Some of you out there are still insisting on defending the pimps who grace this site. You accuse me of slander, lying, and all kinds of other stuff.

Take a look at this YouTube clip and tell me these men are not either crazy or liars. I insist they are liars. And I also insist that they think you are too stupid to read your Bible - the Bible that clearly contradicts all of their heretical teachings.

Listen to what Hinn says about the Trinity, about Adam and Adam’s visiting the moon, and callings us gods.

Listen to Benny’s own words. They’re not out of context, they’re not twisted, they’re not distorted.

Be sure to listen to what Ken Copeland says about God - that he’s about six feet two inches tall, and weighs about a couple of hundred pounds, and exercised faith to create the universe.

And don’t miss Mr. Crouch’s exposition on the fact that we are little gods.

These men are false prophets, condemned by the words of their own mouths. They preach another Jesus and you would do well to stop supporting them with your time, your treasure or your talent. Dump them. Run away from them. Don’t have anything to do with them.

Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland | 157 Comments »

The following is an annotated version of 2Blessed comment from…mumble, mumble, mumble a little while ago. I’ve added my comments where I thought they would help understand what we are saying about the elect, God’s part in salvation, and our part. 2 Blessed’s comments are blockquoted. Mine are normal. Oh, and some of 2Blessed comment sections include quotes from GaryV. One of the reasons I am putting this out here as a post is because it starts the discussion I’ve been thinking about initiating, a question someone asked about a month ago. And that is: What is a heretic and what is heresy? Is infant baptism heresy? Does a denial of the sabbath make for a heresy? Does an insistance on keeping the sabbath make for a heresy?

John 6:44
44″No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

“The elect are drawn by God through his Word and His Spirit. Period. Monergism. The elect are NOT drawn by my charm………nor repelled by my harshness.I have no hand in whether anyone either IS or IS NOT elect.”

No offense TO Gary, but I think that there was a bit of misinterpretation with the entire subject of God’s Spirit drawing a person…..I see your point that “God, not man, plays the most active role in salvation”, and that the choices we make to believe in Christ can only happen in response to the urging of God’s Holy Spirit..it’s God who does the urging, and then we decide whether or not to believe…no one can believe in Jesus without God’s Help, but where from the passage did you get the idea that this means that how we present truth doesn’t affect whether a person is responsive to God’s Spirit?

(MN: If our presentation has an effect, then it’s not God , it’s God and my presentation. That means I played a role and helped God. We’re not saying you should go out of your way to be a jerk. Rather, you don’t have to beat yourself up for not getting it “exactly right”. Do your best, but recognize that it is God who draws, period. And he will use the brand new Christian as easily as he can use the 50 year pastor. )

Your statement seems to be a bit of a BROAD stroke itself……… I can tell a good bit of what’s in a person’s heart by their fruit/actions, but I cannot fully know whether they’re (or even myself) elected by God and respond to them as if I already do…….where would the point be in us being called to make our election sure if we knew that it and those of others was already set? (II Peter 1:5-11, specifically verse 11)….If our election was already sure, doesn’t seem that there’d much of an issue: I could respone in whatever manner I like. It would seem to be quite dangerous to assume part of your stance since none of us even know who the elect are and’ll never know 100% till Judgement DAY as to who truly was acknowledging Christ as Lord in their Hearts (Luke 12:8-10)

(MN: If you have believed, you are by definition of the elect. Only the elect believe. Think in terms of Lydia the maker of purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to the things Paul said. She was elect. On the other hand, if Felix died without receiving Christ, he was not one of the elect. )

Plus, it seems that by your statement we’d have to disregard many passages that seem to indicate our actions (presentation included) have a direct effect on the response of others to the Lord, be it by acknowledgig Him in some kind of way or choosing to investigating further or choosing to curse n’ ignore Him altogether.

Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light
13″You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14″You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Colossians 4:2-6

Further Instructions
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (THIS SHOWS THAT IT’S POSSIBLE TO OBSCURE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IF I’M NOT COURTEOUS…NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE MESSAGE MAKES SENSE, OUR ACTIONS TOWARD THEM CAN DETWEMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE LOSE OUR EFFECTIVENESS AND TURN OTHERS AWAY FROM CHRIST IF WHAT WE SAY ISN’T “TASTY”….NOT MEANING PALATABLE, FOR SALT STINGS AND THE BY ITSELF TRUTH CONVICTS STILL, BUT WHAT CAN IT DO IF IT DOESN’T ENCOURAGE FURTHER DIALOUGE?).

