Christian Preacher denied entry to USA - for life!

Christian Preacher denied entry to USA - for life!

www.johnthebaptisttv.com

My (Andrew Strom’s) whole family were detained for over 6 hours at the US border yesterday (the USA side), questioned, photographed, fingerprinted like criminals – and sent back to Canada… They even fingerprinted my 15-year-old daughter. None of us (except our 9 and 11-year olds) can even set foot in the USA again without going to the US Consulate and getting special permission. We literally are now in the “criminal” class according to US Immigration.

All this because we were invited...

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
greatawakening.blogspot.com

I've been listening to some of Andrew's stuff for a while - and while he is controversial, I think America will be poorer for his absence. Strom is one to challenge the established organizations, and brings a stern warning to nominal Christians, and speaks strongly against pseudo-Christianity. He's preached Jesus Christ in the US before (felt specifically called by God to do so).

Whatever you think about Christianity or religion, this is certainly an interesting turn, and we live in very interesting times.

I tried to find some other links about this (and there are many if you google "Strom denied visa" or similar), but they all refer back to the same article - so don't add 'balance' - though some of the blog comments around may be of interest to some. I'm included one link though, as it refers to ANOTHER apparently similar denied entry of Gershon Salomon (I have no idea who he is).

To the mods - my apologies if this isn't posted right - I tried to see how to post directly to the religion area, but I failed to see how... Have pity on me, this is my first post. Technically I don't think this story has 'broken' yet, as I've not seen this in any normal news sources - though the actual event is almost a week old.

www.johnthebaptisttv.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by latitude39

and while he is controversial, I think America will be poorer for his absence.

I don't know about that. I mean right there on the site he says it is God who is shutting the door on any trips to America. So apparently he blames God and not immigration regulations. And if God doesn't want him in the USA maybe that's because he would end up doing more harm than good. So perhaps we are RICHER for his absence, eh?

I don't think he was kept out by God... since I don't believe there is one... but I do think it a bit harsh that they detained his small children for six hours and have labeled them as attempting to commit a crime by entering the nation... It mentions they entered from Canada though, perhaps they should have came straight from New Zealand or gotten the R visa they mention?

reply to post by latitude39


Obviously America aint what it used to be... why this would be an issue is the question I,d like to see answered.

reply to post by latitude39
I went to his website to see what kinds of things he brings up.

CAN PATRIOTISM be IDOLATRY? – Andrew Strom
-Can Patriotism be Idolatry? (ie. Can our country become a kind
of ‘god’ to us?)
-If we mix Patriotism in with Christianity, will it start to distort the
whole message and mission of the church?
-In other words, will we start to become “activists” not just for
Jesus, but for Patriotism too?
-So is America mostly spreading ‘good’ or spreading ‘evil’ in the world?
-Why then should we “defend” her – as though what she is doing in
the earth is “Christian”?

Just some excerpts. Very good questions. Jesus said, "Call no one on earth your father, for you have one Father in heaven." Patriotism, as a national thing, implies descent from the same father, the nation, or "Father land". Very out of place for followers of Jesus.

Is there any wonder the US doesn't want him giving talks in the US? "We have our own patriotic American Christianity, thank you. To kill for America is to kill for God."

Jesus also said, "The time will come when those who kill you will think they are doing God a favor." I do believe the Americans think they are doing God a favor.

Originally posted by latitude39

Christian Preacher denied entry to USA - for life!

But, you know, at the end of the day, God is in control. I felt sure
then and I feel sure now that even though this was so distressing,
God was still speaking to us through it all. I believe He is the one
who is slamming the door shut on America right now – and doing
so in no uncertain terms. We have been praying and many others
have been praying for too long for this to have just been “man’s”
decision. I accept it as the voice of God. America is over for us.

Well, bye. Hope that slamming door didn't hit you in the butt on your way out.

Everyone keeps saying we need to enforce our immigration laws. This guy didn't have the proper visa, so he got sent home.

This isn't too unusual. A friend of mine in Toronto had the same thing happen to her. This was back before 9/11 when travel between Canada and the US was more linient. She decided to take a trip across the border to NYC. She had a one way ticket because it was not yet decided if she would leave from NYC to go to London or come back to canada (was dependant on a meeting in NYC).

The border agents decided that she was a criminal threat and sent her home telling her the same thing... no entrance to the US without special permission from the US Consulate.

Originally posted by pthena
reply to post by latitude39
I went to his website to see what kinds of things he brings up.

CAN PATRIOTISM be IDOLATRY? – Andrew Strom
-Can Patriotism be Idolatry? (ie. Can our country become a kind
of ‘god’ to us?)
-If we mix Patriotism in with Christianity, will it start to distort the
whole message and mission of the church?

Pledging allegiance to the flag FIRST? Idolatry.

"American exceptionalism?" Patriotism as idolatry.

They even try to mix the two - we HAVE to have "In God We Trust" on mammon, right?

Ask this pastor what happens when you try to show your congregants that they're worshiping the wrong god:

hoosierpastor.blogspot.com...

