Of Double-Standards and Idols

Posted by Chris L on Mar 20th, 2007
2007
Mar 20

I found it rather interesting yesterday that Slice 2.0 decided to defend their favorite idol, John MacArthur in a fashion that they have been unwilling to allow to their favorite whipping-boy, Rob Bell. Additionally, another bit of hypocrisy got tossed in today with their attack on Beth Moore…
Basically, what happened is this:

Johnnie Mac gave a speech at the opening of a conference he hosted ($300/person) on “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist” (don’t even get me started on that one). Apparently, a whole lot of Calvinist A-Mil’s took John’s strawman burning of their eschatology personally and started attacking him for it, saying that Johnnie isn’t “Reformed” (a damning accusation in that circle). In defense of JMac, Slice 2.0 printed Phil Johnson’s response that Johnnie Mac has never claimed to be “Reformed”.

Hypocrisy 1: Rob Bell is not, nor has ever claimed to be “emergent” or “emerging” - he has purposely on MANY occasions eschewed the label. This doesn’t seem to stop Ken & Company from taking every horror story from the far left of the Emergent/Emerging movement and then tying it back to Bell in some fashion. (I blogged more about this on my own site here.)
Hypocrisy 2: In Slice 2.0 today, they posted an article critical of an upcoming Beth Moore conference. The prize leading quote:

As the title of their headline points out, “15,000 women at $55 each…you do the math!”

Classic Slice bundled in the new format - same old hipocrisy, different day

4 Responses

  1. PTDW Says:
    March 20th, 2007 at 8:37 pm

    What cretins, really. I could buy a Super Bowl ad for Ken and he couldn’t draw 15,000 people (read: green w/envy) but the real stupidity is these people have no idea how much it costs to rent an area that holds 15,000 not to mention security, paid staff to oversee the volunteers, etc. You think you can pony up the $56 donated to your ministry last month thru paypal to rent an NBA arena Ken?

    Here’s one thing Beth Moore and Rob Bell never do: beg for money or float guilt trips for no one “supporting” their ministry, eh Ken?

    *cue crickets*

    The true lesson here is that people will pay for quality books, conferences, and large scale fellowship opportunities. Leaders of discernment ministries (that lead a staff of no one…wives don’t count) begging and guilt tripping for money. Beth Moore has a pretty convincing argument that she was called to teach women thru bible study and the SBC and Lifeway seemed pretty convinced of that as well. Are you sure you’re called Ken?

  2. nathan Says:
    March 20th, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    Its ok for J Mac to charge 300 dollars for his conference. After all, he is selling 100% pure distilled TRUTH (he needs money for his new WAR). Beth Moore is obviously one of them there man-pleasing, sinner-loving, seeker sensitive types. She is probably just raising money to build Rob Bell’s yoga parlors and Rick Warren’s coffee houses, right?

  3. Russ N. Says:
    March 21st, 2007 at 5:43 am

    Ok - I’m going to show my ignorance on the subject. Why is MacArthur held in such high regard when every other single (living) pastor is being shot down for in some way shape or form being a man-pleasing, sinner-loving, seeker-sensitive hollow-man?

    From the old Slice 1.0 days I remember them ranting about this church or that group has obviously sold-out because look how big they have gotten (in weekly attendance) - yet, I look up MacArthur’s church and he’s sitting with several thousand every weekend and had multiple staff members, etc….and oh, he has a website dedicated to selling product with his name all over it.

    Double-standards and Idols - an appropriate title for this post.

  4. Julie Says:
    March 21st, 2007 at 6:53 pm

    “She is probably just raising money to build Rob Bell’s yoga parlors and Rick Warren’s coffee houses…”

    But do they serve coffee AT the yoga parlors? Because that’d be a problem for me.

    Seriously, now, I cannot fathom why it is OK to shell out $300 for one conference and not a mere $55 for another, why a huge church for one pastor is wrong and not another. That is screaming of inconsistency. How anyone can be fine with that is just… unfathomable.

    I admit to paying about $55 for a Bob Dylan concert ticket. Was that wrong? Should I have held out for $300 Madonna tickets? I want to make sure I get the most truth for my buck…