There are a few of us that are recovering from a long drawn out toxic spiritual experience so we have informally dubbed ourselves DeTox Church Group. We aren't a church and don't plan to ever become one--but we do have thoughts and resources to share. Don't forget to check out our list of books and blogs we like.
I am suddenly feeling an anointing (pronounced ah-NOYN-ting-ah) to share some of the twitter account names I've been coming across since I created a twitter account for Detox Church Group. Some of us follow each other on Twitter. We tend to gravitate toward one another since we share a similar ah-NOYN-ting. I'm kind of short on time right now so I'll share as many as I can but can come back to add some more. Better yet, if you have seen any not mentioned below feel free to leave them in the comment section. By the way I added a link to each name if you feel an anointing to go check them out yourself.
So, without further ado here are just a few: (I also have an anointing for rhyme):
Fake Judah Smith(The test of a man is not how big he lives but how big he gives. ~Selah~)
Fake Rod Parsley(Professional shouter and Pulpit Pimp. BREAKTHROUGH!!!!)
FakeJohnPiper(God is most glorified in me when I am most Calvinist in him.)
Fake Driscoll (Mars Hill Church asked me to make it clear that this account is fake. I told them I don't know how much clearer it could be than being called fakedriscoll.)
Parachuting bunnies. Our former church hired one for their Easter egg hunt this weekend. And it even made the local news (I noticed people holding big yellow cue signs "Laugh" and "Applause" to amp up the hype factor - LOL.). For now they are the hero church reaching out to the community. But for what reason? Is it for their reputation? Only the Lord knows the true motive. As usual our state is 2 years behind California. Does CCC and Channel 7 assume this is a brand new idea fresh off the press like they came up with the original idea themselves? Free at Last was thinking they are trying to replicate the White House easter egg hunt in Washington DC, but even the White House doesn't feel the need to hire a parachuting bunny.
In their advertising campaign, CCC said they would be hosting parachuting bunnies - plural. But alas, it appears it was one bunny who descended the murky sky today into the public park at the Village. By the way, why the Village and not their own property as in former years? Our guess it's because the CCC lawn is shrinking in size due to the fact they have been selling off their land to - what - pay their mortgage? But still, if honesty were an issue, they could have at least billed it in the spirit of truthfulness and said we will have a parachuting bunny - singular - but I suppose I am majoring on a minor with that one.
So check out THIS ARTICLE Free At Last tipped me off to - a story of the parachuting bunny church Easter celebration phenom (i.e. a blatant attempt to lure the masses to church) - yet keep in mind the article was written in 2013, Therefore, CCC's perception of their cutting edge trend is on the decline before they even pretended it was their new and original idea this year. Just saying.
Since CCC is a church we think it odd that there was no mention of Jesus and the Risen Christ in any of their advertising. It was just... Parachuting Bunnies, egg hunts, dancing animals and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Not that reaching out to the community in a way that appeals to them isn't valid. Children do love Easter egg hunts and fictional characters no matter how pagan the origin. Even adults love to join in on the pretend Disney LaLa Land world of make believe. But isn't the death and resurrection of Christ the central idea to the Easter celebration in Christian churches?
What is really irksome for us is the way Ken Wilde preached against the pagan rituals of Easter and Christmas and Halloween the entire time we attended that church while we were raising our children. You either didn't participate in the pagan ritual out of fear or you did it secretly - and adopted the 'what they don't know won't know won't hurt them' attitude. (It's called not allowing religious leaders to steal your child's childhood thank you.) Can you imagine how it took some of the joy out of the holidays? On the other hand, our secret participation made it kind of special in a mysterious clandestine sort of way. But still, some of us can't help but feel ripped off in a way, as we observe Ken has lifted the ban on pagan rituals during holidays now that he has grandchildren, especially now that he is reaping such praise by doing it sooooo publically. We can totally identify with the Psalmist that mentions gnashing teeth.
Anyway, we hope they are happy that they got press over the weekend - public honor and praise - hailed as the hero church. But where was channel 7 with their cue cards when CCC wasn't paying their mortgage a few years ago which was published in the Idaho Statesman? Not that it was a story in itself. What makes it a story of interest is how the lead pastor family who controls the finances continued to spend extravagantly taking vacations in Hawaii, attending international church conferences, and parading designer outfits on instagram for anyone to see. And that's just what was noticeable at a distance. Apparently that isn't considered news but parachuting bunnies sure fits the bill.
