End-Timers Keep ‘The Response’ Going

The far-right hate group American Family Association and other well-known religious right organizations and leaders put together Rick Perry’s big prayer rally in Houston last August. But Perry’s presidential campaign is sinking fast, and Sarah Posner writes in Religion Dispatches that follow-up “The Response” events in Republican presidential primary states are being promoted by somewhat lesser-known groups like the International House of Prayer and its affiliated local churches. Today’s “The Response” event in South Carolina, for example, is being promoted by small churches like the Forerunner House of Prayer (FHOP) in Easley, South Carolina, and the the Greenville House of Prayer.

These IHOP churches attract followers who believe, among other things, that the end times are near. Writes Posner:

These self-anointed “intercessors,” or “end-times warriors,” see themselves as modern-day apostles and prophets, purifying the kingdom, “transforming” cities, regions, and the country through a new Great Awakening, preparing the world for Christ’s return.

Posner explores the theological divide between these “end-time warriors” and the old guard of the religious right:

(T)he national elites had pressed for and endorsed The Response. At last summer’s event, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson called it “the highlight of my life” and praised the “next generation” of evangelicals. The old guard of the religious right isn’t blind to new religious movements in its midst, even the 24/7 prayer movement [FHOP founder] Tallulah Dalton has been swept into. Some conservatives actually consider it heretical, or unbiblical—suggesting that these self-anointed apostles and prophets are the “false prophets” the Bible warns of. (One of these critics, the blogger/activist Marsha West, says The Response participants associated with the New Apostolic Reformation are not Christians, but rather “counterfeits.”)

Read all of Posner’s fascinating piece here.

One thought on “End-Timers Keep ‘The Response’ Going

  1. First, just for review, let us consult Mr. Dickens:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_XjPFMWpmw

    Sadly, the ignorant and uneducated people in my area tend to start their sentences with phrases such as: “Weez ones is.” They are simple people who have been overcome by ignorance and further deceived by it in other realms of life, including the religious realm. Take a look at the following three key quotes from Posner’s article:

    “He maintains his prayer movement, led by self-anointed prophets and apostles like Dalton fanning out across the country and the world, will spark a Great Awakening, a purification of the kingdom for Christ to return.”

    “Jesus says he’s coming back for a pure and spotless bride,” says Dalton. “He’s going to grace the church to do this, and we get to be a part of it. How awesome is that, y’all?”

    That “bride”—a central feature of Bickle’s teaching, too—is what needs to be purified, Dalton maintains. The bride is the church, made up of believers like Dalton, not the churches she disparages as “activity” churches that hold events but are not the “praying” churches that Christ is looking to. “The bride has to make herself ready, she has got to be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright and clean,” she says.”

    All three quotes are classic, authentic Christian Reconstructionist and Dominon Theology gibberish dripped from the mouth of Rousas Rushdoony—-the loonie toons founder of this heretical nonsense. Some discerning people have tagged him as one of the most evil men that ever lived. From what I know of him, I would have to second that motion.

    The Christian Reconstructionists and Dominionists believe that Jesus cannot return to Earth right now because it is too nasty and dirty for him. He might get his white robe soiled in the process. You know—like swimming in the waters of downtown New Orleans right after Katrina—oops another rotting body just floated by!!! Therefore, He has to be lured down from heaven (like a bass or crappie fish). The only people who can do that are the Christian Reconstructionists and Dominionists and those who support them. They believe that they have a calling to purify the world and make it clean as possible—read correctly as the enemies of God must be destroyed. And who are the enemies of God!!! Ding. Ding. Ding. Give that man $200 for passing GO. That is correct!!! The enemies of God are whoever the “reconstructniks” say they are on a wet Tuesday and depending on what mood they happen to be in that day. How many times have we seen that movie in human history?

    Well, when TFN, you, me, Obama (they really despise blacks), and your grandmother are all dead or imprisoned in some dungeon, Jesus will look down from heaven and say, “Why lookey. It’s clean down there!!! How did that happen???!!! Then he wil descend to earth with a shout in perfect confidence that he will not need dry cleaning services later in the day. And that’s a good thing too because all the dry cleaning people are dead.

    The sad part about this is that these simple and probably quite ignorant people at the center of Posner’s article most likely have no idea what a Christian Reconstructionist or Dominion theologist is. They have likely never heard of Rousas Rushdoony—and might be horrified to learn many of the other things he wrote or said. However, in their ignorance, they have been sucked into his ideas unawares. “Wow-w-w-w-w-w-w Ma-a-a-a-a-a-an. Does that sound Jesus cool or what?”

    Now, let us hear from Mr. Dickens again:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_XjPFMWpmw