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Post by bullhornbob on Aug 19, 2008 2:57:33 GMT -5
Brother Mike A. was savagely beaten by attackers last Friday night at Virginia Beach. Please pray for him and his family. He needs it!
And then to top it off, he was arrested leaving the emergency room for disorderly conduct, and he spent the entire weekend in jail. The last word I had is that he was bonded out of jail Monday night.
Folks, the hatred and violent attitude towards the gospel and God's preachers is rapidly escalating. Preachers, we must watch and pray!
The Lord gave me this verse tonight:
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not (Luke 22:31,32a)
I believe that part of Christ's eternal intercession for His Body is that our faith will remain strong, genuine, and vibrant in the midst of persecution.
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Post by Kerrigan on Aug 19, 2008 4:59:11 GMT -5
WOW! We'll be praying for our brother in Christ. Please keep us updated brother...
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Aug 19, 2008 7:10:38 GMT -5
NEWS ALERT Bro. Michael Anderson of Virginia Beach, VA, was assaulted by some of the party goers on the Boardwalk at Virginia Beach on Friday night the 16th of August. Bro Mike was preaching on the Boardwalk as he has been doing for several years when he was suddenly met with extreme violence. Mike was assaulted, knocked down and kicked, he received multiple head wounds, his face is barely recognizable, the perpetrator repeatedly kicked him in the face. This happened while the ever present party animals at Virginia Beach looked on with glee. It is note worthy that the 'ever present' Virginia Beach police were conspicuously absent at the time of the beating and conveniently showed up only after Bro. Anderson was lying semi-conscious in a pool of his own blood. Bro. Anderson was taken to the hospital emergency room where he remained for quite some time, it was reported that after waiting for 'emergency' attention for well over an hour at this third world 'emergency' room, that he finally decided to head home and take his chances with Bactine, Isopropyl Alcohol and bandages. As Bro. Mike was leaving the third world hospital facility he was met in the parking lot by aggravated assault specialist from the local police department. They questioned Mr. Anderson about the content of his preaching and decided that he was to blame for his current condition and that he needed to be arrested on the spot for causing a disturbance of the revelry on Virginia Beach! Bro. Mike Anderson was then escorted to the Virginia Beach jail cell where he has remained to this hour since Friday night....without medical care and without even a bond being set for his release...courtesy of the local magistrate! Welcome to America, the land of truth, justice and the Constitution! You can reach Mike (when the judge decides its 'safe' to release him from his chains) at.... (757) 513-7062 cell phone (502) 409-4600 home phone email at: Michael@preachbz.com
Please keep Bro. Mike in your prayers... P.S. Mike's wife is not and has never been supportive of his call to preach in the open air from the beginning so this adds to the pressure that he is under....some of you know what this is like.
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Post by Kerrigan on Aug 19, 2008 7:31:23 GMT -5
If he is still in jail, then something needs to be done. Does he have a lawyer. Someone needs to at least contact ADF for him or something...
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Post by bullhornbob on Aug 19, 2008 19:14:28 GMT -5
ADF rarely deals with the criminal element, only civil. Since Mike was arrested for a criminal offense, he must clear the slate before ADF will even consider representing him.
Mike is in the hospital now and doing okay. He is scheduled to be released tomorrow if all goes well overnight.
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Post by dale on Aug 20, 2008 9:43:51 GMT -5
I don't pray. Only in America as it has changed in the past decade, could someone be stomped like this and then arrested for disorderly conduct. He needs to start filing some lawsuits. Fiorget praying and turning the other cheek. Start firing back.
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Post by Kerrigan on Aug 20, 2008 11:59:38 GMT -5
J.K., another street preached from the Va. Beach area said that a Christian Va. Beach police officer told him this: "The guy who punched him is a Marine and Mike evidently told him that 'He hoped he died from an R.E.D.'" Is there any truth to this statement brother? Just trying to clear the air for Brother Mike. Obviously, since the police officer himself wasn't there, he is trusting what the sinner told him that Mike said. Sinners lie all the time about these things...
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Post by Kerrigan on Aug 20, 2008 14:48:14 GMT -5
J.K., another street preached from the Va. Beach area said that a Christian Va. Beach police officer told him this: "The guy who punched him is a Marine and Mike evidently told him that 'He hoped he died from an R.E.D.'" Is there any truth to this statement brother? Just trying to clear the air for Brother Mike. Obviously, since the police officer himself wasn't there, he is trusting what the sinner told him that Mike said. Sinners lie all the time about these things... It turns out that there was no truth to these statements. I'll let Brother John post the full report later on...
