Cashing in on Jesus
August 17, 2010 at 11:50 AM Leave a comment
Recently, a person who reads my blogs wrote to me after he finished reading my comments about the upcoming movie, “Devil.” He reasoned that what I said about Hollywood is what he expected and that something far more sinister was happening and has been happening in the book market, books related to Eschatology (study of end times). He lamented how people like Hal Lindsey, LaHaye, Missler, and others owed people refunds and a huge apology. Certainly, that’s his right to think that and he can go so far as to contact those authors demanding a refund for what he considers to be false information.
What concerns me far more than anything people write about in the area of Eschatology are three things:
- The Emergent Church
- Jesus “trinkets”
- Encroachment of Islam
I write about Islam often as those who read my blogs daily can attest, so I will leave that out of the mix for now, and will deal with the first two items.
Emergent Church
The Emergent Church began with people asking questions about the Bible, about Jesus, about salvation, and other cardinal subjects, near and dear to authentic Christians. What literally emerged from that were tremendous doubts about the veracity of Scripture, the truthfulness of God, and the orthodoxy of the faith. Anything that messes with salvation should be tossed out. Unfortunately, the Emergent Church not only does not toss out their errant viewpoints, they actually wind up tossing out authentic salvation, encouraging many to question the Bible, God’s authority, and more.
The Emergent Church leaders – and there are many – are known by their placid faces plastered across their books. Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and numerous others too many to list, deftly take their scissors to God’s Word, cutting out this piece, eradicating that piece, and all because of their erroneous understanding of God and how He has revealed Himself in His Word.
I know, to some reading this, I will come across as being arrogant. “Who am I to say that these “godly” men are wrong?” “Who am I to cast aspersions on them for the work of “god” they are doing?” “Who am I to say that my way of understanding Scripture is the right way?”
These are good questions of course, but they are generally asked by people who have no personal understanding of Scripture. They unfortunately believe that while God is love, that’s all He is and needs no further description. They define love by their feeling and because of that, they can be brought to tears by the weirdest things. These are the people who cry about the plight of the illegal aliens, who march into this country undeterred (because they have no hope of help in their own country). They bring in their diseases, their crime, and their disrespect. Certainly not all of them, but many. The people who say God is love, shed tears because of these poor individuals who come here to help their families. Let them come, they say. Who cares about borders? These same people who cry for the illegal alien, shed not one tear for those who are actual citizens of this country and cannot find employment. That does not matter though because God is love and it makes me feel warm all over, in spite of the fact that it keeps me from making intelligent, reasonable, and logical decisions. God is love. I feel good.
The Emergent leaders like it when people also question their faith, their belief in God, the character of God, the authenticity and perspicuity of Scripture, and anything else that has been orthodox within Christendom for centuries. These leaders encourage these questions. What they are actually doing is encouraging people to defy God, to stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that His Word is His Word and that it can be interpreted correctly and God will guide us into truth, if we are willing. He may do this through the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit as you study Scripture, or He may choose a book, a pastor, a teacher, or something else entirely to open your eyes to His truth. The idea that the Bible cannot really be understood from only one perspective – God’s – is asinine. How ridiculous would that be, if God gave us His Word, but made it impossible to determine His meaning? Yet that is what people would have us believe today.
I also note that within the Emergent Church, while salvation is thoroughly questioned (just ask Tony Campolo), so are other theological areas, like homosexuality, or sex outside of marriage, or something else. The adage “if it doesn’t hurt anyone” is always heard throughout the ranks of churches like this and the people who attend them. “Oh goodness, how am I hurting anyone if I (a man) fall in love with another man and want to marry? How is that hurting anyone? Surely, God would affirm this.” First of all, ALL SIN hurts God. It grieves Him terribly and it does not matter what sin it is, because if it is sin, He grieves. So to say that same-sex marriage hurts no one is untrue. It bothers God because it goes against His plan for humanity. Adam and Eve were created as a man and a woman. God did not create a number of people, allowing them to pair off with whomever they wished, same-sex or no. God proved to humanity that He meant for one man and one woman to become married and He meant that for life, until the death of one of the partners.
Many Emergent leaders encourage homosexuality, blaming Christians for the “wrong” interpretation of the Bible that has kept people closeted. Many Emergents desire people to be free of the chains of orthodoxy and they have done a pretty good job of it so far. The interesting thing is that when the Emergent Church began, it was still close enough to look like the actual Church. As time has passed, the gulf has widened to the point that only an idiot would be unaware of the differences.