The worship leader worker bee is on the channel 7 video as saying it's one of the largest easter egg hunts in the nation. Whaaat? If you Google easter egg hunts in the USA and you will see the potential for much larger turn outs. They flatter themselves with their elevated sense of importance. It may certainly be the largest Easter egg hunt in the Treasure Valley - but I'm sure their numbers pale on a national level. But, in their minds, they are the Big fish in a small pond.
So why did they host it at the Village? And how much did that cost? (Hey, let's not pay the mortgage this month and that should cover the expense.) Is it because their front and back lawns are being sold off in portions? No one mentioned that on the channel 7 glowing report. And why doesn't channel 7 investigate why CCC's property is shrinking? Why is this not news? I think it's time to call channel 6 on your side and tell them something fishy has been going on at 2760 E. Fairview Avenue for years now. Or there is always the Truth Squad with channel 2. Something tells me they could get to the bottom of the weirdness. We can just mention how KGW was in cohoots with scammer Jeremiah C. Yancy who is a wanted criminal in at least 4 states under different aliases for conning people to invest in his real estate ponzi scheme. Now that is newsworthy! Just remember you heard it here first. ;-)
So proud of the Christians who protested quietly outside their former church today calling for their former pastor Mark Driscoll to resign because of bullying behavior and shunning members who raise questions or disagree. Like one of my favorite bloggers said the other day on CityBusinessChurch.org "Mark Driscoll is learning that you can only be an asshole for so long, before it finally catches up to you."
Photo of Video by Komo News
Click HERE for the link to the article in the Seattle Times today which is also where I got the above photo of our brave and proactive friends who are hopefully setting an example for a new trend in speaking out - taking their concerns beyond the internet to the streets, thank you thank you! Click HERE to watch a video at KomoNews.com and hear what some of them have to say.
IN OTHER NEWS TODAY: Freeatlast emailed me this story posted on USA Today earlier today. I'm so excited to see something like this in print so I had to copy and paste it here! Click link below to the story in case you would like to read the article from their site. Oh, and in the copied version below, my comments are highlighted in red but the orange highlights are USA Today links to other stories. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/07/31/rock-star-pastors-church-celebrity-internet-column/13422869/
Are they selling gospel or themselves? Internet helps to scrutinize behavior.
It's not easy being a celebrity pastor these days with that pesky Internet around.
Consider the struggles of Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Faced with mounting accusations circulating online — plagiarism, misusing church funds to prop book sales, silencing
anyone in his church with the temerity to question him — Driscoll has
urged his followers to stay off the Web. "It's all shenanigans anyway," he explains. (Of course it is - and we all know Driscoll himself wouldn't be up to any shenanigans)
Steven Furtick,(the same guy in the story in the post previous to this one here on Detox)a megachurch pastor in North Carolina, and Dave Ramsey, (tell me it isn't so - i sorta liked that guy)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
today's Christian superstars.
What are a megapastor and his followers to do? Remembering the biblical admonitions against idolatry would be a good start. (Never thought we'd see the day that a news publication like USA Today would link to Bible Gateway!)
Some media outlets have dubbed Driscoll a "rock star" among pastors. He is hip, brash, very interested in sex (TOO interested IMO)and, for a reverend, unusually irreverent.
He doesn't throw televisions out of hotel windows in the manner of
bad-boy rock musicians. But he comes close in the rhetorical sense,
tossing out insults about gay people, women and his theological rivals.
Ongoing enterprise
Also true to his rock-star status, Driscoll enjoys massive popularity. His Mars Hill Church (including its 15 franchised satellite locations) attracts nearly 15,000 weekly. (But for the Grace of God go I)Driscoll's podcast has 250,000 regular listeners worldwide, and his 2012 book, Real Marriage, topped a New York Times best-seller list.(Could be the same audience who read 50 shades of gray)
Ah, that chart-topping book. Driscoll has admitted
to using more than $200,000 in church funds to hire a consultant to
game the system, boost sales and add that magical reference — No. 1
best-selling author — to his glittering résumé. (At least we now know how it's done so Judah Smith reaching best seller status isn't so irksome after all!)This questionable
allocation of church money is indicative of a wider problem that rankles
those in Driscoll's growing flock of critics: the lack of transparency
around Driscoll and church funds.(ya think?)
