Customer Reviews

Friendly Fire: A Recovery Guide for Believers Battered by Religion

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Actually Mike still owes me and many other Christians an apology for all of the lies he told and which I formerly believed. He's never given one. Almost all of what he said in his previous book, and during many speaking engagements, was thoroughly debunked by Cornerstone Magazine who interviewed all of the people who knew him, including his girlfriend during the time he was a satanic priest and had "long blonde hair" "six inch fingernails" was shot by a pimp, had an extravagant apartment paid for by an international satanic organization, had sex slaves he kept in his apartment, yadda, yadda, yadda. Times and locations given conflict and never add up. None of it was true. His friends did say he read books on satanism and was an excellent storyteller. There is a lot more he has said that was a total fabrication, there just isn't enough room here. Mike has never apologized, as even Jim Bakker did (his book was titled "I was wrong). He has never responded to the investigation which debunked his whole "life story." Mike did say he "exaggerated" a bit... How about "completely fabricated" might be a better phrase... Mike has never turned in any of the people he claims were committing "human sacrifices," kidnappings, or any of the other horrible felonies and atrocities Mike says he took part in. Now he's whining about how nobody wants anything to do with him after it was all exposed. What do you expect, Mike? His ministry for "helping victims of satanic ritual abuse" reportedly was a sham. There are no law enforcement records for any missing persons or bodies found. No law enforcement records corroborate any of what he's said. Now the IRS has revoked his tax-exempt status because of him and his wife and friend taking over $800,000 in salaries each, and buying other expensive items, while sending out letters saying his ministry was in financial trouble and pleading for more money. Friendly fire??? Yes, because your accusers were necessarily your enemies. Mike has never repented, he submitted himself to a board made up of his own cronies who told him not to "answer his critics." How convenient, Mike... These were not critics, these were respected people of the church who were asking for an explanation, and whose congregations were taken in by Mike Warnke. Now he poses as a "victim" of "religion," trying to help others. Here we go again... Mike deserves every bit of the "friendly fire" he's received. He's still doing the same thing he did before, going around referring to some horrible ritual abuse and then asking for a collection of money. Never gives any details about which police department or social service is handling the case, and the guy is apparently convincing enough that nobody is asking... fellow Christians, please verify what he says, and search for Cornerstone Magazine and Mike Warnke for the big expose about him. Mike, many Christian organizations want nothing to do with you because of your lies, extravagances, and your lifestyle behind your facade, not because they're trying to be cruel to you. Readers, check Mike Warnke's past and read the expose by Cornerstone Magazine before you buy this book... you'll be glad you did. They try to find where he has ever faced any of the facts brought forth. Battered by religion??? Just the title indicates he has still not repented. Mike was never battered by religion, he was confronted with facts and exposed as a liar.

There are a lot of people who really have been hurt by "friendly fire" and abused in churches. Mr. Warnke is not one of them! He's a liar and a fraud, and he brought it all on himself. That he would try to this up by pretending to be "mistreated" by Christians is just embarrassing. Grow up already, Mike! You defrauded your fellow Christians out of millions of dollars by pretending to be fighting an underground Satanist network. We're the ones who believed in you and sent you money. We're the wounded that you abused in your fraud schemes. Don't look to us for sympathy!

What you will notice here is a mea culpa that is vague, but a lot of accusations against people who were not "out to get him", but out to get the truth. The truth was built up, day by day, step by step, fact by fact, and can be found in SELLING SATAN (highly recommended).

Biblically, when we are caught in sin, it is the church's job to call us on it, call us to repentance, and "out us" if we won't clean our act up ourselves. Warnke says he didn't seek to gain wealth from ministry, and yet he states he focused "on the bottom line"...well, what is that if not focusing on the perks-=-money and expense accounts, etc. He is vague about his failings--but SELLING SATAN will let you in on what those failings were so you will not be sold again by this seller.

Are there wounded in the church? yes. Can the church be too harsh? yes. Does God's love remain steady? Yes. In these areas, Warnke is right. BUT...as someone whose wounds were self-inflicted (by his unrighteous and disordered personal life and false witness), he cannot point the finger at his accusers, who merely brought light into a dark ministry.

I hope Mr. Warnke has renewed his spiritual and emotional life. I hope he does much good work for the Lord, in humility and the strength of the spirit, but I wouldn't recommend that any believer buy this book and support the ministry of someone who continues to deny the incontrovertible proof set forth by those in the body who could no longer tolerate his lies.

Pray for Mike, but don't support his pity party.

Some people just don't know when to admit they were wrong, pack it in, and go home. Such a man is Mike Warnke. He spent 20 years conning people into believing he was the preeminent "ex-satanist high priest." When he was exposed, 10 years ago, as a charlatan and a huckster, his status as the #1 Christian comic went into the dung pile.

On page 19 of this book he says, "Were the media reports true? Was I a fake, a charlatan, a deceiver, and a liar? No. I NEVER lied about my testimony and I NEVER ran a fake ministry." This quote alone should speak to Warnke's apologists.

Warnke has never come clean about his adulterous affairs, his nonexistent past life as a "satanist", drug runner, pool hall pistol waving run-ins, etc. He never has recanted his "testimony" because he has nothing to offer in its' stead. He has no one to firmly corroborate his "pre-Christian" days. Anyone who supposedly could vouch for him is either "dead" or "killed in Vietnam."

