Thursday, September 12, 2013

A short open letter to K-Love radio

Posted on K-Love's Facebook wall and removed by the admins less than an hour later:

Dear K-Love,
My family and I have been longtime listeners, but the poor theology and messages that are downright anti-Gospel at times in the songs you play have driven me away. The final straw came the other day when my wife and children returned from running errands, and my kids started telling me about how a K-Love DJ had referred to Honi the Circle-Maker and the biblically-warranted need to "pray bold prayers".

My friends, nothing in the Word of God teaches that we ought to pray bold prayers (whatever that means). Does "give us this day our daily bread" sound "bold"? How about "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"? "Bold"?

When you devolve to the point that your staff uncritically repeats unbiblical teachings they've picked up in their churches which are probably themselves quite corrupt theologically, it's time for the true follower of Jesus to move on, for the sake (if nothing else) of my childrens' impressionable minds. If your DJs insist on speaking on the air (though your station is supposed to play music), how about they just read Scripture aloud? Far better than to parrot men who flirt with heresy like Mark Batterson.

http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2011/11/the-circle-maker.html
http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2012/02/hide-your-kids-hide-your-wife.html

It's not just Circle-Maker, though. For a long time I have been amazed at your lack of theological acumen. You don't even seem to care that, say, Phillips Craig & Dean are unrepentant anti-Trinitarians who deny the Gospel of justification by faith alone. You don't care that Jaci Velasquez is in movies wearing nothing but bra and panties on camera. That Amy Grant is an adulteress. That "You're an overcomer" is one of the most wickedly deceptive songs I've ever heard in my entire life. Many more examples could be adduced.

May the Lord have mercy on you by bringing you to a knowledge of the truth, and may He forgive you for loving the status quo more than you love your listeners.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see your point, but I think for any ministry that is that visible, you can find areas to disagree with. Everyday, they have an "Encouraging Word" daily Bible verse that they mention once an hour throughout the day. They have great stories and their motive is to bring people closer to Christ.

- Avid K-LOVE Listener

P.S. As for the Facebook wall, they have a global policy to delete all links from their Facebook page.

Rhology said...

That's true about the links. They took down the unlinked version too, however.

And about those encouraging Bible verses - they are carefully culled so as to lead people into happy-skippyanity, which is far from biblical religion. They never mention sin or wrath, and so never mention the reason behind the cross.

Shane Dodson said...

God's word NEVER returns void (or empty)...even when K-LOVE takes them out of context.

Praise God.

Four Pointer said...

"I was aimlessly turning the radio dial when I happened upon a song that had nothing to do with Christ or His work on the cross, and I was instantly convicted of my sin and my need for a Savior!!"

Said no one.

Ever.

Rhology said...

But Wayne, he might've been encouraged so he could get through the day.

Michael Coughlin said...

Yeah, good points, bro. I was a financial supporter for a while then found that they had a 7th Day Adventist on their board of directors.

Michael Coughlin said...

Although it may not be entirely bad to go "boldly" to the throne of grace.

Rhology said...

Although it may not be entirely bad to go "boldly" to the throne of grace.

If one has a biblical recognition of the holiness of God and the wretchedness of man, one will realise that ANY approaching to God requires extreme boldness and is in fact lethal folly but for the shed blood of the risen Savior.

That's sufficient boldness. :-)

Anonymous said...

My wife and I stopped listening to/supporting K-Love about 10 years ago for the selfsame reasons you've identified herein.

More recently I've been inspired by influential pastor-teachers to build a 16,000 sqft. home for myself.

Positive, encouraging, self-love!

Rhology said...

I've been inspired by influential pastor-teachers to build a 16,000 sqft. home for myself.

Pastor-teachers are supposed to be an example for the flock!
I'm sure your motives, just like theirs, are entirely pure, so go for it!

Anonymous said...

*snort*

Yeah...pure! "Judge not!" "Touch not mine anointed!"

But seriously, I was baffled by the tortured logic RC Jr. employed in your exchange. Furtick? I mean, no real surprises there, right? If anything I'm surprised that it's only 16k sqft.

But the hapless defense from Sproul? Pathetic. There's a nut that fell far, far from the tree. Hope you and yours are well, are you still an acting Nihon-jin? If memory serves correctly you were heading over last I saw...but it's been a while.

CD

Rhology said...

Yeah, RCSJr is certainly a little weird. I love him for the way he talks about abortion, but OTOH I see no evidence that he has repented for what appears to be financial indiscretions and, worse still, excessive exercises of overbearing pastoral "authority". And then of course there's the FV stuff.

