When Preachers Lie On God

As a young minister I was part of a tradition where every minister spoke at the New Year’s Eve service.  Each of us was given a grand three minutes to rightly divide and deliver that word of God.  This was probably more entertaining than educationally meaningful, I suppose.  One of the highlights of the evening was the dreaded bell.  One of the mothers of the church, a real stickler for order, had taken to timing each preacher and when his time was up, she would ring the bell.

As a student in a Roman Catholic school I grew accustomed to another use for the bell.  Every hour on the hour the bell would ring and thus proclaim that a new hour had begun.

Here I would like to propose yet another new use for the bell.  I wish that each church could have a bell that rang every time a preacher lied on God.  In other words, I wish there was an error alarm that went off every time a preacher said or signed God’s name to something He didn’t say, or didn’t say to that audience.  I think we could give the bell choirs a run for their money.

Here’s the major problem.  Pastors and preachers alike, over the course of time purport that when they speak, (from the pulpit), they are speaking for God.  I mean, directly for God not merely about God.  They are, after all, the man of God, the Voice of God, and some even go further and title themselves the Prophet or Apostle of God.  This neat and lofty titling system comes with some things many would like you to assume.

Assume that when the preacher speaks, from the sacred desk, as some like to call it, that it is infallible.  Yes, I know that’s a strong word.  I think it fits well since we are addressing a strong attitude.

Assume, of course, since the preacher’s words are infallible and all, that the sermon or story was systematic, that is to say a summation of all that the bible has to say on the matter.  Unless of course, while in their study time God tells them to tell you, (all of you who ever listen to the sermon), X Y and Z.

Assume that asking questions or downright challenging the truthfulness of these authoritative statements is a gross violation of proper Christian ethic, if not the unforgivable and ex-communicable sin of disloyalty.

WE’VE DANCED THIS DANCE BEFORE

What makes me tremble is the fact that we’ve seen this before.  As a matter of fact, the reason that we are not all members of the Church of Rome is exactly because one man in particular, Martin Luther,  stood up to the church and said ‘not so’.

The Church of Rome held, and still does today, that when the Pope and the Bishops, or the Pope alone, speaks from the “chair” it is infallible, authoritative, and complete.  The problem then is the problem today.  That position officially called Sola Ecclesia makes the church leader or leaders’ words equal in authority to the word of God.  They become the final authority in all matters of faith and practice since the preacher/pastor/bishop must define and interpret Scripture.

On more than one occasion I have sat down with friends and discussed biblical matters.  Their pastors’ opinions presented as sermons might be clearly in opposition to what was supported by scripture.  Scripture after scripture, we would go over the issue.  They may even concede that, in fact, the bible is clear on the matter and clearly is not saying what the preacher said.  Then comes today’s watered down rendering of the Sola Ecclesia position.  “But my pastor said…”

What’s not stated in that response is the determination that one’s pastor has more authority than the word of God.

In contrast, here are the words of Luther:

“Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.“

It makes we wanna scream!

Acts 17:11 NIV Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true

Anybody remember the third commandment?  Do not use the Name of the Lord in vain.  No, it does not mean saying God’s name for no apparent reason or in very appalling places.  It means, don’t forge God’s signature on your opinion and preach it as his word!

The sad reality is that some preachers are getting more and more comfortable lying on God and people are getting more and more comfortable silencing and unplugging the alarm-bells.

What do you do when you hear opinion preached as prophecy, or bias as biblical fact?

When is the right time to address error, and how much error should you ignore?

At your church, is the Bible or your Pastor the final authority in practice?

Are you at a church where thinking and reasoning of your own is shunned like the devil and demons?

Egad!

I’d love your feedback here, if you are allowed to share your reasonable opinion.

The Church or The Bible?

Some say that Pastor/Church is to be obeyed and never questioned.  Others say the final authority for the Christian is the Word of God.  What do you believe?  Tell me why.

Are all sins equal?

I’ve heard this said many times, sin is sin.  Here’s my challenge.  If you believe that, prove it, if not prove that.

Porn in the Church

PASTOR Michael Guglielmucc has been the focus of many lately.  He wrote a beautiful song called “Healer.”  The song was no. 2 on the charts and spread like wildfire, mainly because he performed it while wearing an oxygen tube.  He did this because he told a lie.  He reported to all, his family, church and the viewing world, that he had an aggressive form of cancer.  Michael revealed recently, some two years later, that he was lying.  This story, as you can imagine, generated lots of donations from supporters, many of whom really were sick.  Bloggers everywhere are frustrated and letting him have it.  He’s a liar and a thief, the blogs scream.

