An Open Rebuttal to Tim Wildmon's Response to His
Critics
Is the
American Family Association Purposely Promoting
Heresy?
American Family Association
I have read
your January 15, 2007 response to your critics
carefully and prayerfully, and offer the following
rebuttal for your consideration. This rebuttal
includes your response in its entirety, which has
been arranged in short paragraphs and bold
print. My rebuttal appears immediately after each
paragraph.
The truth behind an
accusation rests on the facts of the issue and
irrefutable documentation. If the accuser fails in
his or her attempt to state and document facts
correctly, then the accuser's motives should be
called into question and judged accordingly. The
same applies to the one being accused.
Instead of accepting something
carte blanche, Christians should investigate
what is being said, weigh the evidence carefully and
objectively, then rely on God's word for their final
authority. Truth will stand up to investigation.
It is important to note that
Christians are under the Scriptural command to test
all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1), guard
the flock (Acts 20:27-31); defend the faith (Jude
3); and expose the unfruitful works of darkness
(Ephesians 5:11-12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Once the
truth is revealed it is to be shared in love
(Ephesians 4:14-15).
With that in mind, you have
gone on record stating that you and AFA do
not endorse the Contemplative and Emerging Church
movements:
While your statements may sound valid to AFA's
supporters, Brannon Howse and his audience, and
those who are unaware of the issue, there is
another side to the issue you failed to address;
that being that Contemplative and Emerging
Church authors and books continue
to be promoted within AFA's Family Resource
Center.
Case in
point: As of this writing, there are at least
55 Contemplative Prayer
and Emerging Church authors within
AFA's Family Resource
Center. Add to this
the number of cultic, heretical, New Age, New
Apostolic Movement, and Word-Faith authors now
present within AFA's bookstore, and the number
would increase dramatically!
Concerning
your knowledge about Contemplative Prayer and
Emerging Church movements, Brannon Howse wrote the
following in a public e-mail over four months ago:
"Tim has spent hours
with me on the phone learning about the dangers
of the Emergent Church, learning about
Contemplative Prayer and other issues. Tim and I
host a radio program together on his 225
stations. Tim and I have done countless shows
against the Emergent Church, Greg Boyd,
Contemplative Prayer, Robert Schuller, Joel
Olsteen, Tony Compolo and others" (September 11,
2006, e-mail on file).
By the
way, along with the above-mentioned Contemplative
Prayer and Emerging Church authors, Greg Boyd,
Robert Schuller, Joel Osteen, and Tony Campolo
continue to be promoted within AFA's bookstore.
Another
case in point: On January 21, 2004, AFA's Buddy
Smith informed me that he had spoken to Don
Wildmon, and that Benny Hinn's books had been
removed from AFA's bookstore. Yet, as of this
writing, "41" of Hinn's "items"
continue to spoil the cyber-shelves of AFA's
bookstore.
Think
about it, Tim. Despite the irrefutable evidence,
Benny Hinn (the world's most
prolific false prophet and false teacher),
continues to be advertised and promoted within
AFA's online Christian bookstore. What kind of
message does this send to apologists,
cult-evangelists, and Benny Hinn's former
followers? Compromise? Double-standard? Hypocrisy?
More concern for money from sales than the
spiritual welfare of Christians? Disobedience to
the Lord?
Both AFA and AFR
Radio have been provided with the
Master List, of which
includes a lengthy category on the Contemplative
Prayer and Emerging Church movements. This was
done with the hope and prayer that AFA would use
the information to make positive changes, and
establish permanent safeguards to protect the
body of Christ.
Unfortunately, the
revolving door of non-Christian authors and
books continue to haunt AFA's bookstore. Thus,
AFA's
failure to monitor their own bookstores over the
years is not due to their lack of knowledge. AFA
has been informed over and over and over again,
to the point of saturation.
Consequently, if a
grading system existed for online Christian
bookstores, then CRS would grade AFA's Family
Resource Center an "F".
One of
the ironies of this issue is that Brannon
Howse has been provided with irrefutable
documentation and information on AFA's
bookstores on at least five different
occasions. He was reminded of that in my
September 13, 2006 letter, of which you
received a copy.
So, Tim,
the question is, When did AFA stop
endorsing the Contemplative Prayer and Emerging
Church movements, specifically within its online
Christian bookstore? The answer is simple,
They haven't!
Furthermore, you and Brannon Howse can write and
speak-out publicly against the Contemplative and
Emerging movements until you are
blue-in-the-face. But as long as these movements
are knowingly allowed to exist and incubate
within AFA's bookstore, according to God's word,
both you and Howse are double-minded:
For that man ought not
to expect that he will receive anything from the
Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all
his ways (James 1:7-8).
