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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 :

• the normal function of the mind,
• the condition of man’s fallen natural mind,
• the need of repentance and renewing of the mind,
• the process by which that renewing occurs,
• the characteristics of a renewed mind, and
• the relationship between the human spirit and the mind.

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

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.