PTM E-UPDATE -- FEBRUARY 8, 2010
What our readers and listeners say
"You're not the boss of me!"
Yesterday I was at the store to get a couple of things. I got to the cashier and I heard a woman behind me telling her child to sit down in the cart. The child said, "I don't want to." Then, apparently wanting to help the mom, the cashier, with a stern look and voice said "sit down in that cart right now."
The child looked at him and said, "You're not the boss of me." I started busting out laughing. Then the cashier started tickling the child, not hurting him, but trying to connect. I asked him, "Are you his father?" He said, "No, I'm a preacher." And then, by God's grace, a light bulb turned on in my head. What the little child said, in spite of the attitude in which it was said, was so true! Preachers are not the boss of people! They are not to control people's lives.
What that little child said stayed with me all day. It reinforced what God has done in my life. Greg, I listen to your radio program every week, and I also listen to CWR every Sunday. I really appreciate your ministry, I love listening to you. I consider you as my pastor. But, as you know, you are not the boss of me! -- TexasFailures perfect me
Hi Greg. You and I have "talked" several times in the past few years. It's always been a positive outcome. My husband recently found out that he will be losing his job. We are, obviously, trying to be confident that everything will be okay, but sometimes it's hard, as you well know. In the January 25 PTM e-Update I read Ray Borges' "Failures Perfect Me," and I realized I haven't allowed myself to really cry since we found out this difficult news. As I was reading the article, I started to cry, and it wasn't out of sadness. It was out of joy. I so needed to be reminded that failures perfect us. I am thankful for my relationship with Jesus, and I am thankful for my family supporting each other so strongly in times of failure and times of success. That's really all that matters. -- KentuckyThe curse which holds Haiti hostage
I just wanted to comment on your article “The curse which holds Haiti Hostage” in the February 1 PTM e-Update. You put it well that Mr. Pat Robertson’s statements concerning Haiti are preposterous. He certainly does not speak for me, in fact his statements on this topic embarrass me.
I not only have a background with cultic legalistic religion, but, coming from the Caribbean and living in Miami, I am no stranger to the Santeria and Voodoo cultures. I have no doubt that God had mercy and compassion on me -- pulling me away as a small child -- separating me from my family and who practiced a mixture of Santeria and Catholicism.
Later on in my life God called me to a personal relationship and experience walking with Christ Jesus. Through our own free will which He gives us, we either accept, put off or reject his calling altogether. I believe God expects us to take responsibility for our thoughts, words and actions or inactions whichever the case may be. It is also evident to me that human beings in this world apart from their freewill are subjected to their cultural environments and the multitudes of various delusions or deceptions and immersion levels thereof. Therefore Mr. Robertson's statements about the Haitian people are not based in love. True, the legacy of natural disasters on Haiti has been horrible. But are we any better in our country? Is not our country prone to such disasters also?
At a time like this we need to open our hearts with compassion and humility, assessing ourselves that we, too, are sinners as they are and we all are under the curses of sin and death as any people. It is pompous to believe that the lifestyle and practices of those who are deceived automatically unlock God's vengeance on them.
There have been many Christians throughout history before us that have suffered terrible and even torturous deaths for the name of Christ Jesus which we all freely proclaim today. Yes, there’s no written guarantee that bad things will not happen even to God’s people from time to time. Thanks Greg for the opportunity to comment as always. Your brother in Christ. -- MiamiYou are insulting and arrogant -- and you're not sending much aid to Haiti. Other than that . . .
Greg, In your article on Haiti you wrote: ''The hard-headed, hard-hearted, grace-less fundamentalism that drives and motivates people like Pat Robertson identifies the real cause of catastrophes and tragedies as people who are not marching to the beat of the religious drum."
Why are you insulting Pat Robertson? As you know, many speculated about whether Katrina hit New Orleans as a result of homosexuality etc. There was a homosexual march scheduled for that week.
The entire "blessings and cursings" issue is perhaps more complicated that you present. Haiti has many many thousands who have practiced witchcraft for centuries and made pacts with the devil. Does that alone "bring on" a curse -- even apart from God bringing destruction? The curse of destruction may have come because of the large numbers of the country's folks forming pacts / blood covenants with the devil -- I don't know.
If San Francisco is hit by an earthquake will you likewise say it was not from God? Can you know the mind of God enough to judge on this issue? Sounds kind of judgmental on your part if not arrogant to say other Christians are wrong and you are right. I cannot speak for God directly........can you? Besides this, I am sure that the 700 club and Pat Robertson have sent and will send much more aid to Haiti than PTM has or will. -- Texas
• Some brief thoughts by way of response:
1) If you take the time to read carefully, you will see that I do not place blame on Pat Robertson but on a system that has misinformed and misdirected him. I take objection with the system. I find the condemnation the system produces entirely missing in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2) About three weeks ago, in our PTM e-Update, I commented on the equally outrageous ideas that New Orleans was "hit" because of homosexuality, or that 9-11 happened because God had "removed his hedge of protection around the U.S."
3) If you read the New Testament and you carefully consider the new covenant given to us in the blood of the Lamb of God you will find that the kind of judgment and condemnation and vengeance you, and others, seem to feel God directly gives and causes and inflicts, is missing.
4) The destruction on Haiti could have come for many reasons -- you are correct to say, "I don't know." Neither do I. Neither does Pat Robertson. But he didn't say "I don't know."
5) You ask what I would say if San Francisco were to experience an earthquake -- will I say it was not from God? Why did you pick San Francisco? Because of its known homosexual population? Why didn't you pick Omaha, Edmonton, Wichita, Nashville or Pittsburgh? What if an earthquake hit Colorado Springs, home to many evangelical ministries. What if -- what if??
The point of what I wrote was to point out the unbiblical assertion that the catastrophe was because of a "pact with the devil" (that was Pat Robertson's statement). If the reports of his comments are correct (and I did not rely on reports, but watched a video of what he said, before writing the article), he didn't say that a supposed pact with the devil MIGHT HAVE been the cause of the earthquake -- he said it was. I believe it's best not to dogmatically attribute to God what we can not attribute to God.
6) You say that the 700 club will send more money to Haiti than PTM will. I don't recall ever claiming that PTM will send more money to Haiti than the 700 Club will. PTM is a much smaller ministry than the 700 club -- does our size somehow invalidate us in God's sight? Do only huge ministries and massive churches have "clout" with God on the basis of how much they can do? Such an idea is the polar opposite of the gospel.
7) If you feel that PTM is out to lunch, making outlandish statements, etc. -- don't listen to us. We don't want to trouble you. -- in Christ, Greg Albrecht
How religion counterfeits happiness
In reference to the article by Paul Coughlin in the February 1, 2010 PTM e-Update, I just have to say 'Wow!' Could anything be more true, or be such an indictment of our culture and what religion has done to it and us. "Bravo" to Mr. Coughlin for sharing his insights with us, and thank you guys at PTM for doing such a great job. As always, may God bless each of you, thanks again. -- EmailRETURN TO PTM WEEKLY UPDATE CONTENTS PAGE
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