I agree that his clarification should have been in public. But any ‘rebuke’ should have been done in private, by a couple people. Go to him and say ‘ya know, this didn’t sound good. sounds like...’. Then he comes out publicly and clarifies it. Not a big deal.
We are too quick and to public to ‘accuse our brethren’. Jesus was quick to call out hypocrites, and we often justify ourselves when doing the ‘same thing’. Gotta remember, Jesus died for those sins. I think we identify these mega-church guys as the enemy, and instead of being ‘numbered with them’ in their ‘transgressions’, we like to separate ourselves from them - more as the hypocrites would do than the one who laid his life down...
re: “We are too quick and to public to ‘accuse our brethren’. Jesus was quick to call out hypocrites, and we often justify ourselves when doing the ‘same thing’. Gotta remember, Jesus died for those sins. I think we identify these mega-church guys as the enemy, and instead of being ‘numbered with them’ in their ‘transgressions’, we like to separate ourselves from them - more as the hypocrites would do than the one who laid his life down...”
I hear what you are saying, but here again, what Pastor Hillsong originally said was in public, just as your response/rebuke to several freepers here was in public.
Be careful in using the “hypocrite” label because we do not know the hearts or motives of all who expressed their opinion regarding Pastor Hillsong’s remarks. We are not all members of this particular pastor’s church. We are not all members of each others churches here on Free Republic, so it’s kind of difficult to not say anything at all with statements made in a public forum, which is what Pastor Hillsong did.
I’m not accusing Pastor Hillsong of anything, I’m just saying that his remarks were in public, to the general public, so I don’t see the scriptural command to rebuke him in private applies unless you personally are a member of his particular church.
I also do not see pastors of mega-churches as “the enemy”. God bless them because they have an opportunity to reach people that other churches may not (and visa versa).
So, I guess I must disagree with you, respectfully, on this particular issue. I think ministers who give public statements can be called to account, also in public. In fact, I think that may be required in order to show the lost world that truth must be defended. However, the manner in which the truth is defended should be done with love, with respect, and with humility. Not with name calling, disrespect, or animosity.