Response to leaders who fail
The last week there have been a number of Christian leaders who have failed. Todd Bentley with his separation from his wife. Then in Australia Mike Guglielmucci’s , who was lying about a terminal illness as well as covering up a porn addiction.
There have been some interesting responses on the net regarding responses. Two that have been quoted a lot have been Mark Connor and Mark Sayers.
Stephen Said has writen one of the most interesting spins certainly regarding Mike Guglielmucci’s and I beleive can also be applied to Todd Bentley. Stephen’s idea is that we are partly to blaim for these guys downfall.
We love celebrities (Christian ones included) for two reasons. We perceive that they are successful, that they have made it, that they have everything they want, from the economic (ie: I can do anything I want because I have the economic means to achieve it), the social (ie: because I am famous, I know and spend time with all the special people), through to the spiritual (ie: they are in front of thousands of people, therefore God must be with them in everything they do) and then the most critical factor, we can *be* them! We can have what they have!
It is this dream of being the celebrity that drives us. We are in love with the idea of being the one that everyone else is in love with that often lies at the heart of our faith and practice. So many times, I have heard people talk about the “plan that God has for their lives” and in almost every instance, when that “plan” is described to me, it involves a stage, and thousands of people (dare we read adoring fans, spectators, consumers, plebeians, etc?) watching the individual do whatever it is that “God has called them to do”.
So to achieve this “dream from God”, we participate in the hellish system that creates Christian versions of the secular entertainment industry. We put so much pressure on people in this system to “perform”. For goodness sake, we are so fickle, so we create the high pressured environment that requires the consumed celebrities to keep it fresh, current, cool, interesting, entertaining. It is our own broken desires for fame at any cost that creates the environment. Is it any wonder that some will do anything to retain the spotlight? Then we have the audacity to be shocked and surprised when people crack and break under such pressure.
I’ve got to agree with what Stephen, great post.
Judas had failed Jesus and so did Apostle Peter..
so did most of the crtics in how they had treated the subject now too..
http://pbulow.tripod.com/voice.html
Hi Nonconformer, which of the responses are you not to happy about? I think all three are pretty well balanced. Although all three are speaking into the Mike G issue in Australia. As I stated in the post I think that the three responses could speak into what is happening with Todd Bentley
Regarding Steven’s thoughts… I think this might say it all… it’s my response to Dutch Sheets’ letter.
Love and respect you, Brother Dutch, and agree with much of what you had to say about the situation in Lakeland and the body of Christ in general. But, you know, when all’s said and done I have to admit I feel like a young girl who’s been molested most of her life, and there comes a time when she says, “Enough!”
Yes, enough. Leave us alone. Please leave His church, His people, His bride, alone. All you “leaders”. All you pharisees, saducees, and teachers of the law. Please take your hands off us and let us be.
You’ve been telling us all these years that you’re meeting our needs. That we need you. That we can’t do “it” without you. But we’ve been seeing for awhile now what’s really been going on. How we’ve been meeting YOUR needs all this time. Our time, our money, our talents, our families, our homes, our hearts and minds, our LIVES… you’ve stuck your hands where they don’t belong for far too long, and it’s time to say, “ENOUGH!”
We’re not going back to business as usual. We’re not going to waste another 10, 20, 30 years listening to your sermons and your teachings and your prophecies and your plans. The product isn’t what’s been advertised and we’re done chasing the carrot. We see it for what it is and we forgive you, but we’re done playing the game.
We’re done gazing up at you from our lowly perches. We’re done saying “How high?” to your “Jump.” We’re done placating your enormous egos and craven need for adulation at our and our families’ expense. For the little scraps we get that fall to the ground from your table. Because, you see, we don’t really need you. At least not the “you” most of us have had all these years. The closest to God, smartest about God, most anointed of God and blessed of God, infallible prophet, priest and king “you”. So, thank you very much, but we’re done pretending the emperor has clothes.
God must come to our hearts and our homes, brothers and sisters. That’s the simple bottom line. All the failings we see in the body of Christ are a direct result of God not taking His place in hearts and homes.
It’s not complicated at all. It’s really very simple. Much simpler than most would have us believe. If God isn’t God of our hearts and homes, what is He God of? And if God isn’t God of our leaders’ hearts and homes, what do they really have to give us? Theory?
They would have us believe “higher levels mean higher devils”. They would have us feel guilty when they fall as if it’s somehow our fault. (When they’re actually caught red-handed, that is. The rest of the time we do as we’re told and look the other way, pretending not to notice because what good would it do anyway?) If only we prayed more or supported them more. If only we gave more. Yes, somehow it’s all our fault. Just like the molested little girl. (But all of this is neither here nor there. Because it’s a brand new day.)
Love God, love others as you love yourself. At least that’s what Jesus said it boiled down to. You know, CHRIST Jesus?
How complicated is that? You need a PhD for that? Even a little child can understand it. How many commandments did God give the people through Moses? This isn’t rocket science, folks. Faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection remits our sins and creates in us a clean, new heart. So that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit of God who IS love. So that we CAN love. Ta-daa. Pretty basic stuff, I think we’d all agree.
So, please, exalted rulers, please back down and leave us and our families alone. Please know your place. Please TAKE your place. Because you do realize, don’t you, that it’s high time, and then some.
I’m sure you realize, way deep down inside even, that there’s an awful lot of us out here whose shelves are filled to overflowing with your never-ending, not freely given verbiage, who have the audacity to think we might actually be able to do this thing called love… without you. (Oh my God, how could we, it’s all so horribly complicated!!)
Please, know your place, take your place. With all due respect.
Shalom,
One though many of His children
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http://greateststorytold.com
Hi Neophyte, I havn’t heard read the Dutch Sheets article that you are referring to.
On one hand I agree that it is about faith in Jesus Christ, yet we do live in a broken world, and we need every arsenal that God has given us. God gave us brains which I think he wanted us to use so that we could ultimately give Him glory. If that means how to be better disciples then that can only be a better thing.
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts
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HILLS A PROBLEM « GREED said this on August 29, 2008 at 5:28 pm
hi nonconformer, Id like you check out our blog policy, Im happy to post your comments so long as they are related to the topic, your last two comments have not been. Thanks for dropping by