Nolie asked me if he was some kinda “ninja preacher”. Yes, boy. That’s exactly what he is.

No. ‘Cause ninjas are cool.

Who are all those people attending? I must live a sheltered life…I’m trying to think of a single acquaintance who I can imagine going to such a thing. It’s all so very parallel universey.

well, Rosy attends regularly. Because they pay him to play the drums.

Yes kids, a typical Rosy weekend consists of playing Friday night for the Orange County Gay Men’s Choir, Saturday night at a Benny Hinn event, and Sunday night at the Crystal Cathedral. if that won’t make you schizophrenic, nothing will.

You forgot the jews. That giant minora was friggen tight.

Aw, man. That is so COOL. I know most people (myself included) regard this with a mixture of amusement and maybe pity and/or revulsion, but seriously, the sheer operatic, bombastic quality of the arm-waving and the masses struck down and the music…it all fits. I don’t want to get too crazed here, but really, isn’t this whole phenomenon amazing? You’ve got this charismatic, riveting preacher who channels so much spiritual power that the people he targets (or whatever. That god targets.) either sail to the floor like a wind just swept over them or drop like a stone when god kicks their feet out from under them. Amazing. Can you imagine the sensation of being so filled with spiritual ecstasy that you just suspend your defenses and let gravity take you? I can’t stop watching it.

So…what’s the deal with this sort of thing?

Cerise

What’s the deal?

I think we all want to be a part of something. Anything. It’s ingrained.

Chad’s right on. It’s “belonging”, at its best (or worst?). I believe it starts with a circle of common friends (like this blog), travels through Benny Hinn, and ends with matching Nike’s and poison Kool-Aid.

At housechurch the other night, we were laughing about the idea of some kind of hazing for people who want to join up. We thought it would be funny if we all wore matching white track suits and did “butterfly kisses” as a secret handshake and then waited to see how long it took for the newbies to adapt and adopt. We laughed even harder when someone said, “I think this is how cults are born.” And then we mixed up some Mountainberry Punch.

I poked around on YouTube a bit and Dateline doesn’t like him much at all. Or his wife.

Cerise

Chad, I remember years ago on tour when you said you wanted to go on the Benny Hinn stage and NOT fall. Has this ever happened (someone not falling)? Surely it has, right? What then?

And whose power is causing these people to fall? (This is not rhetorical.)