Received an email from someone who has seen several new TV commercials that have been running late at night, perhaps on Channel 12 or Fox News. Maybe we paid for those in our special "Media Evangelism" offering on Resurrection Day.
One of the TV spots could be entitled "Your Third Place". It features Mac holding a large coffee cup, probably in his study as it looks like there are books in the background, and explaining how the success of Starbucks is attributed to their stores being not just "coffee shops" but "third places" in peoples' lives. Mac explains how everyone needs a "third place" in addition to their "home" and "work" - the third place where they can gather, relax, meet people, etc. Starbucks has created environments at which people are comfortable as the "third place" in their lives.
Then Mac says: "Why not consider something very radical: make FBC Jacksonville your 'third place'". He says a few other words about the church, then closes with the very witty invite: "You visit FBC Jacksonville, and after the service the coffee is on me.". Aw shucks, Mac wants to buy you a cup o' joe; oh boy, I can see the crowds coming to have some coffee with Mac - is he just speaking figuratively, or is there a place where we can enjoy a latte with Mac?
Nothing new and innovative here; the church marketing bunch has been presenting this concept of the church as the "third place" in people's lives for quite a while. I'm just not sold on the idea that our church is really going to be an attractive place for some person to try it out as their "third place".
Just thought I'd share this with you, since its likely you'll not hear anything from Mac on the results of the Media Evangelism offering otherwise he'd have told you already and you might not be up late enough to see these spots. As one poster said here earlier, the decision to buy the TV spots and the decision to put Mac on INSP network was probably already made and in the works - the Media Evangelism offering was really not really a means of raising the funds so we could do these things - but a ploy to raise funds to help pay for something already decided upon. My guess is that we'll hear nothing about the Media Evangelism offering, but come May we'll see InLight back on at INSP network. You can bet the Watchdog will be watching and will let you know.
Your thoughts?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Debbie Brunson Elected Secretary of IMB Trustees
According to the SBC Today blog, today Debbie Brunson was elected as "Secretary" of the International Mission Board trustees. She will begin her term at the conclusion of the SBC Convention in Indianapolis June 10-11.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Where Was Mac?
Today the Florida Times Union published a front page story critical of Jacksonville community leaders who volunteered to serve on Mayor John Peyton's anti-crime panel last year. The attendance overall at 7 meetings held since December has been around 50%. Mac Brunson, pastor of the First Baptist Church Jacksonville agreed to be on the panel's "Steering Committee", but unfortunately Mac has only made 2 of the 7 meetings held since last December, for an embarrassing 29% attendance rate.
Here is the table from the newspaper today that shows Mac's 29% attendance at the Steering Committee meetings; notice he made the first two but has missed the last 5.
Here is the table from the newspaper today that shows Mac's 29% attendance at the Steering Committee meetings; notice he made the first two but has missed the last 5.
That is quite embarrassing, that our pastor has volunteered to help reduce crime in our city, yet can't find the time to make it to but 29% of the meetings as a member of the Steering Committee. As reported here on this blog last year, in August before the Day of Prayer Mac talked about how the high murder rate is unacceptable, in fact he said: "There are people in our city that have to live everyday with gunfire in their neighborhood; no one should have to live like that, I don't care WHO they are!" and then he followed that with: "I wouldn't put up with that in my neighborhood...in fact I have 5 or 6 guns, I wouldn't put up with it." Of course Mac lives in an exclusive gated community backing up to a golf course, so its a good thing he has those guns to protect himself. But I wonder, is Mac all talk and no action? Is he really concerned about crime in our city? Or was it just politically expedient for him to say he was, but when it comes time to roll up the sleeves and get to work on the problem he can't find the time? To quote Ed Hearle, a member of the law enforcement committee who has made all of the meetings: "Seems to me if you agreed to serve on something this important, you'd be there half of the time."
This leads one to ask another question that was never answered: to what extent did FBC Jacksonville follow through with its offer to help Pastor Daniel Jones rebuild his church? In the Sunday evening service on September 30th, 2007, Mac Brunson publicly offered to help Pastor Jones get his church facilities, which are located in a crime-ridden part of our city, back and usable after there were nearly burned down by arsonists not happy with the influence Pastor Jones was making in that part of the city. We ask this question because the Times Union reported just a few weeks ago that its been a year since the arson of Pastor Jones's church, and six months since Mac Brunson offered his help, and Pastor Jones was still not back into his church facilities. One would hope that FBC Jax followed through with that commitment to help, but one wonders after seeing the Times Union article.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Its Enough To Make One Feel Sorry for Mac
Tonight I actually felt sorry for Mac. He showed tonight that he is unable to differentiate between: a) valid concern, even well-meaning opposition from those in his congregation over his leadership, personal actions, and decision making methods at our church, from b) opposition that a preacher might receive from anti-Christian forces for preaching truth. Big difference. Perhaps when a preacher like Mac faces some opposition or even criticism in the church it just might be God moving in His people to get the pastor's attention, maybe to keep him from doing something he shouldn't.
