152 thoughts on “Theatrics”

  1. Because the 3rd greatest commandment is to wear only white shirts. 🙄

    Ugh. I despise this style of “preaching” now; it is nothing but entertainment.

    1. I am going to burn every white shirt in my house when I get home. Wouldn’t want nobody gettin’ the wrong ideeer about me being a mannagawd

      Haymen!

      1. I heard an old preacher say once, “Jesus is the only Person you can brag on and never be guilty of over exaggeration.” You can always tell what kind of church you’re in by the place they give Jesus. There is an interesting text in Job that says, “How little a portion is heard of him.” In the Church, He is to be the center of our preaching, teaching, singing, testimonies, fellowship, praying, giving, and all business transactions. He is to tower over everything and everyone else.

        I am fearful that too many ministers and people have
        the stamp of Diotrephes upon their foreheads (lll Jno.9).

        1. So you don’t like Hutson?

          I’m guessing, and it’s likely you won’t admit to this, is that a lot of what goes on in fundamentalism, you don’t agree with and would love to come out from. I checked out your webpage and there is just something about you that seems to acknowledge, silently, that you are wanting to be free. I reckon you understand freedom in Christ, but not willing to be set upon by your “brethren” you continue to preach what the crowds want to hear, fill it with a few anecdotes and jokes, and go on for another week.

          Just preach radical grace John. Let the Judaizers leave of their own accord.

          Of course, I could be completely wrong.

  2. After watching the beginning of this, all I can think of is The Breakfast Song, even though Hutson would certainly disagree with it. Hutson’s face is going to be probably stuffed with breakfast food perpetually in heaven, unlike the good reverend singing The Breakfast Song.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYqM9-Fj0Pg
    (I cry with laughter every time I watch it)

    1. I love the breakfast song! I found it about a year ago and whenever I am in need of a good laugh, I watch it! Everyone I have showed it to loves it as well! 😆

    3. The funniest thing, IMO, was that if you watch the lady singing with the preacher, in some of the shots she looks like she doesn’t even know where she is or who the heck he is.

      1. I was thinking that too. And she doesn’t seem to care- lol.

        And what the heck is up with her hair??? It’s like female sidburns gone bad.

      2. According to the note appended to the YouTube clip, the lady was his fiancee:
        “In the clip, Minister Cleo Clariet and his fiancé Katherine Lane are shown singing on “The Kay Bain Show” in Tupelo, Mississippi in May or June of 2004.
        “Clariet passed away from congenital heart disease on Dec. 13, 2004. Lane said he would have been thrilled to know his song is now entertaining so many people.”

        2. I’m glad you posted that because I thought for sure I misheard them say “they don’t serve breakfast in hell.” I’m no fan of the Newsboys but I don’t think I’m out of line saying that song is sheer lunacy.

      1. “I want a great lake of beer for the King of kings.” (Hermit Songs, a song cycle by Samuel Barber featuring poems found in old English monastaries)

  4. “It’s preachin’ time!” When? After a1most 12 minutes of this self-glorifying stand-up comedy I’m still waiting for it. But when I was a young teen in the late 60s in a fundy church, the most theatrical preachers were considered the best preachers; content was irrelevant. I recall clearly despite the years our pastor promoting some kind of upcoming meetings by describing the guest preacher by how hard he hit the pulpit and how high he jumped.

    1. I was thinking that too! If indeed it was “preaching time” I have to wonder why he never did any of it!

      That whole clip was repulsive garbage–is this unusual for Fundy preachers and for this particular preacher? Or is this pretty much standard fare?

      2. He does alot less actual preaching than some, but the style is not all that uncommon – Haymen!

    2. My former IFB pastor was big on the theatrics….loved the ‘pulpiteering’, & the ‘flock’ ate it up. Half the time, it sounded like he was cutting a ‘wrasslin’ promo. If volume & content are the key ingredients in ‘good preachin’….then I (strongly) question the Biblical legitimacy.

