Blasphemy

Jack Trieber, “pastor” of North Valley Baptist Church, practices a little blasphemy in a sermon from September 26, 2007 by substituting “the pastor” for “the Lord” in Psalm 23.

Keep your eyes peeled for MULTIPLE white piano sightings.

If you’ve got the stomach, you can catch the entire sermon including demands that “all money in this church must run through the pulpit.” The comments begin at 1:23:00.

Note: because of the video format I had to settle for screen captures + audio from the sermon instead of streaming video. If someone else would like to try their hand, feel free.

170 thoughts on “Blasphemy”

  1. Wow he is really setting himself up for a sweet gig there huh? Can’t question your pastor because he is God, Oh and by the way I’m your pastor. Well there you have it.

    1. Check and mate!

      Goes right along with the “if you disagree with me you disagree with God” crap I heard so much.

  2. Well that abuse of Scripture made my stomach turn. In the prayer at the end, “Father, thank you for the freedom You have given me to speak tonight.” Love how he pulls in a recent SFL post at the end. Somehow I don’t think that his abuse of Scripture came from freedom in God to do so.

    And . . . that’s a lot of white.

  3. It’s a white piano palooza! They’ve even got white music stands.

    There is so much wrong with this, I don’t know where to start.

    1. And not just FOUR white pianos.

      They are FOUR BΓΆsendorfers!

      $XXX,XXX

      How many missionaries are given $100 per month for support and how many of their buses are held together by bondo, duct tape, and prayer while they have well over $500K worth of pianos sitting on the platforms?

      A pastor has to have his priorities, I suppose.

      1. hey, now. Our worship is supposed to be done in an excellent manner – if you don’t have a music degree from BJU you shouldn’t even be allowed to participate, plus thats why we wear our “sunday best” to ensure we are putting our best foot forward for the savior. 4 6-figure value pianos are more worshipful than aunt millie’s old upright she got at Montgomery Wards 67 years ago and you know it. Put the priorities where they belong, the money should be used to make the mannagawd appear successful. Who are you Judas asking about the value of the spikenard poured out on Jesus feet?!

  4. I saw drums. Big drums. Like the kind they use in Africa to make that jungle beat.

    1. We were told (at Paul Chappell’s church) that tympani drums were different because they were tuned to make a distinct note.

      Yeah, that appears to be the new difference between a sanctified drum and an instrument of Satan. The goal post for this standard does appear to move around a bit, doesn’t it?

    2. thanks for pointing this out. I have no clue where the “drums are evil” comes from. As a music teacher, before pointing to pagan backgrounds on drums, those same people need to research the history of the pipe organ…

  5. One of the traps is the great sincerity and concern in his voice. He makes you want to believe him because of the great tradedy he has seen accross this nation. If you will just follow “ME” it will be ok.
    The cultlike brainwashing is obvious. The only verse used is Psalm 23 and that is twisted. πŸ˜•

    1. “One of the traps is the great sincerity and concern in his voice….”

      No wonder I was mesmerized. I’m used to that message being yelled and screamed at me.

  6. Checked out the website. I love that there is an Assistant to the Pastor. That’s probably just “The Office” fan in me.

      1. In the circles I once traveled, such a term as Assistant to the Pastor was used to give someone a pastoral role but who did not meet the qualifications of I Tim and Titus

      2. In my experience an Assistant Pastor is a pastor of a particular program (i.e. Youth Pastor, Singles Pastor, Divorce Recovery Pastor, [OPPS no IFB would have one of those.] ect. A “Pastoral Assistant” or an “Assistant to the Pastor” serves a more administrative or research function.

  7. Do my eyes deceive me or are there 2 white pianos??

    And, this is from 2007? Bow chika bow wow….that suit and tie look straight up 70’s! πŸ˜†

  8. I couldn’t resist, I sent him an e-mail, of course in my usual straight forward manner. πŸ˜€

  9. There are very few “perfect pastors” left. I’m sure that this church counts itself fortunate that they’re being led by one. What can be the harm in borrowing a few of the tenets from the church that we Protestants abandoned in the 1500s?

  10. I myself don’t have the stomach for this one. Thanks for the option though, Darrell! πŸ˜₯

    1. Same here. Pretty sure it would just make me angry and sad by turns. I’ll settle for giggling madly over the always-amusing comments. πŸ˜›

  11. I love how in the prayer he says that he’s sure many pastors will have their congregations listen to his sermon. Nope, he doesn’t have a problem with humility at all!

  12. Only time most of those people anoint lambs with oil is along with the garlic and rosemary before putting the joint in the oven. Then again, he probably has his wife do that. 70% of pastors’ wives don’t want to be married to pastors? Can’t think why not.

