Preachers

Fundy Tweet of the Week

111 Comments

Perhaps Greg “The Peeper” Neal simply misspoke here and meant to say that you shouldn’t let small-minded and petty people bring you down. Even if that’s what he meant, however, I think his phrasing inadvertently reveals a dismissive attitude that most fundy pastors work a lot harder to conceal.

It’s surprising, really, since concealing things (albeit mostly in the changing room) seems to be a skill set that Greg has worked very hard to master.

111 thoughts on “Fundy Tweet of the Week”

  4. OK, I don’t know who this guy is, but my first instinct is to give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume a typo. Certainly he meant to say “…not little THINGS” or “the little PICTURE” or something along those lines. Obviously. Right?

    My next question, though, is who on earth retweets such a thing?

    1. I appreciate your gracious spirit. It gives evidence that you are “not quite so fundy anymore.”

      If you are correct, there will be a correcting tween in the offing.

      I await news of its arrival with breathless anticipation.

      1. Tween, some Freudian slip for the so-called “peeper”?

        Or maybe George is just having fun with you today.

  5. “…meant to say that you should let small-minded and petty people bring you down.”

    Is that what you meant? Or did you mean ” ‘shouldn’t’ let …”?

    1. Small-minded people, does that include Lilliputians? They did do a pretty good job of tying down Gulliver, and without their cooperation it wasn’t that easy for him to get up again. 😛

  6. What I don’t get is how this guy is a pastor. Who would want to be led by a creep like this, regardless of what he puts on twitter?

    1. He’s the senior pastor’s son.
      We all know that “pastor” is a hereditary position in the IFB.

      1. Yes, someone introduced the term “grandpastor” in the comments the other day, which I thought was quite brilliant.

      3. When you think of it, maybe that’s something those evil Catholics got right, proclaiming that priests should not marry or have children, and avoid this kind of mess. 😕

  8. Maybe he’s referring to the “little people” that ran the camera in his office without his knowing.

    1. I still have a child young enough to play with Little People. I always wanted to buy the Little People nativity; it’s so cute.

        1. It is, but, boy, is it cute!

          If your kids are still little, you’ll be using it for years, and if you teach children’s church, you can bring it in for the kids at church, and eventually you can tuck it away and save it for the grandkids.

  11. Well, sure. Who cares about people, after all? Certainly not this flavor of Christian.

  13. “I love these little people, and it is not a slight thing when they who are so fresh from God love us.” Charles Dickens

  14. Here’s the best one and then I promise I will stop:

    “So elves could be walking around in our midst, disguised as normal, everyday, vertically challenged citizens.” Janet Evanovich

    1. One way to reveal their elven nature is see if they’re carrying cookies. Or at this time of year, wooden toys. 😀

  17. That is prejudice against people 4’10” and shorter! 😡
    Little people can do pretty big things, look at Shorty’s Rescue, saving dogs. 🙂 😎

    1. And now I’m singing the Veggie Tales song to myself:

      He’s big but God’s bigger
      And when I think of Him, that’s when I figure
      With His help, little guys can do big things too!

      1. Aww, that song reminds me of Veggie Tales “swing” phase. It used to amuse me that fundies, with their vehement distaste for “worldly music,” almost universally gave Veggie Tales a pass.

        (I suppose even fundies could recognize the banal blandness of Patch the Pirate and were willing to embrace the next best form of evangelical children’s entertainment!)

        1. I guess I knew the wrong fundies. I always knew people who would warn how harmful Veggie Tales was because they modified the Bible stories and would confuse children. Plus they used rock music.

        2. Yeah, you knew fundies like my parents. Our youth pastor and his wife, on the other hand, LOVED Veggie Tales. They were from PCC, though, so no loyalty to Ron Hamilton.

  18. I sing because I’m Pastor,
    I sing because I’m me.
    I don’t care about sparrows,
    The big picture is for me.

    1. I was actually thinking that the real words to the last line of that song were rather fitting.

      “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.”

  19. Who is this Christian he is tweeting at? Christian Bale? Christian Slater perhaps? Or maybe he is a Vikings fan and that is directed at Christian Ponder.

    1. Reminds me of a comedian that used to perform on MadTV and did a routine about her nail salon, called: “Beautiful Nail . . . Just One!”

  20. “I was going to thank all the little people, but then I remembered I am the little people.” – Paul Williams, Oscar speech.

    Maybe Neal would do well to realize that too.

  21. I’m so glad that Jesus, though He had only three years of public ministry, and though He was busy healing and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, had time for the littlest people: “Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

    People ARE the big picture.

    (Though I do agree with Darrell’s possible interpretation which is to keep your focus on serving God and don’t let petty frustrations get you down.)

