Christian blog warns about RevMoon's hold over conservative leaders and

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black evangelicals.

http://www.act3online.com/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=272

For the Christian no symbol is more universally precious than the cross. Whether East or West—Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant—the cross is perhaps the one common symbol that we all agree on. We do not worship the cross as an object of affection or veneration but we all treasure what it represents, believing that it is remains a powerful symbol for those who follow Christ in apostolic faith. The reason for this is really quite simple—Christians have always believed that this ancient torture stake represents the crucifixion, thus the death and atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. For us, as orthodox Christians, the cross is at the very center of our faith.

The apostle Paul clearly gloried in the cross, prompting him to say to the confused Galatians: "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). Paul even says that the division of the races, between Jew and Gentile, is reconciled "through the cross" (Ephesians 2:16). And, he adds, God has made peace with all things "through the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:20).

I think about the cross almost every single day. Whether I see a cross or not I recall to my mind and heart that without the cross I have no gospel, thus no hope and no eternal life. Without the cross I have no wisdom, no message, and no ministry. Paul reminded the Corinthians that when he had ministered to them he "decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). In other words, he resolved to make Christ the sole subject of his teaching and ministry. One could say, and not be off the mark an iota, that all Christians, and especially Christian ministers, should follow the apostle and do likewise, making Christ and his cross the very center of everything they do for God and the church.

But the danger of preaching a message other than that of the cross is perennial. Here well-intentioned ministers do get off the path. It may not seem to be a great danger for many in our day but it clearly was in Paul's time. And, contrary to what many think today, it remains a danger right down to this very day.

Sun Myung Moon and the Black Clergy of America's Cities

As I read the front page article, "Rev. Moon and the Black Clergy" Chicago Tribune, Sunday, November 5, 2006), I was quite frankly stunned. I knew that Moon was still alive, but I considered him an unimportant person since he is now 86 years old and a discredited ex-convict. I couldn't have been more wrong.

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Conclusion

I find it nothing short of amazing that this whole movement has publicly expressed itself in so many black churches by pastors staging formal services in which they "take down the cross" and bury it in the ground. The symbolic action is more than ironic. It appears to be a powerful step toward full-scale apostasy. It is also a reminder that those who tamper with the message of the Christ will, in the end, deny the gospel of Christ. Taking the symbol out is not tantamount to such denial but it sure powerfully underscores the spiritual and religious reality of what Sun Myung Moon is and what he stands for. What amazes me is how evangelicals, both black and white, remain silent about this travesty. Since a lot of Moon money has found its way into conservative pockets this is even more troubling, at least to my mind.
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If you truly love the cross of Christ you must understand that great pressures will always exist to lead you away from this precious center of true Christian faith. And if you are a minister you must "lift high the cross," preferably in every sermon you preach and every action you take. To deny the cross invites spiritual disaster. Someone needs to tell this to clergymen who are misleading their flocks and someone ought to tell the conservative leaders who support them, both explicitly and implicitly. This is serious business my friends.

[madfloridian]

1. More: "In Perspective: Why Are Pastors Flying to Moon?"

From Christianity Today 2001:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/augustweb-only/8-6-33.0.html

"A Washington Post article reported on July 25 that approximately 35 African-American clergy have been fired or threatened with dismissal after tagging along with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon on his recent "We Will Stand" U.S. tour.

The article alleges that the ministers, mostly from the South, "have been voted out of office by church boards that object to any affiliation with Moon." The article has been vehemently denied by a group of involved pastors (including Imani Temple archbishop George A. Stallings, who was married at a Moon mass wedding).

This situation may be the boiling point in a mounting unrest over the increasing close ties between Moon's Unification Church and African-American clergy and on on-going mission for Moon.

So what's the fuss over Christian leaders associating with Moon? For starters, he claims Jesus failed his earthly mission, and that Moon was commissioned to finish up. Jesus's real task, Moon maintains, was to form a perfect marriage in order to redeem humanity and reverse the damage that Adam and Eve created. Moon and his wife are held up in his church as the "True Parents" of humanity."

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2. New World Order includes unifying religions and why Moon has long funded the divisive

aspects of many other religions by driving wedges between their followers through political means.

That is why you see the growth in fundamentalism in every faith - and now the fundie Catholics have even taken over the papacy.