judgment houses? Alternative to haunted houses?

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Weston Stoler

Weston Stoler

Puritan Board Sophomore
I really do not see a biblical mandate for judgment houses. I think it is more counter-intuitive and does more harm then good. "Lets scare the "hell" out of them" That never works. I would rather them feel genuine repentance and want to love God then just want to "Get out of hell"


Opinions on this subject?

It may be more popular in the south.
 
It is a Arminian baptist thing. Although a more reformed baptist church around here does it and it grinds my gears. It is basically a group of teens going through a haunted house of "hell" and then get preached a half-baked gospel and then emotional conversions. Their may be more but not less then that.

---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 PM ----------

judgment House : What Is judgment House?

Here is an example.

They are very popular in Alabama.
 
I have never heard of these, but it sounds interesting. I would attend neither for Halloween/Reformation Day. This year, I am planning a "95 Reeses Party" where we will eat Reeses Cups, drink hot Apple Cider, and discuss the five Solas of the Reformation lived out in the Christian life. It's going to be the greatest party Penn State has ever known...
 
Weston Stoler said:
judgment House : What Is judgment House?

Here is an example.

They are very popular in Alabama.
Click to expand...

"But judgment House is so much more than that. No other tool is more effective at presenting people with an opportunity to choose a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ."

Wow, not even the God-ordained means of grace?
 
austinww said:
Weston Stoler said:
judgment House : What Is judgment House?

Here is an example.

They are very popular in Alabama.
Click to expand...

"But judgment House is so much more than that. No other tool is more effective at presenting people with an opportunity to choose a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ."

Wow, not even the God-ordained means of grace?
Click to expand...

Why do it God's way? Man's way is so much more efficient and it is even easier. Plus more conversions!!!!!!!!!!!! :graduate:

---------- Post added at 09:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:53 PM ----------

For knowledge I didn't even know about the website till after I made this post. I didn't know it was worse then I thought.
 
Silly bait-and-switch evangelism trick.

Let's take what the world is doing, do it lamer and call it Christian.

Let's shuffle unsuspecting kids through a lame haunted house and then subject them to Gospel preaching at the end.


This is what the mission funds of many baptist churches go towards.
 
If the goal is to get on-the-spot decisions, rather than conversions, it might work pretty well even if it's lame. But if you want true and lasting conversions, preach the gospel. Put the focus on Jesus, and be patient as the Spirit works.
 
"an opportunity to choose a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ"

Great! Do they give a cure for Radical Corruption before you go in?
 
Of course they do, well no... more like a band-aid. They call it a ....uhmmmm i forget. Didn't they call it a yinners prayer? No, no.... that can't be right......
 
I will never forget sitting in a Sectional meeting when I was pastoring an AG church. They were discussing the annual 'House of Horrors' that Master's Commission always does. The director made the comment that at the last year's event over 10,000 people became Christians as a direct result of the endeavour. I couldn't sit there and let that one go by. Let's just say the entire premise of the House of Horror, Judgment House, whatever you want to call it is just plain wrong. (I was not the most popular fellow in those meetings :D )
 
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Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame, lame, lame. The only people who go are the same church kids who "got saved" last tentmeeting/summer camp/Judgment House.

Lame. Just like every "Christian alternative."
 
I went to one when I was in college in Mississippi. It was incredibly entertaining. I had to write a paper on it for a philosophy class.

It was heavily advertised, and it was clear that this was the biggest event on the church's calendar. Signs up everywhere and all the church members were wearing official event shirts. My biggest complaint in the whole thing was that they spelled it "judgment" with the "e". I know that spelling is accepted by some, but they're wrong. It's "Judgment". OK, off that soap box....

The whole spectacle was impressive (in an amusing kind of way), and the staff were taking it very seriously. We were split into groups of 20 or so, then ushered from room to room to hear pieces of an ongoing story. It was about two groups of teenagers on a Friday night: one group was holy, and the other was sinful. In one of the rooms we saw the holy group sitting around a table, drinking soda, and studying the Bible. In another room the sinful group was sitting around a table, listening to rock music, drinking (fake) beer, smoking (fake) cigarettes and playing poker. (Sidenote: I'm clearly a sinner, because the latter group was much more appealing to me).

