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Dear Pastor Price:
Some thoughts for you: You might want to consider sitting down with Mrs. Demers and go over what she had planned to share at Ladies at Lunch with the Lord, which had to do with God’s directives concerning to woman’s role in marriage. Maybe you will find that even your own opinion would be that the women at LLL were deprived by your preventing her from sharing about such important and useful insights that would help each of them to be more pleasing to our Father in their own marriages.
Because of her extensive and in depth study of the Bible in her devotion to living in Jesus, Mrs. Demers has an understanding and experience of living as a Biblical wife that she was willing to share, which is sorely needed in today’s society and by many Christian women today.
And, I think that you would find, if you were to take time to investigate, that this knowledge is not only needed, but is sought after by many women who are in God’s church who are already married or who are looking forward to marriage.
This, of course, is another reason why you should sit down with the Demerses and find out who they really are, as opposed to operating based on rumor, innuendo, and slander which you have been party to, which is coming from members of government and clergy, all of whom are acting in prejudice and bias against Pastor Demers’ ministry and the cause of Christ in the restoration of all things in preparation of the bride making herself ready for the second coming of Jesus.
Why not act in prudence and make your own judgments, based on actual interface with these people? Consider the possibility that perhaps they do have a mission from God, and just as has always been the case with those who are sent with a message of renewal and repentance, they, too, have been misunderstood by those who should have listened and yet who have, rather than listening, acted as the people did at the stoning of Stephen—without listening, and thus driven to violence by their own mistaken prejudice and biases.
It is always surprising (or even mind-boggling) to me that members of each of the myriads of denominations of Christianity, in disagreeing with one another, do not seem to realize that this very disagreement that makes them denominational indicates each individual denomination’s position that all the others are interpreting at least some scriptures improperly, i.e. differently from them.
Pastor Demers’ position, recognizing the above, is that we are all wrong when we attempt interpretation, and that any difference of opinion on interpretation of any particular point in God’s word is easily reconciled by God Himself, elsewhere in His word.
And thus, by diligent adherence to 2 Timothy 2:15 (“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth”) and understanding of God’s example of what to do upon disagreement (found in Acts Chapter 15), any differences could be resolved by those sincere in seeking God’s will, thus eliminating the denominational differences, and bringing us to the unity of faith, which is an important part of the restoration of all things, preparing the church for the returning of our King.
And, lest you fall into the trap of thinking that I err by using the stoning of Stephen as a comparison, have you not considered the reality that this couple, whose only source of teaching is the Bible itself, is being persecuted by government and religious groups of all denominations—Christian, Jewish, pagan and cults, as well as atheists and secular humanists? And that the persecution is not just disagreement; it is slander, assaults, arson, murder attempts, and the like?
I am amazed that, with very few exceptions, people like you have not come to the realization that perhaps it is God who wants you to sit down and listen to these people.
There have been a very small number of pastors who have sat down and listened. And they all have 2 things in common:
1. They agreed that Pastor Demers is scripturally right in his message; and
2. They were not ready to do what they should do as pastors according to the teachings of Christ.
I will give you some examples, one of which I witnessed:
Pastor Bill Freeman:
Pastor Freeman said to Pastor Demers: “God had me on my deathbed and told me that you were a prophet and an apostle, and that you were supposed to teach me, and that if I did not confess this to you that He would take my life. But, I also have to admit that I am a hypocrite and am not ready to do what is required.”
Pastor Keith Thrash:
Pastor Thrash, after sitting down with Pastor Demers for 5 hours, said that he knows that Pastor Demers is right and that he (Pastor Thrash) and his denomination are wrong, but that he could not change because he was offered a “real good position” with a church in the Gulf, and had 2 daughters who were going to be entering college and it cost a lot of money.
A Pastor in South Carolina:
After 7 hours, he said to Pastor Demers, “I know everything you are saying is right, and I can see where we are wrong, but if I was to follow what you’ve shown me in the scriptures, it would negatively affect my financial position, and I think it would cause my wife to leave me.”
The Head of Evangelism for the Assemblies of God in Canada
After 4 hours of going over the scriptures, he said to Pastor Demers that he knew that what Pastor Demers was saying was absolutely correct, and that he was incredibly impressed with Pastor Demers’ profound unfolding of the Word of God before him. He said that everything had to be right because it was right from the Word of God, but that he knew that the hierarchy of his church would never accept any change in their understanding—that their minds would be closed.
Pastor Lamar Lifer (Calvary Baptist Church, Meridian):
After meeting with (Associate Pastor) Keith Tankersley and Pastor Demers for approximately 1 ½ hours, and doing a “homework assignment” given by Pastor Demers, Pastor Lifer said to Pastor Demers at a Lauderdale Baptist Association (LBA) meeting, “I’m beginning to see the thread of the apostasy you spoke of, and I want to meet more with you on these matters.”
But then Wayne Edwards, head of the LBA, issued a “decree” banning Pastor Demers from attending LBA meetings, and bad-mouthed Pastor Demers to the LBA. Pastor Lifer was also party to slander from his son-in-law, Pastor Jim Miller, and an Episcopal “Bishop” named Christopher Shelton (the slander having originated from Pastor Terrence Roberts), and so after this Wayne Edwards’ bad-mouthing and “edict,” Pastor Lifer changed his mind about sitting down further with Pastor Demers and his wife.
