Megachurches 'shallow in theology'

From correspondents in Porto Alegre, Brazil
22-02-2006

From: Reuters
THE head of the World Council of Churches has expressed concern about the spread of megachurches around the world, such as Hillsong in Sydney, saying they could lead to a Christianity that is "two miles long and one inch deep".

The WCC General Secretary Samuel Kobia said megachurches - huge Protestant churches with charismatic pastors, lively music and other services - mostly ran on a business model to make worshippers feel good and were shallow in their theology.

Megachurches, which pack in thousands for rousing Sunday worship services, are popular in suburbs in the United States. Most are evangelical or Pentecostal, with few or no ties to mainline churches such as the Lutherans or Episcopalians.

Mr Kobia said the megachurch movement, which is not represented in the mostly mainline Protestant or Orthodox World Council of Churches, broke down borders among denominations with a populist message.

"It has no depth, in most cases, theologically speaking, and has no appeal for any commitment," the Kenyan Methodist said at the WCC world assembly in this Brazilian city.

The megachurches simply wanted individuals to feel good about themselves, he said.

"It's a church being organised on corporate logic. That can be quite dangerous if we are not very careful, because this may become a Christianity which I describe as 'two miles long and one inch deep'.

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Church and Politics

Church politicking 'disturbing' to IRS

By Patrice Hill
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published February 25, 2006

The Internal Revenue Service said yesterday it found a "disturbing" amount of illegal politicking in churches and charities after investigating complaints coming out of the 2004 election.
To prevent a repeat in the upcoming congressional elections, the agency said it is gearing up to quickly investigate and quash any violations that arise this year.
"We want to stop improper activity during -- not after -- the election cycle," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. "Now is the time to act, before it is too late" to prevent churches and charities from becoming deeply embroiled in politics and the fundraising process.
More than 100 complaints were filed with the tax agency after the closely contested 2004 presidential election charging that some evangelical and black churches and various nonprofit groups violated their tax-exempt status by overtly campaigning for the candidates.
The agency completed investigations of 82 cases, and found that nearly three out of four of the groups violated the tax law at least once. It did not release any of the groups' names but said they represented "the full spectrum of political viewpoints.

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Taking some time off this week in Tahoe!

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Sunday's Repose

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." Song 6:3 KJV

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A Gavel is Coming!

I have seen a gavel coming and striking the so called "mega-church". Up until today I did not fully understand why or how but I believe I have seen the beginnings of what is to come.

I found this article in the New York Times.

Evangelical Leaders Join Global Warming Initiative
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming, saying "millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors."

Among signers of the statement, which will be released in Washington on Wednesday, are the presidents of 39 evangelical colleges, leaders of aid groups and churches, like the Salvation Army, and pastors of megachurches, including Rick Warren, author of the best seller "The Purpose-Driven Life."

"For most of us, until recently this has not been treated as a pressing issue or major priority," the statement said. "Indeed, many of us have required considerable convincing before becoming persuaded that climate change is a real problem and that it ought to matter to us as Christians. But now we have seen and heard enough."

I do believe that we, as Christians, are responsible to be good stewards of all that the Father has given us, including this globe which we call earth. However, I fear for those groups and believers led by men who would embrace the false science and the lie of "global warming".

I refer you to this article published in the Wall Street Journal in 1997.
Science has spoken: Global Warming is a Myth.

Also here,
Global Warming at a Glance.

I also recommend that you visit and bookmark this website.
junkscience.com

My fear is that if these leaders can be so easily swayed by science as faulty as the Theory of Evolution, how easily can they be misled into false teaching and false doctrine?

Paul wrote this.

It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Eph. 4:11-14 NIV

These men were given to the Body of Christ to equip the saints so that they would not be tossed about by every wind of teaching and the deceitful scheming of men.

These so-called leaders who have fallen for this lie of "global warming" are failing in their duty to protect and equip those in their charge. As Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia,

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Gal 6:7-8 NIV

Should these men continue, unrepentant, down this path, the fruits of their sowing shall become evident and the cost will be great to those who have followed them.

I have seen the gavel strike and the church scattered!

Now is the time for the church to be prepared, to prepare herself for the coming of the King.

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Controversy for "End of the Spear"

In many circles and particularly on the web, there is much discussion about casting of a homosexual, Chad Allen, in the lead role of Nate and Steve Saint in the movie "End of the Spear". I have some thought s on the matter which I will shall at a later date but for the time being, I wanted to post a few links that might prove interesting regarding this controversy.

First, an article from the New York Times reporting the posting on various weblogs. (You may have to sign up for a free account to read the full article.)

Evangelical Filmmakers Criticized for Hiring Gay Actor
By NEELA BANERJEE

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — Christian ministers were enthusiastic at the early private screenings of "End of the Spear," made by Every Tribe Entertainment, an evangelical film company. But days before the film's premiere, a controversy erupted over the casting of a gay actor that has all but eclipsed the movie and revealed fault lines among evangelicals.

