04 The Edge of Darkness (8 page)

FIFTEEN

MURPHY HAD GROWN to adore his course in biblical archaeology. His students seemed alert and eager to learn. Word of mouth had made the class size increase each year. Everyone seemed to enjoy the lectures, except the dean of the Arts and Science faculty, Archer Fallworth. Maybe he was jealous because his classes seemed to diminish in size. Or, maybe it was the fact that he just didn’t like Christians. He often said that the Bible was for “bubbleheads.” And he referred to any athletes who shared their faith as “Jocks for Jesus.” Murphy just found him boring. Anyone who published a paper on “Button Materials of the Eighteenth-Century Georgia Plantations” needed to get a life.

Murphy entered the lecture hall and joked with a number of
students before he set up his PowerPoint presentation. He flashed the lights once and everyone got the message to sit down and stop talking.

“Good morning. In our last class we spent some time looking at various pagan gods.”

He had barely gotten started when the back door opened and in stepped the mysterious blonde beauty he had seen in his last class session. This time, her hair was down and a pair of sunglasses sat on the top of her head. She did not carry a purse or notebook. She found a seat and looked up and smiled. Murphy could see some of the men in the back row nudging one another and pointing at her. It was everything he could do to keep his train of thought.

“The, uh, the belief in these gods strongly influenced the daily actions of the people, as evidenced not only by their sacrifices of crops, animals, and humans, but also by their art. Many ancient civilizations illustrated their gods in physical form by the making of idols, paintings, and reliefs on buildings, pottery, and coins. This was also true of their belief in angels. They would often place characterizations of angels on artifacts. The Ark of the Covenant is a classic example of this. On the top of the Ark there were two angels with their wings spread protectively above the chamber that held the Ten Commandments.”

A voice chimed in. “Don’t forget that some countries use angels on television programs to increase their television ratings.”

The class laughed and Murphy noticed the blonde smiling.

“That’s a good example of the belief in the afterlife, Clayton. There are basically two types of angels: good angels and evil angels. Both of those types are displayed in television programs. Under the category of good angels they go by the following biblical names.”

Murphy clicked on a slide.

GOOD ANGELS

• Announcing Angel—his name is Gabriel
  

• Archangel—God’s lead angel, named Michael
  

• Celestial or Heavenly Beings—a general title
  

• Cherub or Cherubim—chiefly guardians of God’s Throne
  

• Heavenly Host—a general title for good angels
  

• Seraph or Seraphim—angels who lead Heaven in worship of God
  

• Thrones, Dominations, Principalities—ranking divisions
  

“The two angels on the top of the Ark of the Covenant were called cherubim. In a number of passages in the Bible, angels are seen taking on a human form and conversing with men and women. This concept is also the basis for many modern television programs and movies.”

Murphy clicked on another slide.

GOOD ANGELS

• Angels punish God’s enemies.
  

• Angels execute God’s will among men.
  

• Angels do not get married to each other.
  

• Angels have been revealed in bodily form.
  

• Angels have great wisdom and strength.
  

• Angels guide the affairs of nations.
  

• There are a great number of angels.
  

• Angels seem to protect followers of God.
  

“You will notice on the second-to-last point that there are a great number of angels. That concept comes from several different passages. One is found in Revelation where it states:

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders
.

“The last point suggests that angels protect the followers of God. This comes from the book of Psalms where it says, ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.’”

As Murphy continued he became aware that the striking blonde in the back row seemed to have her eyes riveted on him. On one hand it was exciting and on the other hand a little unnerving. He felt like he was having one of those Shirley MacLaine out-of-body experiences, giving a lecture and at the same time thinking about the beauty in the back of the room.

Murphy expounded upon good angels and how they tied in with many biblical artifacts that had been found. At one point he reached down to advance to the next slide. As his eyes came back up to the students, he saw the blonde leaving the lecture hall and felt the sting of disappointment.

Who was she?

He glanced at the clock on the wall and
realized
that the bell would soon ring.

“You may need all the help you can get from angels this next week,” he said with a grin. “On Tuesday, you will be tested on the material we have gone over during the last three weeks.”

There was an audible groan from the class, followed by the ringing of the bell.