I think there is a part of the story that isn’t getting enough attention.  You see, Michael’s reported motivation was an addiction to Porn.  That’s right.  He lied, cheated and maybe stole, all for the love of his life, Porn.

Now, having battled the dreaded addiction myself, I remember searching for help.  I remember some who minimized the problem, and I remember some who could offer no help because they shared the problem.  There was not one message or sermon that addressed this problem in the years I fought it.  What I remember the most is that I had to hit bottom before the healing could really begin.  Look, what Michael did is awful to say the least.   All I’m saying is I remember that I lied, I cheated, I. . .  well I didn’t steal money,  anyway.  Hitting bottom was humiliating and disgraceful.  So I’m praying that Michael remembers to sing the song, the gift of song that God gave him as he sat crying that day.

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in you
I trust in you

I believe
You’re my healer
I believe
You are all i need
I believe
You’re my portion
I believe
You’re more than enough for me
Jesus, you’re all i need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands

Now let’s address something else about Porn addictions.  Michael’s addiction is not the only one in the church, IS IT?

50 percent of men viewed pornography within one week of attending a Promise Keepers stadium event… 54 percent of pastors said they viewed porn within the past year in a Pastors.com survey… in a 2003 Focus on the Family poll 47 percent of respondents said porn is a problem in their home.

What am I saying?  There is a major problem with Porn in the church.  We need to talk about the danger of this from the pulpit, in small groups, and in our homes.  We need to remember that we believe unto righteousness.  That’s to say that God has given us everything we need for right thinking and right action.  We need to share our struggles with each other and pray for one another.  The focused and aggressive prayer of the righteous does a lot of good in situations like this.  Share your struggle with someone you can trust.  Be an understanding and non-judgmental friend for someone trying to overcome.  Fight for your freedom, not your addiction.  You can win!

For help with a Porn addiction visit http://xxxchurch.com/gethelp/ There is help for all — teens, parents, pastors, churches, men, and women.  Check it out!

Last note, pastors: please consider making this Sunday, Porn Sunday at your church.  There is Porn in the church.

There is NO power, greater than the POWER OF GOD, not even PORN.  There is deliverance, there is healing, and God is still HEALER.

There is no truth, truly?

Postmodern thinking is everywhere.  Yes, even in the church.  And there are those in the church asserting that we can never know the truth, truly.  Modernists, on the other hand, say that we can and do know the truth absolutely.  As Christians we need to know how to present Christ to both mindsets.

I find myself fascinated by the idea that there is no truth.  Is it true that there is no truth, and how can one tell truly?

Putting all jokes aside for a second, that’s a terrifying concept.  If we can’t be sure about anything, if there is no standard, certainly we will all perish.  If for no other reason than mass confusion.

I love this historic conversation.

Conversation Between Protagoras and Socrates (4th B.C.)
Protagoras: Truth is relative. It is only a matter of opinion.
Socrates: You mean that truth is mere subjective opinion?
Protagoras: Exactly.  What is true for you is true for you, and what is true for me is true for me. Truth is subjective.
Socrates: Do you really mean that?  That my opinion is true by virtue of its being my opinion?
Protagoras: Indeed I do.
Socrates: My opinion is: Truth is absolute, not opinion, and that you, Mr. Protagoras, are absolutely in error.  Since this is my opinion, you must grant that it is true according to your philosophy.
Protagoras: You are quite correct, Socrates.

I found a great and more in-depth article here about it.  I’ll give you a quote.

SOCRATES’ REFUTATION OF PROTAGORAS.

Socrates, who cared deeply about truth and was contemptuous of those who used words in careless ways, did much to expose the sophistical nature of Protagoras’s reasoning.  As portrayed by Plato in his dialogue “Theatetus,” Socrates refuted the notion that all truth is relative by means of a number of devastating criticisms:
* On Protagoras’s own argument, truth is relative not just to man but to any sentient being whatever, even a tadpole.
* Protagoras, on his own showing, is no more of an authority about the nature of truth than is any other man, or even a tadpole.
* If everyone is equally right about what is true, then no one is ever either ignorant or mistaken in his opinions.
• If everyone’s opinion is true, then so is the opinion of anyone who says that Protagoras’ opinion is false.  Hence the doctrine that all truth is relative is self-refuting.