  5. I’m curious as to why he started two bus routes after watchings COPS. Was it to prowl the streets and run down 90 pound women the police were unable to control? Here’s one for the cognitive dissonance thread: We believe thou shalt not kill and thou shalt not lie – shooting and running a car over a 90 pound woman and then lying to your authorities about it is acceptable practice when preserving your masculinity.
    Or – We reject the humanistic practice of situation ethics except when the situation calls for it.

    1. @kate- you identified the segment of this video that made my blood boil. i don’t understand it. it wasn’t funny and it certainly didn’t argue for biblical masculinity. 😡

  6. I’m curious as to what’s going on in the first part of the vid? Are they heckling him or cheering him or what is going on?

    Also, and this is sort of rhetorical I realize, what the heck does this stuff have to do with any religion and why are they “AMEN”-ing so much? lol. I like how he feels the need to tell them to say amen, as well. If you have to ask for applause, you’re probably not that cool…

    1. I cannot stand when the self-aggrandizing ‘preachers’ say “can I get an amen?!”….I always want to shout (back) “NO!”. 😉

  7. The first few seconds were perplexing; it looked as if some of the congregation was protesting him.

    The beginning was comically foolish, then it progressed to irritating, and finally, to downright infuriating. So we can gather from the sermon: that it’s fine to worship your stomach, wearing white shirts make you righteous, that it’s okay to beat, and possibly kill a 90 lb. woman if she strikes you, and that preaching is actually opinionated, nonsensical rhetoric. 😡

    3. Somewhere in that rambling we were supposed to glean that the drug-addled 90-pounder was a metaphor for the power of satan that could attack the church. So be prepared to shoot or drive over or otherwise battle as opposed to calling backup. If I were still Fundy, I’d say: Tony, you’re so wrong. Jesus is all the backup you’ll ever need. But I’m not, so I’ll just say, dang, that was entertaining, much in the way the crashes are in nascar.

    1. I wouldn’t go that far.

      I’ve heard him personally maybe a dozen times. Before my paradigm shift, he was one of my favorite preachers to listen to BECAUSE of the theatrics. He and a few others I loved hearing preach. Now, I can’t understand why these preachers are asked to preach when the only thing relevant to the message was stating the reference. After that, it’s all downhill.

  9. Whats with the guy that gets so excited when he says “shoot her” and he screams (twice!) “Yeah! Yeah!” Scary.

  11. Just a thought….I don’t ever recalling the Apostle Paul, Peter, et al…performing? I don’t know what to think anymore, it’s either ‘rock’n for Jesus’ or ‘performing arts’…whatever happened to the good’ole days? For instance, while in Bible College, me and a few guys used to take a friend of ours, who also happened to be blind, to some faith healing meetings on a Saturday night to see (no pun) if he could get his sight back. Yup, good times….

    1. That’s very close to reality Dan! I’ve actually heard things like that. The cognitive rubbish of like minded idiots. A *normal* human being would respond to this kind of stuff with a ‘Scooby-do’ look; but these guys think on a lower plane…a much lower plane…as I said above, practical atheism at it’s best.

      1. Of course, if he ever saw what’s really in the heavily processed food he eats, he might get sick.

  13. its monday morning and im especially bitter, so please forgive the attitude, but OMG this shit right here is why i am a 33 year old nuerotic christian who struggles so much with joy…i lived through this crap for 20 years. show boatin’.. thats what they called it. BULLSHIT!!!!!

    1. Tony,
      Since you’ve been away from all this ‘edifying’ stuff, you now have the power and authority to control your own life. I understand how angry it can make you (I think its more the idea that someone can act like a total fool and pass it off as Christianity)…You will eventually realize that THIS is not God but only men acting out their practical atheism, God’s no more in this than He is in Cincinnati Bengals football. 😳

    2. Tony,
      I’m hearing you. There’s something about being exposed to this stuff for years that takes something precious away from you. My language is vague because I can’t quite articulate the hurt, but there it is. 🙁

    3. Tony P, if this helps you at all- this kind of “fundamentalism” is dying very quickly.

      1. Unfortunately, I don’t see this kind of fundyism dying at all. If so, praise God. But in my experience this kind of fundyism continues to grow, it is just further underground and does not have the impact on the Christian community or the world at large that it had in years past.

