I don’t get it.
Have you ever noticed how many “Christian” leaders are plagued by scandal, yet STILL thrive on the support and offerings of the Christian masses?
I just don’t get it.
This isn’t about forgiveness and second chances – I’m all for that. But many of these people have NEVER confessed that the scandals are true, much less repented. And we still give them our admiration and support. (I’m not going to name names, but I’m sure you can think of some people.)
Why is it so hard for Christians to hear anything “negative” about their superstars? Why do we automatically assume its the “world” or the devil persecuting us? It’s like as soon as we are assimilated into the Christian culture, we turn off our critical thinking and decide what to believe based on whose mouth it comes out of.If a preacher says it, we believe it. If a non-Christian or (gasp!) the liberal media says it, then it is a lie.
How about listening to both sides of the story, gathering the FACTS, applying some logic and critical thinking and then making your decision?
I think sometimes we are afraid to be honest about whats going on in the lives of our Christian superstars because we are afraid it will somehow tarnish God’s name and reputation among unbelievers. Well, it tarnishes His reputation more when we look the other way as gross misconduct, apparent even to non-believers, goes on at the highest levels of Christian leadership unchecked! It makes us a joke.
Heck, I’m a Christian and I think we are a joke! In vast numbers, we support our leadership’s agenda to clean up everybody else’s lives – secular culture, Hollywood, politics, etc. – and meanwhile, we can’t even keep our own house clean and EVERYONE KNOWS IT. Except us.
It is freakin ridiculous.
The next time you think speaking out against the wrongdoings of a major Christian preacher, author, televangelist, etc. is wrong, please consider that we aren’t doing Christ any favors by letting these people run around unchecked. This isn’t about pefection. It’s about HONESTY. Christian leaders who claim to be one thing while cheating on their spouses, living in mansions, embezzling from their ministry and abusing their followers do nothing except muddy the name of Christ.
And as long as we continue to turn a blind eye to these heinous crimes, they will never stop.
23 comments:
Preach it, Mica.
🙂
December 6, 2010 8:42 AM
Nunquam Honorablus said…
inb4 “no ur not a real christian cuz u disagree with TM”
That being said, this is SUCH a good post. Either we have OMG BLIND FAITH (ie: naivity), or we’re “lacking faith”. There doesn’t seem to be a middle-ground for where we stand.
Thanks Mica for being honest, and putting to words what so many of us are thinking. 🙂
December 6, 2010 9:17 AM
Lacy Usry said…
does this post have anything to do with TM? I’m not aware of anything of the like that you’ve noted.
Just curious–
December 6, 2010 12:00 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Really? You aren’t aware of blind obedience to Teen Mania and the continual abuse of interns? You aren’t aware of Teen Mania’s many lies and scandals?
Or perhaps you are exactly the person this article is talking about?
December 6, 2010 12:03 PM
Eric said…
Lacy — Start here.
Years ago (long before the RA blog started), I described what happened to my friends at HA to some informed Christians on separate occasions. The people to whom I didn’t mention the name “Teen Mania,” said, “Wow, that girl is in a cult!” Other people I did mention the name “Teen Mania” to said, “Well, I’ve heard some good things about Teen Mania…” Exact same story, and people with very similar qualifications, in both cases. It’s like the magic of the name-dropping automatically blinded them.
I wouldn’t say it’s just Christians who do this, by the way… politics can have much the same effect. But I don’t go there anymore.
December 6, 2010 12:17 PM
Anonymous said…
Well what scandal has TM been involved in honestly?
December 6, 2010 12:50 PM
Anonymous said…
Emotional abuse for starters, not providing adequate medical care for seconds, and a host of manipulative tactics when dealing with Interns that don’t fit the TM mold.
December 6, 2010 1:50 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – Click the allegations tab above for starters or watch the ESOAl videos.
December 6, 2010 2:22 PM
Anonymous said…
I just read and reread Philippians 1:12-18. Paul is pretty clear that “whatever their motives are, I rejoice that the message about Christ is being preached.” It’s a hard line to take, but Paul is clear that he doesn’t care why they preach and he encourages the Philippians not to get focused on others’ motives either, his only focus is on people coming to know Christ. Your post really reminded me of this today. Maybe nowadays at the HA they aren’t really preaching Christ, but at the ATFs, with Friday still being a “come to Jesus night” it would be hard to say that they aren’t preaching Christ and that teens aren’t coming to know Him because of it.
