RESPONSES to..."Evangelical Lying" column

From: "James J Lake" [email protected]
It sounds to me like a lot more of us Pastor types need to join the promise keepers and fall on our faces in repentance before a holy God and ask Him to forgive us for our sin.(Lying is just the tip of the evangelical iceberg) God be merciful to me a sinner ----- Jim---

From: [email protected] (Kimbrough, Kevin)
The truth behind the exaggerated numbers are simple but sad. When God is at work, lives are changed and spiritual growth is occurring. If God were not changing lives through the Promise Keepers organization such a large mass of men would not have gathered in Washington D.C. Therefore it is assumed that numbers will increase when miracles are happening. As a result a large crowd being reported suggests that God is at work at our church or our youth group. Pride reports numbers, suggesting God's work, and waits to hear the numbers from other churches to compare others' openness to God. Miracles are not determined by the number of people that attend but by meeting the needs of others. Was the miracle that Jesus fed 5,000 men with two small fish and five barley loaves or that Jesus could meet peoples' needs when nobody thought it could be done. The miracle would have been just as impressive with only 100 men present because needs were being meet. We should not be impressed by numbers but by the awesomeness of God. --Kevin Kimbrough.

From: [email protected] (Roger W Green)
I'd certainly agree that a lot of stretching the truth is covered or retitled. I wonder just how heavy and how soon God is going to judge. I am more and more into the need to confess the sins of the nation and the church - which also opens my eyes to some of my own covered or forgotten or unrealized sins, bringing even more confession. "And he being willing rather to justify himself..." -- there is where I too often find myself. It is much harder to see the post in my own eye than that toothpick in the other fellow's. -- Rog

From: [email protected]
I guess there is a lot of insecurity in the pulpit. This comes from boards that think it is the pastor's job to grow the church and this really increases the pressure. Maybe we should have those counting bars in the lobby like they do at football and baseball stadiums. You never hear those figures inflated but I'm sure the owners who are trying to draw bigger crowds are wondering how to do it. I wonder if they contacted any churches. -- Gary, in Fort Myers, Fl.

From: [email protected]
I'm not sure how complicated it is although it seems to have many legs, but carnality would have to be the source of such foolishness. Lying has a place according to Scriptures and it isn't heaven.

From: [email protected]
The United States culture is "success oriented" to a distressing degree! This "success-orientation" long ago was properly and officially baptized by the church and given its rightful place among all our other very important things like sound systems, key boards, clear plastic pulpits, and "doctrines". (You know, the kind of things that you have to have in order for God to bless) It is declared over and over that "God does not want you to fail! He wants you to succeed!" Then we proceed to describe success the good ole American way. More of everything! Bigger then ever before! More expensive then someone else's'! Which is understandable since that is how the world defines success as well. (Enter from stage left speaker to announce the next "Leadership Seminar" for pastors, the topic will be, "How To Lead Your Church To Greater Growth!")
Pastors must not be seen by other pastors as unsuccessful. One must be able to look as good as the next pastor when it comes to statistics, for the simple reason that such will be interpreted "God is blessing others more then me!" Then what is one to do! He will not only look like a failure as a man (or woman), but he will be perceived as a spiritual failure as well. Such thinking sets the stage for a pastor who may be struggling with a deficient self-image, and a mis-directed sense of spirituality to begin rationalizing how he can make his statistics look as good as they can. His mind is fertile and ready for a wonderful wave of spiritual imagination to flow over him. Its amazing isn't it, how inventive one can be in this kind of situation, and how God gets the credit for it too!
In the final analysis, such creative reporting and image propagating is not the culture's fault, nor is it the church's fault for creating such a "sinful-friendly" atmosphere. Each individual is responsible for his own character.

From: SAINTSAM@ao