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Remember Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” commercials? (”Here’s to you, Mr. Taxi Cab Over Accessorizer…”)
Now meet “Real Preachers of Genius” (”Here’s to you, Mr. Seeker-Sensitive Mega Church Guy…”)
HT: Tim Graham, Media Research Center
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back to top41 Comments to “Something Light: Real Preachers of Genius”
Good stuff. If they haven’t riffed on this theme yet, they need to:
http://tinyurl.com/27ufds
You Might Be Emerging If…
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I don’t agree with the ‘Emergent Church’ movement, however this VIDEO is not honoring the LORD.
If one wants to talk ‘doctrine’ that’s fine, but mimicking, and mocking aren’t part of the Believers lifestyle.
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I found it sad that this is the way some people see Christians, or worse, that this is the way some Christians behave.
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I thought it was hilarious – but then I think the Bud commercials are funny, too! Victoria – using humor to get a truth out there shouldn’t be a problem for believers. You can sometimes reach those who wouldn’t watch a “doctrine” video. The whole point of this is to make people laugh, but also to point out the problems with some churches. What’s wrong with that?
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A great tour de force! We need a few more.
Victoria – Paul mocks the Judaizers in Philippians 3:2 and even wishes they would go all the way with the knife and emasculate themselves.
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A local mega-church wannabee has a yellow pages ad which says of its pastor, “He never wears a tie, but does occasionally wear shoes.” My response gave me something to repent of.
This video is great.
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The Video on this thread is making fun of a ‘group’ of churches, which I don’t agree with. I don’t agree at all with the “Emergent Church” or the “Health & Wealth” groups.
My beliefs don’t come close to that of Mormons, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholic Church, Hindu, Buddhist, however I would never make make fun of whatever they believed, no matter how wrong I believe them to be.
You can’t win people to the LORD or make them see the truth when you ridicule them.
Ivan the Terrible – Philippians 3:2?
For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Philippians 3:2
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RR (#1) — That’s wonderful!
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Spoof, parody, hyperbole, and irony can be very effective tools for communicating truth.
I thought the video wasn’t very good in that it wasn’t very well done. RR’s link was a much better example.
If we can’t laugh at ourselves, there will be no shortage of laughter as others will pick up the slack.
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Thanks, I enjoyed that. A good opportunity to look at ourselves and ask God if we are behaving as we ought. And I laughed.
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Victoria – Galatians 5:12, sorry for the wrong entry. By the way you posted Phil. 3:3 not 3:2
In Philippians 3:2 he calls them ‘dogs.’
The Bible uses sarcasm, parody and irony quite often.
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That was great, all of it.
Of course, I had to watch them all.
The mega-church guy salute was funny and poignant.
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#1 RR,
What a hoot! I’m nearly emergent Guinness wise except for the parts of me that are way to old to move much or enough to notice. Some of my parts might even be classified as de-merging to some degree if Guinness didn’t exist to save me.
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Ivan
Yes, I did post the wrong verse.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Galatians 5
Making fun of people, isn’t in this passage. There is no sarcasm, parody and irony. Using this verse (#12) as an excuse for making fun of the “Emergent Church” doesn’t make sense, its just that a ‘lame excuse’.
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We can rebuke those who’s doctrine is out of line with the Word of God, but making a VIDEO is shameful.
How much better to point out, using the Bible as to their error?
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What if people don’t read the Bible, Victoria? This video may get unbelievers thinking, too, yes? You can spout the Bible at them all day long, and they will tune you out. However, using humor and videos may reach some of those people. I don’t think it’s a tool that is out of the arsenal of a Christian.
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If people don’t read the Bible, and then see this VIDEO, I doubt they would do anything but laugh at the ONLY Christians they see.
