Wednesday, July 30, 2014

30 July 2014



"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." [Ezekiel 33:6]

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  [Ephesians 6:12]


Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Letter from Imprisoned Iranian Christian Pastor Talks about God's Faithfulness at All Times

[2] A Prayer for the Netherlands in the Midst of Their National Tragedy


[3] Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Sexual Exploitation Convictions of Former Pella, Iowa URCNA Pastor Patrick Edouard

[4] Youth Volunteer for First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Merchantville, New Jersey, Arrested in Child Pornography Sweep

[5] First Presbyterian Church of Fulton, Missouri (PCUSA) and Parent Entities Sued for Facilitating Convicted Child Pornographer’s Access to Boy Abused at Youth Conference

[6] Indictments Handed Down in Embezzlement from Collierstown Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Lexington, Virginia

[7] Former Pastor of First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Salem, New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Child, Will Receive Four Year Prison Term

[8]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

[9]
Headlines from The Christian Institute

[10]
The Thinning Blue Line

[11] 
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

[12] 
The Religion of Peace

---

[1] Letter from Imprisoned Iranian Christian Pastor Talks about God's Faithfulness at All Times

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

Imprisoned Christian Pastor Farshid Fathi has sent a letter from Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, reflecting on God’s faithfulness even in difficult times.

Farshid Fathi

Elam said that Fathi has been in Evin Prison for almost 43 months, just because of his Christian faith and ministry. He is scheduled for release in December 2016.

According to a news release from Elam Ministries, he wrote “In each of our lives, there are nights: nights of loneliness, nights of nightmare, nights of fever and pain, endless nights of prison, nights of missing, nights of hard-breathing and some scary, unexplainable nights in our lives.”

Fathi said these experiences are inevitable, even for those who have a close walk with Jesus Christ.

According to Elam, Fathi continued “When a child has a bad night, his father or his mother lies beside him during the night, tenderly stroking his forehead, kissing his cheeks over and over, calling his name in the most lovely voice and they keep looking at the child's face until that bad night passes over. Then the child opens his eyes and thinks his father has just come to him. He was not able to sense his father's breath while he was battling with his nightmares.”

That’s the same for us, Fathi continued, when our troubling times end. We think that God has just comes to us.

But that’s not so, Fathi said. “He was not only there in the morning, but He was with us all through the dark nights of our life … So I am absolutely sure that finally ‘the sun of justice will rise with healing in its wings (Malachi 4:2).’”

Elam wrote, “Thank you for your faithful prayers for Farshid, who is in the midst of a dark night, and yet waits for the dawn to break. It is a great encouragement for him to know that his family around the world are still holding him up in prayer.”

Elam Ministries assists the church in the Iran region and beyond.

For more information visit www.freefarshid.org

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "A Sheltered Life."


+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com


[2] A Prayer for the Netherlands in the Midst of Their National Tragedy

By the Rev. Dr. Michael A. Milton

“Our heavenly Father, whose voice causes the foundations of heaven to shake and sends forth the incensed smoke of imperceivable mystery to fill the sanctuary, we confess that our finite minds are unable to comprehend the breadth and depth of such tragedy that has touched our Dutch brothers and sisters at this time, and we can only weep with those who weep and pray for the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit, and for divine power to be given to those Gospel preachers who, now, are called to conduct services across that beautiful and storied land of the Netherlands, so important in the founding of our own nation—and in their many contributions to the world—so that they, depending on the One who is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipresent, might equip them with power from on high, to declare the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ in the midst of their national tragedy—yea, this international tragedy—so that as poor broken-hearted mothers and fathers, grieving sons, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers, grief-stricken-loved ones, and soul-shocked-fellow-countrymen look to these pastors they will, indeed, discover that Word from another World bringing hope of the resurrected Savior into their world; and so praying for the people of the Netherlands, with their goodly King, Willem-Alexander, and his wife, Queen Maxima, and his mother, the retiring Princess Beatrix who reigned so well and so long as their queen, and all of those who govern, we remember the other nations who, likewise, mourn for meaning as they mourn for their losses, as well, not counting one above the other, but moved by the utter magnitude of the Dutch national impact, and so, we cry to Thee on their behalf, and make our prayer through the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the Alpha and the Omega, the Redeemer and the Lord, who ever lives to save, and who reigns with Thee, O Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forevermore. Amen.”


+ Faith for Living, Inc.


[3] Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Sexual Exploitation Convictions of Former Pella, Iowa URCNA Pastor Patrick Edouard

An 18 July 2014
Des Moines Register article by Grant Rodgers titled “Pella Pastor's Sexual Exploitation Convictions Upheld” reports that the sexual exploitation convictions of Patrick Edouard, former pastor of the Covenant Reformed Church (United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA)) in Pella, Iowa, were upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court on 18 July 2014. The decision overturned an earlier Iowa Court of Appeals decision granting Edouard a new trial.

Edouard was convicted of the sexual exploitation charges for pursuing sexual relationships with women who had come to the pastor for guidance with problems including concerns over infertility, extramarital affairs, the death of a best friend and a father's degenerative Alzheimer's disease.

Edouard’s five year prison sentence was upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court. Edouard had been out of prison on bond while his case made its way through the appeals process.


