sword against those who commit such evil acts against innocent life,” says the statement. Because of that belief, “calls for a ceasefire are tantamount to forcing Israel to live with these heinous violations,” said ERLC president Brent Leatherwood.
(Cathryn J Prince/The Times of Israel 11/12/23)
Read More>>>>>
March 3, 2023: The Pathway: ERLC’s Leatherwood interviews former MBC president about racial reconciliation
In the video, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood converses with Nelson about “the important issue of racial unity in the Southern Baptist Convention,” according to an email announcement from the ERLC..
In the video, ERLC President Brent Leatherwood converses with Nelson about “the important issue of racial unity in the Southern Baptist Convention,” according to an email announcement from the ERLC..
“Our mission calls us to assist our churches and it is from the service we render that we speak to the important issues of the day. I can think of no one better than Miles Mullin, and the deep well of experience serving churches he draws from, to help us accomplish this vital work. His strengths in leadership and administration will enhance an already strong team at the ERLC. Moreover, he has a deep appreciation for the role of healthy institutions in SBC life and the broader culture. From his time supporting local churches, to the guidance he provided in academia, to his passion for developing leaders, Miles’ knowledge and expertise will help ensure this Commission continues to bring a distinctively Baptist voice into the public square as it has for over a century.” -Brent Leatherwood; ERLC President recommending Miles Mullin for Vice President of ERLC 1.26.23
==alyssia lee========================
Fasting is ultimately a multifaceted spiritual discipline that benefits Christians greatly in many ways.
- Fasting denies the flesh: it denies the desires of the flesh and pushes us to live by the Spirit
- Fasting disciplines the mind: it teaches us that we can push through difficult circumstances when our minds and bodies scream that we are in desperate need, it teaches us that we can handle more than we thought.
- Fasting draws us closer to God: Fasting fixes our eyes on God and helps to focus on Him and pray every time we have the pain of hunger.
- Fasting teaches us to depend on God: our natural instincts are to satisfy anything uncomfortable in us and remove the discomfort, fasting teaches us to run to God rather than earthly comforts.
==jack lee==========================
A person’s worth, value, and identity do not come from sexuality. Rather, our value comes from being made in the image of God. If we boil the human experience down to sexual experience or identity, we debase it; we cheapen it. What is the value of a human soul? Consider the words of the late, R.C. Sproul. In his commentary on The Gospel of Mark, he writes, “We can see the true value of souls by noting how much Jesus was willing to pay for the souls of His people”. God died on the cross to ransom human souls and restore what had previously been broken. We must find our value, our worth, our purpose, and our entire identity here. To live God-glorifying, wholesome life, this cross-centric perspective must shape our worldview. One of the defining elements of being a Christian is that our complete individuality is in the eternity of Christ and His kingdom. In Richard Niebuhr’s classic, Christ & Culture, he elaborates on the “enduring problem” this eternal perspective has given civilizations and cultures. While Christians are called to live in the world, Christian ideals transcend all earthly cultures and values. This is because Christ “enables men to regard this current disaster with a certain equanimity, directs their hopes toward another world, and so seems to deprive them of the motivation to engage in the ceaseless labor of conserving a massive but insecure social heritage” --Jack Lee; Chorus in the Chaos;How Progressive Christians Are Denying The Eternality of the Human Soul 7.27.23
==jeff lee==========================
Nov 22, 2023: ENS: Wisconsin Dioceses Launch Cooperative Ministry
“For many years, there has been conversation about coming together for camp,” Bishop Matt Gunter of Fond du Lac notes. “The positive comments about this idea has grown, especially these past two years. I’ve heard from youth and adults, clergy and laity, campers and staff, asking why we aren’t doing camp together” Bishop Jeff Lee of Milwaukee also heard similar comments. Fond du Lac summer camp sessions in 2021 and 2022 included campers and staff from the Dioceses of Eau Claire and Milwaukee.
“For many years, there has been conversation about coming together for camp,” Bishop Matt Gunter of Fond du Lac notes. “The positive comments about this idea has grown, especially these past two years. I’ve heard from youth and adults, clergy and laity, campers and staff, asking why we aren’t doing camp together” Bishop Jeff Lee of Milwaukee also heard similar comments. Fond du Lac summer camp sessions in 2021 and 2022 included campers and staff from the Dioceses of Eau Claire and Milwaukee.
==justin lee=========================
Jan 31, 2023: Christian Post: Andy Stanley to host conference for Christian parents of LGBT-identified kids
With a stated goal of helping “parents demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus,” the Unconditional Conference includes a scheduled lineup featuring Stanley, Embracing the Journey co-founders Greg and Lynn McDonald, former megachurch pastor John Ortberg, North Point Ministries’ Debbie Causey, and LGBT advocate Justin Lee.
With a stated goal of helping “parents demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus,” the Unconditional Conference includes a scheduled lineup featuring Stanley, Embracing the Journey co-founders Greg and Lynn McDonald, former megachurch pastor John Ortberg, North Point Ministries’ Debbie Causey, and LGBT advocate Justin Lee.
==richard g lee=====================
“Finally, an Evangelical Christian becomes speaker of the house. In spite of all the complaining it seems that the wait for a new speaker was a wise thing to do. When Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson stepped to the podium of the U.S. House of Representatives with the Bible cradled in his hand, and spoke boldly about how ‘the best days of America’ could be ahead, it seemed not to be an empty campaign promise, but a word of hope for the future of all Americans.”
--Richard G. Lee, President and speaker for There’s Hope America broadcasting media.
--Richard G. Lee, President and speaker for There’s Hope America broadcasting media.