Andy Rowell

Church Leadership Conversations

  • List of worship leaders gathering at the White House on Friday, Dec 6, 2019

    On Friday, December 6th, a number of worship leaders gathered at the White House for an hour of worship, a "faith briefing" with Mike Pence, and then a prayer and photo with President Donald Trump. Australian Hillsong Church pastor Brian Houston and worship leaders Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes raved about all President Trump is accomplishing on videos posted to the White House Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

     

    White House group shot 2

    Here is a partial list of those who were there thanks to lots of people tagging one another in Instagram: 

    White House group shot 1

    1. Paula White-Cain (and husband Jonathan Cain met the night before Dec 5, 2019 at the White House with Trump supporters Jentezen Franklin, Marcus Lamb, Joni Lamb, Harry Jackson)
    2. Brian Houston (Hillsong Church pastor) Instagram video and instagram of seanfeucht
    3. Kari Jobe (Carnes) (traveling worship leader, was at Gateway Church, Southlake TX, with Trump supporter, Pastor Robert Morris)
    4. & Cody Carnes (traveling worship leader, was at Gateway Church, Southlake TX, with Trump supporter, Pastor Robert Morris) Instagram video
    5. Brian Johnson (President of Bethel Music, Redding, CA) Instagram of seanfeucht (His father, Bethel Church pastor, Bill Johnson voted for Trump).
    6. & Jenn Johnson (co-founder Bethel Music, Redding, CA)
    7. Britt Nicole (traveling singer)
    8. Sean Feucht (Bethel Music, Redding, CA. He is also running for Congress.  He is the one reaching to touch President Trump's sleeve in the photo. Sean Feucht told Fox News: "I shook his hand and said 'Mr. President, I'm from California and I just want to let you know there's people out in California that support you.") Instagram group photo and another photo and video. 
    9. Stephen James Hart (Visual Worship Leader, Bethel Music, Redding, CA) Instagram group shot.
    10. Luke Hendrickson (Mixing engineer, Bethel Church, Redding, CA) Instagram group shot.
    11. Heather Armstrong (photography, Redding, CA)
    12. Kiley Goodpasture (Project Manager, Bethel Music, Redding, CA)
    13. Dominic Shahbon (Director of Events, Bethel Music, Redding, CA)
    14. Allison & Antonio Marin (Strings players, Northern CA)
    15. Jeremy Edwardson (Music producer, Redding CA)
    16. David Funk (Worship leader – Gable Price and Friends, Redding, CA)
    17. Chris Quilala (Jesus Culture, Sacramento, CA)
    18. Joseph Zwanziger (The Father’s House, Vacaville, CA) Instagram group shot.
    19. & Tosha Zwanziger 
    20. Terry Crist (Lead Pastor, Hillsong Phoenix) (Not 100% sure he was there)
    21. Michael Stampley (Worship leader, GA)
    22. & Heidi Stampley
    23. Micah Stampley
    24. Trent Cory (Hope City United Church, Albany, GA)
    25. & Keisha Cory 
    26. Myles Rutherford (co-pastors, Worship with Wonders, Marietta, GA) and group shot
    27. & DeLana Rutherford 
    28. David Brinson (Senior Pastor, Eighth Day Church, Warner Robins, GA who worked with Paula White)
    29. & son Rafael Brinson 
    30. Tim Brinson (Worship Leader, SC and GA)
    31. (Jonathan) Ernstly Etienne, Worship Director, Free Chapel, Gainesville, GA (associated with Trump supporter, Pastor Jentezen Franklin)
    32. & Hillary Harper Etienne
    33. Eddie James (traveling worship leaders, Ocoee, TN) Instagram group shot.
    34. David Binion (Dwell Church, Fairview, TX)
    35. & Nicole Binion (not 100% sure if she was there – photo)
    36. Nayomi Thomas (worship leaders, Raymore, MO)
    37. & Jaye Thomas 
    38. Bryn Waddell, Charlotte, NC.
    39. Two women from New Wine Music. selfie. (associated with Trump supporter, Pastor Guillermo Maldonado of El Rey Jesús, in Miami, FL). 
    40. Jonathan Williams, photographer

    Corrections and additions welcome in the comments. 

