Bene Diction Blogs On

Wow.

via: Wanderings of a Post-Modern Pilgrim

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

As Bene D has pointed out in the past, Faytene Kryskow seems to like to have multiple identities for the work that she does.

I think I have seen one more, tipped off by Faytene herself.

At the recent Canada Awake conference in Toronto, according to this video of the first speaker, you can hear Faytene’s pastor Bill Prankard prepare to take an offering. Who should cheques be made out to, he asks at 33.51.

Faytene then says:

“This conference is being administered by CMI, which is the revival arm, the Holy Ghost revival arm, of everything we’re going to be doing in Canada. Got a few different arms…”

A quick Google search reveals that, according to WhoIs, someone named Faytene Kryskow owns the site and the domain name for a Campus Ministries International. (Which abbreviates to CMI)

If you look at campusministriesinternational. com, under the Who we are page, it currently reads, as I write, like this:

“For almost 3 decades CMI has been mentoring emerging leaders in the reality of a living and loving God. On campuses, in churches and through seminars, missions trips and conferences all across Canada ambassators of the reality of Jesus Christ have been in action through CMI’s workers. In past years CMI has established centres in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia and hosted mission trips in various third world nations. On these trips young leaders have had the joy of seeing the love of God in action in compassionate and tangible ways. He is living, loving and He is alive.

CMI is currently in a transitional stage and looking forward with great anticipation to a new season of effective work in Canada under new leadership. Stay tuned for new developments as they unfold.”

The website also, perhaps notes a new motto for “CMI”, which may “Mentoring A Generation In The Reality Of A Living and Loving God. …” which lends itself to an explicitly charsimatic theology, where the old “what we do” note still on the …com site seems conservative and evangelical.

Needless to say the current campusministriesinternational.com pages make no mention of Faytene Kryskow, or her dominionist flourishes to her theology. So an old donor could return after a few years to the site, as it is now, and accidentally give to something that is more theocratic-minded than the old CMI was.

Let’s hope the website is updated soon, with Faytene’s views front and center.

Leaving the site as it is, if Faytene indeed has staged a coup d’etat and taken over the remnants of the old and different Campus Ministries International, would be naughty. Let’s hope she is not tempted.

Oh man.

Is it going to be 2007 all over again? You can find out what I’m referring to here and here.

via: Group Sects

Tonight’s sunset.

This is one of the new neighbours.
Gulls are one of the most recognized birds on the planet and I don’t know much about them. I’m looking forward to learning.

I thought this was parody.
Can you name this televangelist?

The Prop Comic Preacher from Airwave Ranger on Vimeo.

This is Ohio`s Rod Parsley in the 1990′s. Do you get the supposed jokes? I didn’t.
I was trying to figure out the tent. Perhaps Parsley is portraying a prophet coming in from the wilderness.
What’s up with the KISS tongue thing?
(Parsley is known for blaming demons or Satan for everything)

Parsley founded World Harvest Church in Ohio. Parsley promotes a hodge podge of heretical beliefs including prosperity/word-faith, latter rain and dominionism. His church settled a 3 million dollar lawsuit last year. He begged for money saying he was under a’ demonically inspired financial attack.’ Parsley has the obligatory gated compound and jet – common trappings of successful mega-church televangelists. His Breakthough ministry branch is on Ministry Watch’s Donor Alert list.

His church services have been described as ” primal scream set to spiritual aerobics.”

Two nights ago.One of the new neighbours. A small gaggle were nearby feeding, this was the designated sentry.

Good on the neighbours for asking these folk to move on. We don’t know what took place prior to the video. What we do know is that this church has done street preaching (reading their bibles loudly in front of homes) and going door to door for years. We know there are claims they targeted and drove a lesbian couple out of the neighbourhood and this evening had stopped in front of a gay couples home. We don’t know what bible verses were read.

The 23 member Highfield Road Gospel Church Hall has been at Dundas and Highfield since 1934.

Door to door proselytism and street preaching is not common in most parts of Canada (thank God!).
This Baptist group  closed Plymouth Brethren group heads out to local streets Sunday nights. I don’t know which stream of Baptists this group is. A Gospel Haller who doesn’t want to be identified says:

“If it was me, and they were coming in front of my house year-in-year-out with something I didn’t agree with, I’d suggest to them they try further up the street to get their message out.” He says the evangelical group has already toned it down in recent years: “We’re not the only church that does this. We used to spend about half an hour… but we sensed some people were not receiving the message well.”

