Religion, Pitch

Lou Engle's Detroit TheCall gathering doesn't draw expected crowd

Ben Palosaari — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:25 -0600

Everybody's favorite hoarse, mustachioed, lunatic drinking bird, Lou Engle, held one of his famous TheCall gatherings on Friday at Ford Field in Detroit, and it followed his classic form: According to news reports, he was his classic, nutty self, and the crowd was smaller than expected.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the football stadium drew fewer than the 50,000 to 70,000 people organizers had hoped for, and the crowd was mostly white despite the IHOP crew's hopes of attracting a large contingent of black worshippers.…

HuffPost identifies nine worst Westboro Baptist funeral protests

David Martin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:08:24 -0500

The Huffington Post has come up with a list of the nine "worst" funeral protests by Westboro Baptist Church.

It's kind of a dumb exercise because, like a list of the worst Beatles songs, it suggests that the church does worthwhile things when it's not thanking God for AIDS and improvised explosive devices.…

So-called prophet claims President Obama's speech on the Middle East caused Joplin tornado (video)

Justin Kendall — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:54:33 -0500

In July, nutbag Kansas City preacher Lou Engle claimed that the May 22 EF5 tornado that ripped through Joplin "was a sign that God's redemptive judgments are beginning to be manifest concerning the shedding of innocent blood and abortion."

Not so fast, as college football analyst Lee Corso would say. A prophet named Chuck Pierce is claiming that the tornado that killed 159 was God's response to a speech by President Obama on the Middle East.…

Lou Engle says Texas Gov. Perry's presidential announcement may have brought relief during the Lone Star State's drought

Justin Kendall — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:09:20 -0500

Hey, everyone, homophobic Kansas City evangelical Lou Engle said something crazy. I know.…

Jerry Johnston's First Family Church getting booted from Overland Park megachurch home

Justin Kendall — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:18:00 -0500

Anyone in the market for a megachurch? The Rev. Jerry Johnston's First Family Church is getting booted out of its Overland Park home near U.S. Highway 69 and 143rd Street, The Kansas City Star's Judy L. Thomas reported (and she's done a fantastic job of keeping track of what's going on with the church).…

Lou Engle believes he can pray the gay away and also convert Muslims to Christianity

Justin Kendall — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:13:00 -0500

Creepy Kansas City preacher Lou Engle has something in common with Marcus Bachmann: He believes you can pray the gay away. Engle recently spoke about one such conversion at Awakening 2011 in Chicago (of course, there's video after the jump).…

International House of Prayer leader Mike Bickle claims he's been personally attacked by demons (video)

Justin Kendall — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:46:06 -0500

International House of Prayer leader Mike Bickle says he has seen demons with his own eyes. At least once.…

Sam Brownback downplays his involvement in creepy prayer rally

David Martin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0500

The prayer rally that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is leading in Houston on Saturday is looking more like a cautionary tale than a great awakening. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, the one governor who planned to attend the arena-sized day of fasting and prayer, now appears to be waffling in his commitment to the event -- perhaps out of recognition that it's creepy with homophobes.…

Sam Brownback is the only governor to commit to Rick Perry's prayer rally

David Martin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:10:04 -0500

Rick Perry, the governor of Texas and a potential presidential candidate, is going to pray and fast for America on August 6. He's not kidding around, either.…

Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket SlutWalk

David Martin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:20:34 -0500

Surprising no one, the Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket the SlutWalk march in Kansas City ~~on July 30~~. The mere mention of the word "slut" sent church officials reaching for the finger grease-stained pages of the Old Testament.…

Babies supposedly appear in clouds above Lou Engle speech site (video)

Ben Palosaari — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:00:00 -0500

If you're a fan of cheese pizza Jesus or grilled cheese Jesus (or even potato chip Abraham Lincoln), get a load of this. Some guy was in Michigan at a church where local whack-a-mole and accessory to Uganda's "kill the gays" law Lou Engle was holding court.…

Mike Bickle and Lou Engle make Rachel Maddow's roundup of religious nut jobs at Texas Gov. Rick Perry's rally

Justin Kendall — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:20:17 -0500

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

International House of Prayer leader Mike Bickle believes that Oprah is the harbinger of the Antichrist> Lou Engle likes to say crazy shit (there's too much to list). Both made Rachel Maddow's roundup of crazy religious leaders supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry's prayer event on August 6 at Reliant Stadium.…

IHOP (prayer) youth conference invading Kansas City; homophobe Lou Engle speaking Friday

Justin Kendall — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:40:52 -0500

