Shot…at Church

Isn’t church supposed to be a sacred place?  A refuge?  “Holy Ground”?

Well, yesterday, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at a church in Colorado.  (Click to read artice.) 

There are a lot of little stories in this big story: the troubled history of the pastor, the fact that a church has armed security guards, etc.

I’m sure we’ll hear a lot of discussion around some of those issues.

But here’s my concern…Are we at a place in human history where there is no such thing as a safe place?

Within the last week or so, we’ve heard of a professional football player killed in his own home, another killer went to a mall to massacre shoppers, and now, a shooter comes to a church to kill people. 

Is there any such thing as a safe place?

Love, Joy and Peace

Hey all you miserable Christians…

I want to remind you of something: Love, Joy, and Peace are to be visibly evident in the lives of those who are genuinely Spirit-filled!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23 KJV)

If you really are Spirit-filled, then your life should be one that demonstrates the fruit of that Spirit.  Nobody really cares how right you are, nor how well you abstain from “sinful” behavior.   And nobody wants to be around people who are overly critical, judgmental, and grouchy.

There are too many people concerned about presenting an image for other people that they haven’t fully engaged the true Spirit of God.  When that Spirit is engaged, it comes out in ways stated in the verse above.

Especially during this Christmas season…let the Love, Joy, and Peace shine through.

Relevant Church Discussion (Video Clips)

Here are a few video clips from a recent panel discussion regarding the relevancy of today’s church.  Tell me what you think of the clips.

Is Today’s Church Relevant?

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, November 17, 10:15am) at the East Brunswick Hilton & Towers, East Brunswick, NJ, my father–Bishop Fred Rubin– will be facilitating a workshop entitled, “Is Today’s Church Relevant for Today’s People?“ 

Following the workshop at 1:15pm, Hasani Pettiford will be moderating a panel discussion with the same title.

For those of you in the NY/NJ/PA area, I strongly encourage you to come and participate.  For those of you who can’t make it, let’s get a head start on the conversation.

In your opinion, is the church relevant? In other words, Does the church have ”significant and demonstrable bearing” on the lives of individuals in our society today?

Preachers: Tell the Truth (about your finances)

Thanks C-Cut and Dwayne for sharing information on this.  (Click here to see article)

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), head of the Senate Finance Committee, has requested the financial records of a number of prominent television evangelists.

Grassley requested financial records from Pastor Creflo Dollar, Bishop Eddie Long–both from the Atlanta area, the Rev. Benny Hinn of Texas, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Texas, Randy and Paula White of Florida and David and Joyce Meyer of Missouri.

Bishop Eddie Long said that he will comply with Grassley’s request.  However, The Rev. Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International wants to know if Grassley or the committee has authority to request the records, and if the request infringes on religious liberty.

Grassley says that he wants to ensure money spent on the lifestyles of the rich and famous ministers falls within the boundaries of tax codes and that donors’ money is going where they expect.

So, what do you think? Should mega-churches around the country be audited?

Abstinence Doesn’t Guarantee Success

Yesterday’s comments on Halloween were very interesting.  One thought that jumped out at me was the idea of self-righteousness.  People abstain from certain activities (in this case, celebrating Halloween) as a means of, or a display of their righteousness.

See, I grew up in a culture that defined righteousness by the things you didn’t do.  We don’t smoke.  We don’t drink. We don’t listen to “worldly music”.  And the label for this behavior was HOLINESS—a label we were taught to wear with pride. 

And the unspoken expectation was that if I lived a “holy” life (of abstaining from worldly activities), then as a result, I would live a successful, productive, prosperous life.

Here’s what I’ve learned, though: abstinence may keep me from suffering the consequences of many things, but it doesn’t guarantee that I’ll ever accomplish anything!

In other words, if I don’t smoke, I significantly decrease my likelihood of getting lung cancer.  But not smoking doesn’t make me a better student, worker, citizen…or even a better Christian!

I’ve grown up watching a generation of Holiness folks live their lives taking pride in their abstinence, but never really living the successful lives they somehow expected would be an automatic result of their abstinence.

And to be honest…that hurts.

Trick or Treat

Last night, Hasani recorded a very interesting discussion on the Christian’s response to Halloween (Click here to listen).

Is the day a big trick, designed to get the world to connect with pagan elements?  Or is it a harmless treat for our young people to dress up and gather candy?

With the “holiday” just a day away, how do you approach the day, particularly as it relates to the children in your life?

Church: The Greatest Show on Earth

Yesterday (Labor Day), I attended my church’s annual cookout.  I had a really good time.  I ate.  I played.  I even fished a little in the lake at the park.

It was really nice to interact with people in a very relaxed setting.  The setting was very casual and I got a chance to interact with fellow church members–but not in a church setting.  At the end of the day, as I got a chance to reflect, this thought came to me:

The best actors in the world can be found in church services.

Let me elaborate.  There’s something about meeting at church that invites people to turn into actors.  There’s something that happens at church that produces this strange “theatrical” environment that a lot of people get sucked into. 

I saw sides of people in the relaxed environment at the cookout that are normally buried beneath a costume of pretense when they come to church.  Folks who are so “churchy” while at church were engaging, open, and just plain real.  It was so refreshing!

Help me out…why are most people so fake when they come to church?  Why don’t people feel comfortable enough to just be themselves?

Prescription for a Brawling Preacher

Here’s my opportunity to put two blogs together and try to reinforce a point:

Yesterday’s post was “Beat Down by the Bishop“, and Wednesday’s post was “It’s not a demon…it’s a deficiency“.

Yesterday we got news that a Bishop beat up his wife.  A so-called man of God apparently physically assaulted his wife to the point where she had to go to the hospital.  Did the Devil make him do it?

The answer is NO!  This was not an attack by Satan.  This was a man who couldn’t handle the challenges of the relationship and simply went off!  Which means praying for him is not going to solve the problem.  Casting out the demon of domestic violence isn’t going to help him.

He clearly has a problem dealing with anger and self-control.  Any man who hits a woman is a punk in my book, so he may have some–let’s call them identity issues– as well.

 So, go ahead and pray if you want to.  If that’s all you do, I guarantee you that he will be laying his holy hands on somebody else again in the future.  This is not a spirit…it is a weakness.  Spirits are cast out.  Weakness are addressed and strengthened.

He needs counseling.  (Maybe even a good beat-down from his wife’s cousins!)

All jokes aside…we all have issues.  Let’s properly identify them and properly address them.  We deserve to live lives of joy, peace, and wholeness.

Enjoy your weekend!

Beat Down…by the Bishop!

In a recent article, the Atlanta  Journal-Constitution reported that Juanita Bynum got beat up by her husband–Bishop Weeks.

 The last thing I want to do is participate in TBN gossip.

However, the event has stirred an interesting question: How can so-called “men (and women) of God” engage in such non-Christ-like behavior?

Are they hypocrites?  Is it “nothing but the devil”? (see yesterday’s entry) 

Or are Christians just like everyone else in their potential to behave in ungodly ways?

If you’ve been around church for any period of time, you’ve seen some ugly stuff.  Greed.  Sexual immorality.  Violence.  Racial injustice….Not just by the folks in pews, but by the pastors and priests!

But think about this…Despite their divine assignment, aren’t pastors and priests just human beings, like you and me, with the capacity for evil deeds?

So here’s the question: What standard should we be using to measure our spiritual and religious leaders?