He raised his voice a little. “After the test, we will begin to look at the influence of evil angels in various cultures.”

As the class filed out, Murphy found his thoughts dwelling upon the mysterious blonde.

SIXTEEN

IT WAS MIDAFTERNOON when Murphy decided to get an ice-cold strawberry lemonade at the Student Center. He sat down at a table that was a good distance from the crowds of students. Sometimes it was good to just be alone and relax.

He was sipping the lemonade when he heard a familiar but unpleasant nasal-tone voice behind him.

“Just what kind of poppycock are you teaching now, Murphy?”

Murphy turned to look into the pallid face of Archer Fallworth, dean of the Arts and Science faculty. He was as tall as Murphy but much thinner and looked like a walking mummy.
He could use a little sun
, thought Murphy.
But then, vampires didn’t like to go out in the daylight
.

“‘Poppycock.’ That’s a pretty big word for you, Archer. Do you know how to spell it too?”

Fallworth did not acknowledge the comment but went right on talking. “I understand that you’re now teaching about angels in your class. Next thing you’ll be teaching is that Satan is alive.”

“That’s a good idea, Archer. Thank you. I’ll do that in my next lecture.” Murphy wasn’t trying to egg him on, just to knock him off his high horse. But he couldn’t. Fallworth was too good of a cowboy to dismount.

“I’m getting tired of you always trying to promote some type of Christian viewpoint in your classroom.”

“Why is that, Archer? Have you given up on freedom of speech for everyone except you and those who think like you? It’s only your atheistic views that must be accepted and not those of someone who believes in a Creator? Did you hear about the dial-a-prayer for atheists? You dial a number and no one answers. I was going to be an atheist, Archer, but I gave it up. They don’t have any holidays.”

“I’m not an atheist!”

“What exactly are you, Archer?”

“I’m… mmmm… I’m more of an agnostic.”

“So you’d rather submit to a life of ignorance and uncertainty than accept the existence of a higher power? Seems pretty lame to me….”

Fallworth’s usually ashen face was now turning red.

“Murphy, your kind of teaching has to end.”

“I get it, Archer. You can have a course in Greek Mythology, or lectures on the beauties of being a Wicca witch with white magic, or have health classes where you teach yoga and transcendental meditation, but the world will come to an end if the name of God or the Bible is mentioned. Have you forgotten that Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Princeton, and many other universities were originally started as theological institutions?”

“They are not that today!”

“And that’s not something to be proud of, Archer. Look at what they have produced. People like you. People who talk about openness, acceptance, and intellectual interaction of ideas … but attempt to squelch it at every possible turn when it doesn’t agree with their point of view.”

“I’m going to do everything in my power to shut down your stupid class on biblical archaeology. Do you hear me?”

“You’re shouting … everyone in here can hear you. But you were the one who mentioned you were an agnostic. Do you know why atheists and agnostics cannot find God? They can’t find Him for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman. They don’t want to. You’re doing better than Satan himself. At least he believes there is a God.”

Fallworth turned in a huff and walked off.

Murphy let out a big sigh.
I’m getting so tired of all of his flak
.

He did not like confrontation but met it head-on when it came. He would use pointed humor to throw his opponent off balance, and then support his argument with a more serious line of reasoning. He sat there, staring at the magnolia trees in the distance, trying to process what just had happened.

Way to go, Archer. You certainly know how to ruin a perfectly good strawberry lemonade
.

“What was
that
all about?”

Murphy’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft and feminine voice behind him.

He turned and was somewhat startled to look into the deep blue eyes of the mystery woman who had been attending his lectures. Her warm smile caught him a little off guard.

“Forgive me. Let me introduce myself. I’m Summer Van Doren.”

She reached out her hand. Murphy stood up and shook it.

“I’m Michael Murphy.” He couldn’t believe how firm a handshake she had.
She must work out
. “Please, sit. Is there something I can get you?”

“No, thank you. I have a class starting in a few minutes.”

“Did you recently enroll at Preston?”

Summer laughed. “Thank you for the compliment. No, I’m the new women’s volleyball coach. I started a couple of weeks ago.”

