Apparently someone associated with Creflo Dollar's ministry has filed a take down notice with YouTube, effectively shutting down the "NYTN" YouTube channel that carried the video of Creflo Dollar defending Eddie Long this past Sunday.
Megachurch pastors, one way to make sure that a video of you making asinine remarks from the pulpit goes absolutely viral, is to use your lawyers to file take down notices with hosting sites, against bloggers who are complying with the "fair use doctrine" of our copyright laws. This happened to the Ed Young tithing video on the Watchdog site, when they filed a take down notice against that and two other videos on my site, which are back up now. I hope that NYTN fights the take down and gets his site back up soon.
Meanwhile the videos are going viral, and even the news media is picking up on the Dollar-Long fiasco.
Below are three versions of the video now on the Internet, so take your pick. Apparently Creflo needs some Dollars to pay his lawyers to get busy taking these down and the others that are sure to pop up:
Some Watchdog Commentary on just how sick Dollar's comments are:
- Dollar described Eddie Long's perversions of sex with three 17 year-old boys that he groomed for years until the age of consent, as simply a "wreck". What is amazing, and not shown in the video above, is the context of this "wreck" analogy. Earlier in the sermon Dollar says that sin for a Christian should be an "accident" and not a "lifestyle", which is a valid point. He made the claim that if someone habitually commits terrible sins as a lifestyle, they are not true Christians. However, Long's sin was hardly an accident. He allegedly spent years grooming the THREE and gaining their trust before he committed his sexual acts. By the standards Dollar sets up in his sermon, Long is a false teacher and not a true believer.
- he expressed disbelief that people would "leave their pastor" - and insinuated that there is some sort of disloyalty or breaking of a sacred vow when someone becomes disgusted with their pastor and leaves. This is quite disturbing to somehow equate the pastor/church member relationship as a marriage where the pastor is one who is taking care of the member and the member owes him his spiritual loyalty. Sick.
- he said that Eddie Long had a "wreck", and he had "insurance", and "Jesus paid the premium". Yep, that is why Jesus "Paid It All"....so Eddie Long the mega pastor would have some insurance in case he got caught having sex with 17 year old boys. Thank you Jesus!
- he actually insinuates that the act of "leaving a pastor" and not forgiving him (as Creflo defines forgiveness) is a worse sin and subjecting one's self to the judgment of God, more so than the homosexual predation exhibited by Eddie Long.
- he scolded people who left and came to his church, ordering them to go BACK. How does he get off telling people where they should go to church? I guess he believes he is God's appointed servant to save Long's former church members from their ignorance, huh?
By the way, reports are out that the settlement was $24 million, much higher than originally thought - but since Long didn't want to make a public confession of his sin, the price tag was much higher.
Mega church pastors will use tithes to never have to make a public apology. Thank God for that "storehouse" holding the grain, er, money.
$24 Million to pay off victims of sexual predation by the pastor. Gee, who is "robbing God" now?
18 comments:
NYTN commented on the take down(s) in January here.
I think all church-goers should think through the basic idea of adults filing in to sit and soak up wisdom from a preacher. Do you HONESTLY believe that the preacher was "called" (whatever that means) by God, and that God has given this particular man authority over you, another adult?
Why give this power to another man? You are as smart, holy, etc. as he is-probably more so. He's not leading you into battle. He's just a guy, many times, who has loads of charisma, personality, great speaking skills, and enjoys all the benefits of power. That's all he is. A fellow human being. He doesn't know anymore about what God wants than you do.
And doesn't it give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to put your money in the offering plate, knowing that it will soon be part of a check to a lawyer? Wouldn't Jesus be saying, "Why do I have such dumb followers??"
Those who left Long's church should be commended for having some self-respect. Of course I guess many flocked to Dollar's chuch to get more of what they are used to. But hopefully Dollar is a lesser evil. Who knows.
Sharon,
I believe pastors are called. I also believe missionaries,music ministers, youth ministers, and children ministers are called. Also it is just not limited to that. Because a person is raised up by God does not mean he or she is the smartest or the most talented in that body. It just means they have been set apart for that purpose. They should be the first to set the example and also should be always striving to be a step beyond everyone when it comes to character. The problem is not that they fall sometimes but the lack of humility to the point that they justify what they did and do not repent. As a pastor and have been pastoring my first church for five years I can say there have been times I have been a bone head. (I have not done anything as grave as Long and do affirm that Long needs to step down and feel he has not right to be in leadership.) I have had to ask people to forgive me for hurting their feelings not from preaching the Gospel but speaking my own opinion. Being called out for certain purposes by God is in the Bible in the OT and NT. If you are going to be a Bible based church then you must affirm that God raises up leadership. The word is leadership and not dictorship. Another problem is that ministers tend to rely on worldly leadership methods instead of Biblical ones.
