To FBC Dallas, As You Approach "Commitment Sunday"

Dear First Baptist Church Dallas Lay People:

As your May 2 "Commitment Sunday" approaches, just some friendly words of encouragement and advice from the Watchdog. I don't know if you will reach your goal of $130 million, but I wish you the best in whatever comes about from your campaign. The marketing campaign and the messages targeted at your wallet and financial portfolios makes me question whether this is God's will or man's will. I personally have a difficult time with the magnitude of the project, but even moreso the textbook secular marketing techniques used to play on emotions to get you to part with your wealth.

But some friendly, albeit unsolicited, advice:

1. Be conservative in your pledge amount
You will be doing your pastor and your church a favor if you pledge on the conservative side - that is if you are pledging at all. If you believe, as I do, that the $130 million price tag is probably low, and you couple that with likely probability that the actual pledges that come in can be expected to be higher than the eventual receipts, this can spell financial disaster for your church.
Make sure that what you pledge is reasonable, within your means, and won't create a financial hardship for your family. You having plenty of money for your family, your kids' education, and helping others in need is more of God's will for you than a "Crystal Campus". And do not pledge or divert funds from your retirement to the program; the mega church pastors who advocate such building projects are not dipping into theirs, and they won't be around to help you in your old age.

Suppose if the actual price tag is $150 million - which is not far-fetched at all - and if the actual pledges that come in after 3 years are $100 million...you have just straddled your church with a $50 million debt that will cost tens of thousands of dollars per week to service the interest. In this case the "For Future Generations" will be referring to massive debt as well as a new campus.

If you believe the church should pay off the existing debt first and then bank maybe 10% of the new construction cost BEFORE embarking on construction, maybe you want to consider handing in your pledge card marked "undetermined" or "as the Lord provides".

2. An excessive pledge amount is not necessarily proof of great faith, and it does not mean you are a more faithful church member.
Don't get sucked into the idea that the more excessive or risky your pledge is, that the greater faith you are demonstrating. The televangelists use this trick all the time, your pledge to their ministry is the "seed" or the "bridge" to your blessings.

God doesn't expect you to give generously and sacrifically to a building fund. God can use your new buildings for His glory, no question, but he can also use your present facilities. Nowhere in the New Testament are believers encouraged to give to glamorous structures. They are commanded to be generous in helping fellow believers, and caring for the poor and widows. An excessive pledge will make your pastor happy, but it might be that God wants you to be doing OTHER good works with your money.

3. Be cautious in approving the project
If the estimated cost of the campus is $130 million, based on depressed construction costs, be safe and assume the cost will be a minimum of $150. If your church does not get to at least $150 million in committments, I would hesitate to approve the project. People mean well, and might make committments they can't keep - especially since the hard marketing techniques may lead to committments based on emotion and may never pan out. When you're talking about projects in the hundreds of millions of dollars, your church can face financial ruin if you're off 20% on both the costs and the giving side of the equation.

4. Don't overestimate the importance of new buildings.
Don't think that your new campus is going to necessarily reach one single more person for Christ than you would with the old buildings. It's cliche to say "buildings don't reach people for Christ", but it's so true. You might need new buildings to replace the ancient ones that are falling apart, but don't think for a second that anybody in Dallas is going to be impressed with your new facilities. There's nothing you can build that will outdo the world's construction. The Crystal Campus looks glamorous in the videos and marketing pieces, but its still just a steel and glass.

You might steal some sheep with the newness and the "wow factor" at the grand opening, but your facilities within a couple of years will be outdone by some other church, your technology will become outdated, and the luster will have worn off. What reaches people for Christ are loving, committed disciplies of Christ who share the gospel in word and deed. It doesn't hurt either to have a genuine God-called preacher, and small bible study groups of loving people are what changes lives, not buildings. If you have that now, you already have what you need to do God's will.

