CHRISTIAN IDENTITY: Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely-affiliated churches with a racialized theology. Most of them promote a Eurocentric version of Christianity: white Europeans (Aryans) are God's "Chosen People"; people of other races are inferior. It is a perversion of the Victorian "British Israelite" theory that the white people of Europe are descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel with whom God has a special covenant.
 
Christian Identity is a major unifying theology for a number of diverse groups of white nationalist Christians. It is a belief system that provides its members with a religious basis for racial separatism. Unlike white supremacists, separatists say they simply want to live apart from other races, rather than persecuting or subjugating them.
 
One of the most controversial beliefs held by Identity Christians is the belief that modern Jews are not the Biblical "House of Israel". Christian Identity has advocated violence against Jews on the basis that they are the "Christ killers". Many Christian Identity churches also display animosity towards the Roman Catholic Church, referring to it as the "Whore of Babylon".
 
As a general rule, Christian Identity followers carry the traditional orthodox Christian views on the role of women, abortion, and homosexuality, and view racial miscegenation as a sin and a violation of God's laws as dictated in Genesis of "kind after kind". (Ex. 21:22, Lev. 20:13).

CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT: The Charismatic Movement began with the adoption of certain beliefs typical of those held by Pentecostal Christians, specifically what are known as the biblical "charisms" or "spiritual gifts". Together, these are a power, generally of a spiritual nature, freely given by the grace of God.
 
Well-known charismatic powers in Christian traditions are: discernment of spirits (the process of discerning God's will for one's life; it describes the interior search for an answer to the question of how one's life is to be lived); laying on of hands (In the New Testament laying on of hands was associated with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. In its healing form, the laying on of hands creates union with the Holy Spirit to effect the healing of physical ailments); exorcism (the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed); glossolalia, or speaking in tongues, or speaking heavenly language (the practice of making unintelligible speech, often as part of religious practices).
 
Originally, charismatic Christians were found in a wide range of Christian denominations. Eventually, they went on to form separate churches and denominations.

CHRISTIAN RIGHT: The term "Christian Right" is used by scholars and journalists to refer to a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and organizations characterized by their strong support of conservative social and political values. The "Christian Right" as a politically active social movement includes individuals from a wide variety of theological beliefs, ranging from moderately traditional movements within Lutheranism and Catholicism, to theologically more conservative movements such as Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and Fundamentalist Christianity.
 
The terms Christian Right and Religious Right are sometimes used interchangeably. Fundamentalists across several religions often share with the Christian Right certain opinions on specific issues such as opposition to birth control, abortion, gay rights, separation of religion and government, evolution, embryonic stem cell research, and antipathy for perceived changing moral standards. Some 15% of the electorate in the United States tell pollsters they are allied with the Christian Right, and it is an important voting block within the U.S. Republican Party.
 
The contemporary "Christian Right" as a nascent political movement began when evangelicals began organizing against a series of Supreme Court decisions, notably Roe v. Wade, and the attempts to revoke the tax-exempt status of Oral Roberts University because of its anti-black policies. The "Christian Right" has also engaged in local battles over pornography, obscenity, taxation of private Christian schools, school prayer, textbook contents (concerning evolution), homosexuality and abortion.
 
One early effort to institutionalize the Christian Right as a politically-active social movement began in 1974 when Dr. Robert Grant, an early movement leader, founded "American Christian Cause" to advocate Christian moral teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted in favor of President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded "Christian Voice" to mobilize Christian voters in favor of candidates who share their values. The birth of the "New Christian Right" (ie., the current, 21st century Christian Right), however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create the "Moral Majority" organization.
 
In the US in 1980, Christian leaders and members of the religious right rallied in Washington DC on April 29th and 30th, for an event called "Washington for Jesus". Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Dr. William Bright, Benson Idahosa from Africa, and many other high-profile Christians marched on Washington DC, to support Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential candidate in his bid to oust Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Many of the beliefs of the religious right were outlined and solidified in speeches and statements made by leaders during the event. Other "Washington for Jesus" rallies were held in Washington in 1998, 1996, and 2004. "Washington for Jesus" was founded by John Giminez, the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
 
Among the current major Christian Right, politically active organizations are:

• The Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had the purpose of Christian Evangelical political lobbying. The "Moral Majority" was initiated in 1978 as a result of a struggle for control of an American conservative Christian advocacy group known as Christian Voice. Paul Weyrich, Terry Dolan, Richard Viguerie, and Howard Phillips left "Christian Voice" and, during a 1979 meeting, urged American Fundamentalist Christian pastor and televangelist Jerry Falwell to found "Moral Majority". This was also the beginning of the New Christian Right.
   
  "Moral Majority" was made up of conservative Christian political action committees which campaigned on issues its personnel believed were important to maintaining its Christian conception of moral law, a conception they believed represented the opinions of the majority of Americans (hence the movement's name). With a membership of millions, the "Moral Majority" was one of the largest conservative lobby groups in the United States. During the 1980 presidential election, the "Moral Majority" was credited with giving Ronald Reagan two-thirds of the white Evangelical vote over Jimmy Carter.
   
  Falwell was also the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Until 2004 the church was the location for a nationally-syndicated religious broadcast known as the Old-Time Gospel Hour. This program now airs only locally in the church's hometown. Additionly, Falwell founded Liberty University in Lynchburg in 1971.
   
  The "Moral Majority" dissolved in 1989. Jerry Falwell died recently on May 15, 2007.
   
  
• John Hagee Ministries telecasts John C. Hagee's national radio and television ministry carried in America on 160 TV stations, fifty radio stations and eight networks. The ministries can be seen and heard weekly in 99 million homes. "John Hagee Ministries" is in Canada on the Miracle Channel and CTS, and can be seen in Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and in most developing nations.
   
  Hagee is the President and CEO of "John Hagee Ministries", and is also the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational Evangelical megachurch with more than 19,000 active members.
   
  He is also the president and CEO of Global Evangelism Television, which telecasts his radio and television ministry. Hagee has received numerous honors and accolades from national Jewish organizations for his unwavering support of Israel. In pursuit of his support of Israel, Hagee helped found Christians United for Israel on February 7, 2006 as a "Christian AIPAC" lobbying Congress to support Israel.
   
  
• The Eagle Trust Fund was launched in 1967 by Phyllis Schlafly for receiving donations related to conservative causes. After the 1972 passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Schlafly reorganized her efforts to defeat its ratification. The Eagle Forum emerged from this work and was officially founded in 1972. It began publishing the Eagle Forum Newsletter initially aimed at organizing and defeating the ERA.
   
