Charles Giuliani(2007!01!01)Church,Inc

8/13/2019 Charles Giuliani(2007!01!01)Church,Inc

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Church, Inc.

by Charles Giuliani

Introduction

A silent revolution is taking place within Christianity today. All across the countryand even around the world, people are leaving the big league churches by the hordes and

forming small home churches or establishing local congregations, none of which have anyconnection whatsoever to any mainline denomination. Why are so many Christians doingthis today? Is it because they are ust a bunch of disgruntled misfits who could no longer!fit in" with their churches? #r can it be that the problem originates with the mainstreamchurches themselves?

Are you tired of what I like to call !politics from the pulpit," where the gospel iswatered down so as to feed the people what they wantto hear, rather than what they needto hear, thereby avoiding the prospect of frightening away any potential contributors? Areyou fed up with a weekly show of pomp and hype that is staged for the sake ofentertainment? Are you sick of the blatant hypocrisy of finger$pointers who make you feellike you%re in a courtroom, rather than a church? Are you disgusted with church presidents

and televangelists who talk of living humbly, yet enoy lifestyles that would make a kingblush? In the course of this study, we will be e&amining many of the problems in modern,big league churches that have driven so many away, and we%ll be looking at what the 'iblehas to say about such problems, so that you may be able to see that there are in fact goodreasons for so many to be separating themselves as they are.

'efore proceeding, however, let me stress that this study is not being presented forthe purpose of creating division in the body of Christ, as some will undoubtedly insist.(hould you have any concern that this is indeed the direction this study is heading, askyourself the following )uestion* Who is it that really creates division$$is it he who bringscorruption into the body of Christ, or he who e&poses it and calls people away from it? #r,better yet, ask yourself another )uestion* What e&actly is the body of Christ? Is it a huge

corporate structure with a multi$million +or billion, or even trillion dollar annual budget?#r is it a universal body of believers whose loyalties lie with Christ and -is Word alone? Aswe shall see throughout the course of this study, the big league churches of today run morelike corporations than bodies of Christian believers. And, as corporations, we will see thatthey are the ones who are causing division and separation, through their corruption that hasresulted from their lust for money and power.

hough this booklet might often use strong, even harsh language, and might seemoffensive at times, it is not the author%s intention to offend. /evertheless, the abuses inbig league churches today are so downright deplorable, and so blatantly opposed to the


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teachings of Christ, that they need to be e&posed for what they really are, in all their truecolor +black0. 1et the reader beware that his illusions are about to be shattered.

It%s nothing new2roblems of inconsistency, hypocrisy, and downright corruption among the professed,

institutionali3ed people of God are by no means uni)ue to the Christian era. In fact, as we

shall see, the visible !mainstream" body of professed believers in God all throughout thecenturies have been much more interested in playing politics, upholding the !status )uo,"and living high off the hog from the generous contributions of their faithful +yet gulliblefollowers, than being faithful to God and -is Word. When we e&amine the history ofancient Israel, for e&ample, we find a strikingly familiar pattern which convinces us thatthere is great legitimacy to the saying !history repeats itself"+4ndnote 5. /ote thefollowing passage*

!6ehoiakim 7king of Israel8 was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and hereigned eleven years in 6erusalem* and he did that which was evil in the sight of the 1ordhis God. Against him came up /ebuchadne33ar king of 'abylon, and bound him in fetters, to

carry him to 'abylon. /ebuchadne33ar also carried of the vessels of the house of the 1ordto 'abylon, and put them in his temple at 'abylon. /ow the rest of the acts of 6ehoiakim,and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they arewritten in the book of the kings of Israel and 6udah* and 6ehoiachin his son reigned in hisstead....9oreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much afterall the abominations of the heathen: and polluted the house of the 1ord which he hadhallowed in 6erusalem." II Chron. ;, 5.

In these verses we can see that, because of the corruption of the king of Israel, allthe rest of the nation, for the most part anyway, became corrupted and fell into rebellionagainst God. hese were people that were supposed to be God%s true and faithful

followers. And yet we find that they were no better than the pagan nations around themwho had reected God outright.-ere are a couple more passages that further show us ust how bad the situation in

ancient Israel was*

!hen said he 7the 1ord8 unto me 743ekiel8, (on of man, lift up thine eyes now the waytoward the north. (o I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northwardat the gate of the altar this image of ealousy in the entry. -e said furthermore unto me,(on of man, seest thou what they do? 748ven the great abominations that the house of Israelcommitteth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? 7'8ut turn thee yet again, andthou shalt see greater abominations....(o I went in and saw: and behold every form of

creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayedupon the wall round about....hen said he unto me, -ast th seen this, # son of man?78urn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he broughtme into the inner court of the 1ord%s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the1ord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backstoward the temple of the 1ord, and their faces toward the east: and they worshipped thesun toward the east. hen he said unto me, -ast thou seen this, # son of man? Is it a lightthing to the house of 6udah that they commit the abominations which they commit here?7@8or they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger..."


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43ek. >*=,


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the weightier matters of the law, udgment, mercy, and faith* these ought ye to have done,and not to leave the other undone. Fe blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow acamel. Woe unto you, scribes and 2harisees, hypocrites0 7@8or ye make clean the outside ofthe cup and of the platter, but within they are full of e&tortion and e&cess. hou blind2harisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of themmay be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and 2harisees, hypocrites0 7@8or ye are like unto

whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of deadmen%s bones, and of all uncleanness. 4ven so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men,but within ye are full of hypocrisy and ini)uity....Wherefore, behold, I send unto youprophets, and wise men, and scribes* and some of them ye shall kill and crucify: and someof them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city." 9att.E;*=$5, 5;, 5, E;$E>, ;.

he situation with the 6ewish leaders had gotten so incredibly bad at the time ofChrist, that -e was prompted to tell them*!Fe are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. -e was a murdererfrom the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he

speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own* for he is a liar, and the father of it." 6ohn >*.

All that 6esus said to the corrupt leaders of Israel had fallen upon deaf ears. heyfinally wound up committing the ultimate crime$$arranging the crucifi&ion of the (on ofGod*

!'ut the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask 'arabbas 7tobe set free8, and destroy 6esus....2ilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with 6esuswhich is called Christ? hey all say unto him, 1et him be crucified. And the governor said,Why, what evil hath he done? 'ut they cried out the more, saying, 1et him becrucified....hen answered all the people, and said, -is blood be on us, and on our

children." 9att. EB*E, EE, E;, E=.

In the earliest days of the Christian Church, the apostles gave many warnings of howgrand$scale corruption was arising within Christianity, and how this trend would worsen astime went on, ust as had been the case with ancient Israel. -ere are several suchwarnings*

!@or such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostlesof Christ. And no marvel: for (atan himself is transformed into an angel of light. hereforeit is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness..."II Cor. 55*5;$5=.

!I 72aul8 marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace ofChrist unto another gospel* 7w8hich is not another: but there be some that trouble you, andwould pervert the gospel of Christ. 'ut though we, or an angel from heaven, preach anyother gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Aswe said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than thatye have received, let him be accursed." Gal. 5*


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among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speakingperverse things, to draw away disciples after them. herefore watch, and remember, thatby the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." ActsE*E$;5.

!'ut there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers

among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the 1ord that boughtthem, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their perniciousways: by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And throughcovetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you..." II 2et. E*5$;.

!@or the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lustsshall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And they shall turn away theirears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." II im. *;, +4ndnote E.

4ven 6esus had warned...

!@or there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs andwonders: insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." 9att.E*E.

2lease notice from the above$cited passages how we are forewarned of*

@alse religious leaders who would deceive even the very elect. @alse doctrines, and how people would look to their corrupt leaders for truth, rather thanstudy the 'ible for themselves. @alse !signs and wonders" +miracles. 4&ploitation of the good will of the people by greedy church leaders.

9inisters of (atan who would be so cleverly disguised that they would appear as ministersof Christ.

Ho you not see these very things happening today? And can you not see how many skepticsof Christianity have very good reasons for mocking Christians +or those who profess to beChristians the way they do? (atan is obviously having a field day with all of this chaos andcorruption, getting Christ%s professed followers to misrepresent -im, and causing many tothink that Christianity is a big oke+4ndnote ;.

