Rod Parsley
Encyclopedia
Rodney Lee Parsley is a prominent American Christian minister, author, television host and evangelist. He is senior pastor of World Harvest Church
, a large Pentecostal
church in Columbus, Ohio
and founder and president of The Center for Moral Clarity, a right-wing Christian grassroots
advocacy organization. He is also founder of Breakthrough (a media ministry), the Bridge of Hope missions organization, Valor Christian College, Harvest Preparatory School, World Harvest Ministerial Alliance, Metro Harvest Church (an inner-city and prison outreach), Latin Harvest Church (a Spanish-language church in Columbus) and The Women's Clinic of Columbus.
A sought-after commentator on church matters and moral issues, he has been a guest on many secular media programs, including CNN's
Larry King Live
.
, a southeast Columbus suburb
.
The church's first permanent facility was built in 1979. It is now known as Alpha Hall, which is one of four buildings on what is now the campus of Valor Christian College. Growth soon required an addition to that building, and several years later the church built a bigger structure adjacent to Alpha Hall, which is now known as Dominion Hall. In 1986, ground was broken on 57 acres (230,671 m²) to begin what is now the church's Columbus campus. When it was dedicated, it was re-named World Harvest Church in honor of Lester Sumrall
, who had befriended Parsley years earlier and became the younger pastor's mentor.
World Harvest Church Columbus now includes a 5,200-seat sanctuary, children's and youth ministries, Ministry Resource Centers and administrative offices. Harvest Preparatory School, a private Christian
school serving students in preschool through grade 12, also operates on the church grounds. About 10,000 people attend services at World Harvest on a weekly basis.
In 2009 Parsley established a second congregation in Columbus, this time on the city's North side. It is called World Harvest Church Polaris (it meets near the Polaris Fashion Place mall).
Bridge of Hope has an exhaustive record of work in Sudan
, where a civil war has persisted for years. Parsley's involvement with Sudan began with his lobbying for the federal Sudan Peace Act, and has encompassed the purchase of freedom for Sudanese Christian slaves as well as food, medical supplies and equipment for freed slaves. Bridge of Hope has purchased the freedom of more than 31,000 slaves and provided more than 16,000 "survival kits" -- aid packages consisting of a tarp, mosquito netting, a cooking pot and food to sustain a family for a month.
Bridge of Hope has also completed projects in the African nations of Zambia, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique. The organization's history also includes projects in Europe, Asia, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. its most recent international projects have been in Haiti (both before and after the January 2010 earthquake there) and Guatemala.
Domestically, Bridge of Hope has been involved in disaster relief, providing food, water, ice and cleaning supplies in the wake of disasters including Hurricanes katrina, Gustav and Ike. Following these disasters, Bridge of Hope was named a First Responder by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Valor Christian College was founded in 1990 as World Harvest Bible Institute, and was later known as World Harvest Bible College. It attracts students from across the United States and around the world for ministry training in pastoral leadership, missions, evangelism, music ministry, youth ministry, media ministry, advanced leadership and interdisciplinary studies. It is accredited by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools to offer associate of applied science degrees. Online classes will be offered for the first time in the fall of 2010.
The Women's Clinic of Columbus opened in June 2008 across the street from a Planned Parenthood facility. It offers free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds and counseling for women in unexpected pregnancy situations. Parsley has said that in its first two years of operation, it has documented more than 1,000 cases in which women who had intended to have abortions chose instead to keep their babies as a result of the clinic's work.
, and was raised primarily in the Columbus area. His parents grew up in eastern Kentucky
, and traveled there often to visit relatives when Parsley was a young boy.
He was raised as a Free Will Baptist, and had a born-again experience at Christian Center Church in Gahanna, Ohio, in the 1970s. After high school, he worked in real estate and at a pet-food factory before enrolling at Circleville Bible College (now Ohio Christian University).
