Kenny Hinson is Dead (featuring a brief rant on teaching the faith to children)

Sometimes, when I am missing my parents very badly I will listen to the music I heard in church growing up. Today I learned from youtube.com that a man I knew died. His name is Kenny Hinson and he was part of a singing froup called the Hinsons.
In the little world of Sourthern Gospel (the style of music that used to dominate in Pentecostal churches in the U.S.) Kenny was huge. I heard him perform live in the church my Dad pastored when I was seven.

Some criticize the sentimentality of the Pentecostals, but I'd like to point something out in their defense. On the feast of the Nativity my Bishop Benjamin said that he recently was in the company of 30 Orthodox children, not one of whom could tell him the story of the Nativity. (I know! It's almost too shocking to believe.) This would not have been possible in the Pentecostal church I grew up in. Historically, as wel as personally (concretely personaland abstractly personal), Jesus' ministry was explained to children. For example, when I was seven, when I heard Kenny Hinson sing this song I immediately was filled with gratitude because "if it wasn't for the light house, where would this ship be?" I knew I was lost, I knew Jesus was my only salvation, and I was thankful to Him. My heart sang the words with Kenny, and tears dripped off my chin for sins I barely even knew about.

Now as for Orthodox kids not know the story of the Nativity, well, parents, if your kids do not know what the events of the Great Feasts are, and why they are important, get copies of the Icons, get out your Bible's and explain what's going on to your kids. It is unlikely that a 7 year old is going to catch what is being said as it is chanted at them at 90mph. But if you prep them before hand they will eventually start hearing things in the services that are familiar to them, because you have already put the words and ideas in their minds. Our Orthodox services are not really pedagogical, as were the services of the church I grew up in. The Orthodox services are directed toward God, as though we are in His court and everything revolves around Him. (That is because we are and it does.) So, it is going to be really hard for a kid to hear something said in our services and have it resonante with him at the level this song reached me when I was seven. (Orthodox apologists: Do not flame me. I am not saying Orthodoxy is wrong. I am not saying the Pentecostals are right. I am saying that Pentecostals do an amazing job at communicating ideas regarding salvation to kids. Besides, wasn't it Metropolitan Philip who said we should admire the Protestants for doing so much with so little (e.g. only one Mystery, and a truncated Bible); that we Orthodox should learn from that? We need to remember that Jesus words to the Jews about turning rocks into sons of Abraham (Matthew 3:9) can be turned on us very quickly if we deserve it. "To whom much is given much is required". Lord have mercy!)

Well, I didn't mean to write so much. When I started this post I was just going to introduce the song. Here it is. If you're like me you will need two hankies. But you probably won't; when I hear this song I see my mom and dad sitting in the church with me.