!'ut wait0" someone says. !/ot all big name Christian churches and religious leadersare like that. he ones that are like that are the e&ceptions$$they only represent a fewapostates within Christianity." Well, it would be nice if things worked that way, would it

not? nfortunately, however, the truth is that things have /4J4 worked that way. #nceagain, all throughout history the bulk of God%s professed people have been among the mostcorrupt individuals on earth, especially at the leadership level, using their seeminglyrespectable positions as a guise for their lives of self$indulgence. Indeed, the higher theirposition of leadership, the greater the potential has been for such corruption.

oday things have gotten so bad that big league churches, paranoid as they are,won%t even hire anyone unless he or she is devoid enough of a conscience to be trusted to!play ball," or at least be )uiet about those who do play. While there are obviously manybig league church workers +such as local ministers who occupy lower rungs of the


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!corporate ladder" who are e&ceptions to this rule$$being honest and sincere$$this is onlybecause they are ignorant of how things really work. 'ut should any of them become awareof the modus operandi of the string$pullers behind the curtain, and try to voice theirconcerns, they will )uickly find themselves in a position where they will be forced todecide between silence or unemployment+4ndnote . Fes, ust as a businessman mustdance to the tune of his employing corporation, lest he lose his ob, so too must a minister

or other big league church employee dance to the tune of his employing !church," lest healso lose his !ob." If you have any doubt that the !system" is actually this corrupt, thenfasten your seatbelt, for you are in for a very rough ride.

(hape up or ship out0oday in the religious world there is an epidemic of people looking to their religious

leaders for answers to everything from what to believe, why to believe, how to believe, ifto believe, who to believe, when to believe, and where to believe. Why are so manyplacing so much trust in their religious leaders? /ot to imply that every single religiousleader in the big name churches is untrustworthy, but the reality of the situation is that weare /4J4 to blindly follow what A/F#/4 says, without first testing what has been said by

what the 'ible says. When we look back in the days of the apostles, we find that theChristians in 'erea didn%t even take what 2aul said at face value, but had tested all that hepreached by the (criptures. In Acts 5B*55 we read* !hese 7the 'ereans8 were more noblethan those in hessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, andsearched the scriptures daily, whether those things 7that 2aul preached8 were so." 2aulhimself would not have wanted it any other way. It was his desire that his listeners test allthat he preached. /otice what he told imothy* !(tudy to shew thyself approved untoGod, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." IIim. E*5=. 2aul also told the hessalonians* !2rove all things: hold fast that which isgood." I hes. =*E5. What sound counsel. Fet so few heed it today+4ndnote =.

Can you honestly say that you test all that your minister tells you? 9any would be

)uick to insist that this is the case. -owever, )uite often today we are finding that peopleare simply studying their 'ibles for the purpose of proving that their ministers A4 right,rather than investigating to see I@ they are right. In other words, when they study their'ibles, they do so with the premise that their minister +or church is right, and thenattempt to prove their presupposition from (cripture, often twisting the meaning of biblicalpassages in order to do so +albeit sometimes unintentionally. When 'ible study isapproached this way, people can, and have, used the 'ible to ustify belief in ust aboutany ridiculous notion that comes down the pike. his is why there are so many who,although they read the same 'ible, nevertheless come up with such diverse conclusions.hey simply do not let the 'ible speak for itself. he reasoning they employ is subective+starting with a premise and then twisting (cripture to !prove" that premise, instead of

using obective reasoning +studying the 'ible without a premise, and then drawing aconclusion based on that study.eligious leaders and institutions cannot be relied upon for at least one of the

following two simple reasons* corruption and fallibility. (ome ministers andKor religiousinstitutions are downright crooked, and seek only to take advantage of people%s ignoranceand good will +the corruption factor. And then there are those ministers andKor churchesthat seem sincere, yet are sincerely wrong in their understanding and teaching of the 'ible+the fallibility factor. hus we can see that, whether done deliberately or out ofignorance, ministers +because they are human andKor churches +because they are run by


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humans have too high of a potential to deceive or mislead to be trusted without puttingwhat they preach and teach to the test. 4ven if your minister +or church was the mostsincere person +or institution on earth, he +or it can still be ignorantly misleading you, andthus setting you up for trouble. /otice what 6esus said on this matter* !...if the blind leadthe blind, both shall fall into the ditch." 9att. 5=*5 +see also 1uke


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of these churches, let me stress, there isn%t one that does not re)uire acceptance of theerrors it teaches and practices, or silence about its corruption, as a condition ofmembership or employment. As you can imagine, this type of pressure is far too heavy formost people to bear. hus, willingly or grudgingly, they almost always wind up caving in.It%s practically a no$loose situation for the big churches, which e&ercise virtually completecontrol over the minds and consciences of their members and employees. Why do you

suppose these churches have church manuals, baptismal vows, andKor church creeds? hesole purpose of such innovations is to rid these institutions of nonconformists, or to preventthem from oining in the first place, without having to worry about the need to use the'ible to defend themselves +which they know they cannot do+4ndnote*5=$5B.

his counsel is )uite clear, is it not? 'ut do the big league churches follow it? /o0Instead, they usually hold a private board meeting, without the !trouble maker" even beingpresent, and later inform him of their decision. #r, worse yet, they%ll shame the individual

with a condemning finger$pointing e&ercise. And then, finally, after having made a fool ofhim, they%ll proceed to throw or drive the person out of the church. hough sometimes thisprocedure is conducted in a more subtle and refined fashion, nevertheless, the end result isalways the same$$stripping the person of his dignity without a fair hearing, and thenostraci3ing him. @rom thenceforth such an individual is usually looked upon with greatrepugnance by the rest of the church, having fallen out of favor with the church hierarchy.If he is in fact thrown out, it is thought that God has condemned him. If he should leave ofhis own accord, he is believed to have betrayed God. While these sentiments are neveractually e&pressed in these words, all who leave or get thrown out of a big league churchend up, by default, falling into one of these two categories, in the minds of the!loyalists"+4ndnote B.

Is such treatment biblical? Where do today%s big churches get authority to do suchthings, anyway? Isn%t this how a business corporation would operate$$to make an e&ampleout of a dissenter who refuses to comply with !company policy," instilling fear in others sothat they will not repeat this pattern? A corporation would lose power over its employees ifit did not take such action. 1ikewise, a church would lose power over its congregation+s ifit did not !fire" non$compliant members +or actual church employees. his cut$throatpolicy works great for a profit$driven corporation that has no regard for human beings. 'utwhen practiced by a church, it is a miserable departure from the counsel given by Christ.

/ot only do the big league churches err by failing to follow the procedure Christ gave


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for dealing with dissenting members +found in 9att. 5>*5=$5B, but they also err bythrowing out such dissenters$$something that they are told not to do, as we see from thefollowing parable that Christ related* !...he kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man7Christ8 which sowed good seed 7God%s Word8 in his field* 'ut while men slept, his enemy7(atan8 came and sowed tares 7false believers8 among the wheat 7true believers8, and wenthis way. 'ut when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the

tares also. (o the servants 7church leaders8 of the householder 7Christ8 came and said untohim, (ir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? 7@8rom whence then hath it tares? -esaid unto them, An enemy hath done this. he servants said unto him, Wilt thou then thatwe go and gather them up? 'ut he said, /ay: lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root upalso the wheat with them. 1et both grow together until the harvest* and in the time ofharvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them inbundles to burn them* but gather the wheat into my barn." 9att. 5;*E$;.

(o let us sum up all the counsel Christ has given regarding trouble makers,dissenters, tares, etc., in the church +assuming that they actually are trouble makers, andnot members with legitimate concerns that the church leaders are trying to silence*

@irst the person is to be approached alone. If that doesn%t work, the person is to be addressed in the presence of one or two othermembers +elders, deacons, whatever. he ne&t step is to bring the person before the entire church. @inally, if none of this works$$if the person still doesn%t come around$$he is not to bethrown out. Christ says that such a person is simply to be avoided, and be viewed as aheathen or publican. hrowing out such a person might upset other believers, causing themto leave the church, says 6esus. hus the ob of separating the tares from the wheatbelongs to -im alone, when -e returns+4ndnote >.

Can it not be said, then, that when a !church" removes a name from its membership list,

e&communicates, or disfellowships, it is blaspheming, or taking upon itself authority thatChrist said is reserved for -imself alone? Clearly, any institution that wishes to call itself achurch 9( follow Christ%s counsel on how to deal with dissenters and trouble makers, ustlike any other counsel -e gave must be followed. Any that does not follow -is counsel is inrebellion against -im, period+4ndnote . Ho you see how serious this matter is?