He came under the influence of Lester Sumrall
, an Indiana-based evangelist, missionary and broadcaster, as a young pastor. Sumrall became Parsley's spiritual mentor, and the two traveled together often.
He is married to Joni Parsley. They have a son, Austin, and a daughter, Ashton, both young adults.
Parsley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry from Ohio Christian University
, a Doctor of Divinity (honorary) from Indiana Christian University
and a Doctor of Humanities (honorary) from Liberty University
.
, including abortion and the movement to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, but has tended to side with more liberal organizations on issues of social justice
, such as poverty
, racism
, women's rights
, human trafficking, pornography and prison re-entry.
Parsley became increasingly involved in U.S. politics following his work on the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
. During the summer of 2004, Parsley announced the establishment of the Center for Moral Clarity. He openly criticized Sweden
for the conviction of Åke Green
under Sweden
's hate crime
s legislation.
On October 3, 2004, Parsley gave a sermon
titled "Uncensored: While Freedom Still Rings". In the two-part sermon, Parsley expressed opposition to the view that there is a separation of church and state
in the U.S. Constitution; to same-sex marriage
; to partial-birth abortion; to hate speech
legislation in California
, Canada
, and Sweden; to sexual orientation
themes in children's books; to racism
; and to poverty
. Parsley has said that the U.S. government, by funding Planned Parenthood
, is complicit in "genocide
" against African American
s, because Planned Parenthood performs abortions in the black community.
A few weeks before the 2004 elections, Parsley encouraged his congregation and television audience to vote for Ohio's state constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment passed by a wide margin of voters from both political parties. Parsley has also encouraged citizens of other states with similar marriage amendments on their ballots to vote similarly, and headlined the "Silent No More" tour to register Christian voters.
Parsley has called upon Christians to counter the claims of Islam
, noting that it is an "anti-Christ religion" predicated on "deception" and "America was founded in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed." The Muslim prophet Muhammad
, he writes, "received revelations from demons and not from the true God." And he emphasizes this point: "Allah was a demon spirit."
. "If the government were to reduce the level of taxation, remove industrial restraints, eliminate wage controls, and abolish subsidies, tariffs, and other constraints on free enterprise," he writes, "the poor would be helped in a way that AFDC, social security, and unemployment insurance could never match."
The sequel, Culturally Incorrect: How Clashing Worldviews Affect Your Future, was published in June 2007 and soon appeared on the industry's best-seller lists. "Culturally Incorrect" identifies postmodernism - the believ that there is no such thing as absolute truth - as the cause of many of the culture's major ills, and calls upon Christians to impact the culture through prayer, service to the poor and activism.
Parsley's latest book, "Living on Our Heads: Righting an Upside-Down Culture," was released in August 2010.
of Republican nominee John McCain
, who called Parsley a "spiritual guide". McCain had actively sought Parsley's endorsement during his Republican primary
battle with Mike Huckabee
, who was drawing substantial support from the religious right
.
McCain later rejected Parsley's endorsement based on Parsley's statements regarding Islam. Parsley was quoted as stating that he "do[es] not believe that our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed” and that Muhammad
is "the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil".
In repudiating Parsley's comments, McCain stated, "I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement." McCain further distanced himself from Parsley, stating, "I've never been in Pastor Hagee's
church or Pastor Parsley's church. I didn't attend their church for 20 years, and I'm not a member of their church. I received their endorsement, which did not mean that I endorsed their views."
Thereafter, Parsley withdrew his endorsement of McCain's candidacy.
movement by both TheocracyWatch
and commentator Bill Moyers
.
Some have also criticized Parsley for his recent book, Silent No More, because of the book's explanation of Islam and the view that the U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of church and state (among other social issues), and for his support of faith healing
. Parsley has identified Islam as an enemy of the United States and Christianity.
In January 2006, a group of 31 Columbus, Ohio, area pastors charged that Parsley and another central Ohio religious leader had violated federal tax laws. The complaining clergy alleged that Parsley violated the tax-exempt status of his church by supporting various political causes.
