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The Persecuted Church

 

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Weeping for those who laughed

Rodney Browne made his ministry known in the USA by playing to a large audience at the Charismatic Carpenter's Home Church in 1993 and 1994. Through approval by Benny Hinn, who launched him at his own meeting, and Kenneth Copeland’s church meeting along with airplay by TBN He brought the new thing to naïve and silly Christians who were open for just about anything to happen and call it God. And so the new latter rain movement got a shot in the arm with laughing hysterically and being inebriated on the floor.

Howard-Browne's biography states he once served as an associate pastor at Rhema. But according to Rhema church officials contacted, Howard-Browne was never an associate pastor-nor did he ever hold any pastoral credentials or responsibilities. Said Kelmeyer: “Rodney was never an associate pastor here. He was an ordained minister by the state and a lecturer at our Bible school, but was not involved in any form of pastoral work.”(Christian News Today) http://htmlgear.lycos.com/feed/control.feed?a=render&i=1&u=eaglewings13 

Browne claimed a “doctorate of ministry degree” from an obscure San Jacinto, California correspondence institution called “The School of Bible Theology.” A state Department of Education employee contacted likened the tiny school, which bills itself as “The Seminary to the World” and has no faculty, to a “diploma mill.” This is not surprising that most famous Charismatics who call themselves Dr.’s have not gone through the college course, not having the time or endurance” (“It was the pastors job to fleece the sheep” RHB “One hundred million souls for Christ” By John Davies)

Dr. Rodney Browne’s 18 year old daughter died just before Christmas 2002. This is a tragic event to happen in anyone’s life. I feel for his loss. What I’m about to write I don’t take pleasure in, in fact I postponed doing so for a number of months until his program recently aired with his embellished fanciful story (Daystar network June 18, 2003). This needs to be said because of all the bragging of miracles that has taken place by Rodney over the years. I get a sick feeling just thinking about how far this all has gone and that so few have spoken up. I don't want to see anymore people hurt or deluded by what is being promoted by Browne and others. This is not to mock his loss but to make others do some thinking and reach the right conclusion- a biblical one.

On Christmas Eve 2002, his daughter Kelly refused to be put on a ventilator. Her parents said it was the first time in her life that she began to consider she might die of the disease. Her body began to shake violently, Rodney Howard-Browne recalled, as she told him that her spirit wasn't afraid of death, but her body was. The couple prayed and sang to her, and rocked her until she died at 4:37 Christmas morning.

Howard-Browne said Kelly's illness helped make the ministry strong because it kept them in constant prayer. “Kelly caused us to fight,” he said. “The more she suffered, the more we attacked the enemy. Right up until she went home, I just wouldn't quit.

The article posted in the March 05, 2003 edition of Charisma states “Despite their daughter's death, the Howard-Brownes continue to believe that God heals, and they pray for the sick and continue to see miracles in their ministry. They said they believed God would heal their daughter until the end.” In fact there is more to this story than the article would lead to. Rodney Howard-Browne's daughter was skiing on Christmas even though she was on oxygen. Evidently she had Cystic Fibrosis which can cause breathing problems, she went into a coma and died. They tried to resurrect her according to the report I heard according to those who were at his meeting at the River church at the Ala Moana Hotel right after Christmas here in Hawaii. Before she died she made a pact with her father that after death she should go to Jesus and get new lungs, and then Rodney would “call her forth” and resurrect her. That's what they tried to do at her memorial service yesterday. But it was unsuccessful.

I have some problems with this considering all the promises of healing made by Browne. It seems that not only Browne, but others are unable to heal people they love the most despite the braggedeering attitude in all the stories they share; where the power of God fell or flowed out of his finger tips like a water hose.

The story was that she must be enjoying heaven too much and that's why she wouldn't come back to life. So does this mean if someone does not enjoy heaven like earth they can come back? This is absurd to say and unbiblical to the max.

The sermon given was Acts 2:15 and also a verse about “joy” to explain the “Holy Laughter” phenomenon. Browne in his service had people falling and laughing, the ministry was not affected at all. You would think one would take time off, I would think one would take stock after all the creative miracles they claimed to have fail.

Browne’s position has been that the anointing breaks the devil and his work, this is the problem with the 3rd wave and faith healing, all this talk and no action. His daughter was sick all along yet he claimed to have the anointing to heal people.

Browne says, “Kelly is totally healed now,” he added. “She's better off than any other Christian on the planet.” He is turning his grief into action. “My daughter dying is the worst career move the devil could have made. We're going after 100 million souls, and he will pay.”

You would think with this tragedy Browne it would have had him come to a different conclusion, but he did not, it actually reinforced his false theology. Is not God in control of the believers life, does not he number our days. So the devil is now more powerful than God. Does the Bible not say Jesus has the keys of death and hell. How can the devil take a believers life? Rodney is placing blame on the wrong one. This is very sad to see such a reaction.

Has there ever been 100 million souls won for Jesus in a period of ten years in earth's history. Browne has pronounced something no other braggart would think of saying, giving a number like this. But this is the extension of his latter rain theology.

