| Dr. David Marlett, Editor | theconservative@usa.net | Number 52 |
http://www.wilderness-cry.net/tcn | ||
27 November 2000
I have spent the last week at Indianapolis Baptist Temple. If you have not heard, this church is currently under siege. At this moment Federal Marshals are planning to raid, seize, and STEAL this church.
In the following pages I will attempt to tell the story in chronological order. Of course, I cannot come close to telling the "whole" story. But I hope to at least hit the highlights as I summarize MY week at the Baptist Temple.
On Thursday November 16 I received a 3 word E-mail from Dr. Greg J. Dixon, Pastor Emeritus of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. The three words were "COME HELP US."
I called Dr. Dixon that evening and left a message on his voice mail. At about 6 A.M. the next morning he returned my call and asked me to drive to Indianapolis.
I arrived in Indianapolis the next day to find the church "under siege."
Federal Judge Sarah Evans Barker, Chief Judge of the Southern District, Indianapolis had ordered U.S. Marshals to seize the church building, Christian School, and all other properties of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple (IBT). Church members and other IBT supporters were literally camped out throughout the building in defiance of Judge Barker's order.
When I arrived there was a yellow-tape "perimeter line" than had been broken and the tape wadded up, dozens of media vehicles were there and several had the long-pole satellite uplinks blinking. News cameras and reporters were all over the place. The ladies of the church were serving dinner in the Fellowship Hall. Dr. Dixon was being interviewed live on a talk-radio call-in show.
There were about 300 church members, and about 200 other "supporters" consisting of members of various Patriot Groups, Militia members, and Indianapolis residents who had heard about the situation and had come to show support for the church. All in all there were at least 500 in the building. There were also a few folks there who had heard the story on the radio and had come in from out of town. Sadly, there were only about a dozen preachers.
After my travel companion, Pastor Tim Gresham of Rose-Rich Baptist Church in Rosenberg, Texas, and I had walked around and basically sized up the situation, a church member asked me to come to Dr. Dixon's office.
He had just finished his radio broadcast and was told I had arrived. Mrs. Dixon brought some food in from the fellowship hall and Dr. Dixon and I ate dinner together in his office, talked, and he updated me as to where the church was in its battle.
At high noon on Tuesday the Marshals seized Dr. Dixon's home and shortly thereafter they came to seize the church property but decided to postpone their raid because 800+ members of IBT were in the building praying. They decided to wait until the members left. Only the members had resolved to stay.
James "Bo" Gritz, a militia and patriot leader had heard of their stand and came to the church. He set up his broadcasting equipment and began broadcasting from IBT over short-wave. As word of the siege made its way across the country via short-wave people from all over America began to show up.
On Wednesday, enough Militia members had arrived for Bo, a highly decorated former Green Beret, to set up a security team, perimeter guard, and alarm system. But he did NOT create a "compound." The members and other supporters came and went as they pleased, the media was free to come and go, and Federal Agents even came and went.
The "guards" were not armed. The security team was set up for 2 reasons. 1- so the occupants of the building would not be taken "by surprise" during the Marshal's raid and 2- to make sure that nobody on the inside was hurt by a "supporter" who may not have really been a supporter.
There had been a few gang members, punks, and just plain idiots who had come to the church to start trouble and Bo's security team was able to show them the door.
Basically, everyone was waiting. Waiting for the Marshals to come. There was no plan to resist the Marshals when they arrived. But many had determined they would be carried out - in other words, they would not walk out voluntarily.
All utilities were still on in the buildings, showers were available in the gymnasium, and members and community members were bringing in food. Services were being held daily at 3 p.m., 7 p.m., and 11 p.m.
On Saturday I was introduced to Pastor Aubrey Vaughan. Pastor Vaughan's church is less than an hour from me and I had never met him. I also met John Brown, an Indiana preacher who I had known for some time via E-mail but had never met in person.
Sunday morning about 1,700 people defied a federal court order and entered the church for worship. Pastor Greg A. Dixon preached from Ephesians 6. "Having Done All - STAND." He said "This is not a 'sit-in,' a 'stand-off,' a 'protest,' or a 'show-down,' This is a Stand!" He made a statement that he repeated often in interviews with the press, "This property belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. As His church we will not leave it voluntarily. If the U.S. government wants the Lord's property they will have to desecrate the sanctuary of God and drag his people from the altar to do it. . . . If they want to be immoral and unconstitutional let them come and desecrate the House of God. God will judge them, their families, their wives, their children, and their political careers. But if they want to be moral and constitutional, they will respect the House of God. The choice is theirs. Either way we will stand."
