Weeks & Bynum…Again!

I almost hate to do this, but I must echo my colleague Melvin over at Pulpit Pimps and call Bishop Thomas Weeks III a punk. I know - it’s harsh – but only a true punk would continue to act this way.  

And now, I’m officially tired of this delusional sideshow. I almost didn’t post this, but I must continue to remind you of what happens when wolves attempt to counterfeit the Gospel and present themselves as standard bearers for the Kingdom. Take a look at the latest news report from our local Fox television affiliate.

Let me get this straight:

• He attacks his wife in a parking lot (admitting to kicking her while she was on the ground)
• He denies the charges all summer, fall, and winter
• He tells the world that his wife is a liar, that “she wanted to marry” him because of his “pedigree”
• He says that she “wanted to be the next Oprah”
• He apologizes to her and seeks reconciliation
• He trashes her in a book
• He recalls the book and apologizes again
• HE PLEADS GUILTY TO CHARGES THAT HE PREVIOUSLY DENIED
• He seeks reconciliation (again)
• And now he shares text messages the she sent him declaring her love for him and her hope that they reconcile, all the while insinuating that he plead guilty to keep some things in the dark..

I think I covered all of it. If you are a current follower of either of these wolves, then I sincerely pray that the eyes of your understanding are opened so that you can see these people are false prophets. If you are a former follower of either of thesee wolves, then I join you in rejoicing that the Lord Jesus Christ removed the blinders and allowed you to see that they don’t represent Him.

I’d like to take a moment to remind you of the words of our Christ Himself:

A Tree and Its Fruit

 15“Beware of the ^(A)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ^(B)ravenous wolves.

 16“You will ^(C)know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

 17“So ^(D)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

 19“^(E)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

 20“So then, you will know them ^(F)by their fruits.

 21“^(G)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

 22“^(H)Many will say to Me on ^(I)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(J)DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:15-23)

Pulpit Pimping Gone Bad

***UPDATE – March 11, 2008*** 

 Wow, that was quick. After a few hours of trial, Thomas Weeks pleads guilty to assualting his wife. She doesn’t look too happy with the verdict, does she?

 

Original Post – March 10, 2008 

By now, you’re well aware of the Thomas Weeks – Juanita Bynum marriage, divorce, domestic violence debacle. You can Google to find out (or be reminded) of their sorted mess, so I won’t rehash it here.

The good “bishop” Weeks goes on trial this week in Atlanta to answer to the legal implications of the alleged domestic violence encounter that took place here in the ATL last August. Since “the incident”, his church has lost thousands of members, and he’s been posting more videos on the Web than Osama Bin Laden.

I would normally ignore this mess, but I found a few interesting nuggets in the article from today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Robert Graves, who worked as an organist at Global Destiny and travels with Bynum, said he heard more of the couple’s disagreements than he wanted because his office was next to Bynum’s. “You heard a lot of profanity and screaming,” Graves said. “There were a few times when we saw the effects of what we heard.”

What do you expect? When two pimps are vying for the same “turf”, there’s bound to be trouble sooner or later.

In December 2006, Weeks was accused of workplace violence. He allegedly grabbed a female employee by the neck and threw her to the floor because he was angry about how she handled church affairs. Bynum and others persuaded the employee not to report the incident, court records show.

I grew up in the “big city”, so hearing about (or seeing) a pimp disciplining his “employees” is nothing new – except when it happens in a church office. But wait, here’s the key to this whole mess:

In the months leading up to the Aug. 21 incident, Graves said Weeks got upset because he wanted his wife to come to services more often. Bynum’s ministry was at a high point. Because of her demanding schedule of TV appearances and speaking engagements, Bynum was being pulled away from Global Destiny. Collections were down, Graves said.

“The church was pretty much built around her popularity. When she left, that kind of hurt the ministry.”

There you have it – the straw that broke the camel’s back was a decrease in “collections” (again, doesn’t that sound like what the pimp does at the end of his employee’s “work shifts”? Go around to gather their “collections” for the night?). Although Weeks claims that his wife “wanted to be the next Oprah”, he’s just as guilty because he was pimping her popularity while she was pimping the Gospel.

Jesus built his church on Peter’s revelation that He was the Son of God (Matthew 16:13-19), Weeks & Bynum built their “church” on the revelation that they could make a few dollars off the backs of hard working (yet deceived) believers.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: the pimp is only as successful as his “employees” allow him to be – if you stop putting up with this mess, then they’ll go away. Salvation doesn’t come from the “anointing” of a pimp – it comes from belief in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16). PERIOD.

While many will turn from pimps like Weeks & Bynum and return to the true Word of God, others will still flock to them. The bible clearly says that you are a fool if you put your trust in man. Moreover, your heart turns away from God when you prop up others in Christ’s place (Jeremiah 17:5-6).

To those of you who read this blog as escapees of your former pimps and former residents of the plantation, I urge you to continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ – specifically that their eye’s and ears are opened to the deception that they’ve submitted to, that they repent of their faith in men, and that they return to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray hard, because this is what we’re still up against:

Bynum continues to work as a traveling evangelist and platinum-selling gospel singer. Weeks still preaches from his pulpit at Global Destiny with charismatic charm that brings women to their feet to praise God.

I guess this is what Paul meant when he wrote 2 Timothy 3:1-6.