(Can't think of a better way to preface this post than with that thought from earlier this week.)
Yes folks, it's time to once again chronicle for posterity - in addition to laughing at - what is called on this blog and others the "Church Of Christ In Name Only" (COCINO) and the minions of Johnny Robertson.
A few nights ago numerous e-mails came in saying that I should check out what local cult leader Johnny Robertson - prime evil of the self-professed "Church of Christ" wacko fringe group - had brought in: some guy from the cult's breeding ground in Texas, not just for the group's annual "tent meeting" in this area but also, apparently, for the express purpose of "taking on Chris Knight" since this individual kept referencing me during his live appearances on WGSR.
(With so many of the cult's leadership in this area, I will ask them since they are obviously reading this blog: why are you guys giving all that money from the Lord's treasury to a habitual convicted felon, atheist, purveyor of immoral entertainment and BISEXUAL DEVIANT/PERVERT? If scripture commands us to have an answer ready for every question as it does in Colossians 4:6 and 1st Peter 3:15 then it's high time that this question be answered. Y'all accuse others of lesser things than this but when it's known that you are actively dealing with such a person on your own, you never seem to be able to 'splain that one to us. Reeks of hypocrisy if ya ask me...)
Anyhoo, I checked out what the hub-bub was about and found that Robertson had brought into town someone named Shawn Paden.
The first thought that entered my mind when I saw Robertson's fellow cultist was "this guy looks like John Wayne Gacy without the clown makeup!"
I don't have a photo of Shawn Paden himself at the moment, but just imagine "Pogo the Clown" without the makeup, focus on his heartless soulless eyes, and that is a pretty good image of Shawn Paden.
Anyhoo, Johnny Robertson brought Pogo Paden into town at presumably great expense. Once he got here Pogo Paden did nothing with his television airtime other than declare that people without water baptism were damned to Hell and that salvation is mostly a thing about works. Pogo Paden reiterated Robertson's "thousand dollar challenge" (which has long been answered but Robertson refuses to ante-up) to the belief that we are saved by faith.
Even while working on my new film last night, I was able to tick off the scriptural answers to Pogo Paden: Luke 5:20, Luke 18:10-14, John 3:16, John 6:28-29, John 5:24, John 6:40, John 6:47, Acts 10:43, Acts 16:31, Romans 3:28 (which reads "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith WITHOUT the deeds of the law."), Romans 4:5 (which reads "But to him THAT WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith IS COUNTED for righteousness."), Romans 5:1 (which reads "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."), Galatians 2:16 (which reads "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."), Galatians 2:21, all of Galatians chapter 3, Ephesians 2:8-10 (which reads "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."), and numerous others which no doubt will also be ignored by Johnny Robertson, James Oldfield, Mark McMinnis, Micah Robertson and Shawn Paden as they routinely do anyway.
(Do these people ever preach Christ and Him crucified? I've never heard them do it, not even once.)
But let's get to the really interesting thing, folks! Seems that earlier this week Johnny Robertson ran afoul of the City of Danville because - gasp! - Robertson and his cult failed to get the proper permits for their tent meeting. I didn't see it myself but I had to chuckle at all the reports of Robertson and his goons going on WGSR and blaming "the Baptist Mafia" at work in Danville for trying to foil his plans. Yup, "Baptist Mafia", that's what Robertson apparently said.
Well, Robertson did get his papers in order and the "tent meeting" began. Complete with associates of the cult from Texas including Shawn "Pogo" Paden. But how successful has it been?
Here are some screen captures from a videotape that somebody provided of a broadcast of the tent meeting on WGSR a few days ago. Johnny Robertson droned on and on for an hour, again claiming that without water baptism (and "proper" water baptism at that, meaning that all Baptists are going to Hell anyway) that one is damned without any possibility of salvation.
Here's Johnny Robertson of the Martinsville Church of Christ (which has nothing to do with the mainstream Churches of Christ that most people know and respect and admire) finally shutting up from his "inspirational" preaching. In the footage I thought I could make out Mark McMinnis and one other individual, and one person obviously running the camera...
And no doubt Robertson has been preaching his message to an enthralled, enraptured audience. Right? Right?!
A thoughtless panning of the camera to the right reveals the truth of the matter...
NOBODY HAS COME TO THE TENT MEETING! Johnny Robertson has spent an hour, possibly more, PREACHING TO EMPTY CHAIRS! Apart from his own followers (who are obligated to be in attendance because Robertson calls them out by name during "services" on Sunday morning at Martinsville Church of Christ if they haven't been "faithful" enough) no one from the general public has come to hear Johnny Robertson speak, at least at this particular "tent meeting".
I've seen tent revivals before, put on by churches and visiting evangelists. Not the "charlatan" types either that unfortunately do admittedly roam the land, but some obviously sincere folks. Those events always seemed to pack their respective tents. But here, at Johnny Robertson's "Church of Christ"? Not so much. Crazily enough, Johnny Robertson does sweep his gaze look up and down and across the empty chairs as if they had actual people sitting in them.
I am told by some who have eyewitnessed the tent meeting that there have been apparently less than a dozen people amassed beneath it at any given time during the past several nights.
