the basic message #E205
10/24/03
D. James Kennedy is a dangerous man. Maybe not in the sense of doing physical harm to anyone, although he might if he could get away with it. I've listened to Kennedy on and off for about 20 years, and it seems to me that at one time he was a well-grounded minister. I don't know what's happened in the meanwhile, but his mean spirit shouts out during most of his "Truths that Transform" radio programs. Perhaps I'll be guilty of the same today, but it needs to be done.
Kennedy is like many other high-profile preachers of our day- he is no longer satisfied to simply proclaim the gospel, rather he has an agenda to dismantle anything and everything that disagrees with "The world according to Kennedy". His daily radio shows are as likely to talk about the President, Congress or the Supreme Court than to talk about Jesus Christ. Kennedy has a way of taking his own viewpoint and declaring it as if it is undisputable fact. I heard his announcer make a comment this week about the program for the following day in which Kennedy would go "toe to toe" with Sam Donaldson. Unfortunately I missed most of that show, so I went to Kennedy's website to get the transcript or and factual data about the interaction. Nothing was listed, so I've sent a request in to Coral Ridge Ministries to get that data. I will withhold listing this message on my website for a week to give his people time to respond. As of November 12th, I still haven't heard from them. That doesn't surprise me.
I personally believe that Kennedy is a loose cannon and is a good candidate as poster-boy for the American Redneck Mentality. If you get a chance to watch his TV broadcast you will see he has thousands in his weekly audience. His style appeals to the average "don't get mad.........get even" outlook of many right-wing American Christians. He will lash out at anyone who doesn't embrace President Bush or anyone who doesn't despise Bill Clinton. His support of the War in Iraq is unwavering, and again, he will attack anyone who questions the war. Kennedy's historical view of the founding of America is always grounded in the "fact" that the infant United States was almost totally Christian based. If I'm not mistaken, he might have even gone so far as to report that the United States, in its early years, was about 98% Christian. I'd like to know where he got that number, but, then again, I'd like to know where he gets most of his "facts". Kennedy is the classic "John Wayne" preacher of our time- just preach it loud and strong and most gullible people will believe it.
Perhaps D. James Kennedy is only part of the problem, since he would only be a clanging cymbal if he had no audience. We live in an angry America that loves to be stroked by hot-heads like Kennedy. He would fall on his face if there wasn't a real hunger out there for men like him that pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he does. Kennedy is simply a catalyst for an America public bent on revenge and a reclaiming of "rights". He frequently speaks about the "Homosexual agenda" as if there is any such thing. He's not alone, though. Men like James Dobson and Charles Stanley stand shoulder to shoulder with Kennedy in bashing anyone or anything that contradicts their beliefs. The saddest part of the whole thing is that Charles Stanley often preaches good, solid Bible truths but when he gets off track, he really gets way out there. Kennedy, on the other hand, stays on the ragged edge. We live in a time in which most American Christians don't read their Bibles, so when D. James enters the pulpit and proclaims "God says", many people will simply accept it as fact. It's a heinous thing when people seek out a minister that fits their mold for the hateful views they already possess rather than trying to find a minister who truly tries to represent God's love.
How can we determine if any pastor, whether famous or not, is a true man or woman of God? I think it's pretty simple- Read the four Gospels and learn how Jesus Christ acted when he walked this earth. Heck, just read the book of Matthew, that will tell you 95% of what you need to know about Jesus. Listen to his words and hear what he condemns and what he avoids discussing. Listen how he deals with those who oppose him and hate him. Read how his life was filled with building unity rather than working to destroy it. Learn in detail what kind of man Jesus Christ was, and then compare that ideal to your favorite pastors. When I compare D. James Kennedy to Jesus Christ, I see very little, if any, that the two have in common. You decide.