I'm having lunch with Rev Guy Odom tomorrow. Any questions/comments
- Thread starter OldFatDog
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Does he love Ole Miss more than the Lord? Because that's what it seems like.
That's halfway joking, but only halfway. In all seriousness I am appalled as a deacon in an SBC church that a pastor would act like he does on twitter. Even if the people he is bantering with know it is all in fun (which it doesn't even seem to be), his actions call into the question his sincerity in holding the spiritual office of pastor. If he were my pastor, I would recommend he delete his twitter and reopen one with a non-pastoral name if he wants to tweet about his favorite team.
That's halfway joking, but only halfway. In all seriousness I am appalled as a deacon in an SBC church that a pastor would act like he does on twitter. Even if the people he is bantering with know it is all in fun (which it doesn't even seem to be), his actions call into the question his sincerity in holding the spiritual office of pastor. If he were my pastor, I would recommend he delete his twitter and reopen one with a non-pastoral name if he wants to tweet about his favorite team.
Serious question / no flame: if you have such a low opinion of your minister and ministers in general, why do you go to church there (or at all)?
I ask so that I can help my own church/pastor friends understand better how people perceive them. So I'm genuinely interested in your response.
I ask so that I can help my own church/pastor friends understand better how people perceive them. So I'm genuinely interested in your response.
Rabid, I grew up milking cows...after MSU was a systems analyst and programmer for 12 years before going to seminary at the age of 34.....but do agree, somewhat, with your dad's adage..... over the years I met a number of preachers who seemed to be in it for questionable reasons....My older brother was a general manager for a large auto dealership in Panama City and we agreed that we were both hesitant to tell folks what we "did for a living" when we first met someone (and for the same reason...preconceived ideas folks had about these two careers).
Because you run in to the type at many large churches. I go to church to hear the sermon. I don't pay any attention to the minister outside of that. But his children are the same as mine so our paths cross frequently. Something about seeing a grown man in his 50's with an Eli jersey on at soccer games does that to you. He has also not spared the congregation on numerous occasions his stories of having sit downs with Freezus and admiring his faith-based coaching approach. You should see the smirks and eye rolls after that. We are in the heart of Flowood. Not exactly pro-OM territory. It's like he's trying to tell us we are sinning because most of the church are State grads.
My SBC pastor's twitter account...........
has a somewhat sports related handle. He's very much a State fan and everybody knows it. About 2/3s of his tweets are spiritual in nature. The rest are about sports and his other interests. He's nothing like the Rev Odom but doesn't shy away from supporting the Bulldogs. Doesn't bother me in the least. He's great in the pulpit, but his down to earth side is what I like most about him.
So I ask, do think you sports tweets undermine a pastor's spiritual credibility? or is it more the way Odom tweets that bothers you?
has a somewhat sports related handle. He's very much a State fan and everybody knows it. About 2/3s of his tweets are spiritual in nature. The rest are about sports and his other interests. He's nothing like the Rev Odom but doesn't shy away from supporting the Bulldogs. Doesn't bother me in the least. He's great in the pulpit, but his down to earth side is what I like most about him.
So I ask, do think you sports tweets undermine a pastor's spiritual credibility? or is it more the way Odom tweets that bothers you?
If you're talking about the one I'm thinking about, his wife is
worse than he is. If not, there are 2 UMC pastors in Flowood that are University of Ole Miss douches.
worse than he is. If not, there are 2 UMC pastors in Flowood that are University of Ole Miss douches.
For me, it's Odom's tweets where he mocks State even in a "joking" manner. Just not becoming of a preacher.
Just one man's opinion, but this is pretty much it for me. I see 20 tweets in the past 24 hours, with many of those being focused on sports, Coach Freeze, and directly at recruits. Maybe it's not credibility, but I do wonder how someone could put that much effort into Twitter and still be at his best for the other things he's called to do.
Also, things like "OOO I've finally made it to Sixpack" and the Aeris Williams typo just don't show much maturity, much less discernment.
He tweeted out a picture of his son wearing a State shirt with the caption "my son has brain damage." I wouldn't think twice about it if the guy wasn't a servant of God. Poor taste BECAUSE of what he does for a living, and that's really the thing that's wrong here.
Twitter is not becoming of many professionals, but I agree, even less so of a preacher.
I wouldn't want my lawyer/doctor/dentist/banker etc. acting like a jackass on twitter, much less my preacher. If I saw any of those people publicly tweeting at a recruit that they don't have a personal relationship with, I'd question their judgment. If you want to tweet at recruits, make stupid state/UM jokes (or just about any jokes unless you manage to be pretty funny without anything that could be construed as offensive, which is hard to do), update people about your eating and/or bowel movement schedule or whatever personal updates that nobody gives a crap about, set up an account that is not identifiable with yourself or employer or make those comments on something that you can limit the access to friends, like Facebook.
I agree............
it's not becoming at all. I never bothered to check my pastor's account until the Odom thing came to light. I am pleased that it's very lame. The way I read DOA's post, it seemed he found pastors tweeting in general to be in poor taste. I'm of the opinion that clergy don't have to be in a spiritual mode 24/7.
it's not becoming at all. I never bothered to check my pastor's account until the Odom thing came to light. I am pleased that it's very lame. The way I read DOA's post, it seemed he found pastors tweeting in general to be in poor taste. I'm of the opinion that clergy don't have to be in a spiritual mode 24/7.
Ask him how he supports a coach and a school that allows the type of things that
UM allows. There's the whole "party" atmosphere, the highly "questionable" recruiting tactics, white girls, etc. How does he profess to be a Christian but yet does not condemn a coach and a school that allows those activities to occur? What you don't condemn, you CONDONE. Ask him that and see how much he squirms.
UM allows. There's the whole "party" atmosphere, the highly "questionable" recruiting tactics, white girls, etc. How does he profess to be a Christian but yet does not condemn a coach and a school that allows those activities to occur? What you don't condemn, you CONDONE. Ask him that and see how much he squirms.
I think it's only human that priests, ministers, preachers, whatever have outside interests. I don't begrudge any of them that. But I think, just like any other professional, you need to tame your public persona. Personally, I'm Catholic and had a priest growing up that was from Nebraska and was a big Nebraska fan, and he'd work that into his sermons. He was engaging, he was funny, and he was relatable- he made me listen, regardless of whom he cheered for. It was only a way to pull us in.
I don't feel like this guy comes off this way. I guess you'd have to ask his congregation, but getting on Twitter and tweeting foolish things at high school and college aged kids comes off like a guy with nothing better to do. I just get skeptical about some people that are in the ministry- I've seen people who I felt were absolutely called to do it, and then I feel like there's people that do it for other reasons. Those people to me stick out really quickly.
I don't feel like this guy comes off this way. I guess you'd have to ask his congregation, but getting on Twitter and tweeting foolish things at high school and college aged kids comes off like a guy with nothing better to do. I just get skeptical about some people that are in the ministry- I've seen people who I felt were absolutely called to do it, and then I feel like there's people that do it for other reasons. Those people to me stick out really quickly.