Christian News Today

Christian News Today

Ephesians 5:11 & Mark 4:22

Rodney Howard-Brown & Friends

“It was the pastors job to fleece the sheep” RHB

"One hundred million souls for Christ” GHB

By John Davies

Mark 4:22 "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light

Few had heard of Rodney Howard-Browne before he led a series of revival meetings in Lakeland, Florida in 1993. A lot has happened since then; some of it is commendable, and some of it is reprehensible. In theory Browne came to America from South Africa to "revive" a largely sleeping church. He quickly got labeled as a Holy Ghost "bartender" because of the manifestations of "holy laughter" dominating his ministry. In his meetings he taught that no only it was the pastor’s job to fleece the sheep but only God was to judge pastors, not the (dumb) sheep! He also taught that thieves were to be blessed and rewarded, not judged for this is what Jesus would want them to do! He also taught that it was more important to give than to receive and spend a lot of time receiving offerings that he spent on himself and family members. Rodney learned about nepotism from his good friend Senior Pastor Karl Strader of Carpenter’s Home Church, Lakeland, Florida, for the bible stated:

1TM 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Christmas morning, Dec 25, 2002, changed the lives of Dr's Rodney and Adonica Howard-Browne forever. It was early hours of that morning, that Kelly, their 18 year old daughter, passed away in his arms. She had suffered from the incurable disease, Cystic Fibrosis for 18 years.

As she passed away, Rodney and Adonica offered up to Jesus the best gift they had to offer, their daughter. Rodney then vowed, that because the devil had taken their daughter with this dreaded disease, he would pay with 100 million souls over the next 10 years.

Thus began the burning of the vision for 100 million souls. The Kelly May foundation was born and the beginnings of World Outreach began with the planning of two great crusades this year. The first in May/June 2003 in Mexico and the second Oct/Nov 2003 in Soweto, South Africa. There will be 6 crusades next year and 12 each year thereafter.

Hence it was not a surprise to learn that Gil & Loraine Howard-Browne were moving to Tampa this March to help Evangelist Rodney Howard- Browne win "One hundred million souls for Christ over the next 10 years?" Considering the Howard-Brownes are naturalized Americans who don't belong to ECFA and are accountable to no one but themselves, this is a very stupid and impossible vision, especially considering that there have never been one hundred million souls won for Jesus in a period of ten years through out earth's history.

But the Howard-Brownes are nothing but liars, thieves, con-artists and wolves in sheep’s clothing. A first-hand Account, Accurately Reported by Yves A. Brault.

I saw him in Florida as he was a guest-speaker at the Orlando Christian Center. I also attended his services in British Columbia, where he held a series of meetings from Nov. 19 through 23, 1996, in a popular charismatic church of Vancouver.

More than once in this 2,000-seat church auditorium, a member of his organization advised us to be careful at the altar and not step on those lying on the carpeted floor because "even if they are under the power of the Holy Ghost, they still feel pain!" Howard-Browne played a very active human role in the laughter manifestation. He joked again and again, "I'll read from The Amplified Bible, so if it comes out loud, it's because it's amplified." Himself a Caucasian, born and raised in Africa, now living in America, he came to this conclusion, "That makes me an African-American!" At the time of the offering he suggested, besides cash and check giving, "You can use your credit card: MasterCard, Visa, American Distress." The crowd was ecstatic.

Adonica - his wife - also made a brief appearance on the stage. At the very first meeting she was asked to greet the audience. Estimating that the crowd's response lacked enthusiasm, she said, "Are you just shy Canadians, or what? Are you just as the Americans?" A remark that lacked some tact! The Holy Ghost "bartender" seemed to believe that he needs to instruct people on laughing and behavior. He even defied those who would not respond according to his expectations.

It came close to threatening when he accused the more conservative people by saying, "We'll cast the religious devil out of you." He did not miss an opportunity to put his critics down, "Some people have got more faith in believing the devil can come into this place tonight to touch people. How dumb can you get and still breathe!" Referring to North American theologians, which he named dead heads, he said, "Bunch of whitewash, full of dead bones, like a constipated mule." Americans and Canadians, in particular, did not weigh much in his eyes. I don't know if his attitude has changed, but he said, "Jesus is alive. It's only North Americans that don't believe that."

South African Pentecostal Evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, a white supremacist in theology, who immigrated with all his brothers and parents to United States became a naturalized American and taught that "sheep needed to be fleeced or they would have too much hair and could not see where they are going.. It was the pastor’s job to fleece the sheep had been credited with bringing the laughter revival to America. But from what really happened in Carpenter's Home Church in 1993 and 1994 and its devastating effect on the community including the robbing, raping and murdering of the sheep, was not much of a revival.

Roy Aldrich, a retired school teacher, was robbed of $100,000.00 by Pastor Karl Strader and his son Dan Strader of Carpenter's Home Church Lakeland, Florida. Rodney, who was a personal friend of Karl Strader who practiced nepotism, and bought him a Lincoln town car, was asked to help the elderly victims who were robbed by the Straders and he refused. But when German Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s decided to relocate his ministry to Florida, Rodney Howard-Browne decided he would give Bonnke a house. At first he offered Bonnke his own house in Tampa, but Bonnke had to locate in Orlando to be closer to his operational base. It was then that Howard-Browne decided to build Bonnke a new $250,000 home in Orlando. Rodney then drove a brand new car to Bonnke’s driveway.

How gracious and wonderful of Rodney to be a respecter of persons to the high and mighty and to ignore the real plight of the poor and needy?

Nepotism was also practiced by Rodney who had his parents on the payroll! Rodney’s older brother, Gil Howard Browne, who was burnt out in his ministry, was asked by Rodney to move to Tampa and help him with the vision God has given him "One hundred million souls for Christ over the next 10 years." And Rodney’s other brother, Bazil, was also a scoundrel who used a scheme to get rich by enticing other pastors ordained or not to join him – “Come under the covering of River Family Church, and Pastors Bazil & Ann Howard-Browne, receive ordination through River Family Church, and as a ministry tithe to RFC.”

Of course Bazil’s ministry, the River Family Church, would profit from the tithes of all pastors who would join him. Hence it's not surprising that the Statement of Faith of Bazil ministry reflects the former bigoted white South African supremacy policy and states:

The programs and activities of The River shall be based upon and at all times shall be consistent with the following beliefs:

Section 1. Policy. The government of this Church shall be theocratic, recognizing that Jesus Christ is the Lord, head and pastor of the Body of Christ and that he has vested the authority to direct the affairs of the Church in the person of the Pastor, being assisted by the Board of Trustees and Staff. The Pastor shall be recognized by the members and all concerned as the leader under Christ of this local body. This Church maintains its inherent rights to sovereignty in the conduct of church life in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, and voluntarily enters into a cooperative fellowship with the Body of Christ.

The fact remains that multi-million dollars Family run Evangelistic Ministries in America be it the Hinn's of Orlando, the Straders of Lakeland, the Howard-Browne's of Tampa, the Falwells of Lynchburg, the Brights of Orlando, the Robertson's of Norkfolk, the Roberts of Tulsa, the Copelands of Forth Worth, and the Graham's of Minneapolis are notorious for hiding their total salaries and those of their family members and special friends in their indirect personally owned non- profit religious corporation while they live in palatial palaces like kings and royalty.

Just like with the Bakker's of PTL Club fame personal misconduct, mismanagement, and pillaging of the treasury and misuse of Ministry resources are quite common. Benny Hinn had to flee from Orlando Florida, when the media started to dig into the different scandals in his ministry. The Straders of Lakeland, personal friends of the Jim Bakker, Benny Hinn, Oral and Richard Roberts and Rodney Howard-Browne, went through a major split of Carpenter's Home Church in 1989 when the Straders refused to relinquish the financial control they had on the ministry, the church and its assets.

Unlike Jesus Christ who owned nothing, Televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch who once had lost their tax exemption for their Trinity Broadcasting Network are definitely not lacking in any material possession. Their home is described as "a palatial estate with ocean and city views and was purchased for around five million dollars. It has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a billiard room, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a sweeping staircase and a crystal chandelier. The three-story, nearly 9,500-square-foot house, has an elevator, also has a six-car garage, a tennis court and a pool with a fountain.

Trinity Broadcasting, established in 1973, has more than 768 TV stations on the air worldwide. The Crouches oversee a $100-million-plus-a-year enterprise. One of the Crouch estates is TBN's ranch in Colleyville, TX, just minutes away from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The 80-plus acre ranch contains eight houses and horse stables, is estimated to be worth about $10 million.

Mind you President Clinton did and President Bush does release his total salary and his personal income tax to the public while Billy and Franklin Graham and their friends do not. But adulterous and lying Bill Clinton seems to have more integrity and accountability than TV Evangelists do in this area?

It seems that all of these family run ministries including RHB are bigoted and see the dumb sheep as God sent to be fleeced for their own hidden agenda and growth of their personal kingdom of which they are kings and rule supreme and are not accountable to the public but only to God. But they collect their money from people and not God? And their tax exemption comes from the people and not God? So whom are they fooling? Not God and not the people!

