Ray McCauley | |
---|---|
Born | Raynor McCauley 1 October 1949 Johannesburg, South Africa |
Nationality | South African |
Alma mater | Rhema Bible Training Center |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1978–present |
Notable work |
|
Spouses |
|
Children | 1 |
Parents |
|
Ray McCauley (born 1 October 1949 as Raynor McCauley) is a prominent South African religious leader, former Senior Pastor of Rhema Bible Church, President of the International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC), co-chair of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA), author and former champion bodybuilder. [1] [2] [3]
McCauley was born in Johannesburg on 1 October 1949. [1] He took a keen interest in bodybuilding, is a Mr South Africa and took part in the Mr Universe bodybuilding championships in London in 1974 where he finished in third place. He was also a nightclub bouncer for a time. [4]
McCauley attended bible college with his first wife Lyndie at Rhema Bible Training Center in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma during 1978/9. On their return to South Africa the McCauleys started Rhema Bible Church under Rhema Ministries SA in the home of his parents, Jimmy and Doreen, which 13 people attended. Membership grew and the church moved into the former Constantia Cinema in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Under the leadership of Ray and Lyndie McCauley, the church outgrew its premises and moved to a warehouse in Jan Smuts Avenue in Randburg, near Johannesburg before moving to its current premises. In 1985 the church moved into the newly constructed 5,000 seater auditorium in Randburg. The new church was dedicated on 16 June 1985 by Dr Kenneth E Hagin, the late founder of Rhema Ministries in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The auditorium was later upgraded to more than 7,500 seats to accommodate the growth of the church. Today the church has a 45,000 strong congregation, which is the single largest church congregation in southern Africa. [2] [4]
Towards the end of the apartheid era, McCauley and his associates were involved in numerous critical events that helped with the peaceful transition to a democratic nation in 1994. During this time he interacted with leading churchmen like Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Reverend Frank Chikane. [2] [5]
McCauley is a well-known speaker at church events around the world.
McCauley has been a controversial figure in South Africa.
Rhema Ministries has been accused of being a proponent of the prosperity gospel. [4] [6] [7]
McCauley has led a controversial lifestyle, with many alleging that he leads a millionaire's lifestyle. McCauley has defended himself on numerous occasions with the argument that he only earns the salary of a chief executive of a medium-sized company. [7] [8] [9]
The location and construction of the church at the corner of Rabie and Hans Schoeman streets in Randpark Ridge also caused controversy with vehement objections from local residents.
McCauley's greatest controversy came with the divorce from his first wife Lyndie in 2000. According to the ministry, Lyndie McCauley instituted divorce proceedings for which the ministry believed she had no biblical grounds. The divorce caused a large portion of the then congregation to depart from the church. Shortly after the divorce, McCauley became romantically involved with a two-time divorcee, Zelda Ireland, whom he married in July 2001. [10] In January 2010, Rhema Bible Church announced that McCauley and Ireland had separated and that divorce proceedings had been instituted by Ireland. [11] After being divorced for over 2 years, McCauley and Ireland remarried in November 2013 at a ceremony described as "very modest and low-key" in Muldersdrift outside Johannesburg. [12]
In 2009 McCauley caused waves politically when he invited the then unelected President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, to speak at a Sunday morning meeting. This led to accusations of political bias. [4] [13] When Zuma took office in 2009, McCauley formed a new interfaith organization called the National Interfaith Leadership Council (NILC) which subsequently merged with the National Religious Leaders Forum (NRLF) to form the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA) in 2011. [14] [15] [16] McCauley and the interfaith organizations he represents have publicly defended Zuma and the ANC government on several highly controversial matters. [17] [18] [19]
McCauley has also been a strong opponent of gay rights. [20] [21]
McCauley has authored several books including Our God Is An Awesome God (1993), Walk In Faith (1998), Making Your World Different (2000), The Secret Place (2003), Expect More (2005), Bottom Line (2005), Choose This Day (2007), Live Long, Die Young (2008), Power & Passion, Holy Ghost Fire and Purpose Powered People. His biography, Destined To Win (1986), was written by Ron Steele. [22]
Rhema Television (RTV) broadcasts A New Day with Pastor Ray featuring teachings by McCauley. [23]
Kenneth Erwin Hagin was an American preacher. He is known for pioneering the Word of Faith movement.
Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, in the late 1990s. During the transitional period of 1996–2000, Randburg was part of the Northern Metropolitan Local Council (MLC).
The South African Council of Churches (SACC) is an interdenominational forum in South Africa. It was a prominent anti-apartheid organisation during the years of apartheid in South Africa. Its leaders have included Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naudé and Frank Chikane. It is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa.
Julius Sello Malema is a South African politician who is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a populist far-left political party known for the red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members. Before its foundation, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League from 2008 until his expulsion from the party in 2012.
The Congress of the People (COPE) is a South African political party formed in 2008 by former members of the African National Congress (ANC). The party was founded by former ANC members Mosiuoa Lekota, Mbhazima Shilowa and Mluleki George to contest the 2009 general election. The party was announced following a national convention held in Sandton on 1 November 2008, and was founded at a congress held in Bloemfontein on 16 December 2008. The name echoes the 1955 Congress of the People at which the Freedom Charter was adopted by the ANC and other parties, a name strongly contested by the ANC in a legal move dismissed by the Pretoria High Court.
Yasmin "Jessie" Duarte was a South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress. A longtime anti-apartheid activist, she served variously as a special assistant to Nelson Mandela, a member of the provincial cabinet (MEC) for Gauteng, as ambassador to Mozambique, and as spokesperson for the ANC, before assuming her post as Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC in 2012, until her death on 17 July 2022.
Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga is a South African politician and educator, serving as the Minister of Basic Education since May 2009. She was also appointed as an acting president of the Republic of South Africa on 2 July 2021, as President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the state funeral of Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia. She was previously a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government. Motshekga is a member of the African National Congress. She is a former president of the party's women's league.
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) is an independent chapter nine institution in South Africa. It draws its mandate from the South African Constitution by way of the Commission for Gender Equality Act of 1996.
The National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA) is a co-operative interfaith religious body in South Africa formed by the merger of the National Religious Leaders Forum (NRLF) and the National Interfaith Leadership Council (NILC).
Ivor Ichikowitz is a South African businessman, founder and former executive chairman of Paramount Group. He is also an executive chairman of TransAfrica Capital and the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) is a South African political party, formed in November 2013 by, among others, businessman Gayton McKenzie, and by socialite Kenny Kunene, a former English teacher turned businessman.
Pentecostalism began spreading in South Africa after William J. Seymour, of the Azusa Street mission, sent missionaries to convert and organize missions. By the 1990s, approximately 10% of the population of South Africa was Pentecostal. The largest denominations were the Apostolic Faith Mission, Assemblies of God, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Another 30% of the population was made up of mostly black Zionist and Apostolic churches, which comprise a majority of South Africa's African Instituted Churches(AICs). In a 2006 survey, 1 in 10 urban South Africans said they were Pentecostal, and 2 in 10 said they were charismatic. In total, renewalists comprised one-fourth of the South African urban population. A third of all protestants surveyed said that they were Pentecostal or charismatic, and one-third of all South African AIC members said they were charismatic.
Gayton McKenzie is a South African politician. He is a business man, a motivational speaker, author and former Executive Mayor of the Central Karoo District Municipality in South Africa. He is also the president of the Patriotic Alliance political party. He came to prominence in the early 2000s for his role in a prison exposé that eventually led to his early release amid an investigation of prison corruption by the Jali Commission of Inquiry. McKenzie grew up in the Bloemfontein neighborhood of Heidedal, South Africa.
David Douglas "Des" van Rooyen is the former Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Minister of Finance of the Republic of South Africa. He took office on 13 December 2015 and was dropped from cabinet on 27 February 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Duduzile "Dudu" Cynthia Myeni is a South African businesswoman, a former chairperson of South African Airways SOC Limited, and former executive chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation since September 2008.
Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga is a South African politician who is serving as the Minister of Transport since March 2023. A member of the African National Congress, she has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2004. Chikunga had previously served as Deputy Minister of Transport twice, from 2012 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2023, and as Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from 2019 until 2021. She is a midwife by profession.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) is a political party in South Africa. It is led by Vuyolwethu Zungula, leader and party president. It was formed with the backing of the South African Council of Messianic Churches in Christ (SACMCC), which together are supported by millions of congregants.
Mabel Patronella Mentor, known as Vytjie Mentor, was a South African politician, who served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 until 2014. She represented the African National Congress and served as the party's caucus chairperson between 2004 and 2008. She was chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises from 2009 to 2010. She is credited to be one of the first people to break ranks with the ANC and raise the alarm on state capture.
Emmanuel Vusumuzi Dube is a South African politician and Christian minister who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature for over a decade. He is also the founder of eThekwini Community Church, a large charismatic church in Durban, and of Community Churches International. He is known as an ally of former President Jacob Zuma.