His salary? Unknown. Who controls church funds? Good luck finding that out. And because of the non-disclosure agreements
that Mars Hill pastors and staff members must sign to receive severance
pay when they depart, little is known about who holds Driscoll
accountable on money or any other issue.
One of the problems with
celebrity pastors is that it's very difficult to draw a line between
advancing the gospel and advancing the preacher. When a famous pastor
grows his audience and fame, doesn't this mean that more people are
hearing his saving message about Christ?
Well, yes.(Ya but who are they really coming to? and think of all the therapy they will need when they finally leave his church)
But as
revealed by the long history of church authority and its periodic abuse,
the dynamic also gives the preacher on the pedestal a too-easy
justification for seemingly everything he wants to do. You don't want to
be against God's will, do you?
Scrutiny shared online (I love this part - this is for us! The balance of power is changing!)
Now,
however, there's a wild card that older-school religious celebrities
did not have to contend with. Thanks to the Internet, any disgruntled
current or former follower can write a scathing blog post, add nasty
comments to reader forums or, as the creator of @FakeDriscoll does, voice a spoof Twitter account in the target's name. This can take a toll — as demonstrated by Driscoll's church, which has had to lay off staff due to declining attendance and giving.
Because
of the Internet, "the audience is now at least as much of a celebrity
as the pastor, if not more," says Jim Henderson, a Christian author and
producer in the Seattle area who is convinced that the era of the
celebrity pastor as spiritual paragon is waning. Henderson produces a
live show called Where's God When ... featuring a very different kind of "celebrity" Christian — William Paul Young, author of the megaselling faith-themed novel The Shack.Young
is, seemingly, everything the megapastors are not: small of stature and
ego, quietly reflective, and open about his painful journey and
struggles (including his being a sex-abuse victim).
Henderson
might be right about this being the beginning of the end for celebrity
megapastors. Until that process runs its course, however, fans of the
Driscolls, Furticks and the rest have a big question to ask themselves.
Who, ultimately, are they following? Jesus? Or their pastor?
Tom
Krattenmaker is a Portland-based writer specializing in religion in
public life and a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. His
latest book is The Evangelicals You Don't Know.
Good friend, Free At Last, came across a story called "The House of Steven" which tells us about a pastor of a huge multi-site church in Charlotte, NC, who built a 16,000 foot parsonage for himself and his family. In the video you will see a compilation of six reports on Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church, produced by WCNC-TV, NBC Charlotte and its I-Team. The stories were aired in October and November of 2013. (Click here for those of you who may not see it above on your phone.)
As the story unfolds we begin to see Furtick may be abusing a tax exemption provided for clergy defined by Tom Ranier (here) on his blog as "a housing allowance law passed by Congress in 1954. Subject to certain guidelines, ministers are able to declare a portion of their ministry income as a housing allowance that is not subject to federal income tax." This was originally established for ministers and small churches who needed the help. But like many of the lead pastors of mega churches in America today who, by living like kings and celebrities, Furtick's story is calling more attention to the fact that the housing allowance even exists. Even though he says he is paying for the $1.6 million dollar house from his book sales, we can assume he can still take advantage of the housing allowance law, writing the entire property off on his federal income tax.
The underlying concern of this story is it hints to us that this very well could be the beginning of the end of special privileges for churches and ministries. Already there was a lawsuit filed in 2013 by Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation where a U.S. district judge ruled unconstitutional "a law that lets clergy members avoid paying income taxes on compensation that is designated part of a housing allowance." (You can read that story here). And in the above video another organization is suing the IRS in a similar way as you will see.
The more notorious these lead pastors of multi-site money-maker churches become, it will unfortunately effect the livelihood of the smaller churches whose pastors are less concerned about the numbers than they are the individual. Hopefully the Lord will watch over them and take care of their every need as they continue to live a life of sacrifice and surrender before Him.
More about ministries avoiding tax scrutiny in the links provided in an earlier post on DeTox here.
Even though it points to the tele-evangelists who are raking in the money and not paying taxes on it, it reminds us of what is going on in the last 2 churches we attended as well as megachurches across the US - there is just no accountability for how the pastors are spending the money. More on this in the next few days but just at least want to give the links to the stories while I had them handy.