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Aug 20, 2008 15:18:12 GMT -5
Here is a report from Richard:
I spoke to Mike about the whole ordeal this morning, he was still in the hospital when we spoke. He has bleeding on the brain from the vicious attack by a man with a grudge. Here is the break down.... Mike was preaching his normal message on the boardwalk, preaching nothing different from what he normally preaches every time he is out there. He said that an X-marine about 24 or 25 years old was in the crowd. This guy shouted out "Hey, you must be one of those guys that thanks God for dead marines and IED'S" (Fred Phelp's type) Mike is not in the Fred Phelps hyper Calvinist camp and would never thank God for IED's! Mike did not say "Thank God for dead marines or thank God for IED's or I wish you were dead or Too bad you did not get killed by an IED" Mike said that he responded to what the x-marine said by reminded the crowd that you never know when you are going to die and particularly soldiers who may be killed by an IED. The X-marine and his cohort left for the bar. Mike continued to preach, after some time the drunk x-marine came back and SUCKER PUNCHED Mike (not enough courage to even stand toe to toe and give Mike a fair chance at ducking the punch) Mike hits the cement and is out cold. Dave Donley is there, Dave is a regular evangelist on Virginia Beach. Dave saw the whole thing first hand. Dave told Mike that he thought that this was an unprovoked attack and confirmed that there was nothing different in Mike's preaching than what he normally says to the crowd. A Canadian preacher also witnessed the attack and had been there listening to the preaching. He gave Dave his information and said that he would be glad to return to the states to testify on Mike's behalf. The police arrested the perpetrator and his buddy. Mike was arrested for disturbing the peace after he left the hospital. Pastor Dave Bishop of True Vine Baptist Church was arrested a couple of weeks ago for disturbing the peace by his preaching. This is the second arrest for 'disturbing the peace' that Pastor Bishop has endured since the SOAPA conference. Mike will be sending out a photo of the injuries he sustained in the attack....this photo should dispel any doubt or suggestion that there was only a single punch involved in the attack as some who were not even there have suggested on the blogosphere. This was a vicious, unprovoked attack and there are people within the police force and sadly, others who even call themselves Christians, who would suggest that this attack was somehow justified and they will bend the truth to suit their own particular agenda. This is common practice in a situation like this and to be expected. This is the reason why video tape and audio recording is CRITICAL! For the record...Mike has NEVER been arrested for anything before. He has a clean record and for the magistrate to keep him in jail with bleeding on the brain, without allowing Mike to post bail is cruel and UNUSUAL punishment... The Alliance Defense Fund is getting involved at this point. Virginia Beach is out of control.
Sincerely Yours, Richard Christensen
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Post by bullhornbob on Aug 20, 2008 23:36:05 GMT -5
The story given by the ex-marine is a fabrication, to cover up his violent hatred towards Jesus Christ, the gospel, and Brother Mike.
Thanks Jesse for posting DC's emails, and please continue to pray for Mike's recovery.
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Post by John McGlone on Aug 21, 2008 7:56:38 GMT -5
I spoke with Brother Mike yesterday afternoon and thanks you for the email, calls, and prayers. He was grieved by some of the false reports. There has been some criticism about this situation from Christians in other areas of the internet, but these are unfounded.
We need to keep lifting up this situation to the Lord and see how He will work this all out for His glory.
JK you nailed the situation exactly, and I believe the VB police overreacted to this situation so badly because in hindsight they realized they did not protect this preacher as is thier responsibility to do. I noticed this particularly during the SOAPA conference there. The police officers attitudes were of carelessness about the protections of the preachers. Kind of like, the people are right in treating you this way because of the things you are proclaiming. But, it may not seem like much fun to be persecuted but God is glorified is what is important. Amen!
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Post by bullhornbob on Aug 24, 2008 3:51:12 GMT -5
I spoke with Mike today on the phone, and he sounded like he was doing well. I am so happy that he is recovering, but at the same time, I was angered by the actions of the authorities towards him. He explained the events to me, and I was indeed very saddened as well.
Remember, the entire area was flooded with preachers just a few weeks ago, and the cops were not exactly enforcing the law. They seemed irritated with the preachers being there, to say the least. The common attitude was "Hey, if you shoot your mouth off to people, don't expect us to help you." I personally was threatened with a citation for allegedly calling someone a homosexual, and a local pastor was cited for "inflammatory speech" as well.
Mike really needs prayer, as he is facing a multiplicity of situations that require true godly wisdom. But I expect that, through patient perserverance, the Lord will be glorified through all of this.
Praise God for the Man of God, Michael Anderson!
We cannot let our guard down, as we will see these types of attacks increase as the days and weeks go by.