Is it possible that they are really crooks who use the separation of Church and State to fleece the sheep as South African Evangelist Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne had said, it was their responsibility to fleece the sheep?

The leadership of the Assembly of God denomination both in Lakeland and Missouri also would not accept the testimony of one of its members Roy Aldrich that he was robbed and raped by money changers and wolves in sheep's clothing in Carpenter's Home Church during the so called "revival". But the State of Florida who cared about justice, righteousness and truth accepted the words and testimony of Roy Aldrich about the Straders.

The Florida State prosecutors proved their case and convinced the jurors that Dan Strader, the son of the senior pastor Karl Strader, devised an elaborate scheme to attract cash in the real-estate and mortgage investments. He was selling the securities without a license and that the securities were unregistered. This was done in an organized method amounting to Racketeer-Influence and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act.

Daniel, 37, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August 1995. He was convicted of 238 felony counts for bilking 57 mostly elderly investors, some members of the church, out of $2.3 million by selling investments in properties that didn't exist or already had liens against them. Others who were involved along with Dan Strader were not pursed by the State of Florida as they felt that the conviction of Daniel Strader was a good example for others to take notice.

It is to be noted that Howard-Browne's standard biography claims he once served as an associate pastor at Rhema. But according to Rhema church officials contacted, Howard-Browne was never an associate pastor-nor did he ever hold any pastoral credentials or responsibilities. Said Kelmeyer: "Rodney was never an associate pastor here. He was an ordained minister by the state and a lecturer at our Bible school, but was not involved in any form of pastoral work."

Howard-Browne also claimed a "doctorate of ministry degree" from an obscure San Jacinto, California correspondence institution called "The School of Bible Theology." A state Department of Education employee contacted likened the tiny school, which bills itself as "The Seminary to the World" and has no faculty, to a "diploma mill."

While most doctorate degrees are earned through serious study at through hard work at a credited University Life Christian University of Tampa, another diploma mill, gives out honorary degrees to prominent Charismatic Christians based on stupidity and has stated:

"Many full-time ministers continue their education to the doctoral level through our Distance Learning program. These doctoral programs can include work in which the minister is currently involved and advanced standing is awarded for published works. Our illustrious alumni include such internationally-prominent ministers as:

Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne

Doctor of Divinity

Doctor of Theology

Dr. Joyce Meyer

Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Dr. Kenneth Copeland

Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Dr. Norvel Hayes

Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Dr. Mike Francen

Doctor of Philosophy in Missionary Evangelism

Dr. Dick Mills

Doctor of Sacred Theology

Dr. Benny Hinn

Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Dr. Kevin McNulty

Doctor of Missiology in Missionary Evangelism

So why are prominent Evangelical leaders in America so dishonest about Doctorate degrees and are hiding their total personal salaries? Are they ashamed that they earn so much or not enough? Or are they Crooks and Liars? Mind you the latter is more plausible for Evangelical Leaders in America, be they Billy or Franklin, Graham, Bill Bright, Pat Robertson, Rodney Howard-Browne, Benny Hinn, Jerry Falwell or others, have no integrity whatsoever; especially when it comes to their own personal salaries and those of their special friends.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/845747.asp

http://www.tv.cbc.ca/witness/faitha/faithsyn.htm

http://www.christiannews.0catch.com/hinn.htm

David Taggart, a twenty-nine-year-old "personal aide" to Jim Bakker and his lover, received $360,000 in 1986 for special services. While in 1986 the Bakkers were paid $1.9 million. It is a fact the PTL Club was full of personal misconduct, mismanagement, and pillaging of the PTL treasury. So are the others any different? For the total salaries of the Billy Graham and his sons and family are one of American's best-kept secrets and even their personal lives that are no different than that of Jim Bakker!

Self Righteous Evangelical leaders, such as Billy Graham and Bill Bright were shocked and dismayed, at the revelations about the life style and morality of these Pentecostal "televangelist in America. On Larry King live in the fall of 1998 Southern Baptist Evangelist Billy Graham was insulted when he was compared with TV Evangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker and their sex scandals. Billy Graham said that he did not do those things which Jim Bakker or Jim Swaggart did - a statement that turned out to be a lie!

But Billy Graham's own son Ned Graham turned out to be no different than Jim Bakker. Even though a President of an Evangelical Ministry must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, and not greedy for money, Ned Graham the son of Billy Graham, Southern Baptist minister, president East Gates International, a group that distributes Bibles in China told Christianity Today in an interview that he had abused alcohol and spent an "inappropriate amount of time" with two women on his staff.

