More on the Hornbuckle story.
Apparently, twelve years ago, one of the members of the Agape fellowship chose to stand up to Hornbuckle and call him on the activities he was later convicted for in court in Arlington Texas. The lone minister was the only one brave enough to call a philanderer a philanderer to his face. Of course, this guy was also willing to cut ties with the church based on the difficulties he had with the leadership.
The minister, Demetrius Carrier, along with three other fellows, told Hornbuckle he should step down as Pastor. You should note though, that he was the only one from inside the church who would act.
Not only did Mr. Carrier confront Hornbuckle about his wrong doing, Mr. Carrier left the church and took his wife with him. In other words, he didn’t just stand around a supposedly trust God to make things right. He put feet to his faith and got the heck out of Dodge.
It would seem that by leaving (almost twelve years ago), Mr. Carrier saved him and his wife a great deal of grief and embarrassment. And on this end, we can see that he even tried to save Hornbuckle and his wife a great deal of grief as well.
By the way, pay close attention to what one of the ministers says at the very end of the article. Who can tell me what was wrong with his attitude?
Bottom line , you owe it to the Body of Christ to speak up and confront those who would take advantage of the sheep or abuse the authority in their position. I feel sorry for those of you who insist that you won’t judge this man as being unfit to serve. Those of you who refused to judge righteous judgment twelve years ago simply allowed a monster to grow and do more damage, dragging the name of Christ through the mud and bringing ridicule to the Church.
As cold as it may seem, I suspect his wife has come away empty-handed because she was willing to hang on , not for the man, but apparently for the position.
I have to wonder about the fate of the faithful five-hundred who are still there, waiting for Renee to lead them. Renee, the one who said she would never forgive her husband.
Here’s the text of the story. The article can temporarily be found by clicking here.
EXCLUSIVE
FORMER MINISTER: CLERGY CONFRONTED HORNBUCKLE ABOUT HIS WOMANIZING
By BOB RAY SANDERS
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH - More than 12 years ago, Bishop Terry Hornbuckle was confronted about his womanizing by a group of clergy, a former minister of the bishop’s church said Thursday.
Demetruis Carrier, 43, who was a member of Hornbuckle’s Agape Christian Fellowship in Arlington from 1990 to 1993, said he organized with three other ministers outside of the church whom Hornbuckle respected.
Hornbuckle was convicted this week of sexually assaulting three women. Jurors deciding Hornbuckle’s punishment deliberated for about three hours Thursday before adjourning until Monday.
Carrier said he and his wife had left the church about a month earlier.
“After we left, we came across a lot of females wanting to tell their stories,” Carrier said Thursday, as he waited outside the courtroom. “I called him and told him we needed to meet.”
Carrier said he contacted the three other ministers who went with him to confront Hornbuckle about the alleged affairs.
Hornbuckle’s wife, Renee, was also present, he said.
The bishop denied the allegations at the time, but Renee Hornbuckle said she would never forgive her husband, he said.
Only one of the other ministers was strong enough that day to tell Hornbuckle he was wrong and should not be in the pulpit, Carrier said.
Another minister, he said, turned and asked him, “Demetruis, what’s the purpose?”(/blockquote>
:lol:...
And if you think THAT is disturbing try these comments from one of the pastor’s friends.
The Rev. ****** *****, pastor at ***** ****Church in ******, New York, said that Agape was a pretty church and that the devil wanted it for himself.
“I’m so sick and tired of fair-weather Christians,” ***** said. “People talking about they can’t go down there because the preacher ain’t right. You ain’t right.”
He goes on to say:
The people, ***** said, ought to stop criticizing Hornbuckle, who was convicted Tuesday of three counts of sexual assault, and start calling for the saints to pray for him. They should flow into the sanctuary and lead an all-night prayer rally for the Hornbuckle family, he said.
“Don’t let nobody make you feel bad because you pray for your pastor,” ***** said. “Yes, he got issues. You got issues, too. We just don’t know about yours.”
*****, who said he has been friends with Hornbuckle since he was in second grade and who testified on his behalf Wednesday, also voiced support for Hornbuckle’s wife, Renee, who ***** said continues to stand by her husband even though she has the right — legally and biblically — to divorce him.
“Don’t you know there have always been hoochie mamas in the church?” ***** said. He said Agape’s problems aren’t unique to Arlington. “It’s in Fort Worth, in Dallas, in Chicago. It’s in the black church and the white church.
“Y’all acting like Bishop is the first preacher who has ever been found guilty of an indiscretion,” ***** bellowed.
Now my problem with this pastor’s comments are this. Did not some of the pastors on staff TRY and help him? Did they not confront him on his sins “PRIVATELY,” just as Jesus told the disciples to do so. (See Matt: 18:15-17). Now doesn’t pastor ***** sound like a lot of the people that post here saying forgive him and pray for him?
