Page Suggestions: False Prophets, who are true prophets, Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
Alternate known names: Brownsville Revivals, Elijah List, Florida Revivals, IHOP, Kansas City Prophets, New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)A movement within Protestant Christianity that embraces present-day apostles and prophets who claim they govern the church and give new divine revelation needed to set up God's EARTHLY kingdom., Toronto Blessing → see false prophet list.
Curt Landry
NOTE: The following event occurred on Sunday, February 26, 2012. Below has been written in Cliff's own words which was printed in the local Hot Springs, Arkansas newspapers the following week. -Admin-
Visiting Televangelist at River of Life Church Threatens Attendees to Leave Premises
Writer: Cliff Jackson | March 2012
Dear Editor,
My friend, Mike Nunn, letters-to the-editor writer extraordinaire, had not been in church for forty years. He rails against "religion" and is an atheist or agnostic pantheist like Einstein.
Mike had no desire to go to church when I invited him, but Mike is (despite his newspaper words) a gentle and tender man, almost Christ-like. He agreed to go, despite his prior bad church experiences, because I asked him to do so. And Mike likes my Christian views.
A Jewish friend, GOP member of the Tea Party, also likes my Christian views, so he readily agreed to attend when I asked. No reservations at all; he even brought his wife along.
A third friend, a confirmed atheist, declined. He was afraid of being "called out" and "shamed and embarrassed" as he had been the last time he attended church. And, yes, that, too, was decades ago. I laughed and pooh-poohed his fears, telling him, "Christians don’t act like that."
And they don’t. Not real ones anyway.
As for moi, the little Christian missionary and third sinner in this sad tale, I had not been in a church for over half a decade, and back then I went with---you guessed it---an atheist friend I invited. An upstart preacher, married three times and divorced twice (contravening doctrines), was trying to take over an El Dorado church. I was Legal Counsel, pro bono (free), for the Arkansas District of the Assemblies of God (as I had been for three decades).
In inviting my atheist friend, I wanted an honest witness without any bias or pre-disposition. My atheist friend fit the bill. She, too, had not been in church for decades, and she drove up from Louisiana simply because we were friends and I asked her.
We both left retching after the preacher told about "naming-and-claiming" an S-Class, baby-blue Mercedes with leather seats" (He said one has to be "specific" when telling God what to do). He also pointed with obvious pride if not hubris to his lovely "trophy wife": the one he "named-and-claimed" during his second divorce (I guess either God refused to be bound by pleas to heal his second marriage, or else the good minister never asked, or maybe he failed to "seed faith" enough money?).
This woman, the trophy wife, was beautiful and talented. No wonder the preacher coveted her. However, within three months, this trophy wife was no more. Sadly, she died of cancer (I will draw no conclusions, and you may draw those, if any, you desire).
Sadly, all is transient and vanity, including beauty and life itself, and I do believed that God will not be mocked.
Anyway, I digress from the tale of the three sinners going to a Hot Springs church, River of Life Church of God pastored by Rev. Ben Wiles. This church, along with several others, plays a central role in the local GOP (God’s Own Party) efforts to take over all elective offices in Garland County.
The visiting televangelist my atheist friend and I went to hear is an Oklahoma televangelist, "Rabbi" Curt Landry, whose shtick (thing, gimmick) is that he is a Christian rabbi (despite no rabbinical training) with a messianic twist favoring Israel (Christian Zionist).
Prior to attending, I emailed the local pastor and told him of the group attending. I assured him that we would not disturb, intrude, nor even talk to this rabbi after the service. We would sit quietly and peacefully. The local pastor agreed, so we went with his knowledge and permission. The church members met us, all friendly and welcoming.
We dutifully stood up during the protracted praise and worship and the televangelist’s initial prayers and "declarations" over the crowd. My bad lower back disc hurting after about thirty minutes, I sat down. So did Mike Nunn, age 73, who also has some pain standing for long periods.
Mouths agape, we watched the visiting rabbi lay hands on a young girl and "release the greatness of Einstein" inside her. We marveled when he prophesied that "another Facebook and another Google" (multi-billionaire ventures) would arise from this congregation in God’s 2012 "transfer of wealth from the ungodly heathen to Christians."
We were astounded when he "prophesied" God is gonna deliver "missiles into the hands of True Believers," which we knew were not the Palestinian Christians in Gaza (who constitute about 20% of Palestinians) because this televangelist is a Christian Zionist.
At that point he asked the congregation to rise---I’ve skipped the Native American anointing of about a third of the church who, claiming to be Indian, went forward to be "healed" by the rabbi). Mike and I did not rise. Some others did not rise. The rabbi insisted. Most of the others rose. Mike and I did not.
At this point "Rabbi" Curt Landry, his face livid, put his arm out full length, his finger pointing right at me, and ordered in a thunderous voice, "Rise."
I remained silent. He pointed again and angrily ordered, "I mean you! Rise to your feet!"
I said and did nothng. He then thundered, "Are you a Christian?"