I think that sort of thing is all part of the Lord's plan to help us trust not in men.

I love James White to death, but I have detected some blind spots in him here and there. Same thing - there is one perfect Man, and one only.

These days I am focusing much more on abolition and on a potential mission move to France. The latter is not moving very much. The former is moving a lot.

Anonymous said...

You're spot on Rho, "the best of men are but men at best." I'll remember you in prayer on both of your focus items. Take care, bro.

CD

Unknown said...

Rhobology, in your letter you said, "My friends, nothing in the Word of God teaches that we ought to pray bold prayers... "

Really? So it wasn't bold for Joshua to pray for the sun to stand still in Joshua 10? Asking for a mountain to be moved into the sea isn't bold? (Mark 11:23) And certainly Jesus wasn't teaching us to be bold in prayer, even if he directly told us to be in the parable of the midnight visitor (Luke 11:8)

Many angry, short-sighted Christians spend too much time throwing darts at one another, upset over theological purity, Bible translations, and hair length; and too little time upset over lost hurting people in their world. I trust that is not descriptive of you or others on this sight.

-Todd Crofford
pastortodd1@gmail.com

Rhology said...

Hello Brother Todd,

Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you won't mind if I respectfully disagree, as you have done.

May I ask you to consider what went before and after in Joshua 10?
8The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” 9So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal. 10And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”13So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
14There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Three things to note here:
1) The Lord Himself promised Joshua a specific outcome, that the Canaanites would not stand before the Hebrews.
The Lord does not speak to people today in that specific way with specific promises about specific events. Rather, He promises in Rom 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He instructs us to make disciples of all nations and to work with our hands. Etc.

2) The author of Joshua recognises the rarity of the event in v14.

3) We can't take prescriptions from descriptive texts without the linking exegesis, which you did not provide.


As for Mark 11:23, He wasn't saying that we SHOULD ask for that. He was using creative hyperbole to talk about the importance of faith. Why didn't He teach His disciples to pray "When you pray, say 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name...please give us this day a massively huge bold audacious sun stand still moment, Amen"?

As for Luke 11:8, asking a neighbor for some bread is bold and audacious?


Many angry, short-sighted Christians spend too much time throwing darts at one another, upset over theological purity

But shouldn't we be concerned with that? What were the epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Thessalonians, and Titus all about, if not that?


too little time upset over lost hurting people in their world

It doesn't help lost people to share with them a false gospel.
As for "hurting", I don't meet many of those. I mostly encounter lost people who are arrogant and happy in their rebellion against God. The preaching of the law of God is indispensable in this culture. I trust you don't neglect it, but I wonder at your discernment if you think that Steven Furtick is anything but a heretic.

Grace and peace,
Rhology

Unknown said...

Without belaboring the point or using too much of your time or mine:

1. The whole point of Jesus “Midnight Caller” parable was indeed that we should be bold in asking. As long as we are referring to context, indeed this passage IS placed immediately after the Lord’s prayer and in Luke 11:8 he doesn’t hint that boldness is the key, he STATES that is the point of the parable- “because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Solid exegesis of this passage reveals that even in that culture to make such a request at that time of night is bold indeed.
2. As for Jesus Hyperbole in Mark 11:23, I think you make My point for me. Precisely bold faith is needed for this to happen. Unless you are in the Osteen Camp that our words themselves create the movement of the mountain (tongue firmly in cheek here) then indeed it requires reliance upon God for that to take place.
3. Why the Furtick comment? When did I say anything about Steven Furtick in my posts? I am not sure how that even relates to our discussion on bold prayer. I don’t know Furtick or anything about him, except what I hear through others.

Rhology said...

1. Yes, boldness in asking. Boldness to come before the throne. Not boldness in what you ask for.

2. Yes, let's have bold faith! But ASKING FOR BOLD STUFF is different.

3. Because Furtick's big book is "Sun Stand Still". B/c he's the big purveyor of this "pray big prayers" nonsense today.
It means something when all those who teach about it have very poor doctrine in other areas as well.




Troll107 said...

You all are a bunch of atheists & demons & the one who wrote that Amy was an adulteress & about Jaci who’s one of the sweetest people ever....you’re a real piece of shit! I’m sure you already know that & don’t you ever compare yourself to Jesus, YOU ARE NOT HIM!!!!

Rhology said...

Heh. Many thanks for "defending" K-Love in this way.

Unknown said...

Not true, GOD can speak through anything .....and anyone. Brothers and sisters arguing over silly things.....GOD is bigger than all of this. Your heart and mind are known to HIM. That's what matters at the end of the day. <3