ATLAH World Missionary Church

Last updated

ATLAH World Missionary Church
Atlah Sign.jpg
ATLAH World Missionary Church
Location38 West 123rd Street
Harlem, New York City, 10027
CountryUnited States
Denomination Independent
Previous denomination Independent Baptist
Membership600 (2007) [1]
100 (2011) estimated [2]
History
Former name(s)Bethelite Community Baptist Church
FoundedJune 10, 1957 (1957-06-10)
Founder(s)Millard Alexander Stanley
EventsMother Keturah Breakfast Program [3]
C.I.A. Columbia Obama Sedition and Treason Trial 2010 [4]
"No Dew! No Rain!" [1]
Architecture
Designated1888-89
Architect(s) Lamb & Rich [5]
Architectural type Club
Style Queen Anne
Specifications
Materials red brick and terra cotta
Clergy
Minister(s) Elizabeth Sarah Manning
Senior pastor(s) James David Manning

ATLAH World Missionary Church (formerly Bethelite Missionary Baptist Church) is a Christian church and ministry located in Harlem, New York. James David Manning is the chief pastor. [6] The church campus is the site of the unaccredited ATLAH Theological Seminary, where classes are offered on preaching and prophecy. [7] The church also has a studio that Manning uses for his Internet radio program The Manning Report. [8] [9] The church's YouTube channel had over 72,000 subscribers as of March 2018 [10] but was shut down by YouTube later that year. [11]

Contents

History

The church was founded and organized in Harlem on June 6, 1957, by the Reverend Millard Alexander Stanley as the Bethelite Community Baptist Church. [6]

In early June, just a few days before the first worship service was held, Stanley was sitting in front of a storefront on 8th Avenue in Harlem. A local heroin addict spoke to him and said, "If y’all gonna be a church, you better 'Be-The-Lite.'" Thus, the mission was formed and named Bethelite. [6]

In 1981, James David Manning replaced Stanley as chief pastor. Under Manning's leadership, the church name changed to ATLAH ("All The Land Anointed Holy"), and ministries were established. [12]

Newest Ministries – The Temple Hour of Prayer May 29, 2008; and The Manning Report August 25, 2008. [12]

This building was erected in the 1890s as the Harlem Social Club. Father Divine (c.1876–1965) and his International Peace Mission Movement were located here during the 1930s. [14]

Harlem Club in the 1890s, looking south from the corner of West 124th street and Lenox Avenue, Harlem. (King1893NYC) pg554 HARLEM CLUB, LENOA AVENUE AND 123D STREET.jpg
Harlem Club in the 1890s, looking south from the corner of West 124th street and Lenox Avenue, Harlem.

Controversy and finances

The messages on the church letter board used anti-gay epithets and stated a Christian imperative to kill gay people by stoning. They gained notice on several websites, including some that promote gay rights and oppose hate speech. [15]

In early 2014, the church posted a series of messages on its letter board sign that asserted that Barack Obama is a Muslim and that he is not legally president. Example messages that were documented on the websites include:

In March 2014, local lesbian and transgender activist Jennifer Louise Lopez knocked on the church door to ask for her stoning. [19]

In August 2014, Manning promised that President Vladimir Putin of Russia would release information collected by the KGB that would prove that President Obama is homosexual. [20]

In November 2014, Manning claimed in a video presentation that Starbucks was "Ground Zero" for Ebola. He warned people to stay away from Starbucks if they did not want to get Ebola. [21] In a follow-up broadcast, he claimed that what "Starbucks was doing, is they were taking specimens of male semen, and they were putting it in the blends of their lattes. Now, this is the absolute truth." [22] He based this on an article in The Inquisitor. [23]

On November 5, Manning claimed that in "a few days' time," there would be no homosexuals in Harlem and Starbucks would close. [22]

In January 2016, a state judge ordered ATLAH Worldwide Church to be sold at a public foreclosure auction after failing to pay creditors more than $1.02 million, court records show. [24] The Church maintains they are afforded tax exempt status by the New York Supreme Court and are not liable for the fines [25] citing the Court's ruling in December 2004. [26] The Ali Forney Center announced their interest in acquiring it for the purposes of an LGBT youth homeless services center, and raised $200,000 in two weeks from a fund-raiser to achieve that goal. [27] [28] A temporary stay on the sale was granted pending a full hearing on April 21, 2016. Carl Siciliano of the Ali Forney Center planned to use the time to research the property. [29] In September the judgment of foreclosure was vacated. [30]