Grace Community Church, Southern Baptist Convention, in Auburn, Washington-which counted Ned Graham, his wife, and their two sons as members established in 1999 the fact that Ned Graham was an adulterer, alcoholic, wife abuser, and drug user and revoked Graham's ministerial credentials. It directed Graham to stop using the title reverend.

Yet in a style reminiscent of Jimmy Swaggart, who refused to be defrocked by the Assembly of God denomination, Ned Graham left that congregation for another church.

Most of the staff and board members of East Gates International resigned amid controversies. East Gates, in Sumner, Wash., withdrew its membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability after Ned replaced the board members with his sister Ruth Graham McIntyre, brother-in-law Stephan Tchividjian, and business leader Peter Lowe.

Billy Graham, born as William Franklin Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina, a registered Democrat, and the leading spokesman for Christian Fundamentalism was educated at the now infamous racist and bigoted Bob Jones University associated with Senator John Ashcroft and George W. Bush. As full time chairman of Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization, which he founded fifty years ago, Graham took a yearly one hundred percent salary from his own religious non profit organization; even if he was incapacitated, had a pension fund, worked about ten days a year and spent fifty percent of the time in bed or at the hospital!

While the Tampa Tribune had reported that "Billy Graham encourages religious leaders to be open about their salaries and publish their finances" But this does not change the fact that Rev. Billy, Ned and Franklin Graham, Rev, Jesse Jackson or any other prominent Baptist leader in America are not open about their total salaries and those of their family members and special friends.

Graham who has legally been stealing his full salary and other benefits for the last fifty years is unique in his special privileges in this non profit organization as no other employee in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization other than Billy Graham is paid a full one hundred percent salary and is allowed to spend fifty percent of his time in bed or at the hospital.

In the last five years newspaper investigations brought out factual revelations that showed that the "Born Again" Baptist leaders in America were no different than their Pentecostal counter parts. They were just as much liars, thieves and adulterers as the others.

As a matter of fact, even though he is sick and dying, spends over fifty percent of his time in bed or the hospital, Dr. Billy Graham has been taking a one hundred percent salary and other benefits from the B.G.E.A. that he had founded: Even though the I.R.S. rules state that no non-profit organization should exist for the benefit of one individual.

No other salaried employee in B.G.E.A. is allowed to take a one hundred percent salary plus his pension fund and other perks and spends so many days being sick, as Billy Graham has done and does.

Where is the justice or integrity in all of this?

Does the "Separation of Church and State mean that the chairman of a religious non profit religious organization could legally steal as much salary and other benefits as he wants if it is rubber stamped by his special board of directors and not be accountable to the donors or the public? This seems to be the case!

Otherwise hypocritical Baptist leader who preach integrity to others would not hide their salaries but be honest and state the "total compensation" of their five top employees, including Billy and Franklin Graham!

Check out http://www.inplainsite.org/html/tele-evangelist_lifestyles.html

Popular TV Preachers

Joyce Meyer is one of America's best-known prosperity-gospel TV ministers - preachers who teach that personal wealth can be attained through a strong faith in God and a strict adherence to the Bible.

Following is an alphabetical list of a new wave of popular word-faith ministers who have used television to build large followings:

Juanita Bynum

Headquarters: Waycross, Ga.

Reach: Her program, "Weapons of Power," is seen worldwide on TBN; she holds conferences throughout the United States.

Wealth: No information available.

In the news: In April, Bynum married Thomas Wesley Weeks III in the palatial Regent Wall Street Hotel in New York City. The ceremony featured a wedding party of 80, a platinum-colored satin bridal gown with a bodice covered in Swarovski crystals and a 7.76-carat diamond ring.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas

Reach: Ministry Web site says its TV show, "Believer's Voice of Victory," is seen by more than 76 million households on nearly 700 U.S. stations. Show also airs on about 135 international stations.

Wealth: A ministry official estimates the ministry's annual revenue at $70 million.

In the news: In June, the Copelands joined four other TV preachers who gathered around Oral Roberts, 85, considered the grandfather of the prosperity gospel, to pray for healing the failing founder of the university that bears his name.

Jan and Paul Crouch

Headquarters: Costa Mesa, Calif.

Reach: The Crouches are owners of Trinity Broadcast Network, the world's largest Christian TV network. TBN reaches millions of viewers on more than 5,000 TV stations and 33 international satellites around the world.

Wealth: The Crouches and their son Paul Crouch Jr. said they earned a total of $855,000 last year. TBN's annual income exceeds $100 million a year, according to the Los Angeles Times. The ministry provides the Crouches a $10 million, 80-acre, eight-home ranch near Dallas and two Land Rovers that the Crouches drive. In 2001, the couple bought a $5 million oceanfront estate in Newport Beach, Calif.

