{"id":8854,"date":"2026-09-30T17:39:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T00:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/?p=8854"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T00:39:31","slug":"parked-on-the-platform-ed-youngs-rolls-royce-christs-playbook-and-the-gospel-of-the-showroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/2026\/09\/30\/parked-on-the-platform-ed-youngs-rolls-royce-christs-playbook-and-the-gospel-of-the-showroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Parked on the Platform: Ed Young\u2019s Rolls-Royce, \u201cChrist\u2019s Playbook,\u201d and the Gospel of the Showroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Does it look like Madison Avenue? Testing a Megachurch Stunt Against Scripture<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Introduction: Two Ways to Enter a Sanctuary<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">There are two ways to make an entrance into a house of worship. One is on a borrowed colt, exactly as the prophet foretold: <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201clowly, and riding upon an ass\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Zechariah 9:9). The other is behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce, eased <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201conly a few feet\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> across the stage at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, while the pastor assures thousands that the stunt is not gimmicky but<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cgodly.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Pastor Ed Young chose the second entrance. He then informed listeners that the exercise came straight from <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cChrist\u2019s playbook,\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>that bored churchgoers should blame the preacher rather than God, that the church is in<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cthe entertainment business,\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and, in the grand finale, that every person in the room is in fact a Rolls-Royce.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">It is a remarkable claim to make in the name of a King who had nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). This essay takes Pastor Young at his word, opens the playbook he cites, and asks whether the Lord of the colt would recognize the car.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;It&#8217;s not gimmicky, it&#8217;s godly. If you ever go to church and find yourself bored, blame the communicator, the pastor, don&#8217;t blame God.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Megachurch pastor responds to folks criticizing him for driving a Rolls Royce on stage for a church sermon illustration. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mNaxogGG8P\">pic.twitter.com\/mNaxogGG8P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Protestia (@Protestia) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Protestia\/status\/2105232912597786820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The Illustration on the Showroom Floor<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>What Was Actually Said<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young\u2019s brief homily makes five claims: that visual stunts are godly because Jesus used illustrations; that a preacher without visuals is <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cnot being fully biblical\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span>; that the church\u2019s business is entertainment, which he defines as capturing and holding attention; that the first thing Scripture reveals about God is His creativity, making every believer a <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201ccreative genius\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span>; and that the listener is a luxury automobile.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>We are in the entertainment business. Entertainment\u2019s a good word.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ed Young, Fellowship Church sermon (transcript)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>A Well-Worn Vehicle<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">This is not a first offense. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>Texas Monthly<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> reported that Young had previously preached beside both a Ferrari and a Rolls-Royce, relaying a <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>Christian Post<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> account of what the magazine called his prosperity message.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>God gave me a Ferrari because I am a Ferrari.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ed Young, as reported by Sonia Smith, Texas Monthly (2013)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The same article chronicled a caged lion and a bleating lamb at Easter, and a 24-hour rooftop <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cbed-in\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>with his wife. Wikipedia records that the church hosted a professional wrestling event in 2018 and that CBS News ranked it America\u2019s sixth-largest megachurch, with roughly 24,000 weekly attendees. Its annual C3 gathering is, fittingly, the Creative Church Culture Conference. The Rolls-Royce is not an illustration. It is a brand.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Opening \u201cChrist\u2019s Playbook\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Parables Were Not Props<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young is right that Jesus taught in parables. But consider the inventory: seed, soil, leaven, a lost coin, a lost sheep, a prodigal\u2019s pig trough. The Lord drew His metaphors from the calloused world of Galilean peasants, not from a dealership. More pointedly, He explained that parables conceal as much as they reveal:<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cbecause they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Matthew 13:13). His illustrations were instruments of judgment as well as grace, hardly the stuff of audience-retention metrics.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>The Communicator Who Lost the Crowd<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">If empty seats are always the preacher\u2019s fault, the Preacher of John 6 has some explaining to do. After the Bread of Life discourse, <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cmany of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(John 6:66). Jesus did not cue the band. He turned to the Twelve and asked, <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cWill ye also go away?\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Paul fared no better by Young\u2019s standard. At Troas he preached until midnight, and young Eutychus dozed off and fell from a third-story window (Acts 20:9). Paul raised him from the dead and kept preaching until daybreak. No Rolls-Royce required.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The Entertainment Business<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Foolishness by Design<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Scripture\u2019s prescribed method is deliberately unimpressive: <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cit pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(1 Corinthians 1:21). Paul came to Corinth<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cnot with excellency of speech,\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>resolved to know nothing<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201csave Jesus Christ, and him crucified,\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>so that faith would not <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cstand in the wisdom of men\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 Corinthians 2:1\u20135). Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), not by watching a sedan idle beneath stage lights. Neil Postman warned four decades ago, in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>Amusing Ourselves to Death<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">, that when public discourse is recast as entertainment, serious content is not enhanced but quietly dismantled. The pulpit enjoys no exemption.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young\u2019s own habits illustrate the drift. In a video reported by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>The Christian Post<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">, he pronounced a 36-minute sermon far too long and celebrated one of barely twenty minutes, while preaching through Romans.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>I\u2019m going through the book of Romans. Twenty minutes, are you kidding me?\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ed Young, quoted by The Christian Post (2025)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The same report noted that the median evangelical sermon runs 39 minutes. Apparently the Epistle to the Romans now comes in a travel size. One critic put it with admirable restraint:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c\u2026<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>replace the ordinary means God gave the church with gimmicks designed to captivate audiences.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">YouTube video description, response to Ed Young and Fellowship Church<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>\u201cCreative Genius\u201d?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young claims creativity is the first thing we know about God. Genesis 1:1 tells us something far weightier: God is the sovereign Creator who speaks all things into being from nothing, and therefore owns them. The Creator\u2013creature distinction is the foundation of true worship (Romans 1:25). The image of God, as historic theology has understood it, is renewed<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cin knowledge\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Colossians 3:10) and <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cin righteousness and true holiness\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Ephesians 4:24), not in artistic flair. Crowning fallen sinners as creative geniuses inverts Genesis. It applauds the canvas and forgets the Artist.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>\u201cYou Are a Rolls-Royce\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>The Anthropology of the Showroom<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Here the illustration stops being merely trite and becomes theologically dangerous. Scripture\u2019s verdict on human nature is not <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cluxury model.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> It is <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cthere is none righteous, no, not one\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Romans 3:10). We were<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201cdead in trespasses and sins\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Ephesians 2:1). The church at Laodicea also believed itself a premium vehicle, <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201crich, and increased with goods,\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>yet Christ called it <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cwretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Revelation 3:17).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The gospel does not tell sinners they are Rolls-Royces. It tells them they are wrecks, towed in by grace and purchased at infinite cost by One who, <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cthough he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (2 Corinthians 8:9). A message that begins with the listener\u2019s intrinsic luxury value has no room for a cross, and no need of one.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">If the Word needs a Rolls Royce to keep people from boredom, we have already lost the plot.<br \/>\nPaul came &#8220;not with lofty speech or wisdom,&#8221; resolved to know nothing but &#8220;Jesus Christ and him crucified&#8221; (1 Cor 2:1-2). The Spirit uses the preached Word, not a stage prop.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rob Alsobrook (@robalso) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/robalso\/status\/2105274399305986316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Follow the Money<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Why the Symbol Lands Badly<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">A luxury-car illustration might be shrugged off in a church of modest means. It lands differently here. In 2010, WFAA\u2019s News 8 reported that Young received a $240,000 annual parsonage allowance on top of what sources described as a $1 million salary, and that the church had operated a Falcon 50 private jet, estimated at $8.4 million, since 2007. A church spokesman responded that an independent committee sets compensation, that Young flies commercial, charter, and leased aircraft, and that he reimburses personal trips. WFAA noted that no one accused him of breaking any law. Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation was less charitable:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>They are sanctifying greed, and that\u2019s what\u2019s so evil.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ole Anthony, Trinity Foundation, quoted by WFAA News 8 (2010)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Tithes with a Money-Back Guarantee<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">In 2014, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>Charisma<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> reported the church\u2019s<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201c90-Day Challenge,\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>promising tithers that if God failed to deliver on Malachi 3:10, the church would make good:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>we will refund 100% of your tithe\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Fellowship Church, as reported by Charisma (2014)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Malachi is thus reduced to a product warranty, with the Almighty as the manufacturer on the hook. Paul had a phrase for this: men <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201csupposing that gain is godliness\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 Timothy 6:5).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Governance Behind the Curtain<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The Trinity Foundation reported in 2025 that Fellowship\u2019s 2001 amended articles eliminated members\u2019 voting rights, and that at least five churches merged into Fellowship later collapsed, including a Miami congregation that reportedly learned of its building\u2019s sale only at its final service. An AI-compiled profile on Grokipedia recounts the October 2024 trespass arrest of a documentary filmmaker who had pressed questions about the pastor\u2019s housing allowance. These are reports, not verdicts. But a shepherd who drives luxury onto the platform should not be surprised when the sheep ask who paid for the fuel.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>\u201cHeaven Is Going to Be a Big Place\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young waves away such scrutiny by calling critics of megachurches hypocrites who happily attend stadiums and malls.