Evangelical Author Mike Evans Seeks To Bomb Iran

The fact that Mike Evans' new book "Jimmy Carter: The Liberal Left and World Chaos: A Carter/Obama Plan That Will Not Work," -- released on January 20 -- currently ranks #44 on Amazon.com's "Bestsellers in Books," is a tribute to both Evans' media savvy and his supporter's zeal. Thus far, the book has received 62 reviews, with 59 reviewers giving it five-stars.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter's new book, "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work" -- also released on January 20 -- checks in at #495 on the Amazon listing. The book's 25 reviews are split between those who really like the book (8) and those who'd prefer it be returned to pulp (11). This, despite the fact that Carter has had the distinct advantage of appearing on a number of television and radio talk shows.

In a recent article, Evans stated that Carter's "solution is straightforward; Israel should embrace the Quartet" -- a plan for dealing with the Middle East crisis crafted, after Hamas' parliamentary victory three years ago by the UN, the U.S., the European Union, and Russia. "The plan," writes Evans, "is backed by a group simply known as The Elders, an idea formulated by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and musician Peter Gabriel to create a world council of elders to tackle issues such as peace in the Middle East." Carter is a member of The Elders' Middle East team. "How," Evans wants to know, can Carter and friends "ask the Jewish people to embrace a group known as The Elders?" in light of the virulently anti-Semitic book, "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion."

The Mike Evans Experience

The long hard slog that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld often talked about in reference to the War in Iraq has been fully embraced by Mike Evans. The well-connected and well-traveled conservative evangelical Christian, with several best-selling books to his name and a bent for the hyperbolic, has for years been opposed to Bush's Road Map and a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He has also been warning the world about the danger that Iran poses and the necessity of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by either the U.S. or Israel.

These days, Evans has honed in on another target: former President Jimmy Carter. Evans has written a new book titled "Jimmy Carter: The Liberal Left and World Chaos," a sharp rebuke of President Carter's efforts at working for a peaceful solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.

"This book helps you connect the dots and understand how we have come to this crisis," states the promotional materials at the book's Web site. "More importantly, the book tells you how it can be resolved. It contains information that has never been revealed by diplomatic sources worldwide. It divulges the agenda of Jimmy Carter and the Liberal Left to sell America and the Bible Land to the highest bidder."

In a profile of Evans, Right Web, a project of Political Research Associates, pointed out that in a 2007 article for his own online publication, Jerusalem World News, Evans criticized efforts aimed at a two-state solution:

"The acceptance of this vile plan would turn Israel into a living hell. The Jewish people would be forced to live next door to a state controlled by Islamic fanatics such as Hamas. I am reminded over and over of the scripture in Psalm 83:2-5: For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.' For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You."

Evans' Questionable Accounting

This past July, Bartholomew's Notes on Religion pointed out that The Jewish Week reported on "the financial scandals ... enveloping Ehud Olmert, ... noting the significant discrepancy in the amount of money which U.S. evangelist Mike Evans is now claiming that he raised for Olmert's New Jerusalem Foundation in 2002, when the two of them travelled (sic) around evangelical churches in the American South":

"In Irving, a suburb of Dallas, The Jerusalem Post reported, Rev. Evans exulted that the evening raised some $400,000. The Dallas Jewish Week, citing Rev. Evans and Raviv, reported a take of at least $326,000. Anyone donating $350 or more received a copy of Rev. Evans' book, "Jerusalem Betrayed," the Dallas weekly noted. In it, Rev. Evans predicts an imminent End Time that will see a war in Israel so terrible that blood "will flow down the Jordan River Valley, down the length of the Dead Sea, and thence . . . the entire length of the Negev to Eilat."

"Today, Rev. Evans claims to have raised only $65,000 for the foundation in 2002, notwithstanding his statements to the press at the time. In a brief e-mail exchange via his secretary, Rev. Evans ignored a question asking if he received a share of the money raised for his work on the tour and, if so, how much. He adamantly denied that contributions were collected in cash.

"But the senior staff member of Mount Paran Church North wrote in an e-mail to The Jewish Week: 'Mike Evans cannot support his claims as regarding checks only at this venue, nor his total [$65,000] estimate for the tour -- unless he received nothing at the other locations, which is very, very doubtful!'"

Bartholmew's Notes on Religion also pointed out that Evans "has of recent months become a bitter critic of Olmert, and he has pledged to 'do everything in my power' to wreck the Annapolis peace-process. Perhaps his prayers in this regard will be answered, but not in quite the way he had hoped."

Evans' False Claims About an Iranian Pre-U.S.-Election Surge in Iraq Aimed at Ruining McCain's Presidential Hopes

Although no doubt discouraged by the election of Barack Obama, nevertheless, Evans has consistently heated up the Internet with talk of military action against Iran.

In an early September e-mail to his supporters, Evans reported some breaking news involving Iran. He claimed that he had received information from a number of Iraqi and Israeli leaders that Iran was "planning a major surge in the next 30 days to kill as many American troops as possible. They believe in doing so they can undermine the success of the U.S. surge and John McCain's hopes of becoming President."

Evans, the head of a group called the Jerusalem Prayer Team, the publisher of the online Jerusalem World News, and the author of a number of books including The New York Times bestseller "The Final Move Beyond Iraq," maintained that "Muqtada Al-Sadr's, Iran's Shi'ite subcontractor in Iraq and head of the sixty-five thousand member Mahdi army (terrorists), are going to attempt to make Iraq a living hell in the next 30 days by killing as many people as possible."

Evans had an unusual idea for dealing with this startling information: He suggested that the best thing his supporters could do would be to head over to "Amazon.com right now and purchase as many copies of The Final Move Beyond Iraq as possible."

Why rush off to Amazon.com? "Because this is the only book that reveals Iran's plans in Iraq. More importantly if you can drive the book to Amazon's Top Ten bestseller list, the network shows will be calling and inviting me to speak to tens of millions of people. I need to wake up the American people and government so they can pray and prepare for this attack that is coming. You can save American lives by helping me get on the major networks."

Despite the bluster and Evans' certainty, there was no discernable Iranian surge. How many books were sold is unclear.

These days, Evans' "Book Wars" is continuing: In a series of e-mails, Evans is encouraging his supporters to let their fingers do the walking on over to Amazon.com, where they can both buy his book and provide it with a five-star review. As of January 28, the book was at #18 on Amazon.com. "If my book hits #1 on Amazon, the networks will call," Evans tells supporters.

Evans also makes an awkward confession: It appears that he wrote a scathing review of one of Carter's books and posted it under the initials MD. And his ruse was discovered. "My name is Michael David," Evans writes, "and those initials stand for that. Had I used 'ME' for Mike Evans, my critics would have thought I was posting a crank review.)"

The report in The Jewish Week also pointed out that Evans "had been strongly criticized for setting up a 'Holocaust museum' that purported to give visitors the experience of being 'herded into a boxcar [and] shocked beyond your wildest imagination as you find yourself right in the middle of a German concentration camp.' The enterprise included appeals for financial support to proselytize Israeli Jews or, as Evans' fundraising literature puts it, 'to share the message of God's love with every Jewish home in the entire nation of Israel.'"

Bill Berkowitz is a freelance writer and longtime observer of the conservative movement.

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