  Later, The Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund was organized in 1981 as a non-profit wing of "Eagle Forum". Finally, The Eagle Forum PAC was formed and began receiving donations in 1993, and has served as a the source for candidate endorsements from the "Eagle Forum" and has donated money to various candidates described as right-wing.
   
  "Eagle Forum" reports to have a membership around 80,000. It has two youth-oriented programmes: the Teen Eagles programme for children ages 13–19, and the Eagle Forum Collegians for conservative-minded college students. "Eagle Forum" operates Eagle Forum University, a continuing education program that offers conservative-oriented, online courses on various topics.
   
  "Eagle Forum" is also the creator of Conservapedia, a wiki-based online encyclopedia founded in reaction to claimed liberal bias in Wikipedia as well as claimed "anti-Christianity" and "anti-Americanism" biases.
   
  
• The Christian Coalition was a voter mobilization effort that was jump-started using the campaign machinery from televangelist and political commentator Pat Robertson's well-funded but failed bid for the U.S. presidency in 1988. "Americans for Robertson" accumulated a mailing list of several million conservative Christians interested in politics. This mailing list formed the foundation for the new organization.
   
  However, despite public announcements that excitement among Evangelical and Christian Right voters prompted the creation of the "Christian Coalition", the incorporation records of the State of Virginia reveal that the "Christian Coalition, Inc." was actually incorporated on April 30, 1987, with the paperwork filed earlier, and with planning having begun before that. Thus, the "Christian Coalition" was actually planned long before Pat Robertson's run for President began. Robertson's candidacy appears to have been planned from the start for launching the "Christian Coalition".
   
  Ralph Reed took control of day-to-day operations of the Coalition in 1989. From 1989 through 1997, the "Christian Coalition" wielded tremendous influence, largely in the form of the charismatic and persuasive public face of Ralph Reed, who became a commanding public voice in the news media. The perception, if not the reality, that "Christian Coalition" activists controlled local Party machinery in many locations and could reliably turn out large blocs of votes for Religious Right candidates caused many Republican and Democratic politicians at all levels to either vote as the "Christian Coalition" urged or else struggle with explaining their votes.
   
  In 1992, Coalition began producing "non-partisan" Voter Guides which it distributed to conservative Christian churches nationwide. The fear of being listed on Voter Guides as casting anti-Christian votes prompted politicians in moderate to conservative districts to carefully consider the positions urged by the Coalition. Besides the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council, and the Eagle Forum distrubuted "Congressional scorecards" on the voting records of U.S. Congressmen.
   
  Under the leadership of Reed and Robertson, "Christian Coalition" quickly became the most prominent voice in the conservative Christian movement, its influence culminating with an effort to support the election of a conservative Christian to the presidency in 1996.
   
  Complaints that the Voter Guides were actually partisan and pro-Republican led to the denial of the "Christian Coalition, Inc.'s" tax-exempt status. Pat Robertson responded by renaming the "Christian Coalition of Texas, Inc." as the Christian Coalition of America, Inc., and transferred the trademark, property, and all operations to the tax-exempt Texas-based corporation.
   
  Following Bill Clinton's re-election and Reed's departure in 1997, the organization has made only limited progress and has greatly declined in influence, financial stability, staff, and resources. with a loss in revenue from a high of $26.5 million in 1996 to $1.3 million in 2004. The organization's 2004 income tax return showed the "Christian Coalition" to be technically bankrupt, with debts exceeding income and a negative net worth. It spite of this, the organization is still marginally active.
   
  Besides founding the "Christian Coalition", Pat Robertson established the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Flying Hospital, International Family Entertainment, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, and Regent University in Norfolk, Virginia. He is alo the host of The 700 Club, a Christian TV program airing on channels throughout the United States and on CBN affiliates worldwide.
   
  
• Concerned Women for America is a conservative Christian political action group active in the United States. The group was founded in 1979 by Beverly LaHaye, wife of fundamentalist Baptist minister and Moral Majority co-founder Tim LaHaye, as a response to activities of the National Organization for Women, and a 1978 Barbara Walters interview with noted feminist Betty Friedan. Friedan made the claim that her views represented those of a great many American women. In response, Beverly LaHaye felt that Friedan certainly didn't speak for her, and suspected that she didn't speak for the majority of women in America. It was then that she decided to form an organization to counteract the growing feminist movement.
   
  Concerned Women for America (CWA) has grown to be the largest Christian Right organization targeted at women. The organization does not publish membership numbers, but external estimates put it from 350,000 to 750,000 individuals. CWA's monthly newsletter, Family Voice is mailed to 200,000 subscribers, and a daily syndicated radio show, Beverly LaHaye Live that reaches upwards of 350,000 people on twenty-eight stations nationwide. With an annual budget of $10 million, it may be the most effective multi-issue, grassroots lobbying network in existence,
   
  CWA lobbies for "Biblical and scriptual principles" to be applied to their "six core issues": (1) against gay marriage and civil unions; (2) anti abortion rights in all cases except to save the life of the mother; no health exemptions; (3) official prayer in public schools; teaching of intelligent design as a science in public schools; abstinence-only sex education in public and private schools; (4) pornography, obsenity, and media indecency, including on satellite radio, and satellite and cable television; (5) pray, worship, and express Christian beliefs without fear of discrimination or persecution (however, this is already a Constitutional right); (6) no international organization should have authority over the United States in any area; national borders totally secured.
   
  
• The Family Research Council (FRC) is a Christian right non-profit think tank and lobbying organization. It was formed in the United States by James Dobson in 1981 and incorporated in 1983. The group was designed to be a lobbying force for conservative legislation on Capitol Hill. In the late 1980s the group officially became a division of Dobson's main organization, Focus on the Family, but in 1992 IRS concerns about the group's lobbying led to an administrative separation. Its function is to promote what it considers to be traditional family values. The current president is Tony Perkins.
   
  
• Focus on the Family, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1977 by James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Ph.D.; he currently serves as the chairman of the board of the organization. In this function, he produces the daily radio program Focus on the Family, which is broadcast in more than a dozen languages and on over 7,000 stations worldwide, and heard daily by more than 220 million people in 164 countries. Focus on the Family is also carried by about 60 U.S. television stations daily. Dobson is a licensed psychologist in California.
   
  
• PTL in The PTL Club stands for "Praise The Lord" or "People That Love". PTL was a conservative religious group and TV network founded by former Assemblies of God minister Jim Bakker and his wife at the time, Tammy Faye Bakker.
   
  They began working with Pat Robertson in the early 1960s at Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which at the time barely reached an audience of thousands. The Bakkers greatly contributed to the growth of CBN, and their success with a variety show format made The 700 Club one of the longest-running and most successful televangelism programs ever.
   