+
Des Moines Register, 715 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, 515-284-8000, publisher@dmreg.com

+
United Reformed Churches in North America, c/o the Rev. Bradd Nymeyer, 227 1st Avenue Southeast, Sioux Center, Iowa 51250, 712-722-1965, statedclerk@urcna.org


[4] Youth Volunteer for First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Merchantville, New Jersey, Arrested in Child Pornography Sweep

A 24 July 2014 ABC News article titled “NJ Church Volunteer, Bus Drivers in Child Porn Sweep” reports that 55-year-old Michael Parker of Pennsauken, New Jersey, was arrested 8 July 2014 in a child pornography sweep that included two school bus drivers and eleven others. Parker was a youth volunteer for First Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) of Merchantville, New Jersey, and had expressed the desire to become a youth minister.

When Parker's computer was examined during execution of a search warrant, investigators allegedly found numerous items of child pornography and evidence of Internet activity indicating an interest in the sexual exploitation of prepubescent boys. The photos included those of young boys from the church that were fully clothed, but police are seeking further information relevant to the investigation.


+ ABC News, 7 West 66th Street, New York, New York 10023, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228
, Fax: 502-569-8005


[5] First Presbyterian Church of Fulton, Missouri (PCUSA) and Parent Entities Sued for Facilitating Convicted Child Pornographer’s Access to Boy Abused at Youth Conference

A 24 July 2014 Fulton Sun article by Katherine Cummins titled “Fulton’s First Presbyterian Named in Lawsuit” reports that Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer has filed suit against First Presbyterian Church (
Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), of Fulton, Missouri, Missouri Union Presbytery, Synod of Mid-America, the PCUSA, the PCUSA Foundation, Bruce Berry, and Jack Wayne Rogers related to the alleged sexual abuse of Schondelmeyer by Rogers during the Connection 2000 Youth Conference in Maryland.

Rogers had been appointed a lay minister at another Missouri Union Presbytery church by Presbytery official Berry and First Presbyterian Church, knowing Rogers had been convicted of child pornography charges in 1992. Rogers was chosen by First Presbyterian Church to be a chaperon at the 2000 youth conference.


+ Fulton Sun, 115 East Fifth Street, Fulton,
Missouri 65251, 573-642-7272, kevin@fultonsun.com

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228
, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Synod of Mid-America, 7301 Mission Road, Prairie Village,
Kansas 66208, 913-384-3020, landonsoma@gmail.com

+ Missouri Union Presbytery, 917 Leslie Blvd,
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101, 573-635-9221, Fax: 573-635-9222, jerickson@mupresbytery.org


[6] Indictments Handed Down in Embezzlement from Collierstown Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Lexington, Virginia

A 30 July 2014 article in The News-Gazette reports that on 14 July 2014, a Rockbridge County (
Virginia) Circuit Court grand jury certified twenty-four charges of embezzlement against Marilyn J. Dudley related to her work over a twelve year period as church treasurer of Collierstown Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) in Lexington, Virginia.


+ The News-Gazette, 20 West Nelson Street,
Lexington, Virginia 24450, 540-463-3113, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228
, Fax: 502-569-8005


[7] Former Pastor of First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Salem, New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Child, Will Receive Four Year Prison Term

A 29 July 2014 NJ.com article by Alex Young titled “Ex-Salem Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Child, Will Get Prison Term” reports that Jonathan Smith, former pastor of First Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) of Salem, New Jersey, on 29 July 2014 pleaded guilty to one count of second degree sexual assault related to Smith assaulting a minor child, a relative, in 2013. Smith was originally charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, but these charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. Smith will be sentenced to four years in New Jersey State Prison at a sentencing hearing in September 2014.


+ NJ.com, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228
, Fax: 502-569-8005


[8]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

-- Ex-Planned Parenthood Director: They Told Me Every Baby Killed in Abortion Made Them US$313.29

-- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Civic Center Okays Satanic Black Mass: Protest Swells Past 37,000

-- Appeals Court Creates ‘Right to Marry by Everyone and to Anyone’ in Virginia: Dissent

-- Top British Doctor’s Chilling Claim: The National Health Service Kills Off 130,000 Elderly Patients Every Year. America’s Future?

-- Forty-Four-Year-Old Man Gets Thirteen-Year-Old Daughter Pregnant, Uses Abortion to Hide His Crime


+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+
LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page

+ AgainstCronyCapitalism.org, Contact Page


[9]
Headlines from The Christian Institute

Headlines of the past week from
The Christian Institute:

-- Majority Sidelined as U.K. Government Backs Three-Parent Babies

-- U.K. Peer and Times Columnist Claims Faith is a ‘Virus’

-- Disabled U.K. Peer: Assisted Suicide Bill ‘Frightens’ Me


+
The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk


[10]
The Thinning Blue Line

-- Atlanta, Georgia Man ‘Threatened With Jail by Cop Who Shot His Dog and Prevented Him from Taking the Bleeding Animal for Treatment’

-- Hometown, Illinois Cop Shoots Dog in Its Yard in Front of Six-Year-Old Girl

-- Campbell, Wisconsin Police Chief Admits He Signed Up Tea Party Activist to Porno Sites and Whatnot

-- Lawsuit Filed against Jackson, Mississippi Police Department for Intimidating Christians Conducting Pro-Life Ministry

-- Houston, Texas Cop Arrests Man, Forces Him to Leave Family Pet on the Side of the Freeway to Die

-- Scranton, Pennsylvania Police Kidnap and Imprison Woman to Ensure She Testifies against Her Kidnapper