“I saw you in the Memorial Lecture Hall.”

“Yes, I was just trying to get oriented to the campus and some of the classes. The title biblical archaeology caught my attention. I thought I would drop in and see what it was all about.”

Mystery solved
, thought Murphy. He felt complimented by the fact that she had shown up twice.

“Please forgive me, but I couldn’t help hearing part of the conversation between you and the other professor. Who is he?”

“That’s Archer Fallworth. He’s dean of the Arts and Science faculty. He sort of oversees my area of study.”

“It doesn’t sound like he’s too happy with your class.”

Murphy cocked his head back and laughed.

“That’s putting it mildly. He doesn’t like anything that has to do with Christianity. He’s very outspoken against it.”

“That’s good to know. I’m a Christian too.”

Murphy perked up. “Really. Have you found a local church you would like to attend yet?”

“I think so. I’ve gone to the Preston Community Church a couple of times.”

“That’s where I attend,” said Murphy in surprise.

“I know. I’ve seen you there. Pastor Wagoner seems to be a very good speaker.”

“Yes, he is. He’s also a good friend.”

Summer looked at her watch.

“Excuse me, but I have to go. I don’t want to be late for my class. It
was nice to meet you, Professor Murphy.” She rose to leave and Murphy stood up.

“Call me Michael.”

“All right. It was nice to meet you, Michael.”

Murphy watched her as she walked away, and then downed the rest of his lemonade. Somehow, all the ice had melted.

SEVENTEEN

THE TRAFFIC BECAME extremely heavy the closer Murphy and Wagoner came to the large tent. Men with orange vests were directing cars to turn into a field that had become a temporary parking lot. People could be seen walking toward the site of J. B. Sonstad’s Faith in God Crusade. They parked and joined the hundreds who were headed toward the entrance.

Along the way, signs were placed for everyone to see.

COME EVERYONE WHO WANTS
THEIR FAITH STRENGTHENED
.

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE WELL—
THE DEVIL WANTS YOU TO BE SICK
.

GOD HAS ONLY GOOD PLANNED FOR YOUR LIFE
.

GOD WANTS TO BANISH POVERTY—
HE WILL MAKE YOU PROSPEROUS
.

TURN YOUR ENEMIES INTO FRIENDS
.

ENJOY EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
.

WITH GOD NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE—
ONLY BELIEVE!

Murphy turned to Wagoner as they walked along.

“Well, Bob, I can see why some of the people of your church are coming to these meetings. Those are some pretty big claims.”

“I know, Michael. Everything is
me
focused. It’s what can God do for me? How can God help me? It has a strong appeal, especially if you are in ill health, need more money, or want everyone in the world to love you.”

“That sounds better than winning the lottery.”

“That would be funny if it weren’t so tragic. There are many people around the world who are living in desperate conditions. There are wars, famines, crippling diseases, and political unrest. In some countries, tribes of people are slaying other tribes of people. Is it because the believers don’t have enough faith? I don’t think that Sonstad’s message is completely legitimate.”

“Well, Bob, you know that statement
Error always rides the back of truth
. The truth is, God does care for people but He hasn’t always given them an escape route or a free pass on trouble. Think of the Christians eaten by lions in the Roman arenas.”

As they approached the tent, they could see a number of large, brand-new semi trucks painted with the words: J. B. SONSTAD—FAITH IN GOD CRUSADE. One even had its own generator setup. Another had antennas and aerials placed on the roof.

“Look, Bob, they have their own television recording and broadcasting truck. I’ll bet that cost a pretty penny.”

“Yes, they broadcast his various crusades on one of the TV networks. He seems to have the ability to draw large crowds. And today we’ll be part of the crowd.”

The tent, large enough to hold at least five thousand people, was absolutely filled to capacity. Rousing organ music played as people found their seats. Large television monitors were placed at various locations for those who were quite a distance from the platform. Murphy noticed a special section that seemed to be reserved for those in wheelchairs and those with crutches or canes.

A lively song leader began to engage the crowd in singing, which went on for at least a half hour. Most of the time, the people were on their feet swaying back and forth with their arms in the air. They sang choruses that repeated themselves over and over with an almost mesmerizing effect.

