JOHN HAGEE

John Hagee

John Hagee has actively supported Israel and the Jewish people for more than 26 years, Pastor Hagee recently established Christians United for Israel, which provides a national association through which every pro�Israel church, para-church organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to biblical issues.

Born April 12, 1940 he is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational evangelical church with more than 19,000 active members.

John C. Hagee had received millions of dollars in total compensation for his position as CEO at his non-profit corporation, Global Evangelism Television (GETV). He is one of the highest-paid televangelists.

Hagee is the President and CEO of John Hagee Ministries which telecasts his national radio and television ministry carried in America on 160 TV stations, fifty radio stations and eight networks including The Inspiration Network (INSP) and Trinity Broadcasting Network. The ministries can be seen and heard weekly in 99 million homes. John Hagee Ministries is in Canada on the Miracle Channel and CTS and can be seen in Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and is in most third world nations.

He is also the president and CEO of Global Evangelism Television, which telecasts his radio and television ministry. Hagee has received numerous honors and accolades from national Jewish organizations for his unwavering support of Israel. In pursuit of his support of Israel, Hagee helped found Christians United for Israel on February 7, 2006 as a "Christian AIPAC" lobbying Congress to support Israel.

Born in Baytown, Texas, to Rev. William Bythel Hagee and Mrs. B. Hagee, John Hagee graduated from Trinity University, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in 1964. He was on a football scholarship and was on the Academic Dean's List. Hagee holds a Master's Degree from the University of North Texas in 1966.

He did his theological training at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, where he was president of his class and a member of the College Concert Choir. Of note, Hagee descends from a long line of Anabaptist Mennonite pastors, which was a factor in the development of his theology and vocation.

In 1989, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Oral Roberts University. In 2005, he received another Honorary Doctorate from Netanya Academic College in Israel. Hagee has served on the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents since 1989.

On August 26, 1960, Hagee married Martha. They had two children, Christopher and Tish. In October 1966, Hagee founded Trinity Church in San Antonio, Texas. He resigned his pastorate in May 1975. Hagee and Martha divorced on grounds of Pastor Hagee's infidelity in September 1975, and Hagee married Diana on April 12, 1976.

Due to the bylaws of his Assemblies of God denomination, Hagee could no longer be ordained or licensed within. He was defrocked but sued the denomination for millions of dollars due to defamation of character. Today, Hagee and Diana have three children: Christina, Matthew, and Sandy. Matthew is the Associate Pastor of Cornerstone Church.

On Mother's Day of 1975, Hagee founded Castle Hills Assembly, later known as the Church of Castle Hills. Hagee's 5,000 seat Cornerstone Church was dedicated On October 4, 1987. Dr. W. A. Criswell of Dallas anointed Hagee and Diana before the congregation.

Today, Trinity Church is located just 7.3 miles from Hagee's Cornerstone Church on the same stretch of highway in San Antonio.

In addition to his work for GETV, Hagee has written a number of best-selling books.

He is also a Southern Gospel recording artist.

John Hagee has denounced replacement theology, believing that chapters 9, 10 and 11 of the book of Romans teach that the Jewish people continue to have favor with God by the election of grace and as a people of the covenant their salvation is not dependent on belief in Jesus Christ. He believes that the Bible commands Christians to support Israel and the Jewish people.

Hagee alleges that the land of Israel does not belong to the Arabs because sovereignty went from the Ottoman Turks who controlled the land prior to World War I to the British, and later to the United Nations which authorized its partition and creation of the State of Israel.

He says the land was named "Palestine" (after the ancient Philistines) by the Roman emperor Hadrian to punish the Jews for their revolt against the Romans, that there is no unique Palestinian language, and that most of those who claim to be Palestinians immigrated from other Arab nations prior to 1948.

John Hagee has said Iran is a threat to Western civilization and that the Iranians will never respond favorably to diplomacy. He supports an American-Israeli pre-emptive military strike against Iran to eliminate its alleged nuclear program. He supports the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States.

