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 11^th 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 commentary this is upon a Church gone financially and spiritually berserk by proclaiming this as part and parcel of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Who for your sake became poor, that we through His poverty, might be made rich” (II Corinthians 8:9).  Certainly, what we have here befits the standard of the King of Tyre, who through the abundance of his merchandise, violence was found in him and iniquity as well! (Ezekiel 28:16)

 

And, no, I am not sorry to spout off.  All of us working out there understand that this world is hell-bent on squeezing every ounce of life out of us in order to perpetuate a system that is, at its very core, as far from the Centrality of Christ as the Resurrection Life is from the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse!

 

I like the “Message” Bible’s rendition of Romans 12:2 . . .

 

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

 

Or the Williams New Testament:

 

“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its own mold!”

 

God bless us with or without gain . . . for the only gain there is, is Christ Himself and nothing else!

 

 

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain . . . not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.  Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry (both to own a home and not to own a home; both to “make a killing” on resale and to watch my home utterly depreciate in value when real estate bubbles burst), both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 1:21; 4:12-13) (obviously, my parenthetical emphasis).

 

Doug

 

From Frank:

 

Now, I’m just starting to get ticked off!

 

Those of you that read my “Just Lay It Down” article, you already know about my description of the “Janet Parshall’s America” show, and what a ridiculous display of George Bush cheerleading it was on behalf of the Christian Church!  Here’s a highly educated Christian woman, probably in full receipt of the knowledge that he (Bush) is a complete scriptural illiterate; and also aware of the absolute ignorance he possesses of what Christianity is all about.  Yet, she still hails him as a “great man of God!” 

 

Well, I am happy to announce that they took that show off the air, and it’s only remaining slots are in the wee hours of the evening, where far fewer Christians can be “molested” by the garbage she pedals on the air! 

 

I heard today about the replacement program for the show’s slot.  I sat up in my car as I was driving home from work and turned up the volume a little bit; and, with eager anticipation, I listened to the first thirty seconds of the new show.  It went something like this:

 

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen!  (Johnny Carsonesque theme playing in the background) . . . This is the Dave Ramsey Show!  Where the subject is your favorite subject . . . YOU!  Yes, that’s right folks; the show is about ‘Money and Life!!’  We will show you the true path to wealth and financial peace!  Join Dave and his guests, after this word from our sponsors” (Pink Floyd’s MONEY playing in the background now).

 

Sponsors?  An insurance company and a mortgage company!

 

The entire show had people calling in saying: 

 

“How are you, Dave?”

 

Dave’s reply: 

 

“Better than I deserve” (which he incessantly repeats when asked the question by callers).

 

Caller continues . . .

 

“Your show has been such a help and inspiration to me in my efforts to reach financial ‘peace’” . . . blah, blah, blah.

 

Then he answers questions throughout the show that have NOTHING AT ALL to do with anything of the faith whatsoever; and, at the end of the show you hear this line: 

 

“Join us next time folks for the Dave Ramsey Show; showing you the way to financial peace and wealth, so that you can give like you’ve never given before!  Oh, and remember, there’s only one way to financial peace, and that is walking with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ!”  (Exact words)

 

I think I’m going to be sick!  The fullness of the spiritual depravity of the church!  The complete death of the Holy Spirit in these “Christian” programs is really flaunting itself in a way that even I could not expect nor imagine.

 

Then, those morning “Focus on the Family” shows where they spend the entire program blowing their horns about all the money they are giving to Tsunami victims . . . MAN . . . as if the Pharisees have returned!