Ho not be fooled0 rue ministers of the gospel +or authentic church leaders of anykind do not make up their own rules as to how to run a church, especially when those rulesare in direct opposition to e&plicit commands given by Christ. #nly when a minister, or anychurch official or member for that matter, follows Christ%s teachings can the title of!Christian" legitimately be borne. As 6esus said* !Fe are my friends, if ye do whatsoever Icommand you." 6ohn 5=*5. 6esus also said* !...If ye continue in my word, then are ye

my disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 6ohn>*;5, ;E. As long as we follow Christ, we are free from the deceptions of man. 'ut if wedo not follow -im and -is Word alone, we will never know the truth, and we will forever bein bondage to man%s lies and traditions, ust as the people in Christ%s day were in bondageto the 6ewish leaders, which prompted Christ to say of them* !his people draweth nighunto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.'ut in vain they do worship me, teachingfordoctrines the commandments of men." 9att.5=*>, . What this issue really boils down to is this simple )uestion* Who are we going toobey$$God or man? And the obvious answer is, as 2eter said* !We ought to obey God rather


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than men." Acts =*E.

he root of the problem(o why is it that all big league churches throughout history have gone amuck? -ow

can it be that the very ones who wereKare supposed to be God%s people wereKare actuallymore despicable than the heathen that they wereKare supposed to be winning over to God?

he truth is that all of the problems with the big league churches that we have looked atthus far, as well as the ones we will be e&amining later on, are mere symptoms of a muchlarger and more deep$rooted problem. his problem has e&isted in the big league churchesall through the centuries. In fact, it dates back to ancient Israel. o understand thisproblem, then, we must go back to Israel%s distant past.

In I (am. >*5, E we read* !/evertheless the people refused to obey the voice of(amuel: and they said, /ay: but we will have a king over us: 7t8hat we also may be like allthe nations..." -ere we find that ancient Israel wanted a king$$a leader who would have allpower and wealth concentrated in his hands. 'ut did God want Israel to have a king?/otice the warning that (amuel gave to Israel in this regard +which the 1ord -imself hadgiven him* !And (amuel told all the words of the 1ord unto the people that asked of him a

king. And he said, his will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you* -e willtake your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen: andsome shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, andcaptains over fifties: and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and tomake his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take yourdaughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take yourfields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to hisservants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to hisofficers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants,and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. -e will take thetenth of your sheep* and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because

of your king which ye shall have chosen you: and the 1ord will not hear you in that day." I(am. >*5$5>.Can you see what this passage is telling us? Israel wanted to !be like all the

nations"$$the pagan nations. he people of Israel, as a whole, weren%t interested in doingthings God%s way. hey thought that they knew better. o them, it was more important to!follow the crowd"$$to do what everyone else was doing. God had warned Israel againsthaving a king because -e knew that, over time, absolute power would corrupt absolutely.#ne man, having all power and wealth in his hands, would sooner or later let his position goto his head, and would take advantage of the people. Conse)uently, once the king becamecorrupt, he would inevitably bring the entire nation down with him. And sure enough, if welook at Israel%s past we find that this is e&actly what happened+4ndnote 5. If only Israel

had followed God%s plan0 It was -e -imself who wanted to be their sole leader, but theydidn%t want it that way./ot wanting -is church to fall into the same trap that ancient Israel fell into, we find

that 6esus gave -is disciples a warning similar to that which God had gave ancient Israelthrough (amuel$$a warning regarding how -is church was to be run +or, more precisely, howit was /# to be run. -ere%s what -e said* !...Fe know that the princes of the Gentiles7literally !the nations," from the Greek, ethnon, genitive plural of ethnos8 e&ercisedominion over them, and they that are great e&ercise authority upon them. 'ut it shall notbe so among you* but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And


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whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant* 7e8ven as the (on of man camenot to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." 9att.E*E=$E>.

2lease take a moment to prayerfully ponder this passage, for it is vitally importantthat you grasp its significance. -ere 6esus was telling -is disciples that they were not tomake the same mistake that ancient Israel made, in wanting to be like the Gentiles +or the

nations$$desiring a leader +or group of leaders that call+s all the shots, having all powerconcentrated in the hands of one +or of a few. In fact, Christ wanted -is church to havethe very opposite structure, where the !greatest" among -is followers would be theservants of the masses, and thus be the most humble, following -is own e&ample. 'ut isthis how the big league churches are run today? Are they following Christ%s counsel? #r arethey doing like ancient Israel, following their own counsel and thus setting up the masses oftheir blind followers for a maor fall?

he reality is that the leaders of the big league churches of today have kicked the1ord out of the driver%s seat and have positioned themselves there in -is place. atherthan the !greatest" being the servants of the masses, it is the masses who are serving the!greatest." his is the biggest mistake made today by nearly all of the maor

denominations$$a mistake that has led to all the other problems e&amined in this booklet./o wonder there is so much confusion, corruption, abuse of power, lust for money$$so manyscandals in, and so much disillusionment with, mainstream Christian churches today. Infact, how could it be otherwise? heir problems are the natural outgrowth of their refusalto follow the plain and simple C#99A/H of Christ to not have the many serving the few.his problem alone voids their claim to be 'ible$based churches. It matters not what theyteach or profess. If they concentrate money and power in the hands of one, or of a few,they simply are in rebellion against Christ, end of story. And what will the conse)uencesultimately be for these !churches" if they refuse to repent? Will it not be disaster, as itwas for ancient Israel? When church !employees" advance up the ladder today, it%susually for the purpose of increasing their income andKor influence. 'ut in the days of the

apostles, of course, there were no !advancements" or !promotions," and the motivebehind church work was always service to the people and to God+4ndnote 55.(ome are led to believe that their big league church structure is superior to others

because individual members are able to vote in order to change policies andKor doctrinalpositions that they don%t agree are biblical. 'ut does voting really make a difference whena central office oversees the functioning of all the churches under its banner? nless thereis a system in place +a biblical system where each church is able to self$govern itself,independent of any central office, then !voting" is nothing more than a sham, designed topacify the people into thinking that they have a voice. est assured that any !church" thatcan%t even listen to what Christ says is certainly not going to listen to what its memberssay.

Who does the 'ible say is to be the head of the church? 2aul wrote* !And 7God8hath put all things under his 7Christ%s8 feet, and gave him to be the head over all things tothe church." 4ph. 5*EE. !@or the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is thehead of the church* and he is the saviour of the body." 4ph. =*E;. !And he 7Christ8 is thehead of the body, the church..." Col. 5*5>.

Fes, Christ is the head of the church$$-is true, faithful believers. 'ut is -e the headof today%s big league churches +steepled corporations that have men who sit enthroned astheir presidents, popes, bishops, cardinals, or whatever other title their leaders may go by?-ow could it ever be said that Christ is the head of any institution that concentrates money


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and power in the hands of one, or of a !board of directors"? Are these individuals reallychurch leaders, or are they C4#s of big international corporations?

here have been many +particularly in the Catholic Church who, in an attempt toustify their church%s concentration of money and power in so few hands, have tried toimply that 2eter was the original head of the church, who had absolute temporal power andauthority over all believers here on earth. 'ut let us see, in his own words, if 2eter ever

claimed to have such power* !he elders which are among you I e&hort, who am also anelder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall berevealed* @eed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not byconstraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: 7n8either as being lordsover God%s heritage, but being ensamples 7e&amples8 to the flock. And when the chief(hepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1ikewise, yeyounger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Fea, all of you be subect one to another, and beclothed with humility* for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." I 2et.=*5$=.

Is 2eter talking here as one who had such power as is often claimed he had? Was hedirecting people to look to himself as a source of authority, or to Christ? his passage,

along with many others like it, stands as a rebuke, not ust to the Catholic Church, but toA11 the big league churches$$for A11 of them, to some degree or other, play thepowerKmoney concentration game. 2eter didn%t talk in the last$cited passage, or anywhereelse in his epistles, about having divine authority to lead the church, and neither did any ofthe other apostles. Instead, he simply talked, as did the other /ew estament authors,about the importance of setting a good e&ample for the rest of the church, particularlythrough e&hibiting a humble spirit.

