Before I start the posting, I would like to dedicate it with a song by our official Hymnist and Mongoose, GaryV. It is sung to the tune of “Amazing Grace.” Let’s praise the dollar with our voices! Everybody now!!!

Amazing waste, with Dolby Sound
And JumboTron® sized screens,
The marble’s gloss is worth the cost
The sheeple pay the lien.

Amen

I made it out to the Mausoleum, Memorial and Museum Dedication and Mutual Admiration Event this past Wednesday. Between John telling us how wonderful T. Dexter is, and T. Dexter telling us how wonderful John Jenkins is, I thought they were going to start their own Big Dog Mutual Admiration Society right then and there. But more on that later.

I made a mistake, by the way. In one article I said that the building was 120, 000 square feet. According to the Washington Post and the Souvenir Program, the building is actually 205,000 square feet. Here is an excerpt from the Post

The multimillion-dollar church building, one of the region’s largest at 205,000 square feet, includes a bookstore and several classrooms. It was designed by HH Architects of Dallas, which specializes in mega-churches.

I’ve nattered on enough about the size in a previous post. I won’t revisit that.

I got to the church about 7:05 and the parking lot was already full. I had to park across the street in the little school’s parking lot. By the time I got back to the parking lot later that evening, the school parking lot was full as well. For now I’ll attribute this to the fact that T. Dexter, the next Billy Graham was speaking.

Coming in the main entrance, one of the first things you see is the bookstore. Given my love of books, and considering the fact that you can tell where a person stands based on the books in his library, I made a beeline for the store. Here’s the fist thing I saw:

Yeah, a great big blow up of John Jenkins and the First Lady. (Sorry about that all you second and third string ladies out there) And here’s the second picture.

Right again , it’s a huge blow-up of John. Maybe I could understand them if they were in some way tied to the grand opening. But these items don’t appear to be related to the grand opening at all. There is no reference to the grand opening. So tell me again that this is all about Jesus Christ and Him glorified.

Now I’ll bet you will never guess whose books were on sale in the front window. I’ll give you four guesses and the first three don’t count…..time’s up. Here’s a shot of the display window:

Yep, T. Dexter has two books for sale, including that run away best seller “Position Yourself.” And I won’t mention the fact that he started hawking them just before he read the Scripture he was planning on preaching from.

I went up stairs to the upper level and found an aisle seat. Since I knew I would be leaving early, there was no point in even trying to get a closer seat. I saw no reason for being disruption once it was time for me to leave. Besides, sitting up top allowed me to get a view of the entire auditorium. And it was quite a view.

Here’s a photo of the view from the top.

For a moment I thought I was having flashbacks to the occasional rock concert I attended as a youth. Notice the light show they have going while the choir sings. If you remember, the souvenir program, on page 11, talks about “inviting ever believer into the very presence of God.”

Since they, in keeping with their use of the Old Testament’s phraseology and concepts, are talking about the presence of God, I assume the light burst projections on the walls have something to do with getting us into God’s presence as well. Either that or most of the people there just like bright shiny things.

The auditorium is beautiful. It’s huge. It appears to be really well designed with respect to its lighting, acoustics, seating, and traffic flow. I didn’t see the glare of a single over head light fixture, a megawatt speaker, or obvious microphone anywhere on or near the stage. The architect is an obvious master at developing auditoriums. With the judicious use of columns on the interior, there literally is no bad seat, not columns to get stuck behind.

Once they start doing paid events (I assume they will since the seats are numbered [I sat in Row RR] as if for ticket sales), they can charge premium prices for each and every seat. I will keep a search on TicketMaster to see if the facility ever appears.

The ventilation was superb. There had to more than three thousand people in the room. Yet the temperature was perfect, neither stiflingly hot nor uncomfortably cold. To give it the ultimate compliment , I didn’t even notice the temperature.

And now to the important stuff, the contents of the “service”.

When I took my seat, a lady was singing with the choir giving a backup. The two giant screen monitors, one on each side of the curtain to the holy of holies, provided a close up shot of the performer. We could see the sparkle of every bead of sweat on her face. We also got an occasional shot of the choir, the rapt audience, and a couple of the reverends and ministers.

I got there about 7:25. The choir did lots and lots of singing. The Holy Cheerleader (aka the Worship Leader), Reverend Gloria Miller stood up and spent the next couple of minutes getting us even more wound up. Clayton Lewis, now a minister, said the prayer.

