Apprising Ministries now brings you a follow-up to Did Perry Noble Lie? James MacDonald Says No. The video evidence within that prior piece shows Noble on March 20, 2011 state that sometimes he does try and anger people in a church service using shock value tactics.

Then 21 days later you’ll see Seeker Driven prophet-pastor Perry Noble, one of the blustery Popes Of The Carolinas along with his disciple prophet-pastor Steven Furtick, tell James MacDonald in his Elephant Room discussions that he does not do such things.

In the real world, which by the way is the only one there is, this is Noble caught in a lie. So this would mean that a pastor-teacher has publicly done something God hates:

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

However, today in our pouty postmodern times spiritually spineless evanjellyfish simply issues a pass rather than actually dealing with any issues, it seems. I’ve said before, if an Arius arises today you’ll in short order be worshipping right alongside your Jehovah’s Witness brothers and sisters.

Think I overstate; then consider Oneness Pentecostal T.D. Jakes Goes Mainstream Evangelical. As another example of bending over backwards, and tap dancing diversion with smoke and mirrors obfuscation, I give you Perry Noble Didn’t Lie!!! by Gospel Coalition Council member James MacDonald.

To quickly recap; first, here is Perry Noble with MacDonald and fellow Gospel Coalition Council member Mark Driscoll on March 31, 2011:

Now here’s Noble earlier on March 20, 2011:

As Christian apologist Chris Rosebrough correctly pointed out in Perry Noble Flat Out Lied: 

These stories, both told by Pastor Sheep Beater Perry Noble are factually incompatible. There are only two choices when it comes to understanding what Perry Noble did:

1. Perry Noble lied to Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald and the audience of the Elephant Room.

2. Perry Noble lied to the thousands of pastors in attendance at the 2011 Unleash Conference. (Online source)

But O no, says James MacDonald; Perry Noble never lied!!! As if three exclamation points would somehow change reality; but such is postmodernity. MacDonald begins his defense of his new friend Perry Noble:

I have often suffered in silence as I was attacked, wondering why others who knew better did not come to my defense. So as one who has lived with false accusation, I must speak up about something. (Online source)

Well, I spend a lot of time in this part of my ministry monitoring Intel along the Internet front and I can truly say this would appear as a bit of playing the martyr by MacDonald. As I pointed out in James MacDonald On Criticism he seems to me rather overly sensitive to anything resembling criticism.

MacDonald now continues:

I have been assaulted on Twitter by folks demanding that I view a YouTube clip that purports to prove that Perry Noble lied in the #1 Elephant Room conference on March 31, 2011. (#2 is coming.) This is absurd. (Online source)

Since I tried to offer this in the combox of his post, but MacDonald deleted it, I’ll say here that what’s absurd is his trying to defend Perry Noble rather then encouraging Noble to repent. MacDonald then goes on:

Also pathetic are people who want to discredit preachers by creating contradiction between things that are very easy to reconcile if you believe the best about someone, as we are COMMANDED TO (1 Corinthians 13:7)! (Online source)

Ok; but those of us who’re pastors are also commanded to reprove, rebuke, and exhort (2 Timothy 4:2) as well. MacDonald then opines:

Just because a pastor’s methods or style make you uncomfortable, or even if his doctrine differs from yours on minor distinctives, does not give you license to label them a goat herder. (Online source)

Apparently MacDonald hasn’t been paying attention because the issue isn’t Noble’s style making anyone uncomfortable. No; rather, it’s his unbiblical man-centered Seeker Driven Church Growth Movement methodology, which should also bother the ostensibly Reformed Gospel Coalition Council member.

But it obviously doesn’t:

hear me, I LOVE PERRY NOBLE. He is a long-suffering servant of Christ, and I praise God for his passion to see people reached with the gospel. (Online source)

The problem is the SD CGM gospel of the changed life is creating scores of false converts; still-born “Christ-followers” who think they’re saved, but in reality, remain unregenerate. MacDonald then tells us that when we put “the two clips together” we’ll see that “LOVE forms” the conclusion he lays out:

Perry was working out in his basement listening to “Highway to Hell” on his iPod, lifting weights and thinking about how much strength it takes to fight off religious people who, in fleshly verdicts, fight against the true work of Christ like evil villains against super heroes.

In hearing the song, he thought to himself that he would really like to [tick] the religious people off (something Jesus was also VERY good at). By the time he got to the church and the Easter planning meeting, the rest of his team weighed in. As they prayed about the decision together they concluded with even better motives for using the song than the ones from Perry’s workout.

In his basement he began with one motive—”a good shock-effect thing this Easter,” (reported in the Unleash Conference and the Elephant Room conference). Then as he met with his team, moved to a second motive—”we really come together with a purpose of what do we feel God wants us to do,” (reported in the Elephant Room conference). (Online source)

Resisting the urge to wrestle with the serpent here, let’s leave aside that above God is being blamed as the Source for using that inappropriate song during an Easter worship service. MacDonald next imports Noble’s supposedly fighting “religious people” with “fleshly verdicts” who “fight against” Christ.

Noble’s facial expressions and body language clearly show he was delighted to use his own idea—not God’s—to play Highway To Hell in order to anger people Perry Noble seems to consider “religious.” Knowing the Seeker Driven Prophet-Pastor model, Noble receives said vision from God to play the song.

Clearly he told us he was seeking God as to how to anger these religious people; translation: Bible-believing Christians who happen to be in church in spite of Noble’s people-pleasing. In the SD P-P system Noble supposedly hears from God that He wanted him to play that song; how could one disagree?

That would actually be to argue with God himself. Then finally MacDonald whines:

I will re-post soon an old blog entry about people who have the gift of discernment and use it in their flesh to create fear and discredit brothers in Christ. They should be ashamed of such conduct and will be judged for it.

The law of truth (1 Corinthians 13:6) is not an excuse to set aside the law of love. “We beheld His glory, full of grace AND truth,” (John 1:14). (Online source)

How does James MacDonald know “people who have the gift of discernment” are using “it in their flesh?” Answer: He doesn’t. This isn’t to say some don’t; it’s that we cannot know for certain someone’s motivation. Unfortunately, it seems anyone who criticizes these prophet-pastors is considered a “hater.”

In closing this, for now, I can just as easily say there are those who are so anxious for unity they set aside discernment and follow the dictates of their flesh in order to create fear about and discredit honest critics whom the Lord has sent. As such, well, they should be ashamed of such conduct and will be judged for it.

Just sayin’…

 See also:

PERRY NOBLE SAYS YOU’RE A JACKASS

STEVEN FURTICK AND JAMES MACDONALD

STEVEN FURTICK BRINGIN’ ON WORD FAITH AND THE PASTRIXES