December 6, 2010 5:16 PM
Heartsfire said…
@Anon I would argue that for at least the last decade friday of ATF has been nothing more than telling normal christian youth that their belief isn’t good enough for God it’s not about Hey I want you to have a personal relationship with God and here are people that will encourage you and help you and get you involved in a local church It’s far more a numbers game and in that numbers game they play the card that if you have done such a tiny stupid thing that isn’t significant in the eyes of God you are not going to heaven even when the Gospel is very explicit that if you believe in him and confess it then you believe and no one can take that away from you because of something they think isn’t good enough. So I would argue that they are not Preaching the message of Christ at all and People are coming to something that doesn’t even remotely resemble the love of christ that is in the bible!
December 6, 2010 5:33 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – That verse does not apply to people who abuse others. Jesus and Paul were both very clear that wolves in sheep’s clothing are not ok.
December 6, 2010 6:05 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – I’m going to have give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you haven’t read the tales of horrible abuse on this blog, otherwise your comment is incredibly callous.
December 6, 2010 6:06 PM
Heartsfire said…
Totally unrelated but um…. The forums aren’t responding via any useful link this is sad making!
December 6, 2010 6:07 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
heartsfire – try again! They are working for me.
December 6, 2010 6:11 PM
Carrie Saum said…
wow. i love it when people use scripture to exempt others from abusive behavior. 🙂
but in all sincerity, there is NO PLACE for abuse in the scriptures. he cares as much about those kids working the phones, getting spiritually manipulated at TM as he does for the lost in the 1040 window. he does not value one life more highly than another. but teen mania does. they preach spiritual elitism, god-ordained male dominance, senseless oppression of some for the possible salvation of others. and this is not god. this is not jesus. his message is LOVE, and without Love, everything else means nothing. so the message of christ is LOVE. teen mania teaches many many things, but Love is rarely spoken about, and almost never practiced there.
December 6, 2010 9:38 PM
Future Cult Leader said…
Too bad Paul was a human being and not God. Gosh. Why follow Christ when we have Paul? Paul is so great and everything he wrote is so amazing.
Damn it. He was just a man. He wrote things down. He’s not God. Tired of people basing theology off of Paul. Red letters are all that truly matter.
December 7, 2010 10:00 AM
Heartsfire said…
I so agree FCL I think people put too much emphasis on what Paul said to individual churches as being for every church without taking the context he talked to them in and ignore the actual true words of Jesus whom our faith is based!
December 7, 2010 11:28 AM
Steve Lumbley said…
“Red letters are all that truly matter.”
Really? Peter didn’t think so.
2Peter 3:15-16
and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
Peter referred to Paul’s epistles as scripture and since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Tim 3:16-17) perhaps we should pay attention to more than just the “red letters”
December 7, 2010 3:42 PM
Anonymous said…
In bring the Philippians verse I wasn’t intending to say that what is happening at the HA is justified or okay, scripture is clear that those who lead others astray face their just “reward”. I was more looking at how Paul, in scripture, said that he didn’t want Christians to be focused on who is preaching and taking apart their motives, he wanted them to focus on rejoicing in God and what He was doing in people’s lives. It was more directed at this specific post and not at the idea of people suffering at the HA in general.
December 7, 2010 4:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Anon-
So what about those who have suffered as a result of the Ha?
Should we all just be quiet and go home because it has a Jesus Sticker on the outside of the box?
I don’t give a rip about scripture or what Paul said…I just want the abuse stop to the young people who have placed trust in this ministry.
December 7, 2010 6:20 PM
Anonymous said…
Again, Peter, just a dude!
December 7, 2010 9:53 PM
littlegraygirl said…
I’d like to add that what the HA promotes is absolutely NOT “the message about Christ”, a point which negates this entire discussion.
December 10, 2010 1:54 PM
Anonymous said…
the reason Churches regard to Paul’s letters is because Jesus did not put much emphasis on Churches but rather how to live our lives individually. Also what about the emphasis of the Holy Spirit as well as God’s actions in the NT are those to be disregarded because they were not in red letters?
January 3, 2011 10:24 AM