A few minutes ago I tweeted:
Sun Myung Moon, Unification Church founder, has died. Today, Moon meets the actual Messiah that he thought he was. #tragic
— Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer) September 2, 2012
The Los Angeles times has a lengthy story, explaining:
Moon offered an unorthodox message that blended calls for world peace with an unusual interpretation of Christianity, strains of Confucianism and a strident anti-communism. He was famous for presiding over mass marriage ceremonies that highlighted Unification's emphasis on traditional morality.
What also made Moon unusual was a multinational corporate vision that made him a millionaire many times over. He owned vast tracts of land in the U.S. and South America, as well as dozens of enterprises, including a ballet company, a university, a gun manufacturer, a seafood operation and several media organizations, most notably the conservative Washington Times newspaper. He also owns United Press International.
Moon believed that Jesus failed at part of his mission and he was to fulfill that mission. Certainly, every person who dies without Christ is tragic. Yet, in Moon's case, he thought he was "Lord of the Second Advent"-- but now Moon meets the Son, the true Lord and Messiah.
The Unification Church reports millions of followers (though scholars put the number much lower). Regardless of the number, there are many people who have just seen their leader die. Now, his followers must deal with the aftermath-- and I hope you will join with me in praying for them.
The North American Mission Board has some helpful information about what the Unification Church believes, contrasted with Biblical Christianity. Here are some experts of that report:
Beliefs of the Unification Church: Authority
The doctrinal beliefs of the UC are a complicated mixture of eastern philosophy, Christian and biblical terminology, and the many bizarre notions and interpretations of Rev. Moon and other UC leaders. The primary tenets of official UC teaching are contained in several books, the most important being The Divine Principle and Master Speaks, a collection of Moon's sermons. Other recent messages by Moon are also regarded as authoritative.
The Bible is referenced only to justify UC doctrines. Bible scholars, however, are in universal agreement that Moon's revelations and the church's theological teachings contradict clear biblical teachings. Also, Moon's checkered personal history mitigates against the audacious claims he makes for himself...
Jesus: The Lord Who Failed
The UC teaches that, because of the corruption of the human race, it was necessary for God to send a redeemer to restore the human race to its proper state. Jesus was thus sent to "pay indemnity" (suffer) to redeem mankind from spiritual death and to restore the pure godly bloodline of humanity. The UC maintains that Jesus accomplished only the first phase (spiritual redemption) of this mission. He failed to accomplish the second phase (physical redemption) because he was crucified before he could marry and produce children. Therefore, another redeemer would need to come about two thousand years later to finish the divine mission.
Christian Response:
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was the unique incarnate Son of God and he accomplished his mission in its totality. His death and resurrection provided full atonement for mankind. Therefore, He procured absolute salvation from the effects of sin and death, in both the spiritual and physical realms (see: 1 Cor. 15:1-28; Col. 1:19-22).
Lord of the "Second Advent"
According to the UC's strange interpretation of Revelation 7: 2-4 and other biblical passages, the second redeemer had to be born in the Far East around the year 1920. Like Jesus, he would necessarily suffer greatly for mankind ("pay indemnity"). However, unlike Jesus, he would not die violently, but rather would live a long life, marry a perfect mate, and produce perfect children. Together they would complete the four fold foundation and form the Perfect or "True Family."
For years Moon avoided claiming publicly to be this new Messiah/redeemer. Nonetheless, UC literature and Moon's sermons all pointed in his direction. UC members unapologetically referred to Moon and his wife as "Father and Mother." In the 1990's, however, Moon became more brazen in his public claims to be the "Lord of the Second Advent."
Christian Response:
Moon's claims to Messiahship are blasphemous. Jesus alone can support His claims to deity and Messiahship by His sinless life, death, and resurrection. There is simply no need for another Messiah. (see John 1:1-18; 8:56-59; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 1:13-22; Heb. 1:3; 13:8)...
Pray for members of the Unification Church so they might hear of the true Messiah in this trying time. You can visit the 4Truth site at the North American Mission Board for more information like this.
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
Prayer vigil held in Anaheim church for family of Yosemite young victims
The search continues for the missing boy
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
EAST ANAHEIM, CA (ANS) -- A prayer vigil was held Saturday night (August 18) at Calvary Chapel East Anaheim, California, for the family of two young boys swept away in a river this week in Yosemite National Park.
The deceptive beauty of Yosemite
"The body of 10-year-old Andreas Adams, was found about 150 yards downstream from the Vernal Fall footbridge a short time after Wednesday's accident. A search continues for his 6-year-old brother, Jacob," said a story on the Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com).
The well-attended vigil for the Adams family was held at 6 p.m. at the church pastored by Bob Kopeny for the Yorba Linda family who attend the church and were on a weeklong church outing to a Christian camp near Yosemite when the tragedy occurred.
