SPINNING THE BIBLE/Dr. Pat Holliday/Dr. Sabrina Sessions/Marshall Perot

SPINNING THE BIBLE

Remember: the cross is an offense [Galatians 5:11], and the preaching of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness [1 Corinthians 1:18]. The environment is visually stimulating, often with multiple video screens, drama, dance, and skits to portray “Biblical concepts”. The pastors often wear polo shirts to set the audience at ease, pace back and forth as they speak, wearing mobile microphones – in all, a very distracting environment. The pastors give handouts with fill-in-the-blanks to be utilized during the message – this results in people rarely bringing Bibles to church. Multiple Bible versions are used, in order to put the right “spin” on the message, and the King James Version is usually avoided due to the “difficulty in newcomers understanding it”, and the  “hard truth” message that it brings. The messages are significant, in that much is left out, and with all of the distraction that is occurring, it is difficult for one to discern what it is that is missing. Jesus’ love and grace are emphasized, often His deity is minimized, and the fact that He is a righteous judge is usually avoided. Sin is often characterized as “wrongdoing”, “wrong choices”, and “mistakes.” In Rick Warren5 and Bob Buford’s6 books, the personal pronouns He, and Him, when referring to Jesus in mid-sentence, are not capitalized, once again diminishing His deity.  He puts his “spin” on the Blessed Word of God in order to tickle the itching ears of his audience.  The end result is a watered-down message, with “feel good” half-truths, and no condemnation/conviction of sin.