Showing posts with label 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2007. Show all posts
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Friday, November 13, 2015
Independent Historian Unveils Cabalist Conspiracy
September 1, 2007
By Henry Makow Ph.D.
David Livingstone, 41, author of "Terrorism and the Illuminati- A Three Thousand Year History" (2007) says Cabalists determined to be God have hijacked mankind.
"The Cabala states that God created man to know Himself," says Livingstone. "Cabalists take this to mean they can usurp the role of God. They don’t have to meet an absolute moral standard first."
Livingstone says that all occult movements originate in the Cabala (which dates to 6th century B.C. Babylon.) Cabalism is a Jewish heresy because it does not uphold the universal moral standards enunciated by Moses. (This is the Judaism I identify with.)
Livingstone maintains that most Illuminati bloodlines, including European royalty, are heretical Jews, crypto Jews and wannabe Jews. ("Crypto Jews" are Jews who pretend they are Christians, Muslims or other religions or ethnic backgrounds. John Kerry or Madelaine Albright are examples.)
In his book, Livingstone traces the genealogies of these Khazar bloodlines, which include the Rothschilds, the Hapsburgs, the Sinclairs, the Stuarts, the Merovingians, the Lusignans, and the Windsors.
"The great secret of history is this story of the ascent of heretical Cabalists to world power," says Livingstone. "Ordinary Jews and people in general have no idea how they are being manipulated."
"These Cabalists believe Lucifer is the true God. They care nothing for their own nations. Their whole aim in life is to humiliate and degrade mankind, and prove to God that the human experiment is a failure. They are gradually achieving this goal through their control of the economy, education, media and government."
PERSONAL
David Livingstone was born in Montreal in 1966 of a Jamaican-Canadian father (a school teacher) and French Canadian mother. At age seven, he asked his parents who Plato and Socrates were. Told they were truthseekers, he was shocked. "You mean people don’t know what the truth is?" He resolved to find it out.
Livingstone studied history as an undergraduate but dropped out in 1992 when he realized he was being indoctrinated."When I read that the Indo European [Aryan] race emerged from the Caucuses, out of nowhere, I got suspicious, and began the 13 years of research that led to my first book, "The Dying God – The Hidden History of Western Civilization."
In this book, Livingstone deconstructed the myth of Western Civilization, which tries to portray progress in terms of the rejection of religion and the adoption of the secular, which is really a mask for the occult, i.e. the cabala and godlessness. (See my "Lucifer is Secret God of Secular Society")
While writing this book, Livingstone paid his bills by planting trees in British Columbia and upholstering furniture in Montreal. Raised as an agnostic, he converted to Islam in 1992 after making a study of the major world religions. He married in 2000 and has three children, all under the age of six.
TERRORISM AND THE ILLUMINATI
Livingstone's latest book, six years in the making, is available free online or as a handsome 300 page book from Amazon. It traces the 2500-year Cabala Conspiracy from ancient times to the present day and is packed with interesting new information.
For example, the Illuminati Order was preceded in the 1500's in Spain by the
"Alumbrados," a Christian heresy started by crypto Jews called "Marranos." The founder of the Jesuit Order, Ignatius of Loyola, was a Marrano/Alumbrado. (114) Thus when people today argue whether it is the Jesuits or Zionists who are responsible for our troubles, they are really talking about the same beast.
Cabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria, a follower of Loyola's, enunciated the principle that they must work actively to bring about prophesy, i.e. redemption through the coming of the Messiah and the rule of the Illuminati. This meant "manipulating the course of fate through the use of magic, and finally, of preparing the necessary political and moral circumstances to receive [the Messiah i.e.Anti Christ's] coming, that is a New World Order." (115)
With the mass media and the education system in the hands of these Cabalists it is easy to work this "magic." It is easy to convince millions that passenger jets hits the Pentagon and Shanksville PA, even though there was no passenger jet wreckage, and the World Trade Center fell due to "fires."
