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1..Church buys University land for a song 2..Latest On Frank Houston 3..insight -- profit for prophets 4..Pope John Paul II on Mary Church buys University land for a songBy MURRAY HUBBARDA GOLD Coast valuer says a prime lakefront block of land sold by Bond University to a fundamentalist Christian church for $310,000 was worth in the vicinity of $4.2 million. Bond University sold off the 1.76 ha block of land at Bermuda Street Robina to Rhema Group Pty Ltd in April 2002, after a contract was negotiated in early 2001. It was a small price to pay for the dirt on which to place a reported $67 million, eight storey, residential tower proposed to be called Bond Uni Students’ Towers, that will incorporate student accommodation and Rhema Bible Church. High profile Gold Coast valuer Iain Herriott says an investigation of the land by his company estimated its true market value at between $4.2 million and $4.4 million. However Bond University says the land was valued at $283,000."The fact is that 85 per cent of the land is underwater and there are significant obstacles to overcome before it could be built on," said a university spokesman. "They will have to build over the lake and use pylons that go at least 30 metres into the ground,” he said. "While there is 1.76 ha involved, most of it is underwater and worthless." The purchase has put the spotlight on the fundamentalist Christian church, Rhema Bible Church Australia Pty Ltd and an associated string of development companies. Currently the church and its development arms has millions of dollars worth of projects on the boil in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, following on a list of completed developments, started soon after the church moved its headquarters to the Gold Coast from Perth in 1996. Rhema Developments Pty Ltd is now a large Coast developer. In dollar terms the development arm of Rhema now dwarfs its core business, the Rhema Bible Church, a bible training school. The church, and the various development companies, are headed by Pastor Michael Moorhead, formerly from Kansas City and his son Matthew. Pastor Moorhead lives in a $1.4 million penthouse at the Inlet Apartments at trendy Main Beach and drives a black BMW. He purchased the penthouse for $715,000 in 1998 and sold it to one of his companies for $1.4 million in September 2001. In 1979 Mr Moorhead graduated from the Rhema Bible Training Centre in Tulsa Oklahoma and 'sensed the call of God to Australia'. With wife Randa he moved to Perth and later relocated the Rhema Bible Training Centre to the Gold Coast, where it is now based at Bond University Commercial Centre, sharing headquarters with the various Rhema Developments companies. The Rhema church is affiliated with the tongues-speaking Kenneth Hagin movement, best known for its involvement in the 'Toronto Blessing' or Toronto Fall, where worshippers collapse, dance, laugh or scream after being anointed. Opponents claim the 'blessing' is fraudulent with nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. But it is the church's interpretation of the Bible and attitude to prosperity that has aroused the greatest interest. That public interest peaked on June 1 last year when a cargo aircraft crashed in South Africa killing disgraced former cricket captain, Hansie Cronje. Cronje admitted accepting more than US $130,000 over four years from Indian bookmakers attempting to influence the outcome of cricket matches. While Cronje's epitaph for most people will read 'self confessed cheat' the reality was, according to his allies, that he had an 'unfortunate love for money’. Cronje told the commission into the bribery allegations that he had 'tried to live a Christian life and walk the way the Lord wanted me to walk… I allowed Satan and the world to dictate terms to me'. He had become closely aligned with the Pentecostal Rhema Fellowship Church in South Africa. The Rhema church believes strongly in miracles and success as expressions of God in what critics call a 'greed is good' religion. With this background of 'success theology' Cronje believed he was underpaid as a cricketer and saw a chance to supplement his income with bribes, as clear evidence of God’s favour. Ray McCauley, Hansie Cronje's South African mentor, often swaps his pulpit for one in Australia, that of Pastor Brian Houston of Hills Christian Centre. Houston wrote a book titled You Need More Money and urges Christians to become money magnets and encourages them to aspire to live in the best streets and in the best suburbs of Australia. Cronje chose to confess his sins to McCauley before his cricket board chief, Dr Ali Bacher, who he had earlier convinced that he had done nothing wrong. Rhema's list of Gold Coast and Brisbane developments is impressive. Completed projects include La Casas, Chateau Jardin, Beaches on Wave Street, 140 house and land packages at Belmont Crest and Varsity Manor. Current projects include