The Christian Sentinel Report

The TBN Manifesto

Report By Jackie Alnor

ã 1999 Eastern Christian Outreach

"I said, ‘Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Jesus Christ actually was a Communist’" -Paul Crouch

February 3, 2000 

Paul Crouch televised excerpts of a recent meeting he had in Washington, DC with the ambassador from the People’s Republic of China on Thursday’s (Feb. 3, 2000) Praise the Lord program on TBN. Aides of the ambassador arranged the "I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine" meeting to seek Crouch’s help in spreading China’s propaganda against a recently outlawed religious group, the Falun Gong.

In exchange, the ambassador agreed to mediate a possible "cultural exchange program" with TBN and China’s controlled television ministry.

"One of the main reasons for mine being invited here today was to ask your … advice on how to effect a program that we thought about for a long, long time," Crouch said to Ambassador Li Zhaoxing. "What if the Trinity Broadcasting Network could work with your television ministry and what if we could exchange cultural programs. In other words, you would give us a program that would show us much of the culture of China today; the progress of China today, the way people live, the way that people worship, their different faiths and so on and we would do the same for you and we could exchange weekly television programs."

Crouch wasted no time in fulfilling his side of the devil’s bargain. He looked right into the camera during the Thursday’s Praise the Lord program and said, "Your excellency, I promise you I will do exactly what I said and we will warn our legislators and our people in government here in America of the dangers of a very frightening false cult in China called the Chow Gong cult. It would be similar to maybe our Branch Davidians or some of the other false cults that have sprung up even in America . . . This false cult actually advocates the overthrow of the government and has been responsible for the deaths of many people."

The new age meditation cult, Falun Gong, held a peaceful demonstration in Tiananmen Square recently during the Chinese New Year’s celebrations of the year of the dragon, when many of them were beaten and hauled off by Chinese authorities. Their leader, Li Hongzhi, according to a CNN report, is residing in New York and "has been branded a criminal and put on a ‘wanted’ list. China has asked for help in apprehending him, but in Washington, Gail Rachlin, an aide to Li, has said the State Department had told the group Li was safe as long as he stayed in the U.S."

The way in which the Falun Gong cult has been held "responsible for the deaths of many people" as Crouch has asserted, is that they teach healing through meditation. Because of their misguided faith in this healing practice, many devotees have stopped using their medicine and have died as a result. Of course, Crouch turns a blind eye to his own irresponsible teachings in the area of faith healing that has also resulted in the deaths of many TBN devotees.

The Chinese ambassador must have seen how successful Crouch was in rallying the TBN forces to overturn recent FCC rulings that affected TBN’s "educational stations," forcing them to limit preaching and increase instructional programming. "The government should never try to tell us what qualifies as an educational or as a religious [program]," Crouch said in a rage on the same TBN program.

No doubt China could use that sort of influence to extradite the much hated cult leader and put a stop to any freedom of religion for cults operating in their country. For Crouch, the ends justify the means. "Mr. Zhaoxing was very, very concerned about this," Crouch rationalized, "and sought our assistance in letting the word be known because some of our legislators in Washington DC have kind of put pressure on China under the human rights issue."

Far be it from Crouch to be concerned with human rights. It’s obvious that his only interest is in the expansion of his own TBN empire. After all, says Crouch, "we will have an entry and an open door into the most populous nation in the world, a billion, three hundred million. Three times the population of the entire United States are watching television in China on a typical week night." As a tribute to the ambassador, Crouch presented him with a TBN clock and a set of books written by C. S. Lewis. "They have been investigating the teaching of Christianity," Crouch told his audience. "And to their amazement they have found that our faith teaches that we should obey the government, that we should pay our taxes."

And if that wasn’t enough assurance that "Christian television, ie: TBN" should be allowed into China, Crouch pulled his ace in the hole. "I looked at him and I shocked him. I said, ‘Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Jesus Christ actually was a Communist’ and that really got his attention. In the early days of the disciples they sold everything and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet and it was distributed to every man as he had need."

It does look like a whole new area of influence for Crouch and TBN: the diplomatic arena. If he would negotiate with the world’s largest and most evil empire, what would stop him from striking a deal with the antichrist himself?

Note: Paul Crouch said that the meeting was arranged by aides to the ambassador from China – he did not initiate the meeting.

2/2/00 (BTS) Ambassador from China in Washington DC – Li Zhaoxing cultural exchange w/TBN different faiths TV programs

PC: "One of the main reasons for mine being invited here today was to ask your thoughts and opinions and maybe some advice on how to effect a program that we thought about for a long, long time and that would be: what if the Trinity Broadcasting Network could work with your television ministry and what if we could exchange cultural programs. In other words, you would give us a program that would show us much of the culture of China today; the progress of China today, the way people live, the way that people worship, their different faiths and so on and we would do the same for you and we could exchange weekly television programs."

Paul gave the ambassador three C. S. Lewis books

PC: "One of the main reasons he wanted to speak with us too was to garner our support in the government’s fight against a very dangerous religious cult over there, the Falun Gong cult as they call it. And he was very, very urgent in his request to the Christians of America to even pray for them and to help our political leaders of America really understand what a dangerous cult that is over there. And I assured him we would certainly do that."

PTL 2/3/00

PC: "The government should never try to tell us what qualifies as an educational or as a religious . . ."

Into camera: "He may be watching tonight. Your excellency, I promise you I will do exactly what I said and we will warn our legislators and our people in government here in America of the dangers of a very frightening false cult in China called the Chow Gong cult. It would be similar to maybe our Branch Davidians or some of the other false cult that have sprung up even in America . . . They’re very concerned about it. This false cult actually advocates the overthrow of the government and has been responsible (Chinese propaganda) for the deaths of many people. They have to pledge allegiance to one man. This man is reputed to have had millions of dollars siphoned out of China into Swiss bank accounts and that sort of thing.

Mr. Zhaoxing was very, very concerned about this and sought our assistance in letting the word be known because some of our legislators in Washington DC have kind of put pressure on China under the human rights issue. Why shouldn’t you let this religious group function just like you do Buddhism and Confucianism and Taoism and some of the other, ya know, nominal religions of the Far East? . . . They have been investigating the teaching of Christianity. And to their amazement they have found that our faith teaches that we should obey the government, that we should pay our taxes . . .

I looked at him and I shocked him. I said, ‘Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Jesus Christ actually was a Communist’ and that really got his attention . . . I said the only difference was he was not an atheistic communist, he was a deistic, because he was and is God. Because in the Bible it says if you have two coats and you see a brother with no coat, give him one of yours. In the early days of the disciples they sold everything and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet and it was distributed to every man as he had need.

"Will you agree with me that we will have an entry and an open door into the most populous nation in the world, a billion, three hundred million. Three times the population of the entire United States are watching television in China on a typical week night."

Followers are prohibited from consulting doctors when sick. As a result, some have died, while others have become insane from practicing qigong, said the cult researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[...more...] 

Authorities Warn Cult Against Threatening "Social Stability"

Inside China, Apr. 29, 1999

Police have detained thousands of adherents of Falun Gong (literally, the "Law of the Wheel Breathing Exercise"), outlawed their traditional qigong exercises and destroyed millions of their books and instruction tapes. Some 1,200 members have reportedly been sent to a northern city for re-education. Their New York-based leader, Li Hongzhi, has been branded a criminal and put on a "wanted" list. China has asked Interpol for help in apprehending him, but in Washington, Gail Rachlin, an aide to Li, has said the State Department had told the group Li was safe as long as he stayed in the U.S. Falun Gong protest sees security tightened in Tiananmen Square February 6, 2000