Fal$e Teacher$

Wow, nothing like speaking the truth.  Rapper Shai Linne does exactly that in this song about false teachers. What I appreciate is his awareness of how this garbage is being exported around the world in the name of biblical Christianity.  I also appreciate him naming a few names:

1. Joel Osteen
2. Creflo Dollar
3. Benny Hinn
4. TD Jakes
5. Joyce Meyer
6. Paula White
7. Fred Price
8. Kenneth Copland
9. Robert Tilton
10. Eddie Long
11. Juanita Bynum
12. Paul Crouch

Linne explains his motives in this video:

Linne's courage is much appreciated.  These teachers are a scourge on the modern church and they need to be exposed.  Far too many people support them and as a result millions upon millions are being enslaved by a form of Christianity that cannot save them from their sins.  

HT: Out of Ur

If at first you don't succeed...

In the aftermath of Harold Campings failed prediction about Christ's return, Gene Veith, a confessional Lutheran poked a little fun:

So who is left? We need to hear from you. Are the Lutherans all gone? Where are the Calvinists? Did the Baptists get taken? Are the non-denominational Christians gone, or did they need to belong to a denomination after all?

Does anyone know if Mr. Camping is still here? If so, what is he saying? Just because we might not have noticed large groups of people disappearing doesn’t mean the rapture didn’t happen. Maybe the gate is so narrow that only a handful of true Christians exist. Maybe some homeless people, some New Guinea tribesmen, and some persecuted Christian Arabs–individuals no one would notice–got raptured.

Gene Veith: Blog of Cranach

So, after getting it wrong, Mr. Camping went back to his study and recalibrated.  Now the new date is set for October 2011 - specifically he is predicting that the world will be obliterated on October 21st.

Through chatting with a friend over what he acknowledged was a very difficult weekend, it dawned on him that instead of the biblical Rapture in which the faithful would be swept up to the heavens, May 21 had instead been a "spiritual" Judgment Day, which places the entire world under Christ's judgment, he said.

The globe will be completely destroyed in five months, he said, when the apocalypse comes. But because God's judgment and salvation were completed on Saturday, there's no point in continuing to warn people about it, so his network will now just play Christian music and programs until the final end on Oct. 21.

"We've always said May 21 was the day, but we didn't understand altogether the spiritual meaning," he said. "The fact is there is only one kind of people who will ascend into heaven ... if God has saved them they're going to be caught up."
Camping's New Prediction.
I wonder what he will say when October 22, 2011 rolls around? 

The Attraction of Joel Osteen

As the pastor of an average size church I often wonder how untrained men like Joel Osteen can attract tens of thousands of people. Dr. Sean Michael Lucas, Chief Academic Officer and Associate Professor of Church History at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, has weighed in on what he thinks makes Joel Osteen attractive to millions.

While there were a lot of things to critique, I couldn't help but ask the historian's analysis questions: why does this message appeal to so many...what are the verbal and facial cues that draw people in? why does it seem that Lakewood is amazingly interracial (a fact that is much more common in Pentecostal-oriented churches than Reformed); how do you account for that? I think the driving reason that Osteen is hugely popular is that he sells hope.

Osteen sells hope. Isn't that what every faithful minister of God's word is called to do? By faithfully preaching the Law and the Gospel along with frequent observance of the sacraments, (particularly Communion) he is proclaiming the most hopeful message we could possible want to hear: that we truly are loved, forgiven, absolved, and adopted by God because of the finished work of Christ. All we must do is accept that with a believing heart and look to Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins (John 3:14-15). Moreover, the faithful minister helps his congregation see the big picture of redemptive history from God's eternal decrees (prior to Genesis 1) to the new heavens and earth (Revelation 21 &22). He anchors his people in the here and now with the assurance that they are God's beloved and are part of the great work of reconciliation that He has been performing and will bring to pass (II Corinthians 5:17-20). The Apostle Paul understood this so well that he exclaimed, "For the love of Christ controls us" (II Cor. 5:14) (NOTE: the word 'control' has been interpreted as compel, constrain, urge or impel).

If you've ever watched Osteen you know that this isn't his message. His book titles alone reveal his theology: Your Best Life Now and Become a Better You have nothing to do with my previous paragraph. He speaks of the here and now as if there is no tomorrow, no grand hope of the age to come. He seems ignorant of Paul's theology that "the present form of this world is passing away" (I Cor. 7:31) and that this present age is evil (Gal. 1:4).

What compels Osteen and his followers? It is the hope of a life in this world where problems are minimized, blessings abound, and people get along. Those are good things -- things that I'd like to have. But as I get older the fleeting nature of life in this world only whets my appetite for what lies ahead. A faithful pastor is one who shares this unabashedly with his congregation.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." I Corinthians 2:9.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18.

"For this slight and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." II Corinthians 4:17

Our best life lies ahead, when we enter The Eternal Promised Land and begin our eternal Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-10).

Benny Hinn's Offshore Miracle

Not long ago I put up a couple of posts concerning well-known televangelists, here and here . In the comments section readers posted links to even more outrageous videos.

I recently preached a sermon on II Corinthians 5:10 and the fact that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ "so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." That is a sobering thought for every Christian to consider.

It seems that Benny Hinn performed a(nother) miracle at a crusade the other day in South Africa. You can read about it here (HT the Pearcey Report). I wonder what Rev. Hinn will say to the Lord about this "miracle."

I'm A Hustler Baby

Word has it that one of the televangelists featured in this clip will be in our neck of the woods. Watch out! And keep track of your wallet.

Thanks to my Lutheran friend for the tip. He's got a great sense of humor!

Benny Hinn or Benny Hill?

A Lutheran friend put me on to this video. Who says Lutherans don't have a sense of humor?