Things I Think…
1. Rebecca Hopkins has written a stunning disclosure of alleged abuse at Calvary Spokane for the Roys Report.
I’ve had the broad outlines of this story for many years…but my own health issues prevented any serious follow up.
If the allegations against Ken and Ben Ortize are true (and I believe they are) then the entire staff and board of this church would be immediately dismissed if biblical standards were held sacred.
No such standards matter in these churches…those that don’t like it have already been told to leave…
2. People ask me all the time if Calvary Chapels have changed, citing the lack of articles I write about the movement these days. The only thing that’s changed is my health and ability to do the research…
3. One other thing has changed…I’m no longer naive enough to believe that stories like Rebecca has documented matter to congregations…Calvary Spokane will lose a few people for a while, but the vast majority will continue to support the abuse of the brethren…and damn those who report on it…
4. This corruption of leadership standards is not limited to Calvary Chapels…it’s a feature, not a bug in evangelicalism…
5. The Calvary Spokane website shows links to Ben Ortize teaching on the Beatitudes…demonstrating what a seared conscience looks like…
6. There is also a link to Ken Ortize teaching on the “Future of America After Charlie Kirk”….which has no Bible reference for some reason…
7. The evangelical avoidance of holding leaders accountable applies to their politicians as well…tell them what they want to hear and unless you come out as gay, you’re good to go…
8. Outsiders see this as raging hypocrisy…gay will disqualify you, but abusing your spouse, employees , family or congregants is excusable…
9. Have you noticed how many fewer gay people there are since Trump took over? Me either…
10. So much for regime change in Iran…now a persecuted populace will also lack power and water…I’m sure they love us for trying…
100% yes to 1-10!!!!
First
Thanks, Bob!
I read the expose and almost lost my lunch. It’s horrible. It’s horrible to think this, but there must be something about these kinds of churches that people can justify the sin or they don’t care. I can’t think of another reason they would stay.
“There is also a link to Ken Ortize teaching on the “Future of
America After Charlie Kirk”….which has no Bible reference for some reason…”
Almost spit out my coffee. Not the future of America after one of our esteemed leaders were out of office, like either of the Roosevelts or Reagan or Obama…no. Charlie Kirk.
Unbelievable.
Linn,
The people are getting what they want…and could care less what it costs some of the brethren…
bob1,
It put butts in the seats and money in the bank…
I wonder if part of what’s going on is the old “frog in the saucepan” thing, where when you heat up the frog slowly, it doesn’t realize until he’s cooked that he’s been boiled. A lot of church members, IMHO, don’t really utilize their critical thinking skills. I mean, you get active in a church and you don’t necessarily think that hard about what’s going down.
Just a thought…
bob1,
That may be the case at times…but this crap in Spokane has been going on for over a decade…
“So much for regime change in Iran…now a persecuted populace will also lack power and water…I’m sure they love us for trying…”
The prestige of the Iranian regime — which is still the same regime as before the war — among its proxies in the region has increased exponentially as a result of this war. The Iranian regime is viewed as having successfully defended itself against both the Big Satan and the Little Satan, the US and Israel. No doubt more militants will be recruited to the causes of Iran in the region. And the fact is that Iran now has uncontested control of the shipping of oil and other important products through the Strait of Hormuz; the nations of the world, including our former allies in Europe, will rush to make deals with Iran to allow the shipping through the Strait of vital products that they need. The regime will rebuild and become more influential than ever before. And the people of Iran will unify around the regime as they realize the U.S. never meant to liberate them from anything, with the exception of their lives, when the bombing of the infrastructure they depend on to survive intensifies as a result of our evil president’s sadistic love of capriciously exercising power. A major victory for the evil regime of Iran, and a major defeat for the evil leadership in the White House. America brought this on the world, and itself.
The corruption described in the linked article has the same twisted dynamic as the People’s Temple. It is all happening on the other side of the boundary where religion becomes cult. The church as institution exists for the sake of sharing the gospel with the world; but, as a result of its own sin, spends much of its time embroiled in it own corruption, defending its reputation against those who rightly expose that corruption.
Anyone need help recognizing idolatry? Heresy?
At an Easter lunch event at the White House, Trump’s “faith advisor” Paula White-Cain compared Trump to Jesus Christ. “You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. Because of His resurrection, you rose up.”
Pardon me while I throw up.
bob1,
It is pretty clear that for Paula White and all the other MAGA Christians (including some that used to post on this site), their true lord and savior is Donald Trump, whether they know it or not. The good news is that if Trump were to suddenly expire, there won’t be a resurrection in 3 days. Maybe if that happens, all the MAGA Kool-Aid drinkers will do us a favor and take the enhanced fruit beverage and we won’t have to deal with them again. Pity they can’t all go to a South American country when they do so.
I’ve gotten to the point where if Trump is giving a speech I read the summary in a reputable news source. He is only about himself and what he wants.
He is talking about ditching Pam Bondi. That could be an improvement. ICE is still busy since Kristi left, but they don’t appear to be raging through the streets like before.
Linn,
That is because the Senate is also holding up DHS funding (and forcing the GOP to cave on Democrats’ requests for body cameras, no masked ICE, etc.). ICE is under a microscope with EVERYBODY filming them and using social media. So they have to play nice and follow the rules better. Otherwise, even more demands will be made by various Senators. One of the best disinfectants is light.
