|
MRFF vs. Sectarian Supremacism and Anti-Government Conspiracists in the U.S. Chaplain Corp
An article about the history and activism of Mikey Weinstein's Military Religious Freedom Foundation is currently cross-posted at Alternet and TruthOut.
Below the following list of links is further information on Ammerman and a selection of quotes from his book After the Storm in which he describes the first Gulf War as a massive religious revival. Previous articles and documentation on this issue include:
Conspiracy as Prophecy, by Rachel Tabachnick In the introduction I promised an explanation of the inclusion of the Rockefeller family on what is otherwise a list of Jewish names of "world bankers" used by both Ammerman and Linzey. In this particular strain of conspiracy theory the Rockefellers are claimed to be crypto-Jews, or Illuminati descended from a Jewish bloodline, who infiltrated the Mainline Protestant churches, seminaries and universities. This is explained in more detail in overt anti-Semitic media such as "13 Bloodlines of the Illuminati," a book and Prophecy Club video by Fritz Springmeier. The Prophecy Club order form, updated 2006, included The Prophecy Club produced videos "Imminent Military Takeover II," by Jim Ammerman, and James Linzey's "How World Bankers Are Destroying America" and "How Illegal Immigrants Are Destroying America." The Prophecy Club marketing also included Fritz Springmeier, Texe Marrs, Henry Gruver, Gen. Ben Partin, Gary Kah, Al Cuppett, and Jerome Corsi and a host of other prophecy and conspiracy theory writers.
In addition to his MRFF work, Weinstein is currently involved in a
Audio of one of Gordon Klingenschmitt's imprecatory prayers against Weinstein and Rev. Barry Lynn.Articles in other publications: Jesus Killed Mohammed: The Crusade for a Christian Military, by Jeff Sharlet American charismatic evangelical organizations are entrenched in northern Iraq, including institutions built with U.S. taxpayers' money.
What In The Name Of Crusades Are American Evangelicals Doing In Kurdish Iraq? by Bill Berkowitz In the near future I will be writing more about the significance of the players in the preceding articles who have engineered this Christian dominionist entrenchment in Iraq. This represents a coming together of Reconstructionists like George Grant (known for his, "It's dominion we're after" quote) and charismatics, including New Apostolic Reformation leaders and organizations. The latter includes George Otis, Jr., producer of the Transformation series of movies, and Belmont Church, Nashville, led for many years by Don Finto, a New Apostolic leader. One list of evangelical entities "planted" in Iraq including churches, Christian bookstores, printing press, radio stations, and Christian schools is on Belmont Church's website. Following are quotes from Ammerman's 1991 book After the Storm, in which he writes proudly about exploiting Operation Desert Shield, the first Gulf war, to proselytize thousands of soldiers stationed in Saudia Arabia (and local Muslims) to his brand of charismatic evangelical Christianity. Ammerman claims that 150,000 American troops were "saved" in this charismatic revival in Saudi Arabia. The first chapter is titled "A Christian Holy War." Ammerman viewed the war as a spiritual battle between born again Christians and the forces of evil. Those requiring proselytizing included other Christians who did not qualify as Spirit-filled and who belonged to "legalistic denominations." The endorsements in the front of the book were made by Richard Roberts (son of Oral Roberts) and James Robison, and the foreword was by the late Jamie Buckingham, former editor of Ministry Today.
After the Storm (1991), by Jim and Charlene Ammerman In this last quote the animosity toward other Christian denominations is apparent, as in Linzey's radio interview where he claims that the infiltrators of the Mainline Protestant churches are "demonic, dastardly creatures from the pit of hell." Ammerman is an apostle in the International Coalition of Apostles, led by C. Peter Wagner, a large but underpublicized sector of the Charismatic/Pentecostal stream, which has become very politically active. Wagner teaches that Catholics and Muslims are prevented from converting to evangelical belief because of a territorial demon he describes as the "Queen of Heaven." There are numerous primary sources by New Apostolic leaders claiming that non-charismatic Roman Catholics are controlled by demons, including Wagner's book Confronting the Queen of Heaven. In addition to heading the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, one of the largest agencies providing chaplains to the U.S millitary, Ammerman is Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Norris also serve on this Board of Directors) and a Commissioner and Director for Transworld Accrediting Commission International (TACI) which accredits evangelical schools, seminaries, colleges and universities. Ammerman is also a long time colleague and friend of John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, (whose national CUFI Summit began today) and claims to have encouraged Hagee to take his broadcasting empire international. In his sermons, Hagee echoes many of Ammerman's warnings about an imminent takeover of America by Illuminati-led demonic forces, including the claim that the Rothschilds own the Federal Reserve and are intentionally deflating the U.S. dollar. As the Military Religious Freedom Foundation repeatedly points out, this crusade is not primarily a war between Christians and nontheist, or between Christians and Jews, or even Christians and Muslims. A full 96% of the people who contact MRFF with complaints about the aggressive religious environment are Christians, including Catholics and Mainline Protestants. The above quote is an example of the war that is taking place by GCFC against traditional denominations and many other Christians who do not accept the charismatic beliefs of Ammerman and his chaplains. Ammerman, like the New Apostolic Reformation movement to which he belongs, is non-denominational, and claims to represent Christianity at large. But in reality, this is a sectarian war of religious supremacism against other Christians as well as against other religions.
In the area of conspiracy ideology, Ammerman's legacy is problematic. The Prophecy Club videos, particularly those of former military, are used to substantiate irrational anti-government conspiracy theories, such as FEMA concentration camps with rooms for gassing prisoners, train boxcars with shackles, and nuclear suitcase bombs planted by immigrants in American cities. Many rational and thoughtful Americans have legitimate concerns about the abuses of big banking interests and the problems associated with illegal immigration. Ammerman and others have provided simplistic answers and easy targets for difficult questions, and have used their military credentials to give their stories credibility. Ammerman still heads the CFGC, and it is still authorized as the endorsing agency for more than 270 Military Chaplains/Chaplain Candidates and 180 Civilian Chaplains/Seminarians, and this is an ongoing problem.
MRFF vs. Sectarian Supremacism and Anti-Government Conspiracists in the U.S. Chaplain Corp | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)
MRFF vs. Sectarian Supremacism and Anti-Government Conspiracists in the U.S. Chaplain Corp | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)
|
||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
print page