-- Los Angeles Man Awarded US$1.8 Million after Incompetent Cops Filled His Truck with Bullet Holes for No Reason

-- San AntonioTexas Cops Attack Man Photographing Building, Claiming He Was Man Fleeing from Them

-- Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania Constable Shoots, Paralyzes Man While Serving Warrant for Parking Tickets

-- Cleveland, Ohio Seventy-Three-Year-Old Attacked and Killed by Out-of-Control Police Dog during Search

-- Alaskan Border Patrol Agent Pulls His Gun on a Boy Scout


+
Right Wing News, Contact Page

+
Police State USA

+ The Daily Caller, 1050 17th Street Northwest # 900, Washington DC 20036, 202-466-3004, media@dailycaller.com

+
Christian News Network, Post Office Box 30000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, Contact Page

+ The Free Thought Project, contact@thefreethoughtproject.com

+ PINAC, carlosmiller@magiccitymedia.com

+
Ben Swann, Contact Page

+ The Free Patriot

+ Tea Party Economist


[11] 
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:

-- Obama Calls for New World Order in Seattle Fundraiser Speech

-- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Agents Raid Statesville, North Carolina Home to Seize Land Rover For Violation of EPA Regulations

-- Nazi Tactics Being Used Against American Churches

-- While Illegals Get Bus Trips, Americans Are Being Tazed and Arrested by Border Patrol 100 Miles away from the Border

-- Nevada County, California Veteran Told to Stop Building Furniture for Needy Military Families by Lake of the Pines Home Owners Association

-- Newborn Baby Taken From Parents after Having Baby at Home

-- Christians Caught in the Crossfire in Ukraine

-- Four Evangelical Christians Executed By Pro-Russian Terrorists for ‘Sectarianism and Treason’

-- Ohio State University Teaching Psych Students Atheists Smarter than Christians

-- Scientist Sues California State University - Northridge for Firing Him after His Dinosaur Discovery Supported Creationism

-- U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions Says Obama Preparing to 'Nullify' Immigration Laws

-- Michigan Department of Agriculture Thugs Force Raw Milk Dairy Farmer to Dump US$5000 Worth of Products

-- Missouri National Guard Bars Troops from Attending Vacation Bible School Honor

-- Four-Year-Old Monroe, Connecticut Boy Gets Lifetime Ban from Doughnut Shop for Asking Lady If She Is Pregnant

-- Evangelicals Persecuted in Ukraine


+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Infowars.com, Post Office Box 19549, Austin, Texas 78760, 512-291-5750, writers@infowars.com

+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132

+ The Right Scoop, tips@therightscoop.com

+ CBS13 Sacramento, 2713 KOVR, West Sacramento, California 95605, 916-374-1313, Fax: 916-374-1304, Contact Page

+ The Free Patriot

+ Mission Network News, 1159 East Beltline Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525, 616-942-1500, Fax: 616-942-7328, Contact Page

+ EuroMaidan Press, Contact Page

+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page

+ Fox News, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, 888-369-4762, Fax: 212-462-6127, yourquestions@foxnews.com

+ The Daily Caller, 1050 17th Street Northwest # 900, Washington DC 20036, 202-466-3004, media@dailycaller.com


[12] The Religion of Peace

Articles from the past week about the religion of peace:

-- Obama to Send US$47 Million to Gaza Jihadists

-- ISIS Goes On Horrific Beheading Spree in Syria

-- Hamas Police Shoot, Kill Starving Gazans a Day after Executing Protesters

-- Obama Gives Official Ramadan Message, Says ‘Muslims Built America’

-- Obama’s Delusional Views on Islam

-- Obama’s ‘Beautiful Religion’: ISIS Releases Horrifying Video of Slaughters and Executions

-- Obama: Muslims Built 'The Very Fabric of Our Nation'

-- IDF Takes Out Gaza’s Only Power Plant with Tank Strike

-- Muslims Outraged, Demand Apology for Scottish Terrier Dogs Appearing in the Scottish Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

-- Hamas Continues to Kill Their Own People as Their Rockets Fall within Gaza and Beat Them When They Try to Escape

-- Two Ahmadi Children in Pakistan Burned Alive by ‘Blasphemy’ Mob

-- Netanyahu Tells Hamas to Buckle Up Because ‘What Is Coming Will Be Worse’

-- Organization in Israel Launches Campaign to Draft Plans for Third Jewish Temple

-- Iraq ISIS Crisis: Christians, Hounded Out of Mosul, Trapped in Desert and Refugee Camps

-- Hamas Reportedly Talking Arms Deal with North Korea

-- France Offers Asylum to Mosul's Christians

-- Iran Says the End of Israel Has Arrived as Obama Gives Them US$2.8B in Sanction Relief

-- U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf Slams Obama for Ignoring Christian Genocide in Iraq

-- India: Mumbai on High Alert after Muslims Threaten Jihad Mass Murder Attacks to “Take Revenge for Gaza”

-- Hamas Killed Hundreds of Muslim Children to Build Tunnels

-- Islamic State in Syria Beheads Fifty and Puts Their Heads on Poles

-- John Kerry and the Obama Administration’s Betrayal of Israel

-- Sex Jihad Fatwa Permits Incest in Syria

-- Thousands of Jews Flee France and Germany as Muslims Become the New Nazis

-- Nigeria: Devout Muslims of Boko Haram Kill Seventy-Five with Two Bomb Blasts

-- ISIS Blows Up the Tomb of the Biblical Prophet Jonah in Iraq

-- 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Jim Garrow Says Muslim Terrorists to Unleash 9/11 Shopping Mall Bombing Attacks on America

