Preachers who Hate

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Church Militant’s thread over on Apologetics on an anti-Catholic evangelist named Mike Gendron got me to think about the subject of preachers whose entire ministries are based on ‘what they hate’ or what they are ‘against’. It doesn’t have to be anti-Catholic. They can be anti-other denominations they disagree with, anti-Calvinist, anti-Arminian, anti-other Bible versions (KJV-only Fundamentalist Jack Hyles once took great pleasure in burning an NIV Bible on his platform). They are anti-pants on women, anti-rock n’roll, anti Charismatic. And on and on and on…
I want Protestants as well as Catholics to chime in.
What do you think makes these people tick?
 
I can’t begin to fathom what makes these people tick, but I think that kind of negativity is endemic to passionate people. It’s also not limited to religion: In this lengthy election season, we see politicians bashing their opponents more than telling us why they’re the greatest, and certain social causes tend to tell us why others are wrong more than why they’re right.

And I think to be anti something is just plain easier…and often splashier, unfortunately!
 
JustaServant said:
Church Militant’s thread over on Apologetics on an anti-Catholic evangelist named Mike Gendron got me to think about the subject of preachers whose entire ministries are based on ‘what they hate’ or what they are ‘against’. It doesn’t have to be anti-Catholic. They can be anti-other denominations they disagree with, anti-Calvinist, anti-Arminian, anti-other Bible versions (KJV-only Fundamentalist Jack Hyles once took great pleasure in burning an NIV Bible on his platform). They are anti-pants on women, anti-rock n’roll, anti Charismatic. And on and on and on…
I want Protestants as well as Catholics to chime in.
What do you think makes these people tick?
Click to expand...
I think there’s a couple answers to that question. For one, there may have been something that occurred in their background where the thing they preach against traumatized or disturbed them so much that they feel compelled to devote their lives to destroying that which troubled them. This is especially true of pastors who were once Roman Catholic, and felt that the RC “system” did something to them or offended them so much that they want to vent their anger publicly and teach others to do the same, all in an effort to weaken the Roman communion. It’s also equally true of those who were once Protestant and converted to Roman Catholicism and make it their goal to attack various Protestant traditions (especially the one they converted from).

If they don’t have something in their background like this, it may be a particular social taboo or theological system that is opposed to how they were personally raised. Baptists with alcohol or music, or Arminians with Calvinists, etc.

Ultimately, anyone who bases their ministerial work as primarily being against something means they are only secondarily for something (in this case Christ and His gospel).
 
It seems that some people just don’t feel their lives have any meaning if they don’t have something to attack. Kind of sad, really.
 
Painting a specific group with a black brush is the tried and true method to build cohesion within your goup.

In school, the neighboring town was the enemy that we despised and demeaned
Hitler targeted the Jews
Ever see US propoganda from WW2, we did not portray ‘nips’ and ‘jerries’ with integrity.

Now to preachers, any that rely on this tactic as a mainstay do not have the holy spirit as their guide (IMHO)
JustaServant said:
Church Militant’s thread over on Apologetics on an anti-Catholic evangelist named Mike Gendron got me to think about the subject of preachers whose entire ministries are based on ‘what they hate’ or what they are ‘against’. It doesn’t have to be anti-Catholic. They can be anti-other denominations they disagree with, anti-Calvinist, anti-Arminian, anti-other Bible versions (KJV-only Fundamentalist Jack Hyles once took great pleasure in burning an NIV Bible on his platform). They are anti-pants on women, anti-rock n’roll, anti Charismatic. And on and on and on…
I want Protestants as well as Catholics to chime in.
What do you think makes these people tick?
Click to expand...
 
IggyAntiochus said:
Ultimately, anyone who bases their ministerial work as primarily being against something means they are only secondarily for something (in this case Christ and His gospel).
Click to expand...
This is a very important point Iggy. In CMs thread over on the Apologetics that I cited, this message of hate was an EASTER message. There is no Christ-centeredness.
If God is love, than Christians should cultivate that love…even if it is among that with which we disagree.
 
tarboy said:
Painting a specific group with a black brush is the tried and true method to build cohesion within your goup.
Click to expand...
Yes…unfortunately it’s all too tried and true as a method to keep the flock together and relying on only each other within that group. Maybe these “preachers”—whether they’re preaching about religion, race, politics, or whatever perhaps have a fear of losing control of their surrounding disciples and being abandoned and alone.

Quite a few books have been written about “toxic churches” by Christians.
 
These kinds of ersatz preachers remind me of this passage:
[BIBLEDRB]Mt 7:21-23[/BIBLEDRB]

And what is the will of the Father??

That we Love one another…

Love will define who is on the right and who is on the left at the judgement…
[BIBLEDRB] Mt 25:31-46[/BIBLEDRB]
 
IggyAntiochus said:
I think there’s a couple answers to that question. For one, there may have been something that occurred in their background where the thing they preach against traumatized or disturbed them so much that they feel compelled to devote their lives to destroying that which troubled them. This is especially true of pastors who were once Roman Catholic, and felt that the RC “system” did something to them or offended them so much that they want to vent their anger publicly and teach others to do the same, all in an effort to weaken the Roman communion. It’s also equally true of those who were once Protestant and converted to Roman Catholicism and make it their goal to attack various Protestant traditions (especially the one they converted from).

