This review is from: First Baptist Church Martinez CA
Pastor Jim Anderson really isn't a Christian. He views Christianity as a turnaround CEO would a business that isn't profitable enough. He sees the problem as being one of a bad lazy congregation fearful of carrying his message to recruit new followers to his entertainment experience.
As far as the message, he dumps the gospel message in favor of a new one: The church is a business and the members are employees. The church leader is the CEO. An authority is created within the church, his sermons treat the Bible as an employee handbook to train his group how to be effective church recruiters.
It works very well because the methods are adopted directly from the day-to-day life in corporate america. In some churches, its hard to tell the difference between the work-week and church because its all the same thing now.
To motivate the employees, the church focus is on making them feel guilty for not being good and useful. They are kept away from concepts that might make them question these teachings, their family values or their self esteem. The goal of the church is to grow and the members purpose in life is to grow the church. Nothing else is required of them.
Worship degenerates into a professional stage show and business leadership seminar. This is very effective because it reduces the church to being central in people's lives. first before family and first before God. Jim excels at making his church pivotal by daily followup reminders titled "What I believe God is saying to me " this effectively creates the belief that God and Jim are in direct contact. Its also used to ensure they cannot put Jim out of their mind during the rest of the week.
The other trend in this sort of Church is that they have figured out that its much easier to persuade its members to attempt to guilt recruit family and friends from existing churches than it is to bring non christian s to god. Its not easy to grow a church from non-believers. It takes a lot of work. But it takes far less work to go recruiting in circles of family, friends and existing churches. The lure is that Jim Anderson has such easy answers. The extent of the law for Jim Anderson is "do whatever you want to who ever you want as long as you show up with them at church". There are no obsolete commandments to get in the way of modern life, there are only "purposes".
What would Jim Anderson have done in the time of Christ. Well, first he would have told Christ "He had missed the mark" to "stay on Jim's message" and to stop saying such confusing things. Then he would have gone down to Jerusalem on behalf of Christ to announce the arrival of a blue eyed Caucasian. Pastor carrying and preaching from a book called a Bible that magically fell out of the sky. He would have also had a sit down with Christ and explained to him that he needed to act more like a Pastor and not a Jewish rabbi. The only message needed is the sheep are kept believing Jim's leadership is their authority and he has a direct line to Christ. Businessmen should be invited to attend Jim's personal bible study class's because as far as top-tier marketing and salesmanship go, Jim and many like him have excelled at the use of suggestive word play. I would most likely buy my car from him and highly recommend his services to several friends
Think of it! If Christ had just understood Jim Anderson s message, a very narrow singular christian belief could probably have taken over the whole world without having to even have a concern to answer to Christ. Jim as Christs spokesman would be ready and proud to administer all Christs godly duties all by himself. I would even contend in Jim's world Christ himself would be highly appreciative of Jim's advice and approval to forgive sins.
But that's the point. Jesus Christ didn't come selling Jim Anderson's version of Christianity or salvation. He did not come accusing, he did not come condemning, He did not come to save a privileged and select few, He came to save all, He died because his following wasn't a movement. In the end, the crowds and even his own followers deserted him. The message was successful after all not because it was guilt driven and not because it was as Jim seems to believe "A fundamental Baptist Message". It was successful because it offered truth, hope and meaning to everyone.
Jim Anderson and many others like him try to fill their Churches with as many bodies as they can, by force of submission, but these tactics in the end will not bring one person to god. The ministry of Christ is not just signing up as many people as possible to go to church and donate money via an endless series of sermons obsessed on fear and guilting the congregation into never being good enough. Jim Anderson is so obsessed with money, growth and power that when I listen to him, there is nothing of the message of Christ left in him or his words. read more