The Sabbatean and Frankist heresies of the 1600's succeeded the Alumbrados and led directly to the Illuminati in the 1700's. Livingstone writes:
"The Frankists were bent not only on the eradication and humiliation of the majority of the Jewish community, who refused to accept their deviations...but of all religions, and they exploited the Zionist ideals to disguise their quest for world domination. The Frankists believed that...all that had been prohibited [by the Torah] was now permitted, or even mandatory. This included prohibited sexual unions, orgies and incest...."
"Despite the fact that they were outwardly religious, the Frankists sought the annihilation of every religion and positive system of belief, and they dreamed of a general revolution that would sweep away the past in a single stroke so that the world may be rebuilt...for Jacob Frank, anarchic destruction represented all the Luciferian radiance, all the tones and overtones, of the word Life." (125)
[Citing Frank's book "The Words of the Lord", Juri Lina writes: "He believed God was evil. Frank proclaimed himself as the true Messiah. He vowed not to tell the truth, rejected every moral law, and declared the only way to a new society was the total destruction of the present civilization,. Murder, rape, incest and the drinking of blood were perfectly acceptable actions and rituals." ("Under the Sign of the Scorpion" p.22)]
It is easy to recognize the origin of Communism and Anarchism in this demented philosophy. It is easy to recognize the terror of the French and Bolshevik revolutions, the Soviet Gulags and Nazis Concentration Camps, the killing fields of Cambodia and China, the "Shock and Awe" of Iraq, and the dust of the World Trade Center.
It is easy to recognize that this degenerate Jewish sect is the reason why all Jews have been tainted with suspicion of immorality and subversion. Many Jews were tricked by the ( Frankist) Communist promise of economic justice and public ownership. (This is what the Cabalist means by "magic"—deception and lies.) Yet ordinary Jews have been slow to distance themselves from this pernicious movement, and its Zionist, Neo Conservative and Masonic manifestations (which are not what they pretend.)
The Rothschilds and most of the Jewish banking establishment were Frankists. Intermarrying with indigenous elites, they were responsible for the Bolshevik Revolution and the First and Second World Wars. Unfortunately they may be planning a Third World War that will pit Islam against "Zionism."
Livingstone goes into detail about how the Cabalists, operating through their control of Saudi Arabia, the Bank of England and British/American Imperialism, conspired to break up the Ottoman Empire and keep the Middle East backward. He also explains how they used a variety of cults like Wahhabism (1700's) and Salafi (1900's), and Masonic secret societies like the Muslim Brotherhood (1930's) to divide Islam, create fanatical fundamentalism and foster terror in preparation for the coming "War of Civilizations."
"The lowest [terrorist] ranks may sincerely believe they are defending Islam and confronting "Western Imperialism." However [they] serve the same Illuminati cause...their channels penetrate to the upper reaches of power in the British and American governments, and outward into the nether regions of the criminal and occult undergrounds." (241)
Livingstone does not believe the current Iranian regime is independent of the Illuminati. They created it when they deposed the Shah and installed Ayatollah Khomeni. In every war, the Illuminati controlled both sides of the conflict, and the Third World War will not be an exception.
CONCLUSION
David Livingstone has qualities that are increasingly rare in this decadent era: a devotion to objective truth, a courageous independent spirit and a keen analytical mind. He has an encyclopedic capacity for detail.
His shortcoming is that he is too shy about making the grand generalizations necessary to understand why he is presenting his information. Perhaps this article will partly fulfill this function.
One of the rewards of my work is knowing people like David Livingstone. I urge students of the Cabalist Conspiracy to read "The Illuminati and Terrorism: A Three Thousand Year History." Few works offer as much insight into the true character of the world we inhabit.
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Thursday, August 01, 2013
A New Ecumenical Wind
(April 2008)
Will the Global Christian Forum unite the churches?
By William G. Johnsson
A new wind is blowing across the Christian landscape, one with the potential to transform the ecumenical movement. How should Seventh-day Adventists, with our keen interest in end-time developments, relate to it?
November 6-9, 2007, some 250 Christian leaders from more than 70 nations came together in Limuru, Kenya. The extremely diverse group, which gathered under the rubric of the Global Christian Forum (GCF), was a meeting unlike any other in modern times. For the first time Pentecostals and Evangelicals sat down with Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, and representatives of the African Instituted Churches. Many of those present called the meeting historic; certainly it was unprecedented.