  In the mid-1970s, the Bakkers moved to Fort Mill, SC, a Charlotte, NC suburb, to begin their own show, The PTL Club. The show grew quickly until it was carried by close to a hundred stations, with average viewers numbering over twelve million. The Bakkers also established their own TV network, The PTL Television Network.
   
  By the early 1980s, the Bakkers had built Heritage USA (in Fort Mill, SC), into the third most successful theme park in the US, with a satellite system to distribute their network 24 hours a day across the country. Contributions requested from viewers were estimated to exceed $1,000,000 a week, with proceeds going to expand the theme park and mission of PTL.
   
  Between 1984 and 1987, the Bakkers received annual salaries of $200,000 each, and Jim awarded himself over $4,000,000 in bonuses. Their assets at that time included a $600,000 house in Palm Springs, four condominiums in California, and a Rolls Royce automobile. In their success, the Bakkers took conspicuous consumption to an unusual level for a non-profit organization. According to Frances FitzGerald in an April 1987 New Yorker article, "They epitomized the excesses of the 1980s; the greed, the love of glitz, and the shamelessness; which in their case was so pure as to almost amount to a kind of innocence."
   
  On March 19, 1987, following threats of the revelation of a payoff to former PTL secretary Jessica Hahn, whom Bakker's staff members had paid $265,000 to keep secret her allegation that Bakker and another PTL minister, John Wesley Fletcher, drugged and raped her on December 6, 1980, when she was a 21 year-old church secretary, Bakker resigned from PTL. Afterward, Jerry Falwell, leader of the Moral Majority took control of "The PTL Club" with the backing of a $20,000,000 fund-raising drive for paying off the PTL debt.
   
  Bakker was indicted on federal charges of fraud (directing millions of dollars of church funds for personal use), tax evasion, and racketeering. In 1989, after trial in Charlotte, NC, Judge Robert Potter convicted Bakker of fraud and conspiring to commit fraud, and sentenced him to 45 years in federal prison. Bakker's associate, Richard Dortch, senior vice-president of PTL and associate pastor of Heritage Village Church, also went to prison. On August 23, 1991, after the second and final day of his re-sentencing hearing, Bakker's original 45-year sentence was reduced to 18 years -- 5 of which he actually served.
   
  In 1992, Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye were divorced at her request.
   
  
• The Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) is a Christian Right organization that claims to represent over 43,000 conservative Christian churches throughout the United States of America. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the group's website proclaims its belief in Bible-based moral codes, civic values, and civil laws. The organization was founded by Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, who is the current chairman. Mrs. Andrea Sheldon Lafferty is the executive director.
   
  TVC teaches that the Bible (Old and New Testaments) supercede the U.S. Constitution. It is known mostly for its opposition to homosexuality, although it has become vocal on issues regarding non-white, "anti-cultural" immigration. It promotes strict laws limiting immigration from non-white countries, a preferred status for Christianity and the English language within American borders, and racial integrity over racial integration.
   
  They oppose the use of alcohol and tobacco, advocate that judicial rulings must follow Biblical teaching above the U.S. Constitution, oppose the teaching of evolution, helio-centrism, and scientific inquiry in schools, and promote expanded use of the death penalty, eg., for homosexuals.
   
  TVC especially target gay people: they claim that homosexuals rape, kill and recruit children; that homosexuality is been linked to pedophilia, bestiality and sexual predation; that homosexuals must be punished by execution as directed by the Bible (Leviticus 20:13); and that homosexuals are not "persons" under the 14th Amendment (from an amicus curae brief filed in Lawrence vs. Texas).
   
  The TVC has issued statements attacking Congressional Representatives Pete Stark (a California Unitarian) and Keith Ellison (a Minnesota Muslim) for their non-Christian religious beliefs.
   
  Thus, in 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center decided to list the TVC as a hate group. However, despite the tone of much of its website and mailings, TVC does not engage in violent or militant activity.
   
  On the conservative Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Program of August 23, 2006, on KSFO radio, Sheldon's modus operandi was likened to a "protection racket". It was alleged that Sheldon seeks payments from political groups in return for not opposing their position.

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COVENANT THEOLOGY: Typically, Covenant Theology views the entire history of God's dealings with mankind, from Creation to Fall, to Redemption, to Consummation, within the framework of three overarching theological covenants:

• The Covenant of Redemption (Latin: Pactum Salutis)
• The Covenant of Works (Latin: Foedus Operum)
• The Covenant of Grace (Latin: Foedus Gratiae)

God established two covenants with mankind (The Covenant of Works and The Covenant of Grace), and one within the Godhead, ie., the diety entity itself (The Covenant of Redemption), which deals with how the other two relate.
 
The Covenant of Redemption is the eternal agreement within the Godhead in which the Father appointed the Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to redeem the elect from the guilt and power of sin. God appointed Christ to live a life of perfect obedience to the law and to die a penal, substitutionary, sacrificial death as the covenantal representative for all who trust in him.
 
The Covenant of Works was made in the Garden of Eden between God and Adam, who ultimately represented all mankind in a covenantal sense. (Romans 5:12-21). It promised life for obedience and death for disobedience. Adam disobeyed God and broke this covenant, and so subsequently, the Covenant of Grace was made between God and all of mankind.
 
The Covenant of Grace promises eternal blessing for all people who trust in the successive promises of God, ultimately accepting Christ as the substitutionary covenantal representative fulfilling the Covenant of Works on our behalf, in both the positive requirements of righteousness (active obedience) and its negative requirements of avoiding sin (passive obedience). It is the historical expression of the eternal covenant of redemption.
 
Covenant theology is a prominent feature in Protestant theology, especially in churches holding a reformed view of theology such as the Reformed churches and Presbyterian churches, and in some Methodist churches and Baptist churches.

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DISPENSATIONALISM: A Christian doctine that teaches that biblical history consists of a number of successive "economies" or "administrations", called "dispensations", each of which emphasizes the discontinuity of the Old Testament covenants God made with His various peoples.
 
Dispensationalism is rooted in the Plymouth Brethren movement, especially the teachings of John Nelson Darby (1800–1882). In America, Dispensationalism was spread by a widely circulated annotated study Bible edited by Bible student Cyrus I. Scofield. Published by Oxford University Press and containing the traditional King James Version text, it first appeared in 1909 and was revised by the author in 1917.
 
