While I was a member at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, I sometimes felt as though I was living a Christian version of George Orwell’s �1984�. The place was a ready source of a phenomenon called doublespeak. They were, and still are very good at using one word or phrase one way when the actual meaning is quite different. Here are some examples.

Armor Bearer

If you look in the Bible at the concept of an armor bearer, you see some interesting things. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, had an armor bearer. This fellow helped Jonathan carry his weapons and, that�s right, armor. And when Jonathan went into battle, the armor bearer was right there beside him, risking his life and taking part in the battle. He was the man who watched Jonathan’s back.

At FBCG the armor bearer has a slightly different function. Since we don’t engage in sword fighting and spears have been relegated to museums, quite naturally the armor bearer can�t be expected to actually carry weapons. Instead, the armor bearer has the following responsibilities:

1. Lay out a fresh shirt and suit for the pastor and get the shower ready so the pastor can freshen up after each sermon. The shower, by the way, has gold plated fixtures.
2. Drive the pastor from place to place and even travel with him to other cities when he has to go out of town.
3. Provide other personal services.

Despite how hard I may try, I can�t see this guy as an armor bearer. Perhaps in doublespeak that’s what this guy is. But in plain English this guy is a butler and a chauffer. I suspect some of them are sycophants in their spare time.

Humility

When I talk to some of the members of the congregation, they refer to John Jenkins as a ‘humble man.’ But we have to redefine ‘humble’ when you consider the following:

1. When the interior of the church was remodeled, he got his own bathroom with gold-plated fixtures.
2. He gets his own parking spot right next to the church entrance. (Can�t the armor bearers just drop him off at the door?)
3. He refers to himself as the ‘Man of God’ and insists that everyone has to accept what he says as being directly from God.
4. When he can�t back a teaching up with Scripture, he still teaches it as though it were fact and insists he’s right because he has “…been ministering for 25 years.”
5. The website’s home page shows John and Trina like a prince and princess out of Africa. And there are more pictures of him than anyone else.

Maybe I’m missing it, but I’m just not real clear on where these actions and characteristics are consistent with humility. At least, they’re not consistent with the way the term is used in other places.

Spirituality

In the normal, orthodox use of this term, spirituality speaks of a person’s willingness to be obedient to the Word of God, the Bible. It carries with it the idea of a person growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. You get a picture of a person who is growing in his understanding of the Bible and an increased willingness to apply that word in his life. The person puts Jesus Christ first in his life and his own will and desires second. It is a person who understands that they will suffer persecution and may not be a financially prosperous person.

However, in keeping with the use of doublespeak, that’s not what spirituality means at FBCG.

At FBCG spirituality means you go into the sanctuary during service, shout real loud (on cue of course), wave your hands around, jump up and down, and say things to your ‘neighbor’ on cue; that cue being provided by the pastor (and sometimes other preachers) when he says “Tell your neighbor”�

It means you pepper your speech with phrases like “Praise the Lord”, “I feel led”, “God is good all the time”, and other phrases which, while true, require nothing of you in terms of being obedient to God. It also means you “have the faith” to view God as your cosmic bellhop rather than as the creator of the universe and your Lord who will require some very difficult things of you.

Apparently, spirituality also means not questioning what the Man of God says and the vision he has, even if that vision is a twenty-two million dollar sanctuary and showcase built in the middle of nowhere.

Biblical

The term Biblical normally implies something is consistent with doctrine that has been carefully developed through detailed and, to the extent possible, the objective study of Scripture.

At FBCG this term means taking a Scripture that appears to mean what you want it to mean and use it over and over again to justify an action you want to take. Thus we have such things as:

Touch not God’s anointed (no matter how many silly, and sometimes heretical things he may teach)

Submit to the Man of God (as opposed to holding the pastor accountable to scripture the same as everyone else)

Receive Your Breakthrough (as opposed to being conformed to the image of Christ through our circumstances in his timing) -

Being the Head and Not the Tail (as opposed to Jesus’ warning that we will be persecuted since He was persecuted)

Shouting to Confuse the Devil (as opposed to allowing God to work His will in our lives as He sees fit)

Generational Curses (As opposed to each person being made new by the power of God in his or her life)

Unfortunately, none of these phrases, well used at FBCG, have any connection to the teachings of the Bible. They do, however, have a lot in common with the teachings of such men as Ken Copeland, Fred Price, Cashflow Dollar, and the now deceased Kenneth Hagin.

Posted by Melvin Jones on Friday, January 28th, 2005 at 8:46 pm.