black history, theology, Kids' books

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

2Pac, Preachers of L.A., Pastor Clever and the apostle Paul

The idea of reality television is ingenious.

Television producers found a way to create more drama with less money. And, on top of that, it's all "real."

It was only a matter of time before the cash cow that is Reality TV hit the church.

And now it's here, in the form of the Oxygen Network's new series, Preachers of L.A. 


If you are unfamiliar with Preachers of L.A., watch the three-minute trailer above. (Or check out the show Web site here.)

Part of me is intrigued. The other part of me is scared that the show will remind us of the fictitious L.A. reverend named Pastor Clever, Bernie Mac's character in the classic hood film Friday.  

In what must clearly be taken as Hollywood taking a jab at Christianity, Pastor Clever is represented as all "religious" talk with no Christian walk.

Take, for instance, this exchange between Pastor Clever and Craig and Smokey on the porch as the other two men prepare to roll up some marijuana. 

"Excuse me brother, what we call drugs at 74th Street Church Baptist Church, we call that sinny-sin-sin," said Pastor Clever in one breath. In the next breath, he asks Craig and Smokey to share their marijuana.  "Let me get a little bit for my cataracts." (1)

The hood has a saying: Real recognize real!  In many cases, sadly, the church is one of the things labeled as not real.

Fancy buildings full of Pastor Clevers. 

That skepticism can best be summed up by iconic hip-hop artist 2Pac. And while the New Testament - and not a hip-hop legend  - is to be the judge of what the church should and shouldn't be, it's worth wrestling through 2Pac's perception.

"If the churches took half the money they was making and gave it back to the community, we'd be all right ... Have you seen some of the churches lately? There's one that takes up the whole block in New York. There's homeless people out here. Why ain't God lettin' them stay there? Why these (brothers) got gold ceilings and (stuff)? Why God need gold ceilings to talk to me? Why God need colored windows to talk to me? If God wants to talk to me in a pretty spot like that, why the (heck) he send me here then? That makes ghetto kids not believe in God. Why?" (2)

I know some of 2Pac's questions have good answers. I also wince as I imagine myself trying to explain to him why what I hold to be true biblically isn't what he sees experientially.  As someone who cares deeply about both the hood and the church, I am hoping Preachers of L.A. isn't the reality version of Pastor Clever.

Whether it's Pastor Clever on Friday or the Preachers of L.A., the New Testament clearly lays out the standard for pastors. Hint: It looks nothing like Pastor Clever.

As you watch the show, here are four New Testament guidelines given for pastors to consider:


  • First, does this pastor truly and sacrificially love the people he is pastoring? True pastors follow Christ as their example. In John 10, Jesus uses three examples in relationship to sheep. The true shepherd loves the sheep and would give his life to protect the sheep. That's the example pastors are to follow. Conversely, for the hired farm hand, watching sheep is just a job. He is only in it for the money and would bail in a heartbeat before he defended the sheep. He doesn't care about sheep one way or the other. Finally, the wolf just wants to eat the sheep. If a pastor reminds you more of a hired hand or a wolf than a shepherd, that's a big problem.
  • Second, does this man's life and words match up with the Bible? True pastors preach what they practice. They watch their life and doctrine closely. True pastors care deeply about their own spiritual formation and the spiritual growth of the people they are leading. Their desire is to look more and more like Jesus every day, and to study carefully the doctrines of Christianity to avoid false teachings.
  • Third, is this man a one-woman man? Simply put, this pastor is not trying to get with the ladies in the congregation. He's faithful to his one wife. In Friday, after the verbal exchange between Pastor Clever, Craig and Smokey, Pastor Clever is shown chasing after one of the scantily clad woman in the neighborhood, Mrs. Parker. A better picture of the gospel is that a Christ-exalting preacher will treat every woman that is not his wife like his daughter or sister, not as prey.
  •  Fourth, is this man a lover of God or a lover of money?  Point blank, you shouldn't walk away from a pastor feeling like he loves money more than he loves Jesus Christ.  There is a set of teachings called the prosperity gospel that claims that God's ultimate blessing is material possessions. (Read a good blog about Preachers of L.A. and the Prosperity Gospel here.) The true Christian sees Christ - and not a material blessing - as his or her greatest treasure.
Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, husband to Emily and father of five. He has written for The News Leader, VIBE, rapzilla.com, HipHopDX.com, Young Life Relationships and other publications. He is the author of You're Grounded, which you can read about here.


 (1) F. Gary Gray, Friday, New Line Cinema, April 25, 1995
(2) TUPAC SHAKUR: By the editors of VIBE, (New York: Three Rivers Press), 1998, p. 98.

No comments:

Post a Comment