It should be noted that during the time when Pastor Lifer was being cordial to Pastor Demers and his wife, and the Demerses were attending services and events at Calvary Baptist Church, Keith Tankersley approached them and said, “I believe a lot of what you say—I always have. Also, I am Pentecostal, but don’t say anything to anybody about that, because as a Baptist, I’d be fired if they knew.”
(The one that I witnessed) Dr. Raymon Leake (First Baptist Church, Meridian):
Dr. Leake said, “I know that you are an apostle and a prophet who is sent by God, and that you are being persecuted for the cause of Christ; it must be very difficult for you. I know that you teach about the restoration, but I am just not interested.”
Dr. Leake was different in that he had not really taken the time to sit down with Pastor Demers, but he still had a positive attitude and acted with respect, even though 2 of his people had said negative things about Pastor Demers. Pastor Demers had said that he wanted to talk to him about the restoration of all things, because that is where those types of problems come from. Dr. Leake invited us to come to his office and we sat in a conference room where the two men had a quite cordial discussion. Even though it ended like that, at least Dr. Leake was polite and did sit down to talk, rather than acting as you have, with preconceived (false) notions based on gossip.
Most pastors, unlike the above, have acted, quite frankly, similar to how you have acted—irrationally, rudely, and acting on some preconceived superior self-knowledge. I will give you a few examples:
Pastor Adelia Spencer:
She said, “You never met Paul, you never met Matthew—you don’t even know if they existed. I don’t care what the Bible says—I know what God tells me.”
And of course, it was this minister who gave the order to burn the house, and it was her son, Pastor Peter (Amos) Powell, who attempted to murder Pastor Demers in front of 2 of the Demers children.
Pastor Rob Gill (Poplar Springs United Methodist Church, Meridian):
He said, "I don’t care about the bride. This is my gig; so just don’t talk about it. I don’t care about restoration or the bride.”
Pastor Earl Wheatley (North Park Church, Meridian):
In front of Pastor Demers’ children at the Demers home, Earl Wheatley said: “I know everything you say is wrong. All the articles you’ve written are wrong. When Pastor Demers asked, “Could you please show me in the Bible where I am wrong?” Earl Wheatley said, “No. I don’t really care what it says. I know you’re wrong, and I don’t want you to talk to anybody (about the Bible) at my church if you visit, except the one person who invited you.”
Elders at Kingdom Hall in Meridian:
When Pastor Demers was comparing one of their denomination's hard-bound books with their denomination's translation of the Bible, showing that their own literature contradicts their own version of the Bible, Pastor Demers and his wife were both threatened with bodily harm.
Pastor Allan Shortridge:
When Pastor Demers shared with Pastor Shortridge and his wife (at the Demers home) about Matthew 18: 15-17 (telling the people in the church about sin, to keep the church pure), Allan Shortridge said that he does that from the pulpit. Pastor Demers showed him that Jesus expects us to tell the person one-on-one to their face, and then if they don’t listen take 2 or 3 more with them, and then, if they don’t listen tell it to the whole church, and if they refuse to listen to them, put them out of the church.
Mrs. Shortridge said, “We can’t do those because it would cause chaos in the church.
Pastor Demers said, “Why don’t you tell the truth? You won’t do those scriptures because then a lot of people would leave with their tithe money and you wouldn’t be able to drive up in that Lincoln you’ve got sitting out there in front of the house.”
Pastor Shortridge then got up and started banging on the table, yelling: “YOU CAN DO THOSE SCRIPTURES AT YOUR CHURCH, BUT (BANGING ON TABLE) I'M NOT DOING THEM, DO YOU HEAR ME? I’M NOT DOING THEM!!” And they left.
Pastor Jack Giles:
Pastor Giles was at the Demerses and he basically was nodding and agreeing with everything Pastor Demers was saying. Pastor Demers had a feeling that Pastor Giles was patronizing him, so he started talking baby talk for quite a number of sentences. Pastor Giles kept right on saying, “Yes. Uh, huh.” Etc. And so Pastor Demers told him what he had done and that Pastor Giles was just patronizing him.
Pastor Giles then became angry and started yelling, “Well, you’re wrong about everything!” And he left. Mrs. Demers called him on the phone a little while later and said, “You said that my husband is wrong in what he teaches. Will you please show me in the scriptures where he is wrong? Because I would like to know.” Pastor Giles said that he would, but not right then. He told her to call him back in a week. She called him back in a week, and he said, “Call me in two weeks.” She called him in two weeks, and he said, “Call me back in a month.” She called him in a month, and he said he would call her. That was years ago, and he hasn’t called yet.
Pastor Darrell Dumas (“Touching Hands” Ministry):
He said to Pastor Demers: “If I ever see you on the street, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
So-called Youth Minister:
This person (over 200 lbs) kicked the door in of the Demers’ home during a holiday dinner, and attempted to kill Pastor Demers, beating him to the floor over 50 times with his fists.
There are so many other incredibly frightening instances of persecution that cannot be contained herein due to time and space constraints.
So, Pastor Price, I want you to know that you are not alone in bizarre reactions to this man with a message from God who just came to tell you the truth…
Perhaps you just might want to step out, admit your error, and act in Christ, in dignity and Southern hospitality, and with the ethics and integrity taught and typified by Jesus Christ Himself.
I know that the Demerses are not angry with you, and that they understand the spiritual dynamics of persecution, and therefore are quite willing to consider that which is past to be as far as the east is from the west…and to begin interacting anew with you in the mighty name of Jesus in Christian love.
Sincerely,
Lucinda Johnson
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