I've been around the church all of my 45 years and in some
form of ministry for nearly 25. Over that time I've seen guys like Jimmy
Swaggart and Jim Baker fall. I've heard some pretty stupid comments come from guys
like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
It’s stuff the media eats up and cynics point and say, “See! I told you they were fakes!” It’s the kind of stuff that makes me sad.
But I don’t think it’s where the real damage is done.
The real damage is done by gossips and gripers who smile at their pastor after the sermon then cut him over lunch with their friends. It’s done by the petty and protective who have “their” area of ministry, “their” realm of influence and undermine any who threaten it.
The damage is done by those who shun the unclean visitor, the prostitute or the pagan. It's done by the pastor who abuses authority and trust for personal gain and glorification.
It's pretty easy for me to point my finger at pastors of mega churches or televangelists and condemn their actions. I can shake my head, cluck my tongue and moan about the damage their failure will cause the church.
The hard thing to do is look at my life, wonder how often I've criticized a sermon, made a snide remark about my brother, walked past someone I didn't want to greet Sunday morning.
Some people may have left the church because some dude on TV took their money. But I think more have left because regular every day saints have professed the love of Christ while they crucified their neighbor.
It’s stuff the media eats up and cynics point and say, “See! I told you they were fakes!” It’s the kind of stuff that makes me sad.
But I don’t think it’s where the real damage is done.
The real damage is done by gossips and gripers who smile at their pastor after the sermon then cut him over lunch with their friends. It’s done by the petty and protective who have “their” area of ministry, “their” realm of influence and undermine any who threaten it.
The damage is done by those who shun the unclean visitor, the prostitute or the pagan. It's done by the pastor who abuses authority and trust for personal gain and glorification.
It's pretty easy for me to point my finger at pastors of mega churches or televangelists and condemn their actions. I can shake my head, cluck my tongue and moan about the damage their failure will cause the church.
The hard thing to do is look at my life, wonder how often I've criticized a sermon, made a snide remark about my brother, walked past someone I didn't want to greet Sunday morning.
Some people may have left the church because some dude on TV took their money. But I think more have left because regular every day saints have professed the love of Christ while they crucified their neighbor.
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