We have already seen that there simply is /# room among Christ%s true followers forself$e&altation or authoritarianism+4ndnote 5E. We read, for e&ample, how 6esus said thatthe greatest among -is followers are those who serve others +see also 9att. E;*55, 5E. Fet6esus was well aware that few would actually follow this course$$that there would be many

among -is people who would seek to gain !high positions" for the purpose of takingadvantage of -is true believers, ust like the ancient -ebrew leaders had done. /oticewhat -e said in the following passage, where -e likens -is people unto sheep* !...Jerily,verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me arethieves and robbers* but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door* by me if any manenter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. he thief comethnot, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy* I am come that they might have life, andthat they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd* the good shepherdgiveth his life for the sheep. 'ut he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose ownthe sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth* and the wolfcatcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. he hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling,

and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am knownof mine." 6ohn 5*B$5. 2lease note Christ%s reference here to !hirelings," and how theydon%t have genuine concern for the sheep. his statement is very significant, and we willhave more to say about it later on.

In 9att. B*5= 6esus gave us this warning* !'eware of false prophets, which come toyou in sheep%s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Along this line, let us takeanother look at a passage cited earlier, where 2aul warned* !@or I know this, that after mydeparting shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.


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herefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warnevery one night and day with tears." Acts E*E$;5. -ere 2aul cautioned, as did Christ,about wolves who would enter in among God%s people, and devour the flock. Ho you notsee this very thing happening today?

he 1ord, speaking through 6eremiah and using this same type of sheep analogy, tellsus how ancient Israel had a similar problem of shepherds acting more like wolves, which

should come as no surprise* !9y people hath been lost sheep* their shepherds+4ndnote 5;have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains* they havegone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace." 6er. =*


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many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you* depart fromme, ye that work ini)uity." 9att. B*E5$E;.

(o it is not an outward show of !good works" that makes a true man of God+remember how 6esus told the pharisees, !'ut all their works they do for to be seen ofmen..." 9att. E;*=. What H#4( constitute a true man of God is having a genuine love for-im, which manifests itself by showing love toward others. As 6esus said* !'y this shall all

men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another"+4ndnote 5. 6ohn5;*;=.'ut where is the love today in the big league churches? #h, sure, they talk about

love all the time. -owever, when a member is down and out and needs help$$money, aplace to stay, a car to borrow, etc.$$all their talk of love seems to be nothing but lipservice. It%s not enough to offer a friendly gesture of !I%ll pray for you." here needs to bean actual helping hand lent out to one in need. It%s sad that, if or when such help is everprovided in a big league church today, it is almost always done by a lay person, and not the!institution" itself, which has more than enough means to do so.

eaching out to others in need is not optional$$it is a must for the true Christian.(ometimes this reaching out can be something as simple as visiting the sick, elderly, or

those who are down$and$out. 6ames wrote* !2ure religion and undefiled before God andthe @ather is this, o visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himselfunspotted from the world." 6ames 5*EB. he fact that such actions are so rarely seenbeing performed by ministers, or even lay people, in the big churches today is yet anotherindication of the low depths to which they have sunk. @or, in God%s eyes, spiritual depravitydoesn%t ust entail the commission of wrong acts, but the failure to do what is right andproper. As 6ames said* !...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it issin." 6ames *5B. 'ut let me stress that helping someone ust for show, as a !publicrelations" stunt +which is often the case with the big churches, on the rare occasions thatthey do help someone, is not acceptable before God. he help must be provided insincerity, without hidden, selfish motives.

1ike so many businessmen today who are too busy and self$centered to stop and helpthe needy, many modern religious leaders turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to cries for help.In fact, you might be more likely to find a businessman lending a hand, at least for the sakeof a ta& write$off. his problem was also prevalent among the 6ewish leaders at the timeof Christ. /otice the following relevant parable 6esus told to these apathetic religiousleaders* !...A certain man went down from 6erusalem to 6ericho, and fell among thieves,which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.And by chance there came down a certain priest that way* and when he saw him, he passedby on the other side. And likewise a 1evite, when he was at the place, came and looked onhim, and passed by on the other side. 'ut a certain (amaritan, as he ourneyed, camewhere he was* and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 7a8nd went to him, and

bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and broughthim to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took outtwo pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, ake care of him: andwhatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." 9att. 5*;$;=.

he failure of the big league churches, particularly at the leadership level, to showgenuine concern for those in need of help and comfort is a natural conse)uence of thepower and money concentration game. As long as such a system remains in place, inopposition to Christ%s instruction, the current pervasive complacency among the !elite"religious leaders will not only persist, but will grow worse and worse with each passing


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generation.

he money factorComing back to our churchKcorporation analogy, today it could be said that ministers

and other church leaders of the big league churches function more like business partnersand competitors, while lay people serve more in the capacity of customers or consumers,

or, better yet, investors in their steepled corporations +e&cept that they do not share in theprofits0.oday%s !@ortune = churches" are indeed very profitable businesses. In fact, some

of them e)ual and even rival the annual earnings of some prominent secular corporations,and thus are able to offer e)uivalent or superior benefits packages to their top!employees." @or e&ample, as mentioned earlier, some ministers and church workers,depending on their seniority +or on !who they know," or who they%re related to, havechurch$subsidi3ed mortgages on their homes +or rent$free lodging in church$owned housingfacilities and tuition reimbursements for their children%s education in church$run schools.And, ust as the case is with any other corporation, these fringe benefits serve as powerfulmotivating factors for these church workers to remain faithful to their employer. Jery

often, church workers and clergymen are recipients of higher incomes and greater benefitsthan what most of their congregational supporters could ever dream of. Ho you supposethat there is even the slightest bit of biblical support for any of this? Hid Christ -imself, orany of the apostles, live like this? Would they sanction such an arrangement?

here is simply no way that a church can be both profit$oriented and service$oriented at the same time. It can only be one or the other. Which do you suppose is theorientation of the big league, ten$figure$income$earning +or higher churches of today?When one considers the fancy cars their !C4#s" drive, the lu&ury homes they own, thee&otic vacations they take, the private schools their children attend +which most of theirsupporters can%t afford, etc., etc., it becomes )uite clear that perpetuating a significantrevenue stream is their priority. -ow else could they maintain such a comfortable life$style

for themselves?his !money factor" in the big churches of today has totally perverted their motivefor any type of evangelistic outreach programs they may have. he stated goal of theseprograms is to convert large numbers of people to Christ. 'ut let%s be realistic* morepeople means more contributions+4ndnote 5=. 2eter understood this twisted, hiddenmotive behind the !outreach" programs of religious swindlers. In II 2et. E*; he warned*!And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise ofyou..."+4ndnote 5


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to concern themselves with finances$$all would automatically fall into place. 6ust take alook at what 6esus told -is disciples before sending them out on their first missionaryourney* !2rovide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 7n8or scrip for yourourney, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves* for the workman is worthy of hismeat." 9att. 5*, 5. 6esus did not tell -is disciples to plan out their finances beforeleaving. In fact, -e told them to do )uite the opposite$$to not bring anything beyond the

very bare necessities. -e simply wanted them to walk by faith and not worry about theirneeds +forget wants0+4ndnote 5B. And because they didn%t concern themselves with suchthings, but walked instead by faith, their needs were indeed met on this missionaryourney. When they returned from it, 6esus asked them* !...When I sent you withoutpurse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, /othing." 1uke EE*;=.

I%m afraid that many religious leaders and institutions today have built upon thefeeble foundation of finances. ather than living by faith in Christ alone, they planeverything around money, ust as corporations do. /o corporation would undertake aproect that would strain its budget to such a degree that a cut in the salaries of its tope&ecutives would be necessary. 1ikewise, no big league church would consider a maorevangelistic campaign, or a massive charity program to provide relief for the poor, which

would call for maor cutbacks in the top administrators% earnings, because the priority ismoney, period. 4ven in the days of the apostles this spirit was at work in the church. 2aulwrote* !@or the love of money is the root of all evil* which while some coveted after, theyhave erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." I im.


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instance, and 2eter a fisherman. he earning of their living e&penses was not in any wayconnected with their ministerial work. /ever would they have accepted earnings for suchwork, and you would search their writings in vain to find an endorsement of this practice.