    See also list of "evangelical leaders" who have met with Trump at the White House.

    Note Bill and Brian Johnson, and Frank and Brian Houston, are similar to other Trump supporters who pass down their ministries / businesses to their children: Jerry Falwell and Jerry Fallwell Jr. (and his children), Paula White-Cain and Brad Knight, Billy and Franklin Graham (and all his children), and Fred Trump and Donald Trump (and his children).

     

    Commentary: 

    This is a similar situation to people being asked to pray for the President that we saw this summer with Franklin Graham's call to pray. It is entirely appropriate to pray for a president. The problem is if the powerful person "receiving prayer" is primarily using the pray-er to reach their constituency on his behalf. In other words, there likely was not an opportunity to speak truth to power to President Trump. But rather, the strategy is to sell these worship leaders (who have big Instagram followings) with a one-sided "Look at what Trump is doing for evangelicals!" so that they then turn and communicate to their fans: "President Trump and his administration are people passionate about worship and prayer, just like you! And therefore, you should defend President Trump and try to see the good in what he does. And you should vote for him!"

    It is of course initially exciting to get an offer to visit the White House and pray for President Trump and disappointing when people criticize you for leading worship (!), but it should be sobering to realize that you are being used to boost President Trump's popularity.

    The historical context from this first week of December in 2019 is that President Trump is in the midst of an impeachment proceeding because of his own misbehavior—because he ignored all advice about Ukraine from his foreign policy advisers. On December 4, 2019, three constitutional law professors testified before the House Judiciary Committee about what the Constitution says about impeachment. On December 5th, Nancy Pelosi announced impeachment articles would be drafted. On December 6th, when the worship leaders were at the White House, the Trump administration announced they would not participate in the House's impeachment proceedings.  

    Moreover, though Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes mention his work on human trafficking, that contribution is exaggerated. They also mention Trump's concern for the marginalized, but on Dec 4th President Trump slashed access to food assistance to 700,000 Americans. 

    More broadly, yes, evangelicals vote Republican for "pro-life" but the abortion rate has been falling fast especially in Democratic administrations due to more access to contraceptives. It is fine to worry about the excesses of a Democratic administration with regard to religious freedom or other issues, but it is another thing to be part of an operation that is focused on promoting President Trump.

    Moreover, Paula White-Cain, who organized the gathering, is not a model of financial and moral integrity. 

    In summary, as Amy Sullivan points out in this thread, a president should have a variety of representative and thoughtful religious leaders come to the White House and listen to, argue with, and learn from them. But that is different from inviting fawning or naive independent evangelicals who are contacts of Johnnie Moore and Paula White-Cain to (as they said in August 2018) "speak love to power," promote how Trump is fighting for evangelicals, pray, take photos, and then rave about the experience to CBN and Fox News.

     

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    More links and reaction and theological and sociological reflection in this Twitter thread.

    Here is a PDF of the thread: Download Thread by @AndyRowell_ Here is a list of the worship leaders who met with President Trump at the White House on Friday December 6 2019.

     

    See also: Evangelicals for Trump Coalition Launch rally at King Jesus International Ministry in Miami on Friday January 3, 2020

     

  • Responding to Franklin Graham’s Dec 4, 2019 complaints about impeachment

    Here is my response to Franklin Graham's latest Facebook post: 

    https://www.facebook.com/FranklinGraham/posts/2888977351158427?comment_id=541666359715224

     