Dispensationalism divides history into specific periods according to how God is said to have dealt with humanity; God had a "pattern for the ages." The precise list of dispensations varies among authors, but the most common list of the seven dispensations is taken from the notes to the Scofield Bible:

• The Dispensation Of Innocence (Gen 1:1–3:7), prior to Adam's fall;
• The Dispensation Of Conscience (Gen 3:8–8:22), Adam to Noah;
• The Dispensation Of Government (Gen 9:1–11:32), Noah to Abraham;
• The Dispensation Of Patriarchal rule (Gen 12:1–Exod 19:25), Abraham to Moses;
• The Dispensation Of Mosaic Law (Exod 20:1–Acts 2:4), Moses to Christ;
• The Dispensation Of Grace (Acts 2:4–Rev 20:3 – except for Hyperdispensationalists), the current church age;
• The Dispensation Of a literal, earthly 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom that has yet to come but soon will (Rev 20:4–20:6)

Each dispensation is said to represent a different way in which God deals with man, often includes a different test for man.
 
Dispensationalism stands in direct contrast to Covenant Theology in regard to the relationship between the Old Covenant with national Israel, and the New Covenant in Christ's blood. Regarding the theological status of modern day Jewish people, Covenantalism is often referred to by its detractors as "Supersessionism" or "Replacement Theology" due to the perception that it teaches that God has abandoned the promises made to the Jews, and has replaced the Jews with Christians as His Chosen People in the earth. Defenders of Covenant Theology deny that God has abandoned his promises to Israel, but see the fulfillment of those promises in the person and the work of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, who established the church in organic continuity with Israel, not a separate replacement entity.
 
Dispensationalism has come to dominate the American Evangelical scene, especially among nondenominational Bible churches, many Baptists, Armstrongists, and most Pentecostal and Charismatic groups.

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TRINITY: Trinity (in Chritianity) is the doctrine that God is one being who simultaneously exists as a mutual indwelling of three persons (not to be confused by "person"): the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit. Since the 4th century, in both Eastern and Western Christianity, this doctrine has been stated as "three persons in one God," all three of whom, as distinct and co-eternal persons, are of one indivisible Divine essence, a simple single being. The doctrine also teaches that the Son Himself has two distinct natures, one fully divine and the other fully human. Supporting the doctrine of the Trinity is known as Trinitarianism. The majority of Christians are Trinitarian, and regard belief in the Trinity as a test of Christian orthodoxy.
 
Opposing non-trinitarian positions held by some groups include Binitarianism (two deities/persons/aspects), Unitarianism (one deity/person/aspect), the Godhead [Latter Day Saints] (three separate beings), and Modalism (oneness).

SERMON ON THE MOUNT: According to the Gospel of Matthew 5-7, "The Sermon On The Mount" was a particular sermon given by Jesus of Nazareth (estimated at around 30 AD) to his disciples and a large crowd on a the mountainside of Mount Zion. Mount Zion is actually a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City. Important sites on Mount Zion today are the Dormition Abbey, King David's Tomb, and the Room of the Last Supper.
 
The best-known portions of the Sermon comprise the "Beatitudes", found at the beginning of the section. The Sermon also contains the "Lord's Prayer" and the injunctions to "resist not evil" and "turn the other cheek", as well as Jesus' version of the "Golden Rule". Other lines often quoted are the references to "salt of the Earth," "light of the world," and "judge not, lest ye be judged."
 
Many Christians believe that the "Sermon on the Mount" is a form of commentary on the Ten Commandments. To many, the Sermon contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship, and is considered as such by many religious and moral thinkers, such as Tolstoy and Gandhi.

ELECT: Doctrine of Calvinism which asserts there are certain people arbitrarily chosen by God to salvation and grace. The remainder are condemned to hell regardless of their humility, sprituality, or good works.

ESCHATOLOGY: Christian "eschatology" describes the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or as "end times". As the world ends, there comes a seven-year period called the "Tribulation", a time of great difficulty for mankind, ruled by a global leader, the "Antichrist". During this period, Satan is defeated in battle (Armageddon), and imprisoned for 1000 years. At the end of the Tribulation, a 1000-year Golden Era of Christian dominance and prosperity is established, called the "Millennium". At the end of the "Millennium", Satan is released and defeated in a final battle, the "Last Judgement" comes, and "Eternity" begins. Much of the end times writings appear in the Book of Revelation and are somewhat ambiguous, thus there are differing interpretations among Christians of end time events. Click here for a diagram of various interpretations of Christian end times.
 
The study of the last days or end times of the world, encompass such ideas as:

THE TRIBULATION PERIOD: A period of time, seven years in length, of terrible judgment on all of humanity, during which mankind will be subject to wide-spread wars, plagues, and other cataclsyms; Christians will be subject to worldwide persecution. During the "Tribulation", which will be ruled by the "Antichrist" one of the final battles between God and Satan, known as "Armageddon", takes place.

ARMAGEDDON: For over four thousand years, Megiddo, a hill in northern Israel, has been the site of many battles. Ancient cities were established there to serve as a fortress on the plain of Jezreel to guard a mountain pass. As Megiddo was built and rebuilt, one city upon the other, a mound or hill was formed. The Hebrew word "Armageddon" means "hill of Megiddo."
 
The book of Revelation describes Armageddon as the site of God's apocalyptic battle against Satan and his evil assemblies; the word has also come to mean the battle itself. Armageddon takes place during the seven-year period called the Tribulation, during which believers will experience worldwide wars, plagues, persecution, and cataclysms, but be purified and strengthened by it. Satan is vanquished and bound for 1000 years; Christ returns and establishes his 1000-year kingdom (the Millenium). At the end of the Millenium comes the Last Judgement and the beginning of Eternity.

THE RAPTURE: The Rapture is believed by many — perhaps most — born-again Protestants. They are certain that they (born again Christians), alone, will rise through the air in a mass migration to heaven for eternity in the near future; the remaining earthly population is doomed to everlasting Hell. These select believe that those born-again Christians who have already died will have their bodies reconstituted to their original human form and will rise through the air, and meet Jesus Christ in the sky. This will be followed by a second mass rising of the born-again who are currently living.
 
Paul wrote (Thessalonians 1) that people with normal bodies cannot attain Heaven. All believers' bodies, both the reconstituted bodies of the dead risen, and the human bodies of the living risen, would be instantly changed to a form of "spiritual body" (ie.,incorruptable), so that they may enter Heaven and remain there for Eternity.
 
The word "Rapture" comes from the Latin word "Rapare" which means to take away or to snatch out. Rapture would be a remarkable event! Pilots would disappear from planes, truck drivers from their trucks; people from automobiles, engineers from trains, etc. Some born-again Christians believe that a family will be eating dinner, when some of the members will rise from their seats, pass through the roof, and keep rising through the air into the sky.
 
An associated event to Rapture is Christ's imminent return (also known as the "second coming"). This has been expected by many Christians for almost two millennia. It was described by the Greek word "parousia" (coming, arrival, presence) during the 1st century CE.
 
Most Fundamentalist and other conservative Christians believe that the "Rapture" will occur when Christ first returns towards earth. Most believe that Christ will not actually land or stay on earth at this time; the "real" second coming will occur later, when he returns on a horse leading an army on horseback who will exterminate one third of the earth's population (the non-Christians) in a massive genocide. It will be numerically the largest mass extermination of humans in history.

PRE-TRIB, MID-TRIB, POST-TRIB: Theologians remain currently divided over the timing of the Rapture. Their beliefs include:

• Pre-Tribulation Rapture: (or "pre-trib") The Rapture happens just before the Tribulation, so that believers will not have to experience any of its disruption and pain. Most conservative Christians currently believe this theory.
   
  
• Mid-Tribulation Rapture: (or "mid-trib") The Rapture happens about 42 months into the Tribulation. Initially, the rule of the Antichrist is relatively benign. He arranges a peace treaty between Israel and surrounding countries. But three and a half years into his reign as world dictator, events take a sudden turn for the worse.
   
  
• Post-Tribulation Rapture: (or post-trib") The faithful experience the horrors and killings of the Tribulation. All suffer and many are killed. Believers are then raptured at the end of the seven years of horror.

ANTICHRIST: Some Christians hold that the Antichrist is an entity that will rule the world during the period of the Tribulation, and who is an embodiment of Satan's evil. Others identify the Antichrist as being, or in league with, several figures in the Book of Revelation including the "Dragon", the "Beast", the "False Prophet", and the "Whore of Babylon".
 
There is a consensus that sometime prior to the expected return of Jesus, there will be a period of "trials and tribulations" (the Tribulation) during which the Antichrist, inspired by Satan, will attempt to win supporters with great works, and will silence anyone who refuses their allegiance (by refusing to "receive his mark" on their foreheads or right hand). This "mark" is expected to be required to legally partake in commerce, as noted in Revelation 13:16,17.

THE MILLENNIUM: The Thousand Year Reign of Christ on the Earth which begins at the end of the Tribulation Period. A time when the lion shall lay down with the lamb. According to the Revelation of Saint John the Divine, a New Jerusalem will descend from God out of Heaven which will have a foundation of 12 layers of precious stones, the streets will be of gold, and the tree of life will grow in the middle. Satan will be bound for 1000 years. He will be loosed at the end of the 1000 years to go forth and deceive the nations which will result in one final battle between good and evil.

PREMILLENNIALISM: A belief that Christ will return to the earth (the Second Coming) before the "Millennium" period to rapture away the Church, his Bride. Different denominations hold that the "Second Coming" will occur at the beginning (Pre-Trib), in the middle (Mid-Trib), or at the end (Post-Trib) of the "Tribulation" period, which immediately preceeds the "Millenium". (see "Millennialism" diagram).

POSTMILLENNIALISM: Although some Postmillennialists hold to a literal "Millennium" of 1,000 years, most postmillennialists see the thousand years more as a figurative term for a long period of time (similar in that respect to "Amillennialism"). Among those holding to a non-literal "Millennium" it is usually understood to have already begun, which implies a less obvious and less dramatic kind of Millennium than that typically envisioned by Premillennialists, as well as a more unexpected return of Christ.
 
Postmillennialism also teaches that the forces of Satan will gradually be defeated by the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout history up until the second coming of Christ. This belief that good will gradually triumph over evil has led proponents of Postmillennialism to label themselves "Optimillennialists" in contrast to "Pessimillennial" Premillennialists and Amillennialists. (see "Millennialism" diagram).

WHORE OF BABYLON: One of several Christian and Rastafarian allegorical figures of supreme evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation of the Bible. She is associated with the "Antichrist" and depicted as a richly-dressed and bejeweled woman riding a lion-like creature with seven heads and ten horns, known as the "Beast of Revelation".
 
Many Bible scholars agree that Babylon in the whore's title is meant as an allegory of Rome — perhaps specifically at the time to some aspect of Rome's rule (brutality, greed, paganism), or even a servant people that does the bidding of Rome. The Roman Catholic commentary of the Jerusalem Bible, the evangelical Protestant commentary of the New International Version Study Bible, the Rastafarians and the liberal Protestant commentary of the Oxford Annotated Study Bible all concur that "Babylon is the symbolic name for Rome" and that (1st century) "Rome" is the "type of place where evil is supreme." (Jerusalem Bible, commentary to Rev. 17)
 
Elsewhere in the New Testament, in 1 Peter 5:13, "Babylon" is possibly used to refer to Rome. This is bolstered by the remark in Rev. 17:9 that she sits on "seven mountains"(the King James Version Bible-the New International Version Bible uses the words "seven hills"), which could be the seven hills of Rome. "Rome" would therefore be the 'new Babylon' and all of the symbolism characterizing Babylon as a wanton "whore", would be transferable to Rome. At the time of writing of the Book of Revelation Rome was the Roman Empire's center of power.
 
Rome was the most powerful persecutor and killer of Christians at the time the Book of Revelation was written. Concerning the destruction of Rome, Revelation 19:2 states "He (God) has condemned the great prostitute (Rome) who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He (God) has avenged on her the blood of His servants".
 
Later the Roman Catholic Church became the most powerful persecutor of people the Church considers heretics (eg., Protestants) and infidels (eg., Jews and Muslims). Rome became the center of Roman Catholicism and its headquarters, the Vatican, is located there. Thus, some Protestant sects came to refer to the Roman Catholic Church as "The Whore of Babylon", and to the Pope as the "Antichrist".

MARK OF THE BEAST: One way in which the Antichrist will exercise power over the Earth during the period of Tribulation, described in the prophetic statement in Revelation 13:16-17 that the "Beast" will require all people to receive the mark (branded mark or character) in their right hands or foreheads in order to buy or sell, making survival for those on the run much more difficult. A possible translation of the meaning of the number 666 may be: the number that all currency will be based upon.

NUMBER OF THE BEAST: A concept from the Book of Revelation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The Number is 666 in modern biblical text, although 616 and 665 appear instead in at least one ancient source. This topic is a source of contention for many church groups and theologians. Some scholars contend that the number is a code for the Roman Emperor Nero. Nero's name, written in Aramaic, was valued at 666, using the Hebrew numerology of gematria, a manner of speaking against the emperor without the Roman authorities knowing.