Tonight using Philipians 1: 27-29, toward the end of sermon, Mac called those who might be concerned over the start up of a school or his plans for satellites, easily "spooked" like a horse. Then using verses 28 and 29 where Paul speaks of those who oppose the Phillipian Christians as a sign they will be saved by God and are thus in the will of God, and that the opposers will be destroyed, Mac indirectly compared himself to Jerry Vines who was attacked for his "Mohammed was a demon-possed pedophile" remark at the SBC some years ago. He then made reference to Paige Patterson who is being attached and "crucified" because he takes strong biblical stands. I'm not sure what kind of similar "opposition" that Mac faces that he is referring to, but it must be that which is internal to his church because he spoke about how so many in the church are scared to start a school, and their "hair stands on end" when we consider satellites, and he mentioned those pesky emails again. Sometimes its hard to follow Mac, but he certainly led his listeners to believe that versus 28 and 29 apply to his ministry and the opposition he has faced of late over things like holding unannounced votes to take $500k for a school, the $300k land gift he accepted, etc...none of these things has anything remotely to do with strong stands he has taken, but rather poor judgement exhibited by Mac himself.
So to follow Mac's logic, he is facing stiff opposition in his plans because he is a strong preacher like Vines and takes strong stands like Patterson, but to Mac the opposition he faces (which is all internal to his church) is a sign to him that he IS in the will of God. And if he believes that verses 28 and 29 apply to our church now in the opposition being raised against Mac (how bad can it be anyways, he did get the obligatory "envelope" and pastor's wife flowers for his aniversary, with TWO standing ovations for the excellent job his first two years), then that means Mac views opposition to his plans as coming from those who are opposed to God.
That is dangerous stuff - to make the claim that the opposition he is facing over the direction he is taking the church and questionable actions he has taken - is tantamount to opposition that Paul warned the Philipians of from anti-Christians - well, its just scary.
Unless you've drunk the Kool-Aid already, then I suppose it all makes perfect sense.
Would you like that in Grape or Cherry?
Tonight using Philipians 1: 27-29, toward the end of sermon, Mac called those who might be concerned over the start up of a school or his plans for satellites, easily "spooked" like a horse. Then using verses 28 and 29 where Paul speaks of those who oppose the Phillipian Christians as a sign they will be saved by God and are thus in the will of God, and that the opposers will be destroyed, Mac indirectly compared himself to Jerry Vines who was attacked for his "Mohammed was a demon-possed pedophile" remark at the SBC some years ago. He then made reference to Paige Patterson who is being attached and "crucified" because he takes strong biblical stands. I'm not sure what kind of similar "opposition" that Mac faces that he is referring to, but it must be that which is internal to his church because he spoke about how so many in the church are scared to start a school, and their "hair stands on end" when we consider satellites, and he mentioned those pesky emails again. Sometimes its hard to follow Mac, but he certainly led his listeners to believe that versus 28 and 29 apply to his ministry and the opposition he has faced of late over things like holding unannounced votes to take $500k for a school, the $300k land gift he accepted, etc...none of these things has anything remotely to do with strong stands he has taken, but rather poor judgement exhibited by Mac himself.
So to follow Mac's logic, he is facing stiff opposition in his plans because he is a strong preacher like Vines and takes strong stands like Patterson, but to Mac the opposition he faces (which is all internal to his church) is a sign to him that he IS in the will of God. And if he believes that verses 28 and 29 apply to our church now in the opposition being raised against Mac (how bad can it be anyways, he did get the obligatory "envelope" and pastor's wife flowers for his aniversary, with TWO standing ovations for the excellent job his first two years), then that means Mac views opposition to his plans as coming from those who are opposed to God.
That is dangerous stuff - to make the claim that the opposition he is facing over the direction he is taking the church and questionable actions he has taken - is tantamount to opposition that Paul warned the Philipians of from anti-Christians - well, its just scary.
