Different ministers in the group I exited would use various stories that were intended to place fear in those attending services. It was always something bad with a person being killed in an unpleasant way. Or perhaps God smote them with an illness or disease, like my former pastor said of a son-in-law, who developed a brain tumor. Some recall stories of car accidents and train wrecks. I won’t even get into all of the rapture drills and end time scare tactics that really do a number on children.
There is one story that still remains partly in my memory, though all the details are no longer there. My former pastor knew Nathaniel Urshan, being from South Bend, Indiana. (Urshan was a long-time General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church.) One story was about young guys who were at some service where Urshan was speaking.
I believe they supposedly made fun in some way, may have been spoken to by Urshan and warned. They left the service and were killed in an automobile accident. The hidden message was that you do not come against a minister or God may kill you.
These stories work in a couple ways. The one I shared can be used to place fear in anyone, who would in any way, come against a minister. God will strike you down! I well remember the biblical story with the she bears from the Old Testament being told to also reinforce such a thought.
The scare tactics also help to manipulate people into doing whatever it is that the pastor wants, including following all the rules, attending every service and tithing. It can be made to feel like God is just chomping at the bit for you to mess up so that He can swoop down on you in His wrath and make you pay. Or perhaps instead, He will blow the trumpet and you will be left behind with all the unbelievers.
These stories also create an unhealthy fear of God and help to distort your image of Him. Here again we see the view of God as a harsh taskmaster, just waiting so He can somehow punish or kill someone who has upset Him. Get out of line, don’t follow the rules, leave this church, and God will see that you die in a nasty traffic accident (or some other way just as unpleasant). So much for a loving God, who isn’t willing that any should perish. That’s all over with now that you are a believer.
Fear, fear, fear, fear…….I will never stop saying it until it is no longer true…….fear permeates the teachings in unhealthy churches.
* * * * * * * *
For those who are not easily triggered, below is a great example of how some ministers use these scare tactics. It is the late L.E. Westberg, who was a well known United Pentecostal Church minister. In this sermon, he proclaims that in two separate incidents, people who had backslid died in fiery car accidents. According to him, God rejected those people, turning against them and he thinks when the preacher’s son was dying and calling out to God, that he heard God laugh at him. Tongues and interpretation are also used in an attempt to make it appear God is behind the fearful message, speaking for the last time to someone at that service. This is sick stuff.
********
Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.
Pure poison. But I remember stories in my former church by visiting ministers about someone in the hospital dying. The person would be screaming they could feel (and sometimes we were told see) the fires of hell on their feet. Then of course the person died and went….to hell.
I listened to most of Westberg, until just after the T&I and altar call. It was a sudden trigger I did not expect but I remember believing when our pastor did the interpretation. Most of the time I believed it was from God, but once in a while I wondered. These tactics are very effective in scaring people to the altar and then to salvation. But then you have to wonder about it all. I am glad I am out of this.
Great blog, Lois. Wow.
Thank you, Linda.
BEWARE,
I MISS THIS PREACHING. ITS WHAT IS GOING TO KEEP US HEADED TO HEVEN..READ THE WORD OV GOD. THIS MAN WAS UNDER SUCH AN ANOINTING.
READ THE WORD. I HAVE WITNESSED TWO PEOPLE DIE LIKE THIS BECAUSE THEY LAUGHED AT GOD…THANK YOU JESUS FOR OLE TIME PREACHING!
Beware! Great preaching!
I very much disagree. Not anointed at all in this scare tactic message and you presuming to know why someone died is wrong. Personally, I will not ever be part of a church that delivers such messages.
Oh my! Sad thing is…they believe that they are right about all of this. They need freedom in Christ for sure! Former UPC goer!
So many of us in the Philadelphia area know first hand of what you speak. Christianity and worship of God should not be fear based.
Thanks for your response. Nice to hear from someone in Philly! I am originally from southern NJ.
I remember the scare tactics used in sermons preached just like this and just as gruesome. It didn’t matter if children were present or not. I wanted to run out of church with my little ones so they wouldn’t hear this crap.
I had to chuckle at your line “So much for a loving God, who isn’t willing that any should perish.” I guess when the Bible is read in bits and pieces and with a desire to prove their version of the gospel they miss the whole point.
This kind of stuff is sick, and all too familiar to me as someone who lived with it for 15 years in a Oneness Pentecostal church. The louder you shouted and the more arrogant you could be, the better the preacher you were. Oh, and making sure to add the positive ‘aah’ syllable after every few words, that made the difference too.
The Word of God is being perverted by these people to promote their own agendas. God wants nothing to do with it.
I heard these threats in my former church. They seem to have scaled back after I left following the sudden death of a good friend of mine who still attended.
He remained faithful and was head of the music department until one afternoon in December 2006 an 18 wheeler ran over the top of his car while he was stopped in traffic. My friend died instantly.
The Bible teaches it rains on the just and the unjust.