Bill Hybels Talks About Popeye (Much) More Than Jesus

/

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"

/

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

/

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)

Worst Easter Advertisement EVER! Run Away! Don't Look!!

/

And the Worst Easter Advertisement in the History of the Christian Church Award goes to....Action Church

No matter how many times you say to yourself "make it go away" what you're about to see will plague you for the rest of your life. You've been warned...

 

 

There's still time to turn back...

 

 

You asked for it...

 

 

 

ESPN Sports Center-like "Church" Entertainment

/

What function does this Sports Center-Like entertainment fulfill in a Christian Church service? Does it draw people closer to Jesus? Does it help them understand sound Biblical doctrine? Is it a form of prayer or Christian fellowship? What is its function? Embarrassment? Utter foolishness? Is this to demonstrate how to live in a pathetic fantasy world where you get to pretend you're just like the "real" world of celebrities and TV hosts?? Even though you're not???

Lampooning Moses Cartoon "Sermon Opener"

/

The Crossing Church in Elk River, MN opened this past Sunday's "sermon" with this silly over-dubbed old cartoon. Why? We have no idea. Clearly, lampooning Biblical stories, in Eric Dykstra's way of thinking, is an important part of evangelism. "Hey, we still use the Bible and stuff, but we make fun of it, too. Do you like us now? Will you join our church, please?"

Call us old school, but we believe pastors who preach God's Holy Word should treat it as if it actually is God's Holy Word.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:10–11)

BTW, the Story of Moses is NOT about Moses. It's about God and more specifically, its about Jesus.

30 Second Theology...From Commercials NOT The Bible

/

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner so how on earth can a seeker-driven vision-casting leader expect to compete with that? Well...here's an idea, preach on the "spiritual principles" found in everyone's favorite commercials! That's a sure fire way to draw a crowd! Remember when Jesus told His disciples to "attract a crowd anyway you can?" That was in the book of Distractions.

 But, there's one small problem: pastors are told by God's Word to "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2). Apparently, Craig Groeschel doesn't think that applies to him. This church promo video is scraping the bottom of the ear-tickling barrel:

Wrecking Ball of a "Praise Song"

/

Could someone explain to us the purpose of having a church's praise band perform Miley Cyrus's song, Wrecking Ball? Newspring Church, under the "pastoral care" of Perry Noble did exactly that.

Makes perfect sense if you think about it. Miley Cyrus is a paragon of Christian virtues and morality...cough...well... she was rated G years ago when she was Hannah Montana. But, clearly she's made some effort to shed the G rating and is now rated PG-13... no, R... no, is it X?

Video from Newspring's Church performance is posted below; notice how they projected the lyrics so that the people at Newspring Church could sing along, just like a praise song. This is done under the very mistaken idea that "we have to get unbelievers into church anyway we can!" 

A viewer comment from the YouTube page says it well (quoting C.H. Spurgeon): "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats."