Comments on: Selling Sponsors some Pulpit Time

By: D. Goodmanson

D. Goodmanson — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:35:23 +0000

Robert - I did see it. Good humor!
Dsnyd, Amway and other ‘network marketing’ businesses are very dangerous in the church in my opinion. We’ve had to ask several people to stop soliciting guests. Hasn’t happened in a long while though.
Michael - I’ll sponsor it!

By: Michael Foster

Michael Foster — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 01:39:02 +0000

I’d do a sermon series on the evil’s of consumerism and see who’d be up to sponsering it!

By: Dsnyd

Dsnyd — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:34:27 +0000

I have had some related thoughts when I hear pastors pushing books or sermons that are for sale. It is just such an easy position to influence peoples purchasing decisions. Also reminds of a pastor I knew that got deeply involved in Amway and had all kinds of subtle and not so subtle ways to recruit in and out of the pulpit.

By: Robert Campbell

Robert Campbell — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:48:16 +0000

Do you remember the Simpsons episode like this? It was spectacular. It was called “She of Little Faith.”

Here’s the abstract. There is nothing new under the sun. At least these writers see how ridiculous it would be.

Richard Gere guest stars in a Christmas episode that spawns a crisis of religious conscience in Lisa. The trouble starts whencongregants of the First Church of Springfield, faced with a sudden need for funds, turn for help to Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer), who turns the church into a business “The old church was skewing pious,” says his advisor). Enter podium-placed advertising and in-sermon commercials; and exit an outraged Lisa. Her disenchantment leads her to the Springfield Buddhist Temple and to Gere, who introduces her to teachings she finds easy to embrace. All of which has Rev. Lovejoy (also Shearer) wondering what to do about “Marge Simpson’s devil daughter.”

By: zac

zac — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:41:52 +0000

“But at the end of the day if our church could influence economics, industry and business practices, I would not be opposed to it as long as it was done for the sake of the gospel.”

do the tv shows influence the commercials, or is it the other way around? tv shows are just produced to keep your attention between the commercials, and that’s what would happen to church, don’t you think?

i’d say that if anything goes any further than the underwriting that happens with pbs and npr, it’s gone way too far. even that seems really wrong, though.

By: Justin Buzzard

Justin Buzzard — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:57:53 +0000

Good, thoughtful post Drew. I agree with you that the dangers loom larger than the opportunities.

Did you catch Barbara Walter’s interview of Joel Osteen tonight? It was sad and further evidenced Osteen’s gospel-less teaching. I just blogged on it.