Battle Cry

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Battle Cry, a Christian fundamentalist youth movement, is part of the evangelical organization Teen Mania Ministries[1] in Garden Valley, Texas, which was founded in 1986 by Ron Luce.[2][3]

"The leaders of BattleCry claim that their religion and values are under attack, but amid spectacular light shows, Hummers, Navy SEALs and military imagery on stage, it is BattleCry that has declared war on everyone else. Its leader, Ron Luce, insists: 'This is war. And Jesus invites us to get into the action, telling us that the violent—the 'forceful' ones—will lay hold of the kingdom'," Sunsara Taylor wrote May 11, 2006, in Truthdig.[4]

Supporters

"Teen Mania and BattleCry are multimillion-dollar operations that send more than 5,000 missionaries to more than 34 countries each year. Their supporters and members are some of the most powerful and extreme religious lunatics in the country," Sunsara Taylor wrote.[4]

"BattleCry’s 'partners' include Pat Robertson (who got a call from Karl Rove to discuss Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito before the nomination was made public), Charles Colson (who as President Richard Nixon’s lawyer was knee-deep in the Watergate scandal and who went to jail for obstruction of justice in the Pentagon Papers case), and Jerry Falwell (who blamed Sept. 11 on homosexuals, feminists, pagans and abortionists). BattleCry’s events have been addressed by former First Lady Barbara Bush (via video)[5] as well as former President Gerald Ford." The May 13-14, 2006, weekend event includes Franklin Graham, "who has ministered to George W. Bush and publicly proclaimed that Islam is an 'evil religion'," Taylor wrote.[4]

"What most of these figures have in common is their insistence that the Bible be read literally and obeyed as the inerrant word of God," Taylor said.[4] "And, because Ron Luce leads youth to say in prayer, 'I will keep my eyes on the battle, submitting to Your code even when I don’t understand,' it would be foolish to expect that there is any part of the Bible’s literal horrors this movement would be unwilling to enforce, including stoning disobedient children and non-virgin brides (Deuteronomy 21:18-21 and 22:13-21), executing gays (Leviticus 20:13), and keeping slaves (Peter 2:18)."

"Luce's approach has been praised by conservative leaders from the Rev. Jerry Falwell to Fox News commentator Sean Hannity," Joe Garofoli wrote in the March 25, 2006, San Francisco Chronicle.[6] "Much of the statistical backing for the horrors Luce sees on TV is provided by the Parents Television Council, which is funded by conservative foundations such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation."

Coalition supporters and members

The following are listed on the organization's website as "Battle Cry Partners":[7]

Former partners

The following were previously listed as Battle Cry partners.

About

The Battle Cry website states[3] that "The Battle Cry Campaign is driven by several Christian ministries and church leaders and led by TeenMania Ministries[9] Teen Mania's goal is to provoke a young generation to passionately pursue Jesus Christ and to take His life-giving message to the ends of the earth."

"Battle" Plan"

See "God's Army: The Battle Cry Coalition."[10]

Contact information

Teen Mania Ministries Headquarters
P.O. Box 2000
Garden Valley, TX 75771
Phone: 800 299-TEEN
FAX: 903 324-8100
Email: BattleCry AT teenmania.org Website: http://battlecry.com/
Online Forums: http://forums.battlecry.com/

Resources and articles

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. TeenMania.org website.
  2. Ron Luce, Wikipedia.
  3. 3.0 3.1 About, BattleCry.com.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sunsara Taylor, "Fear and Loathing at Philadelphia's BattleCry," Truthdig, May 13, 2006.
  5. Day One, Barbara Bush video, AcquireTheEvidence.com.
  6. Joe Garofoli, "Christian youth rally in S.F." and "Evangelical teens rally in S.F.," San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2006.
  7. Partners, BattleCry.com; accessed August 18, 2007.
  8. Deceased.
  9. Corporate, Teen Mania Ministries.
  10. "God's Army: The Battle Cry Coalition."

External articles

2005

2006

2007

External resources