Pastor Booted Off Stage at Massive Men's Conference After Calling Out Sick Act
In the Old Testament, God gave specific instructions on how to worship Him in a world filled with idolatry and human sacrifice. The rules may have seemed harsh, but they were necessary to keep the Israelites from falling prey to the enticement of pagan gods and the rituals that surrounded their worship.
Any deviation from the set rules of worship could result in instant death, as when the sons of Aaron offered “unauthorized fire” fire to the Lord. (Lev. 10: 1 -2)
But as Christians, God tells us the laws are “written on our hearts” instead of on scrolls and tablets.
Unfortunately, even after knowing the truth, greed and lust will always be lurking in the corners, even in the church, and idolatry is always waiting to raise its ugly head.
At the weekend’s Stronger Men’s Conference in Springfield, Missouri, organized by John Lindell, lead pastor at James River Church, things took an unexpected turn on Saturday when Pastor Mark Driscoll of Trinity Church, who was an invited speaker, began to sharply criticize a previous performance that had taken place on the same stage the night before.
It has become a practice at some large Christian conferences to have “entertainment” between speakers to ensure a large crowd.
One of the entertainers at this particular conference happened to be, believe it or not, a sword swallower whose background includes stripping at gay nightclubs, who performed his sword-swallowing routine — which included a pole — with his shirt off.
The performer, Alexandr Magala, made it big when he wowed judges on “Britain’s Got Talent,” according to a 2016 article on him by the U.K. Daily Mail, which reported that: “When he’s not performing on the family-friendly talent show, the 26-year-old Soviet-born performer leads a more X-rated lifestyle, wooing all-female audiences and gay nightclubbers.”
Why did the “entertainment” at a Christian men’s conference include a male performer swallowing swords and dancing on a pole with his shirt off?
Driscoll started his message by saying that he had been up since 1 a.m. and was hoarse because he had been praying for the audience all night.
“The Jezebel spirit opened our event,” Driscoll said, referring to the biblical figure who led Israel into idolatry and immorality. “This is a rebuke and a correction of no one. This is an observation. Before the word of God was opened, there was a platform. It was a high place. On it was a pole, an Asherah, the same thing that’s used in a strip club for women who have the Jezebel spirit to seduce men,” he said.
“In front of that was a man, who ripped his shirt off like a woman does in front of a pole at a strip club,” Driscoll continued while a few attendees clapped as they realized what he was saying.
Driscoll went on to say, “Jesus cried.”
Dricoll’s comments, and the performance that spurred them, are below:
@netmilsmom here is the video from Friday night’s Stronger Men’s Conference performance by the sword swallower guy. Turn your sound on for the suspenseful music and crowd reaction. pic.twitter.com/aSvNLEHLmv
— Cheryl Sims (@LeadHearts) April 15, 2024
At this point, Lindell interrupted Driscoll and said he was “out of line.”
“Okay, Pastor John, I’ll receive that,” Driscoll replied, leaving the stage to boos and chants of “Bring him back!” from some audience members.
I’m amazed at the Christians and so called ministers that think they’re cooler, smarter, and more relevant than Christ, Holy Spirit, and scripture. #markdriscoll
— Summer Lee Steele (@summerLsteele) April 15, 2024
Lindell then addressed the angry crowd, standing by his decision to remove Driscoll. “If Mark wanted to say that, he should have said it to me first,” Lindell stated, quoting Matthew 18 about addressing grievances privately.
Lindell may be correct about the proper way to deal with a dispute, but in this case, a private rebuke may have simply resulted in a coverup.
By calling out that performances like this invoke the spirit of lust in what is meant to be an event to honor God, Driscoll may have ruined the event, but he brought what is often happening in the darkness to the light.
Pastors and leaders need to seriously rethink what kind of “bait” they are throwing out in their zeal to be fishers of men and have “fun” events.
Driscoll’s fierce admonition, though arguably lacking in decorum, pointed out the dark, ungodly influences creeping into sacred spaces and church events.
Seeking to attract crowds through lowered standards has historically led many ministries and movements astray.
Christian leaders would be wise to carefully examine what “strange fires” may be burning on their altars in their pursuit of bigger crowds.
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