Why is CNN giving this guy the time of day? No, maybe I should rephrase that question: Why is CNN so enamored by him? Larry King had him on his show tonight, CNN will have a big interview with him to air on Sunday night, and they have a story by him on Cnn.Com currently. I can't help but wonder if it is a concerted effort by CNN to make Christianity look bad. Jay Bakker, aka "the punk preacher," is a joke as a supposed "messenger of God," and an embarrassment to Christianity as a whole. Far more of an embarrassment than Pat Robertson or probably even Benny Hinn for that matter.
__________________
We must be the change we wish to see in the world -- Ghandi
http://www.rightminded.net
I personally think it is the dumbest thing to come along in awhile, pretty soon, I think, they are going to start a reality show about atheists, showing how they live every day life.
I don't watch TV, but I've read some news articles and saw a clip of his realityshow online. It appears like an attempt either to discredit more conservative Christian figures and leaders by making him an authority, or to woo some Christian-sympathizers over the newer liberal denominations. Perhaps both.
As far as the punk part of the matter is concerned, I don't know how much influence he really has. There has been a growing number of Christian punk scenes around the country, mostly in the south and midwest, so there are potential followers out there, albeit mostly in the 13-24 year old bracket.
I've always been into the underground hardcore and anarchist punk, along with various forms of heavy metal and death metal, and I've never associated myself with Christian punks in any way whatsoever. Can't really speak for them in this issue.
He was born into the glare of televangelist parents Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Then the "Praise the Lord" empire collapsed in scandal. His father went to jail for fraud.
But now, with his 31st birthday next week, this tattooed, multi-pierced pilgrim is on a righteous path: preaching God"˜s grace to a flock of young, downtrodden and disillusioned parishioners most any other church would turn away.
Keeping the faith while keeping Revolution going will prove to be a challenge for Jay.
But Jay has other concerns as the six-episode series unfolds.
In short, 2006 is eventful for Jay Bakker "” far more than he imagined when "One Punk Under God" began filming in February.
"I feel like I"˜m just a guy who has a church with 15 people that meets in a bar," says Jay, who left the Atlanta church in another minister"˜s care to start a new branch that meets in a Brooklyn pub.
"If anything, I"˜d like to write more books," Jay says.
Now "One Punk Under God" finds Jay continuing a mini-crusade for an alternative to the God he could never make peace with: a wrathful God who hated him for all the flaws he hated in himself.
"God isn"˜t counting our sins against us. Yeah, we"˜ll have to pay the consequences; life has consequences. But God isn"˜t keeping a record. "˜You better watch out, you better not cry"˜ "” that"˜s not God. That"˜s Santa Claus!"
Jay has tattoos because he likes them, simple as that. He never set out to be the punk anti-Bakker for a lost generation. Nor has he disavowed his parents, whose past disgrace could easily fuel skepticism about his own ministry.
"I don"˜t have a strategy like, "˜OK, I"˜m gonna distance myself from them, so I can build a church and be my own man,"˜" Jay says. "Me and my dad have a hard time getting along, and now, with my mom being as sick as she is, that"˜s hard "” but I love them, and they did a lot of great things, as well as make mistakes."
A mistake of theirs he means to avoid: building a church so big and all-consuming that its own sustenance is its primary cause.
In episode two, Jay will make a tough decision that could threaten his church: Should he declare himself a gay-affirming minister? Over fast food outdoors on a bright Atlanta day, he discusses it with Amanda.
"So speaking out in behalf of the gay community and gay Christians is something I should do?" he asks her.
"Absolutely, without question," she agrees, even as she warns there"˜ll be a backlash.
She"˜s right. A conservative foundation wastes no time pulling thousands in funding.
That"˜s OK. "Salvation is free. It"˜s a gift," Jay tells me in New York months later.
"But if I start to compromise now, where am I gonna be in 20 years? I want to be able to encourage other people not to compromise about their passions, their feelings "” and not to be afraid that, if you share your convictions with the rest of us, you"˜re in danger of being thrown out."
At the end of "One Punk Under God," Jay"˜s life remains full of challenges: his mom"˜s worsening condition; the new city for him and Amanda to navigate; a new congregation to forge. He even speaks hopefully of kicking cigarettes.
Then he shares with me his foolproof plan.
"You put one foot out in front of the other and you say, "˜OK, this is what I believe, this is what I"˜m seeing in the Word."˜" He smiles. "It"˜s a struggle. But what have I got to lose?"
__________________
You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
LOL. How'd I know Charlie would disagree with the assessment that this guy is bad for Christianity. Charlie P, who goes out of his way to find anything he can post on HuntingNet that reflects poorly on Christianity. No offense, Charlie, but I don't think someone who is not only NOT a Christian but is fervently against Christianity can decide what is good or isn't good for Christianity.
But to address your point: Anyone who is spreading lies about God and about Christianity to a willing audience is bad for religion. Anyone who gets in front of a national television audience and acts the way this guy acts is an embarrassment for Christianity. Have I heard him speak? I heard him on Larry King's program last night. That was enough. He's full of foul language. For him to get on that program and mention serving God and spewing curse words in the same sentence tells me all I need to know about him. If that isn't enough, I need to go no further than the article you posted to show me plenty about what Jay Bakker stands for that is contrary to what God's word tells us. For one, he tells us that sins "aren't being counted." In other words, don't feel bad about sinning. That is blatantly false, according to what God's word tells us. For another, he says that homosexuality is okay. No true messenger of God is going to defend homosexuality as being okay. Then there's his physical appearance. I know plenty of good Christians with tatoos and piercings who got those before they were Christians. Since this guy gets on TV with a bolt through his bottom lip, I hardly think that's the case with him. He may think tattoos and body piercings are "cool," but there's that whole "body's a temple" thing. It may seem a little moot to us, but I don't think God would have seen fit to include it in the scriptures if it were moot to him.
Read Jay Bakker's beliefs and you'll quickly see where he errs. His general belief is the quickly-becoming-popular, politically-correct belief of love and peace and forget the rest. He's quick to point out that Jesus preached love, but forgets to point out that Jesus also preached against sin. He's quick to point out that God loves the sinner but forgets to point out that God hates the sin. His is a belief that anyone can continue to live a sinful lifestyle as long as they "accept" Jesus. There has never been anyone truly accept Christ who doesn't try to adhere to Christ's law for us. Saying "I accept Jesus" and continuing to embrace sin will extend salvation to no one. Those people who believe that it will are on a road to hell and false teachers like Jay Bakker are helping to lead them there. God's plan for salvation is all laid out in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Charlie, if you truly want to defend Jay Bakker, read those gospels. Then read what Jay Bakker believes. And then you'll clearly see that what Jay Bakker says is not in line with what the gospels say. Jay Bakker may believe what you THINK that the gospels should be about, but he does not believe what the gospels ARE about.
__________________
We must be the change we wish to see in the world -- Ghandi
http://www.rightminded.net
Jay Bakker