(MN: We are certainly to present the Gospel clearly. AFerall, if a person can’t understand what you are saying, he can’t respond. But we are not discussing clarity. )

(Gary)2Ti 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(Gary) This Scripture is written to a pastor, and is instruction on conduct towards the congregation. It is not instruction on how to deal with heretics.

(MN: Exactly. The unsaved don’t recover. They don’t come to their senses [NASB])

Mabye it’s just me, but Wouldn’t ya have to assume that their were unbelivers (herectics included, whether they acknowledged it publically or kept it silently to themselves and within their hearts) ALREADY WITHIN the congregation/the BODY at Large and that therefore Timothy would be approached by herectics as well? Not those with the titles/platform of teachers, but members within who agreeded with wrong teachings and had questions on em? If Paul didn’t want it to be for those who were Herectics, wouldn’t he have been a bit more specific instead of simply saying what to do for those who oppose/fight against the truth (something that Herectics already do)…..Though the Word says in other places how to deal with False Teachers (Romans 16:17, 2 John 1:7-11), why is it that this shouldn’t apply to those believing in heretical teachings?

(MN: A person can’t be assused of teaching heresies unless he actually teaches heresies. This is not the same as believing something and discussing it with an elder. The sections in Timothy and Titus are talking about the layman who has gotten hold of some bad meat. Verses such as Romans 16:17 are talking about someone who actively promotes bad doctrine. )

Where did you get the distinction that it was not for Heretics simply because it was instructions on how to address the congregation?
1 Peter 3:15-17
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

(Gary V)BTW………..1 Peter 3:15-17 is referencing those OUTSIDE of the Body, not those undermining the Body from within (heretics).

To say that it only applies to those outside the church doesn’t really seem to say much or do the passage justice….to say it only applies to unbelievers and not heretics (who are essentially unbelievers because they refuse to believe the truth) would mean that you’d have to assume that a believer is someone who has simply heard the truth and gives intellectual consent to the message or a set of creeds….or that that an unbeliever is someone outside the known church who explicitly says “I don’t believe or follow Jesus” and hasn’t heard the full deal of the gospel…

(MN:They are heretics because they teach that which is contrary to the truth as though it is the truth of Christianity. An atheist is not a heretic. He makes no claims of orthodoxy. Benny Hinn is a heretic. HE claims Christianity yet teaches doctrines that are contrary to the truth of the Bible. )

Thought Jesus made real clear that believers and unbelievers all grow up to together, SIDE BY SIDE, IN THE BODY and that it’d be often hard to tell the difference (Matthew 13:24-30)…..Muslims, like G2 said, may not be a good example, but how can you say that people like JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES, INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF CHRIST, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, CHRISTADELPHIANISM, MORMONISM, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE and so many others should be dealt with differently than those who follow people on TBN like Copeland or Fredrick price and so many others when people in these religions are considered by many as much apart of the Body as well…..and many of them believe call themselves Christians and teach EXTREMELY Herectical teachings too!!! Both those who follow the teachings of Creflo or Jakes and those in these other religions are CULTS….WHERE’S THE REAL DIFFERENCE IN HANDLING THEM AT?!!!! Heck, there was even a Mormon on TBN at one point, AND THE AUDIENCE STILL CLAPPED LIKE CRAZY!! How are you gonna say “I’m gonna come at a follower of Noel Jones/Jakes Hard because He’s preaching Oneness Pentecostal” and say to a Jehovah’s Witness follower, “You don’t know the Truth, so I be more respectful with you only” when BOTH ARE CULTS NONETHELESS!!!!….THEY’RE BOTH UNREGENERATE UNBELEIVERS (SOME WHO’VE EVEN HEARD THE TRUTH AND ARE WITHIN THE BODY ITSELF) AND WHO STILL DON’T BELIEVE IN THE TRUTH (BE IT BY DECEPTION OR PLAIN REFUSAL TO INVESTIGATE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACTS!!!!!!! THEY BOTH INVOLVE BRAINWASHING/MANIPLUATING THEIR FOLLOWERS AND BORH HAVE AND APPLAUD FALSE TEAHCERS AND TEACHINGS THAT PROMOTE AN UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS THAT’S NOT BIBLICAL…..AND BOTH ARE DANGEROUS BECAUSE THEY DISTORT THE TRUTH AND UNDERMINE THE FOUNDATIONS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH…..SOME MAY BE MORE PROMINANT IN THE SPOTLIGHT THAN OTHERS, LIKE MANY ON TBN AND IN AMERICAN CHRISTIANITYT, AND THEY MAY USE THE RIGHT WORDS, BUT THEY STILL CHANGE THE MEANINGS NONETHELESS AND DO DAMAGE…….Yeah, Jones or jakes may be taking your money and damaging lives from the T.V AND THE PULPIT, but so are all the others………AGAIN, WHERE DOES THE TEXT INDICATE THAT A DISTICTION WAS EVER MADE BETWEEN A HERECTIC AND AN UNBELIEVER????