The film relates the true story of five American missionaries who were killed in 1956 by an indigenous tribe in Ecuador. The missionaries' families ultimately converted the tribe to Christianity, and forgave and befriended the killers. The tale inspired evangelicals 40 years ago with its message of redemption and grace, and the film company expected a similar reception.

On Jan. 12, though, the Rev. Jason Janz took the filmmakers to task for casting Chad Allen, an openly gay man and an activist, in the movie's lead role as one of the slain missionaries, and later, his grown son.

An assistant pastor at the independent Red Rocks Baptist Church in Denver, Mr. Janz posted his comments on his fundamentalist Christian Web site, sharperiron.org. He also asked the filmmakers to apologize for their choice.

And from Christianity Today,

Christian Studio Explains Hiring of Gay Actor
The makers of End of the Spear didn't find out about co-star Chad Allen's homosexuality until after they offered him the job, and then they felt obliged to honor the contract.
Mark Moring | posted 01/26/06

End of the Spear, the new feature film telling the story of the five Christian missionaries who were martyred in 1956 in the jungles of Ecuador, features an openly gay man in one of the lead roles.

Chad Allen, who plays Nate Saint (one of the martyred missionaries) and the grown-up Steve Saint (Nate's son), is an outspoken homosexual actor who has lobbied for gay rights and gay marriage.

Allen told Christianity Today Movies that he didn't tell End of the Spear's filmmakers about his sexuality until after they had offered him the job in late 2003. The filmmakers also say they didn't know about Allen's lifestyle until after they offered him a contract, but they felt obliged to honor it even though it had not yet been signed.

"We found out Chad was gay after we offered him the parts," said executive producer Mart Green of Every Tribe Entertainment, the production company behind the movie. "We felt like when we offered him the contract, we were obligated to honor it."

And again from CT,

Readers Affirm Decision to Hire Gay Actor
Most Christianity Today Movies readers say End of the Spear's filmmakers were right to honor their commitment once they had offered the lead role to Chad Allen, a homosexual.
posted 02/01/06

Late last week, we posted an article in which the Christian filmmakers behind End of the Spear explained their decision to hire a gay actor to play the role of a Christian missionary and one of the heroes of the faith.

Chad Allen, a practicing homosexual, plays the parts of Nate Saint—one of five missionaries martyred in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956—and Nate's son Steve, who was only five years old when his father was killed by Waodani tribesmen. End of the Spear tells that story, and more.

Every Tribe Entertainment's Mart Green, an executive producer of the film, and Steve Saint, a consultant on the project, told Christianity Today Movies that they didn't know that Allen was gay until after they had offered him the job. They then decided that it would be a bad Christian witness to rescind the offer, so they kept Allen on the job. The film had a solid opening weekend, finishing in the top 10 at the box office.

We asked readers what they thought of Every Tribe's decision to retain Allen after they learned about his lifestyle, and we received over 150 e-mails in reply—the vast majority of them positive, lauding the studio's decision. A sampling of those reader responses follows, starting with the positive replies, followed by the negative ones.

In pondering these issues, several questions have come to mind which I have not as yet answered.

Were all the actors, crew and staff involved with the picture Christian? Did they need to be?
Is the reaction from evangelicals because Mr. Allen is a homosexual or because he is referred to as an activist?
Should Christian film makers do background checks to insure that all those involved in their production are currently without any observable sin?
If any sin is subsequently discovered, should they be dismissed from the project with any and all work done up to that point destroyed and redone?
Where, in all this, does the fact that Jesus spent so much time with drunkards and prostitutes that people began to fear for His reputation come in?

I don't know but I will have an opinion shortly.

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The Myth of the Molting Eagle: Further Considerations

The more I think about the teaching that I had received regarding this "“molting eagle"”, the more distressed I am about its implications. Not only does it foster and excuse faithlessness, it creates a mentality of weakness, even an expectation of debility.

In nature, the eagle does molt, i.e., lose its feathers as it grows older. However, it is never in a state of weakness or vulnerability. This "“molting eagle"” teaching engenders a kind of defeatist mind set, an environment of fear contrary to our spiritual inheritance.

Paul tell us that no matter what trial or difficulty we face, in Christ, we are more than adequate for the task.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:35-39 NIV

That means that we don't just barely make it, that we just survive, but that we, through our Lord Jesus Christ, are to come through all these things with “power to spare”. We are more than conquerors! Jesus is going to reward those who overcome. Read the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 & 3.

We make the choices. Are we going to do just enough to get by? Or are we striving, straining and reaching forward to what lies ahead?

Again, I quote Paul.

