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| Come Into My Parlor ... |
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| ... Said The Spyder To The Fly ... |
At ntcc I'm sure you've heard the expression:
"All are welcome"
While this is a catch phrase ntcc uses to allure people out to their cult meetings, it is actually a true statement. They do welcome all to their cult meetings. They welcome all so they can blast all. At ntcc the doors are open to all; but if you don't like the preaching,
"Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you!" ...
Most of what I've seen in my years of servitude in the servicemen's homes was that many of the pastors would run people off before they ever got a chance to consider being saved. The ntcc preacher would preach salvation through one side of his mouth, holiness through the other side of his mouth while making it personal by scowling and growling, then using his fingers to point at folks, while glaring with his eyes to make them feel more uncomfortable. All this on top of the conviction of the Holy Ghost. It's a wonder any of us ever got saved.
Let's take a closer look at who's welcome and who is not.
WELCOME:
1. Saved - definition varies from pastor to pastor.
2. Tithe payer.
3. Gives in all offerings.
4. Men must dress like dorks in wingtips, white shirts, and polyester slacks.
5. Women must wear dresses, skirts and scarves.
6. Women are made to wear wigs if their natural hear is too short or sloppy for ntcc standards.
7. Men and Women must attend all sevices and events.
8. Men and Women that shout AMEN and PREACH to everything the preacher says are always welcome.
NOT WELCOME:
1. Unsaved after their 1st service.
2. Those who don't pay tithe.
3. Those who don't give in offerings.
4. Men who wear shorts, jeans, t-shirts, tight clothing, or if they look too cool.
5. Men who are not clean shaven.
6. Men with tattoos that show, piercings or long hair.
7. Women with short hair.
8. Women wearing pants, shorts and tight clothing.
9. Women that believe they are to be treated equal to men.
10. Women and men that disagree with anything that comes accross the pulpit.
11. Women that are called to do something other than wash dishes and cook.
12. Women that wear make-up.
13. Men who wear double-breasted suits.
14. Those who have televisions, unless they are used to advertise for church.
15. No child molesters unless they are a future board member fondling the founder's daughter, or are on a double date with him doing the same, or if it is the founder himself fondling a young girl, or if he runs the print shop, or works in the office for rodger w. davis.
16. Children that "hinder the work of Gawd".
Do you get the picture here? Now I'm not saying that ntcc preachers always blast people on these points from behind the pulpit; but these are some of the do's and dont's that will eventually get you an invitation to leave the org. if they are not adhered to. While you might not be blasted on all of these items from behind the pulpit you will be made to feel unwelcome. ntcc knows that if they can make people feel unwelcome those folks won't come back.
The emphasis in ntcc is placed more on the standards than it is on the Love of Christ.
There is however one subject that will always without fail get you blasted from behind the pulpit and that is not paying tithe or giving in offerings. If ntcc pastors were to spend their time behind the pulpit preaching the love of God and lifting up Christ rather than coming across like a snake oil salesmen after your money, they would get more people to stay and give willingly; and their churches would prosper.
I remember there was this older guy that used to come out to the servicemen's home in Ft. Bragg and give large amounts of money in the offerings; and he would bring hundreds of one dollar bills and give them out to the brethren. He was allowed to hang around inspite of the fact that he didn't conform to any of the ntcc standards other than the money flow standards. He hung around through 3 pastor's and even showed up at a conference at Holly Hills and was praised by rwd from behind the pulpit. It turned out that this man was a homosexual that was attracted to the young men at the servicemen's home and was finally run off after it was reported that he physically tried to get into the pants of one of the servicemen; but this advance was refused; and the man was outed by the shocked soldier.
As for # 15 on the list of dont's I would like to leave the following disclaimer. While I believe it happened and that the eye wittness accounts are reliable, I havn't seen irrefutable evidence that proves it actually happened. I will say this however. At ntcc we are expected to "abstain from the very appearence of evil". We are also taught and preached to about how important our testimony is. We do not go into bars because we don't want to damage our testimony. What is the ntcc leadership thinking? In most states this is called statutory rape and is punishable by a prison sentence. This just shows the arrogance and the double standard that the leadership of ntcc lives by. Did kekel and teenya have to go sit on the wall after asking permission to speak from rwd? No? Surely they were not allowed to be alone where they would be tempted to feel each other up? But that is what happened. Hmmn. I'm sure, being the examples of beleiver's that they claim to be, that they would not do anything to bring shame on the work of God... Would they? But they did bring shame and refused to repent. They probably did worse than all their peers who allegedly made the rules. I'm sure they have always felt the rules do not apply to them.
Wow, I wonder what would happen if Christians were trusted to make their own decisions regarding dating and relationships. What would happen if Christians were trusted to guard their own testimonies or to "work out your own salvation"? I wonder if there would be more joy in the ntcc Christians' lives and if they would be more productive.
I've often heard preachers at ntcc say," I've never seen a Charismatic get saved. I've never seen a person from a certain ethnic group get saved. I've never seen a homosexual get saved." I believe this may be true; they have never seen it; because they don't believe it will happen. I believe that none of these have a chance in the ntcc; because they are so quickly run off. How can they get saved if they are hated and run out of the church? Is the blood of Christ not powerful enough to save a homosexual or a Charismatic or a Puerto Rican or any other group that's "hard to save"? Maybe it's because ntcc has passed all of these groups off as reprobates; or maybe it's because they are not good tithers. How can they repent if they are not brought to the foot of the Cross?
Next time you see an ntcc church flyer or T.V. ad, or hear an ntcc soul winner or pastor say that all are welcome, believe them. They will shake your hand before and after church service. They will not refuse your money. But if you are looking for a church that will allow God to move in your life, you would be better served by going to an online e-church service where at least you don't have to worry about getting germs from a phony hand-shake.