(MN: I don’t hold any more respect for Mormon leaders than I do Noel Jones. To the degree that Mormon leaders kpresent themselvess as Christians, they are heretics. But again, an unbeliever makes no claim to Christianity. They are not sheep among the wolves. )

That being the case, wouldn’t ya have to assume that their were unbelivers (herectics included, whether they acknowledged it publically or kept it silently to themselves) Already in the congregation and that therefore Timothy would be approached by herectics as well?

(MN: No. You cannot be a private heretic. In order for the verses we tend to use to apply, you have to go public with it. And generally, within the context of this site, you generally are going to be a teacher. Again, there is the idea of PROMOTING bad doctrine, not simply believing it and keeping quiet about it. )

(Gary) OK……..you’re wrong. Please show me from Scripture where the distinction YOU just made is addressed. Where is the distinction made between someone in authority and someone NOT in authority who spreads doctrinal poison? Paul addressed the entire congregation of Crete…….

Tts 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
Tts 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
Tts 1:12 One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
Tts 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

(Gary)Where is the distinction made between teachers and those not in authority?? Were they ALL teachers?? All chiefs and no Indians, so to speak?? Seems Paul had the same attitude toward them ALL, teacher or non-authoritative false teacher alike.

Again, you set up a false scenario with nary a word of Bible to support it.”

Kinda Seems that someone missed the clear distinction that Scripture made about the passage. You cannot understand the passage without properly understanding the people Paul initially was talking about. Look in verse 10, and you can cleary see he was addressing the Circumcision group, who were JUDAIZERS: Jews who deleberately TAUGHT (not initially struggled with believing) that the Gentiles had to obey all the Jewish laws before becoming Christians, and this regulation confused new Christians and caused problems in many churches where Paul had preached the good news. Paul wrote letters to several churches to help them understand that Gentile believers did not have to become Jews in order to be Christians–God accepts anyone who comes to Him in faith (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:2-7). Although the Jerusalem Council had dealt with this issue (Acts 15), devout Jews who refused to believe in Jesus STILL DELIBERTLY TRIED to cause problems in the Christian Churches

Therefore, it would seem that the passage wasn’t talking about people easily decieved/drawn into a False teachers flock, and it wasn’t talking about how to respond to someone who follows a false teacher but initially defends them when questioned (much like it’d be with someone who supports Juanita Buynum but still struggles to disregard her doctrine and acknowledge her actions for what they are because they’ve has been decieved and heavily brainwashed under her influence for years)……The “Them” who Paul was specifically warning Titus to be on the lookout for and rebuke sharply were people of influence who TEACH WRONG DOCTRINE AND LEAD OTHERS INTO ERROR!!!THESE WERE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE MISGUIDED OPINIONS WITHOUT CHECKING THEM AGAINST THE BIBLE, PEOPLE WHO HAD EVIL MOTIVES AND PRETENDED TO BE CHRISTIANS JUST FOR WHAT MONEY THEY COULD GET (”DISHONEST GAIN”), ADDITIONAL BUISNESS, OR A FEELING OF POWER FROM BEING A **LEADER** IN THE CHURCH….IT WAS NEVER A MANDATE TO REBUKE THOSE WHO FELL INTO FOLLOWING THEM AND STRUGGLED TO LET GO OF THEIR FALSE TEACHINGS SINCE MANY OF THAT DAY, AS IT STILL IS NOW, ARE DECIEVED EASILY AND MAY NOT COME OUT IMMEDIATELY