About the last point: I was at FBC Jacksonville when the Children's Building and Visitor's Center was built around 2000. It was billed as the most state-of-the-art children's church facility at the time, and probably was. It was to provide a singular focal point downtown with the "water feature" with the high and lifted up cross, on the campus' central street corner (sound familiar?). It would tie our campus together with several more sky walkways to the pre-school building and a path to the worship center. It was going to give us a central point to greet our visitors in a beautiful foyer and conference area - which incidentally was converted to the Pastor's Office Suite that your former pastor now resides in - but I digress. And it was paid for in cash - no risk, the money was given, and then it was built.

I don't have the exact numbers, but I'm not sure that the building did much to grow the Children's program, or reached more families for Christ. You see, FBC Jax already had the best children's director in Shelly Baumgartner, and the best children's music director in Nancy Brandt. More than that, it had workers that were totally sold out to discipling children and reaching families. I worked one year in 4th grade the first year the building was in operation, and was blown away by the steadfast commitment of these FBC Jax children's workers. They were going to fulfill God's will for their ministry whether it be in that new building, or back in the circa 1920 building they were in prior to that. To be fair, that building now houses the FBC Academy, so it is serving dual purposes, which is good.

The lesson is: it ain't the building at all, its the people in the building, and their genuine love for people...seeing people as sinners who need a savior and families that need to be loved - not as noses and nickels. If you have a wonderful state of the art campus and an abusive, angry preacher (which you don't - on the latter), you might as well be back in the 100-year old building. If you have the most modern campus and your church is all about attracting the rich, the "beautiful people", Dallas will sense it and be turned off to your message. If you have a "water feature" that changes colors with the season, but have serious long-term debt that stifles your ability to carry out needed ministries - well, you get the picture.

Build, if God leads. But be sure it is God leading, and not man.

That's my two-cent's worth, from the Watchdog.

And on Commitment Sunday tell Sandy Patty I said "Hi".

Baptist Seminary Prez's Gone Wild: Cooper Calls Mexicans "Wetbacks", Caner Says Adopt Mexican Kids for Roof Repair and Yard Work

"BAPTIST SEMINARY PRESIDENTS GONE WILD!!!"

No wonder Baptists in the south have such a reputation as being hick, racist, rednecks.

Two Exhibits:

Exhibit #1: It was reported yesterday that Criswell College president Dr. Lamar Cooper referred to Mexicans as "wet-backs" during his Sunday School class broadcast by FBC Dallas on their Sunday morning radio broadcast. While no audio tape has surfaced, First Baptist Dallas and Criswell College have acknowledged the racial slur and issued apologies. As of this writing I know of no apology coming from Cooper. [update: this post first said it was made on his college radio broadcast - subsequent reports now say that the slur was made during his Sunday School class, which is broadcast by FBC Dallas on Sunday mornings between services; the above paragraph has been revised to reflect this. See this article].

Exhibit #2: While we're on the topic of seminary presidents speaking racial slurs against Mexicans, we can't help but reach into the Ergun Caner archives and quote one of Caner's many racial stereotypes that he pulls from his bag of tricks during his traveling show. During a conference in Seattle a few years back, Caner took a swipe at Mexicans (listen to audio clip below):

"The Mexican students [at Liberty] and I get along real well. They're my boys. I always joke with 'em, I say 'Man, if I ever adopt, I want to adopt a Mexican because I need work done on my roof. [uncomfortable laughter], and, and uh, I got a big lawn...so, [nervous laughter]." Ergun Caner, Seattle, WA.

My wife is Hispanic, and she is offended to hear Caner's Hispanic and Mexican stereotypes. I am too.

These are our leaders in our religious educational institutions, and they're speaking derogitorially of Hispanics? And the above reference to adopting Mexican children because they will fix roofs and do yard work is not the only stereotype Caner has used about Hispanics and Mexicans - it is standard fare during the E. Michael Caner traveling show.

One can only wonder if the Southern Baptists will have Caner tell this joke about adopting Mexicans for roof repair and yard work at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, where they will be emphasizing the importance of adoption.

Don Redman Asks Muslim to "Pray to Your God" For City Council

Don Redman, long-time FBC Jax member and City of Jacksonville councilman, during the hearing this week to consider the nomination of a Muslim professor to the city's Human Right's Commission, demanded the professor to pray "to his God" in front of the council. See the video clip below. Click here to read a related news article.

After the audible gasp of the crowd at such ignorance and stupidity, and the city attorney trying to step in to save Redman from making a complete fool of himself, Redman bumbles and stumbles to try to explain why he asked such a question - a question that could be considered a violation of the Constitution to put forth a religious test for a person to serve in a public office.

I'm sure FBC Jax is proud of their councilman. But of course, this coming from a FBC Jax member should not be a surprise...their number 2 preacher, Jim Smyrl, warned the FBC Jax faithful last year that if they stay silent as Muslims built a mosque in Jacksonville, "And a big dome goes up in our city and we sit back passively and say 'Well, if that's what they want to believe, alright." Well, get ready brother, 'cause your grandchildren are going to come under Muslim law if you keep silent" .

If there are legitimate concerns over this man's past, bring those up for discussion. But to ask him to recite a prayer to his god, is just plain ignorant and offensive, and a poor testimony.

Don, you hurt the cause of Christ when you act that way.

Ed Young Can't Drive 100 Miles to Tyler, Takes the Jet Instead

Brett Shipp of WFAA news in Dallas/Ft. Worth, came out with another news report asking valid questions about Ed Young's use of his private jet. Above is the news report, I encourage all clear-thinking Southern Baptists to watch it.

How sad that it takes a news reporter to hold guys like Ed Young accountable? Instead of Ed's friends and peers telling him to cool his heels with the jet, they fly in to defend his use of a jet at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars per trip.

Will the president of the Florida Baptist Convention, John Cross, fly out to defend Ed's use of the plane for trips to Tyler, Texas, and to exotic resort locations? Maybe the jet can fly to Florida and pick John up so he can again tell Fellowship Church how awesome Ed is. Remember, Florida Baptists: John Cross, your president, endorses these trips. He endorses 100-mile trips from Dallas to Tyler, Texas - he said so when he came to defend Ed in February after Shipp's first report. He endorses 50 trips from Dallas to Miami at the cost of millions of dollars.

But God is so good to Ed. Not only did God open the door for Ed to buy a church in Miami and slap his "Fellowship Church" brand on it, but what a coincidence that the Lord led Ed to buy a $1.1 million condo in Miami as well! Praise Jesus!

And what a coincidence - the most oft traveled to location of Ed's jet is Miami, where he has BOTH his condo and his new church...so he can mix "business" and pleasure on his jaunts to South Florida!

Perhaps the most disgusting display of excess in this report are the 10 trips taken from Dallas out to the church's retreat center in Tyler, Texas. Only 100 miles, a short hour and a half trip that would cost maybe $30 in gas, instead costs THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in the use of a leased jet.

But one thing is for sure: the people of Fellowship Church, and certainly Brett Shipp - will never, ever, EVER get their hands on detailed financial information. That is what we have learned about mega church pastors over the past 5 years. They will go down in flames, they will leave the church, before anyone will release financial information. Members at Fellowship Church either need to keep giving the money to fund this extravagance, or they need to stop funding it. If they keep funding it, they will just have to trust Ed that he is paying for ALL of his personal use of the jet at a fair reimbursement rate. It's all about trusting Ed.

And I don't trust these wealthy mega church celebrity pastors any further than I could pick them up and throw them.

But they know - people are gullible, they love to worship celebrities, and some of them are proud to fund such luxury for their "man of God". I have heard from several members who tell me that the heat is being turned up on givers to fork over more money as finances get tighter as more members leave.

Thank you, Brett Shipp. You are standing in the gap right now until the people of God get their head screwed on right and start holding their leaders accountable.

Caner 2001 Sermon at Prestonwood: The Worst Deception Yet

"And coming to America I had lived under the misconception that you hated me, as a Muslim. That really affected a lot of what I did in my younger years. I'm not really proud of the fact that I am part of, was part of Islamic Jihad. I'm not proud of the fact that it actually was my people who were involved in what took place in the horror [of 9/11]."