-- Obama Sells US$11 Billion Worth of Arms to Hamas’s Sponsor, Qatar

-- Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS) Orders ‘Orders Female Genital Mutilation’ (Clitoridectomies) for Women in Mosul

-- Nigerian Muslims Take Hundreds of Underage Christian Girls, Film Themselves Brutally Gang Raping Them Over and Over Again, and Then Butcher Them

-- ISIS, Kurds Clash near Assyrian Town, 2000 Assyrian Families Driven from Mosul

-- Sharia Iran: Christian Sentenced By Iranian Judge to Have His Lips Burnt with a Cigarette for Eating during Ramadan

-- Islamic State Torches 1,800-Year-Old Church after Ethnically Cleansing Mosul Christians


+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page

+ The Algemeiner Journal, Post Office Box 250746, BrooklynNew York 11225, 718-771-0400, Fax: 718-771-0308, Contact Page

+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132

+ Clash Daily

+ International Business Times, 7 Hanover Square, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10004, 646-867-7100, info@ibtimes.com

+ Examiner.com, 555 17th Street, Suite 700, Denver, Colorado 80202, contactus@examiner.com

+ Yahoo! Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089, 408-349-5070, Contact Page

+ Assyrian International News Agency (Nineveh Software Corporation, 2317 West Farwell, Chicago, Illinois 60645, 773-575-5863, Fax: 773-761-8534)

+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

+ Still Waters Revival Books, Inc., 4710-37A Avenue Northwest, Edmonton, Alberta T6L 3T5, Canada, 780-450-3730, support@puritandownloads.com

+ Shoebat.com, Contact Page

+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com



Wednesday, July 23, 2014

23 July 2014






"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." [Ezekiel 33:6]

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  [Ephesians 6:12] 


Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] ISIS Muslims Mark Christian Houses in Mosul, Iraq for Theft and Liquidation of Remaining Christians with Arabic Letter ‘Nuun’ Meaning ‘Nazarene’ - Arabic for ‘Christian’

[2]
Erskine College and Theological Seminary Makes Course Correction and Confirms the Rev. Dr. Paul Koostra as 16th President

[3] Former Homosexuals Rise Up to Declare that Jesus Christ Can Change the Homosexual

[4]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

[5]
Headlines from The Christian Institute

[6]
The Thinning Blue Line

[7] 
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

[8] 
The Religion of Peace

---

[1] ISIS Muslims Mark Christian Houses in Mosul, Iraq for Theft and Liquidation of Remaining Christians with Arabic Letter ‘Nuun’ Meaning ‘Nazarene’ - Arabic for ‘Christian’



ISIS Muslims are marking Christian residences in Mosul, Iraq with the Arabic letter ‘nuun’, equivalent to the English letter ‘en’, meaning ‘Nazarene’, the Arabic word for ‘Christian’.

The houses are thus marked for the Muslims to loot and steal, and to liquidate any remaining Christians inside that have not already fled Mosul.


+ Assyrian International News Agency (Nineveh Software Corporation, 2317 West Farwell,
Chicago, Illinois 60645, 773-575-5863, Fax: 773-761-8534)


[2]
Erskine College and Theological Seminary Makes Course Correction and Confirms the Rev. Dr. Paul Koostra as 16th President

By the Rev. Dr. Chuck Wilson, ARPTalk Blog Editor

On Friday morning, July 19, 2014, at about 11:00 AM, the Erskine board voted unanimously NOT to confirm Dr. Paul Kooistra as Interim President but AS the sixteenth President of Erskine College and Seminary. Dr. Kooistra is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (BA), Columbia Theological Seminary (MDiv), and the University of Alabama (PhD). An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Dr. Kooistra served in Florida where he was also principal of a Christian school, he held professorships at Belhaven College (Jackson, MS) and Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS), he was President of Covenant Seminary (PCA) (St. Louis, MO), and, most recently, he served as the Coordinator of Mission to the World (MTW) (PCA) in Atlanta, GA. In 2008, he was elected to serve as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCA.

When Dr. Kooistra became President of Covenant Theological Seminary (CTS) in 1984, CTS was struggling with no endowment and barely 100 students. In 1994, when he left CTS to lead MTW, CTS had about 800 students and an endowment of about 8 million dollars. At MTW, he was met with debt, a small budget, and no endowment. During his stewardship at MTW, debt was eliminated, the budget was increased from less than 20 million dollars to over 50 million dollars, an endowment was created and grown to nearly 25 million dollars, a mortgage of 4 million dollars was satisfied in the first year-and-a-half, administrative costs were reduced from 15% to less than 10% while increasing the administrative staff, and the outreach of MTW expanded from 50 to 80 countries. Certainly, it is not an overstatement to say Dr. Kooista’s stewardship at CTS and MTW is the standard by which others will be measured for a long time.

Along the way, Dr. Kooistra authored five books, published a multitude of articles, developed an extensive national and international speaking ministry and served on multiple church committees and civic organizations. Both Paul and his wife Sandi experienced the grief of the death of their first spouses. Experiencing God’s gift of second-love, they reside in Suwanee, GA, where their home is often filled with the laughter of the seven grandchildren in which they delight.