(MN: I’m not real clear on what you said here so I’ll pass on commenting until you maybe clarify it. )

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending everything that G2 may’ve said. He misread some situations on his part (and, to his credit, admiitted them with apologies) that started the whole debate,….and alot of the verses he stated about love I’m still trying to renconcile with how they apply to false teachers (the I Corinthians 13 one, for example, and the one where Jesus told his disciples to love one another…..John 13:34)

It’s just that many of what he said did make sense and seemed to be intereptreted incorrectly on Gary’s part as well. Even with part of the man’s main deal of asking questions before you respond, it seemed like Gary was missing that G2 wasn’t against confronting false teachers/teachings openly to their face….CAN’T BE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRIST IF YOU DON’T BEST BELIEVE THAT JESUS AND SOME MANY OTHERS IN THE BIBLE HE DID TELL IT LIKE IT WAS, HARSH NAMES AND ALL….seems that G2 was just saying, though, that the confrontive style used by Gary and Melvin wasn’t ALL that Jesus employed to combat for the truth….even cited clear refrences in context that seemed bring the point home of the myriad of ways Jesus combated for truth ALONGSIDE with confrontation/name calling…and no one can deny that the Word says He never did what G2 was talking about at all….We don’t know about Peter or any of the OT prophets, but we do have the clear example of Jesus….and just because it wasn’t employed across the board in Scripture by the majority doesn’t mean it’ not biblical or that it’s invalid, does it??? (Think it’s in the SUPER, MEGA, MAXIE LOOONNNNGGGG NOVEL Section of “Jamal-Harrison Bryant - Creflo Wannabe”, near the bottom and right after where Mel made jest of what “G2ese” is….Really was like reading “War and Peace”)

“Again, you set up a false scenario with nary a word of Bible to support it.

(G2)Furthermore, seeing that all of the Word/it’s principles (not necessarily all the laws in them, like sacrifices for example, but the principles behind them such as living in the awareness of sin and the unapproachable Holiness of the Lord apart from the perfect sacrifice) from Genesis to Revelation, are applicable for living,

(Gary) Wrong again. All Scripture is NOT applicable to everyone. That is where you got yourself in trouble to begin with.

You post verses about relating to other believers, and contend they relate to false teachers. You cite verses relating to sinners and those with minor doctrinal differences, and contend they relate to false teachers. You cite verses that are directed to the lost, and contend that they relate to false teachers.

The first three elementary rules of Biblical interpretation are these……..
1) Determine WHO is speaking
2) Determine WHO he is speaking TO
3) Determine WHAT is the subject being addressed.”

Though alot of stuff may’ve been misquotd, who says it’s enough to say that this doesn’t apply to everyone? We know the rules….but it’s not enough to say that something doesn’t apply and leave it at that. I applaud Gary for deconstructing many of G2’s arguments, but it does seem that alot of the proverbs, specifically the ones dealing with approaching dealing with Foolish people, were ignored.

(MN: But that’s the point. These pimps and pimpettes aren’t any more foolish than a sexual molestor or theif is foolish. They know exactly what they are doing. )

If Gary doesn’t think that these proverbs apply, why? Who was the book written to? Beleivers or Unbelievers or both, and why say that? G2 gave his reason, but it doesn’t seem Gary did fully. Contrary to what Gary said, I think G2 made perfectly clear that he didn’t believe that all of the PRACTICES/GUIDLINES IN the Word all apply but moreso the PRINCIPLES behind them we can learn from (ex. you really don’t necessarily follow all of the ceremonial laws like Leviticus 1:2-3 of the OT since they point to Jesus and are no longer necessary after His death/resurrection, and you don’t follow the civil law that applied to Isaraels daily living like found in Deuteronomy 24:10-11 for example since modern society is so radically different from that time and setting and all of the guidelines cannot be followed specifically……but still the principles behind the commands, like holiness and worship for God or principles of wisdom, are timeless. and should guide our conduct….principles even Jesus demonstrated by example)…..