The gathering at Limuru took place on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Major changes have occurred in the Christian world since 1948, when the WCC was formed in high hopes of uniting Christians:
UNITED IN PRAYER: Vibrant worship services, as well as personal interaction, were featured prominently in the meeting of the Global Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya.
♦ The center of gravity has moved south. No longer do Europe and the United States set the pace. Christianity is growing rapidly in Africa and Asia, but is stagnant in its old “home base.” There are now about four times more Christians in the global South than in the North (or “West”). “Southern” missionaries now outnumber their traditional Western counterparts.
Beyond the numbers, however, we should note an even more important change. “Southern” Christianity is much more conservative than that of the “mainline” churches that constitute the bulk of the WCC. It assigns greater authority to the Scriptures; it has a holistic understanding of the natural and supernatural worlds; and it gives the Holy Spirit a much more prominent role in doctrine and experience.
♦ The Evangelical movement, cutting across denominational lines, has become a global force. Evangelicals, regardless of their parent church home, are united in belief in the reliability of the Bible, in the atoning work of Christ by His death on the cross, in the need for conversion and evangelism, and in the second coming of Christ. The World Evangelical Alliance counts some 420 million Christians in its fellowship.
♦ Growing even more rapidly are the Pentecostals. In its modern manifestation the movement began as a marginalized fringe Christian phenomenon in Los Angeles in 1904. Primarily a revival movement appealing to the poor, and disdained by society, Pentecostalism has spread globally. It has no central structure or organization; rather, it centers in the congregation, emphasizing the personal experience of the Holy Spirit. Because a clear definition of what constitutes a Pentecostal is hard to come by, estimates of the strength of the worldwide movement vary widely; generally, however, observers agree that globally Pentecostals-Charismatics number more than 500 million.
♦ On the continent of Africa Christianity has exploded. Many new, indigenous churches have arisen around charismatic figures. Some of these churches, known generally as African Instituted Churches, have congregations beyond their national boundaries and even in Europe and America. Offering a religion of celebration, they use symbols, music, and dance reflective of African culture. Probably about 100 million Christians belong to the African Instituted Churches.
These major changes largely bypassed the WCC. Evangelicals have been disenchanted by the sharp turn toward social and political action that the WCC took at its world assembly in 1968 at Uppsala, Sweden. Pentecostals, initially scorned by the mainline churches, harbor hostility toward the ecumenical movement represented by the WCC. And the new African churches and the WCC generally find little in common.
Major changes have occurred in the Christian world since 1948, when the World Council of Churches was formed.
Today, 60 years after its founding, the WCC is looking for a sense of direction. Its budget and staff have been drastically reduced from 20 years ago. It has failed to attract groups representing large numbers of Christians. And, in spite of earnest efforts, its member churches have not been able to achieve the basic step of accepting one another at the Lord’s table.
Out of this background the concept of the Global Christian Forum was conceived in 1998. Hubert van Beek, who served many years with the WCC, spent the following nine years as a retired planner and organizer of the event that eventually took place last November at Limuru. Van Beck was assisted by an essentially volunteer steering committee drawn from several traditions. Mel Robeck, professor of church history at Fuller Seminary in California, and a Pentecostal, played a key role in persuading many Pentecostal leaders to attend the GCF.
The ideas of the GCF were first tested in regional meetings in various parts of the world. The steering committee concluded that the only way for Pentecostals to feel comfortable enough to participate would be to ensure that they and Evangelicals comprised at least 50 percent of all those present. This is indeed what happened at Limuru. Pentecostals formed the largest single group and played a major role in plenary sessions and discussion groups. Both of the major papers presented at the plenaries came from Pentecostal scholars.
The GCF met for four days at Limuru, 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) from Nairobi, at a resort center owned by the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The WCC and its partners put up most of the funding for the event. Many of those who came had their expenses paid by the organizers. Three Adventists attended: John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director at the General Conference; John Kakembo, Ministerial director of the East Central Africa Division, which has its headquarters in Nairobi; and I.