Parsley has since publicly stated that the Internal Revenue Service notified him in September 2006 that Reformation Ohio, an evangelistic organization named in the complaint, was in no jeopardy of losing its 501 c-3 status, and in 2008 also notified World Harvest Church that nothing improper was discovered.
Author Chris Hedges
' 2006 book American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
quoted Parsley as using militaristic
metaphors in a sermon concerning his critics:
World Harvest Church
World Harvest Church is an international pentecostal megachurch founded in Columbus, Ohio that is pastored by Rod Parsley.First started in 1977 in Rod Parsley's parent's backyard, the church consisted of 17 people. Two years later Parsley bought property for the church to be built on. 180 people...
, a large Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
church in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and founder and president of The Center for Moral Clarity, a right-wing Christian grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
advocacy organization. He is also founder of Breakthrough (a media ministry), the Bridge of Hope missions organization, Valor Christian College, Harvest Preparatory School, World Harvest Ministerial Alliance, Metro Harvest Church (an inner-city and prison outreach), Latin Harvest Church (a Spanish-language church in Columbus) and The Women's Clinic of Columbus.
A sought-after commentator on church matters and moral issues, he has been a guest on many secular media programs, including CNN's
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
.
World Harvest Church
The genesis of Parsley's church came into being in 1977, when as a Bible college student he began leading a Bible study in his parents' back yard. Seventeen people attended the first service. Soon it was decided that the Bible study should become a church. It originally became known as Sunset Chapel, and later Word of Life Church in Canal Winchester, OhioCanal Winchester, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,478 people, 1,664 households, and 1,264 families residing in the village. The 2004 census estimates that there are now 5,381 people residing in the village, and Canal Winchester may become a city within the next year or two. The population density was 702.9...
, a southeast Columbus suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
.
The church's first permanent facility was built in 1979. It is now known as Alpha Hall, which is one of four buildings on what is now the campus of Valor Christian College. Growth soon required an addition to that building, and several years later the church built a bigger structure adjacent to Alpha Hall, which is now known as Dominion Hall. In 1986, ground was broken on 57 acres (230,671 m²) to begin what is now the church's Columbus campus. When it was dedicated, it was re-named World Harvest Church in honor of Lester Sumrall
Lester Sumrall
Lester Frank Sumrall was an ordained American minister who formed the LeSEA broadcast network.-Biography:...
, who had befriended Parsley years earlier and became the younger pastor's mentor.
World Harvest Church Columbus now includes a 5,200-seat sanctuary, children's and youth ministries, Ministry Resource Centers and administrative offices. Harvest Preparatory School, a private Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
school serving students in preschool through grade 12, also operates on the church grounds. About 10,000 people attend services at World Harvest on a weekly basis.
In 2009 Parsley established a second congregation in Columbus, this time on the city's North side. It is called World Harvest Church Polaris (it meets near the Polaris Fashion Place mall).
Other ministry activities
Breakthrough is an outreach of Bridge of Hope, an international missions organization that is perhaps the least recognized of Parsley's ministry activities. Over the past 20 years, Parsley has led numerous humanitarian projects around the world, supported by gifts from his church members, churches affiliated with the World Harvest Ministerial Alliance and television viewers.Bridge of Hope has an exhaustive record of work in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, where a civil war has persisted for years. Parsley's involvement with Sudan began with his lobbying for the federal Sudan Peace Act, and has encompassed the purchase of freedom for Sudanese Christian slaves as well as food, medical supplies and equipment for freed slaves. Bridge of Hope has purchased the freedom of more than 31,000 slaves and provided more than 16,000 "survival kits" -- aid packages consisting of a tarp, mosquito netting, a cooking pot and food to sustain a family for a month.
Bridge of Hope has also completed projects in the African nations of Zambia, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique. The organization's history also includes projects in Europe, Asia, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. its most recent international projects have been in Haiti (both before and after the January 2010 earthquake there) and Guatemala.
