Forest Hill Presbyterian Church
Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Cleveland Heights is the Greenwich Village of NE Ohio, so comments like this are par for the course.
Posted on 12/05/2005 1:39:46 PM PST by pkajj
Ohio Televangelist Takes to Politics By Andrew Welsh-Huggins
Evangelist Rod Parsley wants to gather voters as he wins souls, a mixture that’s causing a stir in the state that put President Bush back in the White House.
The televangelist opposed to gay marriage and critical of Islam hopes the effort he calls Reformation Ohio will convert 1 million people to Christianity, help the poor and register 400,000 new voters.
“We just seek to be a voice in the public arena,” said Parsley, who has a TV ministry seen around the country and a 12,000-member church. “For some reason, it has become chic to say that everybody should have a voice in that public square, but when born-again or evangelical Christians begin to lift up their voice, everyone gets nervous.”
Although ministers of all stripes have long taken stands on social issues and registered voters, Parsley’s political activities worry Democrats and more liberal churches.
His critics say it’s impossible to separate the goals of Reformation Ohio from Parsley’s work on a successful election campaign to ban gay marriage and his ties to Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative leading many polls in his bid for the GOP governor’s nomination next year.
In his new book, “Silent No More,” Parsley thanks Blackwell for his support, and Blackwell spoke briefly at a rally Parsley held in October outside the Statehouse. “If you’re not interested in influencing politics, you don’t hold a major rally on the steps of the Statehouse,” said Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, a member of the national staff of the Cleveland-based and left-leaning United Church of Christ.
Parsley argues that homosexuality is morally and physically damaging. He calls Islam an “anti-Christ religion” that intends to use violence to conquer the world and writes that Allah is a demon spirit.
Although not a political group, Parsley says, Reformation Ohio originated with his 2003 invitation to President Bush’s signing of a late-term abortion ban. Parsley decided he needed to be more vocal about social issues and what he saw as the under-representation of evangelical Christians at the polls.
Parsley, 48, got his start preaching in the backyard of his parents’ home in suburban Columbus as a teenager. At 29, he built the 5,200-seat World Harvest Church that anchors a large complex of brick buildings – including two schools and an outreach program for ministers – tucked between fields and new subdivisions.
Last year he founded a center that helps mobilize churches on issues such as gay marriage, abortion and the placement of the Ten Commandments on public property. His TV show, “Breakthrough,” is broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network among other networks and cable affiliates.
Parsley still lives in Pickerington, a fast-growing suburb not far from his church, in a $1 million home with his wife, Joni, and their son and daughter. He draws thousands to racially mixed Sunday morning and evening services in his auditorium-style Pentecostal church.
There he strolls back and forth before the congregation in a trademark dark suit, Bible in hand. He preaches with a mild twang – courtesy of his Kentucky upbringing – and just a hint of gravel.
Parsley’s style ranges from the casual – “Now I’m going to freak you out,” he said during a recent telethon on Trinity Broadcasting Network’s “Praise the Lord” show – to the impassioned. “Sound an alarm. A Holy Ghost invasion is taking place,” Parsley shouted at the Statehouse rally, to enthusiastic applause. “Man your battle stations, ready your weapons, lock and load.”
Parsley represents a new debate over the line between religion and politics, said Ronald Carstens, an Ohio Dominican University political science professor. “The problem with the left, the reason they can’t get elected, is they begin with the premise that anybody who believes in God is a moron,” Carstens said. “The other side now is reacting, and they’re trying to impose a moral ideology in the name of religion on people, when the best you can do, with any kind of moral ideas, is to try to persuade people.”
Parsley says it’s easy to separate his views on moral issues and the goals of Reformation Ohio. “I am neither Republican nor Democrat, I’m a Christocrat,” he said. “I love a democratic republic and I want to be right in the middle of that process.”
Dude, I have a $1 million dollar home. It was $173,500.00 when I bought it and then real estate went through the roof - the house isn't that great and it befuddles me how much it's worth. I'll have you know that anyone in any metropolitan area in the country is chuckling at your comment as $1 million dollars for a home in most cities these days means you're living in the poor neighborhood.
Sorry to say, but a million bucks just doesn't go as far as it used to so I'm not impressed that this guy has a million dollar home because I do, too.
BTW, Thanks to Howard Jarvis & Proposition 13 I'm not paying taxes on the mil or I'd be homeless.
You signed up on FR just for that?
Cleveland Heights is the Greenwich Village of NE Ohio, so comments like this are par for the course.
Unless I am mistaken, the biggest thing that Parsley is doing that really frosts the libs is that he is trying to register 400,000 new voters in Ohio. Guess which way they will be voting.
His book "Silent No More" hits all of the areas where traditional churches seem to be afraid to venture. He talks about the educational system, welfare, gay marriage, Islam, abortion, liberalism, racism etc. It's an AWESOME book! Every Christian who is tired of the PC junk should read this book.
Heretic Hunters are coming out for this thread!
Do you also have your own corporate jet? How about a private guard force? No? Well Rod does.
BTW, I live not five miles from his house. In NYC or SF it would be worth $8-10 million, conservatively.
I love this quote.
When I visited his church they didn't charge to park. It was an awesome service. His ministry has truly grown and it does a lot for the local community there. If I lived there my kids would attend the school this church operates.
How is he putting himself out as the face of Christianity ?
Aren't Christians allowed to have many faces, one of which might be his ? He's not claiming to be the one and only interpretation in the article.
Although I am not a follower of his, I've seen his show occassionally on TBN, and he seems pretty regular. I've never seen anything to suggest that he's a false prophet or a heretic.
Do you have specific examples of heretical statements he's made; or is just appearing on TBN that earns that characterization from you ?
I agree with you about the TBN crowd, I don't know what he is doing on that channel, he's different. His stand against the queers, the Islamonutbags, and the libertine liberals (as per another poster) puts him head and shoulders above the TBN wimpy wacky preachers.
He is a voice from an earlier day in America, in my opinion. I can remember the time when there were many preachers like him in America. Too many today are too concerned with being politcally correct to speak out against the issues. There are things that I don't agree with him - as other posters have pointed out - but I say bravo for his lone voice, David -like stand against Goliath.
He's the one that was in my dream with Rev. Al Sharpton. Only thing is, when I wrote the song I thought his name was Ron LOL!! Boy! Did I mess up LOL!!
I dreamed I went to an old fashioned revival.....
Rod Parsley and Rev. Al Sharpton had called us all out to pray......
"God's Amazing Grace"
According to what I've read he is involved in the "Latter Rain" heresy as well as the Word of Faith movement. If you do a search on him I'm sure you'll find plenty of information about his "teachings".
I don't watch TBN because of it's line up of false prophets and faulty teachers. On the other hand, they have put on the likes of Ray Comfort, who teaches truth, but it's far more the exception than the rule.
And, women with pink hair and too much make-up.
I always felt sorry for her...I figured it must have been a terrible factory accident that caused that hair color.
I once saw him in the middle of screaming err I mean preaching, race toward the front bench or pew, jump up on it and race across it all the while hooting and hollering.
People were tryin to stand up and get their butts outta the pew before he trampled them. LOL
Bash this guy all you want but without him Kerry would be in the White House.
This really is sad. Like Shaker Heights, it's a lovely area. But Cleveland Heights is... different.
I remember quite clearly back in the mid-80s seeing a light-skinned black dude at an RTA bus stop in CH. This dude was wearing a shiny purple raincoat, even though it was a clear and sunny day.
I later came to realize that that was the norm for CH, and this "pastor's" remarks are not shocking at all. He's right at home.
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