Florida

A video showing minister Paula White being wrapped in a Torah scroll by controversial rabbi and television personality Ralph Messer has emerged only days after White's attorney denied the pastor's endorsement of Messer following a "coronation" ceremony involving Bishop Eddie Long.

The ceremonial wrapping seen in the 2009 video (shown below) of Messer on White's program, "Paula Today," is almost identical to Messer's wrapping of Long during a recent sermon at the minister's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., as seen in a video clip that has gone viral on YouTube since its posting on the Internet last week.

Following Long's controversy, all eyes turned to White when local press suggested over the weekend that the charismatic pastor of Without Walls International Church might be "crowned" queen during a Super Bowl Sunday service at NDCC, where she also serves as senior pastor. more >>

Paula White, senior pastor and "Apostolic Overseer" of late Zachery Tims' New Destiny Christian Center as well as Without Walls International Church, has denied any connection to a rabbi seen in a widely-circulated video "crowning" Eddie Long king in an elaborate Torah ceremony at his Georgia megachurch. 

After the Florida Courier published on Feb. 3 a "breaking news" report based on a rumor that White would be crowned queen during a Super Bowl Sunday service at New Destiny Christian Center, White and her attorney refuted the claims and denied that the Florida minister had any "ties or affiliations" with Rabbi Ralph Messer, the same minister who performed Long's "enthronement" ceremony at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Jan. 29.

SEE VIDEO REPORT OF PAULA WHITE AND WEALTHY PREACHERS HERE more >>

The Florida Senate passed a bill on Wednesday allowing student-led prayer or other inspirational messages at public school events, drawing mixed reaction from residents.

Sponsored by Sen. Gary Siplin (D-Orlando), the legislation known as CS/SB 98 will permit individual school boards to adopt a policy allowing students to deliver "inspirational messages" at functions like assemblies, with sole discretion given to the students.

Administrators are not allowed to monitor or participate in the delivery or the creation of the messages, giving school districts no opportunity to review the content. more >>

Without Walls Central, the opulent Lakeland, Fla., property belonging to Paula White, who also leads Without Walls International Church in Tampa, has been "abandoned" by White and left to decay, a visitor to the property alleges. 

Prophetic News radio show host Susan Puzio, operating on Blog Talk Radio, made these claims in a Jan. 6 discussion with Karen Pansler Lam, a Lakeland resident who visited the church property.

Without Walls Central has been standing abandoned, ramshackled and without electricity since August, earlier reports have suggested. Latest published reports indicate the property is still owned by White's main campus, Without Walls International Church. more >>

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the Florida primary Tuesday.

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Romney has 47 percent of the vote, followed by 31 percent for Newt Gingrich, 13 percent for Rick Santorum and seven percent for Ron Paul. Romney's portion of the total will likely go down after the precincts in the less Romney-friendly Florida panhandle are counted, but those votes will not prevent a Romney victory.

Florida apportions its delegate in a winner-take-all system, so Romney will receive all 50 of Florida's delegates. (Florida technically has 99 delegates, but, under Republican Party rules, suffers a 50 percent penalty for scheduling its primary too early.) more >>

Three pastors listed as part of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's "Florida Faith Leaders Coalition" have said they have had no contact with the campaign and have not expressed support for Gingrich.

Sarah Posner, a journalist who covers religion and politics, made the discovery as she was reporting on the campaign ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary.

When Posner asked Pastor Scrivner Damon of New Life Community Church in North Palm Beach, Doug Maners of Catalyst Community Church in Orlando, and Amar Rambissoon of Deeper Life Assembly in Orlando, about their participation in the Gingrich campaign, they all expressed bewilderment. more >>