Unless you've drunk the Kool-Aid already, then I suppose it all makes perfect sense.
Would you like that in Grape or Cherry?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Mac Brunson Interview During Pastor's Conference
If you haven't already, visit this site:
Mac Brunson Interview at SBC Today
and you'll hear an interview of Mac Brunson conducted by SBC Today's Tim Rogers during the Pastor's Conference in February.
Some Highlights:
"How do you deal with blogs that are set up to harm the ministry?" asks Tim Rogers.
Fast forward to the 4:55 mark to hear this question and Mac's response that most blogs are nothing more than women gossiping in a beauty shop. Wow, talk about "living in the past", Mac, you definitely are there. Mac also claims he never reads these blogs.
"What does the next Southern Baptist President need to focus on?"
Fast forward to the 10:00 mark to hear Mac say that the next president needs to "save his hide" because "they" are going to be "draw and quarter him". According to Mac there are two main issues he's worried about in the SBC:
1. The way pastor's treat each other, and "hurting pastors"...and he uses of all people Darrel Gilyard as an example of a hurting pastor. He then sets up a straw man to defend Patterson ("Dr. Patterson didn't make that man do that, he sinned on his own.") and then he says Patterson and Vines didn't cover anything up (in reference to the Gilyard story) because "they'd enjoy exposing it too much." It is a strange thing to point to Gilyard as an example of how pastors are hurting. I'm sure he must regret using that as an example.
2. "Massive egos that are out there....its sad because its no more about Jesus its about the personality." Tim Rogers showed great restraint in not laughing out loud as Mac called the kettle black. But one thing is for sure, Mac hit the nail on the head with that comment; only problem is he's also talking about himself.
"How do you and Debbie follow God's call..." relative to deciding where God's call is to a ministry.
Go to the 6:30 mark and hear how Mac explains that he consults with his wife and that a man and wife should be of one accord in important decisions. Then Mac says again what he has said multiple times from the pulpit: "Why is a woman more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit than men are? I think they are. I really do. Now I can't prove that in scripture but I really believe they are. If the Lord confirms it [the decision] in her heart, then its kind of a word to me."
I've really thought about Mac's view that in general women are more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit than men, but the more I think about that the more disturbing I find that Mac believes that and has said it multiple times to us. Sure women are more "sensitive" to many things that men are not, but as a blanket statement "women are more sensitive to the Holy Spirit than men are" is absurd. As much as I find it disturbing, I also find that knowing Mac believes this helps me understand some of the decisions made by Team Brunson during their first two years. More on that later. He also says at the 22:00 minute mark about taking a special office or position in the SBC - he whispers "I don't think my wife would let me do it" - and he wasn't joking.
At the 19:45 mark Tim Rogers states: "There seems to be this persona out there that you have got to be this huge mega church pastor...this celebrity status person to be able to invest your life in others..."
Mac responds: "We have got to get away from this concept of celebrity status. God saves us from that. We are not celebrities. We worship the only 'celebrity' - that's Christ. All ground is level at the foot of the cross. God doesn't love me any more than he loves any other pastor."
Wow. I'm glad Mac cleared that up for everyone: God loves pastors at smaller churches as much as he loves the mega church pastors! I wonder if Mac came to this conclusion about how we have to get away from the "celebrity status" AFTER accepting the $300k land gift, since that is what celebrities get - they get love and affection (and gifts) from people who don't really know them but are impressed by their name and their positions of power. Many decisions Mac has made since coming to FBC Jacksonville contradict this statement. If Mac truly believed this, what a statement it would have made for him to refuse the land gift but instead announce to the church that this gift is going to the school, or to some other ministry instead of purchasing him land and enriching himself by $300k at the stroke of a pen.
Lastly, at the 22:00 mark, Mac said his joy is watching his children blossom into ministry. He says: "I have one son here with me, who ran this whole conference; this whole conference was on his shoulders." Unbelievable. I'm certain it was a great conference, and that Trey did a wonderful job organizing it, but this points to the dangers of nepotism especially involving a leader's children. Its difficult for parents to realistically assess their children's performance - that "whole conference" is not on Trey's shoulders. The conference is what it is because of what it has been in the past, and the reputation our church has that still draws people to our church's ministries. Furthermore there were hundreds and hundreds of volunteers that made the conference a success, and many of our ministers organized the pastor's conference for 20+ years long before Trey came - and these ministers juggled their other ministry responsibilities along with the PC. But Mac gives credit to his son and never mentions his church. Another example of celebrity mentality.