Sunday evening Pastor Dixon asked me to preach the evening service. About 900 were there and I took my text from I Samuel 14:6. My Title was "It May Be."
Several were saved and baptized during the Sunday services. Several joined the church.
Sunday evening Pastor Dixon announced that since the Marshals hadn't come yet that the church was going on the offensive.
On Monday afternoon Bo Gritz left and the Militia followed him. By Monday evening all that was left were church members, a few out of town preachers, and some families who had traveled to be with the church members and show their support. The number was about 400.
But in spite of this, at Dr. Dixon's lead, the church went on the offensive.
MONDAY NOV. 20th
Church members picketed the Federal Courthouse, Judge Barker's home, and both companies assigned as "receivers" for the church's properties.
Aubrey Vaughan and I set up a telemarketing room. 6 volunteers called churches all over the country to raise support. They also called every church in the Indianapolis phone book.
An Internet site was set up, and members went all over Indianapolis with a petition.
Federal Guidelines determined that a raid of the church would require at least 300 agents. But there were only 22 Marshals in Indianapolis. So they asked for assistance from the Indianapolis Police, The State Highway Patrol, and the County Sheriff's office. The Indianapolis Police, State Police, and Sheriff's Department all said that they would NOT participate in the raid. So the Marshals brought in a Special Operations Group (SOG). SOG is a special team of Interpol police that are used in terrorist and hostage situations. This was going to be another Waco.
Since the Militia had left, we preachers set up a security team. I even walked perimeter guard Monday night in the snow.
At about Midnight a few walked to the platform of the auditorium and began to sing. Others joined them and their number quickly grew to about 20. The "Midnight Choir" was formed.
TUESDAY
While visiting at the capitol building Attorney Cunningham was informed that the SOG unit would strike Tuesday evening. So the church called a press conference - easy enough since all the media was already camped out in the church.
Dr. Dixon made it clear that there were no weapons in the building. He stated his outrage that the Federal Government was going to bring in an international police force trained in terrorist warfare to kill little old ladies, women, and children who simply wanted to take a stand in/for their church. The media jumped on it and head Marshal Anderson responded by saying there would be no SOG operation.
Of course, Federal Agents had been coming and going and so they knew there were no weapons, simply a lot of people.
The decision was made to update the website daily.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday Pastor Gresham went to picket the office of Atlantic Receivers. He decided to confront someone in the building. He went to their suite and found it was nothing more than a 2 lawyer law firm. They actually told him that they created Atlantic specifically to handle IBT and that it was a paper corporation.
I worked with the IBT webmaster to get the petition online and to create a link whereby surfers could E-mail key elected officials in Indiana and around the country.
All of the preachers called media outlets around the nation asking them to interview Dr. Dixon or Pastor Dixon. Both carried cell phones activated especially for media to contact them for interviews.
Pastor Jim Leonard and I set up an "Internet Room" with old computers donated by members. Since the marshals could seize the machines only OLD ones were donated. I was amazed when Pastor Leonard got WIN 98 to run on a 486 SX machine (It was the only operating system we had disks for). This enabled those in the building to check their E-mail and also to E-mail folks in order to gain additional support.
A brother whose name I forgot who was the #2 man nationally in Operation Rescue (he currently has a $6,000,000 judgment against him from a lawsuit he lost to planned parenthood) used the Internet room to E-mail his whole mailing list of Thousands.
THURSDAY
Thursday morning Channel 6 interviewed Tim and he told what happened at Atlantic. Judge Barker immediately ordered the receivership to be given to another firm and an investigation is being launched to determine why the IRS didn't use a bonded fiduciary (several are available) instead of a bogus paper corporation. This could lead to a criminal investigation of IRS agents.
Also on Thursday morning the Indianapolis Star asked Marshal Anderson when the raid would take place. He said only that the church would be seized before the end of the year. He said his department was waiting because they have not yet determined a "right way to do the wrong thing." He was quoted as saying this in the Indianapolis Star.
So the City, County, and State police have all said that it is wrong for the government to STEAL a church and now the Marshal agrees with them.
