John Hagee

John C. Hagee (b. April 12, 1940) is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational evangelical church with more than 19,000 active members . John Hagee had received millions of dollars in total compensation for his position as CEO at his non-profit corporation, Global Evangelism Television (GETV). He is one of the highest-paid televangelists.

Hagee is the President and CEO of John Hagee Ministries which telecasts his national radio and television ministry carried in America on 160 TV stations, fifty radio stations and eight networks including The Inspiration Network (INSP) and Trinity Broadcasting Network. 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 is in most third world nations.

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. He has also been controversial for what many see as bigoted comments and beliefs regarding Catholicism, Homosexuality, women and Islam.

Biography

Born in Baytown, Texas, to Rev. William Bythel Hagee and Mrs. B. Hagee, John Hagee graduated from Trinity University, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in 1964. He was on a football scholarship and was on the Academic Dean's List. Hagee holds a Master's Degree from the University of North Texas in 1966. He did his theological training at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, where he was president of his class and a member of the College Concert Choir. Of note, Hagee descends from a long line of Anabaptist Mennonite pastors, which was a factor in the development of his theology and vocation. In 1989, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Oral Roberts University. In 2005, he received another Honorary Doctorate from Netanya Academic College in Israel. Hagee has served on the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents since 1989.

On August 26, 1960, Hagee married Martha. They had two children, Christopher and Tish. In October 1966, Hagee founded Trinity Church in San Antonio, Texas. He resigned his pastorate in May 1975. Hagee and Martha divorced on grounds of Pastor Hagee's infidelity in September 1975, and Hagee married Diana on April 12, 1976.. Due to the bylaws of his Assemblies of God denomination, Hagee could no longer be ordained or licensed within. He was defrocked but sued the denomination for millions of dollars due to defamation of character. Today, Hagee and Diana have three children: Christina, Matthew, and Sandy. Matthew is the Associate Pastor of Cornerstone Church .

On Mother's Day of 1975, Hagee founded Castle Hills Assembly, later known as the Church of Castle Hills. Hagee's 5,000 seat Cornerstone Church was dedicated On October 4, 1987. Dr. W. A. Criswell of Dallas anointed Hagee and Diana before the congregation.

Today, Trinity Church is located just 7.3 miles from Hagee's Cornerstone Church on the same stretch of highway in San Antonio.

In addition to his work for GETV, Hagee has written a number of best-selling books.

He is also a Southern Gospel recording artist.

Personal beliefs

Hagee has denounced replacement theology, believing that chapters 9, 10 and 11 of the book of Romans teach that the Jewish people continue to have favor with God by the election of grace and as a people of the covenant their salvation is not dependent on belief in Jesus Christ. He believes that the Bible commands Christians to support Israel and the Jewish people .

Hagee alleges that the land of Israel does not belong to the Arabs because sovereignty went from the Ottoman Turks who controlled the land prior to World War I to the British, and later to the United Nations which authorized its partition and creation of the State of Israel. He says the land was named "Palestine" (after the ancient Philistines) by the Roman emperor Hadrian to punish the Jews for their revolt against the Romans, that there is no unique Palestinian language, and that most of those who claim to be Palestinians immigrated from other Arab nations prior to 1948.

Hagee has said Iran is a threat to Western civilization and that the Iranians will never respond favorably to diplomacy. He supports an American-Israeli pre-emptive military strike against Iran to eliminate its alleged nuclear programme. He supports the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States.

As a result of these beliefs, many on the political left regard Hagee as a controversial religious figure. Journalist Bill Moyers says of Hagee:

Someone who didn't know better could imagine from the very name Christians United For Israel - CUFI -that pastor John Hagee speaks for all Christians. Well, he doesn't.

Like other faiths, Christians are a motley lot. For example, the last time I checked there were at least 27 varieties of Baptists in America, and I can tell you from first hand knowledge, Baptists differ profoundly in how we read the Bible, how we read history, and how we read election returns. Evangelicals come in hundreds of sizes and shapes, and CUFI is just one of the legions of conservative Christian organizations.

You know some of the others -- Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, and James Dobson's Focus on the Family.

