Saturday, June 17, 2006
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
The obvious question is what does smashing a stack of bricks with your forehead have to do with the Great Commission?
That query hovers over the musclebound spectacle of Christian motivational speaker John Jacobs and his team of bodybuilders.
They tear phone books, bend jail-cell bars and bench-press a 400-pound log to the frothy cheers of a family audience. But then, in between, comes the appeal that touches on a tenet of Christian theology.
"You don't think we're cool because we're big?" said Jacobs. "The only thing cool about us is Jesus."
Jacobs, of Fort Myers, Fla., has been pairing feats of strength with a Christian message for nearly 30 years, most recently with his Next Generation Power Force.
He and his team of strong men -- and one woman -- travel to churches and schools, tailoring their message for audiences. Christianity for church congregations; self-esteem for the public schools. Jacobs recently led a four-day "crusade" in Marlton, N.J., at Marlton Assembly of God, which averaged 500 attending each night.
"It's entertainment, but it's a tool to reach people," said the Rev. Russell W. Eggert, the church's senior pastor. "We want to make a statement that Christianity is open to all and that it shouldn't just be for little old ladies in tennis shoes."
Ultimately, the church leadership is hoping that the show of strength will draw people who are curious about the bodybuilders, but end up being swept up in the message.
"It's about the muscle in their spirit," said Dan Reed, 17.
Jacobs began his feats-of-strength ministry after high school, and in the early 1980s founded a trailblazer in the field, the Power Team.
He appeared on television, at churches, arenas and schools, but not without controversy in school communities seeking to ensure that the Power Team didn't step over the line separating church and state.
"It's not our job to sneak Jesus into the schools," Jacobs said. "We're not out here to trick anybody."
Next Generation
Jacobs' Next Generation Power Force is a relatively new incarnation of the ministry he started decades ago. After nearly 20 years with the Power Team, Jacob's divorce, subsequent remarriage and annulment, led to a falling out with other members of his ministry. Jacobs was accused of throwing a Power Team member against the wall in an altercation. The charges were denied and later dropped. Members of the team left to form a similar group called Team Impact. The Power Team then declared bankruptcy and Jacobs left the group, eventually forming the Next Generation Power Force. The Power Team then regrouped.
The teams are three of several feats-of-strengths ministries that Jacobs says have been formed by people who have worked with him. Jealousy and competition from some team members had a central role in the events, he said, along with opinions about his divorce.
"The Christian world can be very judgmental," Jacobs said. "I went to counseling for nine years to save my marriage. There was no dirt or moral issue, but some people act like if you have a bump in the road, you should just quit."
The show
Although that part of his life is over, the Rev. Mr. Eggert took it into consideration when deciding on inviting the team to Marlton Assembly of God. He talked with Jacobs' current pastor and a former member of the Power Team.
"As a minister, I want to protect the flock and do the right thing," Mr. Eggert said. He was reassured by the recommendation of Jacobs' pastor and asked the strength team to come.
The response on the rally's first night, Mother's Day, was raucously enthusiastic. An audience of more than 500 cheered, applauded and stood in the church sanctuary for all manner of smashing, busting and bending, with personal Christian testimonies mixed in.
"The stuff they are breaking symbolizes the trials in people's lives," said Pattie Bacon, 18. "By breaking them, they're defeating them, and that's the power of God."