Norma McCorvey's ("Roe v Wade") First Church Experience as a Believer - DR. JIM GARLOW/SKYLINE CHURCH, SAN DIEGO

Pastor Flip Benham baptizes Norma McCorvey on Aug. 8, 1995. (Courtesy)

Norma McCorvey's First Church Experience as a Believer

 2/18/2017 DR. JIM GARLOW/SKYLINE CHURCH, SAN DIEGO   chariSMa news

Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of the infamous Roe v. Wade case—Henry Wade was District Attorney in Dallas, TX at the time—that decriminalized the killing of pre-born babies (and with its companion case, Doe v. Bolton, allowed the killing to continue right through the third trimester), died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, at age 69.

It has been often noted that this case was built on a lie. Equally well known is the fact that McCorvey felt very "used" by the radical feminists at whose urging she was thrust into the national limelight. She would later explain that she never actually had an abortion and admitted the case was the "biggest mistake of her life."

But there is more—much more—to the story. And that is McCorvey's first encounter with Christians after her conversion. 

History will remember her as "Jane Roe." But eternity will forever know her as Norma McCorvey, a child of God. Why? Because she made a commitment to Christ more than two decades ago. While that fact is fairly well known, I would like to shed some additional light on her conversion and the first few days after that.

McCorvey worked in Dallas out of a pro-abortion office. Pastor Flip Benham, leader of Operation Rescue Dallas at the time, worked nearby in a pro-life office. Through that, McCorvey met Flip. Although they were polar opposites on the abortion issue, Flip demonstrated the love of Christ to her.

Flip was then and still is one of the greatest preacher/prophets in America. He is likely one of the boldest, most courageous persons I have ever met. He is fearless. But he is tender and loving. His Bible is worn out by its constant use, and he pleads with fellow Christians to read it through a minimum of once a year. His celebrity sons—Jason and David (known for being cut from a national TV show for their stand for traditional, biblical marriage)—have followed their dad as a role model and have read the entire Bible through a minimum of once a year since they were young teens.

McCorvey was stunned at Flip's gentle, Christ-like love. She thought pro-lifers were, in accordance with pro-abortion reports, hateful and mean. What she encountered was the love of Jesus. Flip—who always carries a big Bible—began tenderly to share the Word with her. As a result, she received Jesus as Savior for her sins and became "a new creature" in the summer of 1995 and was baptized Aug. 8.

Flip had been a Free Methodist (not to be confused with the liberal United Methodist denomination) pastor, but he was not at that time pastoring a church. Since Flip and I were extremely close friends, he invited McCorvey to the church I was pastoring.

The first church she attended—just a few days after she became a believer—was Metroplex Chapel (Church of the Nazarene), located in Euless, Texas, in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

But what happened that day was almost as profound as her conversion. She was afraid to come to the church as she did not know how Christians might respond to her, given her identification with abortion. She arrived at the church building but was too fearful to come in. She drove around the parking lot several times trying to get the courage to get out of her car. She was afraid of what people might say to her or even do to her.

Finally, she saw Flip standing on the church steps looking for her. She trusted him, so she parked her car and came to Flip. He escorted her into the church. She sat with Flip during the service. I still recall exactly where they sat that Sunday, off to my left from my view from the platform, about two-thirds of the way to the back of the church.

With her and Flip's permission, I introduced her at the end of the service, telling the congregation that "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade had come to Christ and had experienced forgiveness for her sins. I explained that she was present in the auditorium. I asked her to stand. She did. The crowd erupted in an extended standing ovation. McCorvey was shocked. She did not expect that.

After the service ended, nearly the entire church congregation formed an extremely long line to give her a hug and welcome her into the family of God. It was a profoundly moving and tender moment. Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of the infamous Roe v. Wade case had not only experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus. She had now experienced the love and forgiveness of the body of Christ—the church. It was an exhilarating day for us all.

McCorvey would later say in a television ad, "You read about me in history books, but now I am dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life from natural conception to natural death."

During the first half of her life, she was on the wrong side of history.  But that changed when she repented of her sins.  She joined "the right side of history." But more importantly, she now enjoys the right side of eternity. 

Dr. Jim Garlow is pastor of Skyline Church in the San Diego, California, area. His latest book is Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues.

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Evangelical Faith Leaders Plan to Hold a 'Special Inaugural Prayer Event' - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

A number of evangelical faith leaders are going to gather in Washington, D.C., Thursday to pray for the new administration. (Reuters photo)

Evangelical Faith Leaders Plan to Hold a 'Special Inaugural Prayer Event'

1/19/2017 BOB ESCHLIMAN  CHARISMA NEWS

Also on Thursday afternoon, evangelical faith leaders from around the country are going to gather in Washington, D.C., for a special prayer event.