The stated purpose of the GCF was to “create an open space wherein representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and interchurch organizations, which confess the triune God and Jesus Christ as perfect in His divinity and humanity, can gather to foster mutual respect, to explore and address together common challenges.” Unlike past ecumenical gatherings I have attended, at the GCF the affective (emotional) element played a significant part. Worship services, except for the one conducted by the Orthodox, were lively. Africans brought a distinctive flavor to the gathering.
For many the high point came on the first day. All attendees joined in preassigned groups of 30 and spent, person by person, about 15 minutes each relating in personal testimony their journey with Jesus Christ. The common elements of divine calling and intervention, regardless of the tradition, were powerful and moving. In these groups the denominational barriers came down; the remaining days built on the goodwill that had been established.
BROAD REPRESENTATION: Representatives to the Global Christian Forum included delegates from the Salvation Army, Assemblies of God, Orthodox Church in America, World Council of Churches, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Conference of Christian Communicators.
The GCF spent its final day and a half evaluating what had transpired and trying to ascertain the form and direction it should take. Attendees expressed appreciation for the event, which they viewed as a breakthrough, and urged that structures be kept to a minimum, the GCF avoid becoming a new organization, the process continue at regional and local levels, and the committee that planned the GCF be reconstituted and enlarged to guide the process. The unfolding future will determine whether another global meeting should be arranged.
Most of those who came to Limuru left on a high note. They felt they had been a part of something special, perhaps historic. Will the GCF subsequently be seen as the turning point when the WCC and the old ecumenism faded away, and a new and unpredictable ecumenism was born? Only time will tell.
How Adventists relate to these winds of change will call for alertness and careful thought. We have never been a member of the WCC and have kept at a distance the ecumenism that organization espouses. For us, a sense of divinely ordained mission to the entire world cannot be weakened or compromised by organic linking with other Christian bodies. We do not take upon ourselves the role of judge: we simply focus on our mission and leave others to answer to the Lord for their calling.
Yes, we too desire the unity of believers for which our Lord prayed before He went to the cross. But unity on what basis? And at what price? For us, Christian unity can come only from shared beliefs based on the Bible.
Further, our understanding of history and prophecy makes us wary of Christian coalitions. Too often the result has been coercion of conscience, and Revelation 13 points to another such development just before Christ returns.
We applaud men and women of goodwill everywhere. For some 80 years the Working Policy of our church has stated: “We recognize those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ” (p. 110). We enter into theological conversations with other churches, seeking to understand and to be understood. Where possible, we make common cause in endeavors such as religious liberty and aid to the needy, just as Ellen White in her day joined with other Christian bodies in fighting the alcohol traffic.
We gladly worship with other Christians, praying with and for them, including their ministers. And here Adventists are way out in front of the churches of the WCC: we open the Lord’s table to all who present themselves, regardless of denomination. That is the sort of ecumenism—and only that—in which we feel free to participate.
William G. Johnsson is assistant to the president for interfaith relations for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Source
.
Will the Global Christian Forum unite the churches?
By William G. Johnsson
A new wind is blowing across the Christian landscape, one with the potential to transform the ecumenical movement. How should Seventh-day Adventists, with our keen interest in end-time developments, relate to it?
November 6-9, 2007, some 250 Christian leaders from more than 70 nations came together in Limuru, Kenya. The extremely diverse group, which gathered under the rubric of the Global Christian Forum (GCF), was a meeting unlike any other in modern times. For the first time Pentecostals and Evangelicals sat down with Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, and representatives of the African Instituted Churches. Many of those present called the meeting historic; certainly it was unprecedented.
The gathering at Limuru took place on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Major changes have occurred in the Christian world since 1948, when the WCC was formed in high hopes of uniting Christians:
UNITED IN PRAYER: Vibrant worship services, as well as personal interaction, were featured prominently in the meeting of the Global Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya.
♦ The center of gravity has moved south. No longer do Europe and the United States set the pace. Christianity is growing rapidly in Africa and Asia, but is stagnant in its old “home base.” There are now about four times more Christians in the global South than in the North (or “West”). “Southern” missionaries now outnumber their traditional Western counterparts.
Beyond the numbers, however, we should note an even more important change. “Southern” Christianity is much more conservative than that of the “mainline” churches that constitute the bulk of the WCC. It assigns greater authority to the Scriptures; it has a holistic understanding of the natural and supernatural worlds; and it gives the Holy Spirit a much more prominent role in doctrine and experience.
