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C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

Pentecostal Enthusiasm Is Spreading

As the movement marks a key centennial, other Christians adopt its exuberant worship style.

By K. Connie Kang

April 28, 2006

Since Saturday, more than 31,000 Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians from 113 countries have been making their presence felt throughout Los Angeles with what many call "joyful noises to the Lord."

They have gathered for the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, the cradle of the modern Pentecostal movement. By day, many worship under a tent on Noguchi Plaza in Little Tokyo, the site where the Rev. William J. Seymour, a one-eyed African American preacher from Louisiana, established the city's first multiracial mission in 1906.

When the sun goes down, they move to a nearby Japanese American church and offer fervent personal and "global prayers," waving flags from many nations, singing and dancing until midnight, when they're anointed with "special" oil from Jerusalem.

Until recently, mainstream Christian denominations tended to look down on Pentecostals because of their spontaneous, seemingly disorderly and loud services.

But as the movement has grown in the last three decades, its exuberant style of worship has been adopted by many Catholic and Protestant congregations trying to woo younger people.

"Pentecostalism has come in vogue," said Anthea Butler, assistant professor of religion at the University of Rochester in New York, a Roman Catholic who is an expert on Pentecostalism, believed to be the fastest growing branch of Christianity worldwide.

"Pentecostalism has made a vital contribution to the worship of the church in general," said Bishop Charles Blake of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, which is in the Crenshaw district.

Worldwide, there are about 500 million Pentecostals and Charismatics, according to the World Christian Encyclopedia. (Some experts call that figure inflated but agree the numbers are huge.) Both groups trace their roots to the revival at Azusa Street, which from 1906 to 1909 drew worldwide attention as thousands worshiped around the clock and dispatched missionaries all over the world.

Pentecostals and Charismatics come under the rubric of "Renewalists," said Donald E. Miller, a professor of religion at USC who has spent the last five years studying Pentecostalism in 22 countries.

About 25% of all Christians in the world today are Pentecostals or Charismatics "of one stripe or another," compared with 6% 30 years ago, he said.

Theologians say there are many groups within the Pentecostal movement and what unites them is their belief that the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues, witnessing signs and performing miracles are available to them through baptism, as they were to 1st century apostles.

At one service this week, the dynamic style of worship was on display as Voice of Africa, a gospel group, sang. The group's leader almost playfully shouted, "Confuse the devil!" — stomping his feet and motioning the worshipers to follow his lead.

They stomped, lifted their arms upward. Others stretched out on the floor. Some laughed or shouted, "Hallelujah" and "Thank you, Lord!"

A major difference between Charismatics and Pentecostals is that one can be a Charismatic while a Catholic or a member of any number of Protestant denominations. A Charismatic may or may not believe in the baptism of the spirit.

In the United States, nearly one in nine Catholics is a Charismatic, according to church historians.

Miller's study found that Pentecostal churches around the world focus on serving the poor. They are active in mercy missions of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and responding to crises such as earthquakes and famines, he said.

Miller characterized Pentecostal leaders as shepherds not far removed from their sheep. "They're not highly educated; they don't have seminary degrees," he said. "They very much are connected to the very people to whom they are ministering. They know their problems, they know their pain."

Even as festivities, accompanied by workshops, lectures and rallies, continue through Saturday, leaders of the movement warn their flocks not to get carried away with their success, but to remain humble.

"As we are more accepted into the Christian community, it is important that we don't lose our uniqueness, our enthusiasm and our freshness," Blake said. "Acceptance is a dangerous thing if you allow it to cause you to lose your revolutionary nature, your focus on the newness of what the spirit did for you years before."

The revival celebration means a lot to Los Angeles, Butler said. "In many ways, L.A. is always associated with the movie and entertainment industry," she said. "But when you think about the City of the Angels, the spiritual focus of the city from the very beginning was always part of the life blood of Los Angeles — life blood that was really ignored in light of the entertainment industry here."