Ridiculing people, laughing at them isn’t as you put it in the “arsenal of a Christian”-
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You may have a laugh at the video, but I would encourage you to then go [about halfway] down the list of related videos to hear the uncompromising, expository preaching of Paul Washer. Be sure to listen to his other videos as well – you might never be the same…
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I never said ridiculing people is good, did I. I believe that is putting words in my mouth. What I said was that HUMOR is in the arsenal of a Christian. Big difference. Can’t you ever laugh at yourself? My husband is a teacher, and he’s the first to admit that teachers tell bad jokes. If he hears a bad joke, he tells me “that sounds like a teacher joke!” I am an interior designer. The stereotypical designer is snooty and snotty and rude. I’m not. But I can laugh at the stereotype. Stereotypes happen for a reason – there is usually a nugget of truth in there! I think Christians should be able to laugh at themselves once in awhile without getting all offended. Outsiders see that as “proper and stiff and humorless” – is that a good endorsement of the joy Christians should feel?
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I agree that RR’s was better.
I have mixed emotions about this. I visited a megachurch in Orlando. We could hardly see the preacher, but there were TV monitors everywhere. I could have watched it on TV. I wore a sport shirt and wondered if it would be appropriate. It was.
It wasn’t for me.
However, the pastor preached a good gospel message. The kind I expect to hear in a Baptist church. The choir was excellent. I’ll have to describe the special music some other time.
As I said, it wasn’t for me. However: It appears that they have reached multitudes for Christ. They had baptised a large number of people that year. “If by any means we may reach some.”
We studied about Jacob in SS last week. He went back to Bethel. Every revival preacher has a “Back to Bethel” sermon. Our teacher, a retired pastor lamented the lack of 2-week long revival services, and the lack of revival in our nation. I believe that we can and will have a revival in our nation someday. But it will come when the Holy Spirit is ready. It will not be by any contrived technique.
I attended Travis Avenue BC in Ft. Worth for four years. Membership about 5,000 at the time. What happens in such a large church is that you form a mini-fellowship with your SS department. It happened here at FBC Hendersonville, also. Many churches use the small group concept. We had a good small group in the small church I attended in Middletown, RI for a year.
The preview says that I have said too much already.
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I meant to say at the beginning that I understand Victoria’s problem with the video, but I don’t share her concern. No blasphemy, no harm.
Jerry Clower and Cusin’ Minny Pearle made a living making fun of mostly Baptists.
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What is the laughter of God in Psalm 2:4 and Psalm 37:13 but the laughter of ridicule. And is not Jesus using a similar tactic in Matthew 12:34 (brood of vipers) and Matthew 23 (hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, blind guides)? The point is the humor of the Bible is not hurtful and mean, but it does poke holes in the pomposity of those it is used against.
The parody of “Real Preachers” points out some of problems with seeker friendly churches as they appear to many.
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Where does the priesthood of believers function?
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TL
Notice the quote marks TL, they are not used for the entire sentence.
No TL, this is what you said: “However, using humor and videos may reach some of those people. I don’t think it’s a tool that is out of the arsenal of a Christian.”
Your quote number 16 above used “humor and videos” your quote on 19 left it out and you rewrote it, which is fine, however I didn’t put words in your mouth at all. I used the word “ridicule” I didn’t attribute it to your words at all.
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Reg,
This is at least the second post on which you’ve asked this today, and I must confess I don’t understand your question either time. If it’s relevant to this thread, could you reword the question or say how you think it functions here? The only possible connection I see (and it doesn’t make sense, and probably isn’t what you mean) is that you think it’s wrong to have pastors.
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Victoria – I took it as a very telling rebuttal to the erroneous doctrine of the type of psuedo-church it targeted (that doctrine being ‘no doctrine’ just ’seeker friendly’ marketing concepts).
Christians should not be overly harsh, or sink to the depths of the culture around us. But this was fairly mild (compared to “white washed tommbs” type talk or clearling out a temple with a whip). And the end line was superb!
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Krm
YOU WRITE:……
“Christians should not be overly harsh, or sink to the depths of the culture around us. But this was fairly mild (compared to “white washed tommbs” type talk or clearling out a temple with a whip). And the end line was superb!”
