Tony Alamo / Alamo Christian Ministries
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- Tony Alamo / Alamo Christian Ministries
- Tony Alamo - Background
- Tony Alamo - The Ravening Wolf
- Tony Alamo - Research Resources
Next: Tony Alamo - Background
Born Bernie Lazar Hoffman, Tony Alamo is a controversial fundamentalist Christian preacher known for - among other things - his offbeat conspiracy theories.
Alamo believes that the pope is the anti-Christ, that the Vatican controls all churches and governments, and that his legal troubles (e.g. being convicted of income tax evasion, charged with the theft of a business, and accused of encouraging parents to hit a child) were the work of anti-cult organizations such as the old Cult Awareness Network.
The rhetoric against Catholics, the old CAN, and the IRS intensified to a fever pitch during the 1990s. Many of his messages contained references to his belief that the Pope was actually behind the massacre of 6 million Jews in WWII, and Hitler (as was Stalin and Roosevelt) just his lackeys. Most recently, Alamo has become very friendly with the Church of Scientology owned “New CAN”, not only because they share a hatred of the anti-cult experts of the Old CAN, but also, the New CAN was able to acquire the files of the former organization, and Alamo needs those files in his ongoing effort to clear his name, as well as wreak vengeance on those who were behind publicizing his problems. He has only glowing words for the New CAN. Likewise, the New CAN reciprocates with the highest recommendations for any group mentioned on their site.
- Source: Eric W. Francke, A Brief History of the Alamo Christian Foundation
Ex-followers claim that Alamo wields cult-like control over the members of his church.
Brief Overview
During the late 1970s and early 1980s Alamo Christian Ministries (a.k.a. Tony & Susan Alamo Christian Foundation, Music Square Church, Holy Alamo Christian Church, Holy Alamo Christian Ministries) was well on its way to becoming one of the largest and wealthiest churches to emerge from the Jesus People Movement.
Growth of the multimillion-dollar religious organization was brought to a stop, however, when its founder Tony Alamo (a clothing designer best known for the rhinestone-studded denim jackets he sold to numerous celebrities) began having legal troubles.
[...]The ongoing significance of this small group lies in its recent anti-government publications that have been used by groups such as Scientology and the Family (a.k.a. Children of God) in an effort to garner support for “persecuted” religious sects.
[...]The group produces a vast array of tracts that are passed out on the street, in hospitals and convalescent homes, left on parked cards, and mailed throughout the country. One such tract declares, “Alamo literature circulation is more that USA Today, The New York Times, L.A. Times, and many other national publications combined.” (Conspiracy, p.1).
Tony Alamo is best known for his sensationalistic and highly inflammatory anti-Catholic literature, scathing anti-government pamphlets, and conspirational theories.
[...]The religious doctrines held by Alamo and his group are extremely difficult to document. According to several ex-members, most of the church’s beliefs about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, sin, and the nature of man are spread primarily by “word of mouth.”
Former followers also state that many teaching tapes made by Alamo, as well as many written materials dealing with doctrine, have been destroyed over the years under Alamo’s orders.
Based on the testimony of former members and the literature that remains, it appears Alamo teaches many orthodoxy Christian doctrines, yet deviates on a few key issues such as salvation by grace alone.
- Source: H. Wayne House, Charts of Cults, Sects, & Religious Movements. Alamo Christian Ministries entry. Zondervan Publishing House, 2000. P. 11-12
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