No heresies to rail against today. I just thought I’d do a quick comparison.
John Coleman (Pastor John, or PJ) maintains a website on the West Coast called www.johnecoleman.org. Jamal-Harrison Bryant maintains several websites on the East Coast (www.empowermenttemple.org, www.jamalbryant.org, and www.powermovement.org).
Pastor John has pictures of himself on his site. Sometimes he’s wearing his preacher collar, sometimes he’s with other people, sometimes he’s in the Lucy Coleman Memorial Studio, in front of a microphone. The facilities look as though get used. You can often see books laying around. Some of his pictures are a little fuzzy, some are old, and some were shot a couple of weeks ago.
Jamal-Harrison Bryant has pictures of himself on his site. Sometimes he’s dressed to the T, other times he’s dressed to the T. Every single picture looks as if it were taken and developed by a top-notch photographer.
The look on John’s site is…unique. My vastly over-priced web master refuses to visit it. He says it gives him the heebie-jeebies.
The right reverend Bryant’s sites (all three of them) have it goin’ on. They use Macromedia Flash Player, tight graphics, outstanding background sound, on-line ordering, have the ability to download to your machine whether you are there or not, and just look down right sexy. The car interior is the slickest effect I have seen in a long time.
Side by side, Jamal’s sites make PJ’s site look like some frumpy housewife standing next to a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.
But let’s make a second comparison.
The right reverend Bryant uses the technology to sell Bryant, and to sell his sermons (such as they are). He uses the site to promote Empowerment Temple , as the place where the right reverend Jamal-Harrison Bryant preaches and teaches. He uses the site to broadcast more pictures of himself and to promote himself. Now he even has movies of him prancing around on the stage, including an appearance at Megamess 2005.
If you go to the new site (Power Movement) you are provided an opportunity to get Internet service at an introductory rate of $19.99 per month. And with that $19.99 per month you also get a bunch of storage space, the ability to build and maintain a blog like this one, and you can down load some of his sermons, for free! Power Movement, his newest site gives you access to the right reverend’s more popular sermons. And the on-line ordering capability let’s you order them on DVD for just $55.00. The available list includes that badly butchered exegesis on Mephibosheth (link to the posting) that I sat through a couple or four Sundays ago. Fifty-five dollars to hear Scripture painstakingly torn limb from limb! What a deal.
John, on the other hand, doesn’t offer anything as sexy as the Bryant sites. He doesn’t sell anything. He doesn’t offer you the opportunity to sow a faith seed into the ministry, and he doesn’t offer you cleverly and sometimes provocatively named sermons. If you wanted to give money to support his activities, you would have to look long and hard to figure out where to send a check. But what he does do is offer you an understanding of the Bible from the perspective of a man pursuing God’s heart. He presents God’s word, not with emotion, but with passion; not always with style, but ever with substance. He never stretches his “s” and he never says, “watch this.” But it’s obvious even to the casual observer that he pours his heart and his money into the site’s contents.
And it’s equally obvious to that same casual observer, that in all likelihood, the only thing the right reverend Bryant does is show up, sign off on the artwork, and pose for the pictures. You hear a lot of emotion, but little in the way of passion. You hear lots of style, but nothing in the way of substance.
But if nothing else, the two sites are an illustration of a statement in Proverbs that says:
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout , so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion (11:22).
Yes, PJ’s site is a bit frumpy. Even he admits that. But I would rather have a frumpy wife who will support me and refresh me as I fight the battles of life, than a beautiful one who will only weigh me down and suck the life from me.
But beware of the pig’s snout.
I listen to Pastor John all the time. I like how he goes through books of the bible verse-by-verse, but I especially download and listen to the Saturday night broadcasts. Great listening and great learning!
Melissa
Melvin,
Yes indeed, so succinctly and accurately put. I encourage all to go to Pastor John Colemans web site….daily. You get beautiful Bible study every night of the week and on Saturady night the web cast expounds on some of the issues you are , to wit; church growth.
I just feel blessed that living here on the left/west coast I have been able to study under Pastor John. After years of Catholic and various other eschewed churches, at the age of 55 I found what I was looking for in all the wrong places……our Lord Jesus and his blessed Word one year ago. Thank You Lord.