  13. That’s my old church. In the 80s, Jack Hyles himself referred to Jack Trieber as “the most important man west of the Mississippi.” Young Jack took that to heart and built his empire.

  14. In the 80s, Jack Hyles himself referred to Jack Trieber as “the most important man west of the Mississippi.” Young Jack took that to heart and built his empire.

    1. I assume Hyles referred to himself as the most important man for the rest of the country.

  15. The Pastor is my shepherd, I shall not want…

    COUGH! COUGH! HACK!

    “Thank you Lord for letting me speak to MY(emphasis mine)people.”

  16. I had to put on my hip waders, but I made it to the end and got to enjoy my favorite Fundy nugget! “Our heads are bowed; our eyes are closed…

    This message is the kind of shit that builds Branch Davidian compounds. This line of thinking gets the Kool-aid drinkers separated from the people who can still read and discern on their own. Wow. Just wow.
    How about we just put ‘pastor’ in place of the Lord in any passage we want? Bless the pastor oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his self-righteous name. The pastor said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by me.”

    1. In my time in the bunker it was, EVERY head bowed, EVERY eye closed! πŸ˜‰

  17. I just went to sign up for an avatar and someone has stolen my fifthsunday handle! arrrgghhhh!!!

  18. At the beginning, he mentioned how the biggest churches have the biggest burdens. I wish he’d not make comparisons and just acknowledge that we ALL have burdens. Pastoring a small church isn’t any walk in the park.

      1. Some very curious pseudomedicine there.
        “My body doesn’t recover from preaching until Wednesday.”?
        You must be doing it wrong, then.

  19. Oh, wow. This one made me want to cry.

    Yes, the pastor shepherds the flock, but you don’t, you just DON’T, take God out a passage and insert your name instead. You just don’t.

    Pastors can fail and make mistakes, but God STILL will lead me beside the still waters and through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s GOD. It’s not Jack Trieber. It’s not my husband. It’s God. How dare someone take the place of God?

    1. Indeed. While I went there, the message was always the same. Pastor is our leader. God speaks through him; in other words, he’s God to us. When he said jump, we jumped. My parents gave so much money to Jack’s empire, it sickens me. If you check out their website, you’ll see that it’s one of the most, if not the most pastor-centric church in the country. The control of that place is out of control! I’ve been out for years, so no chip on my shoulder remains. I just feel so sorry for the yet deluded ones.

  20. B-U-L-L G-I-P-P !!!
    Pastors like this control freak are what are killing the Church in America today!
    This abuser of God’s word and therefore abuser of God’s children is a prime example of why I hate Americanized Churchianity. There is nothing in that message that has anything to do with Ephesians chapter 4. It was all about setting the sheeple in their place so that they understand who is in charge.
    God save us from the likes of so caller shepherds such as this.

    “There is no worse heresy than the fact that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”

    1. Nothing will stop JT. Over 30 years and going strong. It’s that German stubbornness.

      1. And his church members are super loyal to him. Anyone who disagrees with him on anything will be accused of disloyalty. And in West Coast IFB churches, disloyalty to the pastor is almost as worse as drinking, smoking, etc.

        1. I’m just assuming this about that church since that’s how it is with the IFB churches in SoCal near me (like Chappell @ Lancaster).

        2. Exactly. If you disagree with the pastor you need to question your salvation. Larry Chappell and Jack Trieber go way back together. Larry’s sons are both pastors, I think. I’ve been out too long to know exactly what they’re doing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all cookie cut-outs of each other.

  21. Jack Trieber,

    How dare you?

    You sir have crossed the line into full fledged heresy and self worship.

    Your arrogance, your obvious lack of biblical understanding, your Christ-less preaching, your cult mentality, and your disrespect for the almighty, holy, righteous God (aka – the true shepherd) make me sick.

    If your elders won’t hold you accountable than it is up to us on SFL to do their job for them.

    With that being said, we all sin. No one is perfect. Should you repent publicly for your blasphemy, and submit your life to Christ and profess him to be your Savior and Lord then we can move on. You will find forgiveness.

    Until then, most discerning believers will agree with me that you have rightly earned the label of false prophet. I’m sure Satan was pleased with your Christ-less message.

    Sincerely,
    Mike aka Polished Shaft

    1. I’m sure Satan was pleased with your Christ-less message.

      especially since Satan and the Devil have had top Billing in the Sermon Titles since April of this year.

