DEATH SQUADS -
CLOSER THAN WE THINK

Verbo, a charismatic evangelical church in Gautamala City, Gautamala which has been linked to Death Squad activists (please see our article, "Death Squads: Bringing in the Kingdom Of God Through Terror, Torture And Death"), is connected to Jim Durkin's Gospel Outreach in Eureka, California. Gospel Outreach is one of an almost countless number of groups (groups headed up by such charismatic luminaries as John Jimenez, John Mears, Larry Lea, the Ft. Lauderdale Five, etc.) which originated out of the Jesus Revolution of the late '60s and early '70s. These groups - when taken together - form the core constituencies of today's New Charismatic Movement. Together, they form an exceedingly tight-knit, interlocked network of churches, denominations and ministries. All have - to one degree or another - been affected by the post-millennial concepts of Latter Rain - especially those which postulate that it is the church's destiney to take over the world for "Christ and the church" - even if it means resorting to political and military activity. And it is precisely these churches which today form the hard-core of this country's Religious Right.

Now think about all this for a minute. Here you have two death squad leaders, both of whom evidently think nothing of torturing and terrorizing their political adversaries, who belong to Verbo - and not just peripherally, but as members of Verbo's singing ministry. What does this say about the spiritual atmosphere which surrounds Verbo? Not Much!

One way or another, an atmosphere has been created within Verbo which tolerates - explicitly or, more likely, implicitly - the kind of activity with which these two death squad functionaries are involved, one which can tolerate the idea that, "Killing (and ipso facto, torturing and terrorizing) for the joy of it is wrong, but killing (and torturing and terrorizing) because it is necessary to fight against an anti-Christ system ... is not only right, but the duty of every Christian."

What does this say about Verbo? - and, more to the point, what does all this say about Verbo's sister churches in North America? about Gospel Outreach? and about the New Charismatics in general? Maybe it's about time that we take these people seriously when they say, "In winning a nation to the gospel, the sword as well as the pen must be used."

Finally, what does all this say about the Religious Right? What does it say about what these people are capable of "in the name of Christ" should they ever seize power in this country?

Written By S. R. Shearer
Antipas Ministries