♦ The Evangelical movement, cutting across denominational lines, has become a global force. Evangelicals, regardless of their parent church home, are united in belief in the reliability of the Bible, in the atoning work of Christ by His death on the cross, in the need for conversion and evangelism, and in the second coming of Christ. The World Evangelical Alliance counts some 420 million Christians in its fellowship.
♦ Growing even more rapidly are the Pentecostals. In its modern manifestation the movement began as a marginalized fringe Christian phenomenon in Los Angeles in 1904. Primarily a revival movement appealing to the poor, and disdained by society, Pentecostalism has spread globally. It has no central structure or organization; rather, it centers in the congregation, emphasizing the personal experience of the Holy Spirit. Because a clear definition of what constitutes a Pentecostal is hard to come by, estimates of the strength of the worldwide movement vary widely; generally, however, observers agree that globally Pentecostals-Charismatics number more than 500 million.
♦ On the continent of Africa Christianity has exploded. Many new, indigenous churches have arisen around charismatic figures. Some of these churches, known generally as African Instituted Churches, have congregations beyond their national boundaries and even in Europe and America. Offering a religion of celebration, they use symbols, music, and dance reflective of African culture. Probably about 100 million Christians belong to the African Instituted Churches.
These major changes largely bypassed the WCC. Evangelicals have been disenchanted by the sharp turn toward social and political action that the WCC took at its world assembly in 1968 at Uppsala, Sweden. Pentecostals, initially scorned by the mainline churches, harbor hostility toward the ecumenical movement represented by the WCC. And the new African churches and the WCC generally find little in common.
Major changes have occurred in the Christian world since 1948, when the World Council of Churches was formed.
Today, 60 years after its founding, the WCC is looking for a sense of direction. Its budget and staff have been drastically reduced from 20 years ago. It has failed to attract groups representing large numbers of Christians. And, in spite of earnest efforts, its member churches have not been able to achieve the basic step of accepting one another at the Lord’s table.
Out of this background the concept of the Global Christian Forum was conceived in 1998. Hubert van Beek, who served many years with the WCC, spent the following nine years as a retired planner and organizer of the event that eventually took place last November at Limuru. Van Beck was assisted by an essentially volunteer steering committee drawn from several traditions. Mel Robeck, professor of church history at Fuller Seminary in California, and a Pentecostal, played a key role in persuading many Pentecostal leaders to attend the GCF.
The ideas of the GCF were first tested in regional meetings in various parts of the world. The steering committee concluded that the only way for Pentecostals to feel comfortable enough to participate would be to ensure that they and Evangelicals comprised at least 50 percent of all those present. This is indeed what happened at Limuru. Pentecostals formed the largest single group and played a major role in plenary sessions and discussion groups. Both of the major papers presented at the plenaries came from Pentecostal scholars.
The GCF met for four days at Limuru, 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) from Nairobi, at a resort center owned by the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The WCC and its partners put up most of the funding for the event. Many of those who came had their expenses paid by the organizers. Three Adventists attended: John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director at the General Conference; John Kakembo, Ministerial director of the East Central Africa Division, which has its headquarters in Nairobi; and I.
The stated purpose of the GCF was to “create an open space wherein representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and interchurch organizations, which confess the triune God and Jesus Christ as perfect in His divinity and humanity, can gather to foster mutual respect, to explore and address together common challenges.” Unlike past ecumenical gatherings I have attended, at the GCF the affective (emotional) element played a significant part. Worship services, except for the one conducted by the Orthodox, were lively. Africans brought a distinctive flavor to the gathering.
For many the high point came on the first day. All attendees joined in preassigned groups of 30 and spent, person by person, about 15 minutes each relating in personal testimony their journey with Jesus Christ. The common elements of divine calling and intervention, regardless of the tradition, were powerful and moving. In these groups the denominational barriers came down; the remaining days built on the goodwill that had been established.
BROAD REPRESENTATION: Representatives to the Global Christian Forum included delegates from the Salvation Army, Assemblies of God, Orthodox Church in America, World Council of Churches, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Conference of Christian Communicators.