Of course they took up a collection. The ushers, armed with plastic, black and gold popcorn buckets emblazoned with the FBCG emblem, passed the buckets down the rows. And of course, during the collection the choir and another singer ratcheted the emotions up a little more.

Finally, John came out. Everybody stood for him, clapped and shouted wildly. After all, the Mand of Gawd was there.

John didn’t talk much. His main purpose at that time was to introduce the man of the hour, T. Dexter. However, for any of you who use the lame “I never heard him say that” with respect to T. Dexter being his mentor, give a listen to this before you continue. It happened around 14 seconds into the clip.

(YOUTUBE LINK)

Notice, John stated that T. Dexter, the man who doesn’t know that the issues related to AIDS are in the Bible, the man who doesn’t have the ‘nads to either clearly deny the Trinity or clearly affirm it, the man who has spiritually girlified more men in his lifetime than any other man, is his pastor (i.e. his mentor). Don’t ever again fix your mouth to say he never said it.

T. Dexter came up and began convincing the crowd that the Mausoleum, Memorial, and Monument is a good thing. It showed that John has integrity since the building was actually built. He then, as is the custom with the pimps, turned to the Old Testament to demonstrate that the building was the result of great faith on their part.

Keep these verses in mind as we review the portion of T. Dexter’s speech I was able to listen to:

Romans 8:6 , 7

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, “

Eph 2:19-22

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Or Philippians 3:17 , 21:

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 9 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

T. Dexter started off talking about the importance of buildings, statues and monuments. He said that a building is a testament to the folks who built the building. Of course the Bible says in 2 Cor 3:2-3that:

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. ”

Nothing about building monuments to our faith. So are our lives a testimony to people or are the buildings we leave behind a testimony? T Dexter seems to be disagreeing with Scripture.

Dexter goes on to say that buildings will outlast us and that the following generations will know of our faith. Hmm. How many of you have seen this magnificent building as you drive around the District of Columbia?

It’s the Mormon Temple just off of the Beltway in Montgomery County. So is T. Dexter saying that the Mormons have great faith?

He went on to say that “promotion comes from the Lord. The building could only have come from God.” Well, does that mean the Mormon Temple is an indicator that God is promoting them? Surely not.

He read from Joshua 4:1 , 10. That, of course is the section where the Israelites cross the Jordon to take the Promised Land. Quite naturally, T. Dexter then equated the completion of the building with the entry of the Jews into the Promised Land.

Do you notice how the pimps always go back to the Old Testament whenever they want to convince their sheeple that the outrageous thing they did with the sheeple’s money was actually proof that the sheeple have great faith , and that God is blessing them , and that they are (and here’s a new phrase T. Dexter Introduced the other night) going to go to the next realm of glory.

The last thing I heard him say, before I got up and left was “God is getting ready to move. If you believe this, give God some praise.” Of course the entire room burst into shouting, clapping, and other obedient things. I left and took some more pictures.

Over all, there were absolutely no surprises. The sheeple were pimped in exactly the manner I thought they would be. The pimps used the Old Testament in exactly the way I thought they would. And the sheeple reached into their pockets and pulled out more money, thanking the Mend of Gawd for taking their money.

Good entertainment. A great lesson on group think. A clear warning against not studying your Bible.

John K. Jenkins, Sr. | 305 Comments »

I made it out to the Wednesday night grand opening celebration! The article is written, but because of as screw-up on my part, I can’t publish it until this evening. However, there are a couple of photos I took that you simply must see for yourselves. My mouth fell open at the sight of them. Then I laughed when I realized how well John has his sheeple trained.

These two free standing displays were in the book store.

and this one:

The bookshelf and the chair give you an idea of just how large the displays are. They are as tall a me. I, by the way, am six feet five inches.

Tell me again that this is all about Christ.

Oh, and did you notice whose book is on sale next to John’s display?

John K. Jenkins, Sr. | 51 Comments »

I am so disappointed! I was on my way out the door this morning to attend the grand opening of the FBCG Mausoleum, Memorial and Museum (I think the actual title is FBCG Worship Center) in Kettering. My daughter-in-law called - said her husband’s car had broken down in Silver Spring, just off of Colesville Road and she needed help getting to it so she could get it towed.

Visions of the Good Samaritan flashed through my head and I decided to forgo my excursion to the Worship Center rather than leaving them in the lurch. Thus, I have nothing to report on the opening of the Mausoleum, Memorial, and Museum.