The International House of Prayer's latest takeover of downtown Kansas City started today around noon. They're calling it Fascinate.…

Look out, Muslims! Lou Engle is on his way to Detroit

David Martin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:52:46 -0500

Lou Engle is taking his unique brand of bug-eyed fundamentalism to Michigan. The frothing preacher says God has told him to hold one of his prayer rallies in the Detroit area.…

Kansas looking for 5,000 Ned Flanders types to mentor ex-cons

David Martin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:17:43 -0500

One of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's Big Ideas is to pair prison inmates with mentors who can help them make the transition from the cell block to society. Brownback spoke Monday in Wichita at a conference sponsored by Prison Fellowship, a group that promotes ministry in prisons and support for ex-offenders.…

Father Michael Tierney removed as pastor of Christ the King Parish after accusations of sexual misconduct with minors

Justin Kendall — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0500

Bishop Robert Finn has removed Father Michael Tierney as pastor of Christ the King Parish after receiving reports of sexual misconduct with minors in the early 1970s and 1980s, KMBC is reporting.

The Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Diocese's Independent Review Board reportedly received "credible reports alleging sexual misconduct with minors" by Tierney and recommended the pastor's removal from Christ the King Parish as well as from all public ministry.…

IHOP pancakes sues IHOP prayer nuts (again) for brand confusion

Justin Kendall — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:20:27 -0500

The International House of

Pancakes (IHOP) is suing the International House of Prayer (also

IHOP) for trademark infringement ... again. The Kansas City Business Journal reported that Pancakes is suing in federal court in Kansas City, claiming that

the prayer nuts are causing confusion by using the IHOP acronym and

piggybacking on the

restaurant's brand.

Last December, Pancakes dropped a similar lawsuit in California against the prayer nuts after entering mediation.…

Diocese was warned about priest's 'inappropriate' contact with children

David Martin — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:00:02 -0500

The principal at St. Patrick School warned the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph that teachers and parents were concerned about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan's "inappropriate behavior with children." Ratigan was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography last week, five months after the diocese became aware that he kept images of children on his computer.

A diocese spokeswoman confirms that a monsignor received a memo from Julie Hess, the principal at St. Patrick, in which she shared concerns about Ratigan's behavior.…

Admitting failure in child porn case, Bishop Finn hears from parishioners

David Martin — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:30:00 -0500

Bishop Robert W. Finn went to St. Patrick's parish on Friday, a day after a priest who served there was arrested and charged with three counts of possessing child pornography. Finn admitted that the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph mishandled information that a priest, Shawn Ratigan, 45, possessed images of children, including at least one of a nude girl.

The parishioners blasted Finn for nearly three hours, according to an account in the National Catholic Reporter.…

Angel Dillard claims freedom of speech allows her to intimidate abortion providers

Justin Kendall — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:42:19 -0500

Angel Dillard, the anti-abortion activist accused of sending a threatening letter to a

doctor training to perform abortions in Wichita, is now claiming that her letter is protected by the First Amendment. Clearly our forefathers were concerned that whack jobs might not be able to send intimidating letters to abortion providers, warning them that if they provide the legal medical procedure, they should expect car bombs to be planted under their cars.…

Judgment Day billboard guy promises earthquakes and plenty of death on May 21

Justin Kendall — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:51:10 -0500

The countdown to Judgment Day is on (as I showed you via this billboard). Wha?…

Judgment Day is only 16 days away! Billboard and Bible guarantee it!

Justin Kendall — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:13:49 -0500

The Bible (supposedly) and this billboard at Charlotte and Truman are guaranteeing Judgment Day on May 21. That's only 16 days away, so you better sleep in your best suit or dress on May 20.…

God hates ... Verizon? Blogger takes out frustration on phone company

Justin Kendall — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

One of these things is not like the others. This random photo is from blogger Sara with Camera.…

God made Peggy Ross stab her 8-year-old (allegedly)

Nadia Pflaum — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:05:49 -0500

Police responded to a 911 call at 8231 Oak on Tuesday to find "TR," an 8-year-old boy, suffering from stab wounds on his hands and wrists. TR's grandmother told police that she was in bed with the boy, and woke to see his mother, Peggy A. Ross, stabbing the boy with a knife.…

Robert Ulrich, Jerry Johnston apologist, is sure an accomplished chap

David Martin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:00:00 -0600

The Bible warns against pride. But that hasn't stopped Robert Ulrich, the chief apologist of beleaguered pastor Jerry Johnston, from allowing First Family Church to post a version of his résumé that's nearly 1,000 words long.

The Overland Park megachurch has been weakened by public defections and a potential foreclosure.…