        1. I see it mainstreaming. Which is really BAD because as we all know (and Darrell, feel free to use this as inspiration:) fundies have to out badass one another. Views from the core are getting more crazy cakes as they try to “separate” even further. In the 80s, a lot of the stuff on here was VERY fringe. Not so much now.

    4. You said what I’ve been dying to say. And as for the language, well, who cares! It ain’t blasphemy, it’s a word, and it aptly describes what I am seeing here. I too struggle with joy, because I’ve been told constantly that I “need to keep short accounts with God” or I am “out of fellowship” etc. God seemed pretty fickle and whiny when I was a baptist. I never could seem to get on His good side, everything was a sin.

      1. Very sad…. past comments here are attacked and assualted when Bible verses ar quoted and are repeatedly ridiculed, yet THIS is defended and approved.

        Vulgarity and profanity are not okay, in or out of fundy land.
        We aren’t supposed to applaud such language.

        It’s more than just a word, it’s also a matter of manners and politeness…showing either care or disdain for others.

        (Col 3:8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

        1. blah blah blah… I have always loved this place and enjoyed the community of people who understood the hurt I’ve been through and shared some of the very same scars that I have acquired in my years in fundyland but now you’re ruining it for me.

  14. The only thing sadder than Tony’s “preaching” are those who listen to him and cheer him on.

    Hey Tony, Your not Grrrreate!

  16. ONE rap song by Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, or Sho Baraka has more Bible content then a ten minute YouTube video of this clown!

    2. Don’t forget Shai Linne. His album on The Atonement provided more theology than my IFB church did in a year.

      1. This is another of his songs that definitely applies to this post.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwR_L5pzX70&feature=related

        To those reading this who don’t follow this new christian rap movement…you have got to check it out. God is redeeming rap music and raising up theologians to minister to a culture that is in need of the gospel.

        Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Stephen The Levite, Tedashii, Shai Linne – These guys are preachers who use the tool of rap music to spread sound theology and the the power of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

        2. I wish God would redeem Ska again. Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy were/are the bombdiggity. Although FIF had a weird mix of stupid songs mixed with really good godly songs. Supertones seemed to have much better theology. “What it comes to” is great. Oh and who could forget the Insyderz, with their Ska hymn covers.

          I wish I had that CD now.

  20. 11 minutes and 41 seconds of my life wasted.

    White shirt? How about a white jacket….with straps that go all the way around back!

  21. Wow, so in the whole clip he praised food (the especially fattening kind), drugs (caffeine and nyquil), shooting someone (not out of self-defense), and sang a worldly song in church (not that I think the “bad boys” song is “bad”, but it doesn’t belong in church).

    1. As far as I can tell, the subject(s) of this sermon is/are:
      I like food, but I’m picky about it.
      I have bad table manners.
      I love caffeine and Nyquil.
      Only white shirts are Godly [a commandment I can’t find in the Bible, by the way].
      I love watching “Cops,” and I get much too excited about beating up a 90-pound, “soaking wet” woman.

      I used to naively think that the favorite subject of fundy preachers were God, Jesus, Sin, and the Apocalypse.
      After seeing some of the videos on SFL, I now know that their favorite subjects are Short Skirts and Cleavage, Young Girl’s Legs 😥 , Food, The Faults of Other Churches/Ministers/Christians, “Pissing Against a Wall” 😯 , how Reading the Bible is Having Literal Sexual Intercourse With God 😯 🙄 😯 😯 , and, above all, What a Great Preacher I Am, Far Better Than All the Other Preachers.

