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I've never heard of the Christian Missionary Alliance or a Vineyard Church. Actually, I'm probably asking the question in the wrong way, anyway, since I'm burned out on all national and international churches. Far too much of tithes and offerings go to administrative overhead, and the career church bureaucrats seem to feather their own nests.

You see power struggles, and often a lot of politics. And don't get me started on the televangelists, who are milking a wonderful scam.

I'm sure there are wonderful unaffiliated neighborhood churches filled with good people. All I need to do is some legwork.

Yes--a little legwork. Your community is bound to have a good local church. To answer the other thing:

The Christian Missionary Alliance Church was founded by Dr. A. B. Simpson, author of a number of classic Christian books. It's known as CMA for short. I'm not a member, but ran into a great number of excellent churches affiliated with them. It began strictly as an organization to support missionaries. As for The Vineyard, founded by John Wimber, headquartered in Anaheim, California, it's a great church too, that didn't start out to be a denomination, but Vineyard churches, planted by members of the original church there in Anaheim, began sprouting up all over. They still don't consider themselves a "denomination," so there is no overhead---just a home church there in Anaheim that helps get young churches started. The Vineyard came out of the Jesus Movement of the 60's and 70's.

Lastly, don't be too hard on organized churches. The Southern Baptists, for example, 11 million strong, don't spend a lot of money on national headquarters and overhead. And each church is an autonomous governing body.

In short--I hope you find a local group where you can experience the blessing of fellowship with fellow believers.

You wrote: "I've never heard of the ... Vineyard Church.
... And don't get me started on the televangelists, who are milking a wonderful scam."

The religion racket (like Marxist DemocRATS) couldn't laugh all the way to the bank without their useful idiots.

Regarding the "Vinyard Churches", do a google search on "holy laughter", just for starters.

Here's a letter I wrote to Rush in 1997:

October 1997

Hi Rush,

I love you. But you are wrong.

You have chosen to pick the winning football teams by the "environmentalist wacko method".

There is a more surefire method.

James Ryle, the director of The Promise Keepers movement has a better way of picking the winners than you do.

In his book, "Hippo In The Garden", Ryle tells us that he receives visions from the Almighty through a female buffalo by the name of "Ralphie".

The Almighty tells him who will win by having Ryle look at Ralphie's horns as an *omen*.

Bill McCartney started the Promise Keepers organization after hearing his pastor, James Ryle, tell him about seeing an energy field encircling the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team.

Ryle claims to be a modern day seer in the Vinyard churches and says he not only functions as a pastor, but also "helps provide biblical direction for men through Promise Keepers."

In fact, the signs and wonders recounted by Ryle are at times so incredible that even the apostle John's visions on the Isle of Patmos seem pale by comparison.

He says that on one occasion God gave him a message through a pig and a billboard. He says that God told him, "I am speaking to My people in *billboards' all the time, but they are so distracted by the little pigs that they seldom notice what I am saying."

So you see, Rush, you need to be consulting the expert when making your football predictions. Maybe you could have him call in and give you the omen from Ralphie's horn before the next big game. :)

Keep up the good work!!!!