Pastor John puts his all into his web site. I have had the good fortune to have participated in some of his web casts in the Lucy Coleman studio and it is a studio for God and that is such a beautiful blessing. Sorry Mr. Bryant, you are confusing pretty with beauty.
Go to Pastor Johns website…..you will get the best Bible study you ever had seven days a week!!
Thank you Melvin and Pastor John for what you are giving us.
FYI: 50th Birthday Extravaganza for Bridget Hilliard, wife of I.V. Hilliard. Check out the gift ideas!And you know there will be people paying for the $100 PER PERSON tickets. Hopefully the link works.
http://www.newlight.org/ministry/wotw/index.html
(Melvin’s Note: Thanks Melissa. As the number of eyes out there grow, more and more very interesting and jaw dropping information comes in. )
Melvin,
I view this site just about everynight with the intentions of receiving the information that will alert me and inform me regarding the various topics that is discussed. I really had no intention on writing or responding but when I viewed the website site that Melissa referred the viewing audience to take a look at I was truly, truly outdone with the gifts request selections (just to have the nerve to have a list showed no class at all).
Really WHAT have we come too…just when you think you have seen it all another left hook comes from the right………..peace
Actually, the thing on the 50th birthday reminds me more of a HOOKER than a left hook. Give me money and I will tell you what you want to hear. It won’t get you any closer to God, but it will make you feel good.”
Thank you Melissa……..I think?? Oh yes, just when we think we have seen it all , another frog jumps out of the bush. Hookers, pimps, pastors; it is all the same in todays genre. Unbelievable!
Thanks to all the other sites I go to, who have people send them information. I take no credit for finding this at all. Thanks to Steve who received the info from someone else. I will continue to be on the lookout!
These folks are getting more and more blatent in their greed, yet those who are blind and who, too, love money will continue to follow. As they spout their “confessions” little do they know that they are being led down the broad way to (ultimate) destruction. May the Lord have mercy and save those who would truly be delivered as I was (and some of you were).
Wow. I was just referred this site today, about 20 minutes ago, and couldnt help but post. Thank you all who are doing the Lords will in exposing truth in these troubling times. I cant wait for the Lord to come.
okay the comparison of wives was a low blow…
I just went to the site of both men and wow! That Jamal Bryant is I dont know how to word it. I clicked on the link “Our Pastor” and I have to tell you he and the woman behind him(wife?) look down right scary! I mean almost evil. There eyes are very evil looking. All I can see is dollar signs in there eyes for pupils. Its pretty sad. But I do want to thank you Melvin for showing me another site that I can go to and get good information.
I know this an older post. But’s an oldie but goodie in my book.
Yeah, I from the Los Angeles area and listened to Pastor John for most of his radio life as far back as 93, and he’s basically been the same guy, when he was co-host and host of his own radio program.
But let me say this; as a pastor-teacher John Coleman works for living. And this Jamal Bryant is working the people for a living!
Pastor John does basically live a modest life as a pastor.
I have been on literally hundreds of websites, blacks and whites, and believe me NOBODY and I mean NOBODY has a better marketing strategy connected to their website than Jamal Bryant.
In addition to sloppy eisogesis, he’s dressed to the 9’s.
He’s living every po’ (unsaved) black man’s dream. Money, fly gear, a tight red-bone, (that sista looks better than the girls in hollywood) a look on his face like I’m running thangs.
I marvel at the people that sit in his congregation week after week thinking they are going to get something from God!
Melvin if you ever decide to give out an award for “Pulpit Pimp Of The Year”, or hold an award ceremony calling it the “Jammys” (for pimps in the pulpit that keep jamming folk up for they money) he would win.
You can tell tree by the fruit that it bears.
The comparison of wives was on point. Because if I ever lose my mind my wife knows enough to say you gone bust hell wide open.
These mens wives are just as guilty. A good woman don’t stand back and not say anything. Come on now. But back in the day they used to say all you have to do is lay yo (I’m giving the rated “G” version) woman out, she ain’t going nowehere!