Sun Myung Moon's
Infiltration into the
churches
On January 19 there was an Inaugural Prayer Luncheon for Unity and Renewal at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington D.C. Tickets cost $100. The Washington
Times Foundation sponsored the luncheon. As is often the case the committee that
sent out the letter for the luncheon was not part of the Washington Times
Foundation. They included Doug Wead. Doug Wead is an unpaid political adviser.
Larry Zillioz was kind enough to send me some background on Wead. Doug Wead is
an unpaid political adviser. While Bush has shunned many of his father's old
political advisers, Wead is one exception. During the Bush administration, Wead,
ordained as an Assemblies of God minister, served as a liaison to various
groups, including the evangelical community. He is now reaching out to gather
evangelical support for the younger Bush. In an interview with the Center, Wead
acknowledged that Bush turned to him during the intense media scrutiny over
rumors of cocaine use. "I'm a friend, and he did call me that week. I'm not
in his inner circle," Wead said. Wead is a motivational speaker, an author
and business consultant based in Irving, Texas, near Dallas. In the past he's
been viewed as a religious extremist. When he ran for Congress in Arizona
calling himself a "Goldwater Republican," Barry Goldwater, objecting
to his views, endorsed the Democrat, who won. He lost his job at the White House
when he objected that the Bush staff had invited a number of gay groups to the
signing of hate crime bill, according to the Arizona Republic. His popularity
with the evangelical community is a valuable asset to Bush, who is said to call
him regularly. Wead is credited with Bush's strong showing in the Iowa straw
poll last August. According to the New Republic, Wead helped George W. Bush's
brother, Neil, after the government investigation of the Denver-based Silverado
Savings and Loan. Neil had sat on the thrift's board, but he was not prosecuted.
Wead, according to the newspaper, offered him a share of his lecture-circuit
business. Also on the committee who sent out the invitations was Rev. Walter E.
Fauntroy, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church and a former delegate to Congress.
Rev. Fauntroy has a long history of appearances at Moon sponsored events. His
appearance lends the Unification Church the luster of his association with
Martin Luther King and congress. He was a strong lobbyist on the Parents Day
legislation especially to Rep. Dan Burton, Republican from Indiana. Burton gave
his speech to the house and a few weeks later Fauntroy attended the Second World
Peace Conference, held in Seoul Korea to coincide with the Unification Church's
40th anniversary. At this conference Fauntroy presented Sun Myung Moon and his
wife with a framed copy of the Parents Day resolution proposed by Burton. The
list of those attending this luncheon needs to be an eye opener for all of us.
Even more important everyone needs to read how the event was reported both in
the Washington Times and on the Unification News' web page, which I am sure will
end up front page of the Unification News. I will not go through the whole list
of those attending but the key names need to be given. John Ashcroft was the
Bush representative who attended. Rev. Tony Evan, senior pastor of Oak Cliff
Bible Fellowship in Dallas gave the opening prayer. I honestly do believe that
Rev James Merritt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention was caught off
guard and did not realize it was a Moon sponsored event. He states the
invitation came from Wead. Merritt gave a tribute to Rev Billy Graham. However,
we can be sure that Jerry Falwell, Robert Schuller, Pat Boone, Jack Hayford were
well aware of the sponsor. They have all attended other Moon sponsored events.
Paul Crouch from TBN television, and Kenneth Copeland also spoke at the event.
The two reports tell about these ministers honoring Billy Graham, Martin Luther
King and Sun Myung Moon, with Moon accepting an award from the ecumenical
ministers for his work in support of traditional family values. It is important
to point out here that While Rev. Merritt was caught off guard and when he
realized the intention of the luncheon, he decided to use his time to honor
Graham and as an opportunity to share the gospel message. Unfortunately the
Unification News web-page and the Washington Times reported a modified story.
While they acknowledged honoring Graham and Martin Luther King, they placed Sun
Myung Moon equal to those honors and when they gave him the ecumenical award
left out with ministers were involved in presenting the award. Thus their
readers still believe that Merritt, Falwell and Paul Crouch etc., were part of
that presentation. An e-mail from Paul Carden said that Crouch showed the
luncheon on his TV program including showing Sun Myung Moon getting the award.
What a recruitment tool that now makes for them.
I also need to point out that the editor in chief of the Washington Times,
Wesley Pruden, was the one to introduce Sun Myung Moon and Mrs. Moon as old
friends. Upon leaving those attending were given the book True Family and World
Peace, which includes the sermons of Sun Myung Moon in the New Testament Age.
Pat Minichello got me a copy of the book. It would be important for us to have
anyone one we know who received the book to read pages 25- 28. There the quote
from Moon's speech July 6, 1992 clearly states that he is the Messiah, Lord of
the Second Advent. The book also tells of Jesus' failure to accomplish his
mission. Moon presses the teaching that Jesus failed and asked him Moon to do
what he could not do. Simply based on that teaching every Christian should take
a very strong stand against it and Moon or they really are not Christians.
There should be no doubt that the Washington Times and its foundation are not
only owned and controlled by Sun Myung Moon, but are used to give Moon both
creditability and help recruit members into his movement. In preparing this
talk, Pat Minichello made me aware of the November/December 2000 issue of
Today's World, the Unification Churches magazine, and the article about a
newspaper the Middle East Times. This paper according to the article was
established as a project of the New World Communications, the parent company of
the Washington Times, UPI and other secular publications. Dr. Bo Hi Pak and
Robert Morton proposed the idea of the paper in 1982 as an English-language
newspaper that would promote understanding and reconciliation in the Middle
East. The article goes on to state that Unificationists can be proud that their
just views have been disseminated continuously by a small yet persistent and
consistent voice for almost two decades. What is the difference between this
paper and the Washington Times who have the same owner and leadership? Moon has
claimed to have given over one billion dollars to the Washington Times to keep
it running. What is he getting for his money? Yes, the paper plays to the right
and conservative beliefs. But is it any different than any cult group that we
have studied where they use maybe up to 90% or more of the Scriptures and change
the rest? This picture of Moon getting an ecumenical award has got to be worth a
couple million bucks to Moon and his movement.