What do you suppose 2eter would say to today%s big league church ministers wholive, pretty much without e&ception, like royalty from their !ministries"? Ho you think hewould congratulate them for the successful lives they are living?+4ndnote 5> est assured

that 2eter, and all the other apostles for that matter, wouldn%t even recogni3e mostministers today as ministers. /or would they recogni3e most modern churches as churches.(o why is the unbiblical concept of paying ministers so popular in the big league

churches? (everal different answers could be given to this )uestion, but here%s the mostimportant one of all* he paycheck is a powerful control mechanism for keeping ministersand others on the payroll loyal to church policy and dogma. With this thought in mind,maybe now we can understand what 6esus really meant when -e talked in 6ohn 5*B$5+which we read earlier about the !hireling" not having genuine concern for the sheep. Aminister who works as a !hireling" becomes dependent upon his employing institution.hus, if he should make an important biblical discovery that conflicts with the teachings ofhis church, he is obliged to keep it to himself, lest he wishes to pay a visit to the

unemployment office. #r take this scenario* If any type of conflict should ever arisebetween a minister%s congregation and !corporate head)uarters," his loyalties simply mustlie with the central office. Whether or not he personally agrees with its wishes, he has nochoice but to sell out or get out. (o, do you not see how destructive a force the pastoralpaycheck can be +and usually is for perverting and corrupting the ministry?

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand...freely ye havereceived, freely give.$ 9att. 5*B, >+4ndnote 5.

he whole contribution issue in big league churches raises another important)uestion$$that of tithing. 9any churches today re)uire +compel, coerce, pressure, or ust

plain teach their congregations to !return" tithes each week. hat is, to render to thechurch a tenth from each week%s paycheck, for the church%s !ministry" +a sort of mandatory!union dues," coming back to our corporation analogy. It is claimed by the leaders of suchchurches, and sincerely believed by their congregations, that this tithing practice issomething re)uired of them by God. 'ut is it? 1ook through the /ew estament foryourself, after the cross, and you will not find one single hint of evidence that tithes werecollected by any of the apostles at any time+4ndnote E.

ithing was a practice that e&isted under the theocracy of ancient Israel, to providefor the living e&penses +not the indulgent life$styles of the 1evitical priesthood, whoseconstant services were re)uired in the temple. (ince these priests were unable to work fora living because of the continuous demands their duties placed upon them, the tithe system

was introduced by God +a divinely$ordained ta&, if you will to provide for them and theirfamilies +if they had any+4ndnote E5. It is interesting to note that the tithes collectedwere usually not in the form of money, but food, which was sometimes given to the poor aswell as to the 1evites +see Heut. 5*EE, E>: /um. 5>*E


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oday, in the Christian era, there is no more theocracy, and there is no more 1eviticalpriesthood. hus there is no more need for a tithing system+4ndnote E;. his is why titheswere not collected in the early church. 'ut we do find that offerings were collected, ofcourse. -owever, it turns out that these offerings were also usually in the form of food,and not money. @or e&ample, in I Cor. 5


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why? (imply to put on a show and hide their true nature from the people. -ere%s what6esus told them about their phony outward show* !Woe unto you, scribes and 2harisees,hypocrites0 7@8or ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within theyare full of e&tortion and e&cess. hou blind 2harisee, cleanse first that which is within thecup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and2harisees, hypocrites0 7@8or ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear

beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men%s bones, and of all uncleanness. 4ven soye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy andini)uity." 9att. E;*E=$E>. !...Fe are they which ustify yourselves before men: but Godknoweth your hearts* for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in thesight of God." 1uke 5


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everything that Christ had taught. Initially, when they were still in their spiritually infantilestage, the disciples had argued amongst themselves over who would be the greatest inheaven one day. he response 6esus gave to them makes it abundantly clear that greatnessin the eyes of God is measured by humility, and not by money, position, or power* !At thesame time came the disciples unto 6esus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom ofheaven? And 6esus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 7a8nd

said, Jerily I say unto you, 4&cept ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shallnot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as thislittle child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 9att. 5>*5$. 6esus also said*!...If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." 9ark*;=.

In addition to the early church dividing up their wealth amongst themselves toprevent class distinction, they also took measures to be sure that visitors were not treated+or mistreated according to their financial standing. 6ames wrote* !9y brethren, have notthe faith of our 1ord 6esus Christ, the 1ord of glory, with respect of persons 7playingfavorites$$to the rich8. @or if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, ingoodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment 7not wearing a suit08:

7a8nd ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, (it thou herein a good place: and say to the poor, (tand thou there, or sit here under my footstool* 7a8reye not then partial in yourselves, and are become udges of evil thoughts?" 6ames E*5$.What do you suppose 6ames would say to the big league churches today, if he were aroundto see the way they have ignored his counsel?

L L L L L L L

When you dont give money, it shows that you have the devils nature.$ 'enny -inn,!2raise$A$hon" on '/ +rinity 'roadcasting /etwork, April E5, 55.

ears ago they used to preach, !" we are going to walk on streets of gold #in heaven$. %would say, !% dont need the gold up there. %ve got to have it down here.$ 'enny -inn,!2raise$A$hon," April E, 55.

%f you have been healed, or saved, or blessed through T&' #Trinity &roadcasting 'etwork$and have not contributed to #the$ station, you are robbing (od and will lose your rewardin heaven.$ 2aul Crouch, !2raise the 1ord" J show, Aug. , 5B.

9ental assembly lineso work in ust about any type of ob today, in ust about any corporation, or to move

to a higher position, it is re)uired that employees or potential employees have a degree

and, in many cases, a license or some other type of certification to show that they are!competent" or !)ualified" for the ob position +of course, if such applicants are luckyenough to know or be related to the C4#, this usually and miraculously overrides thesere)uirements. And do we not see the very same thing happening in the big leaguechurches of today? Ho they not also re)uire degrees and certification for employment?his is especially true for those who desire to work as ministers. 9ost churches, in fact,now re)uire a 9asters of Hivinity degree before they will even consider !hiring" andordaining +i.e. licensing. his means that even if the candidate knows his 'ible well andhas a passion for the ministry, he will not be ordained +and I use this term very loosely in


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this conte&t unless he spends years of his life and tons of his money to become!educated." Where does this re)uirement come from? Hid 6esus re)uire -is disciples toattend 6erusalem or /a3areth College, to work as ministers of the gospel?

he churches that re)uire a degree to serve in the ministry +almost all of thembenefit tremendously from this policy, in many different ways. 1et us take a look at a fewof the more obvious benefits that this policy brings*

It offers them another income$generating stream. It makes them look more like other !professional" institutions, and thus wins themacceptance and !respect"+4ndnote E=. It enables them to more easily screen who gets a !ob" in the !ministry," and who doesnot. Church$run colleges and seminaries can +and do closely scrutini3e theology studentsto see if they have the right makeup to be trusted to sing the praises of their employinginstitution, and uphold its policies and dogmas. It enables them to indoctrinate their students with whatever church propaganda orpolitically correct philosophy they want disseminated from their pulpits.

his study is not implying, by any means, that there is something wrong with gettingan education. o the contrary, an education +a proper one can be a very useful thing$$evena blessing from God. -owever, we must ask the )uestion* What gives big league churchesthe right to make an education a re)uirement for serving in the ministry? Hoesn%t thisplace a barrier in God%s way?+4ndnote E


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that God had anything to do with establishing such a system.he education re)uirement for the ministry creates so many problems that it would

perhaps re)uire an entire volume to ade)uately address them all. 'ut there are two othermaor ones which are particularly worth noting$$pride on the part of the!educated"+4ndnote ;E, and feelings of inade)uacy on the part of the !uneducated."What usually winds up happening is that the !uneducated" layperson becomes dependent

upon his !educated" minister for the answers to all his )uestions, rather than seeking themout for himself. And the minister, whose ego becomes puffed up as people look up to him,is all too eager to remain the focus of attention. hus he tends to use more and morecomple& theological argon in his sermons, along with a few Greek and -ebrew words hereand there, to da33le his audience. (uch !showoff" behavior is, of course, the antithesis ofhumility$$one of the most important character traits of every true follower of Christ. As2eter wrote* !...be clothed with humility* for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace tothe humble." I 2et. =*=. (imilarly, 2aul wrote* !'e of the same mind one toward another.9ind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. 'e not wise in your ownconceits." om. 5E*5


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would not be liable for ta&ation. -owever, this simply isn%t true. he .(. Constitutionalready guarantees them ta& e&emption because they are churches +or W44 churches. (owhat, then, is the real reason that they have registered as non$profit, ta& e&emptcorporations? 2rimarily because the taking of this action has offered to them the !benefit"of having their contributing parishioners claim their contributions as ta& write$offs +whichhelps to serve, of course, as an incentive for more generous donations to be given+4ndnote