Peppertree Place, Northview Residences and Forest Mews while the future holds Mapleton Terraces, Gainsborough Greens Country Club and 140 units at Varsity Waters The Rhema Church operates under a number company names in Australia including Rhema Australia Ltd, Rhema Bible Church Australia Pty Ltd, while the business arms include Rhema Developments Pty Ltd, Rhema Property Services Pty Ltd, Rhema CMD Pty Ltd, Rhema Property Holdings Pty Ltd. In addition Mr Moorhead is also a director of Romanza Property Pty Ltd, Romanza Property Group Pty Ltd, Veranda Pty Ltd, Veranda Homes Pty Ltd, Veranda Property Group Pty Ltd. Mr Moorhead was overseas and unavailable for comment. Source: Gold Coast Sun, Wednesday, January 15, 2003- Page 17 LATEST ON FRANK HOUSTON & ALLEGATION OF PAEDOPHILIAI am very pleased to be able to report that I have reached a settlement with AOGNZ and the Lower Hutt AOG. The terms of the settlement are confidential to the parties and the only public comment I can make is the following statement:"Peter Fowler and the Assemblies of God in NZ and the Assembly of God Lower Hutt Church have confidentially in a Christian spirit resolved all differences between them relating to the alleged abuse of Peter Fowler by Frank Houston" You will note that no settlement has been reached with Frank Houston or his representatives and I am still free to pursue proceedings against Houston. So far, Houston and his representatives have continued to refuse to meet or engage in any dialogue with me. Thank you so much for your assistance in helping me to reach this point. Had it not been for your initial support and understanding I may not have been able to achieve any form of settlement, closure or healing. I remain deeply grateful and I wish you well in all your future endeavours. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you and any other victims who may contact you. With best wishes Peter Fowler. It is very sad that men have to be dragged screaming all the way before they will even grant a hearing to an aggrieved party. That speaks volumes. The Roman Catholic and the Anglican Churches will at least immediately grant a sympathetic hearing to those who allege abuse. Assemblies of God it seems won’t even do that without a great deal of resistance. In the case of AoG-NZ it would appear that it was only after Kem Price replaced Wayne Hughes as General Superintendent that things changed. We understand that once Kem Price took over responsibility for handling the case in December 2002, he promptly commenced a thorough investigation of all allegations made by Peter Fowler and maintained communication with him throughout the process. The investigation included meetings in Australia between members of the AOGNZ Executive and Houston and his representatives. Following those meetings, Price arranged the first meeting with Fowler in March of 2003. This meeting resulted in a further unsuccessful attempt by AOGNZ to involve Houston and his representatives in the process and the eventual settlement between the parties mentioned in the above email. We understand that AOGNZ have agreed that Peter’s story was accurate and we understand that they have done their best to try to persuade the Houstons to meet with Fowler. Paedophilia is a serious crime in both New Zealand and Australia. The fact that AOG Australia disciplined Frank Houston in 1999/ 2000 for unrelated “serious sexual offences” and that AOG-NZ participated in the discipline implicates both denominations. If a prima facie case of guilt were established one would think that both AOG-NZ and AOG-OZ would have a responsibility in law to refer the matter for criminal investigation. insight -- profit for prophetsProfit for Prophets – Link:http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/index.php3?archAs many Christian churches struggle to get people through the doors on Sundays, one church is thriving. Hillsong is the country’s fastest growing congregation. It, like many Charismatic churches, attracts thousands every weekend with an energetic brand of religion known as ‘prosperity preaching’. But it also has a growing army of opponents concerned at what they see as an ungodly emphasis on money and materialism. Lara Cole reports. Profit for Prophets 25:47 secs REPORTER: Lara ColeThe mood is upbeat, the music pumping. The crowd, mainly young and well dressed. This is church, Hillsong-style.REVEREND DAVID MILLIKAN, UNITING CHURCH MINISTER: You go to a charismatic church and the place is jumping, it’s alive, so in that sense, they are offering something really positive to the Australian Christian scene. Hillsong is the country’s fastest growing Christian church. It operates two major worship centres, one in Sydney’s north-western suburbs, the other in the inner city, with affiliated branches throughout the country. Each weekend, Hillsong attracts thousands through its doors. But it hasn’t yet achieved its ultimate goal, detailed on the Hillsong website. “The church