The LA Times said that park officials have said that Andreas, known as "Andy," and Jacob were hiking with their family along the Merced River when the group decided to cool off in the water near the Vernal Fall bridge. But the boys were overpowered by the turbulent water and swept away.
The boys' mother, Char Adams, and an older brother tried to rescue the children, but failed, suffering injuries in the process and being hospitalized.
Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said Saturday that the search was continuing but may be slowed by weather. "We had a significant amount of rain overnight, so the water levels will be up, which hampers our ability to look under rocks and into caves," he said. "But our plan is to continue our efforts each day, until we find him."
According to the Monterey Herald (www.montereyherald.com), "Every year for a quarter century, the congregation of Calvary Chapel East Anaheim has traveled to the Sierra Nevada foothills for a spiritual family retreat.
Shown in a family photo are 10-year-old Andreas Adams, who died soon after he was pulled from the water, 150 yards from where he was caught in the currents Wednesday. The search continues for his brother,
6-year-old Jacob
"This year, the church members are leaning heavily on their faith after a 10-year-old drowned and his 6-year-old half-brother remained missing Friday after being swept away by the Merced River during a side trip to Yosemite National Park."
"I hope people will pray for us and pray for those precious little boys," Calvary Chapel of East Anaheim Assistant Pastor Maury Evans said Friday.
Andreas Adams died and his half-brother Jacob was presumed dead, though searchers planned to continue their work through the weekend. Their mother, Char-Lee Hargis Adams of Yorba Linda, was injured trying to save them and was recovering at a hospital with the tight-knit church's senior pastor at her side.
"It's the second time in just over a year that a tragedy has befallen members of a church during an outing to the Merced River. A year ago, three friends from Modesto, Turlock and Manteca were swept to their deaths when they fell into a pool above Vernal Fall, on the same hiking trail where the Adamses were hiking," said the Monterey Herald.
"The park gets 4 million visitors a year, and 2,000 people a day hike the Mist Trail, which leads to the waterfall where the Merced River - nicknamed the Voice of Yosemite - makes its spectacular descent into the valley.
"August is the low-water season, but the river still is deceptively fast. The granite boulders that line the bed and banks, some as large as houses, are as slick as ice when wet. Last year, it took months to find the bodies of two of the people who went over the fall and ended up trapped under rocks.
"The river falls 317 feet straight down to a narrow gorge, then descends an additional 400 feet by the time it reaches a footbridge. The water is calm at the edge, but it is forceful as it cascades over and around boulders down the steep canyon.
"In 2011, heavy winter snow left Vernal Fall pounding into the autumn. Though the fall never dries completely, it's much slower after a dry winter.
Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said, "Last year, when the three went over the waterfall, we were unable to do any diving until several months later. This year, we've already put rangers in the water."
Yosemite National Park is a wilderness area, so officials place signs only at trailheads to warn of potential dangers on the trail. Often, visitors unfamiliar with the area don't realize that the beauty of natural features can mask danger.
The dangerous waters
"The mother and her young sons had stepped into the water below the Vernal Fall footbridge on Wednesday to cool off on a day when the temperatures were in the 90s. Somehow, the boys ended up in whitewater about 15 feet from the banks and were carried away," the story continued.
"Another park visitor plucked Andrew from the water about 150 yards downstream and performed CPR for 30 minutes until rangers arrived and continued the lifesaving efforts, to no avail. His brother disappeared."
"We are grieving, I'm grieving. We have a lot of things that happen in the church that at times just rock you," Evans said. Many of the church's 3,000 congregants have called, asking how they can help the family, he said.
Friday, more than 15 park operatives, including law enforcement rangers and members of the search-and-rescue team, descended on a mile-long stretch of the river where they believe Jacob's body might be lodged. Some divers were in the water exploring crevices. Others were on the trail telling visitors about the tragedy.
"It's an opportunity for us to give safety messages," Cobb said. "This is an extremely rough portion of the Merced River, probably the roughest in all of Yosemite."
The family was staying at Sugar Pine Christian Camps in Oakhurst near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. At least 100 other members of the congregation were there for an annual retreat the church has organized since its inception.
"They have Bible studies, time for fellowship and just take time to enjoy God's beautiful creation," Evans said.
The camp is about an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley, where most of the park's visitors are drawn to experience towering waterfalls spilling over 3,000-foot granite cliffs. The Adamses decided to go to Yosemite on Wednesday; many others in the group chose an outing to nearby Bass Lake.
"It's such a beautiful place, and we feel close to God there," Evans said.
Cobb said there's no way to tell how long the search might take, but crews plan to look until they find Jacob.
"At this point, we don't know," Cobb said. "They're just continuing, and hoping to find him."
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