Resistance
Whew! The first two days of April were wild: full page ads accompanying
negative press, picket lines, police protection ... and until the very last
minute, receiving concerned e -­‐mails and warnings from friends while guest
speakers backed out one by one and those remaining considered the
wisdom of attending. To begin with, this was a huge sacrifice for all the speakers. They each flew
in at their own expense and none of them were paid to speak. I personally
felt it was the right thing to do and drew strength from the confirmation of
two 20th century respected fathers in the faith: John Kelly, who prepared
me for the event, and Ed Silvoso, who explained in detail what to consider
after I arrived.
I sent out a last minute email to YOU and 300 paid web-­‐links materialized in
48 hours as friends and intercessors locked shields around us and
collectively shifted the battle.
YOU ARE THE REAL DEAL -­‐ -­‐ and your prayers prevailed!
As your prayers clashed with swirling forces over the campus, the
atmosphere began to shift. Fear and contention gave way to dialogue, and
dialogue shifted hearts and momentarily stopped the mouths of lions.
This experience brought me face to face with people I don't normally meet
in Christian conferences, namely Ivy League agnostics, left wing journalists, lesbians, homosexuals and even ... local
witches! The weird part was that when fear and discord lost its grip, a profound love began to emerge in my heart. The
love of Jesus drew me toward them, and as we engaged in conversations new friendships and unusual alliances began to
form.
I can actually see new "Great Awakeners" emerging among the faces of those who started the day off as my ideological
adversaries.
Jesus is the ultimate leader!
It was exhilarating to watch potential enemies change their thinking about who we are and what we believed. At first some
thought we were engaging some new master strategy of "winning them over." One said that he was going to "alert his
people on the left" that we were using a new strategy ... but love is not a new strategy.
The Event Unfolds
To the left is a picture of the opening of the conference April 1, 2011. True to the 7M maxim that
"proximity is power," the event was launched right on the Harvard University campus. The first
speakers were Andre and Natalie Bisaso, a courageous couple God raised up to stand (almost
alone) in the gap for a return to Harvard's spiritual roots. Andre shared that the University was
originally established by John Harvard to train Christian ministers to preach the Gospel, but over
the past centuries, has experienced a significant departure from its original purpose.
Andrea shared how Harvard University's founding mission in 1692
was "Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae" which translated from Latin means "Truth for Christ and
the Church." This phrase can be found embedded on the Harvard Shield and on many
buildings around the campus including the Widener Library, Memorial Church, and various
dormitories in Harvard Yard.
The theme of this conference (hosted through the Harvard Extension Service & Leadership
Society) was not the usual bland diet of Social Transformation ...
... it was Social Transformation by the Power of God ... and THAT explains the power
confrontation that ensued!
As you know, spiritual power gets delivered in a variety of ways. Students and guests were
all touched differently. Os Hillman reported, "One student from the John F. Kennedy Law School said his life was impacted
greatly from the personal prayer that he received during the conference. Others attended who were from various
faith groups and expressed appreciation for the event and now saw Christianity in a totally different light."
In earlier years I romanticized the scripture (Acts 17:6), "These men who have turned the world upside down have come
here also!" I would wonder to myself, why did the first century church cause upheavals and we can barely get a crowd
without a well known speaker, hip music group and some sort of Revival hype?
Now I know the answer...
Noting the uproar I suggested to those attending, "You can judge the power of an
idea by the resistance it creates."
Clearly some ideas, deployed at the top of the mind molders of culture, have particular
potency. When believers access this type of strategic ground and even remotely hit the
trip wires involved in culture war controversies, the result is explosive.
This Harvard upheaval is directly connected to the idea of "sphere penetration."
Nothing is threatened when believers camp out in the security of our church mountain
and talk among ourselves through multiple conference events. The moment the Gospel
of the kingdom penetrates a system and starts showing up in proximity to High Places (education, government and media
mountains especially) it elicits a reaction in the heavens. This is akin to Tolkien's ring wraiths flying frantically in search of
Frodo, as the ring bearer worked his way toward Mordor.
This is no exaggeration. There are unseen powers that perceive very clearly that we are advancing the kingdom to "the
next level."
Note how the prestigious media mouthpiece, "The Harvard Crimson Review" put it:
"They're trying to infiltrate Harvard and bring on the next level of Christendom," said Sierra E. Fleenor, a Harvard
Divinity School student and one of the organizers of the protest. "The message is hateful. It sets Christians as if there's a
homogeneous group called a 'Christian group' against Muslims, against gay people, and I think that that silences
everyone who's not that brand of Christian."
Harvard College "Queer Students and Allies Political Committee" Chair Samuel J. Bakkila ('11-­‐'12), who participated in the
protest, said he felt the conference promoted "homophobia and hatred."