I'm in a weekly Bible study not associated with any particular church, although it's held at a church and strongly advises participation in a local church. It's been around for 50 years or so. Each year the course covers a different book, or books depending on the study. Rather than a topical study, we examine each book, chapter by chapter through a 4-step approach:
Answer daily lesson questions on your own. Discuss your insights in a conversation with members of your discussion group. Listen to a lecture that explains the passage, key principles from the lesson and the relevance of the Bible's truth to today's world. Read lesson notes that further elaborate on the passage.
Both the notes and the lecture will often various interpretations of a scripture or a doctrine if it's commonly discussed.
This is my 2nd year. My friend had attended 2 or 3 prior years, desperate for spiritual input, a few years after leaving the former church and she was getting so much out of it, I finally had to try it for myself! Last year was the study of Genesis and this year the book of Matthew. How appropriate for someone like me who feels like a first grader again (after realizing what we had been taught for years may be 'slightly' off. Cough) to start with the first books of the Old and New Testament. Anyway, I'm loving this consistency of opening my Bible (and Bible Gateway App) in the morning, looking up scripture, aswering study questions after a few days of reading study notes and praying about whatever the Holy Spirit highlights for me that day. As any student of scripture would know, you do so at your own risk because it eventually shines a light on your heart in ways you don't usually see coming. Sigh. I mean, Clap!
I feel really good about this expository type of approach to the Bible. After years of not taking responsibility for my own spirituality, it's like finding water in a dry and weary land. Too bad churches wouldn't use this method for weekly corporate services, but then again, maybe some do. In my limited yet lengthly experience, the pastor has opted for a topical approach more often than not. Not saying topical study is wrong - I love following a word like faith or fear through the Bible using a Strong's Concordance and jotting down the verses that will help me later. We even have a Naves Topical Bible sitting in our bookcase. But when the pastor-preacher-teacher chooses a topical presentation over expository methods most of the time, doesn't it give more opportunity to promote his or her interpretation of scripture which can easily lead to manipulation or personal agenda?
In lecture style teaching with no audience participation or accountability, we the listeners take in what's given, often without question, because it's easier than doing the work of follow-through. Just listening makes it so easy for us to go on our merry way till we come to sit and listen again, entertainment style, next week. Don't we realize we are thus giving one man, or woman, the power to spoon-feed his thoughts and beliefs to us? If we were to have a question, or beg to differ, how would that scenario play out? How well would it go if we were to go up to the pastor at the end of the service, or write him an email during the week, and say I think you may be off the mark here?
All that to say, this in-depth study of the word in a non-denominational setting has been slowly restoring me to spiritual health, if I ever was spiritually healthy in the first place. In taking my spiritual temperature at this juncture, I can see how the Word is at least bringing me back to life spiritually. I'm still prone to steer clear of organized church which is so socially unexceptable in the Christian Community across the board these days. And yes, I am tempted to put my hands over my ears so I won't run out screaming when the teacher in the main session at Bible Study plugs the local church and how important it is . If she only knew what a trigger that is for some of us. And hey, if a church exists that didn't threaten to TAKE ME OVER hook, line and sinker with its own agenda-vision-projects and meetings, I might be open to participating once again in an organized community. But for now, I'm loving the freedom of my 2 sweet friends and I studying together each week (with a little lunch follow-up after), relearning the heart and soul of the God we've chosen to follow; and that is Community enough for me right now.
I dreamed last night, or more likely early this morning, that I was quoting scriptures about God’s love and purpose for His Collection of People, otherwise known as the Body of Christ, or what we often just dub, the Church. In my dream I was feeling very up and positive with a new determination to see us as God sees us and help speak that into existence. When I woke up, emerging from the fog, I remember quipping that I am going to focus on our bright future and all was going to be okay.
After my cup of coffee I couldn’t help but be curious why I would dream such a thing since it is no longer my habit to pace the living room quoting scriptures in prayer trying to control the universe. Was this my former life resurging itself through my subconscious mind or was the Holy Spirit speaking to me? Dreams have formerly and currently been a vehicle of communication for me so I didn’t want to completely discount this one. The fact it didn’t carry any oppression or confusion with it, but instead I felt rather joyous and hopeful, gives me a cautious green light to explore the subject. I thought to blog about it even if it's just to remind myself later. That's one of the benefits of blogging - whether anyone reads your stuff or not, it's a place to journal.
