Bill Hybels Talks About Popeye (Much) More Than Jesus

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In his sermon entitled "Unwavering: A Story of Obedience" Bill Hybels mentions the cartoon character Popeye dozens of times-he specifically quotes him fifteen times! He does this because God gave him a direct revelation: God told Bill Hybels to write and preach about our "Holy Discontent," which is a term he invented and repeats dozens of times throughout this sermon (which just happens to be the title of his book). Instead of using exegesis to draw the meaning out of the Bible, Hybels crams his concept of Holy Discontent into the story of Nehemiah and then uses Popeye to back up this theory. He doesn't mention Jesus at all until the end of the sermon (when he wants to inflict guilt upon his listeners). But don't worry, even though this is all conjured up in Hybels mind, he says God gave it to him. 

Listen to Todd Wilken give an amazing sermon review on this episode of Issues Etc.

"Holy Discontent" is a variation on the Purpose Driven Life; it's the idea that God didn't just die on the cross to just pay for your sins (because that isn't enough in seeker-friendly theology); God really wants you to take whatever you're most angry about and act on it. Basically, the Gospel is all about how God wants you to do stuff-lot's and lot's of stuff. According to Bill Hybels, God will look at your hands to see if they're all scarred and bloodied (like His) when we get to heaven. If you haven't done enough stuff (and your hands are nice and pretty), then God will be very disappointed with you. Get to work, Christian! Don't you wanna be like Popeye, Bono, Martin Luther-King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Bill Hybels?!

“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:2

For those of you who think it's mean and un-loving to criticize Bill Hybels (or any other popular teacher) here's a list of Bible verses to consider: Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know.

Finally, here's an important article that will help you be more discerning and a lot less gullible: Defusing Demonic Dirty Bombs.

Bill Hybels: "God Uses A Re-Crafted Schedule To Transform Lives"

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This one minute video clip is from the Willow Creek YouTube channel:

Pastor Hybels says: "I've never seen a tool that God uses more predictably in transforming human lives than a re-crafted schedule." This short clip is the conclusion of a 45 minute sermon (that feels like three hours) called "The Power of Your Schedule" which can be heard in a very thorough, funny and scathing sermon review by Chris Rosebrough (the sermon review starts at 1 hour 12 minutes into the program):

 

Is Hybels teaching from the "Book of Statistics" or something?? If God uses a re-crafted schedule more predictably than any other thing, why did He fail to mention it in His Word?

“Wow. Now I can see that I wasted a lot of my time on earth... I should have been teaching people to ‘re-craft their schedules’ instead of all that other stuff I did.”
— Said Jesus Never

Closing thoughts: Seriously, there's nothing wrong with being productive and efficient with our time, and setting goals and using some sort of planner is a good idea-just remember that God is not captive to our plans. Most importantly, Bill Hybels is supposed to be a pastor, not a life coach or business advisor. Although he mentions in this "sermon" that people in his church should, perhaps, get it on their schedule to study the Bible (duh!), he's setting a terrible example by not preaching from God's Word for this entire "sermon." 

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.”
— 2 Timothy 4: 2
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your ignorance. All such boasting is evil.”
— James 4:13-16



Bill Hybels Proves He's Not Qualified To Be A Pastor

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The book of 2nd Timothy is a Pastoral Epistle. That means it written to help define and elaborate on the qualifications and duties of the Pastoral Office. In that epistle The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul makes it painstakingly clear that a pastor must rightly handle the word of truth (scripture):

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

This same qualification is reiterated in the Book of Titus, another Pastoral Epistle:

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9)

Not only are pastors required by God to rightly handle God's Word, God also commands pastors to preach the word regardless of whether it is popular for him to do so:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:1–4)

Recently, Bill Hybels, the Vision-Casting Leader of Willow Creek recently proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he does not meet the Biblical qualifications for being a pastor. Here's what Hybels said:

Someone needs to send Bill Hybels a Bible because he obviously has never read it (which not only explains why this idea is "beyond him" it also proves he's not even qualified to be a pastor). If Hybels had actually studied God's Word he'd know that it says:

“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.” (1 Corinthians 14:33–35)

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” (1 Timothy 2:11–14)