that I see is a church of influence – a church so large in size that the city and nation cannot ignore it.” Hillsong is broadcast in over 100 countries around the world but while the church wants influence, it doesn’t like media attention. Despite numerous approaches, the church refused to be involved in this story, forcing our cameras to stay outside. The reason could be the growing number of Christians who disapprove of what it does. CHERILYN EVANS: Hillsong takes the approach that they need to market Christ and people like myself find that really offensive. REVEREND DAVID MILLIKAN: I mean, in this astonishing sort of way, they’ve actually turned the teaching of Jesus on its head – all that stuff about the ambiguity of wealth which Jesus talked about. Jesus wasn’t against wealth in itself, but he kept warning people about the seductions of wealth. BRIAN HOUSTON, CHURCH HEAD: The scripture teaches me I was saved and called according to his good purpose and grace. Hillsong describes itself as “contemporary and relevant” but there are people both within Christian circles and in the secular world who dislike its strong emphasis on money. BRIAN HOUSTON: Have you got a sense of direction in terms of your career? Have you got a sense of direction in terms of your finances? Have you got a sense of direction in terms of your Christian service? The critics call this “prosperity preaching” or “prosperity gospel”. STEVE BRADBURY, DIRECTOR, TEAR AUSTRALIA: The teaching that I get sort of concerned about is that prosperity teaching which says, “God wants every person to be wealthy and rich.” BRIAN HOUSTON: Taking responsibility, taking accountability is KEY to you having an INCREDIBLE year. And Hillsong may find the term “prosperity preaching” offensive. BRIAN HOUSTON: Do you really know where you’re going? Brian and Bobbie Houston, the husband and wife team who head up the church, believe their message is bigger than that, but even so, inside their multimillion-dollar complex, credit card slips are left on chairs. The congregation is encouraged to pray to help sell their homes, pay off their loans or find better jobs. This is an example from the Hillsong website: “Two weeks ago, I asked for financial assistance for my mum who was struggling. Yesterday, she was offered a car, a job and a house to live in – praise God.” In the foyer, shelves are filled with Brian and Bobbie Houston’s tapes and publications. Titles include ‘You Need More Money’ and ‘Employed, Prosperous and Happy’. Success, in particular financial success, is the Word of God, according to Hillsong, and as proof, they turn to the Bible: “For then you will make your way prosperous.” “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse and all the nations will call you blessed.” “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” CHERILYN EVANS: We’re just a little voice against this most powerful… This focus on prosperity preaching has turned Cherilyn Evans into one of Hillsong’s most outspoken critics. She feels her religion has been hijacked. CHERILYN EVANS: When I first went there I thought it was a really nice church, it was a good church. Brian Houston was the second in charge there. His father, Frank Houston, was in charge and everyone referred to him as “the bishop”. PREACHER: You have a POWERFUL future if you build your life on the foundation and that foundation has gotta be God. Cherilyn was in her 20s when she started going to the forerunner of Hillsong. It’d been set up by Frank Houston, Brian Houston’s father, in the late 1970s. In those days, it a very different operation – run out of rented premises in these streets behind Sydney’s busy nightclub district. But as time went on, Cherilyn says the need for money became more apparent. CHERILYN EVANS: I remember Frank was really worried and if you had to go and get a pen from the stationery closet, they were worried, because they didn’t have the money to support the church. In 1983, Brian Houston saw the opportunity to move into Sydney’s expanding north-western suburbs. He set up his own church at Baulkham Hills. Both Brian and his father Frank’s churches would become Hillsong. Cherilyn says this was when the message from the pulpit started to change. CHERILYN EVANS: I think it was Brian who had heard of a minister in America, an evangelist, who came out specifically to show the church how to raise money and I know that my friends were very uneasy about this. BRIAN HOUSTON: God said, “I want to do great things through you.” CHERILYN EVANS: And he ran a program over a couple of weeks and he taught the leaders how to extract funds from the congregation. This went from the little kids in Sunday school – and I had a child in Sunday school at the time – right up to the adults. BRIAN HOUSTON: If you wanna have a great year this year, you have to have a confidence in who you are. CHERILYN EVANS: Now the way they did that was that they planted a vision. They said, “This is the vision for the