[Aquila]

Originally Posted by n david

For one, you took umbrage with EB judging the looks of the home church, but then turned around and judged people who appear happy and shake your hand as "fake" and ministers as fake.

First, I think I want to say something. Just because a man offers fakery in greeting, or feigned tears, moaning, and groanings, behind the pulpit... it doesn't mean that he is a fake. He might be a very sincere preacher with a genuine call on his life. However, much of the theatrics I'm talking about are learned behaviors in church culture. It's like the imfamous "preacher's cough" preaching. "I wanna tell you tonight AHA. That GAWWWWD, has a plan, AHA, for your life, AHA." The preacher preaching has clearly forgotten that the preaching that typified this was primarily from preachers who worked the coal mines and had a genuine "cough" while preaching. And, as things tend to do, it became a beloved form of delivery. And without it, some in the congregation might say the message wasn't "anointed".

I'm only taking issue with the fakery... not the men.

I'm also looking to equalize. It's easy to look at a casual and authentic gathering of house churches and call them a "liberal therapy group" or "hippies", and odds are, nobody will say a word. So, my critique is primarily designed to illustrate the phoniness many of us who do not attend traditional gathers can't stand, and offer a bit of criticism on the institutional church to balance the discussion. I can rant on the institutional church all day, and nothing will make a dent. But, denigrating the house church movement, with so few Apostolics seemingly willing to get involved is detrimental to the movement. The house church movement NEEDS more Apostolics.

My push back is because it seems you have cast the whole "institutional church" as such. You're not singling out the very few (and yes, in Apostolic churches I would argue there are not many ministers who do what you accuse them of doing.) ministers who may do this. Instead you've lumped them all together.

First, good men engage in learned fakery. Second, some are "false shepherds", but I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I've met one who I know was 100% fraud. Third, if it seems I'm lumping them together, I apologize. I'm talking about the system that perpetuates the theatrics. Good men are a part of that system. But nonetheless, the system perpetuates it, and even at times there are social dynamics that encourage it.

Now, at one time I did personally know a man with whose mannerisms and conduct I disagreed. He was a skirt chasing evangelist who, like Jesus - he loved them all and like the devil - he was trying to get them all. He would be clowning around, then take the mic and transform before your eyes. This white dude would suddenly have the cadence and voice of a black preacher.

Yep, I've seen that kind of thing too. It's just theatrics. Mostly contrived, and often learned, and gobbled up by the congregations that enjoy the "style" of delivery. It's a show with Gospel truth peppered throughout.

That is the only one, of the hundreds of ministers I both know personally and have heard minister I would consider fake.

He might be a fake. I'm only talking about the theatrics. Like I said, even sincere men engage in such fakery when it is learned behavior.

There are churches like that, yes. I would argue that there are very few which are A/P of any organization.

You almost hear the contrived and fake opera star vibrato "Hallelujahs" in the beginning of every preaching video, bro. Where you been?