Need opinions on Max Lucado

[SPHASH]

Since I relocated I've been looking for a church. I'm going to one tomorrow where the Adult Sunday School is reading a book by Max Lucado. What is his ideaology...is he a Gothard-like Fundie, a Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen, Chuck Currie?

[snarkbillie]

He ventures into Mark Driscoll type theology a lot. A lot, a lot.

[Heathen]

Max Lucado is Church of Christ (instrumental music only, women stay silent in church.) He is more mainstream than most Church of Christ members.

(I'm former church of Christ - he was very popular in my circle.)

[MajorMajor]

Max Lucado is Church of Christ (instrumental music only, women stay silent in church.) He is more mainstream than most Church of Christ members.

(I'm former church of Christ - he was very popular in my circle.)

I grew up church of Christ as well. My congregation was extremely conservative (like you're going to hell if you even think about clapping your hands during worship). At some point the elders decided Max Lucado's works were dangerous to read because he was too liberal and leading people astray.

That said, I am not sure how closely his theology lines up with the traditional church of Christ now. I'm personally wary of people who get rich off of religion.

[CoC65]

I also grew up Church of Christ. Max Lucado is pretty liberal, CoC-wise. His congregation in San Antonio dropped "church of Christ" from their name, they have instruments, and I'm pretty sure women lead public prayers and serve communion.

(Aside: I went to Harding, and he came and spoke once. [He is NOT welcome now.] He is a much better writer than a speaker. Much.)

[snarkbillie]

Max Lucado on how drinking beer was a big sin that he had to confess with his elders and bring before the church.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/201 ... ml?start=1

I'm having trouble finding a lot of damning things on the internet but I remember reading the books in fundie-lite times and he is very much church discipline, women submit to their husbands, alcohol is a sin, quit dressing like a slut, and gays can't bet married because God invented marriage.

Maybe you're all okay with that, but I'm not.

[Raptured_Pope]

What Max Lucado writes for public, mass-media consumption is pretty mainstream Christian uplifting stuff, seems to me. In fact, one of our reading groups at our pretty liberal church cycles through a book of his every year or so. So as long as the discussion leaders or pastors keep to the book itself for discussion, you will probably have some good food for thought and a good experience fellowshipping with friends.

But you are right to ask about Lucado the pastor and if your pastor subtly endorses Lucado-ism and not just his book, that might be a concern. Max is pretty steeped in the James Dobson, James Robison strain of "don't look behind the curtain" fundie-stuff, tending toward Dominionism. His outward aw-shucks appearance as "simple ol' country parson" is kind of a fraud, as he's often been in the row next to or behind the President at National Days of Prayer and often at conferences that also host Dominionist or Dom-light speakers.

As was said above with the Church of Christ reference, one of his claims to fame is having broken away from the strict gender-segregation and music-less traditions in his own church, but it's not like he's gone all Unitarian Universalist or anything. My gut feeling is that Lucado profits from *not* being the crazy hellfire and damnation Dominionist down the expressway from his own San Antonio church (talkin' 'bout John Hagee) but would probably not stray too far from him theo-politically if the chips were down.