I did get a copy of the program. The front cover is below. I also included a couple of other images, including some of the interior of the facility. The interior shots have captions that explain why they spent so much money on the useless space inside.

As penance, I’m going to attend the sermon by T. Dexter. This of course means I will have to suffer the crush of the crowds there to see the next Billy Graham. And it means I’ll have to sit and listen to T. Dexter lisp and ramble about positioning yourself so you can do what John did. And while I’m there, I will try once again to get some photos. (I understand the toilets have those automatic flushers on them. )

Oh, and take a look at this letter from the “council” of Elders.

Notice the wording:

…As the pastor follows his God-given vision, we will follow him. We, the Council of Elders, pledge our support to his vision, his missions, and his dreams. We believe that the will of the Pastor should be the will of the church….

Do you begin to see how the pimps work? They get men who are willing to follow a man rather than God and appoint them as the sub-leaders of the organization.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Paul said “Follow me as I follow Christ” not “follow me and my God-given vision/dream.”

Over seven years ago, these elders stepped out of the way and gave John unfettered access to the sheeple when they allowed him to go from bing paid by the church (controlled by them) to taking a “Love Offering.”

These men, more than anyone else in the church, will have an awful lot to answer for when they face Jesus Christ. These men have made it possible for the church to go down the automatic toilet the way it has. Remember, these are the men who sit there while John brings in Oneness preacher Charles Ellis, men who are being divorced by their wives for suspected infidelity, and others.

What have they done to guard the sheep from the wolves? Unfortunately, they have done nothing.

John K. Jenkins, Sr. | 106 Comments »

This should be one of the last postings on the Weeks/Bynum affair.

His press conference gives a bit of insight into their relationship, her attitudes, and what may have happened.

It appears that it is now a case of “He Said - She Said.” She says he beat the crap out of her. He says he didn’t.

The drama continues.

Take a listen to the YouTube posting below and see what you can get out of it.

Bynum | 191 Comments »

Sometimes I get totally fascinated with an idea, an object, or a person. For instance, I attended a Baysox game a couple of years ago (they’re the farm team for the Baltimore Orioles). and I found the ability of the catchers to stand from a squatting position, and to squat for extended periods of time, totally fascinating. I actually ended up watching them more than the rest of the players.

Watching the a house fire or the aftermath of a car wreck is the same way. Even though you know you are invading someone’s privacy at an incredibly vulnerable moment, you just about can’t look away.

It’s the same with the pimps and their oft times willing victims. The unbridled pimping of the masses should make me look away, embarrassed for the pimped sheeple. But right now I am just fascinated with the goings-on of John K. Jenkins and New Behemoth he has nearly completed near Watkins Park, out in Kettering Maryland.

If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I told you that I stood in the school driveway to take a picture of the entire new home of First Baptist Church of Glenarden. Well, I was sitting at my desk this morning and I started to wonder “What does that thing look like from space?”

So I called Cloe at the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) in Los Angeles and called in a chit, asking her if she would re-task one of their satellites to take a look at the area around Kettering in PG County. Again, pay no attention to the “Google” watermark on the photos. That is simply to keep people from figuring out that I bootlegged the images from CTU. I wouldn’t want Jack Bauer to come after my lazy behind.

But take a look at the foot print of the church. I did a quick and admittedly rough estimate of lengths and it turns out that the structure covers an area approximately 325 feet by 375 feet. That’s 121,875 square feet. One hundred and twenty one THOUSAND square feet. My house is approximately 1600 sq feet. The old church on Brightseat Road is approximately 60,000 square feet. This monster is more than twice the size of the old church. To put that into perspective, it’s more than the length of a football field on each side! While I don’t think it is the purpose of a church to build housing, I am curious as to how many low income houses the materials that went into the Watkins Park Behemoth could have built.

Oh, and just for a bit of irony, take a look at the school across the street. With all the building structure, it comes in at approximately 89,000 square feet. I believe that puts the church at nearly 33% larger than the school building.

I’ll ask again, wouldn’t it have been better - more consistent with the Bible to break the congregation up into smaller packets and send them off into the various and diverse neighborhoods? You know - the idea of going out into the world (or at least the county) to make disciples. Instead, these men gather to themselves as many people as they can, from as far away as they can, building huge buildings and enriching themselves. Granted this isn’t an essential, but it’d be nice if he started somewhere.