The Luncheon was held in conjunction with an American Leadership Conference,
that the Washington Times reported was an inspirational and training events for
clergy and state legislators. The American Leadership Conference is another Moon
front. Remember that this group sent out millions in mailings to get Bush senior
elected.
The problem is two-fold. Moon has apparently a very unlimited supply of money
and is willing to spend it to attract names he can use for his advantage. We are
all well aware of the vast amounts of money Jerry Falwell has received from Moon
over the years and has clearly indicated he is still willing to do so. Jerry has
stated that he would be willing to preach in hell if they let him back out. We
need to assure Jerry that Satan would love to have him preach in hell, first of
all since no one in Hell can be saved and Satan will let him come and go as he
wants because Satan gets to keep some of those who followed Jerry down. As for
Robert Schuller, it's a waste of time and that could be another whole workshop.
However, it is important to know that Schuller has spoken at several Moon events
and get paid well for them.
What we need to do is go after everyone attending these events and make it
clear that if they did not know the sponsor at the time that they do now and we
will let the Body of Christ know if they continue. As ministries we also need to
take a stand and if they continue to accept Moon money be sure that we are
completely disassociated with them in every way.
Many of the politicians have also received large sums of money from Sun Myung
Moon through one of his from organizations. It has been estimated that George
Bush senior after losing the election on the second term try received a golden
parachute from Moon. He was asked to travel and speak with Moon in Asia, the
United States and South America. The reports vary from 3 to 10 million dollars
as to how much Moon paid for Bush's services. One strange case took place back
in Argentina in 1996 where Bush declared: "I want to salute Reverend Moon
as a man of vision." While at the same time Moon's speeches were terming
the United States as "Satan's harvest and that American women were
descended from the line of prostitutes. Unfortunately I believe that we must get
the Christian ministers away from Moon before even trying to get the politicians
away. If we can get the ministers away most of the politicians will follow.
There are other moves on Moon's part that we need to be aware of and warn our
Christian brothers about. Most of you heard about Louis Farrakhan's Millions
Family March back on October 9, 2000. I am sure that most of you are also aware
that Sun Myung Moon paid the bills for that march. The question is why? The
answer is really simple. Moon has for some time been going after the black
population and black churches. Farrakhan helps him in this area. However, there
is even a larger part to this picture that everyone is overlooking. Moon was
able to have the United States declare Parents Day. The original bill actually
stated True Parents Day, but true was left off the final bill. This Moon was
able to insure his following that dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Moon. Prior to the
march Moon had the American Clergy Leadership Conference send out letters to all
the Christian churches in New York State and other areas offering them a free
family flag and asking them to fly it on September 24. Please notice the bottom
sponsor of the Family Flag Day committee and the flag itself. It is none other
than the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. For those who may
not be aware of it Moon changed the name of his church from the Unification
Church to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. There is no
question that he will next be seeking for the United States to declare a
national day of recognition of Family Day, which he will also declare in honor
of his movement. The wheels and flags are in place for that to happen if we stay
asleep.
I would like to spend a few minutes on the names listed on the Family Flag
Day Committee. These names appear on several other publications of Moon events.
The one Dennis Dillon who is the publisher of the New York Christian Times was
actually the MC of Moon's last mass wedding in Madison Square Garden. I spoke
with him and was told in very clear terms that Sun Myung Moon has done more for
the black Christians in New York than Billy Graham ever did. What Moon did was
give Dillon and others money as he bought them off. Others on the list such as
Bishop Billings have appeared at numerous other Moon events and we can be
assured that they were well paid for their names. Thus money is the major key
Moon uses to buy his power and creditability with.
There is one more area I would like to cover here and this one may open
Pandora's box. The Queens Federation of Churches publishes a newspaper that
carries an advertisement for only one seminary. This seminary is located at 4
West 43rd street and is an extension of the main seminary in Tarrytown. The
difference is that those attending this branch are not yet members of the
Unification Church. The editor and executive director is a Rev. L'Heureux. Rev.
L'Heureux has attended the Cult Information Service conventions in New Jersey
with the Scientologists defending them. He has also spoken out in strong support
for the Unification Church. How can we wake up the member churches to see what
they are supporting? Yes, they are part of the National Council of Churches.
However, most of them still claim to be Christian. L'Heureux is very out spoken
in the defense of Scientology and has traveled to Europe and Washington D.C.
routinely. I pray his movement is limited to the Queens Council or Federation of
Churches, but fear it may be the whole national council.
I have to blame us the Apologetic ministries for some parts of this growing
problem with Moon. Yes, we need the freedom of religion and can be happy and
proud that it exists in our country. However, that freedom is what allows us to
also express our beliefs and the truths of Scripture. Apologetics is not taught
in most seminaries and most pastors have no knowledge on how to cope with the
problems or even able to recognize the problems until it is too late. It is our
job or calling to inform the pastors and their congregations when the defense is
needed or what they need to defend against. If the federation of churches is off
base we may need to go after the churches one at a time and get them out of the
federation the same, as we would do with a cult member. We cannot sit back and
just write them off or ignore the facts. We are the only ones trained to see the
problem and defend the faith. |
TLEM