;=. 9ost =5+c; churches today provide envelopes for their parishioners to put theirdonations in. #n the outside are spaces for the contributor%s name and address, as well asthe amount of money being donated. At the end of the year, statements are mailed out toeach church member, indicating how much had been given during the previous year, to beused for ta& filing purposes. While this seems to be a great convenience for those seekingwrite$offs, what does it do for their motives in giving? hat is, how does the promise of abigger ta& return affect the sincerity of the gift$giver? When one gives to the 1ord, is itproper or acceptable to -im if there are strings attached? (houldn%t the giver make acontribution for the sake of his love for God and for the needy who will benefit from thecontribution, e&pecting nothing in return? +#f course, this whole argument seems relatively

insignificant when one considers a much bigger problem$$the fact that these donations aremore often used, as mentioned earlier, to pay for the e&orbitant salaries and benefitspackages of church employees, as well as other illicit usages, bringing into )uestionwhether donations should be given to these outrageously corrupt religious corporations inthe first place.

he corrupting of the motives of contributors to the offering plate is not the biggestproblem spawned by the =5+c; fiasco. 'y incorporating, the big league churches have, ineffect, given up their Constitutional protections and have literally become submissivebranches of the government. As the (upreme Court has asserted* !...the corporation is acreature of the state. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. Itreceives certain special privileges and franchises, and holds them subect to the laws of the

state and the limitations of its charter. Its powers are limited by law. It can make nocontract not authori3ed by its charter. Its rights to act as a corporation are only preservedto it so long as it obeys the laws of its creation." $ -ale vs. -enkel, E5 ( ; at B +5


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In all history, perhaps no greater havoc has been reeked on society than that broughtabout by the to&ic blend between church and state. Whether it was the state controllingthe church +as in communist countries or the church controlling the state +as in the HarkAges, the results have always been the same$$utter and complete chaos. It has neverreally mattered which one had more control over which, for whenever these twoinstitutions have entered into any kind of a pact, both have used one another for their own

selfish political and financial gain, with the masses that supported both of them alwayswinding up the losers.In the days of Christ, the 6ewish leaders despised oman rule. Fet, when it suited

their interests, they often praised ome, !kissing up" to imperial authorities so that theycould earn favors from them. When the 6ewish leaders wanted Christ crucified, fore&ample, notice what they said to 2ilate* !...Away with him, away with him, crucify him.2ilate saith unto them, (hall I crucify your Ning? he chief priests answered, We have noking but Caesar"+4ndnote ;B. 6ohn 5*5. Can you not see the disgusting hypocrisy andphony politicking that went on here? his is always what happens when church and statemi&. 6esus warned -is disciples of how this same pattern would be repeated with them*!emember the word that I said unto you, he servant is not greater than his lord. If they

have persecuted me, they will also persecute you..." 6ohn 5=*E. !hey shall put you outof the synagogues* yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that hedoeth God service." 6ohn 5,which said, his man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, andthe law* @or we have heard him say, that this 6esus of /a3areth shall destroy this place,

and shall change the customs which 9oses delivered us." Acts


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!-owever repulsive, when udged from the more refined standpoint of modern civili3ation,the barbarous cruelty of 9edieval penal ordinances may be,...we may not for this reasoncondemn the whole penal system of that age as udicial murder: for the legal punishments,while indeed inhuman, were not unust...heretics may be not only e&communicated, butalso ustly put to death." $ The atholic *ncyclopedia, 555 ed., vol. 5, pp. B


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long as it wasn%t involved in criminal activities, of course, nor was religion to interferewith the government+4ndnote ;. he two were simply to co$e&ist without eithertampering with the other. Fet now we have people like 2at obertson pushing for unitybetween these entities. Ho you not see how volatile this situation is? niting church andstate is a maor step backward, not forward.

here are 9A/F other big league Christian leaders pushing for church$state union +or

reunion besides 2at obertson. @or e&ample, on the back cover of Havid 'arton%s book,The /yth of 0eparation, a big seller among Christian ight groups in the early 5s, the)uestion was asked* !Hid you know separation of church and state is a myth?"+4ndnote Attorney 6ay (ekulow, a lawyer and national radio host for the American Center for 1aw and6ustice, stated back in 5* !Fes, the so$called Owall of separation% between church andstate has begun to crumble"+4ndnote =. 6ohn '. Conlan, Christian ight leader andformer Ari3ona state senator, stated* !O(eparation of church and state% is a false issue...7it8is simply a line of propaganda"+4ndnote


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as well. his can be seen simply by looking at the drastic opinion change that occurred, inust forty years, between the two (upreme Court 6ustices cited below*

!We have staked the very e&istence of our country on the faith that complete separationbetween state and religion is best for the state and best for religion." $ Chief 6ustice Wileyutledge, 5B. As )uoted by William 1ee 9iller in The 2irst +iberty. /ew Fork* Alfred A.

Nnopf, 5>.

With all this in mind, let us take a look at the religious and political philosophy of 9r.9oon, in his own words* !Fou must reali3e that America has become the kingdom of (atan.Americans who continue to maintain their privacy and e&treme individualism are foolishpeople. he world will reect Americans who continue to be so foolish....

!We must have an autocratic theocracy to rule the world. (o we cannot separate thepolitical field from the religious. 9y dream is to organi3e a Christian political partyincluding the 2rotestant denominations, Catholic and all religious sects. We can embracethe religious world in one arm and the political world in the other." $ Ibid.

Ho not underestimate the threat that the eligious ight poses, through its blindreligious 3eal coupled with totalitarian political power, to bring about a total hell on earth.Indeed, to a large degree, it has already done ust that. /otice what 'ob Woodward wrotein his book, &ush At War* !he 2resident 7'ush 6r.8 was casting his mission and that of thecountry in the grand vision of God%s 9aster 2lan," in which 'ush, in his own words,promised !to e&port death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of thisgreat country and rid the world of evil."

(ome would argue that it%s a good thing for churches and other religiousorgani3ations to get involved in the government, in order to help bring morality back to thiscountry. While it is true that this nation is morally bankrupt, and certainly does need help,is having the church ump in bed with the government the answer to the problem? Is this

even biblical? Hoes the 'ible encourage churches to enter into relations with the state?he only mission that Christ gave for -is church upon this earth is the spreading of thegospel. 'efore 6esus ascended back to heaven, -e told -is disciples* !Go ye therefore,and teach all nations, bapti3ing them in the name of the @ather, and of the (on, and of the-oly Ghost* 7t8eaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..."9att. E>*5, E. -ere we find that 6esus simply told -is disciples to !teach," or instruct$$not to impose through law.

6esus is not so much concerned with changing people%s actions as -e is with changingtheir hearts. If their hearts are changed, then their actions will change accordingly. And


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how can people%s hearts be changed? hrough the prophet 43ekiel, the 1ord said* !A newheart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you* and I will take away thestony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spiritwithin you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my udgments, and dothem." 43ek. ;


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2rotestant and Catholic, are indeed uniting to form a powerful, monopolistic corporateconglomerate that is nothing short of alarming to those who are familiar with history. And,un)uestionably, the primary reason for this merger is so that both Catholics and 2rotestantscan support each other on their ourney toward absolute political power. -ere%s anenlightening )uote in this regard*

!he oman Catholic bishops are...at work politically to end separation of church andstate. hey are working in an informal alliance with fundamental 2rotestants not only onthe abortion issue, but to get government support of private church schools....his is thefirst time in American history that there has been an all$out attack 7on church$stateseparation8 led by oman Catholic bishops 7and8 their fundamentalist 2rotestantcounterparts....It remains to be seen whether the American principle of church$stateseparation will survive such a concerted effort..." $ 6ohn (womley, eligious +iberty andthe 0ecular 0tate. 'uffalo, /F* 2rometheus 'ooks, 5>


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4ither this man doesn%t know what he is talking about, or he is trying to deceive people.I%ll leave you to answer that for yourself. 'ut one thing is certain* he doctrinaldifferences between Catholicism and traditional 2rotestantism are anything but minor0

@or centuries on end, 2rotestants and Catholics were at irreconcilable odds with oneanother. 2rotestants, believing in the principle of 0ola 0criptura+!the 'ible and the 'ible

only", could not accept papal authority and teachings in addition to, and certainly not inplace of, God%s Word. p until only a few decades ago, 2rotestants unanimously agreed+and for good reason that the papacy was the Antichrist power foretold in 'ible prophecy.'ut today all that has changed. Incredibly, 2rotestants are now seeking unity with thischurch that they have always recogni3ed as a monstrous haven of apostasy+4ndnote =.