Pray that Marshal Anderson will take a stand and tell Judge Barker that they will not enforce her wicked order. FYI - Marshal Anderson is a deacon in a Baptist Church.
EVERYDAY
Monday through Friday November 20th - 24th Dr. Dixon and IBT attorney Al Cunningham visited every elected official in the city of Indianapolis (which is the State Capitol).
Also, every day there were pickets and members circulating petitions. Myself and the other preachers were interviewed on TV and radio every day.
We had daily services at 3 p.m., 7 p.m., prayer meeting at 11 p.m., and The Midnight Choir sang every night at midnight.
We ate three good meals each day with members and folks from the community bringing in food. Thanksgiving was a great meal with all the trimmings.
The weather was cold (snow) some days and warm (low 50's) other days.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
In preparation for the SOG raid a graphic artist in the church made a sign and it was posted at the front door. It had a yellow and black background with a 9mm and a ski mask. It read: "NOTICE: Federal Marshals, Remove Your Ski masks and unload all weapons before entering the premises." The media had a field day with it.
Someone had t-shirts made that said: "Jesus is Coming - But are the Marshals?"
Thursday afternoon someone gave Pastor Dixon a couple of tickets to that nights Indiana Pacer's game and told him that he needed to get out and have some fun. Since the Marshals hadn't come yet he decided to go and asked me to go with him. We were seated right behind the bench so we could hear the coaches call the plays and everything. The Pacers were smeared but we had fun.
DEPARTURE
When I left Friday at noon there were about 300 in the church. Members are now taking turns sleeping a night in the church. They then go home and are replaced by another family.
At least three preachers who came from out of town have associates running their churches in their absence and will be there for the long haul. I plan to return at the first of December.
SPIRITUAL VICTORIES
During the week I was there, dozens were saved, 15 were baptized, young men surrendered to preach, and several joined the church.
Several folks saw the story on TV, came to the church, and got right with God. Several more called the church to ask for prayer.
We even had a sodomite testify that he repented of his sodomy and he stood with us.
God revived me as I was there. He also revived the church I pastor because I went.
PERSONAL
Al Cunningham, IBT's attorney who had given me legal advice in the past helped me to overcome a mistake that I was about to make in our contract for the Methodist building. He modified the contract and also helped set me up as a trustee of the church. I enjoyed the fellowship with Bro. Cunningham throughout the week.
Pastor Dixon and I stayed up the better part of Tuesday night in his office talking about our churches, church growth, philosophy of ministry, etc. The church I pastor was revolutionized Tuesday night.
Friday morning Pastor Dixon gave me his office chair. It is a burgundy high back leather chair. It was Dr. Dixon's chair and he gave it to Greg A. 4 years ago when he became pastor. Greg A. gave it to me to put in my office in our new building. I set it in the office today. It's a "mantle of Elijah" kinda thing. I cannot help but be amazed at the burden that Pastor Dixon developed for my church (actually, he decided to help me carry my burden) in the midst of what is going on in his church.
In the course of a week Dr. Dixon who was my friend became my hero.
HOW YOU CAN HELP IBT:
You can help IBT by E-mailing the various elected officials in the Indiana government and in Washington.
Visit http://www.indianapolisbaptisttemple.com/index2.html for a link that will help you E-mail these officials.
You can help IBT by printing the online petition, having your members sign it, and mailing it to Indianapolis.
You can help IBT by going to Indianapolis and standing with the body of Christ here as they stand for Christ's headship over the church. I had to come home for a week. Will one of you take my place in the battle?
You can call local media and ask them to cover the story.
You can E-mail everyone in your address book to encourage them to visit the IBT website.
You can vote NO at http://www.theindychannel.com/news/
You can pray for IBT, for Pastor Greg A. Dixon, and for Dr. Greg J. Dixon.
You can mail an offering to: Indianapolis Baptist Temple, P. O. Box 11; Indianapolis, IN 46206
To Him be ALL GLORY in the Church!
Ed DeVries
Shortly before the American election, Secretary of State Madeline Albright penned a letter to the Tanzanian government expressing "disappointment" in their recent presidential election.
Problems cited by Albright included ballot tampering, delay in counting of ballots, and some violence between the parties.
The Tanzanian government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the American election. However, several other foreign govenments have offered to send observers.
There is "explicit statistical evidence of massive ballot tampering in Palm Beach, Fla.," says expert statistician Robert Cook, who notes that ballot errors only occurred in presidential races.
