PER:Christian Information Bureau July 1987  by Dave Hunt

   Dear Praying Friends;

   When T.A. McMahon and I wrote The Seduction of Christianity, we had
no idea that it would stir up such controversy. We are still astonished
by the heated, angry, vitriolic attacks; and now almost two years after
publication, rather than subsiding, the campaign against Seduction and
Dave Hunt (no one knows T.A. McMahon) seems actually to be gaining
momentum. I thought you might like to know some of the facts in order
to pray specifically. The following examples are only representative of
much, much more.

   There are constant attacks against me personally, pastors declaring
that I am demon-possessed and warning their congregations not to read
Seduction or to attend my meetings if I happen to be speaking in their
area. My motives and character are impugned from pulpit, radio and TV.
For example, one pastor of a large church wrote in his weekly bulletin
that it was "proven by credible sources that the book was written
strictly for MONEY so please do not buy it"! When I told him this was
libelous, he printed an apology in his bulletin for judging [my]
heart", but reiterated that Seduction was "full of inaccuracies,
slanderous accusations based on out-of-context statements..." When I
pointed out that it is not "judging my heart" to accuse me of something
"proven by credible sources" and asked to face these "credible
sources", he did not reply to my letter. Nor did he reply to my request
for specific examples of "inaccuracies, slanderous accusations [and]
out-of-context statements.

   An editorial in Christianity Today made similar libelous personal
accusations, and my letter of response was cut so much by CT that I
would have preferred them not to print it at all. Another CT article
filled with undocumented false accusations was titled "Welcome to the
Inquisition!". Since when do two unknown laymen conduct an inquisition?
Inquisitions are imposed by the clergy in power, and this is in fact
the main source of the opposition.

   Robert Schuller has great power, and when he declared on radio that
Seduction (although he hadn't read it was literally "demonic, Satanic,
a work of the Devil", many probably believed him. Recently Schuller
told a pastor at whose church I was scheduled to speak, "Dave Hunt is a
devil, you can see the serpent in his eyes", and warned that he would
have to exorcise the "negativism" out of the stones of his church if he
allowed me to speak there. His language was sprinkled with
four-lettered words, not all of thme Dave or Hunt. (This was right
after he had told a group of pastors, in keeping with his "positive" TV
image, that they should never say anything "negative" against anyone.
Jan Crouch, so sweet on TV, has also cursed me off camera.) Schuller
and Oral Roberts together convinced the pastor of a very large church,
who had until then been favorable, that he ought to take Seduction out
of the church bookstore. Schuller and others have been offered tghe
opportunity to discuss the issures with me on TV and have refused. In
fact, John Ankerberg has not yet been able to find anyone named in the
book (except Jose Silva, an occultist) who will come on his TV show to
discuss the issues with me. Why?

   When Hal Lindsey interviewed me on his Saturday AM radio program,
almost half of his stations across the country cut him off as soon as
they heard my voice. At the same time, rumors have been spread that I
have been invited on this radio or that TV show to face some leader and
have refused. You may be certain that I have never refused any such
invitation. Although I have been banned from TBN for years, those who
call the station to inquire have been told: "Jan has tried to get Dave
to come on the show and he won't do it." That is not true.

   On a recent trip to the East coast, the church where I was scheduled
to speak canceled under pressure. That pastor as well as others
confessed in private that they agreed with the message of Seduction,
but were afreaid to let me in their churches because of extreme
pressure from Positive Confession and Word of Faith pastors who were
very strong in the area. Those sponsoring the meetings had a very
difficult time finding a host church. Christian psychologists and
psychiatrists have likewise exerted unbiblical and unethical pressures
to keep me off talk shows and out of churches.

   Apparently we have struck a nerve that has caused powerful leaders
to use desperate tactics in an attempt to silence me and obscure vital
issues in a fog of ad hominem lies. One leader of a large international
ministry, a good friend for years, wrote a letter accusing me of
"slaughtering" scores of innocent Christian leaders. Yet my response
sincerely asking him to please specify whom I had slaughtered and how,
and promising to repent if he would substantiate his charges, has never
been answered. To the pastor of a large West Coast church who had held
a pastors' conference at which Schuller and Roberts et al spoke and
during which Hunt and Seduction were misrepresented, I wrote: "If you
know of ANY inaccuracies, out-of- context or twisted quotes, dishonest
or unfair tactics or anything that isn't 100% factual in Seduction,
then please let us know and we pledge to correct it for the next
printing." That was six months ago, and the letter has never been
answered, yet he was so concerned about errors in Seduction that it was
a major item on the conference agenda.

   There can be no doubt that a historic battle is shaping up. I expect
it to get worse. The issues may be more important and the hour later
than any of us realize. All we have called for is a re-examination of
current teaching and practices in light of scripture, yet we are being
fought on every front. Of course there are many solid pastors and
internationally known leaders who have given strong support to
Seduction and Beyond Seduction.

   I am not calling your attention to the opposition to gain your
sympathy, for I can truly testify that I feel no pressure. Of course I
want to be sensitive to legitimate complaints and quick to accept valid
correction - but false accusations, no matter how vicious, give me no
concern at all. This is the Lord's battle, and we must be certain that
we are on His side. I have written the above so that you can
specifically pray for repentance on the part of leaders who seem more
concerned about "their" ministries, reputations and friends than truth;
for a new love of the truth to sweep the church; and for eye-opening
discernment on the part of many who have been deceived. "Stand
therefore..."(Eph. 6:10-19) Your prayers for me and Tom (T.A.), Jay and
Anne and the CIB staff are very much needed and greatly appreciated.

   In Christ's love, Dave Hunt

   This has been put up on the board by the kind permission of the
staff of CIB, and I would encourage you to write to the address that
was at the beginning of this message to order their monthly newsletter
for $12.00 U.S. per year. Make sure that chegues are on a U.S. money
order and payable to:

   Christian Information Bureau

   PO Box 3120

   Camarillo Ca 93011
