D. James Kennedy Ministries

D. James Kennedy Ministries

Background

D. James Kennedy Ministries, formerly known as Coral Ridge Ministries and Truth in Action Ministries, was founded in 1974 by the late D. James Kennedy.

Kennedy was also the founder of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Evangelism Explosion International, the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary, and the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a socially conservative political group.1โ€œAbout: Our Vision,โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries. Archived February 1, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/b4GoM

Coral Ridge Ministries initially produced a weekly religious television program, The Coral Ridge Hour, that was carried on various networks and syndicated on numerous other stations with a peak audience of three million viewers in 200 countries, and is still aired on radio today.2โ€œAbout: Our Vision,โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries. Archived February 1, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/b4GoM

As of 2017, D. James Kennedy Ministries’ media outreach includes weekly television programs โ€œKennedy Classics with Dr. D. James Kennedy and Truths That Transform; Truth In Action,โ€ as well as a weekly half-hour radio program โ€œwith Dr. Michael Milton,โ€ and the monthly Impact Magazine and Devotional, among other print and video resources.3โ€œAbout: Our Vision,โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries. Archived February 1, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/b4GoM

According to its website, D. James Kennedy Ministries’ aims to โ€œthrough this church, the Gospel of Jesus Christ might be radiated through television and radio, motion pictures and cassettes, books and clinics, and by ways yet undreamed of unto the entire world, that the command of Christ to go and proclaim the Gospel to every creature might be fulfilled in our generation.โ€4โ€œAbout: Our Vision,โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries. Archived February 1, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/b4GoM

Stance on Climate Change

December 2016

D. James Kennedy Ministries’ senior producer and host Jerry Newcombe is also a columnist for its website. In a December 2016 article he wrote:5โ€œ’The Blessings of โ€œChristian Hegemony,’โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries. Archived February 1, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/es0cL

โ€œMeanwhile, the theory of man-made global warming is a myth. For example, the worldwide average temperature has not risen in the last 18 years. So the theorists changed the name to โ€œclimate change.โ€ Well, to borrow a line from Marco Rubio, thereโ€™s always climate changeโ€”itโ€™s called ‘the weather.’โ€

April 2014

Truth in Action Ministries released a short that endorsed and included the following quotes from climate change deniers:6โ€œTruth In Action Ministries: Climate Change Is A Cult Whose Believers Worship The Environment, Not God,โ€ Latest.com, April 28, 2014. Archived July 6, 2014. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/rQF3b

โ€œ Environmentalism has become a religion. These are recycled communists, recycled socialists, recycled collectivists who are trying to use a flawed theory of environmentalism to bring about the collectivist society they were unable to bring about politically through socialism and through communism.โ€

โ€œ One of the ways we can commit idolatry is by substituting ourselves as the creature for God, thatโ€™s what many of these scientists and bureaucrats are trying to do.โ€ 

โ€œ We need to be very careful about not turning over our freedom and liberty to a bunch of bureaucrats in the name of saving the planet.โ€

2011

D. James Kennedy Ministries, then called Coral Ridge Ministries, produced a video in 2011 called โ€œGlobal Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose’ Of Climate Change.โ€7โ€œGlobal Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose of Climate Change ( DVD ),โ€ Answers in Genesis. Archived April 16, 2016. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/d9ESj

The following quotes are from a description of the video:

โ€œGlobal Warming addresses subjects that most others wonโ€™t touch, including misinformation which is contained in Al Goreโ€™s An Inconvenient Truth.โ€

โ€œGlobal warming is real, but it is not primarily man-made. This biblically-based and thoroughly balanced view of climate change reveals that global warming is not a black & white issue. Viewers will see why well-meaning Christians need to be extremely careful when advocating environmental policies.โ€8โ€œGlobal Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose of Climate Change ( DVD ),โ€ Answers in Genesis. Archived April 16, 2016. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/d9ESj

Funding

Conservative Transparency summarizes D. James Kennedy Ministries Media funding. Note that not all individual funding values have been verified by DeSmog.9โ€Coral Ridge Ministries,โ€ Conservative Transparency. Search performed February 1, 2017. 10โ€œCoral Ridge Presbyterian Church,โ€ Conservative Transparency. Search performed February 1, 2017.

