"Prayer is powerful. I have found that while playing Texas Hold 'Em, my prayer life has been enhanced greatly as I ask the Lord to let me hit my flush on the river," said MacDonald. The "river" is the last of five cards revealed in a hand of Texas Hold 'Em, which MacDonald says is one of his games of choice.
MacDonald said one of his goals in publishing this book is to help faithful Christians see that the Holy Spirit is our helper in all situations of life. "The Lord can come to our aid in all areas of life, there are no exceptions. Poker is a wonderful metaphor for life. We think we have it all together - we metaphorically think our jack-high straight is a winner, and then the Evil One helps a non-believer take the pot with an ace-high straight on the river. Such is life - but with the Holy Spirit's help we can overcome."
MacDonald says that Jesus makes the difference in all areas of life: our work, our marriage, even when we're wearing a poker face trying to take other people's money. "I've preached my entire life the bottom line of the gospel is 'Jesus makes all the difference'. Well, at the poker table, Jesus makes the difference. My opponents try to get a read on me when we're head-to-head, and little do they know I've got Jesus sitting right there with me, interceding on my behalf to help me win the hand, getting just the right card to hit my straight or my flush."
"If you can't trust Jesus with your poker hand, how can you trust him with your eternal salvation?", asks MacDonald.
In the book MacDonald addresses the doctrine of tithing and its metaphorical connection to gambling. MacDonald is one of modern evangelicalism's foremost proponents of storehouse tithing, a popular doctrine which says Christians absolutely must tithe 10% of their gross income to their church before they can ever expect to receive God's blessings. "Poker again is a wonderful metaphor for the tithe: how do you hope to win the pot, if you aren't willing to put your money in the kitty?" said MacDonald. "It is how the Lord's system works: you can't expect to win the pot or high hand, if you aren't bellying-up and putting your money on the table."
The book will be released in December, and MacDonald will be in Jacksonville, Florida in January to kick off his book tour.
2 comments:
Is this satire?
I ask because this seems to be on par with the heresy flowing from these clowns lately. Fortunately for these con-men, there is seemingly no end to the gullible sheep who drool over 'celebrity pastors'.
If you are going for satire, you have to go much farther into the twilight zone than this. Use the Farce. Maybe write it in Klingon?
Perhaps his follow up can be titled - All In
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