The GCF spent its final day and a half evaluating what had transpired and trying to ascertain the form and direction it should take. Attendees expressed appreciation for the event, which they viewed as a breakthrough, and urged that structures be kept to a minimum, the GCF avoid becoming a new organization, the process continue at regional and local levels, and the committee that planned the GCF be reconstituted and enlarged to guide the process. The unfolding future will determine whether another global meeting should be arranged.
Most of those who came to Limuru left on a high note. They felt they had been a part of something special, perhaps historic. Will the GCF subsequently be seen as the turning point when the WCC and the old ecumenism faded away, and a new and unpredictable ecumenism was born? Only time will tell.
How Adventists relate to these winds of change will call for alertness and careful thought. We have never been a member of the WCC and have kept at a distance the ecumenism that organization espouses. For us, a sense of divinely ordained mission to the entire world cannot be weakened or compromised by organic linking with other Christian bodies. We do not take upon ourselves the role of judge: we simply focus on our mission and leave others to answer to the Lord for their calling.
Yes, we too desire the unity of believers for which our Lord prayed before He went to the cross. But unity on what basis? And at what price? For us, Christian unity can come only from shared beliefs based on the Bible.
Further, our understanding of history and prophecy makes us wary of Christian coalitions. Too often the result has been coercion of conscience, and Revelation 13 points to another such development just before Christ returns.
We applaud men and women of goodwill everywhere. For some 80 years the Working Policy of our church has stated: “We recognize those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ” (p. 110). We enter into theological conversations with other churches, seeking to understand and to be understood. Where possible, we make common cause in endeavors such as religious liberty and aid to the needy, just as Ellen White in her day joined with other Christian bodies in fighting the alcohol traffic.
We gladly worship with other Christians, praying with and for them, including their ministers. And here Adventists are way out in front of the churches of the WCC: we open the Lord’s table to all who present themselves, regardless of denomination. That is the sort of ecumenism—and only that—in which we feel free to participate.
William G. Johnsson is assistant to the president for interfaith relations for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Source
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Tuesday, June 11, 2013
No more spying on citizens who are not suspected of a crime
Obama in 2007: No more spying on citizens who are not suspected of a crime
Published on Jun 6, 2013
Excerpt from President Obama's speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in August 2007.
This Administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand. I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.
That means no more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists. The FISA court works. The separation of powers works. Our Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that justice is not arbitrary.
This Administration acts like violating civil liberties is the way to enhance our security. It is not.
Source clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEdpT...
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Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Revelation 13: Alexander Scourby
Alpha2OmegaProject
Published on Oct 3, 2012
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Revelation13&version=KJV
http://scourby.com
http://PropheticInfoWars.com
Published on Oct 3, 2012
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Revelation13&version=KJV
http://scourby.com
http://PropheticInfoWars.com
PLEASE contact via PM with any inconsistencies, errors, etc.
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Making The World Safe For Faith
(Excerpt)...
The International Religious Liberty Association is a non-denominational organization established to promote and defend religious freedom for all people around the world. It is one of the oldest human rights organizations functioning today and organizes a world congress every five years in various parts of the world.
The IRLA is strongly supportive of the religious freedom aspects of such United Nations documents as the Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and intolerance based on religion or belief. The IRLA’s primary focus is on education in religious freedom and combating religious intolerance wherever it occurs. It annually holds seminars and conferences in many parts of the globe. It also reports violations of religious rights to the relevant authorities, and works on individual cases where possible.
The IRLA works in cooperation with governments, the U.N. Human Rights Council, and other non-governmental organizations to highlight abuses of fundamental religious rights, working particularly to assist the UN special rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in carrying out her mandate.
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Read more
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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Pastors in Conversation
September 14, 2007
Simi Valley, California, United States .... [Ansel Oliver/ANN]
watch video
Pastors play an important role in including young adults in church life and encouraging women employed in ministry, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, said in a live September 13 telecast.
Paulsen received comments and addressed questions from nine ministers in the United States and Canada during the unscripted show, Pastors: In Conversation, at the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California. Topics included age differences in congregations, women's involvement in ministry, meeting the needs of several cultures in one church, and funding for local churches.