church. You want to be a part of that vision and so this is what we’re going to need from you.” We had never had offering sermons, we had never had this kind of manipulation. BRIAN HOUSTON: And the gates of Hell will not prevail… With lessons learned, prosperity preaching began. BRIAN HOUSTON: Friends, when God gives you the keys of the kingdom, it means that he gives you the keys to see the kingdom’s answers working in your life. So you have the keys of blessing, the keys of freedom, the keys of healing, the keys of peace, the keys of victory, the keys of open doors, the keys of…of… of overcoming. Hillsong the largest and most influential church of its kind in Australia. It dominates the Assemblies of God denomination. The group has grown aggressively in the last 15 years – in stark contrast to traditional Christian churches. At Hillsong, up to 14,000 flock to services every weekend. One of them is 22-year-old Ben Field. BEN FIELD, MEMBER OF HILLSONG: I take the church as being my relationship with God and if this is where God wants me to be and this is where I’m being fed through his Word, then that’s where I’ll be. I think all those little things – it’s not my personality to, sort of, think beyond that. For me, it’s quite simple. For some people, not so much and they might dig in but personally for myself, it’s quite simple. For Ben, Hillsong complements his life. He’s a successful assistant director on ‘Home and Away’ and engaged to one of the show’s stars. Ben is sincerely committed to his faith. BEN FIELD: Church is people, mainly, and it’s not the building. It’s people getting together and worshipping God. Whichever style of service that you like, I suppose, relates to you, you’ll choose a church that fits. So what do you think the first time you went along to the services? BEN FIELD: I loved it. I thought it was great and I thought it was good that people were actually jumping around and having fun and being joyous about their belief and about their faith. But for others, Hillsong is far from joyous. It expects its followers to fit its formula. Along with success, they’re encouraged to be slim, attractive and well dressed – topics taught in courses run by Bobbie Houston, wife of the church’s founder. For three years, Brett Biggs faithfully followed the gospel of prosperity. BRETT BIGGS: And on the surface, everything was all, you know, true, correct and what, everything, but it never seemed to pan out exactly how they’d say it would and when it actually came to the crunch and you actually look at what’s being said versus what might be in the Bible, the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Brett turned to a new pastor, Philip Powell. And as it turned out, he too had fled the prosperity preaching juggernaut. PHILIP POWELL, CHRISTIAN WITNESS MINISTRIES: “And because of them the way of truth will be maligned, will be spoken against.” Pastor Philip Powell sees himself as a Christian watchdog. He ministers to those disillusioned and damaged by prosperity preaching. PHILIP POWELL: I felt that there was a tendency to take the movement in the wrong direction. Particularly with people coming from overseas, notably from America. I believe that some of their messages were not correct - were not true, were not biblical – were not based on honesty and integrity, so I could see the tendency to go down that track. DAVID MILLIKAN: Some people fall away because the charismatic movement doesn’t deal with the nature of melancholy. I think being a believer in this world is in many ways a melancholy experience and the charismatic movement does not allow for melancholy. It allows only for victory and joy and happiness and success and prosperity. Now, that is an artificial state. You can’t keep that going. Currently gathering dust in Canberra is a recommendation for legislation against psychological harm inflicted by religious groups. Canberra academic and church critic Max Wallace wants to see such laws brought in. MAX WALLACE, CHURCH COMMENTATOR: I believe that there should be some legislation, some comeback, so that if people come out of these groups in a devastated state, they should be able to take legal action. For example, in the United States, there’s tort legislation called the Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress where you can sue in civil courts for financial damage that’s been done to you. Philip Powell’s own religious beliefs are steeped in the evangelical Pentecostal tradition. After 16 years as a pastor in Manchester, the family moved to Australia in 1978. Here, Philip was pastor at churches in country Victoria and NSW. In 1989, he became general secretary of the Assemblies of God churches in Australia. PHILIP POWELL: I started to become ashamed of the Gospel that was being proclaimed in respect of, you know, position, prestige and personal finance and all that sort of thing. So I endeavoured, I suppose, to bring that out into the open, particularly as I was editor of