Regarding Dr. Kooistra’s appointment, former Moderator of Synod, Erskine trustee, advisory member of the Moderator’s Commission on Erskine, and denominational chairman of the Synod’s legal defense committee, Mr. Steve Maye says:

"I am very encouraged to hear of the appointment of Dr. Paul Kooistra as the President of Erskine College & Seminary.  While I do not know him, there are many Christian leaders that I trust who speak very highly of his godly character, his intellectual prowess, his proven track record as a turnaround specialist, and his leadership ability.  It sounds like Erskine is on the right trajectory."

Having attended CTS in the 1990s because of Dr. Kooistra’s reputation, Rev. Paul Patrick, Erskine Chaplain and RUF Campus Minister, responds:

"Kudos to the Interim Presidential Search Committee!  I was thrilled to hear of Dr. Kooistra’s willingness to serve at Erskine. Covenant Seminary, where I attended (1995-1998), was “the seminary that Dr. Kooistra built.”  He was able to foster a robust, academic context in a culture of Gospel-nurturing ministry.  The standards were high, the faculty and staff were excellent and the Christ-honoring mission was crystal clear to everyone.  What is more, he was known for having led the institution from financial stress into a season of financial stability.  I understand these to be the repeated legacies of Dr. Kooistra’s leadership everywhere he has served.  I am truly excited for Erskine and am hopeful for our future with the proven, faithful, decisive and mission-defining leadership of Dr. Kooistra in place.  Let’s all be praying for Paul and Sandi Kooistra as they lead Erskine at such a critical time.  May the Lord be pleased to have Erskine’s best days in the very near future!"

Rev. Don Clements, former editor of the Aquila Report and Director of Metokos Ministries (
www.metokos.org), writes:

"Paul Kooistra has a special gift in administration as it applies to agencies of the church.  During his time at Covenant Seminary it grew not only in numbers of students and faculty, but also in reputation in the world of evangelical schools.  On a personal note, I can attest to the fact that he can work with people who hold opinions quite different from his own and come to a consensus that solves problems and brings glory to Jesus.  From my understanding of the current needs at Erskine College and Seminary, I believe he will be a great blessing to both the institution and the ARP Church."

The Rev. Bill Marsh, former member of the Moderator’s Commission, said the following:

"Paul Kooistra has a long and distinguished record as a man whom God uses to get things done in the power of the Spirit. At long last, we have a courageous board with strong and godly leadership. With this hire, they have signaled to Satan and his minions that business in Due West will no longer be “as usual.” This board has hired a man with a decades-long pattern of leading the people of God in Kingdom advancement. My great hope is that the decades of bland pieties, missional confusion, and studied mediocrity are finally over. Dr. Kooistra is no Superman, though. He will need the prayers of faithful ARPs throughout the world. The survival and thriving of Erskine is a work that only the Lord can do and Providence has brought Dr. Kooistra to the tip of the spear. Surely men and women of every ARP tribe can unite on our knees in thanksgiving to God and intercession for the work ahead."

When former Moderator Dr. Dick deWitt learned of Dr. Kooistra’s appointment as President of Erskine, he shouted “Hallelujah” and spoke in an unknown tongue to me – and, before anyone accuses him of becoming a Charismatic, it was a Dutch blessing. His comment is below:

"When I learned that Dr. Paul D. Kooistra had been appointed president of Erskine College and Theological Seminary I immediately gave thanks to God.  Dr. Kooistra has had a distinguished career as a member of the faculty of Belhaven College and of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, has been the singularly effective president of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, and for many years has served as Coordinator of Mission to the World, the foreign missions agency of the Presbyterian Church in America.  For more than seven years he and I were colleagues in Jackson.  I know him to be a devout believer with a brilliant mind and a carefully developed Christian world and life view.  He has had extraordinarily broad and comprehensive experience in administration and development.  His remarkable gifts and background equip him in a wonderfully impressive way to give the leadership for which many of us have been praying.   It is thrilling and a great encouragement that this excellent man will be guiding institutions very important to our church as they move into what we hope will be an ever brighter future."

Moderator-elect Rev. Jamie Hunt expressed his delight in the appointment of Dr. Kooistra as President of Erskine in these words:

"Paul, a seasoned leader, has a strong record in leading an institution in particular need.  Apparently, he has the ability to make strategic, if difficult, decisions and has the respect of character which enables him to be successful in spite of those difficult decisions. Perhaps we have found, now, a man who can understand, embrace, and implement Synod’s Statement on the Philosophy of Christian Higher Education."

When contacted, Immediate-Past Moderator Jeff Kingswood was elated. Below is copy of his comment:

"It is certainly with great thanks to God that the news of Dr. Kooistra’s appointment as President of Erskine College and Seminary must be received. As the Board of Erskine has come face to face with the massive challenges that are ahead it must be seen as a wonderful provision of God.  Dr. Kooistra is a man who has lead notable institutions in our sister denomination, the PCA, and who has solid academic qualifications. We look forward to seeing Erskine recover and flourish under a Christian leadership there that is both orthodox and Presbyterian. Let us be faithful in our intercession for our brother in this important task."