    Mr. Graham,
    The impeachment proceedings are not unbelievable. The witnesses who appeared before the intelligence committee testified to what they observed in their professional capacities with regard to Ukraine. Other witnesses have not been allowed to testify by the President. Today, four experts in constitutional law testified about the legal and historic reasons to impeach a president.
    You are the first I have heard calling any of this "lying—and spinning the lies." I do not hear other supporters of President Trump characterizing what is going on that way.
    It is indeed appropriate to ask questions about Hunter Biden and Joe Biden and Ukraine. It is also appropriate to investigate them. But President Trump did not just "ask questions" about them publicly or through official appropriate channels such as the State Department or Department of Defense or Senate Intelligence Committee but rather demanded through his personal lawyer Rudy Gulliani and through EU ambassador Gordon Sondland that Ukraine announce an investigation into Joe Biden in exchange for a White House meeting and also military aid approved by Congress. Two people in the Office of Management and Budget quit because of this improper order. Multiple people reported the situation to National Security Council and White House lawyers because they understood Trump's actions to be illegal. There have been no witnesses from the White House who have come forward to give an innocuous explanation for what occurred. All have said that they recognized it was improper to secretly pressure Ukraine for political favors and morally wrong to deprive an ally of support in the midst of a war.
    Recall that as Trump began as president in January 2017, he only reluctantly fired Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor even after he had been warned that Flynn was lying publicly that he had not talked with the Russians when wiretaps of Russians made clear he had. In May 2017, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey who had refused to pledge his loyalty to Trump saying to both Lester Holt and Russians in the Oval Office that he had done so to stop investigations into his involvement with Russia. So, yes, there have been those who have been concerned with Trump's behavior since his first days in office.
    It is hard to understand what you mean by what "they're doing to our country." Trump could have avoided criticism by acting with integrity. It likely does seem to you that he is being attacked from many sides. But it is not for his protection of religious freedom or even for his appointment of conservative judges (except for the ones that are very controversial because of their lack of qualifications) or even for his tax cut. Today too he cut access to food stamps. These are normal political controversies that Mike Pence also would face. I understand you think President Trump was a good businessman but in fact his history is that of receiving an inheritance from his father, cheating on taxes, bankruptcies, a fictional reality show, branding, and almost certainly, money laundering (though we are unsure because he has hidden his financial information). He has also been a serial adulterer. This immoral greediness has been the way he has continued to operate in the White House. This is why it seems like he is being attacked so often. He surrounded himself with others who were willing to operate without scruples. Many supporters have now been indicted for their crimes. As president, impeachment is the only way to hold a president accountable because the Department of Justice policy against indicting a sitting president.
    You are right that it is unlikely that 67 senators will vote to remove the president in the Senate impeachment trial. Still, this process is the legal, constitutional way to make a president feel some pressure to operate ethically out of fear that it is possible 67 Senators might remove him in office and elevate Mike Pence to the presidency.
    As far as I know, Democrats do not have a clear idea of the "calendar." Some want this to be over quickly so that the Democratic primary candidates can campaign and they worry that a long drawn-out process hurts them. Others, do think that the impeachment process should go slower in case the Supreme Court rules that Don McGahn and others in the White House must testify and that Trump's financial records must be turned over to Congress. So, it is not true that everyone "knows" this is just a ploy to damage Trump politically before the next election. Again, this is the Constitutional means to give a president some sense of accountability.
    I agree that our hope is in God. May God give us wisdom and bring truth and light.

  • A response to Franklin Graham’s denouncing the impeachment inquiry

    A response to Franklin Graham's recent Facebook post: 

     

    Mr. Graham,

    It has come to my attention that your comments on impeachment are being read by many. Please be more careful with your words. There are a number of things you say here that are incorrect.
    – This is the second week of public impeachment hearings. The impeachment inquiry was announced Sept 24.
    – Very little of the impeachment inquiry or hearings can be construed as Trump's "enemies" trying to "destroy" him. The inquiries have consisted of various witnesses describing how President Trump and his team worked with Ukraine. The majority of the witnesses consider themselves non-partisan and have worked under Democratic and Republican administrations. Republican politicians, journalists, and commentators agree that Trump's behavior with regard to Ukraine was inappropriate. Mitt Romney and Fox News's Andrew Napolitano are two prominent examples.

    "81 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of evangelical Christians and 87 percent of voters living in rural areas agreed that it was unjust for a U.S. politician to ask other countries' governments for help to win an election" according to Oct 17-23 Grinnell College National Poll.