Dr. Jim Garlow and Pastor Dan Cummins of Skyline Church in San Diego, Calif., and The Jefferson Gathering—a weekly worship service held for members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers, are leading the event with support from Tony Perkins of Family Research Council and David Barton of Wallbuilders. Additionally, Mike Evans of Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem will also take part.

The event will begin at noon EST at Greater New Hope Baptist Church, located about a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It will be a time of worship and prayer to thank God for what He has done.

A description of the event states:

This "Special Inaugural Prayer Event" will focus on prayers for the nation, Administration, the Cabinet, Congress and Appointees, racial unity and for millennials. Masters of ceremonies for the event will be Jim Garlow and Audrea Taylor. Those participating include Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jody Hice and leaders including Bishop Melvin Brown, Dan Cummins, James and Shirley Dobson, Bishop Harry Jackson, James Robison, Samuel Rodriquez, Alveda King, David Barton, Robert Morris, Judy Wade, Michele Bachmann, Jentezen Franklin, Charles Huang, Ralph Reed, Ronnie Floyd, Robert Jeffress, Tony Perkins, Jonathan Cahn and others. Worship for the event will be lead by Josh Garlow.

Stephen Amerson, who frequently sings at Jefferson Gathering services, will perform during the pre-inauguration prayer service.

Following the prayer service, beginning at approximately 1 p.m. EST, participants will have an opportunity to hear from Israeli members of the Knesset and U.S. members of Congress. They will be discussing the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and there will be a Genesis 12:3 call to "bless Israel." 

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Lance Wallnau Is on Fire and on Target With His Insights on the Culture and This Election - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Lance Wallnau (Facebook )

Lance Wallnau Is on Fire and on Target With His Insights on the Culture and This Election

 10/14/2016 STEVE STRANG  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Lance Wallnau is on fire when it comes to garnering social media attention. I know this because a podcast he did with me last spring about Donald Trump was listened to more than any other in the history of the Charisma Podcast Network.

He wrote the cover story for the October issue of Charisma about how he believes God is raising up Donald Trump like He did Cyrus in Isaiah 45. I did a podcast about that two weeks ago, which has become the second most listened to podcast I've done. If you missed it, you can listen to it here.

Today, Lance spoke at a conference in Orlando. It was powerful. Afterward, we got a bite to eat and he told me a video about Trump calling out "liberal" pharisaical evangelicals for blasting him for ungodly behavior 11 years ago, yet overlooking his repentance and also the corruption and the diabolical agenda of the Hillary Clinton campaign. In only a few days, it's been viewed more than 3.5 million times! You will want to watch it. In it he says God can use the jawbone of a donkey, but He can't use a Jezebel.

I'm sickened by the self-righteous, weak-kneed "evangelicals" who want to be liked by the culture they are trying to win so much that they compromise and actually play into the hands of the enemy. Later, I may call out some of them by name after I can research what they said and maybe confront them behind the scenes. They need to be exposed and they need to lose their influence and platforms after being revealed for who they really are.

After my last podcast with Lance, he and I kept talking as friends and what he was saying was so good I asked him if I could turn on the recorder to give "the rest of the story." You'll want to listen to that podcast here called "God is Raising Up Trump with Lance Wallnau Part 2" on the Charisma Podcast Network. Then share this newsletter with friends and on social media. 

In other newsletters, I've written about the article Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in San Diego wrote two months ago that we headlined: "If You're on the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is at Stake." Since then, it's gone viral, and today it passed the 3.5 million mark in terms of shares on Facebook.

Someone told me the article is like an apologetic for voting for Donald Trump when you don't like him as a person. A friend told me today she wasn't going to vote for Trump until she read the article. She realized this is not about personalities; it's about issues, and the platforms of the two parties are as different as night and day, especially from a biblical point of view.

In this podcast, Lance talks about how America cannot stand 48 months more months of the downward spiral this nation has been in for the past few decades—especially in the past eight years.

When we met today, we talked about a quick e-book Lance wrote called God's Chaos Candidate I ordered it today, and it's fascinating reading not only about Trump but also about the trends in our culture and the agenda of the progressive left. When I checked, it was No. 118 of all books amazon.com sells.

Please take advantage of these materials and help us get out the word. It's possible that this race will be so close that it will be determined by how Bible-believing Christians vote. 

Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him onTwitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and hereto sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.

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If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake - DR. JIM GARLOW/SKYLINE CHURCH, SAN DIEGO CHARISMA NEWS

(Composite Image of Reuters Photos)

If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake

8/11/2016 DR. JIM GARLOW/SKYLINE CHURCH, SAN DIEGO  CHARISMA NEWS

I have been asked "the question" so many times regarding Trump or Hillary. By way of background, I have followed every national convention—Republican and Democrat—from the time I was age 9, and have attended most of the GOP Conventions from 1984 to the present. I have watched the news virtually every day from the age of 8. I have never seen anything like what we are observing.

