All Posts Tagged "The Mindbenders"

An historical overview giving the background that produced The Mindbenders, the “war” declared by leaders of the New Covenant Apostolic Order (NCAO) on the local churches, the libel suit filed and the resultant withdrawal of The Mindbenders, and the aftermath of the case.

January 14, 2015 EOC, Evangelical Orthodox Church, Jack Sparks, NCAO, New Covenant Apostolic Order, The Mindbenders, Thomas Nelson

A general overview of the three cases in which various local churches and church members appealed to the courts for relief from libelous accusations (Timeline)

March 6, 2014 Christian World Liberation Front, cult accusation, CWLF, ECNR, Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, Harvest House, History, John Ankerberg, John Weldon, lawsuits, libel, litigation, Neil Duddy, SCP, Spiritual Counterfeits Project, The God-Men, The Mindbenders

An evaluation of the accusation that the local churches are “litigious.” That accusation was based on false claims of legal threats with respect to Christian Research Institute, James Bjornstad and Regal Books, Salem Kirban, Jerram Barrs and InterVarsity Press, and Moody Press. The local churches’ application of an appropriate standard for considering legal action is evident also in dealings with Jesus People USA and Geisler and Rhodes themselves. While Geisler and Rhodes condemn the local churches for their appeals to the courts, they do not criticize those who have borne false witness against us and have, in fact, joined with them in propagating falsehoods.

January 1, 2010 Christian Research Institute, CRI, false witness, litigiousness, Norman Geisler, Ron Rhodes, SCP, Spiritual Counterfeits Project, The God-Men, The Mindbenders

Harvest House publicly accused the local churches of being litigious. This article contrasts the history of the local churches’ appeals for relief from character defamation with Harvest House’s lawsuits against fellow Christians over financial disputes.

October 23, 2006 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, ECNR, Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, Harvest House, John Ankerberg, John Weldon, litigiousness, SCP, Spiritual Counterfeits Project, The God-Men, The Mindbenders

The libelous books The Mindbenders and The God-Men shared a common background that involved Jack Sparks and the Christian World Liberation Front (CWLF), an outreach to the radical student subculture at UC Berkeley; the New Covenant Apostolic Order (NCAO), a misguided attempt by Sparks and others to lead evangelicals into Eastern Orthodoxy; and the Spiritual Counterfeits Project (SCP), a CWLF startup dedicated to attacking religions with roots in the Far East.

December 5, 2005 Brooks Alexander, Campus Crusade, Christian World Liberation Front, CWLF, History, Jack Sparks, SCP, Spiritual Counterfeits Project, The God-Men, The Mindbenders

In 1983 Thomas Nelson Publishers issued a retraction and apology for including the local churches in The Mindbenders by Jack Sparks.

April 10, 1983 Jack Sparks, retraction, The Mindbenders, Thomas Nelson

Three documents showing the claims of the New Covenant Apostolic Order (NCAO)/Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC) to apostolic authority and succession.

February 15, 1979 EOC, Evangelical Orthodox Church, NCAO, New Covenant Apostolic Order, The Mindbenders

This article decries the association of the local churches with cultic groups by a speaker at Melodyland Christian Center in Anaheim and his endorsement of The Mindbenders.

October 8, 1977 cult accusation, Jack Sparks, Orange County Register, The Mindbenders, Walter Martin

A 1977 booklet by Ron Kangas that examines the false accusation of mind bending in The Mindbenders by Jack Sparks in contrast with the biblical revelation regarding :

January 1, 1977 1 Thessalonians 5:23, fallen man, Jack Sparks, mind, soul, spirit, The Mindbenders, tripartite

Correspondence from Thomas Nelson Publishing staff members and an outside reader recommending that the company not publish The Mindbenders by Jack Sparks.

October 6, 1976 Jack Sparks, The Mindbenders, Thomas Nelson

A document in which New Covenant Apostolic Order (NCAO)/Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC) leaders state their intention to “take their people” from evangelical groups that would not cooperate with them.

July 1, 1976 EOC, Evangelical Orthodox Church, NCAO, New Covenant Apostolic Order, The Mindbenders