In 2019 the Southern Poverty Law Center added ATLAH Church to the national Hate Group List. [31]

Staff

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Falwell</span> American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist (1933–2007)

Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He founded Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967, founded Liberty University in 1971, and co-founded the Moral Majority in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Shepard</span> Gay American murder victim (1976–1998)

Matthew Wayne Shepard was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries received during the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Farrakhan</span> American religious leader (born 1933)

Louis Farrakhan is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a black nationalist organization. Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., and for his rhetoric that has been widely denounced as antisemitic and racist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Robinson</span> Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire (born 1947)

Vicky Gene Robinson is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of New Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Graham</span> American Christian evangelist and missionary (born 1952)

William Franklin Graham III is an American evangelist and missionary in the evangelical movement. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary. The son of Billy Graham, he is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization. Graham became a "committed Christian" in 1974 and was ordained in 1982, and has since become a public speaker and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westboro Baptist Church</span> American primitive baptist church and hate group

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that was founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. It is widely considered a hate group, and is known for its public protests against gay people and for its usage of the phrases "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers". It also engages in hate speech against atheists, Jews, Muslims, transgender people, and other Christian denominations. The WBC's theology and practices are widely condemned by other Christian churches, including the Baptist World Alliance and the Southern Baptist Convention, and by politicians and public figures, including former U.S. President Barack Obama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Warren</span> Christian religious leader

Richard Duane Warren is an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Baptist megachurch in Lake Forest, California. Since 2022, he is executive director of the Finishing the Task mission coalition.

The David Pakman Show(TDPS), originally Midweek Politics with David Pakman, is a progressive news talk show currently airing on television, radio, and the Internet, hosted by David Pakman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie McClurkin</span> American gospel singer (born 1959)

Donald Andrew McClurkin Jr. is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He is one of the top selling gospel artists, selling over 13 million albums. Variety dubbed McClurkin as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TB Joshua</span> Nigerian Christian leader (1963–2021)

Temitope Balogun Joshua was a Nigerian charismatic pastor and televangelist. He was the leader and founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a Christian megachurch that runs the Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, Nigeria.

James David Manning is an American pastor at the ATLAH World Missionary Church. Manning grew up in Red Springs, North Carolina, and has been with ATLAH since 1981. ATLAH stands for All The Land Anointed Holy, which is Manning's name for Harlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmanuel TV</span> Christian television network in Nigeria

Emmanuel TV is a Christian television network with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded by T.B. Joshua, former senior pastor of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), in Lagos, Nigeria. It was also the most subscribed Christian ministry channel on YouTube worldwide with well over 1,000,000 subscribers, as of January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social policy of the Barack Obama administration</span> Social policy

The Almanac of American Politics (2008) rated Barack Obama's overall social policies in 2006 as more conservative than 21% of the Senate, and more liberal than 77% of the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dove World Outreach Center</span> Church in Florida, United States

Dove World Outreach Center is a 50-member non-denominational charismatic Christian church led by pastor Terry Jones and his wife, Sylvia. After spending more than 25 years in Gainesville, Florida, the church sold its 20 acres of property in July 2013 and plans to relocate to Tampa. The church first gained notice during the late 2000s for its public displays and criticism of Islam and gay people, and was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It became widely known for its pastor's controversial plan to burn Qur'ans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Bryan Jonathan Fischer is the former Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association (AFA). He hosted the talk radio program Focal Point on American Family Radio and posted on the AFA-run blog Instant Analysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Jeffress</span> Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas

Robert James Jeffress Jr. is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, radio host, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, and is a Fox News Contributor. His sermons are broadcast on the television and radio program Pathway to Victory, which is broadcast on more than 1,200 television stations in the United States and 28 other countries, and is heard on 900 stations and broadcast live in 195 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Anderson (pastor)</span> Independent Baptist pastor

Steven Lee Anderson is an American preacher and founder of the New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement. He is pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona. He has advocated for the death penalty for homosexuals, and prayed for the deaths of former U.S. president Barack Obama and Caitlyn Jenner. He produced a documentary titled Marching to Zion in which he "championed a wide range of antisemitic stereotypes", according to Matthew H. Brittingham of Emory University.