    1. Who’s Bob Loblaw and why do you keep repeating his name. Have you been into something that isn’t grape juice? 🙂

    3. Do you mean the lawyer from “Arrested Development”.
      Bob Loblaw. Pronounced Bla-bla-bla.

      Love that show, I guess it was too good to last.

  26. I used to love to hear Tony Hutson and, even more emabarrasingly, Phil Kidd. That was before I came to my senses and realized that they were not preaching anything that resembles the Bible.

    A quote from B.R. Lakin “He preaches from the text. By the time he preached 10 minutes his sermon was so far from the text if one had the measles the other wouldn’t catch it.”

    1. Who was Lakin talking about? Kidd or Hutson?

      I used to like Harold Sightler. I can still listen to him and glean stuff, but it’s too close to IFB legalism for me to bother.

    2. LOVE the Lakin quote—that’s going on my Facebook.

      Dr. Sightler was ,and is, one of my favorites, and was my Pastor for awhile. Always stressed Christ and the importance of theology.

  27. I don’t want no root beer. I want real beer, original recipe. Because if my head aint buzzing, I won’t be able to listen to anymore of this crap ❗

  28. I’ve never heard this guy speak other than on links on here…I don’t ever recall preaching that bad when I was a fundy…well…maybe a couple of times.

  29. It just hit me–we need to make this guy into a game. He will have a white shirt and will run around in his car backing over evil 90 pound women and collecting powerups like real mashed potatoes, real Coke and large cups of coffee with real milk. If he lets his power run down his shirt will start changing color first to gray, then to blue, then to brown and finally to pink when he is completely out of power.

    2. And don’t forget to give him lotsa little tie-wearing sidekick cronies with signs and schtuff. The could follow him around holding his real food and his meds, too…lol. Every time he runs a tiny, police-resistant chick over, they could simultaneously yell “HAYmen” as his point values go up.

    4. I thought Mormon missionaries wore white shirts. Why is he emulating them. That’s proof that he is of the devil. 😎

      1. That’s exactly why their “association” argument falls through. Basically, anything they already like is OK, even if “bad” people are associated with it (i.e., white shirts and Mormons or going door-to-door and JWs), but anything they don’t like is accused because of associations. It’s inconsistent and unbiblical!

  30. “This video was converted from a low quality Real Media video hence, the terrible quality.”

    The quality of the video is better than the quality of the preaching. Haymen!

  31. Darrell – You apologized for the “terrible quality”. You killed 2 birds with that. The terrible quality of the video and the preaching quality 😀

  32. Loved the ironic comment at the end – it is worth waiting for (I didn’t see the graphic the first time).

  33. I hadn’t watched it to the end at first, but you’re right, Roger, that was worth it! Oh, and it’s interesting how he made that verse “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” sound wimpy.

  36. When did he turn against Crown College? We still had him in to preach when I was there. That’s one of the most amazing traits of the movement, finding something in someone you no longer like to criticize as “wordly”. Some other guy that needs to prove himself more spiritual than Tony Hudson will preach about how Tony not only watches filthy TV shows but brags about it from the pulp[it. And the merry-go-round continues.

    WHile at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Co, we had Jack Hyles in for a week of meetings and Dr. Miller basked in the glow of being friends with the “great man”, when Hyles left, we were treated to several weeks of pointing out how we were a more spiritual church than Hammond. It was pointed out that they allowed tv’s, had looser “dating standards”, etc.

    Seems like a long time ago, yet like it was yesterday.

  37. This is totally repulsive at any level. How anyone would use God’s name in the same dialog is probably violating the ten commandments.

