2016 – Page 75 – Warren Throckmorton

Indian Government Reverses Course, Says Gospel for Asia's Land Use Was Illegal

In November 2015, I wrote about a special deal Gospel for Asia got from the Indian government. GFA essentially violated wetlands regulations by re-routing a stream and filling in wetlands as a part of the construction of the Believers’ Church Medical College. However, in November of last year, the Times of India reported that the government planned to let the violations slide.
But then, on January 22, the Times of India reported that the federal government reversed the decision:

An order issued by principal secretary (revenue) Viswas Mehta on January 14, accessed by TOI, says the earlier order issued on March 17, 2015 on the basis of a cabinet decision – ratifying the land filling and diversion of a natural stream in the area -has been cancelled after the high court intervened in the matter.
The cabinet note of March 11, 2015, also accessed by TOI, said the illegal filling, though violating the Kerala Land Use Act, could be regularized by considering it as a special case.

The allegation is that GFA willfully violated the law by reclaiming land that was protected by Indian law.

Gospel for Asia's CEO K.P. Yohannan to Headline Memphis Missions Conference

Apparently, the Metropolitan will return to the United States for a missions conference in February. K.P. Yohannan is scheduled to speak at the Downline Summit which takes place at Hope Church in Memphis, Feb. 5-6.
Yohannan’s organization hasn’t had the best year since April 2015. Gospel for Asia lost their membership with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, was denied membership in the Independent Charities of America, was sanctioned to greatest extent possible by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for violations of federal guidelines, was reported to the Canadian authorities for violation of GFA’s Canadian by-laws, and may be investigated by the U.K. Charity Commission, among other problems.

David Barton: Thomas Jefferson Would Like Ted Cruz for President

Over at World Net Daily, David Barton says that

[Ted] Cruz is the candidate who comes closest to Jefferson and what he believes were the third president’s principles on “debt, religious liberty, and the war on Islam.”

Barton has been elevated to “historian and Thomas Jefferson scholar” and uses his WND platform to assert that the Founders are relevant to politics today. Barton says Cruz and Jefferson hold similar policy positions.
It now seems clear why Barton and WND brought out The Jefferson Lies now. This rather transparent attempt to claim Jefferson as a Cruz supporter comes just as Iowans caucus next week.
Jefferson might have a reservation about Cruz that Barton failed to mention. Cruz’s wife has a significant position with the massive investment bank Goldman Sachs.* Jefferson didn’t think much of banks.

And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale. (Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, May 28, 1816, in Ford, 10:31.)

Jefferson also expressed misgivings about taxing the poor and suggested that employment be provided to those who had no land. I doubt Cruz will be promoting those ideas on the stump.
I call on Cruz to go on record to say that he will act independently of the Constitution when it is in national interest, as Jefferson did by sending the Louisiana Purchase treaty to Congress.
*As an aside, I think Heidi Cruz has a better resume to run for president than her husband. While she probably has similar Christian nation views, she has a better foreign policy and business background.

Will Ted Cruz's 1% Charitable Giving Hurt Him With Tithing Evangelicals?

As the Iowa primary approaches, Ted Cruz is facing criticism from rivals over his lack of tithing as indicated by tax returns for 2007-2010 disclosed when he ran for Senate. The Cruz family reported donations which amounted to about 1% of their income.
Some Christians who have spoken quite favorably of Cruz believe God requires Christians to give 10% to the church. For instance Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris has preached that Christians are cursed if they don’t tithe (see the video at the end of the post) and Gateway Church doesn’t allow non-tithers to volunteer. In late December, Morris attended a meeting in Texas along with other evangelicals for a meet and greet with Cruz, arranged by David Barton, the head of one of Cruz’s Super PACs.

Robert Morris and Ted Cruz Wilks Bros — Robert Morris’ Twitter Feed

Presumably, Cruz would not be allowed to volunteer at Gateway. If he is cursed, as Morris teaches, what kind of curses might Cruz bring to the White House?
To my knowledge, Morris has not endorsed Cruz and I reference his teaching because Cruz’s lack of tithing might matter to evangelicals who believe Morris’ teaching is correct.
Some Christians believe tithing was an Old Testament requirement but that Christians are not under that law. It may be that Cruz’s low level of giving would register but the effect might be less extreme.
Video of Morris describing Ted Cruz:

Robert Morris on the curse of not tithing.

More on tithing. Morris says at 17:14 that non-tithers are arrogant and have opened themselves up to demons.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/UE9wjBKzET0?t=17m14s[/youtube]

UK Charity Commission Now Evaluating Claim that £8.2 Million May Be Missing From Gospel for Asia UK

Just a day after the UK Charity Commission announced that it is considering a probe of Gospel for Asia, another claim has been added to the list.
According to former auditor Jason Watkins, over £8 million does not show up in India in public reports there.
This is similar to my findings regarding GFA in the US. GFA claims to send an amount to India, but the Indian field partners have disclosed much less than the U.S. claim.
Recently, GFA in the U.S. received the strongest sanctions allowed by law from the Office of Personnel Management due to violations of OPM guidelines for charities participating in the Combined Federal Campaign. In Canada, the charity authorities have received complaints from a former board member who said he was dismissed illegally. Now, the UK charity government watchdog office may add the UK to the list of government probes.