Maybe that's why Robertson was so hot to locate his tent meeting next to a car dealership: because on camera it would look as though throngs of people beat a path to his sham. Trickery, trickery, trickery.
I guess the word really is out: nobody wants to associate with a cult that regularly harasses and intimidates people in their own homes and during the sanctity of their worship services, a cult that has already been found guilty in court once this year for criminal trespass, and a cult leader who has thus far accused at least two churches of child pornography without any evidence, among many other acts of irresponsible and unethical behavior.
Maybe Johnny Robertson just needs to bring more of his comic book collection to entice people to come visit "the tent".
Being of Spanish ancestry it's funny when you mention "COCINO" in this context ... as the root word involved suggests "cooking" lol ...
ReplyDeleteOh they're "cooking" awright: always cooking up evil.
ReplyDeleteThe pro-Johnny callers to his show are always from CoC members. Most are from out of state.
ReplyDeleteShawn HEATH Paden looks and acts like a gangster. They needed bigger tent for his big head and bigger ego.
ReplyDeleteI'm finally convinced that Robertson is sick and not only sick minded. If he is preaching to people that aren't there but he believes they are then he needs help. In the second picture from the meeting he looks like he is looking at real people.
ReplyDeleteJR's followers said they were having 50 to 80 people coming each night!
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, Johnny has said he wants to 'defeat destroy' the denominations but how many churches has he shut down? None.
ReplyDeleteThe Knight Shift blog has shut down the Church of Christ in Reidsville well other than the station run by the bisexual but that doesn't count, without you trying.
Doesn't look like good score for Johnny if you ask me.
Hard to believe a preacher like Johnny Robertson about anything when he spells WHY THEY WON'T COME ON as WHY THEY WANT COME ON like he's doing tonight on Star News.
ReplyDeleteI've been waiting for your 2 cents on this! I almost feel sorry for these guys. And the crazy thing is, Johnny could be a good preacher if he actually preached what he believed rather than preaching what others shouldn't believe.
ReplyDeleteRomans 4:5 which reads "But to him THAT WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith IS COUNTED for righteousness."
ReplyDeleteShawn Paden was asking for a verse that says we are saved by faith only. There it is. Shawn be a man and pay Chris the thousand bucks.
(Do these people ever preach Christ and Him crucified? I've never heard them do it, not even once.)
ReplyDeleteThey don't preach Christ and Him crucified because they don't know Christ and would have been the first to crucify Him for breaking the law.
I'm reading better Bible here than Johnny and his followers all put together.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever go to a seminary Chris?
"Shawn Paden was asking for a verse that says we are saved by faith only. There it is. Shawn be a man and pay Chris the thousand bucks."
ReplyDeleteYes, Romans 4:5 does absolutely skewer Mr. Paden's contention that we cannot be saved without "remaining faithful" with works in addition to faith. I have read that verse countless times over the years, and as of yet have been unable to see how it says anything other than that we are saved by faith only (no matter how much Robertson, Oldfield, McMinnis, Paden etc. insist different...)
But I'm not expecting Mr. Paden to "man up" and pay me the thousand dollars. I wouldn't accept the money anyway. However if Shawn Paden will instead donate the $1000 to either the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County, the Boy Scouts of America or to the Salvation Army, I would be willing to consider him a man of his word.
"They don't preach Christ and Him crucified because they don't know Christ and would have been the first to crucify Him for breaking the law."
ReplyDeleteWhen one runs away from the grace of God, one invariably runs into the snare of the devil.
"Did you ever go to a seminary Chris?"
ReplyDeleteNope. No seminary studying here.
I am merely a follower of Christ who has failed and fallen (a lot) but in spite of it all, has been blessed over the years with many people who know and follow Christ better than I have ever been able to, who I have been very fortunate to have learned from and even been discipled by.
Anything that I do or write here, I sincerely hope it will reflect well upon them... and upon the One who first gave them the wisdom that I have been grateful to receive.
The clown picture makes me think of what Clown in the Spawn movie says and it must be what Satan says whenever Johnny Robertson opens his mouth.
ReplyDelete"How come God hogs up all the good followers and we get all the retards?"
Johnny Robertson said he want to save the souls. He says if you are not in the Church of Christ you are going to hell. Since the churches are running him out I wonder why don't he try to save the souls of the people at Star News especially the two women preachers that work there. The Texas people could throw in some big bucks for this.
ReplyDeleteI also am wondering why one of the Church of Christ members Eugene Grant calls the people at Star News Brother and Sister.
Johnny on his show tonight said 5 people baptized at the tent and in the Lord's church. He won't show their pictures though. So I want to know is why are these people so ashamed to let it be known that they are in the Church of Christ? What do they have to hide? That is what Johnny accuses everyone else of. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the cult's summer TV series tonight but knowing Robertson's tendency to lie about practically everything else, I have to question the authenticity of that claim.
ReplyDeleteIt's likely just Johnny Robertson "cooking the books". This IS his business after all. His cult is how he gets money. I'm sure it's an easy life, trading up whatever one's beliefs might be for what some wealthy leaders in Texas can give them... all in exchange for going out each week to harass and intimidate others.
As I said, this is Johnny Robertson's line of work. And it's one that he's particularly cutthroat about.