I've got a problem with a pastor who thinks so highly of himself that he writes, and gets Lifeway to publish his autobiography. It probably would have been better to have someone else write a biography, but even then, it seems a bit self serving to me. Of course, Vines is a classic self-promoter, and got caught up in the Gilyard mess precisely because that old, Southern, good-ole-boy, path to prominence and prestige via the "kingmakers" was ingrained in his way of doing things. I think he mentioned Gilyard, and softened the issue considerably in doing so, because he thinks he can polish off some of the tarnish that has accumulated on his reputation as a result. He's getting his spin in print, downplaying the issue considerably in the process. He'll have to take the consequences of all of the discussion that results.
Vines sort of fell out of favor as a result of the Gilyard incident, and even before that, I got the impression that a lot of younger pastors and church leaders thought he was out of touch. Maybe he, Mac Brunson, Steve Gaines and Jerry Sutton could collaborate on a book about how Good-Ole-Boy pastoring can reduce a megachurch's attendance by more than half in a short period of time.