the ‘Australian Evangel’, by way of discussion and establish a platform for discussion. But it was quite clear that my colleagues didn’t want that and, of course, I was in a minority and so ultimately that led to my resignation and I walked away from my position. There was little compassion for this preacher who opposed Hillsong. Because of his opposition to prosperity preaching, Pastor Philip Powell lost the lot. He can no longer minister within the Assemblies of God and he’s alienated from many of his former colleagues. Hillsong’s leader, Brian Houston, publicly called him a ‘pitiful man’. PHILIP POWELL: I’m disappointed, but I’m not angry. In fact, I’m grateful to the Lord for what happened because I believe he showed me certain things and took me out of it. As a counter to Hillsong, he set up his own church, called the Christian Witness Ministers. From his home in Brisbane, Philip Powell devotes himself to exposing prosperity preaching wherever he finds it. PHILIP POWELL: Um, I heard of a church where they’ll take up as many as three offerings and the pastor will sometimes count the offering after it’s come in and say to the congregation, “We haven’t got enough, we need some more.” Now I am told that his pastoral staff, a lot of them drive around in very expensive sports cars, so, of course, they need money to maintain that. Well it comes back to this… At prayer meetings like this, pastor Philip Powell prays for honesty and integrity to be restored. He offers special prayers for Brian Houston and Hillsong. PHILIP POWELL: Brian Houston says that what he teaches in his book are biblical principles of how to become wealthy. They’re not really. I mean, he gets several things mixed up. He mixes the ‘Old Testament’ up with the ‘New Testament’. He mixes the old covenant up with the new covenant and he mixes commercial principles up with biblical principles with respect to the kingdom of God. BILL RANDLES, US EVANGELIST: It would do no good to talk about positive confession and all this sort of stuff. Money preaching. At the root of it all of it is false view of God. While prosperity preaching came from America, so do its critics. BILL RANDLES: It’s a seduction, they tell you what want to hear. They flatter you and tell you that, you know, the secret, the lean company with the secret knowledge. Bill Randles’ sermons sound like the fire and brimstone of America’s bible belt. BILL RANDLES: Who really owns God? Who really does know God and what does it mean to know God? But Bill is no prosperity preacher. He’s written three books criticising it and now travels the world spreading his message. BILL RANDLES: God is light. In Sydney, he attacked Hillsong and it’s book ‘Kingdom Women Love Sex’. BILL RANDLES: What would it be in people that would draw them to the Houstons’ with their message of prosperity and sexuality and all of that, what’s in us? There’s a book out called ‘Kingdom Women Love Sex’. I mean, try to picture Jesus and the apostles promoting anything like that, you know. This is, even by worldly standards, this is crass, this is no tag, no taste. It’s not of God. I’m here to call you back to the old thing. Pastor Randles knows what he’s talking about. He used to be a follower of prosperity preaching. BILL RANDLES: There was a pivotal point where I was at a pastors’ conference and which a man drove in with a vanity licence plate that said “I am a god” with a little ‘g’ and when I saw that licence plate, it forced me to re-examine everything I believed. I had to go back to the beginning. It was a very painful experience and it took about five years. WOMAN: I’m tired of wallowin’ in sin and being defeated. These people believe they’ve been touched by God. This is the Toronto blessing. And for Cherilyn Evans, it was her pivotal point, her road to Damascus. CHERILYN EVANS: I went to a service one night and I saw a man called Tim Hall, an evangelist, who was pushing everyone over. And so I just again, got my daughter and walked out and I said, “Look, I’m not going to go back while that’s going on. I don’t believe that’s right. There’s no precedent for it in the Bible.” PREACHER: This place shall be crowded with people who shall seek after God… After becoming disillusioned with these outlandish displays, Cherilyn went back to her family church in Sydney’s southern suburbs, but even there, things began to change. PREACHER: It will be a nation church that will be known from one end of the earth to the other. A new preacher was installed by Frank Houston at the church. MICHAEL MURPHY, PREACHER: Summary presentation of some of the prophetic words of God to Shire Christian Centre. Michael Murphy had done his apprenticeship at Hillsong. Under his stewardship, the church adopted a Hillsong look. CHERILYN EVANS: What I left in the city and went back to my home church to avoid is now what is in place in that home church. There is no option. If you do not go along with Hillsong, you do not have an option. Cherilyn did