  22. I’m guessing that the “little people” referenced here are those pointing out that he is a pervert and not qualified to be pastor of a church.

  23. “Little people know, when little people fight
    We might look easy pickin’, but we’ve got some bite!
    So never kick a dog, because he’s just a pup
    We’ll fight like 20 armies, and we won’t give up
    So you better run for cover when this pup grows up!”

  24. Big picture™: Look at all I am dong for God. focus on that.

    Little people: any who would distract you from my Big Picture™ with such trivialities as my moral failings, or my disqualifying sin, or my illegal coverup of criminal activity.

    Sounds like a recipe for political success to me.

    1. Don,

      I know it was incredibly juvenile but I laughed out loud at what George did to your first sentence. Not entirely off the mark either.

  25. Dear Greg Neal:

    Since when have fundamentalists had a picture bigger than ‘get them in the water?’

    Christian Socialist

    2. CS,

      You, of all people, know better…the adage is
      WIN Them
      WET Them
      WORK Them

      Now if “get them in the water” is actually referring to some of these perverts trying to coax others into the bath tub (rub-a-dub-dub join the MOG in the tub), then you may have a point.

      Bro Bluto

  26. Unfortunately it is usually the little people that get stuck funding the big picture.

  27. I’m having a hard time not converting the “ee” into an “i” here – the pronunciation is close enough…

  28. Don’t worry about your detractors who call you out on victimizing the young women of your church. They don’t see the big picture because they’re small-minded. The MoG has needs.

    Did he ever go to jail for this?

  30. Okay, I’ve read every post up to this point.

    Question: Why “the peeper” reference? Is this just assumption, or was this guy charged with something and is still in ministry?

    B.R.O.

      1. OK. Maybe George is now messing with little people’s minds (mine), but what link are you referring to?

        (B.R.O. is now packing his avatar and all previous comments and leaving SFL for ever since he too slow to keep up with the class 🙁 )

  31. BRO: Here’s Darrell’s intro paragraph:

    “Perhaps Greg “The Peeper” Neal simply misspoke here and meant to say that you shouldn’t let small-minded and petty people bring you down. Even if that’s what he meant, however, I think his phrasing inadvertently reveals a dismissive attitude that most fundy pastors work a lot harder to conceal.”

    Click on the red letters “The Peeper” in Darrell’s intro at the beginning of his post.
    Sincerely,
    BJg

    1. Darrell:

      Would you be so kind as to obliterate my previous four posts so they cannot be used as evidence to confirm my “littleness” of mind?

      (to my defense I am 50% colorblind which must account for me not seeing the redness of “the peeper” Any other fault must surely go to George)

      Most Kindly of Regards,

      B.R.O.

  33. Although not related to the tweet, what I also found disturbing is the treatment of the twenty-three year deacon who was escorted off of the property after he revealed the video to law enforcement. (from a follow up video in Darrell’s link)

    This is another example of the corporation mentality of a CEO-driven style of ministry we find in fundamentalism.

    Even if they felt that this deacon should face church discipline, where in scripture do you find the instruction to remove someone from your presence without the due process provided in places like Matthew 18 and Galatians 6?

    Once again, no grace! You can see the pain on this man’s face at the end of the video clip.

    http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1115591458001

    1. BRO–in my opinion, Mt. 18 and Gal. 6 do not even come close to applying when it comes to Neal’s behavior.

      The church felt the deacon should face church discipline for revealing that the “pastor” was a sexual predator?? Are you kidding me??!!?? This is not a matter of church discipline, something that should be handled “in house.”

      Please! I’m begging you all for the sake of the “little people” who are often voiceless and vulnerable, never, ever, go to church authorities when it comes to this kind of thing. Call the law. Prosecute.

    2. Dear BigRedOne:

      I’m with you on the ‘escorted off’ remark. One may as well shout from the rooftop, ‘we’re hiding stuff!’

      Far better to support your church officer while procedure does its work. Nico, you got it right as well.

      Christian Socialist

  34. “Our focus must be on the BIG picture, not little people.” Greg Neal

    And here Jesus was willing to focus on little people, interrupting peoples’ idea of the big picture. Remember Zacchaeus? Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, for the passover and his crucifixion. Yet he had time to stop for Zacchaeus (read Luke 19).

    Those who are willing to run over people to accomplish a goal are immoral. The Kingdom is nothing without the people.

  35. “little people” = people whose donations are small
    “the BIG picture” = the fabulous new Neal Building we plan to erect

    1. You know that well — there is no “proof”… unless/until Greg Neal admits his wrongdoing, all “proof” is really just people trying to destroy this “great work of God” (I feel so dirty, as though I had used His name in vain).

      No proof, no conviction = must be innocent….