  22. From their sermons page since the first sermon in April there have been 16 sermons with Satan or the Devil in the title. In that same time frame there have been 4 titles with God or the Lord. Zero titles with Jesus, in fact you have to go all the way back to October 10th to find a title about Jesus. The bulk of the sermons are “how to” sermons. How to: give sacrifically, examine yourself for the Lord’s table, be patriotic, help you pastor, and my favorite, “How to approach the Rapture.”

    1. While I was there Trieber preached more on Paul than on Jesus Christ, which I’d say is the norm for fundy preachers. I doubt it’s changed much, and don’t really care to find out. Don’t think I could stomach listening to any more.

      1. Same here, I also noticed that the pastor of our first and last fundy church preached more on Paul than Christ.

      2. My first fundy pastor preached on Paul ALL the time. Which was good because I’m familiar with all his epistles! My current one pulls verses out of the epistles, but doesn’t ever really preach on them.

  23. The Pulpit says, “THAT IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE”
    He who? Dont’s seem to be God with what preaching I have heard so far.

  24. Blasphemy is a very appropriate title. I just ate and can’t get past the 4:44 mark without losing my lunch. (This may be the secret to the skinny IBF women, though) 😯

  25. This is the reason why I left the Fundy church crap after I graduated high school from one of their schools. It sickens me that people commit their lives to scammers like him and the rest of the fundy pastors.
    This is another example why I am agnostic, and proud of it.

    1. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Fundies want you roped into their world without exception: friends, family, school, all church events, etc. But the more and more you’re in it, the more and more you realize it’s a crock. Sure, this isn’t true for some people, but it was for me and for you.

      While at my old fundy church, I played handbells with a Southern Baptist church across town. When I mentioned to my pastor I wouldn’t be there one Sunday because I would be playing handbells at the Southern Baptist church … you should have seen how red his face got.

      “You’re doing what!? You shouldn’t go to other churches to play. They’ve got so many people over there, why would they even need you!?”

      1. That kind of attitude is what put the first crack in the fundy wall for me. What arrogance to assume that they are the best that God has to offer to human kind, and all the rest are anywhere from barely saved to heretics.

  26. I am going through a crisis of faith right now and I find this blog and this site reassuring.
    It is so obvious to me (us) now as we hear this pastors words, and it helps me know who God isn’t-
    but I’m struggling with who He really is…

    1. I am walking those waters right now and I do not enjoy it. Hate that I felt more “comfortable” with God under the shroud of fundy than I do now with the “Who really is God? and what does a relationship with Him really look like or feel like?” It is so very hard and there are days when I want to part ways b/c I feel so distant…not a good place to be.

      1. @BlackSheep and Scarlett O ‘Hara

        Take heart, It is scary and awkward to really strike out on your own with God. In some ways it is so much easier to be “spoon fed” even if you don’t like what you’re eating. It took me a long time to see that God really LOVES me. He’s not just waiting to punish me.

        1. Nicely said, Presbygirl. God isn’t up there with a baseball bat. @blacksheep and scarlett – take a deep breath! Enjoy your life, just as you are. It’s okay. Take your time.

    2. If you guys need a place to start, you could try Oswald Chambers’ devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest”. It’s been my bread and butter for years.

      Also, I would recommend two books by John Eldridge: “The Sacred Romance” and “Waking the Dead”. The latter is what soured me to the whole fundy experience and opened my eyes to real life with the true God. He used it to literally change my whole world.

      Finally, the music group Casting Crowns had a CD a couple of years ago called “The Altar and the Door”. It was a great source of encouragement to me back in those days.

      Just my 2-cents. I’ll send up a prayer for you both. πŸ™‚

    3. There is hope. Really. I’m almost three years out, and my life is beginning to make sense again. May you all find peace.

    4. Blacksheep and Scarlett,

      Hang in there. A crisis of faith can potentially be a great thing in the long run. Through that valley you two may find truth as well as a deep, passionate connection to God. He is there in your darkest hours.

      God bless you both.

    5. I second what others say. I went through one twice, and ended up without faith. I survived. It was hard, for all the reasons you know. Come chat in the forum, if you want.

    6. My faith has been reduced to the Love, Compassion and Understanding that Christ preached. After that … beats me.

      1. and Mr. Don…you are my hero…
        love, compassion and understanding
        -it’s a good place to begin

    7. I too am the black sheep in my family. Father is a preacher; uncle is too.

      I’m out 25 years, and it gets a lot better.

    8. to everyone-
      the outpouring of love and compassion and understanding is not lost on me (and I’m sure scarlett as well) and Mr. PS,
      I do agree that faith can be strengthened through crisis…at least that is my hope.

