Preacher Worship

[jriccitelli]

Last night I sat at a table with some christian friends, one who is a follower of Swedenborg and others who are singing the praises of the local big church pastor who has a 'gift' for preaching. The follower of Swedenborg obviously falls into a dangerous category but the others do not see their own dangerous signs of pastor attraction.
I suppose I was made aware of the dangerous cult of personality when as a Mormon, I did not like, or understand why the attention given to Joseph Smith was in fact the necessary attention that should be reserved for Scripture alone. I then witnessed the same mistake made within the Charismatic church I went to that was caught up in the Word of Faith preachers like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland. It seems like 'many' churches have their own supply of pastor devotees.
My curiosity caused me to study this a bit more in detail, since I just did not understand why or how there could be such an adherence to men such as Joseph Smith, so I read about Hitler's swaying of the people, and Sun Myung Moon, Jim Jones, and even Manson. All I could glean from all this is that the axiom is true; 'there is a sucker born every minute', and that also 'he who puts his trust in an arm of flesh is in danger', but 'he who trusts in the Lord shall not stumble'.
I try to glean what I can from all good teachers but God seems have allowed that for even the greatest of thinkers (and all men) to be wrong on certain points, a thorn of the flesh, so to speak. I have concluded that every human born has an idiot side to them (me excluded of course, devotees welcome).

I have an admitted love for good teachers, and I have a few I almost revere, but its because they are strictly 'bible' teachers and continue to downplay their own importance or relevance to the full understanding of God. And they must include, and preach, of the danger of following men in their Soteriology to be true Bible teachers.