In letting go of some of my former behaviors because they were rather ‘works’ oriented, I haven’t necessarily thrown out my core beliefs. In this case, I still believe in the power of scripture and I still believe in speaking it out into the atmosphere. But I am no longer compelled by the legalistic concept that there is no power in the scripture unless you speak it out loud. Wouldn’t that mean the power is in my speaking rather than in the power of the scripture itself? Isn’t there also power in ‘hiding the word in my heart so that I may not sin against God’ as David suggests in Psalm 119? Hiding doesn’t convey speaking, but rather storing something like a treasure, or a secret weapon to pull out when you most need it. The Word is what will cause me to overcome temptation. I can think scripture and I can speak it. I can sing it and I can shout it. I can choose whatever ‘method’ of acknowledgement I want, but the power remains in the Word of God itself not in how I manage to agree with it.
Back to the dream, it does stir in me a desire to search the scriptures regarding the Body of Christ – the Bride of Christ - and God’s plan to partner with us. Even as the mega prosperity-driven church world threatens to redefine us and our mission, the Lord must have a plan to reclaim what is rightfully His. In the Old Testament there are plenty of accounts of how His chosen race went off the rails into idolatry, yet He always had a way of rekindling in them a desire to return to Him and worship only Him. Real life isn’t always about the sweetness and light of glory and victory, it’s also failure and defeat and with that, recovery and redemption.
For us, this last decade has been a discovery of how the existing institutional church has gone off the rails into its own idol worship. We have seemed to collectively sanction the exaltation of what is now commonly known, at least in the blog world, as the celebrity pastor. Our church leaders now have to be movers and shakers across the globe in order for us to revere them. If they are among the rich and famous, we can then live vicariously through them. What does this say about us? Why has a spirit of humility and true servanthood been replaced by what looks like the bravado of EGO and a sense of entitlement? There is a steady stream of evidence revealing that huge sums of money are funneled into the ‘lead’ pastor personal bank accounts.
Why do we know this and why don’t these types of pastors think we are smart enough to see what they are up to? Check out their houses (sometimes multiple homes!), their vehicles, their clothes, their jewelry, and most telling, their travel itinerary. What really gives it all away is how the adult pastor children flaunt their lifestyle online. So it’s easythese days to follow the money trail of the celebrity pastor, a lifestyle funded by the tithes and offerings of trusting followers who all give their blessing as they give their money in faith that it's being spent wisely. These pastors are living like CEOs of big corporations with the balance of power mainly in their hands, yet with tax exempt status. Do they realize their lifestyles actually endanger that status, not only for themselves but for the smaller conscientious churches.
All this to say, we can see that the celebrity infested church is on a runaway train to its own destruction and we aren’t going to stop talking about it. But my dream last night could be hinting that there is a new phase in the journey, a bend in the road. It’s been there all along but maybe I am only now waking up to it. Unlike us, God isn’t surprised that the Christian community has given worship status to our pastors. He understands our natural bent toward wanting a human to elevate which reflects our selfishness and how we resist a true life of servanthood. Jesus’ disciples wanted him to act like an earthly king which would have made them feel better about themselves. Thankfully, God doesn’t panic and forget His original plan just because another stiff-necked generation refuses to cooperate. Could He want to remind us each of us who truly care about the outcome, in our own individual ways, that we are part of the plan to get His project back on track? He could do it single-handedly but chooses to work in a partnership with us, His people. It makes sense that He would give each of us tasks as part of the pro-active answer, whether it be prayer, blogging, writing articles or books, singing songs or some other artform – it’s all an opportunity to teach and hopefully turn the tide.
God has been calling people out of the mega church system for quite awhile now and who knows how many more may be leaving in the days and years ahead? That doesn’t mean the mega church world will end - it may only get worse. But, as we pray and seek out God’s thoughts on what is going on, we can forsee the victorious church spoken about in scripture. The Bride of Christ was designed to be God's vehicle of love. And maybe it's not going to be some huge assembly where droves of people receive Christ by responding to an altar call. Maybe it's going to be a world-wide community of believers, sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, sharing the love of God and the Gospel of Christ one-on-one with those led to us - or us to them - however the Lord aranges it. Why should we wait for an exalted man or woman on a stage do all the talking? God wants to use all His yielded vessels, not just public speaker types. Or rock star worship leader types. Not saying He can't use people who are motivated to be in front of the throng all the time, but it's certainly not limited to those types. So all I can do if that is the case is agree with scripture and say Come Holy Spirit and do your thing! We are powerless without you!
