…a retired, twenty-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (1987-2007). During his time in law enforcement, Tony served as a gang investigator, field training officer, drug recognition expert, and a DUI enforcement specialist. Tony’s law enforcement experience includes three days of chaos, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, as well as being on duty only a few miles away from the epicenter when the 1994 Northridge Earthquake devastated the greater Los Angeles area. During his career, Tony received more than 60 commendations and citations for meritorious service, arrests, criminal investigations, critical decision-making, and community service…
…From 2008 to mid-2012, Tony served as Living Waters’ Director of the Ambassadors’ Alliance, as well as the Director of Conferences and Special Projects. Tony’s service with Living Waters included the supervision of 20 Ambassador’s Academies (the ministry’s 3 1/2-day evangelism training program), conferences, State Representative system, and large-scale evangelism projects. Tony also wrote and co-hosted almost 400 episodes of Living Waters’ live, web-based program, “On the Box, with Ray Comfort.”
Tony has authored the books “Take Up The Shield (Genesis Publishing Group, 2005) and“Should She Preach? – Biblical Evangelism for Women” (One Million Tracts, 2013).
Tony is a prolific writer, having maintained several personal blogs, as well as writing for several other ministry blogs, websites, and newsletters. Currently, Tony’s writing is featured on the Cross Encounters blog (www.CrossEncounters.us).
Tony has preached in many churches across the United States and in Canada. He has served as the keynote speaker at several different conferences. He is committed to expository preaching. He frequently addresses topics such as biblical evangelism, spiritual growth and personal holiness, as well as the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Presently, Tony is serving the Lord as an itinerant preacher and open-air evangelist.
Like the banana man Ray Comfort, Miano is known for antagonizing and attacking anyone who doesn’t worship his version of the Christian God. Our paths briefly crossed paths a few years ago on Twitter. I found him to be an asshole then and he is an asshole now. I wouldn’t have been friends with him when I was a Christian street preacher. Like Comfort, Miano has a devoted flock of followers. They adore his in your face style, imagining that Jesus, Peter, James, John, and Paul were itinerant street preachers just like Brother Miano.
In a recent post titled Debating Dillahunty-A Review, Miano had this to say about atheist Matt Dillahunty:
No, I don’t hate Matt Dillahunty. I pity him. I pity him the way I pity every human being who denies the God they know exists (Romans 1:18-25). I pity Matt and people like him because the Dillahunty Delusion (an all-too-common malady) is simply a byproduct of an absurd worldview (one that searches for coherence and meaning without God), which is born out of a love of self, a love of sin, and a hatred of God (Romans 1:31-32).
I think it would be safe to say that Miano’s view of Matt is how he views all atheists.
As many of you know, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, killing thousands and injuring thousands more. A compassionate, kind, loving human would attempt to empathize with the Nepalese and their horrific loss of life and home. Not Miano. Here’s what he had to say on Twitter:
Most of the retweets were from people who condemned Miano’s tweet, but 96 people thought that tweet was wonderful. Some of those who clicked favorite were the same who condemned Miano’s tweet, but there were some Christians who thought Miano’s tweet reflected their view. People like Jessica Lam, Seth Dunn, and Kevin McDonald, and a host of other Christians who don’t want others to know their name. Like the raised hand and the unspoken prayer request, these Christians want Brother Miano to know that they support and approve of his tweet about Nepal.
Miano is followed by thousands of like-minded churches, parachurch ministries, and Christians. I looked in vain for one tweet that rebuked Miano. I wonder how they would respond if I tweeted this after a natural disaster leveled their home and church and killed their children:
Ha! Ha! Ha! You Christians in Toledo,Ohio got exactly what you deserved. Repent of your stupid beliefs. I hope that none of your churches are rebuilt! #mygodrulz
I can only imagine how Christians would respond to me, and rightly so. Why are Christians silent when people like Tony Miano, Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Ray Comfort, John Piper, Al Mohler, and a host of other miscreants, use the suffering and loss of others to remind them of their need to repent and believe in Jesus?
Well, I’ve been tweeting about it and also did a post on him, too. I even listened to his whole podcast (I deserve some brownie points for that), to gain undertsanding. I did. He understands that it’s important to treat people kindly and talked about his friend Ray Comfort who was always kind, even to atheists. He also demonstrated that he learned it was “the how” that mattered when sharing the gospel. This was about a personal family story that was actually pretty good.
So, now we know that he KNOWS how to behave, but he CHOOSES to behave badly.
Well, I wouldn’t consider you one of his brand of Christianity. 🙂 But, I do appreciate you taking the time to listen to his podcast. Somebody had to do it 🙂
altho i don’t like his tweet, he has no impact on nepal.
i’m actually more worried that he had this sort of attitude while a cop all those years, and was receiving commendations. i can’t believe that this sort of attitude wouldn’t show up somehow in his policing, so i suspect that it did, and his attitude was applauded. yikes.
Miano semi-regularly comes to Portland to harass people outside of professional sports events. He also goes to Seattle and hangs out at Pike’s Place Market, yelling his nonsense and disapproval. I’ve never encountered him in either place, but if I did I’d just ignore him like I would any other attention whore.
Reminds me of my late father who was always conflicted over whether we should help impoverished nations. He always said they were pagans so what could you expect. Why should we help them? Typical ‘christian’ logic.
That’s one of the most disgusting comments I think I’ve ever heard. I want to weep right now. Great stereotyping, to be expected from the likes of him ‘Nepal is a dark heathen devilish country that needs (my version of) the gospel.’
FYI Tony, a friend, a nepali pastor sent my DH a photo at Easter of 40,000 christians on an Easter March in Kathmandu.
