TALK SHOW CHRISTIANITY. . . . Distorting the Gospel of Christ
Dear Friends: I know you were all expecting another “monster
blog” on the HIDDEN TREASURES—Babylon’s pursuit thereof. Well,
that will be coming . . . but first, let’s zero in on another
bizarre only-in-Babylonia America phenomenon.
Last week Frank Reilly of 11th Hour Ministries (one of our
affiliates on thetribnet) shared a side of the “Prosperity
Gospel” that bestirred his spirit to outrage. (See below my
response and Frank’s initial comments.)
I turned on one of our local Sacramento stations the same day,
and picked up an interesting exchange between an older brother
in the Lord (apparently in the real estate business) and a
Christian talk show host (I have no idea who the host was . . .
only to say that there is a growing number of such shows dealing
with “Christian finances”—therein lies the rub.).
Now, it’s not that believers do not need such “counseling” on
such “earthly matters” . . . however, the focus is so skewed
from the “riches of Christ” that simultaneously while Frank was
undergoing his revulsion, I too was repulsed in my spirit
concerning the headlong rush into the “gospel of green” taken by
American Christianity. Quite frankly, the deception of such
claptrap passing for Christian edification is so abhorrent and
even destructive to the human spirit, that to partake of its
alleged “spiritual value” is like stuffing yourself full of Big
Macs month in “blessed anticipation” of a major coronary . . .
Please, don’t Super Size Me!
If we are to be called “the prisoners of hope” (Zech. 9:11), it
will certainly not be through this decrepit diet of deficiency,
for it has NOTHING to do with the nourishment found in Christ
alone nor can the sound of this “Jabez Jazz” play a tune to the
“Unsearchable Riches of Christ!”
(Note: My initial response to Frank’s comments has been a bit
enhanced, however, the overall “flavor,” is the same.)
Dear Frank:
Today, I too turned on a Christian station (770 AM here in
Sacramento) and heard an exchange between what sounded like an
older Christian man and a Christian radio talk show host. The
elderly gentleman told the host that the greatest joy in his
life was the day he recently came to his pastor and discovered
that the 30-something pastor, and his little family, did not own
their own home (This all happened two years ago.).
Well, this older brother is in the real estate business. So, he
set up the pastor by fixing up a new home purchase for him;
redecorating it for the pastor, while he was at it.
The cost of the first home purchase by his pastor was $150K.
Well, this older guy was now rejoicing because that same pastor,
two years later, turned his initial home purchase around for
$379,000 and “made a killing.”
They were sharing this as a total demonstration of the blessed
Christian life and how much “Jesus Christ was in this.” The
older brother said that “escrow had just closed” and the
pastor’s equity was in the bank. The Christian involved in real
estate said that what he did for the pastor paralleled what
someone years ago had done for him, and now he was returning the
favor—he felt so good about it that he just had to share the
story with everyone.
Well, increasingly, this is the claptrap that fills the airwaves
in the “Church of Laodicea.” I am not saying that this was not a
help to this pastor; however, what I am saying: “High profile”
stories like this of alleged “blessing” are preposterous and
bespeak not of Him Whom the Scriptures say: “Foxes have holes
and the birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay His head!”
So, where’s the blessing? When we are content with NOTHING, but
rejoice in Christ, Who is our all, then we are blessed indeed
and in truth!
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for
Christ. Yet indeed I also count ALL THINGS LOSS for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”
(Philippians 3:7-9). (My emphasis)
I do not find the emphasis in the New Testament upon such
financial gain as “blessing” but, to the contrary, the “RICH ARE
PIERCED THROUGH WITH MANY SORROWS!” (I Timothy 6:10). By any
standard, American Christians represent the wealthiest of all
God’s people on the face of the earth (materially); however, the
depraved Church in Laodicea is told that their boast: “I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” . . .
belies the FACT that they are “wretched and miserable and poor
and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). That’s the “wretched
truth” of the matter.
The prosperity gospel has now hit the talk shows; and the people
are eating it like candy . . . entire programs on “wealth
management” (and there are scores of such “Christian talk radio
‘money shows’”) extolling the virtues of “Responsible Christian
Financial Management” known as prosperity hype, as far as I am
concerned. This is nothing more than an “other gospel”
(Galatians 1:9).
Alas! What a sad ....
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