Winter Jam is a Religious Sham

Is the church even capable of discerning religious truth? Does the American church know that there are wolves among us? Why do we only recognize "good" Christians by their clothing?

Winter Jam is a Religious Sham

Yesterday, I attended a Christian music concert with some of the students at my church. While we were outside, waiting in line, there was a group of protesters lined up on the sidewalk across the road holding signs and using a microphone to spread their message. They quoted scripture and said many things I would agree with in principle. 

However, the women were dressed in long dresses and had a white head covering over their hair. The men were dressed in jeans, but their shirts were long and were nearly robes or tunics. My curiosity dragged me across the street to speak with them. They were polite, sincere, and had a deeper knowledge of history than many of the people in line for Winter Jam. 

The young man I spoke to had a red beard. It wasn’t trimmed to look neat, but he was clean. We spoke about Origen, Polycarp, Irenaeus, and the prohibitions of the church. We spoke about martyrdom and the 1st Century Church. We even spoke about how the church interacted with Rome. In speaking to him, I was able to learn he was a former Southern Baptist, but had joined this group because he believed Jesus left commandments for us to follow in our daily life. 

For him, these commandments were black and white and non-negotiable. While the Orthodox teaching is that many of these commandments speak to our spiritual side, our soul, and it is our soul we must feed and nourish through the commands of Christ, he believed the body must be put in check. We saw this problem with Peter and Paul’s conflict in Galatians 3 over circumcision.

In speaking with him, I could see he had fallen into a common heresy, even among those standing in the line for Winter Jam: Judaizing. He held that in order to be a true Christian, one must follow a series of ancient rules in order to be pleasing to Christ. The 1st Century church and he had a lot in common because they often fell into this heresy. We see this heresy pop up insidiously in the church

What made me sad is that the people in the crowd, through their own ignorance, were irritated at the protesters. Many were making complaints about them and dismissing them. They weren’t trying to understand them. One man even went up and started screaming at the man with the microphone. 

The Winter Jam crowd didn’t understand the group, who wasn’t invited, speaking to them. 

What’s sad is later that even, when the invited Heretics spoke to the crowd, the crowd clapped and cheered.

In the middle of the concert, there was a He Gets Us commercial. I booed. Out loud. When the commercial ended, someone spoke up invited concert goers to the He Gets Us table and booth. 

I had been frustrated with NewSong selling t-shirts with Just Jesus. In a world where we have heresies about excluding Paul and the Old Testament writers because they condemn certain chosen sins, I found this troubling. I’m willing to accept a little ignorance on their part about theological problems often found only in the academy (but too often now in the church). I find it disturbing when Christians use Jesus as a status symbol on clothing, bumper stickers, and more. It feels like the commercialization of Christ. 

However, the He Gets Us campaign is anti-biblical. It is anti-Christian and it is anti-Gospel.  God doesn’t Get Us. The Bible clearly says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:8-9] It would be better for the campaign to say, “He died for us.” 

What bothered me so much about this was the purpose of the concert was to impact the lives of young students: teenagers mostly. What was disheartening is that the church leaders in the crowd didn’t all stand up at once and boo this commercial too. While they were worried about the harmless heretics outside who could at least quote scripture, they welcomed the heretics inside who won’t even use scripture. 

Has this become the American Church? Have we gotten to the point we can’t recognize the heresy of no rules at all? That God didn’t come to save us from our sins, but that instead God came to be our friend and love us just as we are? 

Where are the men and women of courage who could stand against the He Gets Us false teachings? I’m calling out the church for its moral failures to stand against lies. I’m calling out the church for accepting lies into their midst. 

There are things which belong to the Bible–what is inside the Bible is always true. Yet when a group like He Gets Us takes away things from the Bible so we can all feel comfortable, we threaten to destroy the church. While the Judiazers outside want to add to the Bible teachings not there, cultural Christianity wants to take away things that are there. It is more likely the Judiazers have a chance at heaven then the Cultural Christians. At least the Judiazers understand God died for them. The Cultural Christians only understand God loves them just as they are.

Cultural Christians [Wolves] wear Just Jesus shirts. They go to Winter Jam. They promise to solve all emotional problems. They raise their hands the highest and sing the loudest. Then they tell you lies, like “He Gets Us.” 

15 “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? [Matthew 7:15-16]