Today’s Headlines:

MAN CLAIMS TO BE JESUS CHRIST, MISLEADS HISPANIC FOLLOWERS

JONI AND FRIENDS HOLDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EVENT IN UKRAINE

Today’s Top Stories:

MAN CLAIMS TO BE JESUS CHRIST, MISLEADS HISPANIC FOLLOWERS

A man named Jos © Luis de Jes ºs Miranda is claiming to be the living incarnation of “Jesus Christ Man.” Numerous Hispanics in more than 300 centers across Central and South America, Cuba and the U.S. believe him and are lavishing him with gifts. “I don’t have one Rolex,” de Jes ºs Miranda said, “I have three because they want to give them to me.” De Jes ºs Miranda is actually a 60-year-old former heroin addict, a convict and a divorced father of four who was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in southern Florida with his second wife. His organization, Creciendo en Gracia (Growing in Grace), preaches “freedom to indulge” because in his words, “The devil was destroyed 2,000 years ago.” His followers organize aggressive demonstrations where they destroy traditional religious books and symbols and disrupt other religious gatherings. Critics of de Jes ºs Miranda such as Harvard-trained theologian Daniel Alvarez believe the ministry to be a destructive cult. “What disturbs me is that he fits into the typical mold of a cult leader — total, complete submission to his authority,” he says. De Jes ºs Miranda is unfazed by the criticism, saying, “I will be president of the biggest government that this earth has experienced.” (WorldWide Religious News/Assist News Service)

JONI AND FRIENDS HOLDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EVENT IN UKRAINE

Joni and Friends, the ministry founded by disabled speaker and author Joni Eareckson Tada, recently held its first-ever international family retreat for the disabled in Ukraine. Statistics show there are 2.5 million disabled people in that country. About 128 people representing 26 different families participated in the retreat. Jon Wern of Joni and Friends said that “75 percent of these families were not believers.” The conference got off to a “slow start” with some of the parents ready to go back home after the first day, but their children were so excited that they decided to stay for the whole event. “At the end two ladies accepted Christ and two of the kids accepted Christ,” Wern said. “As the parents saw some of the games their children were involved in and saw that their children could laugh, they started looking at the kids differently.” Joni and Friends hopes this is the first of many international family events. (Mission Network News)