The people were asked to sit down and the music changed. Stage lights were turned on and smoke machines cranked up. With great fanfare, J. B. Sonstad made his entrance. Everyone was on their feet, yelling and clapping.

“It reminds me of the entrance of one of those wrestlers in the World Wrestling Federation,” said Murphy as Wagoner nodded. “And this is just as phony.”

Sonstad was wearing a bright white suit, in contrast with his tanned complexion, jet-black hair, and deep blue eyes. He raised his hands and the people grew silent. He had on a microphone that hung over his ear and was almost invisible as it came alongside his face.

For the first thirty minutes, his message sounded quite common. It was similar to almost any minister with a radio program or a pastor in a local church. It was filled with quotations from the Bible. He
talked about God and Jesus and living a godly life. The audience became involved, laughing at his illustrations, clapping and praising God when he made a point, and responding with the occasional “Amen!” and “Preach it, brother.”

Then there was a transition. As he kept on speaking, the organ music started to play. The volume seemed to increase as he made various points. The audience was beginning to get worked up emotionally. Sonstad began to raise his voice and shout.

“Are you tired of being sick? Do you want to be healed?”

The audience cheered and clapped in approval.

“Do you want to get the bill collectors off your back and have extra money to spend?”

Again the crowd hooted and yelled.

“God wants to protect you from trouble. He has sent His angels to protect you. You have all heard about Michael the archangel and Gabriel the announcing angel, but there are other special angels that will minister to your needs. There are the angels of protection and guidance … and also the angels of success and energy. You may need the angels of happiness and good times to bring you joy and satisfaction. Or you may be feeling very lonely tonight. God has the angels of love, romance, and good relationships to encourage you and satisfy your heart’s longings. Or you may be saying I need wisdom and knowledge as how to improve my financial condition. God has angels that will help you to become prosperous.”

The crowd was on its feet again, yelling and clapping and dancing up and down.

Murphy had to raise his voice for Wagoner to hear him.

“It’s a shame that he’s distorting the truth about angels.”

As Murphy looked around, he could see the men behind the television cameras hard at work. He noticed that some of Sonstad’s other workers were getting the disabled people organized to go up on the platform.

Soon Sonstad began to talk of God as a God of miracles. He shared
one story after another with the crowd, preparing them for the healing service that would soon follow.

“God is going to do great miracles here in Raleigh tonight like he did last week in Greensboro. Why, we had a man come into the service who had a terrible problem with cavities in his teeth. Some kind of disease had affected him. He came to the service and was healed. His teeth were transformed. Just to confirm it, he went to his dentist the next day. The dentist was shocked as he looked into his mouth and saw that all the cavities in his teeth had been filled with gold. The dentist told the man that he had never seen gold as pure as this in his entire life. He asked the man who put the gold into his teeth. The man shared with him that he had been healed, and his cavities filled by God. Do you know why the dentist had never seen gold like that before? Because it came from the heavenly city—where the streets are paved with gold.”

The crowd yelled uncontrollably. Murphy leaned over to Wagoner.

“Why didn’t God just put the enamel back in his teeth?”

“The book of Revelation tells us that the gold from the heavenly city was as pure as glass,” added Wagoner. “I’ll bet the dentist hadn’t ever seen that before. How would he recognize it?”

It wasn’t long before some in the crowd seemed to get really worked up, leaving their seats and running up and down the aisles. They then began to run toward the back and outside around the tent.

Just out of curiosity, Murphy decided to get up and follow them to see where they went. Wagoner shot Murphy a questioning look as he stepped into the aisle. Murphy gave him the sign that it was okay and that he would return.

Outside the tent, Murphy saw the people disappearing around the side of the tent. Those inside could hear the excited shouts as they ran around the tent and back inside.

Murphy started to go back inside but hesitated. He saw a great number of tables that had been set up while everyone was in the tent. There was something on the tables covered with white cloths.

He walked to one of the tables and lifted the cloth. Underneath
was a cash register, credit card machine, Tshirts, sweatshirts, and various literature.

It looks like they plan to make a killing
.

As he started back into the tent, two bulky men stopped him.

“Don’t do that again!”

