Cargo Cult Christianity

[Gerald]

From wikipedia definition:

" cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth (the "cargo") of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices.

Cargo cult activity in the Pacific region increased significantly during and immediately after World War II, when the residents of these regions observed the Japanese and American combatants bringing in large amounts of material. When the war ended, the military bases closed and the flow of goods and materials ceased. In an attempt to attract further deliveries of goods, followers of the cults engaged in ritualistic practices such as building crude imitation landing strips, aircraft and radio equipment, and mimicking the behavior that they had observed of the military personnel operating them."

I am finding that much of Pentecostal or Seeker Sensitive preaching operates in much the same way.

The speaker and or minister searches scripture for a behavior of a character and then expounds that IF WE BEHAVE LIKE THAT CHARACTER God will then move in the exact way.


One POPULAR example now can be typified by Stephen Furtick and his book Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible The basic idea is that if we ask ridiculously impossible things God is BOUND to answer because he is blown away by our audacity. Furtick uses JOshua asking God to make the sun stand still as the example.

THis type of preaching is just a variation of Word of Faith. Where word of Faith has their "God Prod" in WORDS (As Benny Hinn & JOel Osteen and all the nuts on TBN tell you "Words have creative Power" The "Cargo Cult Christian" has their "God Prod" in BEHAVIOR.

If YOU speak a Word God will DO what you want.
IF you DO A DEED God will DO What you want.

The end thrust of such preaching is "How to get God to do what you want"

YOU become the POWER.
YOU become the center.
YOU become the authority.
YOU become the center of scripture.

For BOTH of these doctrines CHRIST is relegated to ilrelevancy.


While both of these types of preaching predominates Pentecostal preaching (If not actually being the TOTALITY of Pentecostal preaching).

IT IS NOT CHRISTIANITY.
IT IS NOT THE GOSPEL.

[dolfan]

If YOU speak a Word God will DO what you want.
IF you DO A DEED God will DO What you want.

The end thrust of such preaching is "How to get God to do what you want"

YOU become the POWER.
YOU become the center.
YOU become the authority.
YOU become the center of scripture.

For BOTH of these doctrines CHRIST is relegated to ilrelevancy.


While both of these types of preaching predominates Pentecostal preaching (If not actually being the TOTALITY of Pentecostal preaching).

IT IS NOT CHRISTIANITY.
IT IS NOT THE GOSPEL.

It isn't preached where I go to church. If anyone does mention anything like it, eyes roll. Always you'll have a few that try to prime that pump, but it is a soundly denounced understanding from the pulpit where we are members.

[dawgs10]

Central Community is a Cogop and you won't find that stuff here.