As for Bondi, she was an incompetent fool as AG of Florida whose only credentials was her loyalty to the top man. The fact that all her cases against Trump’s political enemies (real or imagined) have collapsed utterly in the courts has shown that she has become a liability (makes Trump look like a even bigger fool). Even though she was running a fool’s errand to go over those people.
All I can say to Bondi is, “Don’t let the door hit you in the *** on the way out.”
Paula White calling antichrist Christ. What a mockery to call Trump Christ-like. It’s not cult like, it’s cult.
Linn and Robert,
That was quick.
.
Looks like the Orange Dear Leader just fired his minion AG Pam Bondi. I have to conclude that these MAGA supporters and Trump officials must like to be abused. Trump expects 100% loyalty to him, but that is never reciprocated in any way, amount, shape, or form. Bondi better hope that Trump at least left the $2 on the nightstand before he kicked her to the curb.
Ra’s al Ghul,
He’d do the same to all his fundamentalist/Pentecostal faithful but they do it to themselves first.
What fool will accept the position of AG next? Whoever it is, I’m sure those new social media betting sites will be placing odds on longevity.
Anyone who thinks an affiliation with Trump will make them wealthy or famous. After what happened with the Noem’s this week, I doubt they are Christians at all; if they are, they are really messed up.
@ Robert F,
Fundamentalism is dying out and good riddance.
Linn,
If only Rudy Giuliani had not been disbarred.
I have often wondered what happened to Kenny and Jamie Ortiz. I was moved to their Shiloh house in Eugene for a month in 1970 from the Eugene Jefferson St house to be “guided” on being a good wife to my future future husband.John Higgins’ wife wasn’t considered a good example by then. How sad to see what became of him pastoring CC Spokane.
Correction: Kenny’s Shiloh was in Salem.
It goes back to Chuck Smith and to how Lonnie Frisbee was used. I am not faulting them for asking him to leave due to his many issues. But how he was used and then what Mr. Smith said at Lonnie’s funeral. Just my observation.
Hegseth is firing all the top generals who might push back or have pushed back against orders to violate rules of engagement or against illegal orders so that Trump can brutalize Iran. The mainstream liberals who thought that generals would stand as a bulwark against authoritarianism were always deluded; the culture of humane accountability in the military was a recent overlay of the military default setting: obey orders. It’s hard to maintain that culture in the military, and easy to roll it back. We are seeing that now. The people of Iran will be more brutalized by the U.S. in this war than they have been by decades of brutal religious repression. This was never about liberating the Iranian people. Trump will butcher Iran and the Iranian people, but the Iranian regime will survive.
Robert F and Linn,
In regards to Bondi, to quote South Park, “You got some s–t on your nose Pam”
I highly recommend the South Park Episodes “Turkey Trot”, “Got a Nut”, and “The Woman in the Hat”. These episodes brutally satire, Hegseth, Noem, and Bondi.
At this moment downed US fighter pilots may have been apprehended in the middle of Iran where there plane was shot down by Iranian forces. Let’s hope that if that’s the case, the Iranian troops do not follow the “no quarter” dictum of Pete Hegseth; by saying that the Secretary of Defense made it more likely that our captured troops would be treated in like manner. What a reckless, chest thumping fool Hegseth is.
Robert F,
Depends who get the F15E pilots. If it the government and some local group, then they will realize the propaganda/trade value. If I was the Iranians, I would make sure the pilots are well-treated, fed, etc with all the video to confirm it. At the same time, I would have them recover and stay at a residential facility at one (or 2 if there are 2 survivors) of the desalination or power plants (you know non military targets), announce that, but not say which one. Make it pointedly obvious that if Kegsbreath and Trump want to commit a war crime, they will be killing US military. If they complain about human shields, have them point out that under International Law and rules of war the locations they are in are not to be attacked to begin with,
Before they are transferred though, I would use them as bait to take out the CSAR aircraft and teams looking for them to get more prisoners. MANPADS and drones work and are more easily concealed.
Maybe get some drone footage of their rescuers getting struck by anti-personnel drones like you see on the Ukrainian War reddits and subreddits. Then upload that to the internet. Read up on the rescue of Iceal Hambleton during the Vietnam War. During that rescue attempt, five aircraft were shot down, eleven airmen were killed in action, and two were captured. Nine additional aircraft and helicopters were badly damaged during the ongoing rescue attempts.
Today Pete Hegseth had a Good Friday Protestant service at the Pentagon, but no Catholic Good Friday liturgy. This is the first time in memory that the Pentagon has not had a Good Friday Catholic observance/liturgy. He’s making it loud and clear who is welcome and who is not at the Pentagon, and Catholics are not.
Hegseth is one of the most un-Christlike men I’ve ever seen in public service.
Robert F,
Watch the South Park Episode “Turkey Trot”. It is brutal on Kegsbreath. You will never think of the Top Gun song “Danger Zone” quite the same way again.
For more evidence, Ken Ortize and Ben Ortize own words, facts with documents, see Youtube, “Ben Ortize Greatest Hits 2”, the Ken n Ben Ortize Unmasking Wolves series.