This goes to show you what happens when we don’t take a stand against this sort of thing in the church. It appears that only ONE brother had the gall to stand up and he was treated like some of the posters that blasts Melvin and this website. SOUND FAMILIAR PEOPLE?
I strongly believe that the church is in the state it is in due to people just standing by and allowing anything to go on in the church when Paul left instructions on what to do. We have homosexuals in the pulpit, choirs and sunday schools, those that are openly sinning and those that know of people opening sinning to hold certain positions. People these things out not to be.
“Yeah Al, we all have sin so what are you saying?” Well, I will say this, a believer CANNOT sin (making a practice of sinning for those who are ready to jump on me) because God’s seed is in him and therefore if he did sin , he will do as 1john 1:9 says and confess their sins and God will forgive him.
I don’t know about the rest of you all but I am tired of these saints and this “we all have sin and forgive them and let God deal with them, and touch not God’s annointed” mumbo jumbo. Have we not used these scriptures out of context for too long? Look at where it has gotten us. For those of you who are over 40, do we have the same church we had 30-40 years ago?
Should God’s word adapt to us or we adapt to His word? Should we compromise God’s word to meet today’s standards? Whould we become like the world to win the world? (I always thought God’s Word was powerful enough to reach sinners).
Todays church look more and more like the world and if I were in the world, I would have to ask: “why go down to that church? All they want is my money and the preachers are doing the same thing I am doing.”
You see, they see no difference between the church and the world because we have ALLOWED ourselves to look like them, trying to WIN them. (Again Jesus said go and preach to them. I assume that means tell them about REPENTING AND WHAT JESUS DID FOR THEM AND ACCEPT IT.) We have GOT to get back to the basics, and studying our Word and being doers and not just hearers.
Hello. I’m a new christian, been saved a year and I’ve been attending my current church about that long. I’m at a friend of mine house and she recommended me to this site. I’ve been browsing the posts for over an hour and I’m learning that some of the things that’s taught at my church is not right and I’ve been questioning the leadership about it but I’m always brushed off. I’ve questioned the pastor and some of the elders and deacons about the “touch not my annointed” as well as “being cursed with a curse” - they teach the offering for at least 1 hour every Sunday. Those 2 scriptures are always used in every service. I’ve always believed they were teaching those scriptures, along with others wrong - and with the wrong spirit. It’s a wof church, heavy on giving and not “putting your mouth on the leadership”. The people are nice anough but I’ve always felt that some of the things I’ve heard over the pulpit were not quite correct. I study my bible and the stuff they preach just don’t add up. I’ve attended the bible school and the teachers are products of the ministry so they pretty much all sound the same.
My questions is, can anyone recommend a good study aid that can help me to understand the bible in it’s correct content? In service at my church, as well as in the bible school, a lot of the teachng is from personal revelation from the pastors/teachers and a lot of it just doesn’t sit right and when I go to study, I can see how they come up with the stuff they say but in my heart I know it’s not quite right. So much so that I’m looking for another church.
Anything you recommend would be much appreciated. I saw the books that Melvin recommended. I’m looking for some sort of bible/scripture reference as I love to dissect the scriptures as much as I can but I need help. It’s so deep that one of the christian bookstores I went to looking for something has 90% wof books in it - I ran out of there.
Thank you.
Please visit other, somewhat related web sites.
http://www.cultwatch.com/
and
http://www.howcultswork.com/
are a couple I’d start with.
Then, simply put “Word of Faith” into Google and spend the next several days crying.
I can’t help with finding a good church in your area but, just simply reading the bible is a good start with constant prayer.
As to book stores, yes, most of what you find in any ‘Christian’ book store or even the selection at Wal-mart is WoF.
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
(MN: Interesting choice. )
You think? How so?
(MN: Calvinist, yet charismatic, yet not crazily so, and a couple of other things. Not a bad choice. Just and interesting one.)
To my sister, Lady’sGotQuestions: One crucial starting point to understanding the Scriptures is to follow the instructions in Luke 24:44-45 from Jesus Himself: “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which ARE written aout Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…”
Since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (& Jesus and the Father God are One), He will do the same for you if you just ask Him. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to open your mind to understand the Scriptures because He is NOT a respecter of persons. He will NOT take advantage of you by feeding you fodder like some of the religious zealots of today who want to proselytize you (entice you to “come over into our camp–we’ll teach you.”) You will find that these zealots CANNOT teach someone else something that they do not know nor understand themselves.
