The Image of Protestant Evangelical Worship, pt 9

Comments

[Dr. Mike Kear]

Well, there goes my breakfast.

This is, unfortunately, the image of protestant evangelical worship for much of USAmerica. But the only worship I see is two false prophets, drunk on power and money, worshipping one another and being worshipped by an adoring crowd.

If I am over-critical, I apologize. That's honestly what the image brings to my mind.

Peace,

Mike

[DLE]

Aah! My eyes! My eyes!

Somebody make it stop!

Hinn and Copeland. Verily, how do we undoeth the damage wrought upon God's people by these purveyors of untruths?

[Pastor Art]

In the gap of time it takes to respond others have given my gut reaction!!!!

Beyond that worship involves seeking the transcendent truth and honoring Him. The otherness contained in this pursuit disappears with this image. Cast away the personalities paint other faces there the result shows a face to face encounter between created beings. Encouragement this may be but seeking the transcendent it is not! Therefore true worship it is not! Am I responding with righteous anger for Yahweh’s people YES YES YES I too have seen and picked up and put back together the lives the “teaching” these men and the false segment of what the deceived believe to be Christianity has left behind!
Pastor Art.

[Robin]

Who is healing whom? That's all I want to know!

[Ben]

Who's leading the dance here?

[Oengus Moonbones]

You're coming up with quite an interesting collection of pictures. Where are you getting them? Google?

Anyhow, Hinn is a pretty controverial fellow, to say the least, not to mention the other false teacher, Copeland, in the picture. Some people think that beneath Hinn's "comb-over" are a pair of horns, and that he has cloven hooves for feet. Other people think that he is merely an empty fraud (a sort of bad imitation of Katherine Kuhlman), howbeit a very wealthy fraud at that. But there are scads of very needy people out there who are going through unending misery, pain, and suffering. And having nowhere else to turn, it's sad, very sad, that they end up going to one of Hinn's miracle services, hoping to find some hope. And the reality is they are sent away empty handed. Is this something to rejoice about?

Yeah, evangelicaldom has its stinking downsides. Is that one of the things you're out to prove? Okay. Proven.

[Monk-in-Training]

Looks like Copeland is praying with a constipated Hinn. Lord, MAKE it come forth!

[Unregulated Female]

Wow - Looks like Copeland is proposing marriage to Hinn... Has it come to this??

I used to really like Copeland's materials and have met the Hinnster. Makes me think of a scripture in Corinthians... When I was a child, I thought as a child...

[Jeremy]

It is unwise to be an accuser of the breatheren.
Revelation 12:10 (NIV)

10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

You have been warned...

[fernando]

this isn't evangelicalism to me. both these preachers are pentecostals. ok, that distinction might be lost in today's media enviroment, but to me, it is still pretty significant.

[Brad Boydston]

The men pictured are neither Protestant nor Evangelical -- in theology or practice.

[tammy]

once again, no my style.

but i don't like the negative stuff about them.

we could cynically pick on every leader of every arm of the church. but why? i see no good coming out of it.

[tim]

They aren't just pentecostals - they are WORD OF FAITH pentecostals, which is very different. I'm a pentecostal and I lead an emerging pente charismaniac church and I am NOT fans of Hinn or Copeland. (Though some of the criticism in this post made me cringe a little - a few of you guys really are bold with your venom; I hope it doesn't come back to bite you). Peace.

[Chris A.]

I had no idea who those two men in the photo were, though one of the faces was very vaguely familiar. That made this post's comments pretty interesting to read... We really communicate so much through our common world-views, don't we?

[Fajita]

Hinn's got gas and Copelands got the runs

[Oengus Moonbones]

Jim: "…some of the criticism in this post made me cringe a little"

I find that comment boxes force me to write tersely, and thus I can't add a lot of nuance. Consequently, it is the case that things will come off sounding more testy than they really are. But I'd like to make a few points:

First of all, I am not a "cessationist" and so I don't have any problem with charismatic gifts per se, although I do consider Hinn's ministry to be very questionable (especially regarding the financial practices), and Copeland's "a couple of fries short of a Happy Meal" doctrine-wise. Secondly, I had at one time pretty much a "front row seat" in a "faith miracle ministry" for several years. I won't bore anyone with the dreary details about the whole affair, but suffice it to say that people come to these things because they are desperately in need and they have nowhere else to turn. So I speak more from profound sadness at the damage that is being done to these people when they come and only end up being sent away with nothing but ashes. I have seen the damage up close and personal. So if I sound a little "ticked off", I apologize.

[Seraphim]

Wow. Chris, I actually like all the photo's excep the one of hinn and copeland. i'm not against the gifts, and i'm all for edifying the breatren, but we are also called to discern/test the spirits.

Anyone that things those two heretics are christians, well, God bless them. Jesus triumphed on the Cross and entered Hell a Victor, not a victim that had to trick the devil... no matter what copeland and hinn teach.

LYB

I'shalom

Seraphim

[William]

These two men along with others of their ilk are the worst examples of what people consider to be Christianity. We as Christians need only to follow the example of Christ and the two commandments He said were the most important commandments, Love God and love others as yourself.