Source: www.flcourier.com
BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF: Orlando, Fla. is abuzz with word that Rabbi Ralph Messer is allegedly coming to New Destiny Christian Center, founded by the late Zachery Tims, to make Paula White a ‘queen’ during a Super Bowl Sunday service.
White’s ‘coronation,’ if it happens, is expected to be like the much-criticized ceremony hitting the Youtube rounds.
Ralph Messer
“Ralph Messer has been exploiting African-Americans and making a mockery of the Hebrew roots of the faith for years,” said former NFL Minnesota Viking chaplain Keith Johnson in a news release.
“I first encountered Messer eleven years ago when my friend the late Football Hall-of-Famer Reggie White paid him an inordinate amount of money to learn Hebrew under his tutelage as a ‘rabbi.’ A year went by and Reggie never received even a single Hebrew lesson. I decided to confront Messer with Reggie and Pro Bowler Hardy Nickerson as witnesses.
“In their presence ‘Rabbi Ralph’ admitted he had never formally been ordained as a real rabbi. I then challenged Messer to read from my Hebrew Bible and he responded by making excuses for an hour about why it was “dangerous” to learn the language. I continued to insist he read from my Bible in Hebrew and with great effort, Messer managed to slowly sound out the first verse of the Bible one syllable at a time. It was obvious to everyone present that Messer did not possess the knowledge to read the Hebrew language let alone to teach it.
“For the past ten years, I have seen Messer continue to throw around Hebrew terms he does not fully understand and misuse holy objects such as Torah Scrolls to manipulate people and bring them under his authority as a “rabbi” and a supposed ‘representative of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel.’
L to R: Ne-Yo, Pastor Paula White, Adam Levine, Lorraine Smith @ Maroon 5's "Hands All Over" album release party
“As a United Methodist pastor who believes in the importance of the Hebrew roots of our faith, I am deeply offended by what he did this past week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. It is my sincere hope and prayer that by speaking out others will be spared from falling prey to his manipulative practices that offend both Jew and Gentile alike,” Johnson said.
New Destiny did not return calls for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment