Comments on: Top 50 What?

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 09:13:00 +0000

I’m sure they could find an equally disturbing top-50 list of “influential” “Christians” in England, too.

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 05:11:58 +0000

Funny you should ask. We were discussing this the other day. Actually, one church in our area just started separating out the services for different worship services (alternative, adult, contemporary, etc. etc.) and just televising the message to each location. That’s not so bad, since it’s in the same building, or acreage, at least.

Honestly, I’m not a fan of it… this new “televised” worship services between churches. I mean, I used to watch preachers on TV when I was home sick as a child, but I don’t think that’s a substitute for a local pastor. And I know some places have “overflow rooms” where they televise the message

I suppose I think that a pastor should be a shepherd, as in, knowing his flock and teaching them accordingly. I think that’s pretty difficult to do when you’re 10 or 30 or even 300 miles away and the teaching is just “piped in” over a television screen. A pastor is so much more than just expounding the Word in a vacuum. That’s my 1.5 cents.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:25:55 +0000

What do you all think about the “piping in” of pastors to satellite locations?

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:59:12 +0000

Besides the list of aberrant theology (TBN-types), I just thought the georgraphy was interesting. 11 or so from TX, and 7 from Georgia. I guess the south is just messed up, huh?

And the ones from Atlanta…I mean, come on: Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, it’s like a hit list of health and wealth and other craziness… (Minus Charles Stanley, of course. Though he does house his church in an old AVON warehouse, at least it must mean he’s redeeming the cosmetics market, right?)

Also, and not that I dislike Andy Stanley, but when they named his location as “multiple locations in GA” they forgot the satellite church in Dothan, AL, that pipes him in every week. I’m from that area, and I KNOW there has to be a pastor from, say, Montgomery they could pipe in to the service…really, now. He’s not THAT great.

Who do they poll to get the results for these lists anyway?

By: Travis Prinzi

Travis Prinzi — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:08:11 +0000

Glenn, yeah, I’m certain he meant #2, especially given his posts on the subject of Osteen as motivational (not gospel) speaker.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 23:45:15 +0000

Wow. That’s startling. What’s iMonk’s problem with Billy Graham? Graham can’t explain the Gospel? I’m hoping he meant #2.

By: iMonk

iMonk — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 20:07:02 +0000

Since the #1 Christian in America doesn’t believe in the Trinity, and a man who can’t explain the Gosepl at all is #3, I’d say we are in trouble.

By: Gaines

Gaines — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:28:59 +0000

What are you talking about, Travis? My spiritual life has been profoundly impacted by the teachings of Dr. Phil (#50).

(Where’s the *BARF* smiley?)

By: Travis Prinzi

Travis Prinzi — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:07:52 +0000

Sarah, the list is very much dominated by the TBN health and wealth crowd (if you have enough faith, you’ll never get sick and will always be really rich). There are some great figures on the list: John Piper, Billy Graham, Pope Benedict XVI. But the majority of the list is the pop figures that the media gives attention to, but who do not speak for historical Christianity very well.

By: David Wayne

David Wayne — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:05:22 +0000

Amen Travis – I saw that last night and thought “you’ve got to be kidding!”