This seems a fitting "What do you think?" post in light of last Sunday's sermon in 1 Samuel 2. The Lord fights against his own ministers when they defile his worship and harm his people. Here it is almost December of 2009 and the Sovereign Lord is still fighting for his loved ones and his glory by exposing the scoundrels who stand to speak for him, this time through the instrument of secular journalism. Thanks Aaron Warner for the heads-up on this.
Did Christianity Cause the Crash?
by Hanna Rosin from The Atlantic, December 2009
Like the ambitions of many immigrants who attend services there, Casa del Padre’s success can be measured by upgrades in real estate. The mostly Latino church, in Charlottesville, Virginia, has moved from the pastor’s basement, where it was founded in 2001, to a rented warehouse across the street from a small mercado five years later, to a middle-class suburban street last year, where the pastor now rents space from a lovely old Baptist church that can’t otherwise fill its pews. Every Sunday, the parishioners drive slowly into the parking lot, never parking on the sidewalk or grass—“because Americanos don’t do that,” one told me—and file quietly into church. Some drive newly leased SUVs, others old work trucks with paint buckets still in the bed. The pastor, Fernando Garay, arrives last and parks in front, his dark-blue Mercedes Benz always freshly washed, the hubcaps polished enough to reflect his wingtips.
It can be hard to get used to how much Garay talks about money in church, one loyal parishioner, Billy Gonzales, told me one recent Sunday on the steps out front. Back in Mexico, Gonzales’s pastor talked only about “Jesus and heaven and being good.” But Garay talks about jobs and houses and making good money, which eventually came to make sense to Gonzales: money is “really important,” and besides, “we love the money in Jesus Christ’s name! Jesus loved money too!” That Sunday, Garay was preaching a variation on his usual theme, about how prosperity and abundance unerringly find true believers. “It doesn’t matter what country you’re from, what degree you have, or what money you have in the bank,” Garay said. “You don’t have to say, ‘God, bless my business. Bless my bank account.’ The blessings will come! The blessings are looking for you! God will take care of you. God will not let you be without a house!”
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200912/rosin-prosperity-gospel?pid=ynews
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Well, clearly these are prime examples of the "Health and Wealth," and the "Name It, Claim It" gospels which find no basis in God's Word. Next to God's coming and present Kingdom, Jesus talked more about money than any other topic in Scripture, and I think those involved in the article would do well to read Jesus' own words closely. They seem to have a blind eye as to what Jesus really has to say about money and God's provision.
ReplyDeleteBut other than that, I'm still confused as per my feelings regarding Joel Osteen. He seemed to stand on shaky grand in this Larry King clip, but I'm still hard-pressed to find an all-together incriminating instance or quote by Mr. Osteen, himself. Perhaps someone can help me with that.
Hi Christina:
ReplyDeleteI just watched an Osteen show last night. A few observations: (1) His whole service structure is designed to preach a false peace to the visible church of God, just like in Jeremiah 8:11. He hides most of the teaching of scripture by preaching messages that resound with a "God's not mad at you, He's madly in love with you" tone. He actually says that on occassion. (2) Last night in his opening prayer he never mentioned the need for repentance or one's need for a crucified Christ. His language assumes everyone is already okay with God, so the only thing in our way, the only thing holding us up, is our failure to realize how awesome we already are. Sin holds us up and God even holds us up because rising to greatness is rarely a sign of God's favor. God favors those who will be last and least and servant to all.
For more check out this short essay by Michael Horton: http://www.wscal.edu/faculty/wscwritings/horton.osteen/glorystory.php
Best, John
The impression I got about "Pastor" Garay is he seems to be quite a hustler with his congregation. Garay is preaching "what God can do for you," not what we can do for God. God can do great things for our lives, but in Garay's mind, that revolves around worldly possessions. Garay uses an analogy about a box of gifts in Heaven, urging those who listen to reach up and grab it. If we desire to have our treasures now, we will have nothing stored up in Heaven for us.
ReplyDeleteGaray, and any other churches that fall into his category, are looking for popularity, fame, and money. Garay's view on tithing made me laugh, "...it teaches him [the one tithing] that money can breed more money." I was not aware that tithing was a part of a get rich quick scheme. Similarly, it was painful to see that Garay used to preach that a $100 church offering would yield the giver $10,000 of their own.
From my limited knowledge of Joel Osteen, I fall into being suspicious of him. The part of the article that speaks about Osteen and his wife wanting a big expensive house seemed to echo Garay's teachings. If I want it, God will give it. Does that mean that as Christians, if we earnestly pray for the correct numbers, we could all be the next Powerball winners? If so, who wants to meet me at Huggetts to pick up our ticket?
We can move a mountain with enough faith. So to believe that God could not do these things seems to be lacking faith. However, a church that focuses on the earthly possessions and finances is not a Godly church. Or at the least, it's leaders have their eyes set on everything but Heaven. Rather than declaring, "The Lord WILL allow me to own this million dollar home," let us boldly pray for financial blessings for Christians in Iran, Tajikistan, Moldova, Cambodia, and worldwide who use that money to proclaim the Gospel message.
Scott, I love the last sentence you wrote. Now that would be loving our neighbor as ourselves.
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