Good Friday is a time to for churches to preach how Christ was lifted up on the cross so that people may know that are forgiven of their sins. Resurrection Sunday is a time for churches to proclaim "He is risen indeeed".
But for some reason, Gateway Church decided to advertise their Easter with this tasteless erectile dysfunction ad spoof.
This is what happens when people take their personal experiences and IHOP's false Bridal Paradigm too far. This is Brandon Barthrop from Red Letter Ministries (RLM) who holds his church services in a former crackhouse in Minnesota. (You can hear his wife Penny in the background.)
(Warning: MA - explicit language and disturbing sexual references.)
This is Barthrop's excuse for the above video:
“WARNING! This videos is a parable! NOT to be taken literally. The language in this video is symbolic! Glory! Having spiritual sex with Jesus should be just as normal to Christians as breathing, since we are 1 spirit. Intimacy has been so religiousized by demons, so let us break the barriers into the reality of what intimacy is: sexual union. The entire bridal paradigm and the mystery of marriage and consummation etc. that is in the natural is all symbolic of the ultimate union with God. Sex between a man and women in the marriage covenant is the physical manifestation of the spiritual marriage and spiritual sex between the Christian and their Lord. Glory! Orgasmic glory is here to stay as the Lord will never issue us a divorce certificate! Hallelujah! For more orgasmic glory visit Red Letter Ministries online garden: http://RedLetterMin.com/”"
The Journey Church in Queens, NY has a great marketing gimmick to help draw people to "church", they're starting a new series called Dating Naked and they've sent out marketing flyers to homes and apartments near their "church" to let everyone know. That purposefully shocking title will be sure to attract people to their "church".
Here is yet another example of a church that believes that in order to grow they have to take out billboard advertising with a provocative and controversial message.
This is not original or innovative. It's getting old. For more examples of this spend time perusing the "Christian Erotica" wing of the Museum of Idolatry.
Here is Linn Winters of Cornerstone explaining his dream to the folks in his Church that the world would know we are Christians by how much better our sex is. The name of the sermon series was "Greatest Sex Ever."
We hate to ask, but how exactly are Christians supposed to demonstrate these superior skills to their unsaved friends?
Truth be told, we never considered sex to be an evangelistic "selling point" until now...
This certainly is a strange 'praise and worship song' to be singing in a "Christian" church. We thought that praise and worship songs were supposed to be about Jesus, but in today's narcissistic self-help centers, like Ignite "church" in Joplin, MO it makes sense to sing a praise song like this.
***Bonus Exhibit***
Here's a teaching on that important "Christian" doctrine of the carrot and donut. This ought to give you an idea as to what kind of 'church', Ignite is...