From: pearsodc@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu (D)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Mike Warnke Controversy in Cornerstone magasine
Date: 23 Jul 92 05:56:27 GMT
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

In response to the request made a couple of days ago for information on  
the Warnke Ministries controversy as exposed by Cornerstone Magazine,  
Robert Suto supplied this information on rec.music.christian.

Robert Suto writes
 
> In reply to the Mike Warnke Controversy:
> 
>    In the latest issue of Cornerstone, a major portion of the magazine  
is devoted to the investigation of Mike Warnke. (I want to apologize now,  
because I do not have a copy of the article with me, for I have loaned it  
to friends at church.) I have read the article and also listened to a  
seminar by the two authors, John Trott and ?(sorry), at the Cornerstone  
'92 festival, July 2-5. This article had not been published lightly, but  
is a well researched and prayerfully considered piece of journalism.
>    Their investigation centers around Mike Warnke's book 'The Satan  
Seller' which was published 20 yrs ago, and is the basis and foundation of  
Warnke's ministry. Several years ago, the authors did a simular  
investigation into Laura Stratford (Satan's Underground) and exposed her  
story as false. Becouse of this, several peple have approached the authors  
over a number of years with concerns about Mike Warnke.
>    The article follows several lines of evidence:
> 1.  Mike Warnke clames in his book to have gone to college and was  
recruited into a group of satanists. He quickly became their leader, after  
which he was converted to Christianity. His book does not give exact  
dates, but does give enough information to establish a time line. This  
internal time line does not fit when examined with external documentation  
( lunar cycles, college transcripts, etc.). Simply put, Mike does not have  
enough time to complete all that is claimed in the book.
> 2.   The authors traked down people in Mikes past life. His close  
college friends and girlfriend refute Warnke's story, and describe him as  
a 'storyteller'. Other people, like pastors, friends, coworkers of  
Warnke's latter life describe a lifestyle that is not right for a man of  
God. Here are many witnesses that discount Warnke's claims.
> 3.   They investigate Warnke's ministry, and there are a number of  
alligations and concerns here. (Of particular intrest is Warnke's rapid  
salary increase over the years - 200,000 in 1990 (?))
> 4.   Finally, Mike is currently in his fourth marriage (!?!)
> 
> 	  I would encourage everyone to obtain and circulate this article.  
I had never heard of Mike Warnke before this , but many of my friends  
have. They were sceptical at first, as you probably are, but the evidence  
is strong, that Mike Warnke's ministry is based on a LIE.
>    The authors did not fell bound by the principle found in Romans, but  
they did make an atempt before publishing to personally meet with Warnke,  
but he refered them to his lawyer. They suggested that each side bring  
some pastors to act a witnesses, in an effort to keep this within the  
Church, but were again told to contact his lawyer. (Hmmm?!)
>    The authors ask Warnke to repentof his falseness and to come under  
the discipline of the Church, and remove himself from his ministry. One  
problem is that Warnke is accountable to no one but himself within his  
ministry. Thus the Church as a whole will have to band together and make  
him accountable.
> 
>    In closing, Mike Warnke is not being judged by Cornerstone, nor  
myself. The bible calls us to test those who come in the name of Jesus.  
God is TRUTH, and as Christians the truth counts. We are also told to  
lovingly bring back a fallen brother into a right relationship with God.  
In selecting a leader within the Church, the Bible states that we should  
look and see haw a man runs his own house (4 wives gives me a clue! :>).
>    To those who have been positively affected by Warnke's ministry, do  
not downplay that, because the Word of God is true, loving and pewerful,  
and the messenger can not corrupt that.
> 
> Robert
> 
> "If you are going to cross over, bring the cross over!" 

In addition, I recieved the following mail from Ken Mann on Tuesday:

> Chuck,
>
> I received a letter from Warnke Ministries several months ago that Mike
> and Rose were getting divorced.  It said that after two years of marital
> counseling, all parties agreed that divorce was the best solution.
>
> Sorry I didn't save the letter....
> 
> 
>  Shalom!   |   INTERNET: mannk@fshvmfk1.vnet.ibm.com
>    Ken     |   VNET:     FSHVMFK1(MANNK)
>            |   IBMnet:   mannk@saskatchewan.fishkill.ibm.com
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>                You can only coast downhill!

If anybody else has information concerning this, please e-mail me at  
pearsodc@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu.  I will collect all the information I  
can and ask a few questions around, and I will report back to s.r.c. and  
r.m.c. in about a week or so, so we can do some informed praying...

Looks like this is legit, folks.

clueless chuck
PearsoDC@NeXTWork.Rose-Hulman.Edu