I am amazed at the strenuous attempts at making
Whitney Houston and Mindy McCready into being Spirit-filled Christians by our
Christian news and writers. If you would take the time and read the following
found in
I think you will get the same impression I did.
Then, read the response below.
When Spirit-Filled Pentecostal Singers Commit Suicide
Mindy McCready
News of
Mindy McCready’s apparent suicide has rocked the country music world. The
latest reports indicate that McCready, 37, had just recorded an emotional new
song in effort to reach out to wounded souls considering suicide before she
allegedly took her own life on Sunday.
Many knew
about McCready’s struggle with substance abuse. Many knew of her legal
woes. Many knew of her suicidal tendencies. But fewer knew
that McCready learned to sing at a Pentecostal church when she
just 3 years old.
McCready’s Christian
roots—and her familiarity with spiritual warfare—were on display in
her 1996 debut album, “Ten Thousand Angels.” She sold 2 million copies of that
album and went on to record four more studio albums before her death. The
talented young singer landed on the Billboard country singles charts 12 times.
But it seems the spirit of the world targeted the Pentecostal (if by upbring
only) singer for destruction.
With a measure of fame
to her name, McCready started dating celebrities. She was even
engaged to Superman star Dean Cain at one point. But life seemed to take a dark
turn shortly after. Post-Cain, one of her boyfriends was arrested for attempted
murder after he beat and choked her in 2005. That may not have been where the
downward spiral began, but the enemy used it to accelerate his plans to kill,
steal and destroy.
About two months after
being beaten and choked, McCready made her first suicide attempt. But
she nevertheless returned to her abuser. Soon, the country music sensation
attempted suicide a second time. Other apparent suicide attempts and drug
overdoses followed before a pornographic videotape
featuring McCready and an ex-boyfriend went on the market through
Vivid Entertainment. Obviously, she had fallen from grace and strayed from the
Biblical values that are taught in Spirit-filled churches.
McCready continued
her up and down battle in life until the father of her second child, record
producer David Wilson, was found dead in her home of an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound about a month ago. That may have been the last straw
for McCready, who called Wilson her “soulmate” and “life partner.”
What went wrong? God
sent McCready to the world with a gift to sing His praises. Growing
up in Pentecostal church, she was probably born again and maybe even
baptized in the Holy Spirit at some point during her youth. Again, it
seems clear that she strayed from her faith and I don't believe in
"once-saved, always saved" or a hyper-grace message. But she clearly
had some understanding of the wiles of the wicked one, and even sang about him
in her most famous anthem, “Ten Thousand Angels”:
Speaking of the devil
Look who just walked in
He knows just where to find me
Here we go again
I can tell he's gonna ask me to dance
But that's not as far as he wants to go
I need ten thousand angels
To help me tell him no
Lead me not into
temptation
Heaven help me to be strong
I can fight all that I'm feeling
But I can't do it alone
Help me break this spell that I'm under
Guide my feet and hold me tight
I need ten thousand angels
Watching over me tonight
What happened
to McCready? She was a victim of the power of
darkness. McCready isn’t the only visible celebrity with a Christian
upbringing Satan has barraged with suicidal thoughts. Even godly biblical characters
have fought this mind battle. King David despaired of his life (Psalm 13:2-4).
So did Jeremiah (Jer. 20:14-18) and Job (Job 7:15-16). Elijah wished he was
dead.
One difference
between McCready and these Bible heroes is they did not take those
thoughts. Another difference is that they weren't practicing sin. They
ultimately cast down those imaginations. It's possible that McCready, raised a
Pentecostal, was taught how to handle the spiritual warfare that comes
against the mind. But she may not have been prepared for the onslaught from the
spirit of the world as she stepped into stardom and into a sinful lifestyle.
If news reports are
true, she gave the enemy an open door by compromising with the world. We do
know she wasn’t married to either of the men who fathered her child. She took
drugs. She was featured in a pornography movie. She was probably exposed to all
manner of sin that hasn’t been reported.
Where do we go from
here? I don’t have all the answers. But I believe the church needs to do a
better job shepherding its celebrity members, and praying for those who claim
to be Christians even if the fruit tells a different story. Just because a
Christian become famous doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to belong to a church
family. Just because a Christian signs a big sports deal doesn’t mean he
doesn’t need prayer. He needs more prayer. Even those who claim
Christianity when their lives clearly contradict their confession need prayer.
The enemy counts the
deaths of Whitney Houston, Mindy McCready and other famous Christians
as trophies. Yes, Christian celebrities have a responsibility to treat their
bodies like the temple of the Holy Spirit. But I believe the rest of us
tongue-talking believers have a responsibility to pray for those whom God
elevates into the international spotlight who claim Christ, even if they have
fallen from grace. Amen.
I agree with the response below by Furino!
Certainly this is a horrendously tragic story,
but please let us not sacrifices the truth in an effort to be overly
charitable! There is no evidence or fruit if you will, of this woman having
been a covenant believer on Jesus Christ. Growing up in a church, and getting
one's wings musically there, does not substantiate the person having been born
again or Spirit filled. Her life was fraught with sin and the wages of it!
Jennifer LeClaire strove to paint McCready as a struggling Christian who was
striving to serve her Lord and this simply was not true. She did just about
whatever pleased her to serve herself. To suggest that the Church doesn't do
enough for its celebrity saints is ludicrous! Miss McCready lived on the edge,
was promiscuous with men, produced pornographic videos, did illicit drugs, and
who knows what else. My heart is very saddened by her end, but to try to
suggest that she was just a target of Satan, and thus excuse her ungodly
lifestyle is not fair reporting, nor is it the truth..This article was one of
the worst analyses of a supposed Christian life that I have ever read. Again, I
am sorry for her very unfortunate outcome, but let's be honest about the facts
in the process of evaluating her life.