What these fellows have forged is a close connection between the White House and the religious right.

But they don't represent all evangelicals -- not even close. Look at this letter to President Bush from evangelicals who don't belong to CUFI: "We affirm your clear call for a two-state solution" "Historical honesty compels us to recognize that both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate rights stretching back for millennia." and… "Israelis and Palestinians must both accept each other's right to exist."

Thirty-four leading evangelical leaders signed that letter in July.

Hagee's preaching is considered relatively traditional compared to some other televangelists. He asks his congregation to stand during the reading of the Biblical text prior to his sermon, and his style is often classified as "hellfire and brimstone." Like some other evangelical ministers, Hagee condemns literature such as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter, calling it contemporary witchcraft.

Hagee denounces abortion and stopped giving money to Israel's Hadassah hospital when they began performing abortions . He has also spoken out against homosexuality.

In his book Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World, Hagee interprets the Bible to predict Russia and the Islamic states will invade Israel and will be destroyed by God. This will cause the anti-Christ, the head of the European Union, to create a confrontation over Israel between China and the West. A final battle between East and West at Armageddon will then precipitate the Second Coming of Christ. In a discussion concerning Muhammad, Hagee asserts that Muhammad was a man of war and that this influence on Islam is the cause of the troubles of Jerusalem.

Theologically, Hagee believes in the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", the "absolute authority of the scripture", miraculous healing, anointing with oil, baptism by immersion, the importance of evangelism, and the "worship of the Lord through singing, clapping, and the lifting of hands.".

Hagee's recent book In Defense of Israel (2007) has sparked strong criticism, notably the Christian Research Institute, for its apparent view that Jesus did not claim to be the Messiah for the Jews, only the Savior for the Christian Church, and that attempts should not be made to convert Jews to Christianity. In response to such criticism, Hagee has issued a statement denying the first of these allegations and promising to revise one chapter of the book for a new edition to make his views clearer.

Ministry

Hagee has received numerous honors and accolades from national Jewish organizations for his support of Israel. Hagee was awarded the "Humanitarian of the Year" award by the San Antonio B'nai B'rith Council. It was the first time in the history of the San Antonio that this award was given to a gentile. Hagee was presented the ZOA Israel Award by U.N. Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick. This award was given by the Jewish Community of Dallas, Texas. He was presented the ZOA Service Award by Texas Governor Mark White. Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire issued a special proclamation in his honor declaring Pastor John C. Hagee Day.

Hagee has been to Israel twenty-two times and has met with every Prime Minister since Menachem Begin. John Hagee Ministries has given more than $8.5 million to bring Soviet Jews from the former Soviet Union to Israel. Hagee is also the Founder and Executive Director of "A Night to Honor Israel", an event which expresses solidarity between Christians and Jews on behalf of Jerusalem, the State of Israel and the United States. .

On February 7, 2006, John Hagee and 400 leaders from the Christian and Jewish communities formed a new national organization called Christians United For Israel (CUFI) . This organization is focused on communicating the need to defend Israel, in light of Biblically-based matters, with members of the United States Congress.

At CUFI's "Washington-Israel Summit" on July 16, 2007, John Hagee called for a pre-emptive military strike against Iran.

Accusations of Anti-Catholicism

Catholic League president Bill Donohue issued the following remarks regarding Sen. John McCain’s ties to Pastor John Hagee:

“Now that he has secured the Republican nomination for president, and has received the endorsement of President Bush, McCain will now embark on a series of fundraising events. When he meets with Catholics, he is going to be asked about his ties to Hagee. He should also be asked whether he approves of comments like this: ‘A Godless theology of hate that no one dared try to stop for a thousand years produced a harvest of hate.’

“That quote is proudly cited by David Brog in his recent book, Standing with Israel. Both Brog and Hagee clearly identify the Roman Catholic Church as spawning a ‘theology of hate.’

“This is nothing if not hate speech. There are so many good evangelical leaders in this country—Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Richard Land, Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, Dr. Al Mohler, Chuck Colson—and none has ever insulted Catholicism.