View the attached spreadsheet for details on D. James Kennedy Ministries Funding by year (.xlsx)

 Donor
Recipient and YearDeVos Urban Leadership InitiativeNational Christian Charitable FundOrville D. and Ruth A. Merillat FoundationBill and Berniece Grewcock FoundationSchwab Charitable FundGrand Total
Coral Ridge Ministries $752,744 $27,000 $779,744
2000   $2,000 $2,000
2001 $16,600 $5,000 $21,600
2002 $21,643 $5,000 $26,643
2003 $85,750 $5,000 $90,750
2004 $271,525   $271,525
2005 $157,701 $5,000 $162,701
2006 $43,500 $5,000 $48,500
2007 $25,900   $25,900
2008 $19,559   $19,559
2009 $20,766   $20,766
2010 $60,950   $60,950
2011 $22,750   $22,750
2013 $6,100   $6,100
Coral Ridge Ministries Media  $1,215,000  $1,215,000
1999  $400,000  $400,000
2001  $300,000  $300,000
2002  $300,000  $300,000
2003  $75,000  $75,000
2004  $85,000  $85,000
2005  $25,000  $25,000
2006  $30,000  $30,000
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church$15,943,800$749,724   $16,750,326
2000$1,760,000    $1,760,000
2001$960,000$52,500   $1,012,500
2002$750,000$36,600   $786,600
2003$600,000$24,805   $624,805
2004$1,510,000$12,500   $1,522,500
2005$1,810,000$1,000   $1,811,000
2006$2,040,800$25,000   $2,065,800
2007$1,760,000$50,000   $1,810,000
2008$1,965,000$19,550   $1,984,550
2009$1,278,000$102,645   $1,380,645
1998$1,510,000    $1,510,000
2010 $102,305   $102,305
2011 $79,153   $79,153
2013 $36,078   $36,078
2012 $34,228   $34,228
2014 $6,000   $6,000
2015 $167,360   $167,360
2016 $56,802   $56,802
D James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship    $8,500$8,500
2006    $3,000$3,000
2007    $3,000$3,000
2008    $2,500$2,500
D James Kennedy Leadership Council $750   $750
2002 $750   $750
Knox Theologal Seminary $71,181   $71,181
2008 $17,000   $17,000
2009 $27,403   $27,403
2010 $26,778   $26,778
Truth in Action Radio Ministries $27,550   $27,550
2011 $350   $350
2013 $6,100   $6,100
2012 $14,200   $14,200
2015 $6,900   $6,900
WAFG 90 3 FM  $15,960   $15,960
2008 $12,250   $12,250
2009 $1,650   $1,650
2010 $1,860   $1,860
2011 $200   $200
Grand Total$15,943,800$1,617,909$1,215,000$27,000$8,500$18,869,011

DeVos Funding

Rolling Stone’s Bob Moser reported that former Amway CEO and co-founder Richard DeVos is connected with the Dominionist political movement in the United States. Moser states that DeVos was a supporter of the late D. James Kennedy, giving more than $5 million to the cause.11Bob Moser. โ€œThe Crusaders,โ€ Rolling Stone, April 7, 2005. Archived August 8, 2007. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/JkOCp 12Bill Berkowitz. โ€œWorse Than Madoff: Amway Launches Domestic Revival,โ€ Religion Dispatches Magazine, June 18, 2009. Archived on March 4, 2016. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/ I0 j4X

Some background on DeVos, via an article at The Daily Kos:13โ€œ( MI – Gov) DeVos Doctrine: Mission ala D. James Kennedy (Series),โ€ Daily Kos, August 11, 2006. Archived January 17, 2012. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/Vl0Wy

DeVos was also a founding member and two-time president of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing Christian-focused organization

High-ranking Amway leaders such as Richard DeVos and Dexter Yager were owners and members of the board of Gospel Films, a producer of movies and books geared towards conservative Christians, as well as co-owners (along with Salem Communications) of a right-wing, Christian non-profit entity called Gospel Communications International.

In July 1996, Amway co-founder Richard DeVos was honored at a $3 million fundraiser for the Republican Party, and a week later, it was reported that Amway had tried to donate $1.3 million to pay for Republican โ€œinfomercialsโ€ and televising of the GOP convention on Pat Robertson’s Family Channel, but backed off when Democrats criticized the donation as a ploy to avoid campaign-finance restrictions.

In April 1997, Richard DeVos and his wife, Helen, gave $1 million to the Republican National Committee, which at the time was the second-largest soft-money donation ever, behind Amway’s 1994 gift of $2.5 million to the RNC .