It kind of reminds me of the Tower of Babel in Genesis.

What did God tell the inhabitants of the earth to do? He told them to go and fill the earth. (Gen 9:1). And to do that, they had to spread out. They had to go exploring and not just hang around each other. To obey God, they had to do some traveling.

What did the descendants of Noah do instead? They said:

“Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:4)

They were more interested in making a name for themselves and avoiding getting spread out than they were in being obedient to God.

What’s the connection between the Plain of Shinar and the Plain of Kettering?

If we are supposed to go out into the world and make disciples (not simply make a name for ourselves), wouldn’t it make a good deal more sense to train men at the Glenarden facility, and send them each with ten to thirty members to start a church ten, twenty, thirty miles away, than to have a killer entertainment…er…worship program and ministries to draw people to Glenarden from ten, twenty, or thirty miles away? Now, instead of having twelve or thirteen churchlets composed of maturing Christians in twelve or thirteen neighborhoods spread across the county, doing Bible studies, establishing relationships, and being a part of the community, you have a big clump of stupid sheeple who drive to the Mausoleum-in-the-Suburbs every Sunday, herd into the sanctuary, jump and shout for an hour and a half, and drive home to watch the Redskins lose another game that afternoon. You have a group of people who don’t know anything about each other or the folks down the street from the church.

Ah, but John gets to make a name for himself and the sheeple get bragging rights about their church building, their pastor, and the famous people who visit the church (folks like Stevie Wonder (not LSW, our friend at the other web site), various politicians, and fellow pimps like T. Dexter, Tim Storey, and Charles Ellis). And they get to brag about the basically empty programs they have. And somehow, Jesus Christ and His saving grace get lost in the whole sorry affair.

Building a huge behemoth of a church certainly isn’t the worst of sins. But it does provide us a look into the vanity most of us have to deal with, but choose to reject on a daily basis. Fifty-five million dollars for a building that does nothing to further the cause of Christ. But I guess it makes the girly-man deacons and the elders who wouldn’t know a principal if it bit them on their derrières, feel pretty important.

And the church organization gets to gather a bunch of people in a single place. This, of course, means the influx of even more money and a greater potential to enrich the leaders of the organization. Remember, they even call it a grand opening, as if it was a place to make money, like a department store, a restaurant, or a casino. I’ll bet your chances of getting a breakthrough are better at a casino than they are at the new Mausoleum, Museum, and Memorial.

Speaking of enriching, guess who lives in the house below.

The three-car garage with the upper living space is bigger than most of your apartments.

And before you even ask, here’s a shot of my house from space.

John K. Jenkins, Sr. | 148 Comments »

Take a look over at IndependenConservative. He has a set of vids from a Junie B interview/press conference. Take a look at the interview parts and read his summary.

I’m going to suggest that some one who was really pursuing God doesn’t turn on a dime like this; even if they do get the crap kicked out of them.

A couple of blogs are actually pushing the idea that she set the poor Punk up to begin with - that it just got a little out of hand when the thrashing started. I hate to say it, but that really doesn’t sound that far-fetched.

Bynum | 157 Comments »

It’s official. Juanita Bynum (aka Junie B) just, as the phrase goes, turned on a dime. According to Junie B, she is going to be the face of the Beatdown. She’s going from the Prophetess and Judge who runs the “Teach Me How to Love You (TMHTLY)” scam to Evangelist Bynum, running the new and improved conference called the “Teach Me How to Avoid the Beatdown.”

But at least she is consistent. I mean think about it. She and the Punk had been married fro two years when they started the marriage scam. And they started their marriage with a huge amount of publicity and glamor.

This abuse “ministry” is starting two weeks after the beatdown. The seminal event was marked by spectacular publicity. No glamor, but a lot of publicity.

To understand what I’m saying, you have to look at it in the spirit (a little WoFer lingo for you there).

Both of her ministries have the number two associated with them (two years and two weeks). I could say there were actually three Weeks, but I try to avoid really bad puns.

As any of the pimps will tell you, the number two is the number of increased blessing. Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. An elder is due a DOUBLE portion of honor and Job got back double of everything he lost.

So obviously, Junie can count on twice as much business with the spousal abuse gig she’s about to start as she did with the the TMHTLY scam she had going till the Bishop put the kibosh on it.

I love capitalism. Make the sheeple think you are giving them what they crave and they’ll beat a path to your door with all their wool already bagged for you.

Bynum | 179 Comments »