In spite of the unprecedented nature of this election cycle, I will attempt to respond to "the question." I am not demanding that anyone else share my view. But I was asked. Here is my best attempt to answer as I am able to see things at this time:

1.   The Democratic and Republican party platforms are as different as night and day, in my opinion, as far apart as evil vs. good. The 51-page Democratic platform is the most leftist ever. (I don't care for the "right vs. left" nomenclature. I am far more concerned with "right vs. wrong.") The Democratic platform contains many points which are anti-biblical. (Time does not permit me here to identify what is meant by "anti-biblical," which is covered in my new book Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues.) It is thoroughly socialistic (a socialist is a communist without a gun). The 54-page GOP platform is one of the strongest GOP platforms ever. A biblically alert person could be comfortable with almost all of it. Party platforms are a big issue to me. Although some "blow off" party platforms, I do not. Nor do many people up and down the ballot who are running for office. This is a serious and very important item. I have a hard copy of both platforms in front of me now. Most people have never checked out what the party platforms say. They should. If a person is not drawn to the "top-of-the-ballot" candidate, they ought to at least consider voting for the candidate attached to the best party platform.

2.   Analogy #1: Both candidates are flawed. We all know that. But permit me an analogy: As a pastor, I would rather deal with a church attendee who is blatant and brash in his sinning than one who is devious, lying, cunning and deceptive. Both are problematic, but one is easier to deal with than the other. If I were a pastor bringing correction to a parishioner, I would prefer dealing with a "Trump-type" any day over a "Hillary-type." The chances of making progress with the "Trump-type" are many times greater than the "Hillary-type."

3.   Analogy #2: When my (late) wife's remarkable and much loved oncologist said, "Don't take Carol to that alternative (non FDA approved) treatment." I asked, "Why not?" He said, "The unknown." I said, "Doctor, your 'known' is much worse than the alternative treatment's 'unknown.'" I took her to that alternative treatment. One year later that same oncologist went to the alternative treatment doctor to see how it was that Carol had improved so much. While this alternative treatment did not ultimately save her life, it likely stretched two to three years of life to six years of life—by the admission of another one of her brilliant young oncologists who later said, "Without any medical training or scientific fact, you have put together a protocol of treatment that has moved her into the top fraction of 1 percent of survival rates of all patients with Carol's particular cancer. Application of the analogy: Hillary's "known" is considerably worse—many times over—than Trump's "unknown."

4.   Trump has lots of sins in his past (actually, we all do), and—in the present—says things he should not say. I make no attempt to defend any of the things he has said. There is no need to rehearse the wrong things he has said. We know what they are. He should not have thought or said them. But there is no need to rehash them here. So we won't. But let's turn to the other candidate. Although America has had some scandal-ridden candidates in its history, we have never seen any one major party candidate more constantly scandalous as Hillary (along with her husband). She seems to exceed all previous boundaries for wrongdoing. The scandals just don't stop. In the same way we did not take time to list all of Trump's misstatements, neither will we here rehash the seemingly continuous string of horrific scandals of the Clintons.

5.   Trump is slowly being surrounded by increasingly good people. From time to time, I receive encouraging calls regarding this. Can these good people impact Trump? We will see. In contrast, I see no reason for any encouragement regarding the people who surround Hillary.

6.   Trump is right on approximately 75 percent of the issues. I wish it was 100 percent. It is not. I am in hopes that those beginning to surround him can help him connect the dots on more issues. Hillary is wrong on 100 percent of the issues.

7.   This next issue might be one of the most important, but I suspect few will understand its significance. Trump opposes globalism. Hillary thrives on it. Globalism is far more than "geographical" or "eliminating national borders and boundaries." It is spiritual and demonic at its core. Few—very few—understand this. This is quite likely one of the main reasons why Trump is hated. Do your homework on this one. Think "principalities and powers." Serious. Extremely serious.

8.   Not voting is not a viable option, contrary to what the "purists" claim. It is not my intention to begin a war of the issue. I know that some radically disagree with this. My view? They have the right to be wrong.

9.   Voting for a third party candidate is—regardless of what is said—a complete "throw-away." No third party candidate will be elected, or even come remotely close to being elected. And yes, that matters to me. And for the record, the Libertarian ticket—Johnson and Weld—is nearly as bad on many issues as Hillary. When I listen to them, I am stunned people of their ability have ever made it to elective office.

10.   Trump has moved pro-life. Hillary is pro-baby killing, and prides herself on that, and honors the organization—Planned Parenthood—that actually traffics human parts from dead babies whom they have killed. This is below anything we have seen since Nazi Germany. The gall of Hillary! The Clintons have evaded justice for decades and likely will continue to. But they will someday stand before the Great White Throne. They will have to give account of their support of the ripping babies to shreds in the womb. For the record, those who vote for those who support the genocide of pre-borns will also have to give an account.