Murphy was caught off guard.

“Do what?” he replied.

“You know what. Don’t follow the people anymore. And keep your hands off the tables.”

Murphy rejoined Wagoner, who was intently watching how Sonstad kept working the crowd up. Wagoner looked relieved when he saw Murphy come back.

Sonstad quieted the people and walked around the stage, looking up in the air and nodding his head up and down. It seemed like he was listening to a conversation with an unseen person.

“Yes, Lord. I am listening.” Sonstad began to speak to the sky. “You want to heal someone today. Thank you, Lord. That’s wonderful. You say that the man you want to heal is named Clyde … and that he has a kidney problem. I hear you, Lord.”

The people in the audience were spellbound, watching him seemingly talk to God.

“You want to heal this man named Clyde tonight if only he will exercise his faith in You.”

Then Sonstad turned to the audience and looked at them.

“Is there anyone in the audience named Clyde that has a kidney problem?”

One man stood to his feet waving his arms and tears began to flow from his eyes.

“Yes, I am Clyde and I have a kidney disease.”

“Please come to the platform,” invited Sonstad.

Clyde came forward and Sonstad met him as he came up the steps of the platform. He then asked him if he wanted to be healed. Clyde said yes, he would like to get rid of the disease that had bothered him
for years. Sonstad touched the man on the forehead and he fell backwards. Two of Sonstad’s men caught him and eased him to the ground. After a few moments on the ground, the men helped him to his feet. Sonstad then proclaimed him healed and there was much excitement and rejoicing in the audience.

Murphy leaned over to Wagoner and whispered, “I’d like to see a doctor verify that healing.”

Wagoner was shaking his head.

“That man is Clyde Carlson. He has recently started attending our church. I’ll talk to him later.”

Sonstad spoke for a few moments about healing and then took an offering. Sonstad’s workers collected the money in large containers.

After the offering Sonstad continued his conversation with God and healing more people. Then long lines of people wanting to be healed flowed up to the stage. They, too, were touched and would fall to the ground. This process continued for another hour, accompanied by rousing organ music.

The meeting finally ended and the people began to disperse. Murphy and Wagoner remained behind.

“What did you think of all of that, Michael?”

“It was quite a show. However, I think there’s more here than meets the eye. Something’s not quite right. Let’s get the car and see if we can follow Sonstad.”

“What do you expect to find?”

“I’m not sure. But my gut tells me that this whole program is not on the level. I think his actions could give honest ministers a bad reputation. Remember that the Bible suggests that in the last days there will be many false teachers and prophets that will lead many people astray.”

Murphy and Wagoner had to wait about fifteen minutes before Sonstad and a number of his workers left the tent and got into a black limousine with tinted windows.

Murphy gave them a small lead and then began to follow the limousine. He had not driven far when a large SUV suddenly pulled right in front of him and stopped. Murphy had to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision.

A moment later, a second SUV pulled up behind him, boxing him in. The doors of both SUVs opened and a half dozen large men got out and surrounded Murphy’s car.

“What’s going on, Michael?”

“I get the feeling they don’t want us to follow Sonstad, Bob.”

“Do you think we’re in any danger?”

“They’re a mean-looking bunch, but I think they’ll just block us from following him. They can’t risk any bad publicity that would get into the newspapers. As it stands now, it would just be our word against theirs. How could we prove anything?”

The large men surrounded Murphy’s vehicle and pushed down repeatedly on the hood and the trunk. The car rocked back and forth, jostling Murphy and his nervous passenger.

“Michael …” Bob said.

“Don’t worry. They’re just trying to intimidate us.”

The shaking stopped. One of them pointed through the window at Murphy and shook his head menacingly. Murphy just glared back at him. After a few more seconds of this staring contest, they got back into their SUVs and drove off.

“This confirms my gut feeling. I think we need to come back again. Are you up to it, Bob?”

“You bet I am. We need to find out what is going on here. It looks like this whole meeting is planned around selling products and taking offerings. Even though there is a lot of God talk, I agree that this whole thing is a sham.”

“Good, because I’ve got an idea,” Murphy said. “I think I know how to expose J. B. Sonstad.”