have one option available to her and that was to leave. CHERILYN EVANS: We tried at the time. Hundreds of people went to Mike Murphy and said, “We don’t agree with what’s going on in this church and we do not believe in this prosperity preaching. We do not believe in this gospel.” Cherilyn intends to keep up her campaign. CHERILYN EVANS: They can preach their message from their own church, they can tell people what colours to wear and how to make a lot of money, and I won’t like it and I’ll talk about it amongst my friends about it. But when they take over my church, then I have to speak out. PHILIP POWELL: Largely speaking, I think they try to ignore us but occasionally we do prompt a response. While Hillsong generally ignores its critics, other opinion leaders are taking notice. In the week following the tragic Bali bombing in October last year, PM John Howard took time out of his busy schedule to open Hillsong’s new $25 million complex. BRIAN HOUSTON: I know our PM is amongst friends tonight. You know, isn’t it incredible, in the middle of such a big week that he’d take the time out to come to Hillsong Church and open our building. So give our PM a big warm welcome as he comes to share with us. Wonderful. JOHN HOWARD, PM: a bit friendlier than Parliament. You started with 45, I’m told. 45 – I don’t believe it. I cannot believe there were only ever 45 in this congregation. You’ve gone from 45 at your first service in 1983 to a congregation of over 14,000. I’ve gotta tell you that I don’t think there’s any side of Australian politics that could do a branch stack as good as that. DAVID MILLIKAN: Mainstream Christianity is a restless member and has a restless and somewhat troubled relationship with government. It always has and it always should. But Hillsong tends to sit much more passively within that relationship because in a sense, they support the principles of a free market operation. And they can certainly put their hands on a lot more money than any bishop can in Australia. So sooner or later that is going to work out in terms of their increased influence in the decision-making bodies within Australia. PREACHER: Therefore we dedicate every investment of time, of finance, of energy. God also seems to be helping their church leaders live a very desirable lifestyle. CHERILYN EVANS:They have become superstars, they have become unapproachable. DAVID MILLIKAN: It is fundamental to the image of charismatic leaders that they themselves show the benefits of this teaching. So they tend to live lavish and exuberant and prosperous lifestyles. Max Wallace is writing a book on tax exemptions enjoyed by Australian churches. He believes this tax-free status allows new corporate churches to become incredibly wealthy. And he says these financial benefits accrue whether they’re engaged in charity work or not. MAX WALLACE, CHURCH COMMENTATOR: It is often the case that these small groups do do some charitable work. But I know of some groups that have been in existence in Australia for quite some period of time and that have memberships of around 70,000 to 80,000 people and have no charitable organisations at all. Any donations they receive, any income they generate, is all tax exempt and there is no reason why their wealth won’t increase exponentially into the future. And my view is that if Australian taxpayers are giving them this privilege, they should put something back into the community. Like so many other Christian churches, Hillsong has had its share of scandals. BRIAN HOUSTON:: I’ve faced challenges and have had to face challenges over the last several years. Brian Houston expelled his father, Frank, after Frank Houston confessed to paedophilia. The offences took place while Frank Houston was a minister in New Zealand. But in the long run, the challenge Hillsong faces is to defend its get rich doctrine as it’s that which will cause the deepest chasm within mainstream Christianity. DAVID MILLIKAN: If they have something of significance for the future of Christianity, instead of hiving off and going about their business building their empires, they should begin to argue the case and persuade us recalcitrant critics in the mainstream denominations and do the hard work, do the hard theological work, do the hard intellectual work. At the moment that’s not happening. BRIAN HOUSTON: And you have the great privilege tonight to be the first of a multitude of people that are going to be baptised in this water in Jesus name. But for every person disillusioned by what they find at Hillsong, there are plenty more prepared to take the plunge. BRIAN HOUSTON: Amen! Yes! Who’s next? Where’s the next one? Pope John Paul II on Mary—Dan Corner—[All book quotes are from the volume entitled, Theotókos, published by Pauline Books & Media, and copyrighted in 2000. All bold emphasis in quotes is my own. Duplication of this article is permitted and encouraged but only in its entirety and without additions, omissions or alterations of any