note: The PK FAX in question also appeared on the official PK Web page in the "Controversial Issues" area of their FAQ's until March 1999. The URL was http://www.promisekeepers.org/2aa2.htm
I e-mailed them as to why the FAQ was taken down and they responded promptly. Copied below is the correspondance, followed by the PK FAQ re James Ryle's Comments on the Beatles.
__________________________
From: hebrews928@aol.com [SMTP:hebrews928@aol.com]
To: webmaster@promisekeepers.org
Subject: For the Webmaster
It has been noticed that you have recently taken down much of the material that was posted in your "Controversial issues" FAQ area, including the one about James Ryle's Comments on the Beatles. How should this action be interpreted?
______________________________________
Subj: Response From Promise Keepers
Date: 3/23/99 2:24:24 PM EST
From: corrserv@pknet.org (Correspondence Services)
To: hebrews928@aol.com ('hebrews928@aol.com')
Thank you for e-mailing Promise Keepers. We love to hear from those who visit our web site. It has been exciting to see how many friends we have on the Internet!
All content on the Promise Keepers web site is currently being evaluated to make sure we are posting the most current information possible with respect to all areas of the ministry. The fact that some items have been removed from our FAQ section simply means they are no longer frequently asked questions. Be watching for an expanded FAQ section in the near future.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. May the presence of Christ be your joy, His Word your guide, and His peace your strength.
T. Davis
PK E-Mail Response Team
In 1990, Pastor James Ryle, a PK board
member spoke at a conference and gave a message entitled, “The Sons of
Thunder” containing three main points: 1) God wants the entire world to be
evangelized (John 3:16); 2) God wants us to become all things to all
men, that by all means men might be saved (1 Cor. 9:22); and 3) God
provides gifts to all of us through which we can reach out to the lost. Pastor
Ryle went on to elaborate on the third point, stating that all gifts are
a blessing from God — doctors are gifted with healing, teachers with
the ability to communicate information, judges with wisdom, and musicians
with music, etc.
Pastor Ryle’s message focused on the power of the gift of music. He stated
that music is a universal language and it speaks to the heart of men like
no other medium. All musicians have received the gift of music from God,
whether they are Christians or not. Pastor Ryle used the Beatles as a stellar
example of the power of music. These musicians influenced an entire generation
and people followed them into drugs, sex, and eastern mysticism. Pastor Ryle
asked his audience to imagine the tremendous influence that the Beatles could
have had if they had been Christians — if they had used their gift to
glorify God and to impact His kingdom. In fact, this message has led numerous
musicians (including some prominent secular names) to write to Pastor Ryle
saying things like, “...at last I know why I was born with the gift of
music.”
In his reference to the Beatles’ gift of music, Ryle referred to that gift as an “anointing”; indicating only that the gift was from God. Pastor Ryle regrets that his comment was misunderstood by believers who thought that he was endorsing the message and lifestyle of the Beatles. He only intended to convey his understanding of the power of music and that it is a gift from God. Pastor Ryle did not mean to imply that he believed that the Beatles were used by God — only that their gift was from God and it could have been used for the glory of God.