Continuing,
you stated that:
"'AFA has
an on-line bookstore that is computer generated and
run by an outside company that services other
Christian ministries as well. I have personally
asked this company to block the words ‘contemplative
prayer’ and ‘emerging church’ as subjects to search
on our bookstore. In addition, we have also blocked
certain authors'" (Ibid.).
AFA's "computer
generated" bookstore is no different than other
online bookstores, in that AFA's computers are
manned and programmed by human webmasters--all of
whom have the ability and capability to permanently
block and remove authors from AFA's bookstore
database.
For the record, on
numerous occasions I have suggested to AFA and AFA's
bookstore provider,
Innovative, Inc., that if they
remove and permanently block the author from their
databases, both the author and book will disappear.
I have also suggested
that AFA and Innovative, Inc. contact their
distributor, such as
Spring Arbor, and request that a
permanent block be placed on authors. It can be
done. I know, because I have communicated with
Spring Arbor and all of the major Christian
bookstore distributors.
Yes, AFA has removed
and blocked authors in the past, such as
homosexual and lesbian activists, and New Agers.
But in many cases the authors have returned. This
is due to the fact that AFA and Innovative, Inc.
have failed to monitor their bookstore databases
on an everyday basis.
This is precisely why
AFA's online bookstore suffers from an acute case
of A.R.D.S. (Author Revolving Door Syndrome).
Sadly, in the majority of cases, the only time
something is done about it is when Christians
voice their concerns.
While computer
technology plays a role in the presence of
non-Christian authors and books within the
online Christian bookstores, that same
technology can be used to prevent A.R.D.S.,
remove non-Christian authors permanently,
and stop the revolving door of deception in its
tracks.
Continuing, you
stated that:
"'Hundreds
of new books, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s are added
to the bookstore library every week so this is
a task to keep up with. However, the only
products people really buy from our on-line
bookstore are products promoted by American
Family Association or American Family Radio'"
(Ibid.).
Tim, everyone
agrees that operating an online Christian
bookstore is a tremendous responsibility. But
it is a responsibility that AFA has taken upon
itself. Whether AFA's bookstore consists of 10
or 10,000 books, AFA is responsible for the
materials they provide to their fellow
Christians, and those who are searching for a
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Indeed, an
online Christian bookstore can be either a
blessing or a curse. Therefore, if AFA's online
bookstore cannot be operated within the strict
guidelines of Scripture, then it is time to
protect the body of Christ and shut it down.
To lose everything for the sake of Jesus
Christ is to lose nothing and gain everything.
But whatever things
were gain to me, those things I have counted
as loss for the sake of Christ
(Philippians 3:7).
"'The
only people who come to our website looking
for books on contemplative prayer or the
emerging church--because AFA doesn’t promote
these movements-- are people who are trying
to see if they can find some ‘dirt’ on AFA
and then put out misleading reports on their
websites'" (Ibid.).
This broad-brush
accusation is simply ridiculous, untrue, and
another attempt from AFA to perform
damage-control on a problematic issue that
has existed for years. How obnoxious
your statement must be to AFA's
bookstore customers, as well as those who
speak-up and warn against these movements.
While you may have won some tee-hee-hee's and
points from your supporters, when people
read that "AFA doesn't promote" the
Contemplative Prayer and Emerging
Church--then go to AFA's online bookstore
and see the Contemplative and Emerging
authors and books--you may be playing a
different tune on your damage control
violin.
I am not aware of
any Christian researcher who is out to find
"dirt" on AFA. Needless to say, if "dirt"
doesn't exist then "dirt" will not be found.
Simply remove the "dirt" so Christians won't
find it, even by accident, as I did with the
homosexual and lesbian authors (see this
Press Release and
Contact Alert
and
Praise Report ).
And speaking of
"misleading reports" on websites, since you
failed to elaborate and name the guilty
parties, please show me one "misleading"
report on my website. And while you are at
it, please show me where I and my colleagues
have purposely fabricated, lied, or
misled our fellow Christians.
Regardless of
whether AFA will ever admit it or not,
simply carrying Contemplative and Emerging
authors and books within AFA's online
Christian bookstore is
promoting it. And, since AFA believes in
holding people and companies accountable,
please don't get upset when Christians hold
AFA accountable.
"We believe in holding accountable the
companies which sponsor programs attacking
traditional family values. We also believe
in commending those companies which act
responsibly regarding programs they
support" ("Who
is AFA?").
Continuing, you stated that:
"'Some of this false
reporting that AFA was
supporting contemplative
prayer came as a result of an
article promoting a
contemplative prayer book that
mistakenly ran on Agape Press,
a news agency owned by AFA, in
the fall of 2006. This was one
article that appeared for only
a few hours which I personally
had removed once I learned of
it from a phone call from
Worldview Weekend president
Brannon Howse who has done as
much as anyone to sound the
alarm on the dangers of these
New Age practices that are
becoming more mainstream in
today’s churches'" (Ibid.).
