Pint-Sized Preachers! Is that what has been missing from Sermons?

[Feuer Frei!]

Kanon Tipton, 4, first took the microphone at his family's church when he was just 21 months old. Two years and a few million YouTube hits later, the young preacher has developed quite a reputation. His emotional delivery, dramatic cadence and back-and-forth pacing behind the pulpit are faithful replications of the mannerisms he's seen demonstrated by other preachers.

Baby Preacher, World's youngest Preacher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zALqMWimBbM)

Baby Preacher preaches again! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om2DX1E8WZE&feature=player_embedded)

Dunno about you but that's crazy!

SOURCE (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/kanon-tipton-child-preacher_n_928208.html)

[Torplexed]

Dunno about you but that's crazy!

Crazy has pretty much been Mississippi's primary stock and trade since it got flattened in the Civil War.

However, I must give them credit for finally producing an evangelical TV preacher who probably doesn't have a stable of bimbos in the closet he's paying with church funds to keep quiet. :cool:

[Penguin]

disgusting! :nope:
Borderline child abuse.

from the desciption:

It's no more "creepy" than you people who let your children play video games that shoot and kill people or even watch movies where they rob, shoot, kill, rape...movies full of fantasy characters as witches, vampires, aliens.
Kanon is a wonderful child! He chooses to love God, and that is all that matters!

No clownhead, he did not choose to love god. He is just copying a behavioral pattern, which all infants do.

I wish to those parents that their kid becomes a satanist when he grows up :arrgh!:

[CaptainHaplo]

While I agree that a four year old lacks the cognitive ability to choose to place his soul in the hands of his Creator, I am mildly suprised at the hatred and vitriol spewed out.

Borderline child abuse? Crazy?

The kid is doing little different than your average 4yr old in their kindergarten school play. He repeats what he has learned on a stage with as much emotive force as he can in front of a crowd. So are all kindergarten plays now borderline child abuse? Or is this "child abuse" merely because you don't agree with the subject matter?

At the least, he likely has a great future as a thespian should he choose it. Children his age often perform - whether in a play, singing or other activity (like with a musical instrument) - and its not just relegated to churches. The outcry here is simply because it involves a religion that many despise for their own reasons.

Now if people of age are swayed by his oratory, if the churchgoers are not discerning enough to realize he has not even reached the "age of responsibility" (though exactly what that is remains highly debated) or if congregation members are willing to somehow think that he actually understands what the devil he is "preaching", then they are ignorant.

Ignorant doesn't equate to crazy. Nor does it equate to "borderline child abuse".

Call it what it is - idiocy. But don't go off the deep end screaming stuff like "abuse" when its nothing of the sort.

[Feuer Frei!]

I don't know about you but at the end of the day a child at that age certainly has no chance in the wide world of becoming a preacher at that age without pushings and proddings of the parents.
now I am not screaming child abuse here, all I am saying is that the child is too young to all of a sudden reflect upon his future whilst playing tonka trucks and realises I want to go in front of the mic and people and preach the word of God.
Surely, in fact I am certain, there is more to it than just a gentle falling into the preaching profession (for want of a better word).
Now ofc we don't know the facts, we don't know if the parents are beautiful supporting and gentle and we will support you in whatever you do type or if they continuously push and prod the child to do this, for fear of the Lord striking down vengeance upon thee.
Who knows. But you get my drift right?

[AVGWarhawk]

Crazy has pretty much been Mississippi's primary stock and trade since it got flattened in the Civil War.

However, I must give them credit for finally producing an evangelical TV preacher who probably doesn't have a stable of bimbos in the closet he's paying with church funds to keep quiet. :cool:

I love this! :haha:

He is just copying a behavioral pattern, which all infants do.

I agree with this.

[Penguin]

While I agree that a four year old lacks the cognitive ability to choose to place his soul in the hands of his Creator, I am mildly suprised at the hatred and vitriol spewed out.

Borderline child abuse? Crazy?

The kid is doing little different than your average 4yr old in their kindergarten school play. He repeats what he has learned on a stage with as much emotive force as he can in front of a crowd. So are all kindergarten plays now borderline child abuse? Or is this "child abuse" merely because you don't agree with the subject matter?

At the least, he likely has a great future as a thespian should he choose it. Children his age often perform - whether in a play, singing or other activity (like with a musical instrument) - and its not just relegated to churches. The outcry here is simply because it involves a religion that many despise for their own reasons.


The quote which I cited from the child's parent is from the vid of the 19 month old baby, hence the word infant. I didn't watch the vid of the 4yr old, but he probably uses words there which he does not understand, and does not feel any compassion to a deity - at least not in the way adults do. Which makes it even worse than the incomprehensible babbling he did as a baby.

It only has secondary something to do with religion, I have the same objections against child beauty pageants. People project their own wishes and hopes on their children and force them to act like adults. This is more a compensation for their own life than a legitimate wish that their kid has successful life.
If a kid takes part in a kindergarten play, it is a different thing. If the kid is not forced to participate, then it is ok - a little parental motivation is also ok.

I have seen kids from my friends dance to music which they may never listen to again in their later life. It is fun and a laugh and just a mirror of how us adults behave at a party. I would object if they would force the kid on stage and then put up the video on YouTube to show how the kid is the new Fred Astaire.


Now if people of age are swayed by his oratory, if the churchgoers are not discerning enough to realize he has not even reached the "age of responsibility" (though exactly what that is remains highly debated) or if congregation members are willing to somehow think that he actually understands what the devil he is "preaching", then they are ignorant.

This was exactly my point.


Ignorant doesn't equate to crazy. Nor does it equate to "borderline child abuse".

and here we disagree. I have my doubts that the parents do the best for their child but only force their way of life onto the kid. I am aware that this is a big gray area. When the parents are religious, the naturally try to give the child something on the way which they see as important, same with other values they agree on. This is called education. However one should be aware that a child is neither a copy of oneself nor a trophy.

[Rockstar]

If this were a play where other children his age were involved under the tutelage of an instructor. Or one of those candid camera moments we would all be saying oh how cute and I'd say big whoop.

But this seems to me a little bit on the creepy side. They are simply making a spectacle of this poor child. Here we have grown adults who for their own amusment are continuing to encourage a four year old to say and do things without giving any instruction or understanding . It's just plain wrong man. I'm sure attendance is up as people come in to see the show. Unfortunately they'll learn nothing, but you can bet the church bank account grows as plate gets passed around.

[Feuer Frei!]

but you can bet the church bank account grows as plate gets passed around.
Exactly. And that is also wrong on all accounts.
The 'spectacle'. Kind of defeats the purpose of why people go to church.
I would imagine a show like this is hard to forego. Makes a mockery out of church-going. :nope: