December (Web-only) 2000

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Founder of Brownsville Revival School of Ministry fired by board
Michael L. Brown, founder and president of the Pensacola, Florida, Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM), was voted out by the school's board of directors last week, apparently because he would not join the Assemblies of God. According to a statement by the school's board, the denomination "made a multimillion-dollar loan to BRSM at the request of Pastor [John] Kilpatrick [head pastor of the Brownsville Assembly of God] to purchase the current campus, and requested some form of simple accountability for Dr. Brown to represent their interests. It was suggested that Dr. Brown hold credentials with the Assemblies of God during the time of his duties as President of the school." Brown's version corroborates the story, for the most part: "After much prayer, God dealt with me that I was not to be Assemblies. It was contrary to his calling for my own life. I was to reflect something different from that. I shared that with Pastor and he then gave me an ultimatum." The ensuing controversy is largely being played out online. Brown, the board, and the church have been busy posting updates on their Web sites, with most of the statements posted on Christmas Eve. "It has ruined our Christmas," Kilpatrick told his congregation. Brown says he's starting a new school, with much of the same faculty and students. "You can fire me as being president, but you can't fire me as being father," he said last Thursday. (See Christianity Today's earlier coverage of the Brownsville revival here.)

For Toronto's Muslims, mosque is a cathedral Since there's no mosque in Toronto, 400 or so Muslim men travel every Friday to Toronto's St. James Cathedral (Anglican) for congregational ...