EVANGELICALISM: A broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among Protestant Christians and some Evangelical Catholics. Evangelicalism is typified by an emphasis on evangelism (active proselytizing and conversion of others), a personal experience of conversion (being baptized and "born again"), biblically-oriented faith (taking Scripture as literal and inerrant), and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to some cultural issues (abortion, homosexuality, stem cells, abstinence teaching, premarital sex, etc.) Historically, the movement began in the early 18th century as a response to Enlightenment thinking. It stressed a more personal relationship with God at the individual level; as well as activism based upon personal, biblically based beliefs.
 
Current media usage of the term (especially in the United States), is often synonymous with conservative Protestant Christians. This is only partly accurate, as the movement embraces a wide range of expressions of faith around the four core characteristics.
 
The Bible is accepted by evangelicals as reliable and the ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. The doctrines of "sola scriptura" and "sola fide" are primary. The historicity of the miracles of Jesus and the virgin birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and Second Coming are asserted, although there are a variety of understandings of the end times and eschatology.
 
John C. Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in Ohio, found in the 2004 American Religious Landscape Report that despite many variations, evangelicals in the United States generally adhere to four core beliefs:
 
1) Biblical inerrancy (Although some theologically conservative evangelicals hold to inerrancy, there is no absolute consensus among all evangelicals regarding biblical inerrancy; rather there is a general acceptance of biblical authority.
 
2) Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus and not good works (in particular the belief in atonement for sins at the cross and the resurrection of Christ).
 
3) Individuals (above an age of accountability) must personally trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.
 
4) All Christians are commissioned to evangelize and should be publicly baptized as a confession of faith.

EVANGELISM: An activity whereby a Christian presents the Christian gospel of Jesus to a non-Christian, with the intention of enabling that person to respond by becoming a Christian. Evangelist Ray Comfort says "simply put, Christian evangelism is when we share our faith with others." Christians often characterize evangelism as "....one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."

FUNDAMENTALISM: At the turn of the 20th century, modern biblical scholarship gained ascendance in many Protestant denominations. This produced interpretations of Scripture for Christians which was seen by opponents as a threat to Christian faith and to the welfare of society. The Fundamentalist Movement was a conservative Protestant response in the USA to the liberal trends in their churches. It was a counter movement to preserve what they held was a minimum, required orthodoxy, the fundamental Christianity, over against the liberals' abandonment of basic features of traditional understanding of faith.
 
These "Five Fundamentals" were:
 
    ·  the inerrancy of the Bible
 
    ·  the virgin birth of Christ
 
    ·  the bodily resurrection of Jesus
 
    ·  the authenticity of His miracles
 
    ·  the belief that His death on the cross takes away sins
 
This response, called Fundamentalism, was intended to identify the minimum orthodoxy as found in the official statements of faith of the various Protestant denominations in which this movement arose.
 
In the U.S., Fundamentalist Christianity's tendency was to foster separatism, beginning in the 1920s and 1930s. Evangelicals came to hold the view, like the Fundamentalists, that the modernist and liberal parties in the Protestant churches had surrendered their heritage as Evangelicals by accommodating the views and values of the secular world. However they saw the Fundamentalists' growing separatism and their rejection of the "Social Gospel" as an over-reaction. They charged modernists with having lost their identity as Evangelicals, but attacked the Fundamentalists as having lost the Christ-like heart of Evangelicalism. They argued that the Gospel needed to be reasserted to distinguish it from the innovations of the liberals and the Fundamentalists; thus they coined the term, "Neo-Evangelicalism" (new or renewed) to descibe their new movement.

SOCIAL GOSPEL: A Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Social Gospel principles continue to inspire newer movements such as Christians Against Poverty. The movement applied Christian principles to social problems, especially poverty, inequality, liquor, crime, racial tensions, slums, bad hygiene, poor schools, and the danger of war. Theologically, the Social Gospel leaders were overwhelmingly post-millennialist. That is because they believed the Second Coming could not happen until humankind rid itself of social evils by human effort. For the most part, they rejected pre-millennialist theology (which was predominant in the Southern United States), according to which the Second Coming of Christ was imminent, and Christians should devote their energies to preparing for it rather than addressing the issue of social evils. Social Gospel leaders were predominantly liberal politically and theologically.
 
The Social Gospel was a driving force in much of Protestant America. The Presbyterians said it best in 1910: [Rogers and Blade 1998]

"The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world."

In the early 20th century, many Americans were disgusted by the poverty level and the low quality of living in the slums. The Social Gospel movement provided a religious rationale for action to address those concerns. Activists in the Social Gospel movement hoped that by public health measures as well as enforced schooling so the poor could develop talents and skills, the quality of their moral lives would begin to improve. Important concerns of the Social Gospel movement were labor reforms, such as abolishing child labor and regulating the hours of work by mothers. By 1920 they were crusading against the 12-hour day for men at U.S. Steel. Many reformers inspired by the movement opened settlement houses, most notably Hull House in Chicago operated by Jane Addams. They helped the poor and immigrants improve their lives. Settlement houses offered services such as daycare, education, and health care to needy people in slum neighborhoods.
 
In the United States prior to World War I, the Social Gospel was the religious wing of the progressive movement which had the aim of combating injustice, suffering and poverty in society. During the New Deal of the 1930s Social Gospel themes could be seen in the work of Harry Hopkins, Will Alexander and Mary McLeod Bethune, who added a new concern with African Americans. After 1940, the movement withered, but was invigorated in the 1950s by black leaders like Baptist minister Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. After 1980 it weakened again as a major force inside mainstream churches; indeed those churches were losing strength. Examples of its continued existence can still be found, notably the organization known as the "Call to Renewal" and more local organizations like the "Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy".

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UNIVERSALISM: A religion and theology that generally holds all persons and creatures are related to God or the divine and will be reconciled to God. A church that calls itself Universalist may emphasize the universal principles of most religions and accept other religions in an inclusive manner, believing in a Universal reconciliation between humanity and the divine. Other religions may have Universalist theology as one of their tenets and principles, including Ananda Marga, Christianity, Hinduism, and some of the New Age religions. Universalist beliefs exist within many faiths, and many Universalists practice in a variety of traditions, drawing upon the same universal principles but customizing the practice to suit their audience.
 