One of the radical websites called (ironically), "Truth Wins Out" made money off of the contrived controversy by saying
everything but the truth, and collected funds and donations to fuel 1500 official protests against the event and a full page
Harvard ad.
Their article reads as follows: "This is a divisive conference that demonizes and dehumanizes entire groups of people," said Truth Wins Out's Executive
Director Wayne Besen. "It promotes religion-­‐based bigotry in the guise of improving society. While these zealots have a
right to speak, Harvard University has a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure it provides an appropriate forum
where these dangerous views are vigorously challenged. To this end, Harvard failed."
They continue the attack,
"As a result, the university is aiding and abetting the dissemination of hateful, exclusionary, totalitarian views that are
anathema to Harvard's values of inclusion, pluralism, fairness, robust intellectual debate, and diversity."
This blogger singled out Os Hillman, Bishop Bill Hamon, and business leader/international consultant Jerry Anderson as a
new breed of "Bible Bullies." Dr. Pat Francis was also indicted. Pat is a courageous Canadian philanthropist and
entrepreneur.
Our Response? ... Bless Them That Curse You
As soon as we arrived my courageous wife, Annabelle, went to the protestors to
introduce herself and talk kindly with the opposition. The conference host, Andre
offered 25 free tickets to anyone who wanted to peacefully attend the event ... but
we had no takers.
This was the one casualty of the conflict. Most of the protestors refused to attend
the meeting, saying "Why should I listen to them when I already read what they
believe?" A strange statement indeed, proving that even at Harvard among the
nations brightest, the media mountain has power to distill prejudice and
propaganda till it kills intellectual objectivity.
Upon reflection, here is the lesson I learned from Ed Silvoso in this, "perception is
reality in the eyes of the uninformed and delays in stating the true nature of the event and does not provide a balancing
voice."
Hmm ... I seem to recall someone once saying, "Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Up until now we've had the
"harmless" part down in spades. In the future we will have to have a budget to support the need for equal advertising.
Meeting with Protestor Representatives
On Saturday, while teams ministered to students, I agreed to a private meeting with students, tutors on Race Relations,
and a writer Bruce Wilson, who has written negatively about me in the past. It was sort of funny actually, because in my
own "Mr. Magoo" fashion I bumped into him in the hall and asked if he knew where there was any coffee. He
didn't. I then asked a lady the same question. She didn't know either. I told them I was a speaker and would figure out a
way to get us all some coffee. They knew who I was, but I didn't know who they were! Later I saw the lady's face in a
photograph and recognized her as one of the main protestors! As we were about to begin the meeting, Bruce took a seat
across from me and said, "You have no idea who I am, do you?" I shook my head no ... he was the guy I just got coffee for.
He looked at me and said, "I am your nemesis. I have been tracking you for two years." Then I realized that he was the man
who zeroed in specifically on Os Hillman and me in this protest and made sure his writings reached the internet and
Huffington Post. The meeting had just begun when I noticed a distinguished looking man enter the room. Andre leaned over and told me
that this was Dr. Allen Counter, The Harvard Foundation Director.
Annabelle videotaped the meeting, but we have not decided what to do with that yet as our intent has been from the
beginning not to let even little victories play into the typical right verses left culture war game. Andre Bisasor helped facilitate our private meeting. His talent for negotiation guided us around some strange impasses,
like a controversial connection between Os and a Bishop from Uganda who two years ago advocated for capital
punishment. This Bishop has had nothing to do with Os for years so the point quickly lost relevance.
Other questions arose about Dr. Peter Wagner and the rising global influence of "third wave churches." This is the term
that describes the fastest growing part of the church in the world -­‐-­‐ indeed the only part outgrowing Islam -­‐-­‐ which is made
up of churches that embrace aspects of the supernatural power of God and the office of 21st century apostles and
prophets. My friendship with my mentor, Dr. Peter Wagner, made me suspect. But this too proved to be no reason for
organizing so much noise and hostility toward speakers or the event.
It gradually became apparent to those involved that there was no hate speech or cover up going on. It reminded me of the
words in Acts "there is no cause we can find for this riot." Dr. Counter sat in upon this important meeting and speaking
from his chair pointed out that he saw and heard nothing to justify charges that this group
of speakers was delivering hate speech.
Some of the participants who began as adversaries in this dialogue have become dear to
me. Friendships are even forming, as you can see from our group picture taken as we
adjourned. You could not tell the protestors from the speakers in this lineup! (Although Os
Hillman does look a bit corporate.)
While we were in the conference room building bridges, the conference attendees who
wanted ministry were lined up in different rooms receiving prayer and prophetic ministry.