kind.]Certainly, one sure way to know the official position of Roman Catholicism on Mary, besides going to Vatican Council II and The Cathecism of the Catholic Church, is to go to the pope himself. Such can be easily done by examining the book entitled, Theotókos. This book is comprised of seventy general audience talks on Mary which were delivered by the Pope himself from September 1995 to November 1997 (p. 11). Hence, these are up to date and given by their supreme teaching authority. While Catholicism claims the pope speaks infallibly at times, it still declares him (even when he isn’t speaking infallibly) to be the supreme pastor and teacher of the faithful, as we would anticipate. The following papal quotes will be accepted, without question, by many trusting Catholics. To them this is the absolute truth about Mary. But how do his teachings compare with the Biblical record? Did Mary Take Part in the Sacrifice at Calvary? Pope John Paul II would have us all believe the following: When the Son began his mission, Mary remained in Nazareth, even though this separation did not exclude significant contacts such as the one at Cana. Above all, it did not prevent her from taking part in the sacrifice of Calvary (pp. 18,19). Just as Eve caused death, so Mary, with her "yes," became "a cause of salvation" for herself and for all mankind (p. 26). Mary is queen not only because she is Mother of God, but also because, associated as the New Eve with the New Adam, she cooperated in the work of the redemption of the human race (p. 210). On Calvary, Mary united herself to the sacrifice of her Son and made her own maternal contribution to the work of salvation, which took the form of labor pains, the birth of the new humanity (p. 234). In contrast to the Catholic teaching that Mary had a role in the sacrifice of Calvary, we read in Scripture that it was only by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross itself that redemption for mankind was purchased. His blood alone, with no mention of Mary’s so-called contribution, brought about salvation: He [Jesus] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. (Heb 9:12) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Pet 1:18,19) For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Col 1:19,20) As clear as all of that is, the Scriptures add to that by stating that blood must be shed to bring about forgiveness of sin. No mention of non-bloody sufferings, such as what Mary experienced, can do that: In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb 9:22) As kind and as loving as it can be stated, there is not even a single inference to Mary in these Scriptures or anywhere else in the entire Bible, which would even by implication suggest that Mary co-operated with Jesus’ blood sacrifice to bring about anyone’s salvation. To teach otherwise is to downplay Jesus’ incomprehensible blood sacrifice for our salvation and strip glory from Him. Remember, the Bible is to be Christian’s sole source for teaching and correction (2 Tim. 3:16,17). But If Mary Didn’t Give Jesus Birth, Then He Couldn’t Have Died for Mankind’s Salvation, Right? I remember witnessing to a Roman Catholic who told me, but if Mary didn’t give Jesus birth, then He couldn’t have died for mankind’s salvation. My response was and without the Roman soldier that actually nailed Jesus to the cross He couldn’t have died for mankind’s salvation either. So does this mean we must include the Roman soldier too, whoever he was, in the plan of redemption? The obvious answer in no. Besides that it could be added that if Judas hadn’t betrayed Jesus into the hands of sinful men, He wouldn’t have been crucified for our sins either. Dear reader, it is only by the precious blood of Jesus shed on the cross that mankind can have salvation, according to the New Testament writers. He alone is the Savior and has the name in which salvation is found: He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11,12) Is Mary Sovereign? Sometimes in his seventy general audience talks on Mary, Pope John Paul II has quoted other authoritative sources, such as Catholic saints and past popes. In doing so in a favorable way, he is personally endorsing their statements. Hence, Pope John Paul II has gone on record teaching that Mary is sovereign, as well as stating other Catholic authorities also believed this in the past: The text passes spontaneously from the expression “the Mother of my Lord” to the title, “my Lady,” anticipating what St. John Damascene was later to say. He attributed to Mary the title of “Sovereign” .... (p. 209) In his Encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam to which the text of Lumen Gentium refers, my venerable Predecessor Pius XII indicates Mary’s cooperation in the work of redemption, in addition to her motherhood, as the basis for her queenship. The encyclical recalls the liturgical text: “There was St. Mary, Queen of Heaven and sovereign of the world ...” (p . 