From the Desk of Jeff King

"One thing you lack"

Seen this week:

• A sign on the Assembly of God church I used to attend promoting an Easter egg hunt with cash prizes. Ugh. Churches think they need a gimmick to draw people, but they end up looking like a game show or carnival act. Whatever happened to preaching sin and repentance and holiness? I would be considered a heretic by some people at my former church for believing that Yeshua's death and resurrection should be observed in the context of Passover. Easter (Ishtar) is named after a fertility goddess. Even the Christian bookstore in town is advertising Resurrection Eggs. No wonder the apostle Paul warned about apostasy in the last days.

• TV preacher Rod Parsley grinning into the camera, encouraging the faithful to sow their very best Resurrection Seed Offering. The offerings and prayer requests (I assume you must have both) will be placed on the Resurrection Seed Altar and Parsley will pray for the needs of people on Easter – as if Yeshua's sacrifice wasn't enough. Parsley comments on his website, "I am praying that this is your time to have it all – all the wealth and spoils of the enemy." Like all the charlatans on TBN, Parsley will pray for you if you show him the money. He also sells a taped sermon series entitled "Take It All." What a contrast to Mark 10:21. When a rich young ruler asks how he can inherit eternal life, Yeshua answers, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." I wonder if Parsley has ever spoken Luke 12:15 from the pulpit – "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."