Tim, it
is interesting that you
"personally" removed a
book supporting Contemplative
Prayer from Agape Press, then
issued the following
retraction:
"'On August 28, 2006,
AgapePress, a news
division of American Family
Association, carried a
positive review of the book
Sacred Listening. The
author of the book is James
L. Wakefield. The person who
reviewed the book is a
contributing writer and not
a staff person of AFA or
AgapePress. AFA and
AgapePress have received
a number of e-mails from
AgapePress readers and
AFA supporters who believe
this book promotes New Age
practices and teachings.
AgapePress and AFA
regret running this review
-- and, while AFA works with
many religious groups on
matters of public policy, it
maintains a traditional
evangelical position with
respect to theology and
Christian doctrine'" (Agape
Press, August 28, 2006,
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/282006e.asp ).
Again, in
his letter of September 11,
2006, Brannon Howse stated:
"When the article went out
last week from Agape Press
endorsing a book that was on
Contemplative Prayer, I
called Tim at his home at
10:30pm. Tim did not know
this had happen. The next
morning Tim pulled the
article and posted a
retraction. Tim called an
emergency staff meeting with
100 employees to explain why
this was wrong and to set up
a system that would keep
this from happening again."
You see, Tim, by your own
admission, it
is
possible to remove
materials that promote
false teachings. It is
also possible to "set up a
system" with your AFA
staff to prevent
non-Christian materials
from entering the public
arena, whether in the form
of articles, or authors
and books within AFA's
bookstore.
It is
also interesting that Howse cited your
"emergency staff meeting
with 100 employees." As a
suggestion, why not do the
same with Innovative, Inc.
and Spring Arbor
Distributors, and "set up a
system" within AFA's
bookstore that would protect
the spiritual welfare of
your customers?
"'In addition, Brannon
and I co-host a radio program
each week on AFR called
Christian Worldview this Week
and we have had many guests
and authorities who have
exposed what both
contemplative prayer and the
emerging church are all about.
AFA also sponsors the
Worldview Weekend conferences
that educate attendees about
these problems and AFR News
has reported many times about
them.'"
Tim,
you and Brannon Howse
can use whatever public
format you choose to
interview all of the guests
and authorities in the
world on the dangers of
Contemplative Prayer and
Emerging Church. It may
sound good and sincere, but
as long as there are
non-Christian skeletons in
AFA's bookstore closet, the
problems will continue,
and compromise and hypocrisy
will reign.
Even
Brannon Howse admitted that
there are problems with
AFA's online bookstore:
"AFA does have a bookstore
that contains some really
bad books. This bookstore
is run by a third
party...Thus, this online
store is full of junk.
However, Tim agreed last
week to block books and
even entire authors if I
and Ingrid
[Schlueter] would give him
a list. Many of these have
already been blocked" (Ibid.,
September 11, 2006, e-mail
on file).
Both
Brannon Howse and Ingrid
Schlueter have been informed
about the research on AFA's
bookstore and
the Master List. Therefore,
Tim, the logical question to
you and AFA is: If you
do not "endorse" or
"promote" the Contemplative
and Emerging movements as
you claim, why do you
continue to advertise and
promote Contemplative and
Emerging authors and books
within your own Family
Resource Center?
For example, if a
Christian truly believes
that beer and whiskey
destroys lives and families,
then why offer-for-sale a
tee-shirt that endorses or
promotes booze on a
Christian website?
Being uninformed is one
thing. But to knowingly
carry non-Christian
authors and materials
within a Christian
bookstore--after being
informed--is
purposely promoting
deception and endangering
the spiritual welfare of
Christians.
Woe to the world because
of its stumbling blocks! For
it is inevitable that
stumbling blocks come; but
woe to that man through whom
the stumbling block comes!
(Matthew 18:7).
Do not be
deceived, God is not
mocked; for whatever a man
sows, this he will also
reap (Galatians 6:7).
In conclusion,
"The
American
Family
Association
believes that
God has
communicated
absolute truth
to man through
the Bible, and
that all men
everywhere at
all times are
subject to the
authority of
God's Word" (AFA's
"Philosophical
Statement").
Tim, if you
and AFA really
believe the
above
statement,
then I
strongly
encourage you
to submit
yourselves to
the authority
of God's word,
heed the
commands of
Scripture,
repent, and
make immediate
changes in
AFA's online
bookstore.
Therefore,
to one who
knows the
right thing
to do and
does not do
it, to him
it is sin
(James
4:17).
Thank you,
Tim. I look
forward to
your reply
regarding this
important
issue.
Christian
Research
Service
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