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I have maintained that the 11/20/01 sermon at FBC Jax is the most damning evidence against Caner, showing his intentions to deceive unsuspecting Christians over his background right after 9/11. But the Prestonwood Baptist Church sermon from late 2001 takes the cake. It was broadcast TODAY (4/26/10) on Focus on the Family, in their broadcast entitled "From Jihad to Jesus".

It only gets worse for Ergun Caner. The more we hear of his sermons, the more the lies and deceptions mount. The evidence is clear: he purposely misled Christians into thinking he was a trained terrorist, in the Islamic Jihad. The more guys like Tim Guthrie and Tim Rogers defend Caner, the worst it gets for Caner. Men that should be helping Caner see his need to confess and repent, are only making it worse for their friend.

Here are some of Caner's quotes from this whopper of a sermon preached by Caner shortly after 9/11 at Prestonwood Baptist Church:

"I was born in Sweden, raised in Turkey, came to America in 1978. When I came to America I came through Brooklyn, New York, of all places, which is where I learned English."

Unbelievable. Standing in front of shell-shocked Christians after 9/11, and Caner betrays their confidence by lying about where he was raised, where he learned English, and when he came to America. That is deception. A man that is misusing the pulpit to purposely mislead people about who he is and were he is from has no business being in the pulpit.

"English was not my first language....and I walked into that little church, my English was very poor...they didn't make fun of my accent, they didn't make fun of the clothes that I wore, or make fun of the fact that I wore a turbin, they didn't call me a 'towel-head'....a year later, still young in Christ, still with very bad English, I came forward in my little country church that loved me, and I surrendered to preach."

Notice, he wants people to think he was an immigrant as a teenager that could not speak English...when the fact is he was raised in America and spoke perfect English.

"I am not, um, I am not just a Muslim, I am not just a Sunni, and I wasn't just, um, involved in Islamic Jihad. I was the son of a Muasin, that's the cleric, the one who does the call to prayer, the beginning of the prayer time..."

Holy Cow!!! The man is telling people that he was raised in Turkey and was in Islamic Jihad! He wants people to think he was a trained terrorist. He did the same at FBC Jax on 11/20/01.

"I spent the first 17 years of my life assuming that you as Christians hated me. I mean I had never been in a church, I had never really been around too many Christians, there's not that many of them in Turkey or in Sweden..."

More outright deception. The man is saying that he grew up in Turkey, and thus was not exposed to Christians. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio. I assume he grew up with plenty of Christian friends.

"And coming to America I had lived under the misconception that you hated me, as a Muslim. That really affected a lot of what I did in my younger years. I'm not really proud of the fact that I am part of, was part of Islamic Jihad. I'm not proud of the fact that it actually was my people who were involved in what took place in the horror."

Now he is really laying it on thick. He is saying that as a youth he was part of the terrorists, that in his "younger years" he was involved with "his people" that committed the terror of 9/11. Creates a great story line: youth trained in terrorist Jihad came to America and found Jesus, else he would have been one of the 9/11 terrorists. Please. Why can't Caner just tell the truth about his youth?

"Do you know that most of the people, most of the Muslims, who were here on the bombing day, were shocked and horrified by what took place. Most Muslims were shocked by the bombing. Do you know why? Because here in America, Jihad is theory. But from where I come from, in Europe and the Middle East, Jihad is sadly, a fact of life. I was raised in it."

Again, purposeful deception to paint himself as an expert of Jihad, that he experienced it in Europe and the Middle East.

"Five times a day, even when I was in high school, even in Brooklyn, New York, I would get my prayer rug out of my closet, out of my locker, and roll it out in the, in the bathroom, and do my prayer."

OK, so he was in high school in Brooklyn, New York? I thought it was in Columbus, Ohio...when did he move to Brooklyn from Columbus?

Unbelievable. The more that comes out about the deceptions, and the more his peers defend him and don't call for him to publicly confess and repent, the harder the eventual fall will be.

And the more embarrassing it will be to us in the Southern Baptist Convention, that we didn't do our due diligence, and we bought his deception hook, line, and sinker.