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BrotherTony

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News Comments posted by BrotherTony

  1. 1 hour ago, Old Man said:

    i realize that this is an old tread, but feel that I should throw my feelings out there. I am a member of First Baptist Dallas and I attend services regularly. If I can not attend in person, I watch it on the TV. I have never heard Dr. Jeffress ask for a member to vote in any particular way. I have heard him say that everyone should get out and vote. It is no secret that he supports Trump but I have never heard him ask his congregation to vote for him.  I was in attendance when Mike Pence was a guest and I saw nothing political about the interview. 

    It seemed to me and many others, including many respectable SBC and IFB pastors, believed that Jeffress was using this as a booster for Trump, following the same practice that the African American churches do. As far as your attending First Baptist of your Dallas, that's good. I have several friends who go there, and I believe one is on staff in one of the extensions of the church. It's not that I don't like Jeffress. I like him and I used to listen to him quite often in years gone by. But that not so subtle attempt at mixing politics with a worship service was beyond acceptable IMHO. 

  2. Preachers who say "God told me" are automatically on my "DO NOT TRUST" list. The pastor and president of what was then Fellowship Baptist College said this about buying several duplexes adjacent to the church, saying that the Lord had told him that the church/college needed to buy them because the college was going to dramatically grow. They bought the property and though the college did go on for several years, it ended up closing without the growth the pastor had claimed God had promised. We left that church especially in light of the fact we had been set up and suspended with the help of the college administration and his son, over something we had allegedly said to others in the college study room. It was one of our friends that had made the statements and we were guilty by association whether we agreed with our friend or not. We weren't even given a chance to defend ourselves. 

    So, to be clear, I have very little patience or interest in ANY pastor/preacher who make such claims.

  3. 31 minutes ago, Napsterdad said:

    I just couldn't pass this by any longer.

    1st, as mentioned above, raffles are gambling. Last I checked that was only okay for Catholics.

    Then there's the quote:

    "The church said the flamethrower is a "powerful tool" that can be used for "self-defense, hunting, and other purposes."

    Really?

    Self-defense? The only place this would be practical would be in your home and the resultant property damage would pretty much take away the practicality.

    Hunting? Hunting what? That comment was just plain stupid; which is what this raffle is. 

    A church is supposed to be a place that reaches out to the community with the Gospel and feeds those with an ear to hear. Firearms and flamethrowers just don't resonate as an adjunct to Jesus Christ. Given the current spiritual and political environment there are many that just salivate at stories like this to discredit Christianity. 

    Stupidity like this does nothing but hinder the Gospel from being received. Just a few more doors slammed in the face of a door-knocker. Sad.

     

    I agree! This has no place in the church house. 

  4. I was glad that they decided to disfellowship him and several others as well. I wasn't sorry to see him, nor the female "pastor" from Louisville Kentucky told that they weren't to be considered in friendly cooperation with the other churches that associate as SBC. It was high time they shored up the language of the BF&M2K.  Now the churches who claim to be in good standing need to face the larger issues such as the garbage going on with the NAMB/Kevin Ezell, Lifeway and the ERLC, two organizations that no church under the SBC umbrella should be associating with because of their support for abortion and the large payouts being given to misleading and lecherous leaders, and even the IMB that places themselves above the Holy Spirit and his leading and working especially in war afflicted areas. The missionaries in some of these countries should be able to be led by the Holy Spirit whether to stay or temporarily leave instead of being forced to leave with threats of having their support stopped. These types of issues are what make me question the working of the cooperative program altogether. 

  5. 21 minutes ago, Invicta said:

    I have never heard of coffee being drunk during the Services. Our church has a time of fellowship with coffee or tea in the back hall after the service. I did go to a church in France once where they had a break before the sermon and had baguettes, but I can't remember what else. 

    It's not a common practice among churches to have coffee in the sanctuary/auditorium. But, there are some churches that I have been in and part of that do. One such group is the Cowboy Church movement. Many of the churches that associate with this group allow it as many are farmers and ranchers and have work to do before and after service and don't have a chance to stop for breakfast. Many in the Cowboy Church movement, and many SBC churches now have breakfast or donuts and coffee before SS and church. 

  6. 13 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

    Absolutely, but outside the worship center, or at home before coming to church. I wake up early to do all these things you mentioned. The church is not a social club. Sorry for being a little ruff, but the truth shall make us free.

    There's nothing in the Bible that forbids coffee in the sanctuary. Can you explain what truth you're trying to convey to us?

  7. 9 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

    Only water should be permitted inside the worship service center, I cough bad sometimes and have my water bottle nearby, just incase.      

    I have the challenge of the dry mouth variety. Mine is caused by the many medications I have to take. So, I have my water bottle handy wherever I go.  In the church we're members of that's not a problem. But, in the church we're visiting, there's a sign on the door to the sanctuary that instructs people to leave all food and drink outside. But, that pastor knows what is going on, as do the deacons, so there's no problem.

    Keep those Bibles dry and smartphones. ? Food and drinks eating, are just troublemakers.

    Trouble makers? Morales, you're letting your opinions be stated as fact. Most are far from trouble makers. Some may be new Christians or people who have never been to a church service before. Personally I would prefer no food or drink in the sanctuary as this is an area of the building set aside specifically for the worship of the Lord. When Christians met when he church first began they were meeting in homes and we're sharing a meal before worship. It could have been acceptable then. We will never really know.

     

    Having coffee areas outside, are just fine. 

     

  8. 2 hours ago, Pastor Matt said:

    I get it and understand that. So...any thoughts on coffee in the sanctuary? 

    Personally I would rather people NOT bring it into the sanctuary. Whether there are carpeted, lvp, marble, or plain hardwood floors, a spill would be messy and be a major distraction and possibly a tool the adversary could use. Yet, in the Cowboy Church we occasionally attend they allow coffee. The floor is concrete, and these people are used to stepping in and walking through things much worse than coffee. ?

  9. 4 hours ago, Sabrina said:

    Not sure I understand why the vaccine comment by Pastor Jeffress is wrong in your opinion.  I notice you don't site a scripture that is against it.  One question:  What is wrong with a preacher being involved in political issues?  To preach actually means "to herald'.  Truth.

    Pastors are to instruct and guide those under his care in spiritual matters. He can give his opinion regarding physical things, but, when he goes as far as to twist scripture to fit his own ideology, and tries to force his opinion down his congregants throats, he's overstepped his authority. I have little respect or regard for such preachers.

  10. 30 minutes ago, Pastor Matt said:

     Should be interesting to see this one play out

    I agree. Personally, I don't think he's got a leg to stand on. The university having been founded by his dad has every legal right to use the founders likeness and materials to promote itself. Jr is just ticked off because ke got caught in his wickedness and has lost his prestige and income to support his deluded and devilish lifestyle. Shameful.

  11. 3 hours ago, SureWord said:

    I see no problem with a church being part of a convention or association but also am aware that these associations usually go bad over time. Just like about everything else. They follow the Man, Movement, Machine, Monument law.

    I also disagree that a pastor in a totally autonomous church usually becomes a dictator. From my experience members will hijack the church from the pastor more often than the pastor becoming a dictator.

    Again, not all IFB churches have a dictator for a pastor, nor was that implied....but, I have been in churches where such was the case. I gave one example of a very high profile church that was. FBC of Hammond is a very good case in point. I grew up in an IFB church where the pastor was not a dictator. 

  12. 19 minutes ago, Pastor Matt said:

    That's a problem right there. The Bible should always be the dividing factor, not money.

    BTW: I love the photo chosen for this article, it's very fitting.

    I agree on all counts. I chose that picture specifically because of the interactions that I have had with Mr. Furtick. He was flippant, foul, and quite unscriptural in his approach to questions asked of him.  Then many of his sermons over several years were Steven Furtick centered, not Christ centered in any way, shape, or form. He IS a wolf in sheep's clothing. The sad part of all of this is that a few weeks ago, our pastor put a quote by Furtick in the church bulletin. I was shocked. 

  13. 1 minute ago, Jim_Alaska said:

    They don't go far enough if you ask me. Any church carrying the Baptist name should have nothing to do with ANY convention, association, or fellowship. 

    True, traditional and historical Baptist churches are to be totally autonomous, they have no business joining these extra-biblical organizations, or supporting anything these organizations put out there for their followers to use.

    And make no mistake, churches that are a part of the SBC, or any other organization are followers of that organization. 

    2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

    Yet, churches can become so Independent" they end up with little or no accountability to their people, as the pastor becomes a dictator and usually ends up in some kind of trouble. Not all are like this, but, many do. Case in point is First Baptist in Hammond. And, as I have stated many times here, all SBC churches are Independent, autonomous, Baptist churches no matter how much some here will disagree. They decide whom they wish to fellowship with...and believe it or not, there are many IFB churches that fellowship with SBC churches. Jim, you're always welcome to your opinion on the subject. Yet, many in the IFB churches hate to admit they associate with other IFB churches through things like listings of IFB churches for travelers, or for people moving. And just as all IFB churches are not the same, neither are churches who fellowship with other SBC churches are not all the same. 

  14. 4 minutes ago, Pastor Matt said:

    I didn't even know they were part of the SBC. With their teachings, they don't belong in there anyways

    I agree. Many of the other churches have questioned why they were allowed to be in good standing with the SBC. The only thing that I can see that would keep them being eligible to be in good standing is the amount of money they contribute to the cooperative programs each year. There's a push to overhaul or dispatch some of these entities such as the North American Missions Board and the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission. Many have already stopped using Lifeway materials. They're so watered down doctrinally and ethically that many churches are using other, more doctrinally sound materials from elsewhere. There have been many churches in the last few years that have suspending supporting any of these entities until changes are made and guaranteed.