Continue to search by visiting different churches–having set aside quality time to read and re-read your Bible first. This way, having the truth in your spirit and mind, God will confirm HIS word only and also give you a “check in your spirit” when you hear something from the Bible that has not been told truthfully. James 1:5-6 instructs us: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ASK OF GOD, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”
Further, Romans 15:4 teaches, “For whatever was written in earlier times WAS WRITTEN FOR OUR INSTRUCTION, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Last, Sister, Hebrews 1:3 announces: “And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” God, your Father, will not give you a snake if you ask Him for a fish.
His love, and mine, Beryle
Greetings,
I’d recommend you purchase the software WordSearch7. I’ve found it to be an incredible resource for bible study. There are many electronic books you can purchase to enhance the software and it’s applications. God Speed!
Run for the hills!!! LOL!! DO NOT step foot back in that “church” Read Matthew 7:15-20. Those scriptures are very informative!! God Bless!!
What area are you located? I know a church where your questions can absolutely be answered and scripturally.
Prayerfully submitted - badpastor
Well…………..the little woman said she’d never forgive him, eh??
What could be keeping her there then, especially after all this………..12 years later???
Personally, even when I was still pastoring a WOF church, my wife would have cleaved my cranium with an iron skillet.
Sure……..in the pulpit the next morning I would have tried to pass it off as an illustration of my sermon “Iron Sharpeneth Iron”(Prov 27:17)……..but I don’t know how far I would have gotten after my little snookums illustrated her sermon “Tell It To The Church”(MT 18:17) by outing me to the congregation over the PA system.
Sadly, I know for certain my former congregation would have retained me in the position of pastor, and would have taken up a “love offering” to assuage my wounded spirit.The bunker mentality of blind loyalty shown by many at Hornbuckle’s church is hardly isolated……..it’s part and parcel of WOF/Pulpit Pimpdom.
hi gary, i always felt you were a preacher. since you left the wof movement- where are u preaching now? if it’s not too personal. i mean u dont have to give the name of your new congregation- just the city or state. or are you holding bible studies in your home? peace.
This addresses a comment by the commentor named “Hornbuckle: Covering or Cover Up.” Before I can publish the information, I need some documentation. Yes, it’s powerful stuff and it fits right in with the topic, and I for one don’t mind kicking a scumbag when he is down. But I will need documentation. Hurry up, by the way, because I would surely like to verify the information and get it out there.
And here is some more noise from the fellow or felless who tried to pose as me. It’s not too bad. Ireuse to take up a buch of comment spaces though. I combined them all into one comment. And how did I know they are all from the same person? I’ll send you an e-mail to explain how I figured it out. Moron won’t figure it out for himself and probably won’t go to the trouble of asking me.
Called himself Mike. If any of you want to address his “question” be my guest.
Calls himself Sean in this one:
Person Who…:
Al Holmes this time:
stupid babblers
Again - Hornbuckle: Covering or Cover Up - I really want to use the information you have provided. But I need some verification and confirmation. Please contact me at my e-mail address and let’s see what we can work up.
People please pray for me, I have been dealing with homosexuality lately and I don’t know why.
(MN: Take a look ladies and gentlemen. I just thought I’d let you see an example of the level of viciousness and cowardice out there. It seems that this moron thought the messages posted automatically since I try to turn them around as quickly as possible. And apparently he thinks the readers are so stupid that you would figure this was from me, apparently overcome by a homosexuality demon that forced me to write it and post it. Yeah well. Care to bet this perpetrator is a “spirit-filled” attendee at one of the pimps’ churches? Quite the testimony, eh? )
TO THE FOOL (according to Scripture) AND SLANDERER trying to “impersonate” Melvin Jones, and to those of like mind:
At first, I was going to remain silent as Jesus did sometimes when dealing with children of wrath. However, like Jesus, “It is written”:
“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.” PROVERBS 26:4
“Answer a fool as his folly deserves, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” PROVERBS 26:5
“Like a DOG that returns to its vomit is a fool WHO REPEATS his folly.” PROVERBS 26:11
“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” PROVERBS 26:12
“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight. PROVERBS 12:22
“”A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.” PROVERBS 19:5
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish.” PROVERBS 19:9
“Thou [THE LORD] dost destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” PSALM 5:6
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” JEREMIAH 17:9
“But for the COWARDLY and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and ALL LIARS, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” REVELATION 21:8
THIS WORD IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE HELLBOUND SLANDERERS, ANGELS OF LIGHT, DECEIVERS, VIPERS, HIRELINGS, SELF-APPOINTED LAODICEANS, AND ANTICHRISTS:
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.” PROVERBS 21:6
WOE! WOE! WOE! To all of the above!
MJ: I know you are anointed and equipped to answer this, but the Sword of the Spirit was like fire shut up in my bones! AGAPE!
Well, thats what the enemy does when you tare down his kingdom. He is a liar, an accuser, imitator.