Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Pastor?
When I was growing up, I remember watching TV with my parents and invariably, when it was on, my parents would watch a show called "Diff'rent Strokes".
The show had a character named Arnold who when confronted with a statement that didn't make sense (usually by his brother, Willis), would say, "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"
As I look around at who a lot of modern pastors are looking up to as examples of how to "do church", it seems that there is an alarming rise in false teachings amongst these "leaders".
Leaders such as Rob Bell, Perry Nobel and Steven Furtick, cast a shadow of thinly veiled anger and contempt for "traditional" Christians and in their attempt to be non-judgemental to the "unchurched" fail at being non-judgemental to fellow believers; and that's just the beginning.
In just the past few weeks...
Books like Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, which question and are trying to "reinterpret" the Bible and our faith while casting doubt on our beliefs are applauded from the pulpit.
Perry Nobel, of Newspring Church, being carried out in a coffin after the "worship band" plays AC/DC's Hell's Bells is seen as being innovative.
It's even "IN" to recreate the church as an entertainment center for the lost. It's all about numbers. To paraphrase a friend of mine, "People are brought in, pray the sinner's prayer, are baptized, send out to make friends...next."
In a rant about "Christians", one of these leaders, Steven Furtick, a pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC epitomizes a VERY common "Do something (be like us) or your 'spiritually fat'" attitude.
In watching a recent video of one of his sermons, Mr. Furtick states plainly, “If You Know Jesus This Church is NOT for you!”
His attitude can summed up in these statements:
We don't teach from Books of the Bible because it gets in the way of evangelism.
We don't offer different kinds of Bible studies because it gets in the way of evangelism.
We don't teach doctrine because it gets in the way of evangelism.
If you want to be fed God's word or have the Bible explained to you then you are a fat lazy Christian and you need to shut up and get to work or you need to leave this church because we ONLY do evangelism.
Where is love, grace, holiness and reverence? Where are the Biblical mandates for preaching, discipleship, sound doctrine, etc.?
It makes me shake my head and say, "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Pastor?"
6 comments:
Ooh, I show you one thing on the internet and you get all fired up! Hmmm.
Sadly, I have come to a sad conclusion that as a whole our world is ok with half the Truth (which is still a lie).
Some of those pastors aren't so bad, they just aren't so good either. No one is perfect however, a few of the pastors you have mentioned, as they rush out for their morning Sunday Services they pick up cool, culturally relevant, and crude behavior, and forget to pick up reverence for God's Word, grace, and Jesus died for us, on the table.
So I'm guessing that putting out Rob Bell's "Velvet Elvis and "Sex God" probably wouldn't be copasetic with you, am I right?
Thank you for pointing out this very dangerous teaching finding popularity in many of today's fastest growing megachurches. I have their followers showing up on my blog regularly and commenting with the same thinly veiled contempt for anything 'old'. It makes me wonder whether they think that Christianity is a little like Apple Computers . . . invented by a couple of innovative young guys, in their garage, a few decades ago.
Diana: That was very well said. 1/2 a truth is still a lie; and yes, you're right, I won't be picking up either book anytime in the forseeable future.
Jim: Thank you for your comments and for standing up for the truth on your blog. I read a lot of criticism from people who consider people that stand for the Truth or Biblical teaching as Pharisees and legalists.
May God keep us strong for His glory!
Because Truth matters,
George
I have seen them called "weak or narrow minded."
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it."
That is courtesy of the Book of Matthew.
It's a travesty in today's culture when statistics say that the majority of young people fall out of church after the age of 18 and IF they return, it's not until after the birth of their first child. Statistics also say that if a person hasn't accepted Christ by the time they are 18 the odds that they ever will drops out into single didget numbers. Places like Newspring and Elevation church are targeting just those people; people who left church because it wasn't real, but a ritual and tradition. "Narrow is the GATE", not the mind. The gate is narrow because Jesus is the only way. And both of these churches teach that very thing. The message has not changed, just the presentation. It's funny how, in Jesus's time on Earth, the people who hated him were the "religous" and the people who followed Him were those who wanted something real.
Is it automatic that you all always disagree with those who have different opinions than you? If you would put as much passion into winning lost souls as you do into disagreeing with others who actually ARE, it's amazing at what would happen.
BTW, Apple is the way to go if you want a superior computer. But be careful, you might get talked about since it's not the "popular" computer to have...yet.
Brent,
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate them.
I have heard those same statistics and they are very sobering. I thank God for people with a heart and passion for evangelizing the lost. I don't doubt that, any of the seeker-sensitive or emergent pastors have a passion for people, for only God can judge their hearts, but that doesn't mean that the ends justify the means.
Yes, there are some churches that are dead in that they just live for tradition. However, there are true Biblical churches that are on fire for the Word of God and they are reaching the lost for His glory.
These churches don't need to look like the world, sound like the world, etc. They reflect God and He draws the people to them. If you look through the Bible (which is relevant without a "show"), God's people in the Bible NEVER used indecent inuendos or double-ententres or sensationalism to draw people.
Regarding people that have different opinions than me; that's not the issue. My opinion doesn't matter. The only thing that does matter is lining up with the Word of God. If my words are out of line with the Word, then I am at wrong. If Steven Furtick's words are out of line with God's Word then He is at wrong.
Lastly, you mention my time spent evangelizing. Brent, you have no idea what I do or don't do regarding evangelism, so your statement regarding that is unfounded.
Because Truth Matters,
George
Post a Comment