Claiming he was "wounded by friendly fire," when exposed as a con artist in the book "Selling Satan" in 1992, this four-time married story-teller turns everything topsy-turvy.

Give it a rest, Mike, no one believes you anymore.

--John Paul, Oklahoma City

So Warnke's hurt because his once large fan base turned against him after that now-infamous Cornerstone expose? Maybe if he'd admitted his lies, false testimony and other wrongdoings instead of portraying himself as the victim, they would've been more forgiving...however, for Warnke to try and identify himself w/genuine victims of unjust persecution by fellow Christians is simply reprehensible. If a prominent Christian icon like Jim Bakker can acknowledge his past wrongdoings and apologize to the public, there's no reason why Warnke couldn't do the same...by remaining silent, he essentially sealed his own fate.

As for Tom, he apparently needs to re-read "Selling Satan"...the LaVey interview came @ the end of the book as bonus material, and he was in no way used as a source for the accusations against Warnke, which came exclusively from friends, colleagues, etc...the whole point of including it was to show that true Satanism is far more subtle than what Warnke, et al. would like you to believe (LaVey denounces heavy metal as "noise" and surprises the authors by playing the traditional hymn "Amazing Grace" among other songs, as part of an organ medley)...and considering that LaVey's Church of Satan memebership's a mere 5,000-6,000 (a far cry from the alleged "global Satanic network"...if Warnke actually had a 1300-member Satanic coven in the 60s like he claimed, that would constitute about 1/4 the membership!), it doesn't sound like his tactics were nearly as successful as one would think.

My name is Michael Craig Johnson Jr. I am the son of Mike Johnson and Karen Johnson Vierling who where interviewed for the Selling Satan book.

I was a mere child when all of the things that Mike speaks about in this book happened, but I do know that Mike was not what he said he was. Selling Satan was in fact a PG version of the stories that both my mother and my father told me about Mike Warnke.

Mike still clings to his Satan Selling days and has not once said that these things didn't happened. I forgive Mike for the many pains that his directing of my father caused my family, but forgivness and allowance to hurt others is not the same. We are doing a greater attrocity if lies continue.

I will say that God redeems dispite the sins of our fathers, and I have come to Grace and Truth through Christ Jesus. However, this is despite people like Mike Warnke and many others. Those of you that think Mike is honest, I suggest you look at the mounted evidence against him as it is. From many people from many walks of life.

Blessings,

Mike

Mike Warnke is a conman who contributed to the "Satanic panic" of the 1980s. When I was in college, a friend of mine lent me his first book, "Satan Seller." I couldn't finish reading it because it was so over the top and totally unbelievable. Warnke wrote about demons in the form of bats following him. He wrote about Satanists turning into wisps of smoke to enter rooms through locked doors. He wrote about going to sleep every with two girls in his bed. I returned the book and told my friend that I didn't believe it. I said it was like listening to some nerd bragging about a wet dream. It turned out I was right. The editors of Cornerstone Magazine knew that Warnke was living a lie and they took it upon themselves to expose him. You can find the article on line. They later published an expose about his lies, entitled "Selling Satan." They revealed his multiple affairs, his four divorces, his lies in the pulpit, he lied about having two doctorates, master degrees, etc. He lied about using money to create a call center to have people who were uncomfortable to go into a traditional church. Like many other con men/tele-evangelists of the 80s, he lied to people, took their money and spent it on himself and his women. His double-life was covered up by other ministers because they were afraid that the truth might hurt his ministry. I'm glad Cornerstone exposed this "wolf in sheep's clothing." Warnke is a fraud and a con man. Who is he to write about being a victim of "friendly fire." What about his wives who were hurt by his adultery? What about the tens-of-thousands of people who paid money to hear his testimony and his comedy routine? What about the churches and ministers who paid to have him come and speak to their congregations? What about the people who really believed him and made monthly donations to help his alleged outreach programs? And finally, what about the people who were falsely accused of being Satanists and ritual child molesters in a an atmosphere of paranoia and panic that Warnke helped create. Who is this guy that actually he has the audacity to paint himself as a victim? Avoid Warnke and his books like a plague. He has yet to repent and he's still out to con you out of your money. Warnke get a real job. Go mow lawns, pick tomatoes, paint house, just stop telling people how great you are and taking their money.

Mr. Warnke is a proven liar and a false prophet. To claim that he is a victim of Christian "witch" hunting is to ignore the ... sins he has committed in the name of Christ. Truly he is the victimizer! If only Mr. Warnke would repent of his sins and come clean, like David of the Bible. I wonder if Mr. Warnke has disqualified himself from the race and rest not as one cloaked in the grace of God, but stands as an apostate. Truly the saddess part of the story are the thousands who have believe his lies in the name of Christ.

Mr. Warnke was exposed as a hypocrite, and a wolf feeding on the flock, using Christian's gullibility for personal gain. I just thank God that he had to go to Destiny Image, a vanity self-publisher, to get his excuses in print. Now if only D.I. would be a bit more discerning in who they choose to profit from.

I think that Mr.....excuse me REV. Warnke...has hit the nail right on the head...I can remember rolling on the floor, tears in my eyes laughing at his antics years ago....well that comedy sense and timing has helped him in his own life trials, BUT he goes on in his book Friendly Fire about a loving God...who will accept you even with all your faults....excellent read and a recommended study on recovery from any type of lifes failures or hangups.

George Bellefeuille

Director of Jesus Loves the Poor .org

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