Like it hapened before, God’s still extremely angry about the reckless leadership done in His Name now (Ezekiel 34: 1-31), and By all means, please, Warn about and Strike down the “Wolves” (Matthew 7:15-20, Acts 20:29, but why kill the sheep being preyed upon in the process? How easily are folks manipulated and, like sheep, even just plain dumb/slow at times to really see the truth and not even know their error when it’s starring them in a face cause of the work of the devil has throughly done in em, ” who has taken them captive to do His Will (II Timothy 26).?

Just my opinion on the “Fight”….Gotta Applaud both Gary and G2 for the discussion, though, and for the valid points on both sides and their desire to “Contend” for God

Pulpit Pimps | 62 Comments »

(MN: The following is an article posted by Neeci. She has graced the site with her insight on several other occasions.)

As I have delved into theology and its various aspects, I have heard many questions. One of these is, “How can Third World countries accept the health-and-wealth doctrine?” Well, if you didn’t know, it’s rather rampant in Third World countries. I was once part of the health-and-wealth band wagon when I was younger, but thanks to God, I was freed (and ended up being reformed. Didn’t see that coming. Wow.) This Christmas break, I had the chance to spend twelve days in Lagos, Nigeria with my mother. It was originally a month, and I couldn’t imagine going from church to convention, yelling and screaming. Well, God saw my anxiety, and after checking the family safe, I found my passports were expired. There was no Christmas with Mom, but there were also no anointed cloths either.

Nigeria is one of the most diverse, populated countries in the world. I often liken it to India, as it has over 1000 languages and various dialects. However, the Word of Faith doctrine has been ravenous there for over fifty years. It started with the Nigerian people wanting to worship God the way they wanted and there were also early influences like books by Wigglesworth and Hagin, and today there are thousands of WoF churches in each state. On December 29, I walked into Lagos, Nigeria, the place where I was raised. Due to jetlag, I was able to sleep one Sunday away, but I immersed myself in reading the Word, praying and indulging in R.C. Sproul’s Tabletalk Magazine. My mother and I talked a little about doctrine, and I offered her a book edited by Arthur Bennett - “The Valley of Vision”, a collection of Puritan prayers.

A few days later, my Tabletalk magazine ran out and it took me all the self-control in the world not to flip. I didn’t want any false doctrine devotionals! I finally found out I left it outside my box back in Texas, but I was still miserable.

Well, Friday soon rolled around and my mother took (or forced, depending on which way you looked at it) me to a vigil she went to once a month. It was titled “Holy Ghost Service”. I had been there many times while I was still in high school and the conditions there were horrible. The crowd was made up of thousands of people and the air was rank with body odor, sewage and clogged toilets.

These people were here to receive blessings of the material nature. As I sat down with my mom, seeing the stares of women thinking “Why isn’t her head covered? Worldly girl!” I bowed my head, praying “Lord, help me not to be judgmental and help me see things through Your eyes.” There was a praise section in the service that dragged on forever. When the General Overseer of the church came on the platform, he directed us to kneel. Here were a few of the prayers we were told to pray:

· “Lord, help me this year!” My thoughts: How? When you mean help, do you mean help in mortifying sin? Help in witnessing? Yes, God knows our innermost thoughts, but this irked me.

· “Lord, let this year be a year of favor and blessing!” My thoughts: Quoi? (What?) Please come again. Life doesn’t go as we please. It goes as God sees fit , He’s sovereign, not us.

· “Lord, strike down my enemies! I rebuke ___” My thoughts: I thought Jesus said we should pray for our enemies (He didn’t say anything about the spiritual kind). In Jude, when Michael fought with the devil, even he didn’t rebuke the snake. *Sigh*

· “Lord, let this year be a year of signs and wonders!” My thoughts: I believe in miracles. I’ve been healed quite a few times, but God heals as He pleases.

The pastor started making very vague prophecies like “Someone here will be very rich!” “Someone here will know no pain!” “Someone here will be so blessed he or she will have to look up to God and say ‘Ah, it’s too much!’” as well as some Nigerian political prophecies like “The corrupt leaders will not be in office”. I left for the car with my cousins, but I know he closed with a vague gospel message: “If you haven’t given your life to Christ, come out. Jesus promises heaven. Yes, fill out that form so that angels can visit you in your house.” Erk.