Bruce, you ask rhetorically, “Why are Christians silent when people like Tony Miano…John Piper, Al Mohler, and a host of other miscreants, use the suffering and loss of others to remind them of their need to repent and believe in Jesus?”
But I’ll answer, based on my life-long experience and studying of the HUGE resurgence of Calvinistic theology into the local church.
It’s because millions upon millions of Christians, (like Muslims) don’t question what their leaders tell them…
that God has planned all evil events (like some passages in the Hebrew Bible claim and that most Christian leaders past and present emphasize).
Miano’s tweet is mild compared to the obscenities stated by John Piper and others over the tornadoes several years ago, and the terrible tsunami in Asia.
I’m sure you remember Piper’s infamous sermon on the tornadoes in the Midwest:
“Why would God reach down his hand and drag his fierce fingers across rural America killing at least 38 people with 90 tornadoes in 12 states…If a tornado twists at 175 miles an hour and stays on the ground like a massive lawnmower for 50 miles, God gave the command.
Here’s my own response…
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012
LET’S DO THE TWISTER
“Jesus rules the wind. The tornadoes were his.” –John Piper
Check(er) it out:
Pastor John (not the Baptist)
Drowns us again
Like he did last year
With his ‘God did it’ claims on the tidal wave—
To hell with drowned Japanese
(My paraphrase).
Last week, again
He Pipe(r)s up from
Bethlehem Baptist Church
On the cause of the 90 tornadoes
Which slaughtered 38—
(‘Twist and shout!”)
That tragic destruction is from Jesus.
Including the dying babe
Found in the cornfield
Not in the manger?
How twisted of it all–damnation
Across the Midwest
Because of the crossness of our Father;
Yes, God’s raking
His “fierce fingers” over,*
Fingering
Virgin land,
Soiling all hope
Of God’s love
For us.
(‘Not blowin’ in the wind’)
Belt it out!
What a sick, twisted,
Piped-piper.
First pub. in The New Verse News
Daniel, you are an awesome poet! Your “Twister” really expresses and exposes the callous absurdity behind such beliefs. And I agree: “It’s because millions upon millions of Christians, (like Muslims) don’t question what their leaders tell them…” It’s a strange psychological and sociological phenomenon with humans that when we are immersed in a system, we become brainwashed. It’s only when we break free of the system that we can think rationally for ourselves. My heart goes out to the suffering Nepalese.
Glad to touch base with your posts Bruce (when I happen to see them linked on facebook).
I like your perspective because of your background. I am “from” Northeast Ohio (1st 8 years of my life) and
all my ancestors/living family are rooted there from 1850 onwards. I get what you are talking about when
you discuss the general attitude of Ohio’s Christians.
Miano and other apologists do not understand a basic fact about religion:
All “temples” are “pagan”, not just relative to other religions, but in terms of superstition, magical thinking, ceremony,
rituals, and the like. It is not “paralellomania” to state a simple, sound, logical argument about how all religions are
fundamentally the same, as well as share virtually the same attributes.
Miano’s observation is radically flawed; so wrong that it’s disturbing. His own church is a “pagan temple”, and his apologetics
arise from “pagan” thinkers relatively obedient to the Greco-Roman state cults known to exist before and after the Nicene era.
Calvin is/was a sorcerer in how he enchanted others with his polemics, doctrinal reforms, and “mystique”. IMAO.
Too bad all these Nepalese Christians were just collateral damage to Miano and his god. I guess if god is going to make an omlette he has to break some eggs. But hey, they are his eggs and he can do wahtever he wants, right?
From Christianity Today’s website…
AsiaNews reports that a Protestant church in the outskirts of the capital city, Kathmandu, collapsed and killed 70 worshipers. Global Mission Nepal identifies the church as Nepali Evangelical Church in Kapan, and put the death toll at 80.
A Brethren in Christ Church worker in Nepal reports:
Saturday is the worship day in Nepal and most churches have worship time between 10.00 AM to 12.30 PM. Terrifying earthquake came just in the last part of the worship hour at 11:56 Nepali time and most believers ran out from the church to save their lives, some got injured badly while running out, some trapped under building whereas other were buried alive in the church building as it collapsed. Although unclear some have reported 100 believers of a church in Kathmandu were worshipping on the 7th floor rented building was completely collapsed, some 40 dead bodies were taken out whereas other still missing. It was a great lose and misery day in the history of Nepal.
Love this analysis and commentary, Bruce. I actually tweeted the guy myself in response to this. Twice I told him that his tweets lacked humility, compassion, and empathy. Once I told him I understood his beliefs and that I no longer hear Evangelicals say, “But for the grace of God, there go I” and wondered why that is? His only response was to immediately block me. As repugnant as Calvinism is to this former Calvinist, I can actually tolerate it coming from some Calvinist theologians of old who actually appeared to have humility and genuine brokenness over the state of the lost and their spiritual danger. How true that perception really is, well, I do not know and I am not infallible. However, with this guy, there literally is no humility, almost zero empathy and compassion, in his tweets on the subject (I would have to log out of Twitter to see anything more recent and honestly he is not worth anyone’s time). Ordinarily, I am not militant or antitheist, but in his case I will happily make an exception. Proud, condescending religious people like this deserve to be broken and humiliated by the same world they condemn so self-righteously and condescendingly. If that ever happens to this guy, I will not be sending any flowers. I might chuckle to myself in private, but I can guarantee no flowers will be sent. This quote says it best, “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” (Mark Twain)
I’m not sure why he cares if “pagan” buildings are rebuilt or not. In Athens (named for a pagan goddess) the pagan temples are only vague reminders of a forgotten religion. Modern Greece is mostly Christian, pagan buildings or not. So he is essentially reveling in the destruction of a culture not a religion and it just serves as a hallmark for a petty and sorry person (and not unlike the Taliban)