In Christianity, Universalism refers to the belief that all humans will be saved through Jesus Christ and eventually come to a harmony in God's kingdom. A related doctrine, apokatastasis, is the belief that all mortal beings will be reconciled to God, including Satan and his fallen angels. Universalism was a fairly commonly held view among theologians in early Christianity: In the first five or six centuries of Christianity there were six known theological schools, of which four (Alexandria, Antioch, Cesarea, and Edessa or Nisibis) were Universalist, one (Ephesus) accepted conditional immortality, and one (Carthage or Rome) taught the endless punishment of the lost. The two major theologians opposing it were Tertullian and Augustine. In later centuries, Universalism has become very much a minority position in the major branches of Christianity, though it has a long history of prominent adherents.

GATEKEEPERS: Old Testament term referring to the elders who sat at the gates of their city where the controlled the flow of commerce, i.e., who would be allowed in and out of the city. As used by the Theocrats, it means those whom they intend to control everything in society -- law, education, entertainment, commerce, government, etc. The term is used many times in the "Community Impact Committee Seminars" as put on by "Focus on the Family".

GLOSSOLALIA: (Greek) Speaking in an unknown tongue or in "heavenly language". One of the biblical "charisms" or "spiritual gifts".

HEAVENLY DECEPTION: Essentially, lying for the Glory of God. Not to tell the truth is justified because in the end it furthers the cause of the Kingdom of God. Also referred to as "divine deceit" and "transcendental trickery". Religious cults often have contempt for outside society, and its laws and social mores, because they believe their mission places them above human standards. Since they believe they have "the truth" and are working for the good of the world or spiritual salvation, they maintain their goals justify even deceptive means. The Unification Church, for example, publicly admits it practices what it calls "Heavenly Deception", and Hare Krishna members admit to "Transcendental Trickery".

IMPRECATORY PRAYER: A prayer to God to bring down evil on someone or something by an individual who feels he has been wronged. Imprecation means "the invoking of evil; a curse". Eg., A prayer asking God to remove a politician from office whose policies one objects to, or a prayer to stop a doctor from performing abortions. If God fails to intervene, then the prayer asks for God to lay it on someone's heart to kill the politician / doctor.
 
Imprecatory prayers are un-Christian, but righteous imprecatory prayers are proper because they are a last resort appeal to God for justice. The so called 'curses' are simply the just penalty called for in the Scriptures for alleged crimes. Righteous imprecatory prayer is an appeal to the court of divine justice (1) for protection, and (2) and for the appropriate punishment of the criminals. Eg., Psalms. 35 is the great imprecatory prayer of a righteous man in the Old Testament. David prayed for deliverance because he was surrounded by implacable enemies. David knew that he could not win this fight alone. He needed the help of God, so he asked for it:

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield, And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."

The righteous imprecatory prayer can only be by a righteous man and for a righteous cause.
 
So the situation in which to offer a righteous imprecatory prayer is 1) when it is a cause that God will support, 2) you are suffering a terrible harm, 3) other means of relief are not available, and 4) you come before God with "clean hands", ie., this is not for those who are involved in mutual recriminations.
 
Righteous imprecatory prayers are not simply prayers of vengeance, but prayers of dependence on God as the only hope of help.

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LATTER RAIN / MANIFEST SONS OF GOD: A teaching which first appeared in the early 1900s based on a phrase in the writings of the Prophet Joel which was spread in the early 1950s by the founding leaders, Reg Layzell, George Warnock, George Hawtin, Ern Hawtin, A. Earl Lee, and evangelist William Branham.
 
Latter Rain was a movement within the Pentacostal Church. Latter Rain proponents saw Pentecostalism as very dry in the post-war period, and in danger of slipping into a mental formalism like many of their evangelical peers. Latter Rain doctrines addressed this formalism with a series of doctrinal and practical changes. These changes made Latter Rain Movement distinct from the Pentecostal context from which it arose. As a result of these differences, attending a church influenced by the Latter Rain is also a distinctly different experience.
 
The term "Latter Rain" stems from Bible passages as Jeremiah 3:3, 5:23-25, Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3, Zechariah 10:1, and James 5:7. The idea of a "Latter Rain" was not new to the movement, but in fact was present from the earliest days of Pentecostalism, who believed at the time that return of speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit marked the "Latter Rain" of God's Spirit, near the end of history. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost had been the "former rain" that established the Church, but the current "move" of the Spirit was the "latter rain" that would bring the Church's work to completion, and culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which was and is imminent.
 
Latter Rain beliefs:
 
The Latter Rain  The Latter Rain broke with the dispensationalism which had become entrenched in the ranks of Pentecostalism. Dispensationalism tended to be pessimistic, whereas the Latter Rain emphasized a victorious outlook and eschatology. Rather than just try and save a few souls before rise of the anti-Christ, the Latter Rain emphasized the Church as overcoming and victorious in the fact that the church would come into "full stature" as taught by Apostle Paul.
 
The Sacrifice of Praise  Latter rain had a major emphasis on worship. Teaching on the Tabernacle of David and its restoration is a major theme. Dancing, lifting of hands, and spontaneous praise are marks of this movement. In worship, it is according to this teaching, not about us having a nice time, but about God. When being down the psalmist commands his soul to praise, to lift up his hands, and even in one psalm the congregation is commanded to praise God with the dance.
 
Christian Unity  A major theme of the Latter Rain was unity among the believers, in the church service, in the geographic region, and at large. They taught that God saw the church organized not into denominational camps, but along geographical lines as in the book of Acts. One church but in different locations, such as Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the utter most part of the earth. They expected that in the coming last days, the various Christian denominations would dissolve, and the true church would coalesce into city wide churches under the leadership of the newly-restored apostles and prophets.
 
Laying On Of Hands  Unlike Pentecostals who traditionally held that the baptism of the Holy Spirit usually comes after prolonged "tarrying" or waiting for the Spirit, the Latter Rain movement taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be imparted on one believer by another through the laying on of hands.
 
The Fivefold Ministry  The Latter Rain taught that there would be a restoration of the five ministerial roles mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 [2] (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher). The foundational roles of apostle and prophet had been lost after the time of the first apostles due to the Dark Ages, but God was restoring these ministries in the present day. This theme has continued to this day, but was the cause of many rejections of the revival and movement at first. Many accept that the prophetic revelation has increased in the 1980's and that this caused the "prophetic movement." Others also accept that the apostolic revelation has increased in the nineties. This was called by many and even by C. Peter Wagner the "New Apostolic Reformation". Until these movements in the eighties and nineties, these messages prevailed in just a few churches.
 
The Manifest(ed) Sons of God  Some leaders of the Latter Rain movement taught that as the end of the age approached, that the "overcomers" would arise within the Church. These Manifest Sons of God, ones who have come into the full stature of Jesus Christ would receive the spirit without measure. They would be as Jesus was when He was on earth, they would receive a number of divine gifts, including the ability to change their physical location, to speak any language through the Holy Spirit, and would be able to perform divine healings and other miracles. They would complete the work of God restoring man's rightful position as was originally mandated in Genesis, and at last by coming into the full stature of Christ usher in the millennial reign of Christ.