While I’m waiting to see how his political prophecies go, the rest were stating the obvious. It’s just like saying California would experience earthquakes. Duh. I mean, there were thousands there. The ironic thing is that these people come every first Friday of the month, claim their blessing and come back next month. The church holds a “convention” and “congress” as well, so even more people come there. The ministry hosts John Hagee, Benny Hinn and other TBN faces. Other mega-ministries host Mike Murdock and others.

In fact, TBN has been watched so much in Africa, they have their own TBN Africa. It looks like TBN is moving along with MTV, since both of them have stations in the continent. The only books sold in Nigerian Christian bookstores are self-help and Word of Faith. The music selection is fairly O.K., but most of it reflects the doctrine of the people.

As I said earlier, there are so many churches it’s quite some craziness traveling down the roads. Some have bought billboards on the major highways advertising an incomplete gospel e.g., “Hell is real! Turn to Jesus now!” Others have resorted to banners like the picture below:

(MN: the picture has to be resized. Click here to see it. I will resize tonight.)

My photography skills are poor, so bear with me. However, it is a sample of what you see “under the bridge”. For most Nigerian Christians, the phrase “denial of self” doesn’t exist. The mentality is, “God will please self”. After reading some of the book that I gave her, my mom exclaimed, “Why do they keep on saying they will give up riches and blessings to serve God? I want to serve God and receive my blessings too.”

That second, I woke up. I needed to pray for my mother more often and pray for the church she attended. If it were God’s will that sound doctrine entered the church, so be it. If its 50-something years of history were destroyed, so be it. I started praying for my mother harder than I ever had , even more than I did for my unsaved father.

My last exposure to Word of Faith in Nigeria was the Sunday before I left. I felt like I was in an astrological summit or something kooky like that. It was January 7 and the pastor kept on going on about how “today is the third day of resurrection and the seventh day, when we rest and let God bless us.” I was stumped. He only gave reference to Genesis 2, and then continued preaching without giving the Word a second look. Since my mother was a minister, people kept on coming over to me asking “How is America?”, “Do you go to our church there?” and “Did you like the service?” The answers: “It’s OK”. “No”. “Yes” (Dishonesty sucks.) However, I was mentally done. I had taken my mental notes and I was ready to leave. I was grieved whenever I prayed.

The Christianity of my adopted home was not based on denial to Jesus, picking up crosses, witnessing or sound doctrine. These people had their ears tickled and wouldn’t listen to anyone else. I remember the blank look of my mother when I told her about John Piper, John MacArthur, my church pastor and a number of other expository teachers.

Nigerian Christianity is mainly Word of Faith and it is in its own bubble. It’s sad, but I question the salvation of the people. Did they all come to Christ for the wrong reasons? If their gospel is so great, why is there evangelistic lethargy? Why is self-help part of their doctrine , I thought it was God-help? These are all rhetorical questions. All I can say is, Nigerian churches need to be swept clean and built again. We need a Reformation.

Pulpit Pimps | 25 Comments »

I turn fifty-five today. One of my poorer sons drew a picture for me instead of giving me cash or clothes or a car or something. I guess I love him anyway though.

In celebration of my birthday, I have decided to give all of you readers a present (See, it’s real spiritual when I give YOU something on MY birthday.)

Click on the picture below (it’s smaller version of the drawing of me as the Pimp Punisher) and the browser will take you to a full sized image of the drawing.

Once you get there, you can, using a color printer, print off a copy of the picture.

Of course, before you print it off, I want you to send a love offering of $19.95 to:

Melvin’s Birthday Ministry
12356 Anathema Lane
Bowie, MD 20763

There is also a shipping and handling charge of $25.00.

And remember, in God we trust. Everybody else pays with a certified check, a money order, or cash.

Oh, if you use a black and white printer to get a copy of the picture, you should only send me a love offering of $10.00 and $25 S&H - same payment rules.

Have a blessed day.

Pulpit Pimps | 58 Comments »

Warning: This is a long post. It will also be posted as a PDF you can access to the right under “Various Essays”. If you choose to respond, please do a little more than letting us know that the OSAS doctrine is a doctrine of demons. Also, deal with the verses and concepts that are presented. Don’t respond as though none of it was said. Address the arguments. Having said these things, go to it.