Pastor Chris
Pastor Chris,
Fair enough. Owning up to your mistakes and trying to correct yourself is to be admired.
On the other hand, the mega-church pastors, drunk on power, who have inappropriate relationships over long periods of time-there is no justification for keeping them in their present position. Unless having a dynamite pastor to bring in the people and money is the main purpose. I think other things are more important though. And you seem to agree.
That these boys were paid 24 million dollars possibly is mind-boggling. Where did this money come from? Insurance or the congregation? I have some sympathy for young men taken in by an older man. How anyone could have any sympathy for an older, very powerful pastor to cause such harm to the boys, his family, his church, his congregation, etc., etc.-all for the purpose of his sexual gratification??
If the money came from the congregation, doesn't Long owe them big-time for paying for his extremely expensive sex life?
So does the Holy Spirit get to lead us or is He exclusive to the chosen ones?
Sharon, "Amen, sister!"
I apologize in advance for being off topic here.....
Watchdog, there was a comment a couple of blog posts back, which referenced a YouTube channel called "videosofblessings". This channel has posted some of the greatest Chancel Choir music from FBC Jax during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Soloists include Chip Dorton, who was such a huge blessing, Charles Billingsley, and the Hoppers. Much of the music is taken from the Pastors Conferences of that era. The sound quality is fantastic, and would be a blessing to members or former members of FBC Jax who remember the"good old days" of our church. Many thanks to this person or persons who saved and uploaded these precious memories !!!
Off Topic: Wade Burleson > Now Is the Summer of Our Discontent: The 21st Century Demise of the SBC
Much a do about Nothing!
A friend being there for a friend...Bible tells us that "A friend was born for adversity."
I for one wish Creflo Dollar was my Friend, he will stand by me to the end, stick closer than a Brother, and never leave me or forsake me...
Just like Jesus....
Much a do about Nothing! . . .doubt is the victims feel that way.
As for you, you are nothing but a cockroach troll!
Sounds like the message Anthony Weiner is trying to convince the people to believe. . .much to do about nothing, what a mess the church leaders & congressmen are today. Makes one sick!
Anon 11:35.
AMEN !! Well stated.
All,
Kevin has a new YouTube site up.
http://www.youtube.com/user/NYTNinAmerica
I don't know if he'll get the old channel back up, but I'm glad to see him back.
God Bless.
Katie,
Thanks for the info. on NYTNinAmerica. Subscribed.
Just like Jesus....
Jesus would also rebuke, correct and discipline.
Things oddly missing from the modern church.
Grace is not a free ride.
wishihadknown,
Are you familiar with Adrian Rogers' bizarre comment during the CR takeover about pickles having souls?
Of Southern Baptist seminary professors, he said they must teach, "whatever they are told to teach. And if we tell them to teach that pickles have souls, then they must teach that pickles have souls!"
Sounds like Creflo Dollar!
I agree with the anonymous who said that we as Christians should never allow anyone to have the authority over us. Oftentimes, we learn later that the authority was no authority at all, but talked a good game. Secondly, they, in most cases know less about the Bible than we do because they change it for their own purposes. Good example is in Titus where heretic is altered to "divisive". Anyone can be divisive by having another opinion than that of the pastor. It is quite another matter to be a heretic. Normally the church is full of divisive members who disagree openly or behind your back. Heretics normally do not attend a true church since they do not believe in the blood of Jesus cleansing us from sin, the resurrection, or the virgin birth. What these unbelieving pastors do is take a text out of context by changing words. Hoping we won't discern the difference. People are catching on. Thus, they are fortunately leaving the so called church. When a pastor starts telling you what the Bible says in the Greek run for your lives. In many (most) of todays churches, the "authority", that is the pastor. usually knows less than most of the congregation about the bible. But heaven (literally) help anyone that challenges the "pastor". I have often wondered why people that will fight wars for freedom and truth will so easily turn their minds and hearts over to another sinner with less bible knowledge than they.
WoW.....He without sin can throw the first stone.
God wants us to see pastors as deliverers of the word THAT'S IT! Messengers, not Gods. They are flawed individuals. You're missing the point and need to humble yourself a bit to h d'état and what dollar is saying. He IS NOT excusing the pastors behavior, he's merely saying that just like us, the pastor needs forgiveness and prayer.
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