Hagee's preaching is considered relatively traditional compared to some other televangelists. He asks his congregation to stand during the reading of the Biblical text prior to his sermon, and his style is often classified as "hellfire and brimstone." Like some other evangelical ministers, Hagee condemns literature such as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter, calling it contemporary witchcraft.

John Hagee denounces abortion and stopped giving money to Israel's Hadassah hospital when they began performing abortions. He has also spoken out against homosexuality.

In his book Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World, Hagee interprets the Bible to predict Russia and the Islamic states will invade Israel and will be destroyed by God. This will cause the anti-Christ, the head of the European Union, to create a confrontation over Israel between China and the West.

A final battle between East and West at Armageddon will then precipitate the Second Coming of Christ. In a discussion concerning Muhammad, Hagee asserts that Muhammad was a man of war and that this influence on Islam is the cause of the troubles of Jerusalem.

Theologically, Hagee believes in the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", the "absolute authority of the scripture", miraculous healing, anointing with oil, baptism by immersion, the importance of evangelism, and the "worship of the Lord through singing, clapping, and the lifting of hands."

John Hagee's recent book In Defense of Israel (2007) has sparked strong criticism, notably the Christian Research Institute, for its apparent view that Jesus did not claim to be the Messiah for the Jews, only the Savior for the Christian Church, and that attempts should not be made to convert Jews to Christianity.

In response to such criticism, Hagee has issued a statement denying the first of these allegations and promising to revise one chapter of the book for a new edition to make his views clearer.

Hagee has received numerous honors and accolades from national Jewish organizations for his support of Israel. Hagee was awarded the "Humanitarian of the Year" award by the San Antonio B'nai B'rith Council. It was the first time in the history of the San Antonio that this award was given to a gentile.

Hagee was presented the ZOA Israel Award by U.N. Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick. This award was given by the Jewish Community of Dallas, Texas. He was presented the ZOA Service Award by Texas Governor Mark White. Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire issued a special proclamation in his honor declaring Pastor John C. Hagee Day.

Hagee has been to Israel twenty-two times and has met with every Prime Minister since Menachem Begin. John Hagee Ministries has given more than $8.5 million to bring Soviet Jews from the former Soviet Union to Israel. John Hagee is also the Founder and Executive Director of "A Night to Honor Israel", an event which expresses solidarity between Christians and Jews on behalf of Jerusalem, the State of Israel and the United States.

On February 7, 2006, John Hagee and 400 leaders from the Christian and Jewish communities formed a new national organization called Christians United For Israel (CUFI). This organization is focused on communicating the need to defend Israel, in light of Biblically-based matters, with members of the United States Congress.

At CUFI's "Washington-Israel Summit" on July 16, 2007, John Hagee called for a pre-emptive military strike against Iran.

On the September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Hagee stated that Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, punishing New Orleans for "a level of sin that was offensive to God". He specifically referred to a "homosexual parade" that was held on the date the hurricane struck and that this was proof "of the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans", even though the Southern Decadence parade was scheduled for the following week and the primary gay neighborhoods, the French Quarter and the Marigny, were spared the flooding and destruction.

Another reason for God's wrath, Hagee claims, was the Bush administration's pressure on Israel to abandon settlements and the land associated with them. Therefore, God took American land in a tit for tat exchange during Hurricane Katrina.

During the same September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, John Hagee also discussed Islam, stating that "those who live by the Qur'an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews" adding, "it teaches that very clearly".

He then proceeded to characterize the military threat posed by those who follow Islamic scripture: "There are 1.3 billion people who follow the Islamic faith, so if you're saying there's only 15 percent that want to come to America or invade Israel to crush it, you're only talking about 200 million people. That's far more than Hitler and Japan and Italy and all of the axis powers in World War II had under arms."

Pastor Hagee has authored 23 major books ranging in topics from prophecy, marriage, family, biblical business principles and Israel. His most current writing is "In Defense of Israel" published by Strang Publications.

John Hagee and his wife Diana have five married children and eight grandchildren.

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Pastor Hagee's page

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