Joshua Feuerstein is an American right-wing evangelical internet personality. Feuerstein received media attention in 2015 for posting videos on social media wherein he discussed then-recent events such as same-sex marriage legislation in the United States and Starbucks' red holiday cups, and is known for his opposition to COVID restrictions, gun control measures, and what he views as America's obsession with arguments about race.

Faithful Word Baptist Church is a New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church in Tempe, Arizona, that was founded by Steven Anderson. The church describes itself as "an old-fashioned, independent, fundamental, King James Bible-only, soul-winning Baptist church." Members of the church meet in an office space that is located inside a strip mall. Anderson established the church in December 2005 and remains its pastor.

References

  1. 1 2 Altman, Mara (April 3, 2007). "Do the Dew: Prophet Loss in Harlem". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ Feeney, Michael J. (August 25, 2011). "Harlem pastor James David Manning preaches 'Obama Is Evil' on church signs, angering local residents". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Mother Keturah Breakfast Program Today". ATLAH Media Network. November 18, 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  4. ↑ Weigel, David (March 12, 2010). "Obama on Trial". washingtonindependent.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Bethelite Community Baptist Church originally the Harlem Club". New York Architecture. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Our Mission Statement". November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Seminary page". Archived from the original on October 25, 2010.
  8. ↑ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  9. ↑ "ATLAH Media Network | the Manning Report Live and 24/7 Encore Presentations". Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  10. ↑ ATLAH Worldwide profile on SocialBlade.com
  11. ↑ https://atlah.org/amn4/2018/09/11/banned-on-youtube-and-facebook-snowflake-generation/ "Banned on YouTube and Facebook: Snowflake Generation"
  12. 1 2 "Pastor James David Manning Bio". ATLAH Media Network. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  13. ↑ Klein, Rebecca (April 29, 2019). "The Harrowing Inside Story Of A Harlem School Run By A Hate Group". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  14. ↑ From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (illustrated ed.). Columbia University Press. 2004. p. 124.
  15. ↑ Nichols, James (March 20, 2014). "Jennifer Louise Lopez Asks Anti-Gay Harlem Church To Stone Her". HuffPost. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  16. ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (February 27, 2014). "'Obama Has Released the Homo Demons,' Church Sign Warns". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Photograph". Regressivewatch.org. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  18. ↑ Diaz, Arnold (June 9, 2015). "Neighbors confront controversial Harlem pastor over 'hateful' church sign". WPIX-TV.
  19. ↑ Nichols, James Michael (March 20, 2014). "Watch What Happens When A Lesbian Asks This Anti-Gay Church To Stone Her". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  20. ↑ Putin Will Out Obama As Gay Within 100 Days. YouTube. August 6, 2014.
  21. ↑ Stay Away From Starbucks. YouTube. October 28, 2014.
  22. 1 2 Starbucks Using Sodomites' Semen In Lattes. YouTube. November 5, 2014.
  23. ↑ Omega, Jan (October 26, 2014). "Were Semen Samples Really Found In Starbucks Drinks Nationwide, Initiating An FDA Investigation?". The Inquisitr News.
  24. ↑ Otis, Ginger Adams (January 28, 2016). "Controversial church in Harlem may go up for public auction". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Court Rules ATLAH Church Water And Sewer Tax Exempt". The Manning Report. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  26. ↑ Supreme Court, New York County, New York (December 28, 2004). "IN RE: BETHELITE COMMUNITY CHURCH". caselaw.findlaw.com. Retrieved February 14, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "LGBT Group Eyes Purchase Of Anti-Gay Church Building In Harlem". newyork.cbslocal.com. CBS New York. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  28. ↑ Ellefson, Lindsey (February 9, 2016). "Activists Achieve Goal of Raising Enough Money to Buy Church With Famous Homophobic Signs". Mediaite. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  29. ↑ Duffy, Nick (February 22, 2016). "Closure of 'Jesus would stone homos' church delayed amid legal challenge". www.pinknews.co.uk.
  30. ↑ Clark, Dartunorro (September 1, 2016). "Controversial ATLAH Church Avoids Foreclosure Once Again". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Hate Map by State". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Elder Elizabeth Sarah Manning Bio". ATLAH Media Network. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.

40°48′22″N73°56′46″W / 40.8062°N 73.9462°W / 40.8062; -73.9462

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.