There is now a movement afoot to "rebirth" the Azusa Street Mission. Fred and Wilma Berry, members of the West Angeles Church, are scheduled to be commissioned as pastors of a revised Azusa Street Mission at 7 p.m. today at Union Church.

On Saturday, Bishop Yvette A. Flunder of San Francisco will play host to a daylong counter-event, "Liberating Pentecostalism," for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at Unity Fellowship of Christ Church on Jefferson Boulevard. Flunder, who represents 53 congregations nationwide, said organizers of the Azusa Street Revival festivities did not invite leaders of the community she represents to participate.

Source Article

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Interesting stats listed in the article above.

C. Anton Burnette
http://www.unitedchristianchurch.org

Senator Wants Homosexual History in School Textbooks

Below is quoted from the Sacramento Union.

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl says a key aspect of history is missing from school textbooks - the contributions that homosexuals have made to California and the nation.

Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, has introduced a bill that would fill that void by requiring textbooks and other social science materials to discuss contributions that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people have made to the state and nation’s economy, politics and society.

The bill also would prohibit textbooks from criticizing people because of their sexual orientation. Current law sets that standard for discussions of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender and disabilities.

Click here to read the rest of the article

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America needs to wake up to Bible Holiness.
Homosexuality is an abomination.

Romans 1:18-32

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Romans 13:3-4

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

II Ki 23:6-7 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

1 Cor 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Happiness is America under God's Law.

America Repent.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

Directory Update - Mary Osborne

A new audio message featuring Mary Osborne has been added to her directory page.

It is a fireball, Pentecostal sermon titled, "Sharpen Your Weapon."

Click here to view Mary Osborne Directory Webpage.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

New Telecasts Available Online

New United Christian Telecasts have been added to the UCCMA website.

The 5 latest telecasts feature the founder of UCCMA, Rev. H. Richard Hall.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

New Telecast - Anton Burnette

I am honored to be the featured speaker in the new United Christian telecast. We received several calls for prayer and requesting more information.

A backslidden preacher from WV rededicated his life to God with me over the phone after watching the TV broadcast on the satelite.

I ask everyone to watch it and be blessed. Also leave your comments at the bottom of this post to let me know what you think.

Click here to watch now (High Speed Connection) Real Player

Click here to view the archive of all of our telecasts

Thank you.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

Spyware and Adware

One of the biggest concerns of computer owners is the threat of a spyware and adware.

I thought I would recommend some free software that I use on my personal computers and on our church computers.

Ad-aware

Spybot-Search and Destroy

CCleaner

Every computer that I work on that is running too slow, crashing constantly, or acting hijacked; the first thing I do is run the above programs.

I run all of these at least monthly on my own computers.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

Many new additions to the United Christian Website

We have had several new additions to www.unitedchristianchurch.org including:

New Telecasts featuring Margie Poteat, Pat Hayes, and Amelia Hall
MP3 samples from Sis. Hall's and Don Warren's new CDs
New Directory Listings

And much more...Log on to the United Christian Church site daily to see new additions, watch our telecasts, read articles and find out more about this great work.


C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

New Ministerial Directory Listings

The United Christian Ministerial Online Directory has several new listings.

Click here to for more.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association

New CDs Recorded

Don Warren, president of UCCMA, has recorded a new CD. It is an instrumental CD on the Hammond Organ. Greg Lowery assisted on the piano. I believe it is one of the greatest albums of Don Warren thus far. The sound quality is excellent and the anointing is strong throughout.

Sister Amelia Hall, co-founder of UCCMA, recorded a new Singing CD. Many of the classic songs that have been a staple to her ministry are included. Several of the songs were written by Sis. Hall. This is a legacy album; one that you will want to keep for years to come.

Watch the UCCMA website for details on the release dates of these two CDs.

C. Anton Burnette
United Christian Church and Ministerial Association