Thats gold. I actually discovered Keith Green almost 2 weeks ago. I watched an hour special on his life and was moved with his heart and obviously his piano and musical abilities. I was wondering, do any of you who are more familiar with his life/ministry know more about his feelings on money matters? I heard he didn't want to charge people for concerts/cd's and would only accept donations if people wanted to give.

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james thorpe

"When I was a new Christian I opened up my Bible, then set myself up as judge. I'd go into ministries and get loud about their need for correction. Worse, within six months of my conversion, I was on-stage performing - and judging things publicly. Thousands of people came to hear me, and I really got into letting them know what I thought." Kieth Green.
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Then he says that the Lord showed him that judgment comes from spiritual maturity.

I may have been at that meeting. I was at an outdoor concert where he was the key worship guy, and he rebuked the Hades out of everyone in a mini-tirade for not acting holy, and quiet enough to honor his ministry. It would have been about that time.[mid-70s]

It, of course, turned everyone off..and I suppose reading this, that the Lord ministered to him, also. I had two very close friends who spent years with Green at his Texas ranch. Evidently, it was ran like a spiritual boot camp, with Kieth as the DI.

I ended up meeting him briefly a little later. He was intense.

Saying that, consider that Kieth had FIVE years in ministry. Amazing, eh?, to consider the impact. He was really into giving everything he could to God, and learning to do the right thing. No Compromise was his mantra, but often the zeal part seemed to dominate.

In the end, he was a talented psalmist, and very famous. I believe, in retrospect, that his fame, and the wealth that came with it, [to buy the ranch, airplane, etc.] hurt him. It's hard to step down and just be a brother with so much accolade thrown at you, and famous power.

We tend to idolize men like that. Did you realize that Bob Dylan was saved also?..and fell away, I believe for these reasons.

I know what you're saying Brother Tom and I surely agree that this is very sad.
The man mainly printed classic authors in his magazine, which gave many of us a good beginning.
Two articles that were in one of LD magazines after he died were "The Person GOD uses" by Samuel Logan Brengle and "Dishonesty in Little Things" by Finney. (Vol 8 #4)

He started out like many of us, with that 'zeal' you spoke of. I truly don't know but, because Ravenhill and David Wilkerson's articles were in the Magazine also - they were a welcome read.
We believed at the time that The LORD took him home because, no man should be overly followed - but others say that he was taken out by his enemies for the tracts that he wrote - yet, no one can be "taken out" unless the LORD allow.
I don't want to speculate with Keith Green or others, but I did & do feel the danger of following anyone too closely - and that's probably why many of us love to read dead authors.

When you met him, how long was he in ministry?

I believe it was Ravenhill that said something like - men aren't known until they die. Their words and lives aren't truly known until then - unless they fall away as Dylan did.

Sad topic.

"When you met him, how long was he in ministry?"..Jesus is God.......

I don't think he had released his first album yet. He was saved in 1973, [died in 1982..].....at 28 years old. He must have been around 22 when I met him. So, I guess it was speculation how long he was assessed as to actually "being in ministry".

I met him at a Christian Jesus people concert in Santa Rosa California in 1976?/7? It was here that the experience happened I wrote of. I am sure he has inspired hundreds of thousands of believers to give more and devote more to a God that Kieth believed deserved it.

No compromise was his message....all the way for Jesus. He was not squeamish in pointing out hypocrisy, either. I suppose that this is exactly what this thread is about....the maturity to discern when and how to activate repentance in others, and the motives behind our acts.