Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

10 June, 2007   comments: (0) Today's Pragmatism   Are Seeker Pastors Sending Me 'Secret Messages'? When it comes to messages delivered by today's most innovative pastors, we sometimes struggle to find the old truth. Occasionally Old Truth is even deliberately hidden in their words, so that only a few will notice it. No, I'm not talking about the biblical old truth this time, I'm referring to the name of this blog, and the amusing abusing that it sometimes encounters. But it's not always on the surface, you'll have to read between the lines to find it. So in this post, we'll fire-up the Old Truth decoder, and use it to unmask the "secret messages" of seeker pastors. If you like sci-fi or conspiracy theories, this post is about as close to that as you are ever going to find on this blog. And I will admit that there is a margin of error in at least some of the claims that I am about to make. After you read this, you can tell me in the comments section below, whether you think I'm crazy or not. Ready? Here we go: It's no secret that Ingrid's Slice blog and Old Truth have been the two most consistent critics over the last couple of years - of Perry Noble's entertainment-based church methodology. So, did Perry have me (and Ingrid) in mind, when he wrote his post last week entitled Stop Hitting The People on Your Team? Let's examine the clues in that post: Perry Noble writes: "I think it breaks God's heart when websites quote John MacArthur, Charles Spurgeon and Rick Warren more than they quote Jesus". Just as an aside, that statement comes across as a real head-scratcher when you consider how often the words of John Maxwell, Ed Young, Andy Stanley, Bill Hybels, and even Rob Bell and TD Jakes get mentioned on Perry's blog. I'll be the first to admit that I do talk about MacArthur, Spurgeon, and Warren on my blog, as does Ingrid. So is this a clear hint that Perry was aiming his post at us? Well, maybe not. UPDATE 10/4/07: Perry's remarks about the opinions of man don't seem to have been heeded by his staff, as this rockstar'esque visit with Andy Stanley demonstrate. Ok, that last one was not all that convincing, when taken by itself, but what about this statement from the very same post of Perry's: "And then there is Jesus! John came to him in Luke 9:49-50 and said, "Hey Jesus, we saw a guy casting out demons - but we put a hold on him - we cut the bloggers loose and have given him a slice of old truth! We told him to knock it off because He isn't one of us - and that means he isn't doing it the right way!" Wow! That one seems pretty convincing. But what makes it even more interesting is Perry's follow-up post entitled Uh Oh, I Need To Clear The Air, which contains this sentence denying any such intent: "please understand that I did not write that post in response to anything that anyone has said about our church - I promise". Hmmm. What do you think, is this just an honest 'coincidence'? Another secret message sender from last week was Pastor Joe Carr, who was not all that happy with me for linking to these three posts on his blog: There was Joe's humorous call for Perry Noble to launch his own clothing line and endorsements. Very amusing indeed. His throwing of fruit at his "3D glasses" equipped church audience, and then calling that worship stunt "evangelistic to the max". These complements for the wife of his Lead Pastor for sharing intimate details from the pulpit about the sexual experiences she's had with her husband. As we've seen before, explicit shock and awe sex therapy sermons are the 'in thing' now days. Somewhere in the midst of those three links, the 'secret messages' began. There was this post, that said: ...What about in Wilmington, Dallas, Savannah or Milwaukee? Are we willing to throw everthing out and simply embrace the power of the Word, the Spirit, the Lord? I care not one whit about old truth, I long for the fresh, daily truth of an everlasting Messiah. Those of you who are so concerned with maintaining the "old ways" can quote me on that! Hey, wait a minute, I live in Milwaukee:-) This next excerpt from another post came after the link I placed in my scrolling ticker. I'm not sure how he determines all of this from just a single sentence link: I cease to find it amazing how if you hate someone (and yes, I mean hate, not dislike) that you'll go to any lengths to twist and turn every single thing you find written about an individual, even in jest, to imply that the individual is a hell-bound scumball. I now understand Jesus' vehemence at the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day -- "snakes." If "old truths" is indeed a search for the ancient path, then begin following the example of the Master, not those who wished him ill. And finally, Joe Carr posted: Skunks, frogs, and old truths: I'm told that criticism is actually a holier-than-thou form of jealous flattery. While I'm not sure that such is exactly correct, I know that skunks stink, frogs croak and that some people really ought to get a life! Such it is with those who think that they are so religious that they enjoy putting down folks who are making a real impact in the Kingdom of the Living Lord. There's a crew out there that mines the internet, looking for signs of "abandoning the old ways," and, once found, behind the safety of their blog, commence to attack, belittle, slander, cast innuendo and condemn those who do not hold to the "old truths." They quote the "old preachers," the "2000 year history" of Christianity and piously revel in their orthodoxy. They know nothing of those they slander, except the snippets they pick up online, yet they are experts in all the "evil" these dastardly culprits commit. Reminds me of Shimei son of Gera's betrayal of David in 2 Samuel 16 or of Jesus' words in Matthew 12:33-35. But what do I know? I just blindly follow the Carpenter and am stupid enough to take him at his word when he tells us to leave everything, especially the old truths (yep! I said it!), to bring life to the lost. If that means wearing 3-D glasses in a worship service or encouraging folks to listen to the sermons of Perry Noble, so be it! And there you have a sampling of the hidden messages that sometimes get sent my way; I don't always notice them, but when I do - they are always interesting! I'm not exactly sure what the reason is for not identifying me. I sure would like a chance to have their audience surf over here and find out that we don't hate Perry and the gang, and that we do have biblical reasons for objecting to entertainment-based church growth methodology, as well as biblical reasons for thinking that evangelism includes a sober message of repentance that can not be achieved with 3D glasses on. Given the chance, I would also remind their audience of the fact that truth is as old as God Himself, and perhaps have them read what Jerry Marcellino once said: "For some reason 'progress' usually makes people despise the past, as if it no longer offers any relevant value. This mindset is especially true of the present generation who live in the lonely age of space exploration, CD-Roms, the Internet, and cellular technology. Even among today's professing Christians there is a subtle rejection of historic Christianity, at the expense of remaining restless in the shallow fads without knowing why. But what will return the Christendom of this present generation to a "salty Christianity" (as Matthew 5:13 calls a Christianity that is vital, and that acts as a powerful preservative against sin)? What will return modern-day Christendom to a Christianity that will act as a "preserving agent" to a decaying society? What can offer certain hope . . . to a nation of families that are in utter disarray? ANSWER: "A present return to the old paths". It's good to know that not everyone who is called a Troubler of Israel (1 Kings 18:16-18) actually is one. Sometimes it takes discernment to know who really is. Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.704   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism