Swedish Pentecostal Pastor Joins Roman Catholic Church

On March 9, Ulf Ekman, Pentecostal pastor in Sweden, told his congregation that he is joining the Roman Catholic Church. Ekman has a wide influence. Not only is he a pastor of a megachurch and founder of Scandinavia’s largest Bible school, but he also was on the board of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, whose senior pastor is David Yonggi Cho, and he mentored Kong Hee, founder of Singapore’s largest church, City Harvest. (Cho was recently convicted of breach of trust and corruption for misuse of church funds to support his son’s business, and Hee is currently on trial on the charge of misuse of church funds to support his wife’s pop music career.) Ekman now denounces “the ongoing Protestant fragmentation of Christendom” and plans to “pursue unity among Christian movements and denominations” (“Conversion of Sweden’s Most Influential Pastor,” Christianity Today, Mar. 14, 2014). Ekman said that it was “contact with catholics” that was a major factor in his conversion, reminding us that evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor. 15:33), and that all ecumenical roads eventually lead to Rome.

(Friday Church News Notes, March 21, 2014, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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