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><i>Heaven is going to be a big place.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\"><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\"><strong>\u2014 <span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ed Young, quoted by Dale Chamberlain, ChurchLeaders (2024)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Crosswalk\u2019s Michael Foust noted that Fellowship ranked twelfth in the 2024 Outreach 100, with some 24,000 attendees. Heaven will indeed be crowded:<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong> \u201ca great multitude, which no man could number\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Revelation 7:9). But that multitude gathers around the Lamb who was slain, not around an attendance ranking, and its robes were washed in blood, not buffed like chrome.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Conclusion: The Colt and the Car<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Creativity is not the enemy. Nathan\u2019s parable of the stolen ewe lamb (2 Samuel 12) was among the most creative sermons ever preached, and it ended with a king confessing, <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cI have sinned.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> That is the test of a biblical illustration: does it drive the hearer to repentance and to Christ, or does it merely drive the preacher onto the stage?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Young\u2019s Rolls-Royce told a congregation they were already magnificent. The Lord who rode a borrowed colt into Jerusalem told the world something harder and infinitely better: that He came <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em><strong>\u201cto seek and to save that which was lost\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Luke 19:10). Churches serious about following Christ\u2019s playbook might begin by getting out of the car.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Sources and Bibliography<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Chamberlain, Dale. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cPastor Ed Young Says Criticizing Megachurches Is \u2018Hypocritical.\u2019\u201d ChurchLeaders, September 5, 2024.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/churchleaders.com\/news\/493791-pastor-ed-young-says-criticizing-megachurches-is-hypocritical.html<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\">Charisma Magazine Online.<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cMegachurch Pastor Ed Young Promises to Refund Tithe if God Doesn\u2019t Open the Windows of Heaven.\u201d June 16, 2014.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/mycharisma.com\/news\/megachurch-pastor-ed-young-promises-to-refund-tithe-if-god-doesn-t-open-the-windows-of-heaven-2\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\">CP Staff.<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cMegachurch Pastor Ed Young: Half-Hour Sermons Are \u2018Way Too Long.\u2019\u201d The Christian Post, October 3, 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/megachurch-pastor-ed-young-half-hour-sermons-are-way-too-long.html<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Evans, Pete. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cEd Young\u2019s Toxic Church Business Practices and Mergers Infect Second Baptist Houston and Other Churches.\u201d Trinity Foundation, May 26, 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/trinityfi.org\/ed-youngs-toxic-church-business-practices-and-mergers-infect-second-baptist-houston-and-other-churches\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\">Foust, Michael.<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cPastor Ed Young Defends Megachurches, Says Critics Have a Double Standard.\u201d Crosswalk.com, September 6, 2024.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/www.crosswalk.com\/headlines\/contributors\/michael-foust\/pastor-ed-young-defends-megachurches-says-critics-have-a-double-standard.html<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\">Grokipedia.<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cEd Young (Fellowship Church).\u201d AI-generated encyclopedia entry; cited as secondary only.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/grokipedia.com\/page\/ed_young_fellowship_church<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b><span style=\"color: #6f7073;\">Postman, Neil.<\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Viking, 1985.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Smith, Sonia. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cFurry Fellowship: Grapevine Pastor Ed Young Brings a Lion, Lamb to Easter Sermon.\u201d Texas Monthly, 2013.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/www.texasmonthly.com\/articles\/furry-fellowship-grapevine-pastor-ed-young-brings-a-lion-lamb-to-easter-sermon\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>The Holy Bible, <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">King James Version. All Scripture quotations are from the KJV.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>WFAA News 8. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cProminent Grapevine Pastor Linked to Luxury.\u201d February 2010.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/www.wfaa.com\/article\/news\/local\/investigates\/prominent-grapevine-pastor-linked-to-luxury\/287-338287756<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Wikipedia. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cFellowship Church.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fellowship_Church<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>YouTube. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Video description responding to Ed Young and Fellowship Church (text supplied by the author; automated retrieval returned HTTP 429).<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/hNfMNSMXl7M<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #6f7073;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Young, Ed. <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Rolls-Royce sermon segment, Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas (transcript supplied by the author).<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-family: Consolas, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">https:\/\/www.fellowshipchurch.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #7a1f1f;\">\u2767 \u2726 \u2767<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Colophon<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #555555;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Research, source retrieval, and drafting assistance provided by Claude (Anthropic) as a scholarly research collaborator, under the full editorial authority of Dennis Robbins. All sources were retrieved on September 30, 2026. Direct quotations have been kept brief and attributed; reported allegations are presented as reports, alongside the church\u2019s published responses where available.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does it look like Madison Avenue? Testing a Megachurch Stunt Against Scripture Introduction: Two Ways to Enter a Sanctuary There are two ways to make an entrance into a house of worship. One is on a borrowed colt, exactly as the prophet foretold: \u201clowly, and riding upon an ass\u201d (Zechariah 9:9). The other is behind&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[46,236,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christianity","category-entertainment","category-religion"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gemini_Generated_Image_l3jjil3jjil3jjil.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8854"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8857,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854\/revisions\/8857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}