The Hypocrisy of a Supposedly "REAL" ministry

G. Craige Lewis talks very tough when it comes to ministry.  He's quick to point out when a "gospel" artist is singing with "sinners" that are R&B artists.  He also bashes Mary Mary whenever he gets the chance.  His job is "exposing" those who he deems to be un-christian or "worldly".  I will admit that he puts a great deal of research into his "The Truth Behind Hip-Hop" pieces and they are quite informative but what I cannot understand is the website being so hypercritical of many gospel artists.  They have critiqued mime ministries, they are all over Kirk Franklin (who I also admit tries too hard to assimilate worldly philosophies into his ministry), they bagged on T.D. Jakes for a picture that he took with Puff Daddy, for crying out loud!  The bottom line is this, if you are ever seen associating with anyone they deem to be demonic, unchristian, fake or whatever, they are calling you out for it.  According to Mr. Lewis, he's excommunicated from "inner circle" pop-Christianity because of his no-nonsense attitude concerning what he deems as "sin".  Truthfully, only a Pharisee would consider himself above sin or associating with sinners (see Luke 18). I agree that there are some activities that would hamper the Christian's walk if they were immersed in them.  I totally agree that light cannot mix with darkness.  But what I do not agree with is hypocrisy.

This is why I chose to write this article.  In my estimation, and based on biblical precedence, only a Pharisee would lambaste someone for a photo but commit a worse act and not accept being reproved for it.  It is this Pharisaical attitude that makes EX ministries so hypocritical.  One of the contributors to their site is none other than Frederick K. Price Jr., son of the infamous "Apostle" Frederick K. Price Sr.  Their ministry is so warped and so anti-biblical that I wonder why people still attend Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, CA.  Price has taught heretical doctrine from the outset of his ministry being a protege and contemporary of the likes of Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and a mentor to the likes of Creflo Dollar, Michael Freeman, Wiley Jackson and other notorious, scripture twisting Word of Faith preachers.  Price's views on the deity of Christ are that Jesus was not God, but simply a weak man.  Don't get me started on the money preaching, either!  Here is a quote from one of his parishioners from an L.A. Times article in which Price filed suit against 20/20 for an expose' done on "prosperity" ministries. 

"After listening to Price's sermon -- which began, "Why do so many Christians fail to enjoy the abundant life?" -- parishioner Mary Grimes said that Price deserved to live well. (emphasis added)
"In the regular world, if he was a CEO, he'd get a penthouse and airplanes," she said. "I give abundantly because I WANT  HIM TO BE PAMPERED" (emphasis added).  

Well now I get it.  Church is a business and should be run like a business and therefore Price is the CEO and should be pampered like a CEO, you know, like Ken Lay from Enron.  Jesus was never "pampered".  The apostles ALL lost their lives for the gospel  and Price deserves to be pampered?  I rest my case.

Price teaches that Jesus had to suffer in hell to fulfill God's requirement for atonement (Price's aberrant teachings) when, in actuality, Christ's work was finished at Calvary (John 19:30).  Price Sr. also teaches that Jesus committed suicide and did not make the ultimate sacrifice (Price teaches Jesus crucifixion = suicide).  When I watched this video, I immediately knew the scripture that he was referencing- Jesus was quoting a prophecy from Zechariah 13:7 which speaks of an "I" but the "I" in the prophecy is the Father, not the Son.  Price could have really preached the gospel right there because the scripture shows the love of the Father that he would give up his own son for my sins and your sins.  He's the apostle, but he chose to twist the scripture to suit some sick fantasy and to paint Jesus as a weakling.

Unless there is something amiss, I am certain that Price's son is cut from the same cloth as the self-made apostle, senior is cut from (for a good laugh, please see Price Sr.'s video "The Making of an Apostle" and watch foolish preachers humiliate themselves in this debacle of a ceremony-(Trojan Horse).  If he wasn't, the ministry would not have been turned over to him.  I know, someone is thinking, the sins of the father are not imputed to the son (Ezekiel 18:20) but I highly doubt that the "Godfather of Faith" would turn his word of faith empire over to someone that would come in and begin REAL preaching and preaching the TRUE gospel.  If Jr. has been educated, it has been under the tutelage of Sr. therefore, it is pretty safe to assume that Jr. has learned all of Sr.'s poor doctrine and lack of understanding of scripture.  So to see the son of a scripture twister and heretic on a website of those that supposedly "keeps it real" and are striving for "true holiness", it seemed sort of odd to me.  Why would such a "real" ministry associate with false prophets?

If singing with R& B singers is so sinful, isn't twisting the Word of God equally or even more sinful?  Jesus said in Revelation that we are not to add to or take away from His Word.  If associating with the likes of Puff Daddy is sinful, isn't associating with false prophets equally sinful?  Jesus said to the church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:20) that the ones that associated with Jezebel (false prophetess) and assimilated her works would also reap her punishment!  I watched Price Jr.'s exposition of a lady GaGa video on their site and after I finished, I was thinking, "how did he become a contributor to their site, isn't he from a ministry that teaches false doctrine on the regular?"  When I posted a comment to their site, I simply said that they were being hypocritical and if they were going to lambaste Jakes and the others, and Price Sr. preaches the same Christless gospel as Jakes, where is the logic in associating with one false prophet over another?  I guess exposing the hypocrisy of using Price's son as a contributor to the website in light of the false teaching of his father, who I see absolutely NOTHING on their site that repudiates him, ruffled some feathers.  So, when I went back to check on my comment to see if I had gotten a reply, IT WAS NOT THERE.  They totally deleted my comment!  I was in awe and thought immediately that these guys are a bunch of hypocrites.  They are heavy on judgment of what folks wear, what they are listening to etc. but they accept false doctrine...that left me shaking my head.

One thing about Jesus is that he never accepted a false prophet.  2 Peter chapters 1 and 2 speaks of the punishment reserved for false prophets.  Jesus takes His Word very seriously because people's lives are at stake when the gospel is twisted or not preached at all.  That being said, I won't listen to Mr. Lewis in the future because if you dish out judgment as he does, you very well better be able to take it as well.   Jesus also understood that it was the sick that need a doctor and he never shied away from contact with those that were stuck in sin.  He gave everyone the opportunity to repent.  Is there too much fence-straddling in gospel music?  Absolutely!  However, when we judge or make a judgment on anything, we need to make sure that the log is not in our own eye so that we can see clearly to remove the log from our brother/sister's eye.  I am praying for Mr. Lewis and his ministry that they would see their hypocrisy and move from a false gospel towards the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.