KEN SILVA IS TOO HARD ON RAVI ZACHARIAS AND JOYCE MEYER?

By on Dec 23, 2012 in Current Issues, Features

I’ve pointed out many times now that as a general rule, and a courtesy, we do not publish email without the permission of the sender.

At the same time, all email sent to AM and Christian Research Network is considered the property of Apprising Ministries so we may indeed publish unsolicited email for the purposes of edification.

Such is the case here. The email below comes from William “Jay” Odom who tells me that he’s “president of Deerfield Advisors” ((http://deerfieldadvisors.com, accessed 12-23-12.)) and “small group leader in youth department at Bear Creek Baptist Church, Houston, TX.”

I offer this exchange as an example of how sometimes we must speak the truth in love gently, but firmly:

On Dec 23, 2012, at 5:27 PM, World Wide Web Owner wrote:

From: jay odom
Subject: j@wjo.cc

Message Body:

i dont know your name but dude really…… take a dang breath. join me in the youth department & stop splitting hairs. we have kids going out into the world without a clue & you are hammering away at ravi Z. for real? im not saying they are perfect & you may have some valid points but you need to give it a rest for a while. stick to the big stuff. stop splitting these infernal hairs.
joyce meyers has led me to some personal characteristics of mine that needed to be changed. whats wrong with that. im in line with you on most things probably 99% like trinity etc but you are very hard on these people.

with love

jay odom
president deerfieldadvisors & small group leader in youth department at bearcreek baptist church houston tx.

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This mail is sent via contact form on Apprising Ministries https://www.apprising.org/
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On Dec 23, 2012, at 6:35 PM, Ken Silva wrote:

Hello Jay,

Thank you for contacting Apprising Ministries. Please know there was no offense taken and I received this as written from a point of sincere concern. I’m responding in the tone of two people talking about issues over coffee.

I just put all of this up front due to the coldness of the written language, which lacks the ability to distinguish inflections, etc. Below in your critique you said: “i dont know your name but dude really…… take a dang breath. join me in the youth department & stop splitting hairs.”

So that you’ll know, just because I am critical of someone’s doctrine doesn’t then mean I’m all angry, ranting, red-faced, and out of breath. I’ve also worked with youth virtually my entire adult life in various roles in schools and as a football coach for years.

Jay, it certainly isn’t “splitting hairs” for us to teach and discuss proper doctrine; nor is holding people claiming to teach the Christian faith to it. In fact, it’s actually a part of my job as a pastor-teacher to do so (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9-10).

You then opine: “we have kids going out into the world without a clue & you are hammering away at ravi Z. for real?” Well, they’ll continue to have no “clue” unless they’re properly instructed. And yes, to me Ravi Zacharias is not some “Christian untouchable.” He is just as accountable to the Body of Christ as anyone else.

Next you say: “im not saying they are perfect & you may have some valid points but you need to give it a rest for a while. stick to the big stuff. stop splitting these infernal hairs.” Zacharias praising a Word Faith heretic who functions as an elder and, thereby, validating her apostasy is “big stuff.” As is having women “elders” on his staff.

Then you point out “joyce meyers has led me to some personal characteristics of mine that needed to be changed” and asked me “whats wrong with that.” Nothing, in and of itself; if she claimed to be a motivational speaker or a self-help guru a la Tony Robbins. However, she doesn’t. Joyce Meyer regularly claims direct revelation from God as a teacher of His Word.

Finally you offer: “im in line with you on most things probably 99% like trinity etc but you are very hard on these people.” I don’t know about that; however, you err when you say I’m hard on Ravi Zacharias and Joyce Meyer as “these people.” I don’t know them personally; therefore, I’m not making any comment whatsoever about them.

What I’m doing, Jay, is assessing their false doctrine;  holding them accountable to God’s infallible and inerrant Word in the Bible, and teaching others how to do the same. Sadly, these skills appear to be largely lost today in the apostatizing evangelical community; and that is a grave danger facing the youth of which you speak.

May God open your eyes that you may recognize the time in which you now live.

Sincerely,

Ken Silva, pastor-teacher
President
Apprising Ministries
Ezekiel 3:7-14

Gen. Ed.
Christian Research Network
2 Corinthians 11:12-15

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