11.   Trump wants to defend the nation (which is the purpose of government). Hillary has a horrific track record as Secretary of State, and due to hundreds of millions of dollars given to her and her husband's foundation, she is beholden to those who want us dead.

12.   Hillary claims "everything is fine" in America. This defies every single fact, but facts have never been an interest of Hillary's. Trump understands that it is 11:59 p.m. on the "cultural clock." America is near the end—morally, economically, militarily and, sadly, spiritually. There are very clear identifiable indicators—measurable ones—that America is no longer the world's leading power. That day is over. Hillary will hasten the final destruction. Trump could either slow that down—or possibly, with God's help—reverse it. Maybe.

13.   Trump will address the massive government spending. Hillary will expand it above the existing unsustainable debt the U.S. currently is carrying (almost $20 trillion plus unfunded liabilities to Social Security, etc).

14.   Trump will expose—and I pray, bring down—"the systemic evil" (crony, deceitful, misuse of capitalism) that reigns among many high-dollar lobbyists. Hillary thrives because of them.

15.   Trump will stop the massive overreach of government. Hillary will extend it.

16.   Freedoms come in "threes." Political freedom, economic freedom and religious liberty coexist together. Take one away and the other two will eventually disappear. One cannot exist without the other two. The genius of America is that it had all three, until recently. Trump fully grasps the loss of religious liberty. I have heard him speak on it in person on several occasions. He knows that economic and political freedoms are evaporating. He will reverse that. Hillary will decimate all three.

17.   Every rational person knows the Supreme Court appointments are paramount. Trump has listed 11 superb potential nominees. Hillary's appointments would snuff out the tiny vestige of the three freedoms that are left (mentioned in the statement above).

18.   I make no excuse for wrongdoing or wrongful, hurtful words from either candidate. Candidly, I want King Jesus. He rules in my heart. And yours too, I suspect. And I want Him to rule here—now. But that day is not fully manifested—yet. In the meantime, we prayerfully, carefully navigate this challenging election season, with great concern that above all, we honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in every arena of our lives, including the voting booth. That is my hope. I believe it is yours as well. 

Dr. Jim Garlow is pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego. He is also co-founder of The Jefferson Gathering, a weekly worship service for members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

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Why Christians Must Do Everything in Their Power to Back Donald Trump - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Donald Trump (Mike Blake/Reuters )

Why Christians Must Do Everything in Their Power to Back Donald Trump

 8/16/2016 STEVE STRANG  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

It comes as no surprise that this is one of the strangest political seasons in history. Two highly polarizing candidates have left many Americans, including many Bible-believing Christians, on the fence.

Yet at a "Pastors and Pews" event in Orlando last week, I heard former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee say: "Every year, everyone says it's the most important election of our lifetime. But folks, I'm not messing—this really is the most important election of our lifetime."

In the primaries, I backed Ted Cruz, but the day he dropped out of the race I endorsed Donald Trump—not because he's a perfect candidate, but because he's an effective leader and because the alternative, Hillary Clinton (and the platform of the Democratic Party) are 100 times worse.

I had the opportunity to interview Donald Trump last week for the cover story of the October issue of Charisma. I will write about that more later. But today I'm calling to your attention an article we ran on Charisma News last week by Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in San Diego, California that has gone viral.

Jim sent me something he posted on his Facebook page, which made a very strong argument that Christians must get out and vote. I sent it to my wife and a few friends. My wife, Joy, was really impressed because his arguments took the election out of the realm of personalities (a lot of Christians don't like either Trump or Hillary so they won't vote for either) to the level of what future we want for the nation. She's right, so I asked Jim to write it as an opinion piece. So far, the article has gathered more than 30,000 shares and more than 498,000 page views. You can read it here in eight minutes. It's so important that we're going to put a version of it in the October issue of Charisma Magazine. But, I need you to help me get out the word now by posting it on your own social media.

I recorded a 20-minute podcast about this article in which Garlow articulates that the party platform of the Republicans is so good from a biblical point of view—contrasted with the Democratic platform, which is almost socialist—that it alone should cause Christians to vote and to do everything they can to back Trump. You can listen to it here for his other very interesting points.

I know this is very divisive (the comments on my own Facebook page tell me that). But this is too important to sit it out. There are other sources of information about this election. But, I believe the podcast and article by Jim Garlow sums everything up with this headline (that I personally wrote): "If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake." 

Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him onTwitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and hereto sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.

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Get to know the Holy Spirit and how to interact with Him on a daily basis. Learn to enter God's presence and hear His voice clearly for yourself! Go deeper in your faith with Life in the Spirit and change your life and destiny. Are you ready to start your journey?

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