Then we were taken outside where there was the wreckage of a car crash involving all of the teenagers, many of whom were now dead. From there we went to the pearly gates where the dead teenagers were all lined up, awaiting entrance. But to our shock, the sinful teens were found guilty and not allowed in. So we followed the sinners into hell. Let me just say - Wow, what a place. It's loud, and dark, and there are fire pits everywhere. And worst of all, Satan himself is sitting on a throne--illuminated by a strobe light--laughing and taunting the sinners. They called for help, but Satan and his demons just kept laughing while they kicked the sinners into the fire pits.

They ended up letting us leave that room, and thankfully we were able to catch a happy ending. We followed the holy teens through the pearly gates and into paradise. Heaven was very peaceful and everyone wears white. There was a (fake) flowing brook and some soothing harp music. There was also this funny bearded guy who walked up to each of us, placed his hands on our shoulders, and (seriously) said "well done, my good and faithful servant."
 
The medieval morality plays usually had more merit than these. The blasphemy that routinely takes place is overwhelming.
 
Have Mercy! Why do I keep getting images of people in bibs eating fried Twinkies at the post-production Judgment House party.
Who gets to play Satan tomorrow? "Leroy, did ya git a look at Billy Bob playing the Devil tonight, he was on fire!" - Dante would be underwhelmed.
 
Daniel, thanks for sharing that story. What a fail. And I'm with you--the second group of people sounds more appealing to me as well.
 
Perhaps those who are supporting the Judgment House ministries are still growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I don't believe this kind of ministry is the best use of resources. There certainly are errors in this approach.

But this is what I think about it. If I waited to evangelize until I learned the Doctrines of Grace I would have never witnessed to anyone for the first five years of my walk with God. I made a lot of mistakes during those years. I still make them too. With that in mind, I will continue to witness despite my errors. Will my efforts and mistakes for the Lord Jesus then be viewed as the unfavorable end of a joke?

I am not against anyone here. May God be glorified.
 
LawrenceU said:
The director made the comment that at the last year's event over 10,000 people became Christians as a direct result of the endeavour. I couldn't sit there and let that one go by.
Click to expand...

I think you've identified one of the big reasons these events persist. Some churches are obsessed with the number of "decisions" they can claim. The churches in my town that cooperate on something similar at Halloween are also the ones with a big enough facility for a family outreach my own church heads up. This year, one of those churches talked of backing out on supporting our outreach, explaining that we weren't getting enough people saved at the event to justify the effort. The pastor explained that he's held accountable to his board for keeping track of those numbers and keeping them high every year, though he admitted frustration that the newly saved seldom end up joining the church.
 
Jack K said:
. . . though he admitted frustration that the newly saved seldom end up joining the church.
Click to expand...

During the time I was involved with the A/G, five years, the number of salvations as a direct result of the House of Horrors equaled more than half the population of Mobile County. You really should come down and get a glimpse of the heaven here. It is so heavenly that the dispensationalists are becoming post mill by the bucket loads! :rolleyes:
 
sevenzedek said:
Perhaps those who are supporting the Judgment House ministries are still growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I don't believe this kind of ministry is the best use of resources. There certainly are errors in this approach.

But this is what I think about it. If I waited to evangelize until I learned the Doctrines of Grace I would have never witnessed to anyone for the first five years of my walk with God. I made a lot of mistakes during those years. I still make them too. With that in mind, I will continue to witness despite my errors. Will my efforts and mistakes for the Lord Jesus then be viewed as the unfavorable end of a joke?

I am not against anyone here. May God be glorified.
Click to expand...

Arn't we all growing in grace in truth? However 99.9% of the time the preacher or one of the deacons will be preaching. Not newbie Christians. however I do understand we should be gracious to these people and not condemning so I do understand where your coming from.
 
Pergamum said:
Let's take what the world is doing, do it lamer and call it Christian.
Click to expand...

hank-hill-on-christian-rock-5815.jpg
 
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