And, he adds, the same kind of ballot tampering occurred in Palm Beach County in 1996.
In an analysis sent to Michael Reagan, Cook, a nuclear engineer with a track record for analyzing and correcting trends, errors and mistakes in heavy construction projects (ships, power plants, nuclear reactors, military and aerospace vehicles, etc.) for more than twenty years, put forth a compelling case that the 19,120 presidential race ballots at issue in Palm Beach County were "destroyed by deliberate double-punching ballots with a 'second punch' for Al Gore or Pat Buchanan."
Cook used what Reagan called "simplified but wide-ranging statistical comparisons to establish beyond doubt that Democratic operatives "stole," by double-punching ballots, "approximately 15,000 Bush votes in Palm Beach County and approximately 3,400 additional Buchanan votes." Cook charges that his statistical analysis shows:
To read Cook's complete analysis go to:
http://www.reagan.com/HotTopics.main/document-11.15.2000.6.htm
[ NewsMax.com ]
Christopher Ruddy - NewsMax
As I have emphasized, this has been a battle for public opinion. Gore's team recognized this from the beginning and this has kept their efforts alive.
Bush's team, belatedly, launched its own PR offensive. They have done well focusing on key issues, such as the Gore effort to throw out military ballots.
I still believe the battle for public opinion is paramount and more important than any action the Supreme Court may take. (By the way, it's still too early to say if the Supreme Court action will help Bush.)
The Gore team has gained momentum again by criticizing what it calls a rowdy "mob" that intimidated the canvassing board in Miami-Dade.
Funny, isn't it, that the media, which have been offering this Gore spin all weekend, fail to mention that the Gore campaign started this activity when it brought Jesse Jackson to West Palm Beach. I was there at the first Jackson rally.
It was suppose to be a rally of disenfranchised voters complaining about the "butterfly" ballot. I expected to find seniors rolling around in wheelchairs complaining they mistakenly had voted for Pat Buchanan. The seniors were nowhere to be found. Instead, the Gore campaign was clearly in charge, handing out preprinted Gore-Lieberman signs to the "mob" of usual suspects - Democratic Party activists, government employees, union members and community organizers.
It should also be noted that the "mob" that day was so unruly the police asked Jackson not to speak and moved the location of his speech to the courtyard of a nearby government building.
A caller Friday on Michael Savage's radio show said she was from China. American news coverage reminded her of Communist China, where pro-government rallies are referred to positively and the participants as "good citizens." Anti-government protests like Tiananmen Square, she said, are referred to as a "mob" and the participants are described as criminals who should be arrested.
The next time the media lambaste the Republicans for peacefully protesting, we should remember her comments and realize how fragile our freedoms really are.
[ NewsMax.com ]
It was a species thought to be nearly extinct: the angry Republican, very mad and ready to show that he or she is not going to take it anymore.
Beyond talk radio and the Internet, they didn't materialize during the Clinton impeachment battle.
But now, with the most visible symbol of our democracy - the presidency - at stake, the GOP has finally taken to the streets.
In a Thanksgiving e-mail circulated to her friends, Lucianne Goldberg took note of the new Republican rage by citing a Thanksgiving Day report in the Los Angeles Times on yesterday's near-riot over Miami-Dade County's presidential recount.
"A horde of shouting, shoving protesters - many wearing suits and ties - stormed an upper floor of a downtown skyscraper here. An elections department receptionist fled her desk in panic as angry Republicans pounded on the door."
"Did you ever think you would see the day?" wrote Goldberg. "Angry Republicans in high rampage. The times they truly are a changin'."
Grassroots GOP outrage at long last. Now that's something truly worth giving thanks for.
[ WND ]
TCN-- There is a problem with this anger however. We at TCN agree that it is good to see it, but we fear that it is short-lived and misplaced. Right now all of that righteous indignation appears to be aimed at Al Gore and his hoard of legal manipulators. That is only half of the problem and one that is apt to go away soon. We anticipate that when it does and Gov Bush is crowned, the anger will return to apathy as their chosen one proves to be an impotent globalistic liberal with little or no plan for making any meaningful change and even less power to implement it.
If Republicans are really angry and really want to see a change, they need to dump the increasingly liberal Republican party and get behind a candidate that will send a loud and clear conservative message. ENOUGH !!! --TCN
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