JOEL'S ARMY: A belief arising out of the Latter Rain / Manifest Sons of God movement which teaches that in the last days, God will raise up an invincible endtime army to execute judgement and dominion throughout the Earth, as prophetized by Joel:
 
"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
 
A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
 
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:1-11).
 
Joel's Army is a teaching which is widely circulated by the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Churches, associated with Rev. John Wimber. Former Colorado University football coach Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers, is a member of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

UNIFICATION CHURCH: The Unification Church is a new religious movement started by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the 1940s. The beliefs of the church are explained in the book Divine Principle, and draw from the Bible as well as Asian traditions, and include belief in a universal God; in the creation of a literal Kingdom of Heaven on earth; in the universal salvation of all people, good and evil, as well as living and dead; that Jesus did not come to die; that the Lord of the Second Coming must be a man born in Korea early in the 20th century who must marry and have children.
 
In 1954, the group was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea as The "Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity" (HSA-UWC), reflecting Moon's original vision as an ecumenical movement. In the face of opposition by established churches, however, it developed not as a movement, but as a separate religion and became known as the "Unification Church".
 
The Unification Church is among the most controversial religious organizations in the world today. It has been accused of being a cult; of using high-pressure recruitment methods including brain-washing and mind control; of becoming involved in unsavory political activities in the United States and the Far East; of vehemently condemning homosexual activity (Moon stated that "homosexuals....  are like dirty dung-eating dogs").

PROMISE KEEPERS: An international Christian organization for men, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, self-described as "a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, helping them to grow as Christians". Promise Keepers promote the view that husbands have a responsibility to be the head of their household in a gentle and loving way, following the example of Jesus Christ and giving his life to his wife, so she in turn can willingly submit to his leadership.
 
They are also associated with teenage abstinence policy of education. Promise Keepers is a non-profit organization in the United States. It is not affiliated with any Christian church or denomination. Their most widely publicized events have been mass rallies held at football stadiums and similar venues. They also sell a variety of promotional products to "help men keep their promises," including clothing, books, and music. Dr. Bruce Wilkinson developed the widely used video curriculum, Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation, as a part of “The Biblical Manhood” series for Promise Keepers.
 
The core beliefs of the Promise Keepers, outlined in the Seven Promises, consist of the following:
 
1)  A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
2)  A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.
 
3)  A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.
 
4)  A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and Biblical values.
 
5)  A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources.
 
6)  A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity.
 
7)  A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
 
Promise Keepers was founded in 1990 by Bill McCartney, formerly the head football coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder. According to the group's website, McCartney got the inspiration for Promise Keepers on March 20, 1990, while he was attending a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Pueblo, Colorado, during a conversation with Dave Wardell, who was also in attendance at the event. He envisioned his home stadium, Boulder's Folsom Field, would be used as a gathering "for training and teaching on what it means to be godly men". In July 1990, 72 men came together at Boulder Valley Christian Church in Boulder to organize what would be Promise Keepers' first event at University of Colorado's Event Center. From that point, the Promise Keepers' membership gradually grew through word of mouth. By the time of the first official PK conference in July 1991, approximately 4200 men were in attendance. The organization was incorporated as a nonprofit in the state of Colorado in December 1990.
 
Promise Keepers' most notable event was its "Stand in the Gap: A Sacred Assembly of Men" open-air gathering at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 4, 1997. C-SPAN carried the event live in its entirety, and over one million men participated in it. It was reported at the time to be the largest gathering of men in American history, surpassing even the Million Man March.

PENTECOSTAL: A movement within Evangelical Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. Pentecostalism is similar to the Charismatic movement, but developed earlier and separated from the mainstream church. Charismatic Christians, at least in the early days of the movement, tended to remain in their respective denominations.
 
Trinitarian Pentecostals typically believe in water baptism as an outward sign of conversion, and that the "baptism in the Holy Ghost" is a distinct spiritual experience that all who have belief in Jesus should receive. Most classical Pentecostals believe that the "baptism in the Holy Ghost" is always accompanied initially by the outward evidence of speaking in tongues. This is another major difference between Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians, who believe that a Christian baptized in the Holy Ghost will exhibit a range of supernatural signs, including speaking in tongues (speaking in an unknown tongue or in "heavenly language"), "being slain in the spirit" (where people fall to the ground as if unconscous ), prophecy (a vision or a word of God, spoken or felt in the spirit), miraculous healings, performing miraculous acts, and others.
 
In Christian Pentecostal theology, "Baptism with the Holy Spirit" is a distinctive Christian experience, the Biblical basis for which is found in the description of Pentecost in Jerusalem in Acts 2:1-4. Pentecostals emphasize that to be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" is to be immersed in the Holy Spirit, and the experience presupposes conversion. That is to say, it is both distinct from and subsequent to salvation, which is itself a definite work of the Holy Spirit.
 
Charismatics are not as dogmatic, generally, as Pentecostals in the claim that the Holy Spirit Baptism is distinctly separate from the experience of salvation. Some Charismatics believe that the Gift of the Holy Spirit is "given to all Christians", occurring with the experience of salvation. Such Charismatics claim that the gifts of the Holy Spirit -- that is, exercising spiritual power such as speaking in tongues, the interpretation of tongues, prophesying, miraculous divine healing, working of miracles, are evidences of a release of the Holy Spirit's Power rather than the Baptism itself with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12).
 
With the advent of the Charismatic movement in the late 1960s, there came dissention between the two groups. Original Pentecostals such as those who belong to the Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ, Pentecostal Holiness, etc., expected the Charismatics to leave their denominations and join Pentecostal churches, but most Charismatics chose to remain in their mainline denominations such as Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, or to join new independent Charismatic congregations with no denominational affiliation. There is a great deal of overlap now between the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements.

SHEPHERDING: Every believer, be they pastor or lay person, needs a shepherd or spiritual authority over them. The individual must obey their shepherd as he/she represents Christ. "Promise Keepers" has come up with a variation of "Shepherding" called "Accountibility Groups" where up to six men submit themselves to one another for "spiritual counseling". The group is then accountable to an overseer, the overseer to someone higher, and so on.

• Wikipedia   (http://www.wikipedia.com/)
• Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
      (http://www.religioustolerance.org/)
• Barna Research Group   (http://www.barna.org/)
• Encyclopedia Britannica   (http://www.britannica.com/)