Domestically, Bridge of Hope has been involved in disaster relief, providing food, water, ice and cleaning supplies in the wake of disasters including Hurricanes katrina, Gustav and Ike. Following these disasters, Bridge of Hope was named a First Responder by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Valor Christian College was founded in 1990 as World Harvest Bible Institute, and was later known as World Harvest Bible College. It attracts students from across the United States and around the world for ministry training in pastoral leadership, missions, evangelism, music ministry, youth ministry, media ministry, advanced leadership and interdisciplinary studies. It is accredited by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools to offer associate of applied science degrees. Online classes will be offered for the first time in the fall of 2010.
The Women's Clinic of Columbus opened in June 2008 across the street from a Planned Parenthood facility. It offers free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds and counseling for women in unexpected pregnancy situations. Parsley has said that in its first two years of operation, it has documented more than 1,000 cases in which women who had intended to have abortions chose instead to keep their babies as a result of the clinic's work.
Personal life
Parsley was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and was raised primarily in the Columbus area. His parents grew up in eastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and traveled there often to visit relatives when Parsley was a young boy.
He was raised as a Free Will Baptist, and had a born-again experience at Christian Center Church in Gahanna, Ohio, in the 1970s. After high school, he worked in real estate and at a pet-food factory before enrolling at Circleville Bible College (now Ohio Christian University).
He came under the influence of Lester Sumrall
Lester Sumrall
Lester Frank Sumrall was an ordained American minister who formed the LeSEA broadcast network.-Biography:...
, an Indiana-based evangelist, missionary and broadcaster, as a young pastor. Sumrall became Parsley's spiritual mentor, and the two traveled together often.
He is married to Joni Parsley. They have a son, Austin, and a daughter, Ashton, both young adults.
Parsley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry from Ohio Christian University
Ohio Christian University
Ohio Christian University is a private professions-based baccalaureate college in Circleville, Ohio. The school is denominationally affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.-History:...
, a Doctor of Divinity (honorary) from Indiana Christian University
Indiana Christian University
Indiana Christian University is a conservative Christian university located in the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville, Indiana. According to the school's catalog, it evolved from predecessor institutions Indiana Bible Institute and Indiana Bible College , adopting the present name in 1940...
and a Doctor of Humanities (honorary) from Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
.
Political activism
Parsley is a political independent. He is a frequent critic of liberal positions on social issuesSocial issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
, including abortion and the movement to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, but has tended to side with more liberal organizations on issues of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, such as poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, human trafficking, pornography and prison re-entry.
Parsley became increasingly involved in U.S. politics following his work on the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is a United States law prohibiting a form of late-term abortion that the Act calls "partial-birth abortion", often referred to in medical literature as intact dilation and extraction...
. During the summer of 2004, Parsley announced the establishment of the Center for Moral Clarity. He openly criticized Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
for the conviction of Åke Green
Åke Green
Åke Green , born 3 June 1941, is a Swedish Pentecostal Christian pastor who was prosecuted, but acquitted, under Sweden's law against hate speech because of critical opinions on homosexuality in his sermons. The district court found him guilty and sentenced him to one month in prison. The sentence...
under Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
s legislation.
On October 3, 2004, Parsley gave a sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
titled "Uncensored: While Freedom Still Rings". In the two-part sermon, Parsley expressed opposition to the view that there is a separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
in the U.S. Constitution; to same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
; to partial-birth abortion; to hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
legislation in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Sweden; to sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
themes in children's books; to racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
; and to poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. Parsley has said that the U.S. government, by funding Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, is complicit in "genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
" against African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, because Planned Parenthood performs abortions in the black community.
A few weeks before the 2004 elections, Parsley encouraged his congregation and television audience to vote for Ohio's state constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment passed by a wide margin of voters from both political parties. Parsley has also encouraged citizens of other states with similar marriage amendments on their ballots to vote similarly, and headlined the "Silent No More" tour to register Christian voters.