Usually, a person who believes they can lose their salvation will, when discussing the issue with a proponent in the Eternal Security camp, set up the following straw man to attack:

So you’re saying if I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and then I go move in with my girlfriend, have sex with a dozen other women, kill the boy friend of one of the women, steal a car and kill three cops while I’m trying to escape, and then get a boy friend while I’m in prison, when I die, I’m still going to heaven? Is that what you are saying?

And of course the answer is: No, that’s not what I’m saying. (more…)

Christian Living | 266 Comments »

Just a bit of entertainment/depressant for you. Mr. Taylor found this little jewel for us.

(Truth be told, these guys sound the way I feel a lot of the time.)

Thanks Calvin!

Pulpit Pimps | 14 Comments »

For about the last week we have been holding a conversation with Mike, a so-called historian. He has made some pretty large statements about Christianity, Jesus, the Bible and other things. Since GaryV (pictured above) is my Bible enforcer, he has written a posting to address some of the comments and statments put forth by Mike. Mike is now obligated to addresses the rebuttals or find someplace else to perpetrate his ramblings.

Just so you can recall what Mike said, I have included a reprint of the statement here.
(more…)

Christian Living | 90 Comments »

Here’s a clip from the front-end of T. Dexter’s performance.

It’s about six minutes long. In it he advertises the “Men Are Builders” conference.

The sermon, the twenty minutes of it that I could stomach, was pretty much more of the same thing.

T. Dexter Jakes | 148 Comments »

The Arrival
I arrived on site right around 5:25 pm. As I came up the escalator, I was quite impressed to see that there was already a line of people waiting to get in. The place opened at 5:30.

Since the people were standing there with no place to go, I started at the back of one line and moved up, passing out pamphlets. That took care of about forty pamphlets.

God was most gracious and provided some very warm weather. I didn’t have to wear my watch cap and I even toyed with the idea of taking off my jacket. At one point, I was even a little damp from a light perspiration (that’s sweat to you T. Dexter fans).

I stationed myself at the top of the escalators and, as people came up passed out the tracts. I quickly discovered that if I asked if they were going to the revival, they were more than willing to take what I had to offer. I even directed people to the correct entrance.

Fortunately, the people arrived in clumps, determined by the arrival of the metro train in the station downstairs. So at least I got a rest between groups of people.

All told, I probably said “Are you going to the revival?” at least two hundred times. But again, it was necessary because the question, my infectious smile, and my incredibly pleasant demeanor encouraged folks to take the pamphlets. Besides that, some of them probably thought it was supplemental material for the revival. The whole thing went without a hitch.

Calling it Quits
About two hours and approximately 1200 pamphlets later I called it quits. The arrivals were slowing down and the Subway sandwich shop across the street was calling my name more and more loudly. Once I finished my sandwich, I made the ultimate sacrifice for you readers out there. I went inside the convention center and sat in on the revival.

I used to work across the street from the convention center when they were digging the hole for the facility. I could tell it was going to be huge. But you have to go inside the building to understand just how large the place is. However, even with that I had no trouble finding the revival. All I had to do was follow the thumping and bumping to get there. But before I could go in to the hall, the security detail (just one guy actually) searched my bags. I guess I can understand that.

Into the Pit
When I walked into the place it was as though I was in a sea of people. I’m not very good at estimating crowd sized, but there had to be at LEAST five thousand people, probably a lot more. The singer lady was ratcheting the crowd up, with singing and shouting. She even stopped in the middle of it to let us know that we are the head and not the tail. She made sure that we knew that greater things are coming and that we should praise God because it’s through our praises that our triumphs come.

The singer lady sang a couple of more songs, one with the guy who always has his shirt tail hanging out and keeps his hair standing up on his head. And he wears a tie.

Bishop Owens stepped to the mike and said a couple of things. I forget what they were. But then he introduced the man , T. Dexter Jakes!

The Main Event , Almost
T. Dexter came out and gave a shout out to various folks. It was then that I learned that Grainger Browning, the bloke who invited Calypso Louie to speak at Ebenezer AME the year before last, was there. He mentioned some others as well, but none stood out like Grainger.

Now it could be that T. Dexter doesn’t know that Grainger prostituted himself with Louie and the Millions More March. But I doubt it. After all, it was on national television and had such luminaries as the Reverend Jackson and Super Processed Sharpton associated with it. Again T. Dexter demonstrated a lack of concern for the truth.