The "Godless theology" quote appears to be taken from Hagee's 1987 work "Should Christians Support Israel?"

Hagee's screed against the Roman Catholic Church in his book Jerusalem Countdown contained the following anti-Catholic speech:

Adolf Hitler attended a Catholic school as a child and heard all the fiery anti-Semitic rantings from Chrysostom to Martin Luther. When Hitler became a global demonic monster, the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII never, ever slightly criticized him.

Pope Pius XII, called by historians 'Hitler's Pope,' joined Hitler in the infamous Concordat of Collaboration, which turned the youth of the [sic] Germany over to Nazism, and the churches became the stage background for the bloodthirsty cry, 'Pereat Judea'....

In all of his [Hitler's] years of absolute brutality, he was never denounced or even scolded by Pope Pius XII or any Catholic leader in the world. To those Christians who believe that Jewish hearts will be warmed by the sight of the cross, please be informed—to them it's an electric chair. (pp. 79-81)

The Roman Catholic Church, which was supposed to carry the light of the gospel, plunged the world into the Dark Ages.... The Crusaders were a motley mob of thieves, rapists, robbers, and murderers whose sins had been forgiven by the pope in advance of the Crusade.... The brutal truth is that the Crusades were military campaigns of the Roman Catholic Church to gain control of Jerusalem from the Muslims and to punish the Jews as the alleged Christ killers on the road to and from Jerusalem. (p. 73)

Later in the book (pp. 81-2), however, he praises Pope John Paul II for repudiating past anti-Semitism in the Roman Catholic Church.

Hagee claimed in March of 2008, “I’ve learned that some have accused me of referring to the Catholic Church as the ‘great whore,’ of Revelations. This is a serious misinterpretation of my words. When I refer to the ‘great whore,’ I am referring to the apostate church, namely those Christians who embrace the false cult system of Jew-hatred and anti-Semitism.”

Accusations of Antisemitism

Despite his claims that he is an opponent of antisemitism, Hagee has been accused of antisemitism, blaming the Jews for their own persecution by asserting that it was the "disobedience" of Jews that have caused their persecution throughout history and even the holocaust:

It was the disobedience and rebellion of the Jews, God's chosen people, to their covenantal responsibility to serve only the one true God, Jehovah, that gave rise to the opposition and persecution that they experienced beginning in Canaan and continuing to this very day... Their own rebellion had birthed the seed of anti-Semitism that would arise and bring destruction to them for centuries to come.... it rises from the judgment of God upon his rebellious chosen people.

Claims that Hurricane Katrina was "the Judgement of God against New Orleans"

On the September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Hagee stated that Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, punishing New Orleans for "a level of sin that was offensive to God". He specifically referred to a "homosexual parade" that was held on the date the hurricane struck and that this was proof "of the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans" , even though the Southern Decadence parade was scheduled for the following week and the primary gay neighborhoods, the French Quarter and the Marigny, were spared the flooding and destruction. Another reason for God's wrath, Hagee claims, was the Bush administration's pressure on Israel to abandon settlements and the land associated with them. Therefore, God took American land in a tit for tat exchange during Hurricane Katrina.

Claims that Islamic Qur'an contains a "mandate to kill Christians and Jews"

During the same September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Hagee also discussed Islam, stating that "those who live by the Qur'an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews" adding, "it teaches that very clearly". He then proceeded to characterize the military threat posed by those who follow Islamic scripture: "There are 1.3 billion people who follow the Islamic faith, so if you're saying there's only 15 percent that want to come to America or invade Israel to crush it, you're only talking about 200 million people. That's far more than Hitler and Japan and Italy and all of the axis powers in World War II had under arms."

Financial controversy

In 2003, the San Antonio Express-News reported that, in 2001 alone, John Hagee had received over 1.25 million dollars in total compensation for his position as CEO at his non-profit corporation, Global Evangelism Television (GETV). This made him one of the highest-paid televangelists in 2001 .

