"For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written." -- Romans 2:24

Contact: Stacy Swimp, 313-848-7569, swimpstacy@gmail.com 

DETROIT, Nov. 12, 2014 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Apostle Paul strongly criticized some church leaders of his time whose lives caused unbelievers to look upon the church as having no credibility and, ultimately, rejected God because some church leaders who supposedly represented God were no more morally sound than the average unbeliever.

Paul was clearly suggesting that lifestyle evangelism is key to winning souls and those church leaders whose lifestyle did not reflect godliness were a detriment to the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A strong case can be made that Bishop Charles Ellis III, of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit and Presiding Bishop of the Pentacostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) has indeed caused the name of God to be blasphemed or cursed among unbelievers and, thus, should give sincere consideration to stepping down to pursue his secular goals which have become pre-eminent to preaching the gospel to Bishop Ellis.

For the past several years, Bishop Ellis has come under scrutiny for a questionable friendship with a practicing homosexual. In 2012, "Gay Christian Movement Watch" (GCM) did an editorial about Ellis which inquired as to whether he was in a gay church relationship.

They noted how Ellis' picture and personal Facebook page was listed as a supporter of a homosexual church. Ellis refused to directly respond to GCM when confronted about this association.

Sadly, Ellis continues to open himself up for scrutiny, in light of the fact he currently travels with an alleged homosexual by the name of Rodney Howell, who does his hair and designs Ellis' clothing.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that, when hundreds of Black Detroit Pastors stood up for Biblical marriage this year and denounced the homosexual agenda to redefine marriage, Ellis- one of Detroit's most prominent pastors- was curiously silent and declined to stand with those who were defending the gospel.

To add insult to injury, Bishop Ellis is now slated to star in a new Oxygen TV program "Preachers of Detroit", which is a spin-off of the "Preachers of L.A." television show,  that came under harsh criticism from Black Pastors across the nation.

In a BET.COM interview Rev. James C. Perkins, pastor of Greater Baptist Church in Detroit and V.P. of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, said that the "Preachers of L.A. would cause people to believe that clergy are "primarily interested in celebrity." Perkins concluded "I don't think the show represents the best of the Black Church tradition."

Bishop T.D. Jakes went on record as identifying the "Preachers of L.A" as "junk" to his congregation.

Suffice to say Rev. Perkins and Bishop Jakes would equally criticize the notion of a "Preachers of Detroit" reality show, which will have the same damaging impact on the ability of legitimate pastors to win souls to Jesus Christ.

The moral of the story is that, in light of Ellis' refusal to denounce any association with a homosexual church, an alleged homosexual hairdresser and clothing designer, his history of being identified as an empathizer with the homosexual agenda, along with his current commitment to turn the house of God into a sideshow for entertainment purposes, it is time for Bishop Charles Ellis to step down as a pastor and stop causing unbelievers to curse the name of Jesus Christ.
 
(Editor's Note: A Gospel Activist and Commentator, Stacy Swimp's commentaries have appeared in the Washington Times, Miami Times, Orlando Sun, Philadelphia Tribune, Michigan Chronicle, Atlanta Daily World, Pittsburgh Currier, and Buffalo Criterion. Stacy has appeared as a guest on the Fox News Channel, SiriusXM satellite radio, 50,000-watt radio stations such as WHO-Des Moines and KDKA-Pittsburgh, black media such as WVON-Chicago and Lee Bailey's EURweb, the Westwood One radio network, conservative news outlets such as the Daily Caller and CNS News and internationally on AriseTV.)