T. Dexter then spent the next ten minutes hawking various products. This included the male getaway he’s planning for this March 29 through 31. He even announced the speakers. This list of luminaries includes I. V. Hilliard, Jesse Duplantis and Mile Monroe.

He also advertised the Security conference his organization holds. I don’t believe he gave the cost of that event.

He then advertised a tape set that you could buy. The tapes, of course, have life changing information on them.

And of course during this time, he assured us that the new year was going to make up for all the years of loss I had suffered before, etc., etc., etc..

He Preaches
Finally, T. Dexter started his sermon. He preached, more or less, from 2 Samuel 12:15-20, the recount of the death of David and Bathsheba’s baby.

T. Dexter rambled on for the first fifteen minutes or so talking about David and Goliath, pointing out that you know you are anointed to do a particular task when you don’t have the tools to do the task. You know, it’s easy to kill a giant if you have a bazooka.

Finally, around 9:10, after a lot of “tell your neighbor this,” or “Tell your neighbor that,” he got to the section. I listened as closely as I could for as long as I could. I decided I definitely had better things to do once he explained the application to us for David washing his face once he found out the baby had died. According to T. Dexter, the washing is a lesson to us that we should become a new person once God has removed from us that which he didn’t want us to have in the first place.

One thing that I found interesting was his apparent effort to embarrass the men in the audience to jump up and down and shout. He claimed that our boys need to see their fathers shouting and see us being emotional. He said we shouldn’t just sit there quietly. I, on the other hand, think our sons and daughters need to see us living holy and consistent lives, being faithful and supporting men. But that’s just me.

Meeting Old Acquaintances
While standing at the top of the escalator I ran across a couple of old acquaintances from First Baptist Church of Glenarden.

I was happy to see Susie Taylor (I think that’s her last name), I wasn’t too thrilled to see that she was still wrapped up in the idiocies there at First Baptist. We hugged and greeted each other quickly , as I gave her a pamphlet.

Josephine Miller was a bit different. She definitely seemed peeved to see me. I suspect she has been visiting the site. It sounded like it hurt when she said she was glad to see me. I guess the fact that I questioned the validity of her being a reverend didn’t exactly make me her best friend.

Overall, it was a somewhat depressing experience. Seeing the people going in, knowing they are going to get nothing but platitudes and lies, really makes you face the pain of the human condition. I wanted to shout to everyone who came up the stairs, telling them to run away, turn around and escape. But I suspect all they would have done is look at me as though I was insane, and then gone on in to the slaughter. And while I was there, while T. Dexter was spewing his pabulum and foolishness, the guy behind me kept saying that this was real preaching. About twenty minutes into the sermon, I left.

I’m going to try to put a clip up within the next couple of days.

Pulpit Pimps, T. Dexter Jakes | 64 Comments »

It’s T minus 12 hours. The assault against one of the most prominent pulpit pimps (T. Dexter) starts today at approximately 1800 hrs (that’s 6 o’clock pm for those of you who never watched JAG). Equipment’s packed. Script is practiced. We’re ready to go.

If anybody wants to toss up a prayer or two today, I would certainly appreciate it.

I’ll report back tomorrow on how it all goes.

T. Dexter Jakes | 75 Comments »

That’s right! T. Dexter and his protege John K. Jenkins from First Baptist Church of Glenarden are going to be performing at the Washington DC Convention Center starting on the 3rd of January. And I’ll be there, pamphlets in hand, camera fully charged.

I just picked up about two hundred printed 3X5 cards from Staples just in case people want to ask me why I would dare put my mouth on the mand of gawd. Click here to get a gander at the card.

Oh, and as much as Mrs. Mav tried to be as outrageous as possible in her profitcy, take a look at this. I believe it’s a clip from last year. It has T. Dexter saying pretty much what profitess Mrs. Mav said.

I can’t help using the Tweedledee and Tweedledum image. It’s just such a spot on illustration of what’s happening to John K. Jenkins and the whole crowd there at First Baptist Church of Glenarden.

I wonder if Deacon Lee is going to be there. Maybe I’ll see him at the top of the escalator.

John K. Jenkins, Sr., T. Dexter Jakes | 21 Comments »