"You are a very trusted, very important part of our church's workforce," Paulsen said in his opening remarks to the ministers. "You represent some 22,000 pastors around the world who minister to 25 million Seventh-day Adventists and others who may come to our church on the Sabbath to worship."
Several times the world church president asked the ministers for each others' thoughts in response to questions during the boardroom-like discussion.
Responding to a question of age differences in church, Paulsen said that young professionals in their 20s and early 30s are a "vastly underused" segment in some churches.
"Look, if they don't take responsibility now, who's going to look after it [the church] tomorrow when you and I are gone?
"I could talk for the rest of this program on just this one issue," Paulsen said 27 minutes into the hour-long show.
"This is not something that can be regulated from an office such as mine," he said. "It happens in the local church."
Paulsen asked pastors to trust young men and women who show spiritual maturity, elect them as elders and not wait until they are 50 years old.
Carlton P. Byrd, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, brought up the challenge of conducting evangelism at local churches, sometimes with insufficient funds. "Salvation is free, but ministry takes money," he said.
Paulsen responded by describing the church's tithing commission, a group of more than 100 members from around the world meeting to examine the church's use of funds. He said he didn't want to guess what the commission was trying to do, but suggested the group was considering channeling more funds to local churches. Paulsen urged patience in waiting for their report which he said would be presented in October, 2009.
Three women joined the discussion, including host Bonita Shields, a former local Adventist church minister and current editor of youth bible study guides.
Ann Roda, a pastor from a Fulton, Maryland church, said when many young women tell her of their interest in ministry, they feel the church is "seemingly hostile," and ask why they aren't given the same recognition as men.
Paulsen acknowledged the frustration and said the question is often a "euphemism" for a more pointed one: "'Why don't we ordain women to the ministry in same way as we do men?'"
"You all know we've been around this one a few times," Paulsen said of the world church's history of discussing the topic beginning in 1990.
The world church, he said, has never taken the position that the "concept" of ordaining women is rejected by the Bible or the writings of church co-founder Ellen G. White.
"It's just a question of 'can we make this major change and still hold together as a global community?'"
Paulsen told Roda his response to women interested in ministry: "Respond to the call God has placed in your heart. Train for ministry, seek the profession, become engaged in it."
He pointed out that many women already effectively serve as pastors in local churches, including his niece.
He also called for women to be paid equally to men and acknowledged many women around the world are not asking to be ordained, but to function as a "legitimate minister."
"So many local churches are not open to receive them. ..."I think this is very, very unfortunate. They are part of our spiritual community."
"They are as trained and gifted and skilled as any man could possibly be. ...Please, use them," Paulsen said.
Several pastors, including Andre Flores from Provo, Utah, asked about methods for reaching many cultures within one church.
"You have many cultures that may be together in the same church, but they call each other 'brother' and 'sister,'" Paulsen said. "And when you really get down to it they share a common identity... I find it around the world."
Jim Hiner Jr., a pastor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, said he sought support from elders representing different cultures to help him understand the expectations of various communities in his church.
Paulsen responded to another pastor's question of training and resources available for intercultural ministry: "You need to find out, 'how can I make the Bible ... come alive to my particular culture, or my basket of cultures which I have to minister to in my church?'"
Many of his responses put the responsibility on pastors to make their own decisions regarding their ministry.
Several times, during a discussion of balancing work and family, Paulsen suggested scheduling family time in a weekly calendar. "The family will suffer if all you have for them is the leftover time," he said to questions on the subject from Eddie Polite from St. Louis, Missouri, and Franklin David from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Pastors were selected to represent the church in North America's diversity of cultures, gender and church size. There are about 3,500 ordained credentialed Adventist ministers in the U.S. and Canada.
The program was seen internationally on the church's Hope Channel. Similar discussions are planned for 2008 in Europe, Africa and South America.
"More of my colleagues in leadership need to be involved in this kind of thing. I can only reach so many," Paulsen said in his concluding remarks.
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Pastors play an important role in including young adults in church life and encouraging women employed in ministry, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, said in a live September 13 telecast.