      1. That is actually why I like to substitute “gid” instead, because there are times I feel that way too.

  38. I guess a rephrasing of this philosophy would be

    “Don’t sweat the petty things,
    And don’t pet the sweaty things.”

  40. Sorry Greg, am too busy focussing ont he Big Picture to read tweets from little people like yourself.

    Laters.

  41. He hangs around the Sword of The Lord crowd, right? How come he didn’t get shunned after the voyeurism scandal? Do they seriously claim he is falsely accused?

    1. They never shun their own. Once you’re “in”, you’re always in. They will defend you no matter what you do. It’s some kind of boys’ club. It is utterly baffling to me the way they scream and holler about a woman in pants but wink at actual sin, things the Bible calls wickedness.

      1. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the sin of departing from the Old Paths of the IFB (dating back to 1985, mostly) shall not be forgiven unto men.

      2. BJIII is the perfect example of this…paraphrased…we’ve never tried to back it with scripture (racist dating ban)….4, 5 generations of students have never heard it…both complete, flat lies verifiable by scores of students and network church attendees. Chuck Phelps insisting he never heard Willis was the aggressor until he was forced to enter his notes in court which said, “He told me he was the aggressor.” ARGH!!! Unfortunately, the license of MOGs to lie DOES (in my experience) extend to their children getting a free pass to engage in the same lying. And anyone who is not them, loses, like this poor deacon. Thank the Lord that this man did what was right.

    2. Larry, yes, I wrote to the SOTL and asked them why they were promoting a pervert, and the response I received was that (1) He hadn’t been convicted of anything (2) I didn’t know all the facts, and (3) They believed a man was innocent until proven guilty.

      (They choice to believe Greg Neal’s passing a polygraph test as proof of his innocence).

      1. Wow! It amazes me that any buffoon would be more concerned with separating with a fellow fundamentalist who reads a book by or goes to a conference held by a Calvinist than they would from separating from someone who is clearly a pervert.

        I’m thankful for the Sword of the Lord. I always pick up a stack of copies to help me light fires. A

      2. 1. In my opinion, Shelton Smith is one of the biggest jackasses I’ve ever met within the IFB.

        2. They don’t know the facts either, but I trust the prosecutor likely did…oh and anyone with common sense who saw a few seconds of the video recording.

        3. It is easy for a sociopath to pass a polygraph.

        4. I love the selective use of innocent until proven guilty. They certainly didn’t afford the same luxury to Schaap, since he wasn’t in their circle of friends.

        1. Innocent until proven Guilty? Is that not the wrong way round? Through the Fundy Looking Glass, if there is a hint that someone is committing a heinous crime like reading a non-KJV bible, having fellowship with Catholics, taking your Pastor’s name in vain, breaking any Fundy Rule, etc they are always considered Guilty until proven InnocenT? (or until proven non-IFB)

      3. Can anyone find an article or video where the SOTL finally publicly condemned the perverted Bob Gray (Florida)? Even though he once served on the board of SOTL?

        Anyone?

        Of course you can’t.

        Condemning those outside of their camp happens all.the.time….but their own heroes? Never.

        (For those who are not aware: Bob Gray (Florida) died while on trial for sexually abusing children. 22 victims (21 females and one male) had come forward. Some were beyond the statutes of limitations, but many were viable cases. He actually did confess to the police he had french kissed kids)

        1. A recent SOTL had a news article about a Wheaton professor that was arrested for possession of child porn. I was so annoyed when I saw that because I knew that they were only putting that in there because they wanted evangelicals to look bad. They’d never post a similar article about someone from an IFB church or college.

        2. Pastor’s wife:

          Oh the hypocrisy!

          The Sword of the Lord pouts because people point out the pervs in their camp, but then they write about the (well publicized) pervs in another one to deflect. Maybe it is a lame effort to assure their membership they are not alone…

          Yet they still refuse to report on their own LONG LIST of pervs. People actually wrote to Shelton Smith and asked him to publicize the Bob Gray (FL) child molesting situation, to no avail.

          How can anyone take The Sword of the Lord seriously? It is unworthy to be used as kitty litter liner.

        3. How would I ever know how to run a bus ministry without SOTL? How would I ever know about all of the basement bible colleges without their SOTL advertisements?

        4. They have been silent about Bill Wininger after he allegedly attempted suicide after being exposed as a pedophile. But Shelton loved preaching for his “dear brother.”

  42. This just makes me mad. Jesus’ focus was on the “little” people. AND He had a pretty good grasp on the “big picture”, too. This guy is a royal jackass.

  43. Little people? I recall Leona Helmsley getting into hot water back in the 80s for remarking that “only little people pay taxes”. I hope Neal doesn’t embrace that kind of thinking.

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