Rod Parsley, Ohio Pentecostal TV preacher, recently hosted Jack Van Impe on his television program. Rod was interested in Van Impe's predictions on the end of the world. Jack apparently had touched a note of compassion with Rod since Van Impe implies the current Democratic President might be the anti-Christ. Rod has been given credit for electing the last GOP President with his influence in Ohio. Rod's leadership with the Ohio Restoration Project is well known. The project has spread to other states around the nation like Texas. The project's purpose is to restore traditional values to America. The intention of the movement gets boiled down to electing GOP candidates. Rod did this in Ohio joining forces with Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State.
Many observers point out Rod Parsley has little formal training as far as an education for the ministry. Liberty University is reported to have given him an honorary doctorate. Rod's myspace posting claims he is a college graduate. Regardless, he grew a small group into a huge mega church occupying 132 acres. There are over 400 staff members working at the facility.
TV evangelist watchdog group the Trinity Foundation, accuses Parsley of being a "power hungry" man living in a million dollar home. Rod has little accountability with any organization, even at his own church.1 His family makes up the church board and Rod has let it be known if anyone wants to know what is going on with his salary, it's none of their business. The prosperity gospel minister has amassed a fortune and some suggest he has manipulated critically ill people to send him money for healing.
Richard Fisher, a St. Louis Christian researcher, says of Rod's preaching, "Its primal scream set to spiritual aerobics." Rod's luxurious lifestyle is exceeded by his drama queen performances behind the pulpit. He has been known to dramatically overstate the state of affairs. Defeating his enemy is portrayed in statements like "standing over the carcass" to humiliate the defeated.2 I watched his program once when he was hosting a guest speaker. The speaker looked in Rod's direction and Rod immediately collapsed on stage to assure the audience that God had overwhelmed him on the spot. With yell-leader-like-precision Rod whips up his congregation into feats of dancing and shouting as he both warns and assures them.
At times the outbursts grow so intense Rod appears out of control. His mandate for battle in the cultural wars border on the extreme. "They say this rhetoric is so inciting. I came to incite a riot. I came to affect a divine disturbance in the heart and soul of the church. Man your battle station. Ready your weapons. Lock and load--for the thirty four liberal pastor who filed against our ministry with the Internal Revenue Service," proclaims the pastor.
One of Rod's revealed evils is Social Security which he said is satanic. He is not too fond of lawyers and once paid $3 million for a child care abuse case at his church. Court cases have arisen more than once against the preacher regarding the church. The fact that the IRS has not taken him on with his 501c3 status is mild by comparison to other legal issues. There is little recourse the church can take against Rod according to the legal documents of the church. Rod has complete legal governorship of the organization. He has stated they gave the money and its none of their business how he spreads it around. One of those expenditures is the jet airplane he owns.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/5/18/102955/751
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