  39. Bleech! Don’t mess with my margaritas. If I have to wait till tomorrow for one, I want double tequila in mine. The good stuff, not that cheap college-shooter stuff. Ack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙄

  40. Looking back on my fundamentalist youth, it has occurred to me (and I’m sure many others on this site) how fundamentalism thrives on ignorance of science, history, current events and other fields of study. Tony Hutson willful ignorance of nutrition will put him in an early grave.
    This morning I was watching a video by evangelist Angela Greenig. It occurred to me I should check out her biography. It does appear she is no more than a high school graduate.
    I tried finding information of Tony Hutson. His church’s web states he went to Bible College. But which one? Did he earn the title of Doctor, was in an honorary degree or did he just give the title to himself. (Maybe I just too lazy today to dig that much) Even my former pastor posted his credentials on his church’s web-site.
    I wonder what books he has in his library, what books he read and what movies he watched in the last year. What are his favorite television programs? Since he is telling thousands of people how they should live their lives, it would be interesting to know what makes him tick.

    1. If he was on facebook and filled out his profile fully, we’d know what his favorite TV shows/books/movies/music were, and then he could do Visual Bookshelf and we could see what he’d been reading. But he probably preaches against facebook.

  41. So let me get this straight. Lumpy or instant mashed potatoes are evil. Shooting a women who needs to be taken to a hospital is righteous. 😯 😯 😯 😯

    WWJD indeed ❗

    1. I will agree that yes, lumpy mashed potatoes ARE 👿 Evil 👿 Incarnate, 👿 especially if the lumps are cold. And my ex would be the first to agree about instant ones. 🙄

  43. I remember my favourite preacher was Greg Locke. I liked him because he preached real fast, and had some great one liners. His messages weren’t actually too bad (although not good), although typical baptist preachertainment for the most part. I have a sermon series – 24 dvd’s of his. It covers everything from “Why I am right and everyone else is wrong” to “I know this kid who was drunk and stuck his head out a window and it got ripped off by a sign post” to “Preachin’ about Preachin'” to “Your skirts too short and your ties too bright”.

    He did have a decent one on Jabez though. But if I listened to it now, I’d probably have a different opinion.

  44. He IS wrong, and his theology IS wrong, but it’s not wrong because you disagree with him (incidentally I don’t agree with Calvinism, but it’s mainly because the Calvinists I have come across are total legalists and the “doctrines of grace” don’t sound very gracious coming from their mouths. Maybe I need to broaden my sights). God could be self centered, but He is not. He is Son centered. And I am in His Son Hallelujah! When He was on the cross, I was on His mind. Thank God that God doesn’t just think about Himself, but considered us.

    I like your last paragraph. To the baptists – the gospel is a ticket to get on the train to heaven. After that, you gotta drive the train. by pushing it. Uphill. And the tracks are greased.

    I need the gospel everyday. The gospel – the good news, that I am righteous in Jesus Christ, my sins are forgiven, that there is no more condemnation – that grace, that goodness of God, leads me to turn from sin, love Him more etc.

    1. exIFB, I find that we are very similar in our view of sanctification. I am a Calvinist and believe the 5 points are found in the Bible- maybe the reason why many Calvinists have opted for legalism is because they haven’t been consistent with sovereign grace… they say over and over, “Justification is monergistic, sanctification is synergistic.” They got half of it right, but they stayed with the Medieval (Pelagian) teaching on Christian living.

      btw. I agree with you that Tony probably wasn’t predestined to be saved. 😛

    4. I need the gospel everyday. The gospel – the good news, that I am righteous in Jesus Christ, my sins are forgiven, that there is no more condemnation – that grace, that goodness of God, leads me to turn from sin, love Him more etc.

      Where’s an Amen button when you need one?

  45. @Michael

    How many Michaels are on here. Are you the gnostic Michael who claims he never sins anymore? I followed your blog and you have a link to the BereanBibleSociety, which is not a gnostic organisation… and your blog seems to not be gnostic in any way…

    Just curious. Thanks.

    1. EXIfB,
      I’m taking the chance responding to you because I believe you are talking to me?

      No, I’m not a Gnostic but I do sin willingly and often. As for my blog, I’m still searching for a voice for it…I’m trying not to come off as too pissed off, yet, friendly (I’m sure there’s a happy medium in there somewhere).