In the news: The ministry recently purchased the Nashville, Tenn., home and estate of the late country music performer Conway Twitty and opened Trinity Music City USA as a tourist attraction there.

Creflo Dollar

Headquarters: College Park, Ga.

Reach: Dollar's "Changing Your World" TV program on TBN reaches 150 countries.

Wealth: The ministry's income is unavailable, but newspaper accounts say the ministry paid $18 million in cash for his new 8,000-seat World Changers Church International on the southern edge of Atlanta. He drives a black Rolls-Royce and travels in a $5 million private jet.

In the news: Dollar's ministry became a focus of a court case involving boxer Evander Holyfield in 1999. The lawyer for Holyfield's ex-wife estimated that the fighter gave Dollar's ministry $7 million. Dollar refused to testify in the case.

Marilyn Hickey

Headquarters: Denver

Reach: Her TV show, "Today with Marilyn," on the TBN and Black Entertainment Television networks can be seen around the world. She has offices in England, South Africa and Australia, and is on the board of Oral Roberts University.

Wealth: Her ministry occupies a 260,000-square-foot former shopping mall in Denver. No information on ministry or her personal wealth is available.

In the news: She has been dubbed the "fairy godmother of the word-faith movement" and "the mistress of mail-order madness," by the Texas-based Christian Sentinel, a ministry that monitors what it calls "religious deception." Hickey got the "mistress" name for her use of trinkets - blessed cornmeal, cloths, seeds and coins - sent out to followers to urge them to send in money.

Benny Hinn

Headquarters: Grapevine, Texas

Reach: Hinn's "This is Your Day" program is seen throughout the United States and in nearly 200 foreign countries.

Wealth: The ministry took in $60 million in 2001. A news story earlier this year in the Colorado Springs Gazette said annual income now exceeds $90 million. Hinn told CNN in 1997 that he drew an annual salary of $500,000 to $1 million a year. He has a $3.5 million home in the Los Angeles area and drives an $80,000 Mercedes-Benz G500.

In the news: A "Dateline" segment on NBC examined five of Hinn's faith-healing "miracles," showing that none of the people was cured and that one woman with lung cancer died nine months later.

Rodney Howard-Browne

Headquarters: The River at Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla.

Reach: His live broadcasts from his River at Tampa Bay Church stream online on his Internet site www.revival.com and can be seen worldwide.

Wealth: He and his wife, Adonica, oversee his $16 million church, which they founded in 1996. The couple live in a six-bedroom, four-bath lakefront home on Cory Lake in northwest Tampa. The home includes a dock, spa, pool and gazebo.

In the news: Howard-Browne has called himself the "bartender of holy laughter." Holy laughter was a controversial movement that swept evangelical circles in the mid-1990s. He would walk on stage laughing uncontrollably. The congregation would begin laughing. Howard-Browne would sweep his arm toward the crowd. People would appear "drunk on the Holy Spirit" and slide out of their chairs or dance in the aisles.

T.D. Jakes

Headquarters: Dallas

Reach: Jakes' "The Potter's House" TV program is seen throughout the world on TBN and Black Entertainment Television. His ministry boasts more than 26,000 members. A rally at the Georgia Dome in 1999 drew more than 100,000 people.

Wealth: He has mansions in Charleston, W.Va., and Dallas.

In the news: Called the best preacher in America by Time magazine in 2001.

Robert Tilton

Headquarters: Miami

Reach: He once ran his Farmers Branch Church in Dallas before scandal toppled it in the early 1990s. His show now airs on Black Entertainment Television and has a potential audience of 74 million homes.

Wealth: He is building a two-story home on a $1.39 million oceanfront lot on an island in Biscayne Bay off Miami Beach, and his ministry owns a 50-foot yacht. His ministry takes in about $24 million a year.

In the news: Tilton is rebounding after his ministry collapsed in scandal a decade ago amid news reports that prayer requests he said he personally prayed over were found in a trash bin after the money, food stamps and rings had been removed.

Randy and Paula White

Headquarters: The Without Walls International Church, Tampa, Fla.

Reach: The "Paula White Today" TV show can be seen worldwide on TBN and Black Entertainment Television. The ministry's Operation Explosion travels into public housing complexes with "rolling theatre-style pink trucks" to share Christianity in a Nickelodeon-type program for underprivileged children.

Wealth: The Whites live in a $2.1 million, 8,000-square-foot home facing Tampa Bay. Their ministry owns a jet airplane, a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes-Benz sedan.

In the news: Paula White calls Joyce Meyer her mentor; Meyer visited their church in September.