210). John Paul II, and other Catholic authorities, have chosen to use the word sovereign for Mary. This same word is used in the New International Version of the Bible over 300 times and only attributed to almighty God. One might conclude from this that at least some Catholic authorities believe the same about Mary that Bible believers think about God. (May that not be true.) Is Mary All-Knowing and Everywhere Present? Some of the unique attributes that only God has are His Omniscience (all-knowing) and Omnipresence (everywhere present). But in his teachings, the pope has made the following statements that could lead one to think that Mary also has these attributes: Thus, far from creating distance between her and us, Mary’s glorious state brings about a continuous and caring closeness. She knows everything that happens in our life and supports us with maternal love in life’s trials (p. 211). Question: How could Mary, or any creature, know everything that happens in the lives of a billion Catholics at the same time? It is impossible unless one wrongly believes such a creature is omniscience like God. The Pope went on to teach: One can conclude that the assumption favors Mary’s full communion not only with Christ, but with each one of us. She is beside us, because her glorious state enables her to follow us in our daily earthly journey (p. 211). What the pope taught about Mary is what we are told in the Scriptures about the Lord Jesus: ... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Mat 28:20) Is Mary or God our Refuge? The pope also believes Mary is our refuge. From earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful took refuge in all their dangers and necessities (p. 245). In contrast to Catholicism, please note the following Scripture: But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. (Psa 5:11) Again, we see Catholics being taught something about Mary, which only belongs to God. How different the pope’s message is from the inspired message of the Bible, which states repeatedly that God is our refuge. Dear reader, please take several minutes and look up the following Scriptures for yourself: 2 Sam. 22:3, 31; Psa. 2:12; 7:1; 9:9; 11:1; 14:6; 16:1; etc. They, and many others, conflict with the pope’s teaching on Mary. Which will you accept as truth? The pope went on to teach: By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix and Mediatrix (p. 238). The pope would also have us believe Mary will care for each of us until we finally get to heaven. Such not only overly exalts Mary it would also remove all free will and personal responsibility for the follower of Christ, since Mary has the responsibility to get us into heaven and care for us here in this life: Through her closeness to the events of our daily history, Mary sustains us in trials. She encourages us in difficulty, always pointing out to us the goal of eternal salvation (p. 55). ... Christians look with trust to Mary ... (p. 211). Mary is our Eternal Security? Though the Catholic church correctly rejects the teaching of eternal security, the following quote might lead one to believe otherwise: As a mother, Mary defends her children and protects them from the harm caused by their own sins (p. 238). The Bible reiterates over and over again that sin will bring forth spiritual death, even for a righteous person (or Christian). See Gen. 2:17; Ezek. 18:24; 33:13,18; Lk. 15:24,32; Rom. 8:13; James 1:14-16; 5:19,20; etc. (Sadly, however, there are many non-Catholics, especially Baptists and Calvinists, that will deny this Bible fact, which has led to a spread of wickedness and evil.) But now, from the above papal quote a Catholic could get the wrong impression that Mary will somehow protect a Catholic from sin’s harm. Again, dear reader, this papal message is not only not found anywhere in the Bible, it is contradictory to Scripture. Please make a note of this. We are to Pray to Mary Oftentimes, Catholics will deny that they pray to Mary, but the following papal quote clears this up: We ceaselessly pray to the Blessed Virgin ... (p. 260). Please remember, Catholicism declares Mary to be Mediatrix. Regarding this, Pope John Paul II has instructed: What the Mother asks, the Son approves and the Father grants (p. 26). ... she obtains what she seeks and it cannot be denied her (p. 211). Again, the Bible declares a different message: For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Tim 2:5) Summary It should be painfully clear that the pope is not sound in Biblical doctrine, even though many non-Catholics speak well of him as though he is. To be more precise, he is dangerously wrong on subjects related to salvation itself. He would have us trust Mary, who he thinks took part in the sacrifice at Calvary and much more as just shown. Dear reader, please believe the Biblical record over the pope’s teaching. Precious souls hang in the balance. Did not appear in a CWM publication Issue |
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