Indian Government Cracks Down on NGOs; Gospel for Asia India Changes Name to Ayana Charitable Trust

Source TT Architects website
GFA HQ – Source TT Architects website

Earlier this week, the Indian press reported that 20,000 NGOs had been cancelled by Prime Minister Modi’s crusade against corruption. According to those reports, only 13,000 NGOs remain as approved by the government.
It is unclear if any of the NGOs connected to mission giant Gospel for Asia has been caught up in the crack down. The government’s Home Ministry website provides lists of about 12,000 NGOs which are not now approved and none of the GFA organizations are listed. However, given the reports of 20,000 cancelled, presumably more will be announced in the days ahead.
In looking for information about the drastic measures, I learned that Gospel for Asia in India is now called Ayana Charitable Trust (see this blog post at India Happenings). To my knowledge, this name change was not disclosed to donors outside of India. The Gospel for Asia – India website is not functional and hasn’t been for months. Apparently, donations from America, Canada and around the world are being sent to Believers’ Church as well as a handful of NGOs in India, all affiliated with Believers’ Church.
Apparently, Gospel for Asia isn’t operating as GFA in India.
Recent government filings indicate no foreign contributions to Ayana Charitable Trust. For instance, look at this report filed in the last quarter of FY 2015-2016.
Ayana Trust last qtr 2015-2016
However, in April 2016 the Deccan Chronicle reported robust contributions for 2014-2015 to Ayana Charitable Trust, Believers’ Church, Love India Ministry and Last Hour Ministry, all affiliated with Believers’ Church. This reflects donations from GFA in Wills Point, TX to these NGOs. The Chronicle reported the donations to Ayana and not the old name of Gospel for Asia. However, as noted above, Ayana reported no contributions in the last quarter of FY 2015-2016.
It is unclear why GFA has changed the name in India. Creating multiple NGOs and changing their names does make it harder to track donations. Given the intense scrutiny of GFA’s activities (leading to expulsion from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), making it hard to track activities might be a defensive strategy.

Top Ten Posts of 2016

Here I list the ten most visited posts of 2016. As you will see, this list doesn’t correspond to the top stories of the year.

  1. The American College of Pediatricians versus the American Academy of Pediatrics: Who leads and who follows? – This 2011 post became popular again as a means of demonstrating that the ACP is a fringe group compared to the AAP. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I wrote this post to debunk a David Barton claim.

2. Open Letter to Gateway Pastor Robert Morris From a Former Member of Mars Hill Church – This 2014 post has been popular since it was published. When Robert Morris downplayed Mark Driscoll’s offenses at Mars Hill Church, he offended many former attenders of the church including the articulate author of this post.
3. NewSpring Church Won’t Deny Departure of Perry Noble (UPDATED – Noble Dismissed July 1) – After days of speculation, megachurch New Spring Church announced the departure of founding pastor Perry Noble during their regular Sunday morning worship service. Noble acknowledged alcohol abuse and said he would go into a counseling program.
4. Tullian Tchividjian Out at Willow Creek Presbyterian; Majority of Liberate Network Board Members Quit (UPDATED) – Tchividjian’s fall has continued to reverberate. Most recently, he was accused of multiple extramarital relationships and censured by an organization that has his brother and uncle as board members. His publisher David C. Cook is sticking with him.
5. Glenn Beck on Why Ted Cruz Will Win: We Have Almighty God on Our Side – Election 2016 overshadowed everything – real news, sanity, theology, etc. Although Beck is singing a different tune now, he was all in for Ted Cruz during the primaries, saying that God was on his side. Apparently, even God had to acquiesce to the Trump train.
6. Darrin Patrick Has Been Relieved of Pastoral Duties at The Journey – It was a hard year for megachurch pastors.
7. Former Chief Financial Officer at Turning Point Claims David Jeremiah Used Questionable Methods to Secure a Spot on Best Seller Lists – David Jeremiah largely dodged the scrutiny Mark Driscoll received over using deception to prop up their books. However, this post continues to attract reader attention. Jeremiah’s last couple of books haven’t made the best seller lists so he may have quietly put aside the schemes.
8. Mark Driscoll Announces Launch of The Trinity Church (UPDATED) – Rumored since early 2015, Driscoll finally started a church in Phoenix. Displaying his flair for the dramatic, Driscoll’s congregation went on the hook for a mid-century modern building which once housed a drive in church.
9. RICO Lawsuit Filed Against Former Leaders of Mars Hill Church; ECFA Named As Co-Conspirator – Although later dismissed, this lawsuit alleged mishandling of funds at Mars Hill Church, specifically naming Sutton Turner and Mark Driscoll.
10. A Major Study of Child Abuse and Homosexuality Revisited – This 2009 post has appeared before in my top ten lists. This study is often used by those who want to stigmatize LGB people. However, an error in the study report renders it nearly useless for scientific purposes.
Thanks for reading and I hope 2017 is full of blessings. After 2016, we need a breather.
 

Rejoice! Messiah, Thy Name is Trump!

We all knew that Donald Trump thought highly of himself.
Now on the day after Christmas, we learn that Trump is responsible for dispelling the gloom and bringing hope to the World.


Made me think of the old hymn: The Father’s Sole Begotten Son
Redeemer, come with power benign,
Dwell in the souls that look for Thee;
O let Thy light within us shine
That we may Thy salvation see.
Abide with us, O Lord, we pray,
Dispel the gloom of doubt and woe;
Wash every stain of guilt away,
Thy tender healing grace bestow.
-Dykes and Pollock, 1889
That perhaps is the most frightening tweet yet.

Dominionist Donald Trump Prophet Lance Wallnau Apologizes for Not Asking for Donations

7m LogoLance Wallnau has been a supporter of Donald Trump for a long time. He promoted his rise as a modern day King Cyrus and said God directed him to support Trump. Wallnau is also a key and early promoter of Seven Mountains Dominionism, the view that Christians need to take dominion over education, religion, politics, the arts, business, media, and family policy as a part of expanding God’s Kingdom. Wallnau sees Trump’s rise as a means of bringing the mandate to take dominion to fruition.
With a straight face, Wallnau posted a video to his 7MUnderground Facebook page apologizing for not asking his followers for money.

The 7M Underground appears to be Wallnau’s latest effort to cash in on dominionist support for Trump. Political and religious observers should not underestimate the boost Trump’s victory has given the 7M dominionists. From their point of view, God hand picked Trump to help them enact the dominion of 7M Christians over America. They no doubt feel vindicated and may be even more inclined to see their political opponents as opposing God’s will.
Wallnau has a doctorate from diploma mill Phoenix University of Theology, a school where you pay by the degree and don’t take classes.