Parsley has called upon Christians to counter the claims of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, noting that it is an "anti-Christ religion" predicated on "deception" and "America was founded in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed." The Muslim prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, he writes, "received revelations from demons and not from the true God." And he emphasizes this point: "Allah was a demon spirit."
Writings
Parsley is an author of several books, including Silent No More, which was released in April 2005 by Charisma House. The book encourages Christians to participate in the political process, and especially to make sure their votes reflect their values. Concerning poverty, Parsley writes that government should "get out of the way," removing many constraints on capitalismCapitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. "If the government were to reduce the level of taxation, remove industrial restraints, eliminate wage controls, and abolish subsidies, tariffs, and other constraints on free enterprise," he writes, "the poor would be helped in a way that AFDC, social security, and unemployment insurance could never match."
The sequel, Culturally Incorrect: How Clashing Worldviews Affect Your Future, was published in June 2007 and soon appeared on the industry's best-seller lists. "Culturally Incorrect" identifies postmodernism - the believ that there is no such thing as absolute truth - as the cause of many of the culture's major ills, and calls upon Christians to impact the culture through prayer, service to the poor and activism.
Parsley's latest book, "Living on Our Heads: Righting an Upside-Down Culture," was released in August 2010.
McCain 2008 endorsement
Parsley personally endorsed the presidential campaignJohn McCain presidential campaign, 2008
John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
of Republican nominee John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, who called Parsley a "spiritual guide". McCain had actively sought Parsley's endorsement during his Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
battle with Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, who was drawing substantial support from the religious right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
.
McCain later rejected Parsley's endorsement based on Parsley's statements regarding Islam. Parsley was quoted as stating that he "do[es] not believe that our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed” and that Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
is "the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil".
In repudiating Parsley's comments, McCain stated, "I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement." McCain further distanced himself from Parsley, stating, "I've never been in Pastor Hagee's
John Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
church or Pastor Parsley's church. I didn't attend their church for 20 years, and I'm not a member of their church. I received their endorsement, which did not mean that I endorsed their views."
Thereafter, Parsley withdrew his endorsement of McCain's candidacy.
Criticism of Parsley
Parsley is identified as a prominent player in the dominionistDominionism
Dominionism is a term used to describe politically active conservative Christians that are believed to conspire and seek influence or control over secular civil government through political action, especially in the United States, with the goal of either a nation governed by Christians, or a nation...
movement by both TheocracyWatch
TheocracyWatch
TheocracyWatch is a project run by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy , located at Cornell University. It was founded by Joan Bokaer, an environmental activist because, she says, "After the 2000 election she realized that few people understood that the religious right had taken...
and commentator Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
.
Some have also criticized Parsley for his recent book, Silent No More, because of the book's explanation of Islam and the view that the U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of church and state (among other social issues), and for his support of faith healing
Faith healing
Faith healing is healing through spiritual means. The healing of a person is brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability. Belief in divine intervention in illness or...
. Parsley has identified Islam as an enemy of the United States and Christianity.
In January 2006, a group of 31 Columbus, Ohio, area pastors charged that Parsley and another central Ohio religious leader had violated federal tax laws. The complaining clergy alleged that Parsley violated the tax-exempt status of his church by supporting various political causes.
Parsley has since publicly stated that the Internal Revenue Service notified him in September 2006 that Reformation Ohio, an evangelistic organization named in the complaint, was in no jeopardy of losing its 501 c-3 status, and in 2008 also notified World Harvest Church that nothing improper was discovered.
Author Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges
Christopher Lynn Hedges is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and societies...
' 2006 book American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America is a non-fiction book by American author Chris Hedges, published in January 2007. Hedges is a former seminary student with a master's degree in divinity from Harvard and was a long-time foreign correspondent for The New York Times...
quoted Parsley as using militaristic
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
metaphors in a sermon concerning his critics: