Paul Proctor -- Pimping For Jesus

PIMPING FOR JESUS

By Paul Proctor

May 21, 2005

NewsWithViews.com

Pretty offensive title, isn�t it? In fact, I hope you WERE offended and winced a little when you first saw it. After all, it SHOULD be offensive to anyone who claims to love the Lord. I�m sure many were offended when Jesus called the Temple in Jerusalem �a den of thieves� before driving out the money changers and turning over their tables. It wasn�t easy for me to put the name of our precious Savior beside such an ugly word; yet, �Pimping for Jesus� is exactly what the leaders of today�s �transformed� church and �new spirituality� are doing; and I can think of no more accurate way to describe it.

What is a harlot? She�s a prostitute, right? And, isn�t a prostitute a woman that seduces passersby to join her for fun, fantasy and illusion? Does she not appeal to the flesh of potential customers by using her charm, beauty, talents and tempting attributes; adorning herself and behaving in such a way as to lure and entice prospects with promises of pleasure, delight and gratification? And, is not the �Great Harlot� spoken of in Revelation commonly accepted as the false church of the end times; the one who is confused for the Bride of Christ but is only a whore in grand disguise, pursuing, deceiving and ensnaring the world with her own religion of rebellion?

Dictionary.com defines the word �pimp� as: �One who finds customers for a prostitute.� What�s more, pimps are paid handsomely for doing it, not by the �johns� (customers) but by the working girls that are recruited, trained and managed by them. If the end times church is indeed the Great Harlot, would not all the church growth consultants, leaders and change agents that have set out to �transform� the church into something more worldly, desirable and marketable, qualify as Pimps for Jesus?

While unveiling his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan at Angels stadium in Anaheim, California, where the parking lot was �filled with tailgate parties, a children's music concert, a motorcycle jumping exhibition and a jazz band,� Rick Warren suggested that his followers �will do, whatever it takes to establish God�s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.� Don�t pimps establish their own territories or Kingdom�s on Earth where prostitutes are sent out to �reach,� �impact� and �engage" the culture around them by doing �whatever it takes� to accommodate lonely and desperate souls in need of stimulation, entertainment and relationship?

How do we know that those of the church growth movement, who claim to love and serve the Bridegroom are actually betraying Him, you might ask? It is because they are taught by men skilled in proud and pretty lies to make the most of THIS life and all of its carnal and self-aggrandizing opportunities; to hone their craft (talents) and draw as large a crowd as possible through people's appetites, egos, lust and pride, (aka, "felt-needs") to target their customer base and work the streets like the slick professionals they are, rather than preparing in humility and obedience under the guidance of God�s Word and power, for a life to come. You see, the world that harlots love, pursue, embrace, transform, celebrate and profit from is not the Bridegroom�s Kingdom, but that of His enemy.

�Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world�� � John 18:36a

Gillian Flaccus wrote, in a recent Associated Press article, published on May 13th in the San Deigo Union Tribune, that trouble began for Hollywood First Presbyterian Church when Rev. Alan Meenan �launched the Contemporary Urban Experience, or CUE, services more than two years ago�an alternative service staged by the church at a nearby nightclub that offers live rock music and a casual atmosphere that doesn't frown on flip-flops and nose piercings.�

The article goes on to say, �the weekly Sunday service has attracted some 350 twenty-and thirty-somethings�� and that �many work in the entertainment industry.�

Rev. Meenan acknowledged, �He hadn't been a perfect pastor but blamed dissension on traditional members who were unwilling to embrace his new direction.� That�s right; he said �HIS new direction.�

Now, lets just stop right there.

Here is a perfect example of how these pimps pass the blame for their own moral failure onto others. I cannot even count how many times my Readers and Yours Truly have been accused of causing dissension in the church by publicly objecting to the unbiblical things that have been financed and implemented under our noses in the name of Christ when, in reality, it was the pastor that initiated the changes that actually caused the division.

Rev. Meenan: "There are those who sense a loss of involvement in their church and target me as a result.�

Actually, Reverend; there are those who sense harlotry at work and know very well who is responsible for it.

Rev. Meenan: "Change is essential to our future and change is working for good in Hollywood."

Apparently not�

Here we have the usual false premise (change is essential) followed by a bias and bogus assessment (change is working for good in Hollywood) that ultimately divides and conquers a local congregation under a cloak of righteousness; where a crisis is created out of little more than conjecture, envy and ambition, brought on by falling numbers, followed by a compromising solution (alternative worship service) that is ramrodded through by a pigheaded pastor in search of greatness, resulting in another attempted �transformation� (takeover) that weakens and divides the church and moves it further away from God�s Word and into an ecclesiastical civil war. Satan laughs�

Shall we worship Jesus Christ in Spirit and in Truth while fellowshipping in the flesh with the world�s disobedient and demon possessed? Did Jesus send us out to sponsor Halfway Houses for Him where God�s children and Satan�s spawn could enjoy each other�s company and find common ground? Is that what evangelism has become? It is if you�re Seeker-Sensitive and/or Purpose Driven.

Here�s what the New Testament teaches that pastors like Meenan refuse to teach, accept or even acknowledge from the pulpit:

�Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.� � 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17

You see, CGM pastors never teach scriptures like these to their congregants because it drives a stake in the heart of the church growth beast; and Pimping for Jesus has become so loud, luscious and lucrative that the biblically ignorant, spiritually obstinate and morally apathetic Church of the Next Big Thing finds it extremely hard to resist.

Lest you think what�s going on at Hollywood First Presbyterian Church is just an isolated incident; even a prominent secular publication like Business Week Magazine recognizes the radical new direction of �Christian� evangelism; so much so that they dedicated most of their May 23rd, 2005 issue to the subject, containing articles with titles like: �Earthly Empires,� �Supersizing Salvation,� �Meet the Prosperity Preacher,� �Evangelism Gone Entrepreneurial," �Church of the Mighty Dollar� and �Fashion of the Christ.�

And, as he sipped on his Starbucks, another pimp was heard to say: �But the message hasn�t changed��

�Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.� � 1st John 2:15-17

Related Articles:

1, Pastor's downfall highlights Protestant identity crisis
2, Rick Warren Hits Home Run With Announcement of Global Peace Plan
3, Earthly Empires

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Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for NewsWithViews.com, he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print.

E-Mail: watchman@usa.com�

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Did Jesus send us out to sponsor Halfway Houses for Him where God�s children and Satan�s spawn could enjoy each other�s company and find common ground?