By Don Green
I thought about not laying down this gauntlet, in part because I’m not excited about being on the receiving end of the backlash it will create from defensive or undiscerning people with a stake in the outcome.
It applies to churches, organizers, speakers, vendors, authors, publishers, *and attendees* alike in the light of the exposure of Steve Lawson—everyone who has had a share in, and profited from, the entire culture of self-perpetuating big Christian events.
If, in 2025 – 2026, the entire major Christian conference circuit continues completely unchanged and operates in “business as usual” mode, you will know that the church (broadly speaking) has completely missed the point.
What has happened before our very eyes is not simply about the one man. It’s about the entire celebrity, maximize attendance, sales, conference swag, promotion, no accountability, and social-media-selfie-with-the-star culture that enabled it all to happen in the first place.
It needs serious change and cancellations.
But mark my words, whether you like them or not: the conference culture is unlikely to do any such thing, opting instead for sweeping everything under the rug and pretending like there is no broader indictment of the Reformed, evangelical culture at large.
Too many people have a stake in its perpetuation, whether for profit or prominence.
But absent earnest repentance, more scandals are inevitable.
The culture itself is the problem.
The people who looked away from, or laughed at, the warning signs are the problem.
The Lord is chastening His church. It’s a time for humbling, repentance, and serious self-examination.
It’s time to fear a holy God.
Until we get that through our star-struck heads, we will see history repeat itself—even from the most prominent places in the celebrity Christian universe.
Posted on Don Green’s Facebook page.
~~~~~~~~~~
Following is an excerpt from a piece I wrote in May 2024 warning that Church leadership (celebrities) have failed to equip the Body of Christ with a worldview gleaned from Scripture, titled Is the ‘Christian Right’ doing the right thing in God’s eyes?:
By far the biggest obstacle the visible Church faces is the infiltration of progressive activists, many of whom are renowned pastors, authors, conference speakers, evangelists, missionaries, musicians, televangelists, radio hosts, podcasters, seminary presidents and CEOs. As of late, even some of our most beloved evangelical leaders have departed conservativism and morphed into theological progressives. In other words, they’re woke.
The extent the woke movement has impacted our leaders varies. But the truth is that a growing number of “Christian” notables have gone off the reservation. As a result, false doctrine abounds in fiction and non-fiction books as well as movies. Many dangerous books have become best-sellers. This includes Bibles, devotionals and Bible studies. Books and DVDs of this nature are easily purchased through Amazon, online booksellers and through so-called Christian publishers. Sadly, a number of these, with all their unorthodox teaching, end up on the shelves of church libraries. Moreover, so-called Christian television hosts and YouTube influencers promote their guests’ merchandise that contain unbiblical teaching—even outright lies—and fear confronting the person even when it’s obvious that he/she is either overstating a situation or telling a big fat lie.
So – before purchasing a book, a DVD or seeing a faith-based movie, follow in the Berean’s footsteps and do some research! (Acts:17:11) Don’t be one of those professing believers who, in their ignorance, promote the worst sort of heresy imaginable. This includes Christians who promote an unbiblical woke agenda! God is pleased when His people do their homework.
Related
Why Celebrity Pastors Deserve Less Honor
CRN has compiled a list of false teachers and several other professing Christians we’ve warned you about over the years. The list also contains those we must keep an eye on plus movements, organizations and “frauds, phonies and money-grubbing religious quacks” to mark and avoid as per Romans 16:17-18