Thursday, October 21, 2010

Somebody OUGHT To Be Whooped!

E. Dewey Smith Jr. "whooping it up" in the pulpit.
Pastor, Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church


A Crying Shame

Last week, I did an article on the blog called The Road to Hell which discussed the great "performances" which occur in the pulpits as preachers in Babylon use sorcery to control the church members in the pews.  The emphasis is not on opening up the revelation of God's word to impart a clear understanding, but in getting the people jumping, shouting, crying and yelling out "Amen!"

It just so happens that today, CNN has come out with an article entitled, "Black preachers who 'whoop' -- minstrels or ministers?" where they examine the phenomenon of "whooping" in the African-American community. 

whooping: the use of use vocal gymnastics and storytelling
to emotionally inspire & engage (and I might add bewitch) congregations

This is not about cultural roots or the African-American heritage. The same thing is occurring in churches across all races as people seek supernatural 'signs', prophetic 'anointings', or some other "experience" instead of seeking the Lord.  It is all an illustration of how far man's mind has wandered from the things of God where we can no longer separate the soulish from the spiritual. How long will people seek entertainment of the flesh as a replacement for sober-mindedness and spiritual growth in the Lord?

As you read and listen below, consider the language used as they describe whooping:  Non-whooping preaching just doesn't "penetrate"...It is a "synergy between the pulpit and the pew"...The whooping part is the "climax".  Remember what was discussed in The Road to Hell piece.  They are describing spiritual sodomy as the pastor illegally "penetrates" the soul of man in order to give him a false emotional release (whether a good cry or a good shout).  I won't spend time here reiterating the points made in The Road to Hell, but I encourage you to read it if you do not understand why this is such an atrocity to God...and a deception for His people.

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" Jeremiah 5:31

While you can read the article for yourselves, I have quoted some interesting comments below as it relates to people being conditioned to mistakenly believe that Babylon is the church of God.

"The Rev. E. Dewey Smith Jr. bangs on the pulpit with his fist. He shuts his eyes and moans. Then a high-pitched sound rises from his throat like the wail of a boiling tea-kettle."

"Rows of parishioners stand to shout. One woman in a satiny blue dress jumps up and down like she's on a pogo stick."

""One Tuesday morning, I heard the voice of Jesus saying, 'C'mon unto me and rest," Smith shouts as he punctuates his delivery with a series of guttural gasps and shrieks backed up by an organist's riffs. "But can I tell you what I did? I came to Jesus, just as I was. And I found in him joy in sorrow. Somebody shout yes. Yeessssss!""

"Whooping pastors use chanting, melody and call-and-response preaching to reach parishioners in a place where abstract preaching cannot penetrate, scholars say."

"Whooping preachers aim "to wreck" a congregation by making people feel the sermon, not just hear it, says the Rev. Henry Mitchell, a scholar who identified the link between whooping and African oral traditions. "The old folks used to say, 'If you ain't felt nothing, you ain't got nothing,''' Mitchell says."

"They deliver diabetic sermons. You have a shot of insulin, but you have to come back later," Brown says. "It's like a candy high. They never look at the text; never any substance. All they give you is sounds."

UPDATE: In contrast to the foolishness below, here is a sound review on the topic of preaching and the importance of following Jesus' example.

16 comments:

  1. I agree Sarah. I actually ran my daughters out of the room playing the video as I prepared the article. They said it just got on their nerves, and I concur.

    Hmmm....I wonder when Jesus "whooped"? Maybe after the Sermon on the Mount, once He had given the people the "meat" of the word?

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  2. I have been in and heard my fair share of whooping preachers in the missionary baptist church. I can imitate them pretty good now...lol.

    And the Bible says, ah, that He died, ah, Oh yes, didn't He die?, ah! But on the third day, ah, He rose, ah, with all power...POWER...power...oh POWER...Pooowwweeerr, ah, all power, ah, in His hand, ah! I can I get an AMEN! (congregation...AMEN...PREACH)

    LOL!

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  3. Tika, that is just plain awful!!!! LOL I am telling you, all I could think when I saw that video was "Somebody ought to surely be whooped for this!" So I made it the title. :-)

    May God give His people a true understanding of His character as well as what it is to be His church.

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  4. I learned, in a college literature class years ago, that this form of preaching is considered a learned oratory style. I grew up with this type of preaching (sadly) and I doubt very seriously if the preacher learned this from any class or instruction. I think it's just a soulish performance.

    This type of preaching does NOTHING for me anymore (thank God)!!!

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  5. "I love it" like I stated in my piece...if whooping wasn’t a part of your faith tradition then of course you can't relate to this unique style of preaching.

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  6. Hi JJBrock,

    One thing to consider is that something being a cultural tradition is not a basis for saying it is Godly. In fact, we know from Scripture that the traditions of man can often be at odds with God's ways.

    Also, this post is not at all about our cultural traditions. It is about what is taking place spiritually when people supplant the preaching of the Gospel with attempts to perform and control the responses of the people. That is witchcraft.

    It is my hope that people would not cling to what they "love" or "know", but would seek God's face for His understanding in these areas. Babylon operates in the realm of the soulish and keeps the people soulish for a reason.

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  7. Whenever I hear someone preaching like this, I immediately shut down. It is very distracting and really takes the focus off the message.

    I've passed this post along to others.

    Take care,

    Evelyn P.

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  8. "...really takes the focus off the message"

    Evelyn, I cannot help but think that is the point.

    I hope you are well!

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  9. I grew up with this here in the South. Hated it then, and hate it even more now. Personally I would sit back and wonder what the heck was the draw!

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  10. But the problem is that people are still sitting under this type of whooping and not seeking God's face; they certainly are being bewitched and I'm sure there are mnay demons running to and fro in and out of people. That's the really sad part, is that they believe they are worshipping Jesus Christ, but they are in fact worshippng another Jesus..

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  11. That is so TRUE. I hate it when preachers do that. I feel like they're trying to manipulate you emotionally. I respond to reason and sound preaching, not crazy emotionalism.

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  12. This is why I preferred Sunday School over sermons the few times I went to church as a child. Just get to the point already!

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  13. I am a preacher myself and I do not whoop at all I wasn't taught that style but some preachers are taught this style. How dare you slam those preachers by saying they only whoop to get reactions that is not the main goal of whooping unless you are not a real preacher but instead a entertainer

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    Replies

    1. This is what the church has come to in this late hour; preachers who care more about the style of preaching than the substance of it. They know everything about religion, but next to nothing about relationship with the Lord.

      The real focus of this article is not whooping, but the fact that the pulpit has become nothing more than a channel on the tv. It is a means of entertainment, a temporary and artificial high used to get one through the week, when it should really be a time if learning and enlightenment.

      If any do not understand why this is spiritual suicide, then I would suggest turning over a plate, and getting together in a quiet place to really seek the Lord.

      Delete

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