Here is a picture of the twelve Christian marketplace and church leaders who
provided teaching for the Friday and Saturday conference and an additional 10
students who helped coordinate the event.
Speakers included Dr. Jerry Anderson, Bishop Rodney Sampson, Tamara Lowe,
Larry Bizette, Dr. John Lafitte, Os Hillman, Lance Wallnau, Dr. Sandy Kulkin, Dr.
Pat Francis, Bishop Bill Hamon and Rick Nash. The conference was open to
Harvard students as well as non-­‐students and was webcast to more than 300
people.
Wiccan Witch reported how much she felt loved!
I stepped out of our meeting and ran into a Wiccan named Barbara (pictured below) and asked her how she enjoyed the
conference. She came because she heard we advocated the burning of witches. She was outraged by this and wanted to
find out for herself what we taught. (My wife Annabelle caught her interview on camera and can send it to you. See details below.)
Wikipedia says "Wicca (pronounced / ˈwɪkə/) is a diverse community that practice pagan pre-­‐Christian rituals blended into
a modern form of witchcraft. Often referred to as Witchcraft or the Craft, its adherents are commonly referred to as
Wiccans, or as Witches or Crafters. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century and popularized in the 1950s
and early 1960s by a High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its
adherents "the Wica.")
These are not the dark witch variety, though they do send curses, according to our guest.
Barbara's conclusion? "You people sure are a lot more happy than the people I hang out with -­‐ -­‐
I'm gonna hang out with you more often!"
I asked if she received any prayer and she said, "Boy did I! You guys prophesy on me better than I
prophesy!" Wow, when was the last time you heard that sort of candor at a prophetic event? While she
spoke to me one of the speakers, Larry Bizzettea, was ministering in prophetic prayer to Hindu
students who were so impacted they had difficulty staying on their feet.
What happens next is truly AMAZING!
Fire Flows from Harvard to MIT!
Whenever I am in a situation like this I am aware that God has already gone before me. I look for random and unscheduled
divine appointments. While talking to students, a participant from MIT came and urged me to go to a joint meeting of
Christians from other Ivy League Universities at MIT. This conference can be found at www.alabastargroup.com and
includes believers from Yale, Brown, Princeton and five other Ivy League Schools. This upcoming event involves an
incredible team of friends: Heidi Baker, Che Ahn, Chris Valaton, and Bob Johnson ... and the event is scheduled at Passover!
Talk about divine timing! Daniel Li saw immediately that the experience of Revival they seek needs to be linked to a practical and tactical template
for engagement in the institutions that shape society, hence his interest in the 7 Mountain Strategy.
Clearly something powerful is in the atmosphere over New England as the travail and tears of intercessors both living
now and from generations past are being answered.
It seems to me that a fresh move of God is stirring and the ark of God's glory is advancing -­‐-­‐ not upon the Philistine cart of
some fresh trend, but rather as in days of old, upon the soft shoulders of young Levites. It is advancing among the campus
visionaries like Andre and Natalie and others who are the architects of a new America.
What we did not realize until the event was over, was that we were doing the work of Isaac (Genesis 26) who had to
reopen wells dug by his father Abraham, but filled in with gravel by enemies. Our controversial conference was part of the
reopening of a well dug by none other than George Whitfield, the Great Awakener who preached on this very same campus
at the height of his influence in pre-­‐colonial America. Like Whitfield who struggled to get funding from business into this
strategic campus battle front, the organizers of this event also faced a storm of opposition and are challenged raising
support.
You can help us re-­‐dig these wells and stand behind a new generation of Awakeners as they encounter the fury of active
resistance, and recapture ground our forefathers originally planted for Christians to be trained at Harvard, Yale and
Princeton!
Your Next Step
Get behind this move! Unlike powerful liberal forces in opposition, none of this is being funded with thousands of
dollars by outside sources. The students are doing this by faith ... and they need our support!
Step #1: Join me in Boston a s I minister on April 18th and let us beseech God Almighty that somewhere in our
midst a young George Whitfield will receive the mantle of the Great Awakener. Unlike his contemporary, John Wesley
who was returned to England, Whitfield preached his last sermon from the sixth step of his rented apartment in
Newberryport, Mass. His bones are buried in the basement of a church not far from where we shall meet. His last
words are etched into the glass window, carved by his own hand from his dying bed. "This one thing I do!" Step #2: Get your two free gifts! We must fan the flame of this move of God upon the Ivy League campuses of the
nation. They need our help. I myself am cancelling meetings to make this a priority.
Contact me TODAY and make a donation of ANY AMOUNT to this cause and I will send you a TWO FREE MP4
videos. One is a file of the message I spoke at Harvard PLUS I want to send you the testimony of Barbara, the
Wiccan's experience at the event!