If they don’t have something in their background like this, it may be a particular social taboo or theological system that is opposed to how they were personally raised. Baptists with alcohol or music, or Arminians with Calvinists, etc.

Ultimately, anyone who bases their ministerial work as primarily being against something means they are only secondarily for something (in this case Christ and His gospel).
Click to expand...
I think these are all good points.

It’s hard to equal an ex-Catholic for bitterness towards Catholicism, and vice-versa in regards to ex-Protestants who feel they need to warn Catholics about the dangers of Protestantism. I think, in some cases, it may be a God-given passionate pastoral spirit infected by woundedness that hasn’t yet been healed…in other words, a good thing gone awry from unhealed pain.
 
what makes them tick as opposed to what makes any of us tick is no different from each other. God loves us all and we all experience a wide set of emotions and hold ideas etc that are perfectly normal to each and one of us, preachers, pastors and priests are no different to the rest of us. They and we are all perfectly normal human beings whom God loves. “Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed” God loves us all.
 
No such thing as preachers who hate. If your sermon is about what’s wrong and evil about everyone else, and is not centered on God and faith and the bible, then you’re not preaching, and if you’re not preaching, you’re not a preacher.

I think what makes them tick is that they have confused pride with wisdom, arrogance with confidence, judgment with understanding, eloquence of speech with knowledge, and fearful attentiveness of their congregation with consent to the statements made, but most importantly they have confused self-induced conviction with inspiration of the Holy Spirit and a calling from God.
 
JustaServant said:
This is a very important point Iggy. In CMs thread over on the Apologetics that I cited, this message of hate was an EASTER message. There is no Christ-centeredness.
If God is love, than Christians should cultivate that love…even if it is among that with which we disagree.
Click to expand...
👍
 
IggyAntiochus said:
I think there’s a couple answers to that question. For one, there may have been something that occurred in their background where the thing they preach against traumatized or disturbed them so much that they feel compelled to devote their lives to destroying that which troubled them. This is especially true of pastors who were once Roman Catholic, and felt that the RC “system” did something to them or offended them so much that they want to vent their anger publicly and teach others to do the same, all in an effort to weaken the Roman communion. It’s also equally true of those who were once Protestant and converted to Roman Catholicism and make it their goal to attack various Protestant traditions (especially the one they converted from).
Click to expand...
👍 Agreed 100%.
 
JustaServant said:
Church Militant’s thread over on Apologetics on an anti-Catholic evangelist named Mike Gendron got me to think about the subject of preachers whose entire ministries are based on ‘what they hate’ or what they are ‘against’. It doesn’t have to be anti-Catholic. They can be anti-other denominations they disagree with, anti-Calvinist, anti-Arminian, anti-other Bible versions (KJV-only Fundamentalist Jack Hyles once took great pleasure in burning an NIV Bible on his platform). They are anti-pants on women, anti-rock n’roll, anti Charismatic. And on and on and on…
I want Protestants as well as Catholics to chime in.
What do you think makes these people tick?
Click to expand...
Just,

Beliefs are filters. I have discussed this elsewhere. People act on beliefs. Beliefs come from

Facts
Assumptions
False Conclusion

I was going to say that distorted perceptions make these people tick and I would add False conclusions.
 
After I left Mormonism, I got caught up in the virulent ant-mormon movement. It’s especially bitter in the Utah-Idaho area,( I spent most of my early adulthood in Idaho) where The Mormons have a stronghold. I met a few who had a genuine heart for converting the mormons, but the lion’s share were hateful. Hate, as I found out, is super contagious. Looking back, essentially, I was learning to hate in the name of Jesus. I’m glad that I finally got that out of my system. Took a long time, and lots of prayer.
 
batman1973 said:
After I left Mormonism, I got caught up in the virulent ant-mormon movement. It’s especially bitter in the Utah-Idaho area,( I spent most of my early adulthood in Idaho) where The Mormons have a stronghold. I met a few who had a genuine heart for converting the mormons, but the lion’s share were hateful. Hate, as I found out, is super contagious. Looking back, essentially, I was learning to hate in the name of Jesus. I’m glad that I finally got that out of my system. Took a long time, and lots of prayer.
Click to expand...
Many of us “formers” could very easily fall into the same trap if we allowed it. It’s not easy admitting you believed a lie. And that can very easily turn into anger.
 
  1. Some preachers rail against sins they themselves practice, especially sexual sins.
  2. Or the opposite of #1, hate gives the hater a false sense of holiness. “Well I may do this, but at least I don’t do that.”
  3. Hate produces a chemical reaction in the brain, that’s why it’s easy to get hooked on and spreads so easily.
  4. Love is hard, hate is easy and usually haters think God approves of hate.
 
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