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doug
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by doug on Aug 25, 2008 9:29:45 GMT -5
I am not familiar yet with all the material on Jesse's site, but I want to offer my perspective on Mike's situation, as I have also been physically attacked by unbelievers and have been escorted away from a public place by police for street preaching when I was younger. When vicious attacks like the one described occur, we need to look at it and ask if there was anything that could have been done differently and then consider what measures need to be taken in the future to try to prevent unnecessary violence while maintaining our effective witness. Taking my cue from Finney, street preachers ought to try to avoid certain remarks that can be misinterpreted given the temperament of certain individuals. For instance, the patriotic impulse can be fueled needlessly by comments which go towards sensitive political issues, such as war. That is not to say that we should not preach against sin if that sin pertains to the unjust invasion of another country, but the gospel should be the main issue. From what I understand, Mike was saying one thing and others misinterpreted him. Keith Green too was zealous for the gospel, but admittedly, a little knowledge would have kept him with us. Next. if our preaching provokes such hostility and violence, we need to ask if it is because of the gospel or is it simply because of our preaching and invasive methods? To put it another way, what if the message was mormonism or watchtower doctrine, but with the confrontational open air approach? Is it not possible that public reactions could occur regardless of the message? Also, let us not forget the precedent set by the late great William Booth. Peter Monk, an Irish ex-prize fighter became a bodyguard to Booth. In fact, Booth had several able and willing bodyguards to protect him. I have faith that the open air outreach will make great inroads as the Salvation Army did. But, it must adapt to the risks intelligently by following such innovations as were applied by the preachers of old time. It is a little known fact that even John Wesley had converted soldiers for a group of bodyguards. But imagine if Jesse or others with our particular call went out street preaching and the lost saw us with bodyguards. I imagine that this would create quite a favorable impression for the gospel as well as provide some wise protection. Mike's wife is justified in her fears and it is perhaps wise that we should not gauge our commitment level to Christ by the amount of zeal or passion we have. God is glorified through Mike's situation if both he and all of us learn from it. Not a few JWs and LDS missionaries have also taken a few lumps. The trick is to not get lumped in with them. I hope that some reading here will accept my Jethro to their Moses. You NEED a contingent of trained and fear-inspiring bodyguards. It is then when we have switched from fanatic street preachers to Wesley and Booth class preachers. Its time to kick it up a notch. But hey, that is my two cents worth. Peace, Doug
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Post by Jeffrey Olver on Aug 25, 2008 13:16:00 GMT -5
Doug,
Interesting advice for our current age.
My biblical philosophy for situations such as that is: "A soft answer turns away wrath."
There have been times where I thought I was going to get my head punched in, or shoved into oncoming traffic. But a soft answer diffused the wrath of the "raging heathen." Even a rebuke in gentle tone I have seen calm people down.
Typically telling stories/parables works very well with crowds - but it can also work one on one with an irrate person.
When Miles, Jesse and myself were preaching; often people were very accusatory when they would assume that the other two were the bodyguards of the one preaching. It seemed to cause many to assume we were looking to start something that NEEDED to have bodyguards present.
But yes, regardless, it IS SAFER in numbers.
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Aug 27, 2008 21:08:12 GMT -5
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Post by deltadom on Aug 28, 2008 9:47:23 GMT -5
this is terrible
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Post by John McGlone on Aug 30, 2008 0:08:00 GMT -5
We just got back from a short term mission to the Tidewater/Norfolk/Va Beach region. Mike is looking much better and stated that God is healing him so quickly he considers it a miracle. He said he has not had any headaches and thanks everyone for their prayers. We had dinner with him and got to meet his wife who has been doing very well considering the situation. She has started coming to church, pray for her please. Mike's father testified he was so frustrated the weekend that Mike was in jail knowing the situation with his injuries and they would not let him out. The authorities decided no bail for a misdemeanor charge, yet let all the drunkards etc out on Sat morning.
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Post by dale on Sept 2, 2008 21:26:57 GMT -5
No need for people to stomp on this guy. Making fun of him is one thing and walking away from it is another, but no reason for people to have sromped him like this...and then he gets arrested? Only in the USA under the Bush regime!
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Post by debonnaire on Sept 3, 2008 7:13:18 GMT -5
it happens every day in some regions of the world where faith in Christ-Jesus is not well considered, or even forbidden. We can reasonably think that this state of things will increase in the Western nations as well.
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Post by deltadom on Sept 6, 2008 16:32:38 GMT -5
Is there any more news on Mike has he got any better
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Post by manderson on Sept 11, 2008 20:07:29 GMT -5
Praise the Lord. I feel and look better. I have to go to court Oct. 20th to face the charge of disturbing the peace.
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Post by John McGlone on Sept 11, 2008 21:00:35 GMT -5
We will keep lifting up prayers for you brother.
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Post by dale on Sept 14, 2008 16:35:19 GMT -5
I don'r know this Brother Mike guy and do not really care to, either way, but again, no call for someone to have been pounding on him like that and the fact he gets charges placed against him shows just how absurd this country is getting.
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