  27. The Pastor not being in charge of everything is “killing our churches”??? Wow. I submit that one of the many things killing our churches is pastors attempting to, literally and figurativelly, replace our Lord. This guy is obviously on a massive ego trip. He’s built a monument to himself and the idea of anyone undermining his monument, or not making him the center of their lives, is what scares him.

  28. The pastor is the shepherd.
    David was a shepherd.
    David was a pastor.
    Therefore, when David wrote Psalm 23 he was referring to himself.
    Makes perfect sense. πŸ™„

    1. I think it’s always been like this. But you know how behind-the-times fundies are – they’re all starting to “video-tape” (haha) the service so it’s all very apparent and coming to light much faster than it used to.

      At least it’s a form of documentation. :mrgreen:

  29. Why, why, why do human beings continue to fill these auditoriums of the arrogant? Why can’t people think for themselves? Why doesn’t this nauseate his congregation? Honestly, I have to question why I didn’t see it for myself any sooner. Thank GOD my children haven’t grown up in this world – the same world I grew up in.
    I am now screaming into my pillow.

  30. Many times I have heard that Trieber and Chappell are the kinder, gentler version of the “Old Paths” fundy. They might speak with softer, more eloquent speech, but there is nothing kind or gentle about them.

    1. they are wolves in sheeps clothing…perhaps even more dangerous than the rest of them.

  31. He kind of mumbles “In the Bible there is Little Shepherds”, but does not come back to it. Psalms 21 mentions nothing about Little Shepherds. He just added that to the Bible. He wants to get a whip out. I am glad I want for THE Shepherd.

  32. I’m going to go out on a limb here and actually defend Mr. Trieber on this one. I heard nothing blasphemous in this clip.

    He says that he is a “little shepherd”. He says that the description of the Big Shepherd is found in Ps. 23. He says that you should be able to read Ps. 23 as his job description, since if he’s doing things differently than the Big Shepherd, he’s doing it wrong.

    Also, he was careful to clarify the pronoun in “for His name’s sake” as still referring to God.

    I can’t say I disagree, because I don’t. If the pastor is doing his job right, you can trust him, because he’s doing exactly the job described in Ps. 23.

    Of course, I can’t speak to whether Mr. Trieber is actually fulfilling that or not. That’s not my place to judge. But his point is sound, biblically. In fact, it places that much more responsibility on Mr. Trieber, to actually live up to the Model.

    1. Hmmm, I heard Jack Trieber substituting himself FOR God, not him leading his flock TO God.

    2. I agree with you in one sense – Ps. 23 describes what a shepherd does and thus could be used by a pastor in his personal devotions to help challenge him in ways to better shepherd his flock or as a message to other pastors in how the Good Shepherd treats his sheep.

      But this pastor changed the words of Scripture and inserted himself where God did not put him. “The pastor is my shepherd; I shall not want.” No way!!!! The pastor is not my end all and be all. The pastor does not lead me by still waters. God may USE my pastor to guide and lead and feed me, but it is GOD doing it. My assurance ought to come from Christ not from my pastor.

      And clarying the pronoun in “for HIS Name’s sake” doesn’t make up for replacing God with himself in all the other instances.

    3. I not only have a problem with him deifying himself, I have a problem with his entire message….with his entire ministry.

      The point he is making is this: “You all need a shepherd, I am that shepherd… Follow me.”

      Where is Christ in that message? It’s all about Jack. That is not Christianity, and it certainly isn’t gospel.

    4. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whosoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

      Trieber needs to repent and start reading his bible!

      1. “Instead, whosoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.”

        A lot of fundies insert the word “first” in there. As in, “Whosoever wants to become great among you must FIRST be your servant,” but after getting in his “servant time” he can accrue greatness and authority to his heart’s content.

        I heard this preached explicitly from the pulpit at PCC, and I’m sure they’re not the only ones who believe that way.

        1. You better watch it…stepping on some toes there. There is a large group of people who post comments here on the blog that are all about “first”

          I blame their Fundy ubringing for most of it…maybe you are onto something.

  33. Isn’t it ironic that humanists put themselves in the place of God and the fundy preachers that rail against this type of thinking/belief do it as well…

  34. And how many times have we heard Baptists condemn the Pope for “putting himself in the place of God”?

  35. Eisegesis: check
    Arrogance: check
    Widening the clergy/laity gap: check
    White Pianos: check
    Sacred Desk: check
    Me wanting to shoot myself: check

    1. Jeff – don’t do it! πŸ˜†

      It’s not worth it. Just step away from the gun. Here, I have a nice cold beer for you. Or a nice IFC Root beer if you prefer.

      1. @Scorpio For Shame You are our pilot! I hope you are ” off-duty” right now. 12 hours bottle to throttle. :mrgreen:

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