According to the Form 990 that GETV filed for tax year 2003, Hagee received almost a million dollars in compensation for his work for GETV that year, which amounted to approximately 16 hours per week . (The GETV Board of Directors, which determines his pay, consisted of John Hagee himself, his wife, his son, and a Cornerstone Church member.) However, because he claimed that he worked "80 hours a week" writing books, singing songs, meeting international dignitaries and answering the call to preach the word of God, John Hagee argued: "I deserve every dime I'm getting". Other observers, including many evangelical Christians, criticize Hagee's handling of finances . Considering his combined pay from both donor-supported ministries (his separate church and TV ministries), his pay has been over $1 million per year.

Hagee said he was certain his finances complied with requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) because he hired tax lawyers and accountants to make sure that his books complied with tax laws. Hagee said, 'We want a set of books so that when the IRS comes in here and looks they'll say, those people are clean'", Hagee said. "And I am waiting for the day that the IRS is going to come look at our books. I have spent a chunk of money waiting for them" .

In September 2004, Hagee re-registered GETV as a church under the name Grace Church of San Antonio, and became exempt from filing detailed returns with the IRS. A further reorganization in July 2006 moved all assets into Cornerstone Church.

McCain endorsement

In February 2008, Hagee endorsed the Presidential candidacy of Republican nominee John McCain at a San Antonio news conference, igniting criticism from the Democratic National Committee, the Catholic League, and other groups. McCain refused to renounce Hagee's endorsement, but issued a statement stating that "in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not."

Books

• The Invasion of Demons (1973) - Old Tappan, N.J., Revell, ISBN 0-8007-0576-9, Bibliography: p. 157-158.
• Like a cleansing fire (1974) Old Tappan, N.J., Revell, ISBN 0-8007-0685-4
• The Beginning of the End (1996) ISBN 0-7852-6772-7 - on the New York Times Best Seller list (NYTBSL) and #1 book in the United States in 1996 in the Association for Christian Retail non-fiction division
• Day of Deception (1997) - on the NYTBSL
• Final Dawn Over Jerusalem (1998) - listed as the #1 book on the NYTBSL
• His Glory Revealed (1999)
• From Daniel to Doomsday: The Countdown Has Begun (1999)
• God's Two-Minute Warning (2000)
• The Revelation of Truth (2000)
• The Battle For Jerusalem (2001)
• Attack On America New York, Jerusalem, And The Role Of Terrorism In The Last Days (2001), revised version of The Battle For Jerusalem
• Devil’s Island (2001) - first fictional novel
• Avenger of Blood (2002) - second book in the fictional novel series
• The Life Plan Study Bible : God's Keys to Personal Success (2004) - editor
• The Seven Secrets: Unlocking Genuine Greatness (2004)
• Life Lessons to Live By : 52 Weeks of God's Keys to Personal Success (2005) - (daily devotional)
• Jerusalem Countdown (2005)
• What Every Man Wants In a Woman/What Every Woman Wants In a Man (2005) - co-authored with his wife, Diana.
• In Defense of Israel (2007)

Quotes

“Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews.” - Jerusalem Countdown (revised edition, 2007, p. 114)

"Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God." - keynote address to AIPAC, (March 12, 2007)

"You will either offend the world and please God, or please the world and offend God." -Faith under Fire broadcast, (September 12, 2005)

"What is the point of having free speech if you have nothing to say?" - "How Free Is Freedom?" (July 2, 2006) [1]

"Jesus did not come to the Earth to start 285 squabbling denominations fighting over the Bible. How like the devil to divide Christians over the Bible." - "How Free Is Freedom?" (July 2, 2006) [2]

"If you live your life and don't confess your sins to God Almighty through the authority of Christ and His blood, I'm going to say this very plainly, you're going straight to hell with a nonstop ticket." October, 2006[3]

"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that." .

"Why would you want to be politically correct when you can be right?" -The Revelation Church broadcast, (February 2007)

"The most important thing to the Christian community is not the environment but evangelism." "The Fish Gate" 9/2/07

"Christians don't steal or lie, they don't get divorced or have abortions. If the Ten Commandments were followed by everyone we would be able to fire half the police force and in six months the prisons would be all half empty." "The Fish Gate" 9/2/07

External links

• John Hagee Ministries website
• Cornerstone Church website