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:13-14 NIV

This word press is also translated persecute. The same fervor with which others persecute the godly, we should be striving for God.

The day of mediocrity is coming to an end. If we do not want to be vomited from the mouth of our Savior (rev. 3:16), we need to drop all that which we have collected that entangles us and run the race with endurance.

The following passage from the book of Hebrews is rather lengthy but is appropriate to finish these thoughts.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Heb 12:1-13 NIV

When you feel like that poor emaciated eagle of the myth, you must press on and press in. Be encouraged. Seek out those who will stand and speak words of life not commiserate and wallow with you.

Be of good cheer. Jesus went through worse so that you can live victoriously. If you are being disciplined by the Father, rejoice! He only disciplines his true sons! It will pass! And if you embrace the discipline, you will not have to circle the mountain again!

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Eagles and molting – the myth and deception!

I have heard for years of the tragic and life-threatening molting or “renewal” that eagles must endue in order to continue with strength and vigor to fulfill their purpose. I have heard of how this brave and majestic bird loses all it feathers, scratches or breaks off its talons and snaps off it beak until it is completely destitute, without a means to even feed itself. It has been said that this is a time of isolation and yet others say that these pitiful creatures flock together. In any event, they must either fast during this process or are dependent on other birds to bring them food.

Aside from the fact that this is entirely false, it is used to propagate a false teaching. Those who use this illustration are perpetuating a false doctrine. More often than not, this spurious illustration is used to assuage the guilt of those who through direct disobedience, i.e., doing that which they know is wrong, or by not obeying, i.e., not doing something that they know they should do, have sinned against God. Charles Finney, in his great teaching “Breaking Up Your Fallow Ground” referred to them as sins of commission and sins of omission.

Worse, yet, is when this teaching is used to excuse a lack of faith in God. We blame our situation not on the fact we don't believe that God is who He is in the situation that we are in but that “Well, we are just going through a test right now!” Self-pity is a sin because it is a demonstration of faithlessness!

Here are two excerpts from scientific articles regarding the molting of eagles.

“Eagles molt in patches, taking almost half a year to replace feathers, starting with the head and working downward. Not all feathers are replaced in a given molt. Until the bald eagle is mature, the replacement feathers are of different colors. As adults, the belly and back are dark, while the head is pure white. The distinct juvenile pattern, signaling that a bird is not ready to breed, may reduce aggression from territorial adults.”

“For those of you who have e-mailed me wondering if it's true that an eagle goes into seclusion, plucks all of its feathers, sheds its beak and talons, and then renews itself, is a myth. An eagle's beak and talons grow continuously, because they are made of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails. Eagles molt in patches, taking almost half a year to replace feathers, starting with the head and working downward. Not all feathers are replaced in a given molt. An eagle without feathers, talons, and a beak would die of starvation and exposure.”

From American Bald Eagle Information- Bald Eagle Nesting and Young, Eagle Myths, Folklore and Legends.

And from another source: Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

“Adult bald eagles are distinguished by their large size (7- to 8-foot wingspan), full white heads and tails and dark brown, almost black body. They reach their adult size by the time they can fly. Their adult plumage,however, develops in their fifth year. Prior to that, their juvenile appearance varies from year to year. In their first year, their wings are slightly broader and entirely dark brown. The next year, they begin to molt their flight feathers and the trailing edge of their wings appears symmetrically serrated as shorter adult feathers replace the longer juvenile ones. Their plumage is usually mottled, brown and white, and is widely variable with a considerable amount of white on the breast and belly. Bald eagles are even more mottled in their third year and begin to show signs of change from dark brown to light yellow in their eye and bill color, and may have some lighter plumage appearing on their heads and tails.

During their fourth year, bald eagles begin to appear unmistakable as our national symbol. This is when they are transitioning from juvenile to adult and appear for the first time with a white head and tail. At this age, they retain some brown in the white plumage, giving them a dirty appearance. They also retain some white flecking in the brown of their bodies. In their next molt, they attain the clean white head and tail and solid brown body plumage of a full adult bald eagle.”

Rather than sitting around crying “¡Pobrecito de mí!” or “Poor me!” as they say in Spanish when we legitimately face testing and trials, and we will, our response should come from Scripture not from some placating myth.

So, as the Holy Spirit says:

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"Heb 3:7-11 NIV

The writer of Hebrews tells us to not harden our hearts when we are tested. We can harden our hearts by defiance and arrogance or, the more subtler, self-pity and doubt. The end result is the same – lack of rest and inability to enter into God's blessing!

The brother of Jesus who was the first of the apostles to be martyred wrote,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:2-8 NIV

We can continue to perpetuate the myth and make everybody feel all warm and cuddly about us as the messengers or we can speak the truth in love which makes His people free!

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Giving credit where credit is due!

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Associated Press

Ben raising a finger to heaven!
Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL!

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