Key People

Name200914โ€œCoral Ridge Ministries,โ€ Charity Navigator. Archived July 16, 2009. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/AzdZb 201115โ€œBios,โ€ Truth in Action Ministries. Archived July 12, 2011. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/lhyPk201216โ€œBios,โ€ Truth in Action Ministries. Archived August 7, 2012. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/CxPF2201317โ€œBios,โ€ Truth in Action Ministries. Archived July 27, 2013. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/KhFCS201418โ€œBios,โ€ Truth in Action Ministries. Archived June 6, 2014. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/ C7 wlE201519โ€œTruth in Action Ministries,โ€ Charity Navigator. Archived September 6, 2015. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/YobYp201720โ€œD. James Kennedy Ministries,โ€ Charity Navigator. Archived February 4, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/uyr3bDescription
Brian E. FisherY      President (2009)
Carmen Pate   Y   Chief Communications Officer
Charles White   Y   Board of Directors
Dan Scalf YY    President (2011, 2012), Former Executive VP (1988 to 1993, possibly longer)21 โ€D. James Kennedy: Coral Ridge Anniversary,โ€ Televangelist Summaries, October 1988. Archived February 4, 2017. Archived.pdf on file at DeSmog.,22โ€œCoral Ridge Ministries,โ€ Charity Navigator. Archived November 3, 2011. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/oxF7b
David P. Russ Y     Interim Executive VP 23Damon Adams. โ€œStation, Church Ministry Disagree On Gays Program,โ€ Sun Sentinel, April 30, 1993. Archived February 4, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/nthnd
Francis W. Wright Y    YPresident (2017 to present); Board of Directors (2012)24โ€œCoral Ridge Ministries,โ€ Charity Navigator. Archived November 3, 2011. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/oxF7b
Frank Johnson   YY   Executive Vice President (2012 to 2013)
Gladys Israels   YY  Secretary
Hector L. Padron Y     Executive Vice President (2011)
James Carlson   YYYYChairman; Executive Vice President (2015); President/Executive Chairman (2017 to present)
Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy YYYY  Board of Directors
Jerry Newcombe YYYYYYSenior Producer (until 2013; 2016 to present) and Host, Spokesperson (2014 to 2016)25โ€œTransforming Culture, Beware of Truth in Action,โ€ Way of Life Literature. Archived February 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Tmx6U,26โ€œAbout me,โ€ JerryNewcombe.com. Archived November 15, 2014. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/6CrVo
Lawrence L. Eldridge   YY  Board of Directors
Michael A. Milton    Y  Board of Directors
Mike Whitten   Y   Board of Directors
Rodney A. Cox    Y   Chief Strategy Officer
Steve Kahlke   Y   Chief Financial Officer/Director of Finance
William T. Allen   YY  Vice Chairman

Actions

April 2014

Truth in Action Ministries released a short in which it called the climate change community a โ€œcult of socialists and idolaters that, if left unchecked, could ultimately lead to the rise of communist dictatorships around the globe.โ€ 27โ€œTruth In Action Ministries: Climate Change Is A Cult Whose Believers Worship The Environment, Not God,โ€ Latest.com, April 28, 2014. Archived July 6, 2014. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/rQF3b

2010

Coral Ridge Ministries made a documentary titled โ€œ SOCIALISM : A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER โ€ฆ A Biblical Response.โ€ 28โ€œ VIDEO : Jesus Hates Socialism, Obama,โ€ Mother Jones, May 14, 2010. Archived January 28, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/2bFGk

The documentary asserted the claims that socialism denies god, is against Christian principles and that government social programs led to the destruction of the economy of Detroit, Michigan. 29โ€œ VIDEO : Jesus Hates Socialism, Obama,โ€ Mother Jones, May 14, 2010. Archived January 28, 2017. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/2bFGk

Full video below: 30โ€œCoral Ridge Ministries Socialism Special,โ€ D. James Kennedy Ministries, April 30, 2010. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/lD7hW

April 22, 2009

Coral Ridge Ministries produced a video titled โ€œGlobal Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose of Climate Change.โ€

The video claims that โ€œGlobal warming is real, but it is not primarily man-made. This biblically-based and thoroughly balanced view of climate change reveals that global warming is not a black & white issue. Viewers will see why well-meaning Christians need to be extremely careful when advocating environmental policies.โ€31โ€œGlobal Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose of Climate Change ( DVD ),โ€ Answers in Genesis. Archived April 16, 2016. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/d9ESj

Numerous well-known climate change skeptics were featured in the video including E. Calvin Beisner, John Christy, and George Taylor. You can watch the video here.

August 26 – 27, 2006

Coral Ridge Ministries aired a โ€œdocumentaryโ€ featuring Ann Coulter that attributes Adolph Hitler’s atrocities to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. โ€œDarwin’s Deadly Legacyโ€ was aired during โ€œCoral Ridge Hourโ€ and accompanied by a book titled โ€œEvolution’s Fatal Fruit: How Darwin’s Tree of Life Brought Death to Millions.โ€

Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute for the NIH , said that he โ€œwould not have agreed to participate if I had understood that the program would promote the concept of a direct connection between Darwin’s theory of evolution and the evils of the Holocaust and the massacre at Columbine High School,โ€ and said he was โ€œabsolutely appalledโ€ at how his comments were used in the film.32Bill Berkowitz. โ€œCoral Ridge Ministries new ‘documentary’ featuring Ann Coulter attributes Hitler to Charles Darwin,โ€ Media Transparency, September 6, 2006. Archived October 22, 2006. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/t65it

You can view the โ€œdocumentaryโ€ here.

Coral Ridge Ministries Contact &  Address

As of May 22, 2016 the main contact address for the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church was:33 โ€œContact Us- Address &  Phone,โ€ Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Archived May 22, 2016. Archive.is URL : http://archive.is/kDMq4

5555 N. Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 USA
954-771-8840

Social Media

Other Resources

Resources

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