In this article we will be discussing what many psychologist are calling close cousins to Hypocrisy and addiction; OCD, OCPD and OCS.
Let’s start with hypocrisy in the church.
It’s often been said that without hypocrites there would be no churches, church members or even Christians.
The reality of that often stated comment is all too real. After all, Jesus called the very Jewish religious leaders of the day hypocrites because of their aggressive finger pointing as to the minute areas of the law. The most famous of these passages is found in Matthew 23 where Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Jesus goes on to call these leaders, “Blind guides, blind fools and blind men”.
Interestingly enough, Jesus tells the crowds and the people listening that they should follow what the leaders say and not what they do.
In today’s society however, Christians have taken it to the EXTREME and try to tell others that no one should follow anyone who is not living by what they preach; a total reversal of Jesus’ teaching!
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the former Presidential Candidate and speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich (and the now cancelled and controversial) ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth in the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA in the show called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it (if you can find it) and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
ems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing also.
It’s often been said that without hypocrites there would be no churches, church members or even Christians.
The reality of that often stated comment is all too real. After all, Jesus called the very Jewish religious leaders of the day hypocrites because of their aggressive finger pointing as to the minute areas of the law. The most famous of these passages is found in Matthew 23 where Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Jesus goes on to call these leaders, “Blind guides, blind fools and blind men”.
Interestingly enough, Jesus tells the crowds and the people listening that they should follow what the leaders say and not what they do.
In today’s society however, Christians have taken it one step further and try to tell others that no one should follow anyone who is not living by what they preach.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing too.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing too.
n this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing too.
.
It’s often been said that without hypocrites there would be no churches, church members or even Christians.
The reality of that often stated comment is all too real. After all, Jesus called the very Jewish religious leaders of the day hypocrites because of their aggressive finger pointing as to the minute areas of the law. The most famous of these passages is found in Matthew 23 where Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Jesus goes on to call these leaders, “Blind guides, blind fools and blind men”.
Interestingly enough, Jesus tells the crowds and the people listening that they should follow what the leaders say and not what they do.
In today’s society however, Christians have taken it one step further and try to tell others that no one should follow anyone who is not living by what they preach.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing too.
.
Hypocrisy in the church
It’s often been said that without hypocrites there would be no churches, church members or even Christians.
The reality of that often stated comment is all too real. After all, Jesus called the very Jewish religious leaders of the day hypocrites because of their aggressive finger pointing as to the minute areas of the law. The most famous of these passages is found in Matthew 23 where Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Jesus goes on to call these leaders, “Blind guides, blind fools and blind men”.
Interestingly enough, Jesus tells the crowds and the people listening that they should follow what the leaders say and not what they do.
In today’s society however, Christians have taken it one step further and try to tell others that no one should follow anyone who is not living by what they preach.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts, and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
Christians are people too. We make mistakes. Indeed we sin; we all sin.
As the old saying goes, the church is made of “saints and sinners” and there are far more sinners than saints and even those considered saints would tell you they are simply sinners saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The GCB show doesn’t just emphasize the sin or hypocrisy of this wealthy Christian community in Dallas; it also shows the redemptive and even repentant side of Christians as well.
The entire show centers around a once small town wealthy cheer leader bully, who left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing too.
.
It’s often been said that without hypocrites there would be no churches, church members or even Christians.
The reality of that often stated comment is all too real. After all, Jesus called the very Jewish religious leaders of the day hypocrites because of their aggressive finger pointing as to the minute areas of the law. The most famous of these passages is found in Matthew 23 where Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Jesus goes on to call these leaders, “Blind guides, blind fools and blind men”.
Interestingly enough, Jesus tells the crowds and the people listening that they should follow what the leaders say and not what they do.
In today’s society however, Christians have taken it one step further and try to tell others that no one should follow anyone who is not living by what they preach.
It seems according to many today, that Jesus words should be “don’t even listen to those who are not living one hundred percent according to scripture” instead of, “So you MUST be careful to DO everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach”.
Two current examples are: the Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich and the new ABC Television series, GCB, based on a book by Kim Gaitlin called “Good Christian Bitches”.
With regard to Newt Gingrich, many have called him a hypocrite because of his not “practicing what he has preached” with regard to conservative values and divorcing a wife while she was in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. Some have accused him of even being a womanizer simply because he was having a long term affair with his administrative assistant while still married.
As a result, many in the conservative Christian and political communities have virtually labeled Gingrich “unclean” and unfit and should not serve.