    A Oct 27-30 Fox News poll yielded these responses:

    In general, is it appropriate for President Trump to ask leaders of foreign countries to investigate allegations against political rivals, or not?
    64% No.

    To the best of your knowledge, did President Trump ask the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rivals?
    60% Yes, he did.

    To the best of your knowledge, did President Trump hold up military aid to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rivals?
    52% Yes, he did

    The impeachment inquiry is related to these issues.

    – You also list items which you think outweigh Trump's faults.
    – It is not the case that "The U.S. economy is better than it has ever been." According leading economic indicators, "the economy is faltering slightly."  You are right that the employment rate is low but that is a lagging indicator. You are also right that the stock market is high but that is only one factor. However, it is not clear that Trump's policies such as the tax cut have contributed to the health of the economy. His trade war has demonstrably hurt the economy.
    – Trump's betrayal of the Kurds in Syria allowed for the release of ISIS prisoners. No expert agrees this was the way to control ISIS. Two days ago a headline in USA Today read: "Pentagon: President Trump's order to withdraw troops from Syria allows ISIS to rebuild." You initially pleaded for Trump to rescind this decision. On Oct 9 you wrote: "The Kurds are the ones who have been leading the fight against ISIS in Syria. Also pray for the Christians who the Kurds have been protecting. They could be annihilated. Would you pray w/me that Pres. @realDonaldTrump will reconsider? Thousands of lives hang in the balance." It is odd that you now praise his handling of ISIS. 
    – Indeed, it was announced that the US embassy was moved to Jerusalem, a symbolic move. People are welcome to read up on this issue as to whether it is significant. And just this week the Trump administration declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank to not be illegal (though they acknowledge the settlements are morally wrong). And today Trump ally Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted.
    – Finally, you are right that Trump has permitted his administration to appoint conservative judges. The key white evangelical reason for this is "abortion" but it is not clear that restricting access to abortion reduces the abortion rate. Instead, it is easier access to high quality contraceptives that reduces the number of abortions and that is often limited under Republican administrations and so the abortion rate increases.
    – In some ways, Trump has defended "religious freedom" but primarily for Christians. Moreover, his withdrawal from Syria has hurt Syrian Christians and he has radically limited the acceptance of refugees (many who are fleeing religious persecution).
    – Indeed it is appropriate to pray for President Trump but also (as Jesus emphasizes) "for your enemies."

    A few other comments for the supporters of Franklin Graham:
    – Franklin Graham made $636,451 from Samaritan's Purse (Operation Christmas Child) in 2018 according to the organization's 990 tax form. He reports that he works there 40 hours per week. When last disclosed in 2014, Franklin Graham also reported working 40 hours per week for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association which now "exists to support and extend the evangelistic calling and ministry of Franklin Graham." In 2015 it became a "an association of churches" so salaries are not disclosed. In 2014, his salary from BGEA was: $205,999.

    – Also two of the Board of Directors of Samaritan's Purse are his children.
    – Jane Cissie Lynch, Ministry Spokesperson and Special Projects Producer, Samaritan’s Purse.$48,617
    – Roy Graham, Director of Donor Relations, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
    – His son Will also works for him as Vice President of BGEA. Last disclosure was $98,698 in 2014.

    Like the Falwell family and Trump family, nepotism and wealth and fame are typical values in the Graham family.

    Franklin Graham publicly declared his admiration for Trump in 2011. He met with Putin alone in Nov or Dec 2015 and and made another trip in March 2019 and met with the sanctioned Putin ally Vyacheslav Volodin. It is clear that Franklin Graham is a long-time ally of Trump's. Franklin Graham has no theological education.

    There is no reason why Graham should be looked to for wise judgment on theological or moral or global news issues. For all of these reasons, Franklin Graham should not be looked to for wise judgment on theological or moral or global news issues.

    __________________

    See also more posts about and documentation about Franklin Graham at: https://www.andyrowell.net/andy_rowell/franklin-graham/