This is an example of the kind of preaching/teaching that makes me want to throw up. And laugh. Loudly.
But the way I found that funny little clip (Real men “piss against the wall,” and the problem with America is that men aren’t pissing from an upright position anymore! Sheesh, why aren’t people reading the KJV anymore!), was through this article that my friend sent me: The Preacher’s Story in Four Parts.
I relate so much to his story, particularly how it ends. That’s right where I’m at.
Yours,
A New Fan of Real Live Preacher.
Posted by Beatrice on February 22, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Wow, that is some awful exegesis.
How do you find stuff like this in the hurried midst of all the play business?
I read a pamphlet once that claimed the account of Jezebel’s death proved that women shouldn’t wear makeup. Same crazy hermenutic going on here.
I love it when you have things like the preacher’s story here, Molly. I can’t describe what it means. I especially take away what he said about doubting people not being disqualified from faith, even being heroes if they have faith too.
Posted by Kievas Fargo on February 22, 2008 at 6:27 pm
That sermon is hilariously funny…and sad, at the same time.
Posted by Beatrice on February 22, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I keep on reading the ending of the Preacher’s Story over. And over.
Posted by Dulce Domum on February 23, 2008 at 5:04 am
I wonder often about honesty in the Christian world. I wonder about my own honesty; in my relationships with others and with my relationship with God. I really appreciated “The Preacher’s Story”. Ooh, I like him!!! Faith is difficult for some of us, many of us have difficult questions, many of us struggle and I too have come to the conclusion that it all boils down to active, selfless love. I’m Anglican and in our service we say “there are no other commandments greater than these…love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself”.
Also, I didn’t know people like the man in the video clip existed until I found the Christian blogosphere. Where’s the love in what he says?
PS. I’m a long time reader and a first time de-lurker!
Posted by Dulce Domum on February 23, 2008 at 5:29 am
Oh and I meant to say I really enjoy your blog!
Posted by SB on February 23, 2008 at 6:13 am
Talk about culturally conditioned information, my goodness. First of all, he is right about Germany–in a lot of places there are signs politely asking men to urinate seated. This is because Germany is a country that is very oriented toward cleanliness as a value and people don’t like mess. Interestingly, those signs have their origin in the student movement of the 1960s and 1970s, when consciousness raising suggested men should do their part of the housework. Turns out men don’t like wiping up stale urine any more than women do, whoda thunkit.
The other thing is that women urinate standing in many countries in Africa. So who is to say that women in ancient Israel *didn’t* urinate standing?
Posted by Barb on February 23, 2008 at 8:12 am
It’s bad for a man to piss sitting down because it takes away his manhood yet God cut off all those who do piss against the wall. Unbelievably bad preaching.
Posted by Beatrice on February 23, 2008 at 10:06 am
Poem by Tennyson that really relates to the Preacher’s Story -
You say, but with no touch of scorn,
Sweet-hearted, you, whose light blue eyes
Are tender over drowning flies,
You tell me, doubt is Devil-born.
I know not: one indeed I knew
In many a subtle question versed,
Who touched a jarring lyre at first,
But ever strove to make it true;
Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds,
At last he beat his music out.
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds.
He fought his doubts and gathered strength,
He would not make his judgement blind,
He faced the spectres of the mind
And laid them; thus he came at length
To find a stronger faith his own,
And Power was with him in the night
Which makes the darkness and the light,
And dwells not in the light alone,
But in the darkness and the cloud,
As over Sinai’s peaks of old,
While Israel made their gods of gold,
Although the trumpet blew so loud.
Posted by Beatrice on February 23, 2008 at 10:08 am
Hm … it wouldn’t let me format the line breaks. Oh, well.
Posted by pauseforamoment on February 23, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Oh, that is really sad. Not being sarcastic, I do just feel sad, hearing that.
Posted by alaskajeff on February 24, 2008 at 12:22 am
OH MY goodness, Beatrice, that poem gave me the CHILLS. Then I read it to my husband and about busted up crying. That was powerful… Great comments, too. I’m on the same page. I read it to my husband this morning (the Preachers story) and could barely keep from crying, and it DID make him cry…
Good comments. I’m so glad you shared.
.
Dulce, THANKS. I’m glad you came out of the closet to say hi.
.
SB,
Oh no, you must be wrong. The KJV is always right, don’t you know, so if it said MAN, then it’s MEN ONLY…?
.
Pause and Kievas,
I know…funny…but really really sad…(Sad when you know there are people in the audience and they’re swallowing this stuff)…
.
Barb,
Yup…
.