Ironically, Newt Gingrich was one of the first politicians to come out against the new ABC television series, GCB claiming it was something which is bringing the country down and diminishing faith and values.
With regard to GCB which ABC has described as: “GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up”?
It just happens that the hometown is wealthy Highland, TX, a suburb of Dallas and centers on the church and how it has interacted over the years with individuals who grew up in the same High School, church and community.
In this pastor/writer’s opinion, the fact that the story line focuses on the Christian Church alone is pretty amazing; and several of the stars are even known for their bold Christian belief, including Kristin Chenoweth who has stated that “she’s a Christian, but doesn’t find the show’s plotline offensive”.
Chenoweth says, “There’s a difference between making fun of something and having fun with something. And we do the latter.”
The list of politicians, radio talk show host and Christian leaders who have voiced negative opinions is far too numerous to include here. Of course as usual by my peers, most haven’t even seen the program and as such are making “hypocritical” opinions. These people need to remember that even Jesus ate and drank with sinners, spoke to the Pharisees and even the devil before making His decision or comments.
The topics from these pseudo-righteous pundits range basically from bad to worst emphasizing that the show is another attack on the Christian community and if it were another religion such as Islam, there is no way ABC would air it.
This of course really isn’t true because CBS, NBC and ABC have all had sitcoms over the past several years which have gone out of their way to include Islam and Islamic peoples into the mainstream of American culture and allowed self-debasing humor of their own people and religion somewhat frequently. The truth is most of these folks just don’t watch television and breed on conflict; for them GCB is just another opportunity for conflict.
The irony is this is pure hypocrisy itself.
This pastor/writer many years ago was an associate pastor in a neighboring Dallas suburb not too far from Highlands and the truth is the show is pretty close to reality.
Having also pastored a church in a wealthier area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and there as well the truth was obvious; the social climate and make up of a community can and will definitely influence the actions of people even in the church.
In this writer/pastor’s opinion, this show is all about the fact that all communities have their own little idiosyncrasies; in the community of Dallas represented in GCB, it is wealthy people and their involvement in the church.
Of course, this is not the first television program which portrayed Christians in a light somewhat less than perfect. In the mid 1980’s, Sherman Hensley played the somewhat dysfunctional deacon in a predominantly black community church in Philadelphia, PA called “Amen” and then like now the pundits came out saying that television was mocking the Christian church.
In the late 1990’s Dan Aykroyd played a dysfunctional, widowed Episcopal priest with four children and a curate who just happen to be the nephew of his Bishop in the sitcom called “Soul Man”. The church was especially outraged by the Aykroyd’s Blue’s Brother’s duet which included the late John Beluchi who died of a drug overdose singing the theme song, “Soul-Man”. There were boycotts and writing campaigns against a very entertaining and true to life show about Christian life and the church.
In short, this very funny show, GCB is not all a slap against Christianity or women at all and most of the complaints are from people who haven’t even seen or refuse to see the show because they are too busy planning boycotts and letter writing campaigns against it.
It’s very sad that Christians can’t relax and just laugh at themselves. I’m sure Jesus who laughed allot is probably very sad over Christians taking such a legalistic approach and pointing fingers at others.
The basic storyline is about a hometown wealthy cheer leader bully. She left, loses everything including her husband and is forced to move back home and live with her mother.
Although there are a select few who seek to reign a terror of revenge on this once brutal bully; they are also often seen as sympathizing with her loss, seeking to help her and the often acts of repentance demonstrated within the show are pretty amazing.
For those who haven’t seen the show and continue their “hypocritical” finger pointing at something they know nothing about, I suggest you watch it and pray that God will give you a clear mind before watching.
One more thing, God will not punish you if you see yourself in some of these very funny situations and laugh your head off.
One thing for sure, most of us as Christians are hypocrites from time to time just like the good folks portrayed in the show, GCB.
The Church is made up of Christians who are just people; people who are all sinners simply saved by God’s marvelous grace through the sacrifice of Jesus and we will all continue to make mistakes until the day we die.
But this is just the opinion of one sinner saved by the grace of God.
If I am considered a hypocrite for laughing at the reality of the sometime hypocritical actions of Christians, then so be it. I have a pretty good idea that God knowing man and having made us in His image, is laughing to
In Pt.2 we will look at the similarities and differences between OCD, OCPD and OCS as opposed to a compulsive or addictive sinful act.
© 2022 Dr. Lee W. Outlaw III
On the Road to a Sound Mind with L.W.Outlaw PhD 