Evangelical Dishonesty

[stephen]

SCANDALS OF EVANGELICAL DISHONESTY
By Randy Alcorn

I am painfully aware that the subjects I address in this article are uncomfortable and controversial. Some of my good friends will think it inappropriate to raise these issues publicly.

As followers of Christ, we are to be different. We're to walk in the truth (3 John 3), love the truth, and believe the truth (2 Thess. 2:10,12). We are to speak the truth, in contrast to "the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming" (Eph. 4:14). We're to speak the truth "in love" (Eph. 4:32).

Truth is far more than a moral guide. Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). He didn't say He would show the truth or teach the truth or model the truth. He said He is the truth--Truth personified. He's the source of all truth, the embodiment of truth, and therefore the reference point for evaluating all truth claims. Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He takes the truth personally, because it's part of who He is.

The phrase "I tell you the truth" appears 79 times in Scripture, 78 times spoken by Jesus. He is the truth, and He tells the truth. We can fully trust everything He says. If we are His representatives, people should be able to trust everything we say.

The Holy Spirit leads men into truth (John 16:13). Christ's disciples know the truth (John 8:32), do the truth (John 3:21), and abide in the truth (John 8:44). We are commanded to handle the truth accurately (2 Tim. 2:25), and avoid doctrinal untruths (2 Tim. 2:18). The "belt of truth" holds together our spiritual armor (Eph. 6:14).

God "does not lie" (Titus 1:2). He is "the God of truth" (Ps. 31:5). "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Num. 23:19).

No matter how we rationalize it, all deception within the evangelical community dishonors Christ, and serves the devil's agenda. We need to identify deception, repent of it, and embrace the truth of Christ which will set us free to represent Him accurately to a world sick of being lied to (John 8:32).

Truth in the Pulpit? As it turned out, I flew 3,000 miles to not preach in a prominent East Coast church.

When I was shuttled from hotel to church, a Christian leader rode with me. He'd been accused of dishonesty and financial improprieties. I asked him about these charges.

"Did you really graduate from Harvard, as you say in your messages?" He said he'd taken a class at Harvard once, but no, he hadn't graduated.
He admitted saying other things that weren't true, but this didn't seem to bother him. I told him, calmly, that I thought he should repent and publicly ask forgiveness for his dishonesty.

Five minutes after we arrived at the church, I was escorted to the private office of the senior pastor, where we were to pray before I preached in the service. When I stepped in, the pastor slammed the door and screamed at me. His face turned scarlet, veins showing. He poked his finger at me. I honestly thought he was going to hit me.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw the man I'd just confronted. The pastor told me I'd had no right to do this. "No way will I let you preach from my pulpit!" he said.

I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen. He was aware of the man's reputation but thought it none of my business. We went straight into the service. The pastor took the microphone. His voice suddenly sounded sweet and spiritual. He introduced the man I'd confronted, who then conducted the offering, challenging people to give generously because he knew their wonderful pastor. The pastor then told the church he felt "the Holy Spirit's leading" to dedicate the service to sharing and healing, so regretfully there wouldn't be time to hear from the guest speaker.

On the long flight home I considered how Christian leaders, who should be guardians of God's truth, could have such disregard for truth.


This isn't new. "'Do not let the prophets deceive you. Don't listen to their lies. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,' declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 29:8-9). Various Christian celebrities, including John Todd, Mike Warnke and Lauren Stratford, were proven to have lied about their experience with Satanism, and sold millions of books and entertained countless evangelical audiences in the process. The world scorns the church for serving as a platform for such lies.

Scandal of Evangelical Dishonesty - Resources - Eternal Perspective Ministries

 

[SpiritLedEd]

SCANDALS OF EVANGELICAL DISHONESTY
By Randy Alcorn

The pastor told me I'd had no right to do this. "No way will I let you preach from my pulpit!" he said.

Another case of a pastor presiding over what has become his kingdom. Its been rightfully said that anger is usually a sign of fear. That pastor is fearfully struggling to keep his house-of-cards from collapsing.

SLE

 

[The Robster]

One thing I don't like are pastors going around finger pointing and writing blogs and columns about churches and leaders of all kinds. Nowhere in that article did that pastor even state that God told him to deal with this pastor. He simply took it upon himself to get in the middle of things and tell the pastor how he is to repent. And I know it may sound like I'm coming to the defnse of the pastor with the "issues" but God will always send other leaders in ministry to send a word to pastors. To write something publicly like this is pretty shameful. Did God tell this man to publicly shame this pastor? I bet that He sure didn't. I mean its tantamount to publicly proclaiming the sin of a believer that you know with your goal simply being to shame the person. Ministroes rise and fall all the time and God knows how to deal with them. I certainly don't believe that God tells people in ministry to blast other ministries publicly like so many do today and they defend these ungodly actions as "looking out for the sheep." If people in ministry are leading people down the wrong path God will send a word of correction. I've heard some in ministry discuss this matter. God doesn't tell others in ministry to go blog about them and publicly ridicule them. Can anyone even verify that this account even took place the way that it did? This stuff is just so way over the top and lots of folks are doing and saying things to people that God never once told them to say. This is ugly stuff indeed and undermines all of Christianity in general. Just because you are a Christian it doesn't mean that its your responsibility to go around telling people that are doing wrong things, what they need to being doing right. If God tells you to deal with someone that's a different story. When God wants someone dealt with He will make sure to tell someone and will send the right person or even deal with them in a vision, etc. And then to write about this online? That's not cool. This pastor wouldn't like it if some one went online and wrote about a sin they saw him committing. This is not how these things are handled. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if this pastor is going around identifying this pastor and church by name. I see this same kind of junk by some pastors who say "they are being salt" by attacking certain leaders in ministry who they call "prosperity pimps" or preachers of the "prosperity gospel." This kind of public attacking has a strong sanctimonious stench that just causes division within Christianity.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

One thing I don't like are pastors going around finger pointing and writing blogs and columns about churches and leaders of all kinds.

Nowhere in Randy Alcorn's article (as quoted) are there any names published. The pastor's name isn't published, the church's name isn't published. The church's location isn't even published other than saying it is a large East Coast (USA) church, of which there are quite a few. Alcorn was talking about a situation that needs to be addressed in the church, he was not finger pointing.

SLE