Since do people take entry into the US for granted? If his activity in the US was deemed to require a special kind of visa, so be it. Clergy members do get visas. He's not just a tourist, period. It's a non-news and non-issue. Good job on part of Border Protection.

We have enough Christian preachers like this in the US already. Why the heck do we need to import them? All he was doing was taking the job some other American preacher would have been willing to do and probably at half the cost.

Originally posted by rogerstigers
This isn't too unusual. ...decided if she would leave from NYC to go to London or come back to canada (was dependant on a meeting in NYC).

The border agents decided no entrance to the US without special permission from the US Consulate.

Were they required to get "an 'R' visa. (These take months and months to get - often never)?" Was the meeting in NYC religious in nature? Because if not your comparison is not similar.

I don't see why it matters if he was a Christian preacher or not - he still has to adhere to all the same immigration requirements as everyone else. He knew about the R type visa and should have applied for one.

reply to post by mothershipzeta
I especially like this passage.

By the time the dust had settled, Woodland Hills, which Mr. Boyd founded in 1992, had lost about 1,000 of its 5,000 members.

But there were also congregants who thanked Mr. Boyd, telling him they were moved to tears to hear him voice concerns they had been too afraid to share.

I think it is a good time to bring such matters into the public discussion.

I left the last church I belonged to because the preacher decided to hold communion in honor of GW Bush just before Iraq invasion. No one was outraged a bit. Seemed quite normal to them, I suppose.

[edit on 30-8-2010 by pthena]

Hey, could this be the start of the crackdown on illegal immigration?

Seriously, the guy didn't have the proper papers. This is a GOOD thing! The fact that he's a preacher or Christian or whatever, is irrelevant.

reply to post by latitude39


Christian Preacher denied entry to USA - for life!



o.k.


I didn't read the article, but only because the thread title was so profound and such eye-candy, that I didn't feel the need to.


If this becomes a common occurrence, there may be hope yet...

Visa Waiver Program US State Department
Overview – What is the Visa Waiver Program?

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of 36 participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (visitor [B] visa purposes only) for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The program was established to eliminate unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry, and permitting the Department of State to focus consular resources in other areas. VWP eligible travelers may apply for a visa, if they prefer to do so. Nationals of VWP countries must meet eligibility requirements to travel without a visa on VWP, and therefore, some travelers from VWP countries are not eligible to use the program. VWP travelers are required to have a valid authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to travel, are screened at the port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s US-VISIT program.

New Zealand and Australia are participating countries.

reply to post by pthena


hey, thanks for finding that pthena - which is a good rebuttal to the idea suggested that he should have known to have gotten an "R" permit.

The big issue appears to be that despite the agreement between the US and NZ governments, the purpose for Strom's visit appears to have been the reason for his refusal - ie that he was to visit and preach in a series of locations (by invitation).

I also think mothershipzeta may have brought up some of the real issues, regarding the topics Andrew speaks on.

reply to post by facelift


I knew there would be interesting comments on this thread - and often the shortest are the punchiest - as is yours. There's quite a depth to the attitude you express. I believe in free will, and believe you're entitled to look at stuff and form your opinion.

Ironically though, I would have thought that a lot those with an anti-religious stance would found more value in Strom's influence on the church in America. He is one standing up and saying "this is wrong" to the money-making side of organized religion - and to the unholy marriage between the state and the organized church. He was one of the first to denounce the whole Todd Bentley and Lakeland affair - and to publicly identify certain other groups as cults.

and one more comment before I get back to work:

I read one theory that perhaps God has removed Strom, and Gershon Salomon, and apparently other Christians, as stuff is about to happen in the USA that these guys are to be spared from.

I find this a provacative idea, and I'm open to it as a possibility. (I'm not about to turn this into yet another doomsday thread though - not yet anyway).

As others have pointed out, a lot of people do get turned away, for diverse reasons. Gotta get some work done...

reply to post by latitude39
Looks like this thread already got bumped to BTS. Might as well discuss some issues of the Prophetic Movement.

I was reading this article “Why I Left the Prophetic Movement” – Nov 4, 2004. and noticed the name Bob Jones as one of the leading prophets. These parlor entertainers are still in business?

I went to a couple of Bob Jones meetings when he blew through So Cal back in 1973. I described a few of the "miracle healings" I'd seen to my uncle who knew about such things, and he demonstrated just how they were performed. I won't reveal the secrets because I just may want to "go into the business" myself some day. A good thing to separate ones self from in my opinion.

Then I checked BJ website and saw Fresh Revelation From Bob & Bonnie Jones August 4, 2010
Updated On: Aug 06, 2010 (08:03:00)
THE KEYS
Very interesting that what I saw recently in Isaiah 22 doesn't sound anything like what Bob Jones describes.

The Christians in America really do have to get their stuff together quick, and turning to people like Gershon Salomon isn't the answer. No building of stone temples will avail, nor substituting Israeli patriotism for American.

One Father in whom we live and breath and have our being does not dwell in temples of stone.