Dr. Bill Evans, Younts Professor of Bible and Religion at Erskine and a former Moderator of General Synod, says:

"Dr. Paul Kooistra brings a remarkable range of successful academic and administrative experience–at Belhaven College, Reformed Theological Seminary, Covenant Seminary, and the PCA’s Mission to the World–to Erskine College and Theological Seminary.  I am confident that the search committee and Board of Trustees have identified God’s man for the job, and I look forward with anticipation to his leadership at Erskine."

In a telephone conversation with Dr. RJ Gore, former Vice President and Dean of Erskine Seminary, he says:

“I am stunned at the goodness of God. We have been blessed above and beyond anything I imagined possible.”

I met Paul Kooistra during the school year of 1975/76 while a student at RTS/Jackson. Dr. Kooistra was one of my teachers. Though younger than most of his students, he was highly respected by all. His reputation was he never slept. He is an indefatigable worker who functions on four or five hours of sleep, and, by the time most are getting out of bed, he has already put in a good half-day’s work. I am thrilled he is at the helm at Erskine. I am surprised the search committee was able to find such a capable leader. A tip of the hat is due to both Mr. Bobby McDonald, the chairman of the search committee, and Rev. Bill Cain, the chairman of the board of trustees, for their outstanding leadership.

Since leaving RTS/Jackson in 1976, I have followed Dr. Kooistra’s career with keen interest. If anything, he knows how to reset the course for a Christian institution that has lost its way. After 175 years of drifting – and badly drifting the last fifty years, Erskine College & Seminary is in desperate need of a course correction, and, with a sound understanding of the Christian world and life view, Dr. Kooistra is more than capable of this course correction.

The challenges before Dr. Kooistra at CTS and MTW were formidable; the challenges before him at Erskine are the equivalent of rock climbing without safety ropes. The presidency of Erskine is probably the hardest undertaking of his long and distinguished career. Below is a laundry list of some of the vexing challenges awaiting his attention.

One, President Kooistra is inheriting a financial crisis from former Presidents Ruble and Norman. At least a million dollars is needed immediately. The alternatives are to draw on the Endowment and face the wrath of SACS, borrow the money and add to an already substantial debt, or close down programs and lay off people. And, perhaps, a fourth alternative, declare “exigency” and hit the restart button. The level of difficulty for handling this challenge is HARD.

Two, the accreditation challenge with SACS is near catastrophic. Presently, Erskine is on “warning” status, and the outlook is for Erskine to be placed on “probation” status during the December meeting of SACS. Apart from a gift of US$20-25 million, this storm cannot be avoided. The level of difficulty for this challenge is INEVITABLE.

Three, how will President Kooistra rebuild both Erskine’s focus on the Liberal Arts and her academic reputation of excellence? At the present time, enrollment is athletically driven which runs counter to Erskine’s academic tradition. The challenges are many. There is the challenge of rebuilding the college faculty so that it faithfully affirms our statement on Christian higher education and reflects a Christian world and life view, and, in so doing, there is the challenge of identifying and recruiting mission-interested students.
There is also the challenge of weathering the negative reputation of Erskine in the Reformed and evangelical community. The reputation, “Erskine is like a secular college with some Jesus language,” repels quality students from the homes of Reformed and evangelical Christians. Indeed, the challenges of rebuilding the faculty as one that reflects a Christian world and life view, re-establishing the academic reputation of excellence, and initiating a Christ-focused reputation that is not held suspect as bait-and-switch will take time as a new constituency is identified. The level of difficulty for these challenges are PERSEVERANCE and PATIENCE.

Four, the administrative challenge will be painful. The Erskine way of retreading present administrators with different titles is counterproductive. They have already demonstrated the challenges of their jobs are beyond their reach. President Kooistra needs the freedom to reach out beyond the usual parameters and build his staff with fresh faces who have new ideas. He needs a team that knows how to win!! The level of difficulty for this challenge is DOABLE. Indeed, with his contacts, it is very doable.
Five, the legacy of the “ol’ Erskine” Alumni Association is “Culture Christianity.” “Culture Christianity” is a syncretism of Christian ethos and secularism. It is a reconfiguration of Deism in that it rejects the theology of Christianity but clings to the language and symbols of Christianity. For at least the last 40 years, the form of Christianity mainly promoted by the administration and the faculty at Erskine is “Culture Christianity.” This is why there has been an ongoing conflict between the ARP Church and Erskine, for “Culture Christianity” and Reformed and evangelical Christianity cannot coexist. As one who is committed to Reformed and evangelical Christianity, President Kooistra will clash with the Alumni Association as it is presently constituted. President Kooistra is a churchman who has spent his life expanding and husbanding the Reformed and evangelical church, and he is one who clearly sees Erskine as an “agency” of the ARP Church to advance the faith and mission of the church. I doubt if it is possible to convince him that the Alumni Association and the ARP Church are equal shareholders in Erskine. The task of reforming the Alumni Association is going to be knotty and ongoing. The level of difficulty in this challenge is DOABLE.

Six, the secularized and anti-evangelical Christian culture at Erskine will present a significant challenge for President Kooistra. The current attitude is antinomian permissiveness. A gay and lesbian community has been tolerated for years. Now, one of the most pressing matters confronting any college president trying to deflect the divisive wedge being driven between Christian colleges and their doctrinal roots is the legal challenge of how to circumvent the Obama Administration’s executive order to not discriminate against homosexuals. Because Erskine receives federal monies from students in the form of grants and guaranteed loans, Obama is using a monetary whip to coerce institutions into diluting their evangelical doctrinal stance and message. Christian colleges are being forced to choose God or federal money. The level of this challenge is UNCERTAINTY.