The Emergent Church is a very, very sinister, loosely knit organization, created by Satan himself to lead people astray. They are leading people astray in droves. The leaders have attacked the Church, the Bible, Jesus Christ and everything else that has been sacrosanct for generations and they are pleased with themselves. God is not.
Jesus “Trinkets”
I hate Christian book stores. Most seem the furthest thing from being Christian, and while they do sell books, they rarely sell the type of books I want. “Oh, we can order that for you.” So can I. I remember about ten years ago, a new bookstore came into the area where we used to live. It was huge and they had more study books, reference books and the like than any other bookstore I had seen! It was incredible and I enjoyed shopping there.
Well, about three years ago, we went back to the area to visit friends and family. While there, I went to this same bookstore, and I was shocked! Nearly all reference books and study books were gone, having been replaced with New Age “Christian” Mysticism. It was appalling, but that was not all. Everywhere I looked, there was some knick knack with Jesus on it. Here is just a sampling of what is out there today:
- Jesus candy, including breath mints and chocolate
- Jesus key rings
- Jesus stickers
- Jesus pens and pencils
- Jesus rulers
- Jesus sandals (that leave the name Jesus on the sand behind you)
- Jesus T-shirts
- Jesus hats
- Jesus coins
- Jesus bracelets (WWJD) and other jewelry
- Jesus toothbrushes
The above list is just a start and it does not even cover the books that are passed off as Christian, or biblical, but contain nothing more than pablum. It is ridiculous! It is pagan culture at its worst and there seems to be no stopping it.
What floors me is that these so-called Christian bookstores don’t seem to care what types of books they carry. If it sells, put it on the shelf! seems to be the cry. Peruse the aisles and you’ll see books by authors who clearly contradict each other. I had one top manager at one of the bookstore chains (Christian) defend his reason for selling books by Brian McLaren as a man of God! Yet, there a few other books also being sold in his chain of stores that rebuked and rebutted Brian McLaren. It is obvious that these bookstores are open for money. I realize they are businesses, but they should not use the principles found within the world to stay businesses. Do you think Jesus would have done that if He opened His own carpentry shop? You go in to ask Him about fixing a chair. While you’re there, He shows you around the place and asks you:
- Did you know that donating a dollar will help a child in Africa?
- Would you like to donate $5 for a Bible to give to a homeless person?
- Would you be interested in My Jesus Carpentry Shop card that will give you savings and more over time?
I’m not trying to be sacrilegious. I’m making a point that the church looks too much like the world today. I cannot imagine for one moment Jesus going into some of these bookstores and putting up with what they are doing. In fact, in my mind’s eye, I can see Him becoming quite angry about the “selling of Jesus.”
I really have no reason to go to bookstores that are supposedly Christian anymore. I have realized that they are out for the buck. I stood in line one day, and the cashier was “nicely” arguing with one customer about a coupon. No, she could not use that coupon because of such and such. The woman was amazed and dumbfounded. The cashier was resolute, so rather than allow the customer to save an additional fifty cents, the cashier stood behind the store’s policy. I’ve had far better service at Target or Walmart than at this “Christian” bookstore.
The Emergent Church and Christian bookstores are two things that cause me heartburn. They seem completely unChristian in their approach and are out for the almighty dollar. They seem to not care about the people they are there to serve, but prefer instead to get what they can from you (in the case of the bookstores), or take away the beliefs that you grew up with. That is truly sinister because it works to deny the very salvation that our Lord gives to us.
I think the time of cashing in on Jesus is long overdue to be shut down, don’t you? I cannot imagine for a moment that God is pleased and if He is not pleased, then neither am I. These stores and the Emergent Church have taken God and reduced Him to either a selling point, or a has been. In either case, they are dead wrong and at the very least, they should be ashamed. At the worst, they should be damned by God Himself.
Christians need to stop acting like the pagans, and that means stop going to “Christian” stores that sell and act like pagans. There is no point to it. We need to start now.
Entry filed under: alienology, Atheism and religion, Demonic, dispensationalism, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Islam, israel, Judaism, Life in America, new age movement, Posttribulational Rapture, Pretribulational Rapture, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism, Sharia Law, temple mount, ufology. Tags: cashing in on jesus, jesus candy, jesus kitcsh, jesus trinkets, making money off of jesus, selling jesus.
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