Mac Brunson Interview at SBC Today
and you'll hear an interview of Mac Brunson conducted by SBC Today's Tim Rogers during the Pastor's Conference in February.
Some Highlights:
"How do you deal with blogs that are set up to harm the ministry?" asks Tim Rogers.
Fast forward to the 4:55 mark to hear this question and Mac's response that most blogs are nothing more than women gossiping in a beauty shop. Wow, talk about "living in the past", Mac, you definitely are there. Mac also claims he never reads these blogs.
"What does the next Southern Baptist President need to focus on?"
Fast forward to the 10:00 mark to hear Mac say that the next president needs to "save his hide" because "they" are going to be "draw and quarter him". According to Mac there are two main issues he's worried about in the SBC:
1. The way pastor's treat each other, and "hurting pastors"...and he uses of all people Darrel Gilyard as an example of a hurting pastor. He then sets up a straw man to defend Patterson ("Dr. Patterson didn't make that man do that, he sinned on his own.") and then he says Patterson and Vines didn't cover anything up (in reference to the Gilyard story) because "they'd enjoy exposing it too much." It is a strange thing to point to Gilyard as an example of how pastors are hurting. I'm sure he must regret using that as an example.
2. "Massive egos that are out there....its sad because its no more about Jesus its about the personality." Tim Rogers showed great restraint in not laughing out loud as Mac called the kettle black. But one thing is for sure, Mac hit the nail on the head with that comment; only problem is he's also talking about himself.
"How do you and Debbie follow God's call..." relative to deciding where God's call is to a ministry.
Go to the 6:30 mark and hear how Mac explains that he consults with his wife and that a man and wife should be of one accord in important decisions. Then Mac says again what he has said multiple times from the pulpit: "Why is a woman more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit than men are? I think they are. I really do. Now I can't prove that in scripture but I really believe they are. If the Lord confirms it [the decision] in her heart, then its kind of a word to me."
I've really thought about Mac's view that in general women are more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit than men, but the more I think about that the more disturbing I find that Mac believes that and has said it multiple times to us. Sure women are more "sensitive" to many things that men are not, but as a blanket statement "women are more sensitive to the Holy Spirit than men are" is absurd. As much as I find it disturbing, I also find that knowing Mac believes this helps me understand some of the decisions made by Team Brunson during their first two years. More on that later. He also says at the 22:00 minute mark about taking a special office or position in the SBC - he whispers "I don't think my wife would let me do it" - and he wasn't joking.
At the 19:45 mark Tim Rogers states: "There seems to be this persona out there that you have got to be this huge mega church pastor...this celebrity status person to be able to invest your life in others..."
Mac responds: "We have got to get away from this concept of celebrity status. God saves us from that. We are not celebrities. We worship the only 'celebrity' - that's Christ. All ground is level at the foot of the cross. God doesn't love me any more than he loves any other pastor."
Wow. I'm glad Mac cleared that up for everyone: God loves pastors at smaller churches as much as he loves the mega church pastors! I wonder if Mac came to this conclusion about how we have to get away from the "celebrity status" AFTER accepting the $300k land gift, since that is what celebrities get - they get love and affection (and gifts) from people who don't really know them but are impressed by their name and their positions of power. Many decisions Mac has made since coming to FBC Jacksonville contradict this statement. If Mac truly believed this, what a statement it would have made for him to refuse the land gift but instead announce to the church that this gift is going to the school, or to some other ministry instead of purchasing him land and enriching himself by $300k at the stroke of a pen.
Lastly, at the 22:00 mark, Mac said his joy is watching his children blossom into ministry. He says: "I have one son here with me, who ran this whole conference; this whole conference was on his shoulders." Unbelievable. I'm certain it was a great conference, and that Trey did a wonderful job organizing it, but this points to the dangers of nepotism especially involving a leader's children. Its difficult for parents to realistically assess their children's performance - that "whole conference" is not on Trey's shoulders. The conference is what it is because of what it has been in the past, and the reputation our church has that still draws people to our church's ministries. Furthermore there were hundreds and hundreds of volunteers that made the conference a success, and many of our ministers organized the pastor's conference for 20+ years long before Trey came - and these ministers juggled their other ministry responsibilities along with the PC. But Mac gives credit to his son and never mentions his church. Another example of celebrity mentality.
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