Seven, the challenges at Erskine Theological Seminary (ETS) are discouraging. Classrooms are nearly empty, faculty morale is flagging, constituency identification is uncertain, theological focus is confused, faculty is significantly overstaffed in places, and financially ETS is broken. Interestingly, the only program working is the Army chaplaincy’s MEDCOM program, and that program, because of the non-Christian chaplains enrolled, brings division and ill-will from the ARP Church. The level of difficulty in this challenge for Dr. Kooistra is RESTART the seminary.

Eight, how will President Kooista deal with the ARP Church? The challenge for him is convincing General Synod (which is often in conflict with itself) to continue nominating trustees to the Erskine board who are not “good ol’ Erskine boys” but men and women of substantive Reformed and evangelical Christian faith, who understand and affirm the vision and mission of Erskine as Reformed and evangelically Christian, and who are informed and engaged in pursuing the success of Erskine College & Seminary to the glory of God. The level of this challenge is VIGILANCE but DOABLE.

Like a man sitting on an anthill, President Kooistra’s life will be interesting in Due West. Joyfully, he embraces this. He is a president who is unlike the former presidents of Erskine. He is nationally and internationally known and highly respected. He is a man who has been spectacularly successful in life. He is theologically astute. Not only does he understand Erskine’s tradition of Liberal Arts and academic excellence, he also understands, believes, and fully embraces Biblical Christianity. He is more than a capable administrator. If there is a book entitled Who’s Who in Evangelical Christianity, President Kooistra has a page, and he also knows most of the other notables. Rev. Henry Louis Smith, a former ARP pastor, says, “If any one can turn Erskine around, Paul Kooistra can.”

Dr. Paul Kooistra, the sixteenth president of Erskine, enjoys the affirmation of the Reformed and evangelical community. Many of us have received phone calls and e-mail from friends outside the ARP Church like this one: “Wow! Praise the Lord! How did you guys do it?” The following Facebook comment by President Derek Halvorson of Covenant College is an example of the goodwill being shown to President Kooistra: “Very excited about this news out of Due West.”

The time for course correction at Erskine is overdue; the man to accomplish the task is in place. Paul Kooistra is not a man to confabulate about course correction; he will do it!

Paul Kooistra’s appointment is a token of divine mercy. God has given the ARP Church a second chance. What will we do with this second chance?


+
ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net

+
Erskine College and Theological Seminary, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, Fax: 864-379-2167, jguyette@erskine.edu

+
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729


[3]
Former Homosexuals Rise Up to Declare that Jesus Christ Can Change the Homosexual


Newly released documentary "Such Were Some of You" confronts the rising tide of popular opinion by chronicling the stories of Twenty-Nine former homosexual men and women who say that Jesus Christ has transformed their lives. Experts in psychology, (Dr. Julie Hamilton), biblical scholarship (Dr. Robert Gagnon) and ministry (Dr. Neil Anderson) add their voice to the claim that people have been leaving homosexuality for millennia.

Created to be used in Sunday School classes, support groups and other group settings, "Such Were Some of You" has been designed as a discipleship and equipping tool for the Body of Christ. The "witnesses to change" describe how they developed homosexual confusion, what the gay lifestyle was really like, how Jesus Christ set them free and the many ways that He has been healing and transforming their lives ever since. Participants include ex-gays from numerous ethnic backgrounds and age brackets, including one former gay activist who dramatically declares at one point, "I am free!"

This two-hour documentary is available on DVD in a "Regular Edition" and a "Leader's Edition" (which includes a Discussion Guide and a license to screen the video in group settings). For more information, go to: www.SuchWereSomeOfYou.org and www.PurePassionMedia.org. Also available for screening in churches and conferences.

About "Mastering Life Ministries"- For twenty-seven years, Mastering Life Ministries has been creating teaching resources for sexually bound and broken people as well as for the larger body of Christ that help them more redemptively minister to friends and loved ones. Our radio, TV, and video productions have garnered Angel, Covenant and Telly Awards. For further information, contact Dr. David Kyle Foster (producer) at MLifeM@aol.com or by calling 1-615-507-4166. For a Press Kit, or to interview Dr. David Kyle Foster, contact Veritas Incorporated at 719.275.7775.


+
Mastering Life Ministries


[4]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

-- Black Mass Scheduled 21 September 2014 in Oklahoma City

-- She Did an At-Home Abortion and Then Put the Baby’s Body in a Box on Her Porch

-- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick with Ties to Planned Parenthood Trying to Shut Down Pro-Life Free Speech

-- Planned Parenthood Confirms it Gave Clinic Award for Killing More Babies in Abortions

-- “Pro-Life” West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin Votes to Overturn Ruling Protecting Hobby Lobby

-- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Launches New Third Party To Promote Late-Term Abortion

-- Planned Parenthood Suggests Teen Girl “Poop” on Her Partner for “Sexual Exploration”

-- New Video Shows Planned Parenthood Teaching Teens to Use Whipping and Asphyxiation


+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com

+
LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page

+ Aleteia, editorial_en@aleteia.org


[5]
Headlines from The Christian Institute

Headlines of the past week from
The Christian Institute:

-- Church of England Gives Every House of Lords Peer a Copy of Dying Clergyman’s Plea against Assisted Suicide