      1. yeah, that’s cool. There must have been another guy using the name Michael because he said he was gnostic and never sinned.

  46. Tony Hutson: “Don’t give me no de-caf, sugar-free Co-Cola, give me the real thing!”

    Screecher Tony is a walking testimonial to the dangers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

    Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwbacks forever! HAAAAAY-men!

  47. I could only stomach the first 7 minutes. Does he ever acctually preach? How utterly pathetic. I can’t believe that I ever used to look forward to hearing this kind of crap. Thank you Lord Jesus that you opened my eyes and heart and am now free from this nonsense! 💡

    1. I’ve got a DVD of him from “Pastors School”. I put it on back when I was trying to get my wonderful wife to be more of a baptist. She said “what is this rubbish. He has been talking for 10 minutes and hasn’t said anything”. I realized she was right. I was still trying to hang on to the “old paths” as the baptists say, thinking they were right. Turns out the “old paths” I was trying to stick to are dead.

      If I recall, the first 10 minutes of his sermon was a comedy routine on “black people do this, white people do that” and how fantastic he was when he preached in a black church as a white man.

  48. Could any of you ever imagine of any of these guys being ordained by any of the Apostles?? If they are not ordained of God they have NO authority to preach the Gospel.

    1. I for one would like to have seen them try. I can just gleefully the dressing down Paul would’ve given them!

  49. I’m forcing myself to listen to this. I’m up to 2 minutes. It’s rubbish so far. “Say amen sir”. Hahaha

    Original formula coke? Like with Cocaine in it?

    Wow, terrible table manners. Throw a tantrum because someone serves you food you don’t like?

    Say amen! amen! haymen!

    Wait.. he did all that to talk about how food is like the Bible??

    Oh, he has his hanky out now. It’s white, like the shirt he wore to jail. Because he was “called to preach”. Haymen it’s preaching time. Oh this is rubbish. Keep going…

    God looks at your shirt colour apparently. He is going on like this for 2 minute. Apparently speaks in tongues at 5:00.

    Lol at the guy at 5:10 who is repeating him “yeah, rag on his head”.

    White shirt means you are a man of God, or a mormon?

    Ooh, bad boys singing. Cops motivates him to go soulwinning?

    So, instead of reading the Bible, he watches cops to get motivated to serve God. I suppose that could work. It’s quite depressing. Oh, but now it seems that Cops is not his inspiration, but rather his guide to beat people up.

    Here is the woman bit. Drugged up woman. You know who is more compassionate.. Dog the Bounty Hunter (and more awesome). Porky Pig impersonation now beep beep badeep.

    Also, beep is an hilarious word, judging by the laughing going on during this segment.

    SHOOT HER

    YEAH YEAH!! YEAH!! HURT HER
    RUN HER OVER YEAH PIN HER UNDER THE CAR YEAH DON’T LET A WOMAN HIT YOU HIT HER BACK YEAH YEAH

    The police officer calls backup on the aggressive woman. Apparently this is bad, he should have just beat her up.

    Haymen that’s good. (no, it’s rubbish)

    His sound effects of a cat are pretty decent.

    I see what he is doing now. His is making Christians sounds like unmasculine, without strength (if only he would admit this, he might be saved). So the boys think “I wanna be masculine so I gotta be like Tony Hutson”.

    LOL! At the last quote. I didn’t hear any Bible. I am assuming there was some reference to “quit you like men” somewhere in the bits that were cut out.

    That was just filth. Ugh…

    1. I can’t force myself to listen to these clips, so thanks for your summary! Wow! What an incredible load of garbage! And the fundamentalists think that evangelicals are a danger to the gospel?????

      And I loved your point about how we ARE without strength!

  50. Came across this while browsing the web today and thought this was fitting.

    A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution. —C.H. Spurgeon

    1. Another excellent quote.

      Dr. Harold B. Sightler said “Every page of scripture has Christ on it, and if you don’t see Him on one, turn the page and you will find him twice.”

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