Rodney said the same at NY coliseum. Brownes six-week crusade in Madison Square Garden were nights the river did not flow. Only 3,000 a night attended most who were his trained workers in the 19,000 seat arena. Even though the free meetings include entertainment, Howard-Browne's “Good News New York” campaign that was begun by a dream from God failed

Howard-Browne boasted to the hosts of Dominion Sky Angel’s satellite network “We’re believing for 150,000 souls to come to Christ,” (7/5/99 Sky Angle broadcast) Reinhardt Bonnke told Howard-Browne, “I believe that the harvest will be three times that amount.” (Howard-Browne quoting Bonnke 7/5/99 Sky Angle broadcast).

It failed because Browne is not an evangelist, he did well when he played to the Christians who laughed along with him to forget their problems and look for an experience. But to present the gospel, dealing with sin and salvation by the cross has always been his weak point.

But it was this story that got me to write this article. On the Daystar network June 18, 2003 Rodney Browne shares about Dec.25 when his daughter died. He promised her that he would bring her back from the dead and she would have new lungs. He claims the funeral parlor could not bury her for several days later so he requested the body be brought to his office so they dropped off his daughter there.

Not being able to carry the casket upstairs they carried her body upstairs into his office and put her on his couch few days. His family along with the assistant pastors gathered from 8-5 to pray for her. Rodney came in ever half- hour praying all day but nothing happened. The next day she was buried.

But this story is not finished. An assistant pastor had a dream or vision, he was taken out of his body and went to heaven. He approached a girl with her back turned to him, she was on her knees with her hands raised. He yelled Kelly and she turned and said to him you don’t belong here. He could see Rodney underneath her praying over her body below. She looked at her body in disgust saying what an ugly thing (Hmm same words Rodney says to people who does not like). Then two lights appeared one went to the throne of God the other went into Rodney’s room above his head. He said to Rodney “I don’t know if you know there was an angel in the room” Rodney says yes I felt the presence.

He thinks God gave her a choice to go back to her body but she declined. “why would I want to go down there when you guys are coming up here soon”

It amazes me the lengths these men will go to have an excuse for the lack of power they claim to have and demonstrate.

Well a number of things seem to come to remembrance. Browne is friends with Benny Hinn, and the Harfouches both claim miracles and healing in a unprecedented number.

In TBN Oct.23 1999 Hinn had this outrageous prophecy to say “You’re going to have people raised from the dead watching TBN. Programs, just plain programs. Programs that haven’t done much when it comes to supernatural manifestations. Teaching programs. It’s not gonna be a Benny Hinn saying, Stretch your hands. It’s gonna be your average teaching program, your normal Christian program that’s blessing the church. There’s gonna be such power on these programs, people will be raised from the dead. Worldwide. …People around the world who will lose loved ones, will say to undertakers, ahh, not yet. I want to take my dead loved one and place him in front of that TV set for 24 hours.… People are going to be canceling funeral services and bringing their dead in their caskets, placing them, my God, I feel the anointing here.

… Placing them before a television set, waiting for God’s power to come through and touch them. It’s gonna happen time and time, so much it’s gonna spread. You’re gonna hear it from Kenya to Mexico to Europe to South America, where people will be raised, from the, so much so, that the word will spread that if some dead person be put in front of this TV screen, they will be raised from the dead. And they will be. By the thousands. You wait. “

Hinn describes this vision he is having on the set of TBN “And I see them bringing them closer to the TV set. And as people are coming closer, I see ahh, a, actually loved ones picking up the hands of the dead and letting them touch the screen, and people are, are getting raised as their hands are touching that screen. With just programs. I’m not talking about my program. I’m talking about programs, plain programs airing.

What a story to tell millions how many have died and not been raised? We are still waiting, and I predict that this is all we will do, wait. But why does not those who believe in Hinn do this, certainly Browne is aware of Hinns prophecy.  And what of David Hogan who claims to have raised near 200 people (speaks at Brownsville),  surely Browne and others are aware of this. Why was he not solicited for help. Something is amiss when you are surrounded by healers who claim miracles everywhere they go but are unable to work them among their own. Rodney Browne is also friends with the Harfouches; he dedicated their church. Robin Harfouche interviewed on the Sid Roth program said when she went to heaven Jesus told her “your going to see my created hand created miracles, arms growing out legs growing out amputated limbs where there have been no limbs will begin to grow out… Jesus told me he said he gave us all power and authority over work of darkness...”

This is the same thing Browne had said about the new Pentecost he was promoting, that “Eyeballs will form, legs and arms will grow out, people will leap out of wheelchairs...” (Rodney Howard Browne, The Coming Revival  p. 27)

Concerning the claims of miracle healings of incurable diseases, Rodney gives an example on pages 10-11 of The Anointing of a woman who was dying of cancer and only had a few hours left to live. Commanding the Spirit of death and cancer to leave her in the name of the Lord, he spent 20 minutes cursing the cancer as Jesus cursed the fig tree. He describes the Power of God as hitting her from the top of her head down to her feet, and shaking her and her bed as well as her nephew. She finally fell out of her bed healed.

It seems surrounded by all these healers who claim these fantastic stories avail nothing. I suspect that the Lord is soon to be awakening many people to these facts as his last attempt of love and mercy to get them out of this deep deception of following these men’s teachings.

This should be evidence these men who claim all the grandiose miracles cannot produce any, their own loved ones die and they hang onto the same position as before, how sad this all is, how very sad. Please pray for the truth to set them free.

 

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