-- Homosexual Marriage Promotion by Prime Minister David Cameron Causing Decline in Tory Party Membership


+
The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk


[6]
The Thinning Blue Line

-- Elderly Veteran Arrested at Greenville, Tennessee County Board Meeting for Asking Board Members to Speak Up

-- Man Told New York City Police Department Eight Times That He Couldn’t Breathe While in Chokehold…and Then He Went Limp

-- Florida Inmate Was Gassed To Death While Locked In Solitary Confinement

-- Webster, New York Police Wake Taxpayer Up at 2:30 a.m. for a Report of a Loud Bird in a Tree


+
THEBLAZE.COM LLC, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10036, contact@theblaze.com

+ The Liberty Crier

+ The Free Thought Project, contact@thefreethoughtproject.com


[7] 
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:

-- US$6.5 Billion for Border Crisis Was Funded by U.S. Senate In 2013

-- Evidence Mounts of a Manufactured Border Crisis

-- Guilty: For Just Being Christian: Salem, Massachusetts Breaks Contract with Gordon College over Requiring Students to Remain Celibate outside of Marriage

-- Chinese Pastor Shaojie Zhang Sentenced to Twelve Years

-- Obama Signs Executive Order to Force Companies to Hire LGBT

-- Obama Quietly Passed Housing Rule to Force Cities to Accept Illegal Migrant Border Criminals

-- Roman Catholic Pope Francis Says United States Must Care for Illegal Alien Migrants

-- Child Evangelism Fellowship Accused of Psychologically Damaging Children

-- Obama Using U.S. Department of Justice to Eliminate Private Businesses He Considers Objectionable

-- Central American Parents Giving Birth Control to Girls--'In Case They're Raped' on Way to U.S.


+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com

+ GOPUSA, Contact Page

+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com

+
Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Answers in Genesis, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, PetersburgKentucky 41080, 859-727-2222

+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132

+ CNSNews.com, 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 877-267-6397, newsdesk@cnsnews.com


[8] 
The Religion of Peace

Articles from the past week about the religion of peace:

-- Obama Celebrates Muslim Holiday of Ramadan in the White House

-- 'Unprecedented' Forced Exodus of Iraqi Christians Leaves Christianity near Extinction in Middle East, Watchdog Groups Warn

-- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Pledges US$47 Million to Help Hamas Rebuild Missile Supplies and Reopen Tunnels

-- After 2,000 Years, the Last Christian is Forced to Leave Mosul

-- France: “They’re Shouting ‘Death to the Jews’ and Attacking Synagogues. It’s Completely out of Control.”

-- Nigeria: Islamic Jihadists of Boko Haram Murder 100 People as They Take Over Town; “Nine Major Villages Are on the Run”

-- Libya: Jihadists BEHEAD Filipino for Not Being Muslim

-- Devout Islamic Mullah in Afghanistan Violently Rapes a Ten-Year-old Muslim Girl in Mosque, Family Plans Honor Killing

-- Facing Fines, Conversion, or Death, Christian Families Flee Mosul

-- Gaza Death Toll Tops 500 as Calls for Ceasefire Fall on Deaf Ears

-- ISIS Militants Take Sledgehammers to Mosul Tomb of Prophet Jonah as More Than Fifty Blindfolded Bodies Are Found Massacred South of Baghdad

-- Hamas Tells Gaza Civilians to Disregard Israel's Warnings to Evacuate

-- Islamic State Forcing Christians to Convert or Die

-- ISIS Plundered Assyrians as They Fled Mosul; Families March Forty-Two Miles

-- Christian Holocaust Underway in Iraq, USA and World Look On

-- Islamic State Kills 270 in Syrian Gas Field ‘Massacre’

-- Sudanese Muslim Cleric: In Islam, ‘Killing [Infidel] Women and Children Is Permitted’; ‘The Prophet Muhammad Said That It Is a Duty to Fight and Target America’

-- Thousands of Muslim Protesters Storm Europe Calling for the Destruction of Israel

-- Philadelphia Mosque Imams Try to Cut Off Man’s Hand

-- Prison Imams Linked to Islamic Radicals

-- Leaked Report Reveals 'Aggressive Islamist Agenda' in Birmingham, England Schools

-- Human Rights Watch Reports Boko Haram Has Killed at Least 2,053 Civilians in First Half of 2014

-- Devout Muslim Group Boko Haram Machine-Guns 38 at Christian Farming Community

-- Sixty Muslims in Bangladesh Break into Church, Take Three Nuns, and Rape Them


+ The Tea Party News Network, 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 300, PMB-433, Washington DC 20006, 866-928-6555, Fax: 480-907-2495, info@theteaparty.net

+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

+
Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Assyrian International News Agency (Nineveh Software Corporation, 2317 West Farwell,
Chicago, Illinois 60645, 773-575-5863, Fax: 773-761-8534)

+
Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com

+ The National, Post Office Box 111434, Abu Dhabi, 971-2-4145328, newsdesk@thenational.ae

+
Right Side News

+ International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Post Office Box 1192, Jerusalem, 91010, Israel, 972-2-539-9700, 972-2-539-9701, Contact Page

+ The Times, Times House, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT, England, 44-0-20-7782-5971, pressoffice@thetimes.co.uk

+ The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way,
London N1 9GU, England, 0-20-3353-2000, reader@guardian.co.uk

+ Jews News, Contact Page