Posted on 08/02/2014 9:03:42 PM PDT by hiho hiho
While I do not doubt that there are a lot of sleazy celebrity pastors, I can choose not to attend their churches and not put money in their collection plates. Wish I had the same choice with sleazy celibrity politicians.
The internet has finally bought down The Tyrant Bill Gothard this summer!
These rock and roll country club mega churches with their rock star pastors, 50 piece orchestras and 100 voice choirs make me sick to my stomach.
I was raised in a strict Southern Baptist home where, it seemed, we went to church 20 times a week. Now I’m a backslider.
I was recently invited to a musical program at one of these mega churches. While there, I was scanning through the hymnal. Could not find one single hymn from my childhood. Every ‘hymn’ they sang had a rock and roll beat to it. Give me a break.
Steven Furtick, a megachurch pastor in North Carolina, and Dave Ramsey, an evangelical finance guru, have been taking hits, too, as have the wheeler-dealers on the Preachers of L.A. reality show. This, against a backdrop of culture shifts creating strong headwinds against the leader-and-follower model typified by todays Christian superstars.
What are a megapastor and his followers to do? Remembering the biblical admonitions against idolatry would be a good start.
PFL
I read the article and still don’t know why Ramsey was mentioned. What hits has he taken? Also, as far as I know, though he uses church groups for his financial peace lessons, he’s not a minister. Why was he mentioned in the article?
Ditto. I really respect Ramsey for his advocating debt free living.
Anytime the photo of the preacher is bigger than the cross, you know its a BS “church”
I was wondering the same thing. Couldn’t find anything qualifying as a “hit” on the web. Some honest debate about some of his advice, and some kooks who claim he’s a fraud (and some funny satire “debunking” his advice). So why mix him in with “plagiarism, misusing church funds to prop book sales, silencing anyone in his church with the temerity to question him” by someone else?
Though this article does not mention Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church in Houston, my first thoughts were of him. He is the epitome of Mega Church pastors...
While our last church wasn’t a mega-church, it was a seeker-friendly church. This is a type of church where the gospel message gets watered down so as not to offend the seeker. It basically turned into a Sunday morning coffee shop, rock concert. Needless to say, we left this church and are now attending a Southern Baptist Church, where the Gospel message is proclaimed without political correctness or apology!
BTW, as another poster noted, the musical selections in some churches has become a true disappointment. Many services go by where no classic Christian songs are sung. Instead, we have a “Praise Band” blowing the roof off the church with songs nobody’s ever heard before. While I’m certain I’m the minority on this, I find Praise Teams to be a distraction to my worship. I find they take the focus off of God, and put it on themselves. Not saying they always mean to do this, but I find it does happen.
AND OSTEEN IS LIVING IN A 2 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE!
As my son says, “Pastors and Priests should never preach in Hawaiian Shirts...”
I am sure using church funds to finance something personal would be a no-no anywhere sane.
I wouldn't be proud of that, dude
I’ve always thought there something not quite right with Mark Driscoll. The man just creeps me out.
I like Dave Ramsey
I am not Joel’s defender, however, how do you know that is not just a SMALL portion of what his ministy brings in??? I am very close to a family who are millionaires and live on only 10% of their earnings and sow into the kingdom of God the other 90%. Just sayin”
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