Top Ten Posts in 2015

The ten top posts during 2015 are as follows with the most popular first:
1. Open Letter to Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris from a Former Member of Mars Hill Church – This was posted on November 2, 2014 but remained popular throughout 2015. Driscoll recently joined Jimmy Evans as a director to form The Trinity Church in Phoenix.
2. Former Chief Financial Officer at Turning Point Claims David Jeremiah Used Questionable Methods to Secure a Spot on Best Seller Lists – This story about David Jeremiah’s questionable tactics from a former insider was a scoop but not one which stuck to Jeremiah like  a similar scandal did to Mark Driscoll.
3. Hillsong’s Brian Houston Interviewed Mark and Grace Driscoll After All (VIDEO) (AUDIO) – First, he said he would interview Driscoll, then he said he wouldn’t, then Brian Houston aired an interview with Mark and Grace Driscoll. It was great theatre but didn’t draw good reviews from former Mars Hill leavers.
4. A major study of child abuse and homosexuality revisited – This post from 2009 is one of the most popular articles in the history of the blog. In it, I demonstrate a key mistake in a journal article often used to link homosexuality and child abuse.
5. Southern Baptists Say Enough to Perry Noble and NewSpring Church – I am surprised that this post got so much attention.
6. Gospel for Asia Faces Allegations of Misconduct; GFA Board Investigation Found No Wrongdoing – The GFA story received the most attention from me this year.
7. Pastor of Willow Creek Presbyterian Says Church Reaction to Hiring Tullian Tchividjian is “Overwhelmingly Positive” – I briefly covered Tullian Tchividjian’s comeback as a development minister at a PCA church in FL.
8. A Few Thoughts on The Village Church Controversy – Village Church’s leadership apologized for their response to a young woman who sought a divorce from her husband who had admitted having child porn.
9. Hillsong Founder Brian Houston Issues Statement On Mark Driscoll at the Hillsong 2015 Conference – Mark Driscoll’s return to the spotlight garnered much reader attention.
10. Gospel for Asia’s K.P. Yohannan and the Ring Kissing Ritual – While the financial scandals were of interest to readers, this article ranked higher than the money problems.
To fully capture activity on the blog, one should consider the Gospel for Asia scandals (Patheos considered my coverage as a part of one of their top ten Evangelical stories of 2015).
It has been a good year and I thank my readers and those who support the blog with their comments and regular visits.

The Ownership of Gospel for Asia's Rubber Plantation Under Investigation by Indian Government

According to The Times of India, Gospel for Asia in India is being investigated by the Indian government in relation to GFA’s claim to own Cheruvally Estate, a working rubber plantation. GFA claims to have a clear deed but the government claims that the plantation should not have been sold to GFA by the former owner Harrisons Malayalam.

The special office to deal with Harrisons Malayalam Ltd cases has already issued orders to take over 38,051 acres currently held by HML and other private players who bought land from the company.
This includes 29,185 acres currently held by HML, 1,665 acres of Boyce estate, 2,700 acres of Ambanad estate, 2,263 acres of Cheruvally estate held by Gospel for Asia, 206 acres held by Ria Resorts and Properties and 450 acres of Goodampara estate held by MMJ Plantations. (emphasis added)

If GFA was a party to a fraudulent deed, the managing trustee of Gospel for Asia and Believers’ Church might face jail time. The managing trustee is K.P. Yohannan.
You can read more about GFA’s purchase of Cheruvally Estate on the GFA website.
 

About Gospel for Asia, CBS 11 News Dallas Asks "When You Give, Do You Know Where Your Money Goes?"

CBS 11 News in Dallas followed up today on their earlier expose’ on Gospel for Asia. Watch

The iTeam picked out a couple of big items from the ECFA report (large cash reserves, smuggling cash into India), posted here on December 2 after being released by former GFA board member Gayle Erwin.
Earlier today, I reported that GFA could face sanctions from the Office of Personnel Management.
GFA doubled down on their contention that the $20 million from Believers’ Church/GFA-India was not a related party transaction. Instead, near the end of the clip, GFA’s statement to CBS News calls it a “donation.” It is beyond belief that GFA maintains this stance in the face of overwhelming evidence that K.P. Yohannan is in charge of Believers’ Church and all “field partners” in India.

What Happened to Gospel for Asia's Combined Federal Campaign Page?

As recently as a week ago, Gospel for Asia touted participation in the Combined Federal Campaign (Google cache).
Combined Federal Camp
 
Not any more. Now if you go to that same page, one sees a “Page Not Found” message and a frown. Once, GFA boasted about their participation in the CFC (Google cache), but mention of the program is now missing at that page.
I have been aware for several weeks that the Office of Personnel Management was reviewing GFA’s status as an approved charity. Recently, I learned that GFA may be sanctioned by the OPM due to failure to meet requirements for participation in the CFC. Today, I learned from an OPM Spokesperson that OPM contacted Christian Charities USA about GFA. Christian Charities USA assists charities by submitting and certifying the accuracy of application for acceptance into the CFC and is managed by the same group that manages Independent Charities of America. CCUSA submitted GFA’s original application for the CFC to OPM.
In early December, OPM notified CCUSA that its member charity GFA may be in violation of CFC regulations. According to the spokesperson,

CCUSA contacted GFA, and gave them ample opportunity to provide evidence they were not in violation of CFC rules. However, CCUSA did not get an acceptable response from GFA. CCUSA then decertified GFA.

The decertification by CCUSA may be the reason GFA has pulled the CFC page. The next possible step for GFA would be a sanction from OPM. I have been informed by the OPM spokesperson that GFA has been notified that OPM intends to sanction GFA if GFA is unable to prove that they comply with OPM standards.
By statute, sanctions may involve expulsion from the CFC program. The removal of the CFC page and any mention of participation in the CFC may indicate that GFA has been removed although the OPM spokesperson has not commented on that point.
Prior to the termination of membership in the ECFA, GFA had touted ECFA membership, ICA membership and participation in the CFC as indicators of financial integrity. Now there is nothing to independently verify that GFA is abiding by financial promises.

After Lengthy Investigation, Grace Church Amarillo Stops Support for Gospel for Asia

In an emotional explanation to his church on December 16, Grace Church’s (Calvary Chapel Amarillo) pastor Bill Gehm disclosed that the church will no longer support Gospel for Asia. Gehm repented to his church for asking them to support GFA for 17 years. Pastor Gehm personally stopped supporting GFA and advised the congregation to stop supporting GFA. Gehm expressed that his money had not been spent the way he believed it was being spent.
The 18 minute video is an extraordinary message disclosing that he has spent many hours investigating GFA, including several hours with GFA COO David Carroll. Gehm specifically prayed for K.P. Yohannan.
For those interested in this issue, this is must see TV. I appreciate the serious tone with which Pastor Gehm approached the magnitude of the problem.

grace church gfa
From Grace Church http://www.calvaryamarillo.org/gospel-for-asia.html