“I’ll say it again,” he insists, “we do not seek to antagonize or target or stir up strife. We’re there to deliver the message of the gospel, that God loves every soul. God does not discriminate. It’s a grave misunderstanding on the part of the people who say they’re being targeted.”

“I’m very very sorry about this,” the Gospel Hall contact says, pledging to “make it a point to go to different areas, different groups of houses.”

A community member says none of the church goers live in the community. A church member says they do.
The Globe and Mail has good coverage. Congregants say they stand and preach/read where there are no cars parked.

The gay couple who neighbours believed were targeted say:

“I don’t like how the whole issue is being distorted,” said Blair Chiasson, a civil servant who lives with his partner, Paul Collins. “Nothing happened. Nothing happened.”

He added: “I just want this to stop. Stop discussing it. Stop talking about it. It’s really kind of spiralling out of control.”

Update: Thanks to readers who want the facts straight. Corrections have been made to the denomination (closed Plymouth Brethren, not Baptist) and the correct name of the building/group (Gospel Hall, not Gospel Church.)The history of how Plymouth Brethren split into open, closed and exclusive, can be found here, and a listing of Plymouth Brethren groups in the province of Ontario can be found here. Interesting that we the public assumed was this group was Baptist.

A US court has ruled World Vision is a religious corporation which has the right to hire and fire employees based on religious beliefs. More specifically “World Vision is exempt from a provision in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act barring religious discrimination.”

The full ruling of the US Court of Appeals.

When they were hired, Spencer, Hulse, and Youngberg (collectively, the “Employees”) submitted required personal statements describing their “relationship with Jesus Christ.” See infra p. 12554-55. All acknowledged their “agreement and compliance” with World Vision’s Statement of Faith, Core Values, and Mission Statement. See infra pp. 12548-49, 12555.

In 2006, World Vision discovered that the Employees denied the deity of Jesus Christ and disavowed the doctrine of the Trinity.^[ 1] As this was incompatible with World Vision’s doctrinal beliefs—specifically, the belief that “there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit”—the Employees were terminated. See infra p. 12548-49.

World Vision US is thrilled.

SEATTLE, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — World Vision applauds today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, upholding our legally protected practice of hiring people of like-minded faith.

The opinion affirmed that World Vision qualifies as a religious organization under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  Our Christian faith has been the foundation of our work since the organization was established in 1950, and our hiring policy is vital to the integrity of our mission to serve the poor as followers of Jesus Christ.

World Vision will continue to vigorously defend our organization’s freedom to hire employees who share our faith, as do other religious organizations, whether Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, or Christian.

I find this decision chilling. While it only applies to US operations and I believe the humanitarianism carried out by World Vision is driven by a love for Jesus Christ, I’m finding myself wondering if I can support this organization again. I think what World Vision does around the world is outstanding. I believe the love of Christ compels staff. Do I believe Christ’s love is the only motivation for all World Vision employees? No. Humans are complex beings made in His image and likeness and open and hidden motivations can compel us. If this religious corporation is going to kick employees out  for a change of beliefs (and not job performance), or not hire qualified people, I find myself questioning who else World Vision will with hold from.

What other religious corporations, educational institutions, societies or associations in the US legally hire and fire based on belief while receiving half their operating expenses from government?

Did the three employees go to the boss and say “I’ve decided to embrace Oneness Pentecostalism?” (insert non-trinitarian sect of choice).  That doesn’t appear to be the case. And even if they did, how was their job performance and the goals and image of World Vision affected? What is the implied threat?

World Vision Statement of Faith

In good conscience I wonder if I now with hold donations from World Vision Canada because of the decision of the US branch. There are otherChristian organizations which don’t seek Ceasar’s stamp of approval  which I can look at giving to.  Humanitarian groups have different motivations, I understand and accept that.  I understand the word discriminate does not have merely negative connotations.  That doesn’t lessen the chill.

20% of the 40 thousand WV staff world wide are not Christian. If these staff go to the US would they be fired? Does the US corporate staff plan to lobby or demand other country branches seek similar legal exemptions?

So what is troubling me about this ongoing legal battle and decisions south of the border? I’m not sure.

Thoughts?