  15. 17 minutes ago, Disciple.Luke said:

    This is kind of a tough question for me. This specific time period was shortly after I had been saved so by the time I began attending with my mother it's worship style was already transitioning.

    This particular congregation had grown in attendance to the point that a second service was necessary because there weren't enough pews or parking spaces. While the first two services were basically identical the third service felt like a worship "experiment" that was completely a rock worship service. At the time it seemed like that third service that started at 11:30 was an attempt to appeal to the college students at Anderson University.

    This was back in 2001 and I'm sure was partially influenced by Bill Hybels seeker friendly blueprint. Just from what I observed it seemed to me that decision was made to grow church attendance and the music was just part of the plan.

    By the time I started attending the Pastor had switched from the NIV translation (apparent from the outdated pew bibles) to the New Living Translation that was projected on screens so no one had to be bothered to actually read the verse for themselves. They also bought a Starbucks type coffee and tea makers set from the library and set it up right inside the main doors. And as I mentioned earlier they did away with Sunday evening and the traditional Wednesday night services.

    I had been attending there for about a year when the church began sending VHS tapes in the mail that explained why and where all these changes were headed. The video was a very emotional attempt to explain to everyone how the Lord had been telling the staff they needed to buy property on the other end of town and build a mega church like worship house. This was a project that at minimum was a several million dollar relocation so they needed the convince the members to jump on board and finance it.

    The coffee machines, music, use of projectors instead of bibles and hymn books seemed to prepare everyone to worship in a auditorium as opposed to a sanctuary. Instead of bringing back Sunday evening and Wednesday services they decided to keep fellowship by having everyone join small groups and have those meetings everywhere but the church building I remember the first book they picked out for the church to read and study in these small groups. It was The Purpose Driven Life.

    I began to drift away from that the church after the relocation plans were announced. By the time it was all complete I had left for a smaller congregation. 

    I have some old friends on Facebook who attend there now...and I end up rolling my eyes when they post Sunday afternoons talking about how awesome and "spiritual" the services are with the guitars and drums and the seeker friendly sermons that resemble a Joel Osteen book more than the New Testament.

    Sadly, a lot of churches here started going that way in the 90s and early 2000s. They've only gotten worse with time. Even some of the churches here that used to be quite conservative have started with the leftward drift. Sad, indeed.

  16. 5 minutes ago, Salyan said:

    I would be curious what the original salaries were. Our pastor emeritus had a very low salary, with rare increases. When his son took over, he had a mortgage to consider that required us starting him off at a higher salary. (Not an egregious mortgage, very appropriate and even insufficient for the size of his family).  Some salary increases could just be bringing pastors up to a living wage. A lot of churches don't necessarily provide benefits or retirement packages, so salaries (in the corporate world) would generally be larger to account for self-payment of those.

    That study also says the scope of the study grew over the years. I wonder if they adjusted the 1996 salary study with numbers from the 23 additional conventions that participated this year? Otherwise you could be comparing apples to oranges with different states/costs of living/etc. 

    I don't believe they did count those others. I know that the SBC-affiliated church we attended in 2001 was a mega-church by standards, and our pastor was somewhat well-to-do. His mother was killed in the fire at the nursing home owned by the local hospital in Nashville, and he got a huge settlement from the lawsuit filed for negligence on the part of the nursing home. He retired a few years later, just after my wife and I moved to a smaller church. The pastor of that church hadn't had a raise in nearly 10 years, and he was living in his own privately owned residence without a housing allowance. He didn't have a car allowance, either. Just his salary. He was bi-vocational. Our current pastor has a job outside of the church, but he makes a fair amount of money and lives in the parsonage. I don't believe his income is outrageously high from the church, though. I know he turned down a raise a few years back because of the economic downturn during the pandemic. I believe his increase the last time was only 4%. That's not very much, especially considering at that time my wife was making nearly as much as he was and only got a 3% raise that year. 

  17. 4 hours ago, TheGloryLand said:

    Also the founder’s (Members) that stool firmly on the Word, have passed away. The newer leaders are in for the money, not all. Some preachers today earn up to five times more per year than preachers 25 years ago. I don’t have the proof of this, but just check in to it. You will be surprised ?

    Have you accounted for inflation, cost of living, and the percentages compared to the time period you're referring to? If you're going to post things like this you truly should be able to back it up. Just sayin'. ?

  18. 56 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

    The Liberals are working overtime pushing their LGBTQAX agenda across the States. 

     

     

     

    I have many friends and relatives that are liberals, and they don't support the LGBTQ+ agenda. Your assumption is quite incorrect. The devil is the one working OT to get this agenda through to everyone. Many at Belmont don't agree with that group either.

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