Paulsen received comments and addressed questions from nine ministers in the United States and Canada during the unscripted show, Pastors: In Conversation, at the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California. Topics included age differences in congregations, women's involvement in ministry, meeting the needs of several cultures in one church, and funding for local churches.
"You are a very trusted, very important part of our church's workforce," Paulsen said in his opening remarks to the ministers. "You represent some 22,000 pastors around the world who minister to 25 million Seventh-day Adventists and others who may come to our church on the Sabbath to worship."
Several times the world church president asked the ministers for each others' thoughts in response to questions during the boardroom-like discussion.
Responding to a question of age differences in church, Paulsen said that young professionals in their 20s and early 30s are a "vastly underused" segment in some churches.
"Look, if they don't take responsibility now, who's going to look after it [the church] tomorrow when you and I are gone?
"I could talk for the rest of this program on just this one issue," Paulsen said 27 minutes into the hour-long show.
"This is not something that can be regulated from an office such as mine," he said. "It happens in the local church."
Paulsen asked pastors to trust young men and women who show spiritual maturity, elect them as elders and not wait until they are 50 years old.
Carlton P. Byrd, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, brought up the challenge of conducting evangelism at local churches, sometimes with insufficient funds. "Salvation is free, but ministry takes money," he said.
Paulsen responded by describing the church's tithing commission, a group of more than 100 members from around the world meeting to examine the church's use of funds. He said he didn't want to guess what the commission was trying to do, but suggested the group was considering channeling more funds to local churches. Paulsen urged patience in waiting for their report which he said would be presented in October, 2009.
Three women joined the discussion, including host Bonita Shields, a former local Adventist church minister and current editor of youth bible study guides.
Ann Roda, a pastor from a Fulton, Maryland church, said when many young women tell her of their interest in ministry, they feel the church is "seemingly hostile," and ask why they aren't given the same recognition as men.
Paulsen acknowledged the frustration and said the question is often a "euphemism" for a more pointed one: "'Why don't we ordain women to the ministry in same way as we do men?'"
"You all know we've been around this one a few times," Paulsen said of the world church's history of discussing the topic beginning in 1990.
The world church, he said, has never taken the position that the "concept" of ordaining women is rejected by the Bible or the writings of church co-founder Ellen G. White.
"It's just a question of 'can we make this major change and still hold together as a global community?'"
Paulsen told Roda his response to women interested in ministry: "Respond to the call God has placed in your heart. Train for ministry, seek the profession, become engaged in it."
He pointed out that many women already effectively serve as pastors in local churches, including his niece.
He also called for women to be paid equally to men and acknowledged many women around the world are not asking to be ordained, but to function as a "legitimate minister."
"So many local churches are not open to receive them. ..."I think this is very, very unfortunate. They are part of our spiritual community."
"They are as trained and gifted and skilled as any man could possibly be. ...Please, use them," Paulsen said.
Several pastors, including Andre Flores from Provo, Utah, asked about methods for reaching many cultures within one church.
"You have many cultures that may be together in the same church, but they call each other 'brother' and 'sister,'" Paulsen said. "And when you really get down to it they share a common identity... I find it around the world."
Jim Hiner Jr., a pastor from Minneapolis, Minnesota, said he sought support from elders representing different cultures to help him understand the expectations of various communities in his church.
Paulsen responded to another pastor's question of training and resources available for intercultural ministry: "You need to find out, 'how can I make the Bible ... come alive to my particular culture, or my basket of cultures which I have to minister to in my church?'"
Many of his responses put the responsibility on pastors to make their own decisions regarding their ministry.
Several times, during a discussion of balancing work and family, Paulsen suggested scheduling family time in a weekly calendar. "The family will suffer if all you have for them is the leftover time," he said to questions on the subject from Eddie Polite from St. Louis, Missouri, and Franklin David from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Pastors were selected to represent the church in North America's diversity of cultures, gender and church size. There are about 3,500 ordained credentialed Adventist ministers in the U.S. and Canada.
The program was seen internationally on the church's Hope Channel. Similar discussions are planned for 2008 in Europe, Africa and South America.
"More of my colleagues in leadership need to be involved in this kind of thing. I can only reach so many," Paulsen said in his concluding remarks.
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