4cumenism, the official name of the movement to merge all Catholic and 2rotestantchurches, is based upon the philosophy that all Christians should set aside their differencesand unite in the spirit of love and peace. While unity under love and peace is certainlyGod%s intention for -is people, there is one very important factor that ecumenists haveoverlooked +or thrown away, which is absolutely vital for God%s people to have in order toachieve true love, peace, and unity, and that factor is the solid foundation of God%s Word.

4cumenical 2rotestant leaders of today appear to have forgotten +or else want theirfollowers to forget about the eformation$$a godly cause for which so much innocent2rotestant blood was shed at the hand of the in)uisitor and the crusader. he purpose ofthe eformation was to reform the apostate Church of ome of its many errors, and bring itback into harmony with God%s Word. 'ut instead of repenting and reforming, the haughtypapacy slaughtered anyone who dared )uestion its !infallible" teachings. o this day, it hasnot changed one iota in its perverse doctrinal positions that were the cause of theeformation.

9any modern 2rotestants believe that the Catholic Church underwent some sort oftransformation in the mid$5


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God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I im. ;*5=.And what is this !truth" that the church is to be the pillar and ground of? 6esus made itclear, during -is Gethsemane prayer to the @ather, that the truth is God%s Word* !(anctifythem through thy truth* thy word is truth." 6ohn 5B*5B. Is the Catholic Church the !pillarand ground of the truth"? Hoes it follow the Word of God? -ardly0 Its teachings andpractices are nothing but the pagan remnants of Constantinian compromises brought into

the Church of ome back in the fourth century. he Catholic Church itself even admits this,as we see from this ne&t )uote, written by a 5th$century cardinal*

!In the course of the fourth century, two movements or developments e&tended across theface of Christianity, with a speed characteristic of the church: one ascetic, the other, ritualor ceremonial. We are told in various ways by 4usebius +see Coris. iii, 5, iv, E; Qc., thatConstantine, with the purpose of recommending the new religion to the pagans, transferredto it the same e&ternal elements to which they had been accustomed. It is not necessaryto enter into a theme with which the diligence of 2rotestant writers has familiari3ed mostof us. he use of temples, especially those dedicated to concrete saints, and adorned onoccasion with tree branches: incense, lamps and candles: votive offerings upon the healing

of a sickness: holy water...holy days and periods...processions, and the blessing of fields:priestly vestments, tonsures, the wedding ring, facing the 4ast,...statues...are all part ofpagan origins, sanctified by their adoption into the church." $ Cardinal 6. -. /ewman,An*ssay on the 5evelopment of hristian 5octrine, 1ondon, 5>, p. ;B;.

his cardinal would have us believe that the Catholic Church is able to !sanctify"pagan teachings and practices. /aturally, there is no biblical authority for such a claim.ather, we are told in (cripture to !...have no fellowship with the unfruitful works ofdarkness, but rather reprove them." 4ph. =*55. We are even told to !Abstain from allappearance of evil." I hes. =*EE. 'ut I guess it only makes sense that the Catholic Churchdoesn%t heed the counsel in these te&ts, since it claims that the 'ible is not the sole

foundation of its standard of truth, and that its own homemade traditions are as important,if not more so, than biblical teachings. -ere are a few such admissions +or boasts*

!he Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy (cripturesalone. -ence, both (cripture and radition 7handed down from paganism08 must beaccepted and honored with e)ual feelings of devotion and reverence." $ The 5ocuments of6atican %%. Walter 9. Abbot, gen. ed., /ew Fork* Guild 2ress, 5


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!2rotestants...believe that the 'ible is the only source of divine revelation....-owever, aCatholic...knows there are two sources of divine truth, (cripture and radition, and thatthe authentic interpreter of both is the living Church." $ Ibid., under the heading, !'ibleeading."

!radition, not (cripture, is the ock upon which the Church of Christ is built 7meaning theCatholic Church8"+4ndnote =E. $ A. /ampton. atholic 5octrines as 5efined by theouncil of Trent, p. 5=B.

Hid Christ ever even hint that manmade traditions should be revered as e)ual to orabove the (criptures, or be adhered to at all? /otice what -e said to the 6ews of -is day,who also had placed their traditions on a par with the Word of God, or even above it* !@ullwell ye reect the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." 9ark B*.!his people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: buttheir heart is far from me. 'ut in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines thecommandments of men." 9att. 5=*>, . 2aul, of course, was in complete agreement with

Christ. -e wrote* !'eware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col.E*>.

Can !2rotestants" really call themselves 2rotestants when they are no longerprotesting the teachings and practices of the oman Catholic system of religion, which areso blatantly opposed to God%s Word? /ot only are 2rotestants no longer protesting, but theyare uniting with Catholicism. Hoes God endorse this kind of unity? Absolutely not0 he'ible is very clear that the truth cannot be compromised, which is ust what this union is allabout. God calls Christians to separation from error, not union with it. 2aul wrote* !'e yenot une)ually yoked together with unbelievers* for what fellowship hath righteousness withunrighteousness? 7A8nd what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath

Christ with 'elial? 7#8r what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And whatagreement hath the temple of God with idols? 7@8or ye are the temple of the living God: asGod hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them: and I will be their God, and theyshall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the1ord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you, 7a8nd will be a @ather untoyou, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the 1ord Almighty." II Cor. . -owsad that this clear counsel from God%s Word is being so callously ignored today. 2ut plainlyand simply, ecumenical 2rotestantism has sold out, period. (o much for the followingwords of wisdom from (olomon* !'uy the truth, and sell it not..." 2rov. E;*E;.

2erhaps a few )uotes from prominent !2rotestant" leaders are in order, todemonstrate ust how far their compromise with ome has gone*

Huring the pope%s 5>B visit to 1os Angeles, obert (chuller stated on one of his nationallytelevised services* !It%s time for 2rotestants to go to the shepherd 7meaning the pope, ofcourse8 and say, OWhat do we have to do to come home?%" $ alvary ontender, /ov. 5=,5>B.

'illy Graham once said of the pope +6ohn 2aul II* !I think the American people arelooking for a leader, a moral and spiritual leader that believes something. And he 7thepope8 does..../o other man in the world today could attract as much attention on moral


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and spiritual subects as 6ohn 2aul....he country is responding in a magnificent way....hepope has reached millions of 2rotestants." $ As )uoted by Cathy 'urns in &illy (raham and-is 2riends, p. >.

'ack in 5>=, 2at obertson told Catholic 'ishop 6ames (ullivan* !I have been your friendand booster....It has been my pleasure to assist on repeated occasions the church you

serve." $ hristian 'ews, 6uly EE, 5>=.

2aul Crouch, the president of rinity 'roadcasting /etwork, said on his !2raise the 1ord"J show* !I am erasing the word O2rotestant% from my vocabulary. I%m not protestinganything." $ )lains &aptist hallenger, 6une 5>.

#n 6uly E;, 5=, on his J show !6ack Jan Impe 2resents," Jan Impe, commenting on theatholic atechism+a book on Catholic doctrine, which he had ust finished reading, said*!he Catechism really opened my eyes....In the Catechism,...everything this pope says...isbacked by the Word of God."

As mentioned earlier, ecumenical 2rotestants claim that the union they seek with theCatholic Church, even going so far as to have oint worship services with Catholics+partaking in their version of !Communion"+4ndnote =;, is ustified because they aredoing it in the right spirit$$basing it on the biblical principles of unity and love. 'ut pleasenotice what 6esus said along this line* !'ut the hour cometh, and now is, when the trueworshippers shall worship the @ather in spirit and in truth* for the @ather seeketh such toworship him...they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 6ohn *E;,E. Clearly, then, it is not enough to say that God is being worshipped in spirit$$-e mustalso be worshipped in -. (adly, for the ecumenical 2rotestants who ointly worshipwith Catholics, worshiping God in truth is absolutely impossible. /o matter what kind oflogic 2rotestants may employ to ustify their ecumenism, union with the Catholic Church

will have +and is already having devastating conse)uences. As Amos put it* !Can two walktogether, e&cept they be agreed?" Amos ;*;.2rotestants who think that ome has changed have no idea what lies ahead. @or not

only are its teachings every bit the same today as they were during the Hark Ages, but itsattitude toward those who oppose its teachings is also the same. his is hard for manypeople to understand, Catholics and 2rotestants alike, because they don%t currently seeome acting openly aggressive toward its detractors as it did in medieval times. 4speciallyis this true in the nited (tates and other advanced countries. he reason for this is beste&pressed in the proceeding )uote*

!he pacific tone 7of the Catholic Church8 in the .(. does not imply a change of heart.

