Sunday, June 7, 2009

Christian Sermon Evaluation - Purpose and Suffering

I was listening to a sermon today that someone sent me through e-mail. It showed a man preaching in what looked to be a mega-church. When do these preachers stop preaching the gospel and start becoming entertainers for profit?

For many years, religious leaders have been using propaganda, music, advanced dramatic effects, misquoting biblical scripture, adapting any religious text to serve their personal needs or beliefs and any other usable tool that can gather the moss to the rolling stone of Christianity.

Here's what the religious leader of this mega-church said.

The purpose of God in creating the universe is to display the greatness of the glory of his grace supremely in the suffering of the son, that's yesterday, today the summons, will you join the son in displaying the supreme satisfaction of the glory of grace in joining him on the Calvary Road of suffering.

So let me get this right, this sermon is in plain English and easy to interpret but like most religious text can be interpreted to benefit anyone who chooses to do so, in any way, shape or form. These over dramatic, theatrical like sermons often absorb the followers into some sort of trance. As the camera scrolls around in the audience, adding drama of course, the faces of these believers are definitely caught up in the moment and to add to the theatrical drama of the sermon.

I'm going to interpret this in simple English. The purpose of God in creating the entire universe is to show some form of glory or grace and even greatness in the suffering of his son. How could you possibly get this statement out of the Bible. Does it actually say this in the Bible? Anyone who has proof or any thing like it can send me the information, I will post it underneath this article. Only send me information that makes sense in plain English.

After that he's asking you to join his son in displaying this supreme satisfaction and makes it sounds like something wonderful by using the word glory of grace in joining him on the Calvary Road of suffering. This is purely financial dramatics to have people feel sorry, send money and live in a world of guilt because Jesus died for their sins.

Let me break this to you gently, open your ears because I'm old and going to say this once. Jesus's message is about love, Christianity is about love and suffering. Remember the old Pepsi challenge, where Pepsi would set up booths and ask people if they could tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi. It was very easy for me to tell the difference, but thousands of people quit drinking Coke and started drinking Pepsi. Most people are easily swayed and controled.

Seeking the truth can often be confusing when religious leaders put their personal goals first and God's second.

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a Christian help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Edith Hamilton

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