Posted by Atlantic on February 24, 2008 at 6:10 am
Preacher’s story was powerful. I really liked that he mentioned St John of the Cross and The Dark Night of the Soul.
The Tennyson poem is fascinating – however, I read it and thought, “Wait, there’s something wrong here with this usage of the word ‘doubt’, which is a far more serious thing. I think Newman was right when he said “Ten thousand difficulties do not amount to one doubt…Difficulty and doubt are incommensurable.’”
So I looked up the Catholic Encyclopaedia article on doubt, and that very poem was mentioned! Viz:
“The rhetorical conception of the faith that “lives in honest doubt” (Tennyson, “In Memoriam”) must be taken to signify that truthful and serious habit of mind which refuses to submit to deception on motives furnished by intellectual sloth or the desire of worldly advantage. “
Posted by Beatrice on February 24, 2008 at 9:44 am
I’m so glad it touched you. Tennyson has more great poetry regarding faith, and so does Gerard Manley Hopkins. Also the poets John Donne and George Herbert. Reading this stuff helped to give me a real backbone to my faith, because it has a certain gutsiness and depth, in the real, honest portrayal of Christian experience, with all the struggle and turmoil as well as joy.
Those are intruiging thoughts, Atlantic. I’m not feeling too well today so I’m not thinking too straight, but I do think that there are varying definitions of doubt, and I don’t endorse Tennyson as perfect by any means. (I don’t know tons about his theology, but he doesn’t seem totally orthodox. Dunno though.) I will also say that his statement about more faith in honest doubt than half the creeds hits me the wrong way, however after thinking about I concluded that the creeds don’t inherently possess faith, they are just true, and you can believe them or cannot. And it seems that you have to be still believing something to be doubting it, (as opposed to plain not believing it) else what would you be doubting? So then doubt could be seen as a sign of a breathing, strong, struggling faith. I don’t know if that relates to any of what you said, again I’m not feeling well. Just rambling …
Posted by molleth on February 24, 2008 at 10:47 am
Whoops…that above comment by “alaskajeff” was ME. I must have been logged in under my husband’s name…
Posted by Lindsey on February 24, 2008 at 5:28 pm
What’s next, making us women pee standing up??? (sarcasm, sarcasm)
Posted by Dulce Domum on February 25, 2008 at 5:23 am
What a great poem Beatrice! I thought I “knew” Tennyson, but I hadn’t read that before. Wonderful!
Posted by thatmom on February 25, 2008 at 6:10 am
Molly,
One of my son’s friends directed me to that video and we all had a good laugh even as we were cringing. Do you know where the guy went to school, if he did? He totally reminded me of the Hyles-Anderson preacher boys. That was as fine an exanple of eisegesis as we will ever see!
Posted by Marcia on February 25, 2008 at 11:45 am
Um, I wish that video was a joke.
Hey, Molly’s friends, while she’s away becoming a star of the stage, could any of you stop by my place and help me with a faith issue I’m having? I promise to be nice. And make cookies or something.
Posted by molleth on February 25, 2008 at 3:11 pm
If they have chocolate in them, I’m there.
Posted by Ann @ Holy Experience on February 25, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Miz Molleth?
Emails sent… are they patching through?
Posted by molleth on February 25, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Got them. Thanks, friend.
Posted by Katherine Gunn on April 30, 2008 at 12:18 am
Hmm… The Preacher’s Story. I can relate to his experience. Something I have come to see over the last year of not being ‘preached at’ is that we are not required to blindly trust God. I am not sure we are even really able to trust blindly. I don’t mean to be heretical or tread on theological toes, but I may, anyway.
In my reading of the Bible, there are some things I have real problems with. I always have, but it has only been the last few months that I have been able to admit it without fear. Smiling. Fear does not build trust. In reading the Bible, I have not found where it says that the way of salvation is in believing ‘every word’ of the Bible. It comes from trust (faith) in Jesus and His work and who he is. And THAT comes, not from reading, but from experience.
The Bible can introduce us to him, it can paint a picture. But it is not the place where faith stands or falls. IMHO, that place is in knowing him. Period. The more we know him, the more we trust him. And the amazing thing to me this year has been the realization that… HE KNOWS THIS!
He doesn’t expect us to trust him without knowing him and he doesn’t expect our trust in him to exceed our experience with him. Perhaps that is why it is a process of building faith (trust) – because it is a process of getting to know him more and more.
As to the video~
Eww. It unfortunately reminded me of some of the teaching I used to sit under. – arrogant, sexist, missing the forrest for the trees bulls***.