(he 7ome8 is tolerant where she is helpless. (ays 'ishop #%Connor, Oeligious liberty ismerely endured until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the Catholicworld.%...he archbishop of (t. 1ouis once said, O-eresy and unbelief are crimes, and inChristian 7Catholic8 countries such as (pain...they are punished as crimes.%" $ 6osiah (trong,"ur ountry, ed. 6urgen -erbst. Cambridge, 9A* -arvard niversity, 'elknap 2ress, 55.

Fes, when ome is overpowered it changes its approach, seeking more subtle ways toinfluence people until it can win the maority to its side. And once it has done this, it can


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finally fulfill its ultimate goal$$total domination. o demonstrate that this is indeed itsultimate goal, we only need look at how it operates in hird World countries like 'ra3il, fore&ample, as we see from the )uote below*

!(tunned by the staggering growth of evangelical sects in 'ra3il, leaders of the omanCatholic church have threatened to launch a Oholy war% against 2rotestants unless they stop

leading people from the Catholic fold. At the ;5st /ational Conference of the 'ishops of'ra3il, 'ishop 'ohn called evangelicals a serious threat to the Jatican%s influence in hiscountry. OWe will declare a holy war: don%t doubt it. he Catholic Church has a ponderousstructure, but when we move we will smash anyone beneath us.%" $ harisma, 9ay 5.

As you can see, 2rotestants in countries like 'ra3il aren%t falling for ome%secumenical charm like they are here in the states. 'ecause of this, and because theCatholic Church e&erts much more power in 'ra3il than in the .(. +at least for now, it isable to more openly show its true colors there. 'ut be assured, ome will become muchmore aggressive here as well, as soon as it feels it has gained a strong enough footing.

All the while that ecumenical 2rotestants in America are shaking hands with ome,

little do they know +at least on the laity level that ome is plotting to set itself up onceagain as the uncontested spiritual master of the world, as it was during the Hark Ages. Itwants to regain the power and control that it lost, which is the real agenda behindecumenism. Ho understand that the ongoing, ever$strengthening CatholicK2rotestantunion, both in the .(. and abroad, has been occurring on Catholic, and not 2rotestant,terms, as the following Catholic )uotes will confirm*

!hey 72rotestants8 conveniently forget that they separated from us, not we from them:and that it is for them to return to unity on Catholic terms, not for us to seek union withthem, or to accept it, on their terms....2rotestantism is rebellion against the authority ofChrist invested in -is Church. It neither possesses authority, nor has any desire to submit to

authority....2rotestantism has really proved to be the ally of paganism....All forms of2rotestantism are unustified. hey should not e&ist." $America+Catholic periodical, 6an., 55, vol.


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6ust in case you are under the false impression that the two )uotes above are merelyreflections of the way ome used to think, note the following )uote*

!he (econd Jatican Council%s 5ecree on *cumenism e&plains* O...it is through Christ%sCatholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of themeans of salvation can be obtained...into which all those should be fully incorporated who

belong in any way to the 2eople of God.%" $ atechism of the atholic hurch. /ew Fork*Houbleday, 5, pp. E;, E;=.

(imilar sentiments were e&pressed by Avery Hulles, a 6esuit priest who signed the document!4vangelicals and Catholics ogether* he Christian 9ission in the hird 9illennium," whichwe discussed earlier*

!It is hard to see how Catholics could consider themselves to be fully reconciled withchurches that did not acknowledge the papacy as the bearer of a divinely institutedO2etrine ministry% within the universal Church....(ome of these obstacles, but not all couldbe removed if the parties were to agree that the condemnations of the si&teenth century

no longer apply to the churches as they e&ist today." $ As )uoted by Chuck Colson andichard 6ohn /euhaus in *vangelicals and atholics Together1 Toward a ommon /ission,5=, p. 5>.

Are modern evangelicals agreeing, as Hulles stated above, that the condemnations ofthe si&teenth century +the eformation period are no longer applicable? I%m afraid thatthis is indeed the case. /ot ust in the nited (tates, but in 4urope as well*!4uropean Catholics and 2rotestants have concluded that the condemnations of theeformation were based on misconceptions, were aimed on e&treme positions on the otherside, and no longer apply to today%s situations." $ Ibid., p. 5>.

While ome has clearly not changed since the Hark Ages and the eformation,2rotestantism certainly has changed. And as it continues to change, more fully uniting withome +nothing indicates that this trend is going to stop or even slow down, unfortunately,you can bet that there will be a complete and hostile corporate take$over. his is notparanoid speculation. 9alachi 9artin, a former 6esuit priest and Jatican insider, statedthat all religious groups

!...are destined to undergo a series of severe shocks and mutations as...they adaptthemselves to the new globalism emanating from more powerful groups. here is no waythat any one of them will be able to maintain itself in any vibrancy and progressive strengthunless it allows$$or suffers$$its provincialism to be enlarged beyond the confines it

traditionally observed. Individuals among them may for a while maintain themselves withinthose confines. 'ut, inevitably, as groups they will have to face dire alternatives. 4itherthey will become thoroughly and realistically globali3ed and therefore capable ofcollaborating in the building of a geopolitical structure. #r, as groups, they will remain inplace, diminish in numbers and influence, and finally lose their identity as operative partsin a new world order." $ The 7eys of This &lood88The 0truggle for World 5ominion &etween)ope 4ohn )aul %%, /ikhail (orbachev and the apitalist West. /ew Fork* (imon and(chuster, 5, pp. E5, EE.


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'ut it doesn%t stop there0 9artin also stated that ome intends to control the wholeworld*

!Willing or not, ready or not, we are all involved in an all$out, no$holds$barred,...globalcompetition...about who will establish the first one$world system of government that hasever e&isted in the society of nations. It is about who will hold and wield the dual power of

authority and control over each of us as individuals and over all of us together as acommunity: over the entire < billion people.

!/ow that it has started, there is no way it can be reversed or called off...once thecompetition has been decided, the world and all that%s in it$$our way of life as individualsand as citi3ens of the nations: our families and our obs: our trade and commerce andmoney: our educational systems and our religions and our cultures: even the badges of ournational identity,...all will have been powerfully and radically altered forever. /o one canbe e&empted from its effects. /o sector of our lives will remain untouched." $ Ibid., p. 5=.

/ot long after his coronation, 6ohn 2aul II drew up a E, word document called

edemptor -ominis. eferring to this document, 9artin wrote*

!Indeed, the note that dominated and animated that encyclical document was 6ohn 2aul%sinsistence that the hard, intractable problems of the world$$hunger, violation of humandignity and human rights, war and violence, economic oppression, political persecution$$any and all of these can be solved only by acceptance and implementation of the messageof Christ%s revelation announced by the papacy and the oman Catholic Church." $ Ibid., p.B.

In the @all 55 issue of The 2atima rusader, a well known and well read publicationspeciali3ing in the Catholic view of eschatology, we read the following astonishing

statement*

!7(oon8 the whole world will be brought to adoration of our 4ucharistic 1ord and obedienceto -is Jicar the pope." $ p. ==.

his is the true face of the Catholic Church$$the one that big league !2rotestant" leadersno longer e&pose.

ime to resign(uppose you went to work one day and began doing some poking around in the

office. Fou had heard some rumors about illegal activities going on at the highest levels of

the company, and you ust had to know if there was any truth to it all. /ow let%s supposethat you confirmed your suspicions to be correct$$that your company was smuggling severalhundred million dollars of cocaine into the country each month, and that you, knowingwhat you now know, have become an accessory to the crime. his company that you hadbelieved in for so long, and had built your life around, was portraying a false image of itselfto hide its true, ugly nature. he work that you thought you were doing for a noble causeturned out to be aiding criminal activity. @aced with such revelations, what would you doabout it? Would you look the other way, pretending you didn%t see anything, and continuewith !business as us

Charles Giuliani(2007!01!01)Church,Inc

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