I don’t agree with you, it solves nothing to make these sort of ‘video’s’ to ridicule anyone.
Krm, you can always compare ’something’ with ’something’ worse, that doesn’t make what we are discussing anything better, in fact it’s bad enough on its own.
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In this case, the “something worse” were things Jesus did/said, so I’d say that’s a fair comparison!!
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When we laugh at the excesses of others, we quite instructively laugh at and suspect the excesses and tendencies we ourselves are prone to.
Unless, of course, our knickers are so in a knot we can’t sit down long enough to reflect on the foibles that humor illuminates — the same sort of folk who would have burned copies of Erasmus’ In Praise of Folly and run Rabelais out of town on a rail.
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For all those who can’t help themselves:
Since “knickers are in a knot” OR “knickers are so in a knot” ……
Find another phrase as this one is about six years old, used only by those who kind find theirs anymore without their glasses.
it really is one of the silliest phrases still used by those who are stuck in the ‘knot’-
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Regarding post 30; actually the phrase mentioned is much older than six years, it’s very OLD!
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“Find another phrase as this one is about six years old”
Hardly. It goes back to at least the 1950’s, providing at least a half-a-century credence for calling your skivvy-bunched objections what they are. My glasses are fine. The paunch is what obscures. None-the-less, my whity-tighties are comfortably aligned, and don’t distract from a good guffaw where it’s warranted. Don’t you wish you could say the same?
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George
If you still live in the fifty whities/tighties, who are the rest of us to care, as long as your glasses are fine, and you can find your way…keep on going.
It’s 2008, we don’t knot anything.
yes I know you won’t understand.
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Before this moment, I hadn’t given the first thought to Victoria’s underwear.
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Stu (@34) lol; especially for a gyn. love ya.
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Glad y’all liked the link. Purgatorio is worth adding to your Favorites …
but onto better things. The conversation above has CONVINCED me. COMPLETELY. There is NO PLACE for SATIRE or HYPERBOLE or RIDICULE in the Christian’s arsenal.
As a show of contrition, I have gotten out my scissors and excised 1 Kings 18:27 from every Bible in my house, and I encourage all of you to do the same.
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I’ve never heard of “knickers in a knot”. And I don’t know what it means, in context. Of course, that may be a comment on me.
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We always say “don’t get your diapers in a bundle”, but to each their own.
Let humor find no place in church. I will let my pastor know that his sermons are FAR too entertaining.
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Stubob, isn’t that just real special
Mommy, it’s not funny, don’t laugh.
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There’s nothing wrong with humor in church. (And I don’t think Victoria was suggesting there is.) And there’s nothing wrong with humor when talking with non-Christians, or in most situations in life. (Dealing with someone who is grieving is generally not a good time for it, but it depends on the person and situation.)
Personally I do have trouble with using ridicule (not just my using it but anyone using it). Partly this is because of my upbringing, that my mother considered it wrong to make fun of anyone for any reason. I don’t accept a lot of what my mother tried to teach, but that idea was ingrained in me. I have always been bothered by the verses in Psalms that Ivan the Terrible mentions in #22.
Regarding the other verses, what Jesus said and did, it’s hard to tell simply from the text whether ridicule was involved or not, as that has a lot to do with tone of voice and shared cultural associations (with the hearers). From what I’ve read about how people taught and argued in the culture of Jesus’ day, using ridicule was in fact an accepted method for besting one’s opponent.
So I won’t say it’s wrong, per se. But I would avoid it, in general, in favor of other ways to make a point.
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Victoria – You of all people here should understand the importance of standing cotrary to bad doctrine.
One may take the Jesus approach (firm, undiluted condemnation). I find better success with a lighter touch (using a little sarcasm/ridicule perhaps). But I don’t happen to think I have the same insight into anyone’s heart as Jesus, so I try not to go all out in attack.
I think you see that last point too (although your reparte doesn’t always reflect it).
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