Worldly Wisdom in the Church

I recently heard about a church (to remain unnamed) that has printed a credit card form on the back of their offering envelopes. I would have expected this sort of scheme from a more liberal church, but this was a mainline denominational church who prides itself in being fundamental and conservative.

A member of the congregation questioned the head minister about this decision, hoping it was a mistake by some bean-counting member. With great pride the woman's pastor said he thought "it was an innovative idea; "this will make it simpler for business people to make their donations."
At first, I sensed my ears getting hot and the smoke erupting from them. Then it made me sick to my stomach over the willful-ignorance of some of my Christian brothers concerning finances. Have the leadership of fundamental, evangelical churches sunk so low they have to resort to the world techniques at getting donations?

The lust and competition for the Believer's bucks is nothing new. It is as old as the days when the Body of Christ mutated from fellowships to fiefdoms, needing budgets to pay for presbyteries, personnel, and projects. The mission to "feed the widows and orphans" and "go into the whole world" with the Good News became limited to a handful of professional Christians who made their living by ministry. Organizations need staff, schedules, and salaries.

Please understand I am not opposed to the thousands of my friends and acquaintances who are professionally attempting to reach the world with the message of a new relationship with Jesus Christ. These Christ-followers often sacrifice large salaries, security, and social notoriety to fulfill Christ's Great Commission. But what really irritates my sensibilities are the organizations who fleece the flock to feed the budget-beast they have created. They resist attempts at accountability; "How dare anyone question our results in ministry or why 80+ percent of our budget is consumed by utilities, salaries, and programs." The widows, orphans, and poor are sent to secular social programs and forgotten about until Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Then there is the competition for the Christ-follower's recreational dollar. In my lifetime I 've seen the emergence of a billion dollar industry of music, books, videos, and Christian TV. I am an avid reader and love faith-based music and entertainment. But the industry spends million dollars in advertising aimed at siphoning off the Believer's tithe intended to reach the lost. I am equally annoyed and irritated when Christian organizations "make it easy to buy/donate/spend now and pay for it later." One credit card company had the audacity to state in their propaganda: "God Wants You To Have Our Credit Card." Another national Christian Book store sent credit card applications to their mailing list, with the logo of their company on the face of the cards. (Part of me was tempted to allow my 12-year old to get the card, max it out, and then refuse to pay it because they had sent it to a minor.)

I am proud of my participation in the No Credit Card Revolution. (http://www.daveramsey.com/media/pdf/fpu_creditrebellion.pdf) As one well-known Christian financial consultant says, "Debt is Dumb, Cash is King, and the Paid-off Home Mortgage has Replaced the BMW as the Status Symbol of Choice." (http://www.daveramsey.com/) Gone are the days when I (like the majority of Americans) spend 120% of my anticipated monthly income. I can now return 10% of what my Father has blessed me with (my tithe) by not paying the 20% interest payments to MasterCharge, American Excess, and Crap-ital One. (Nope, they ain't getting back in my wallet!)

In all of the Bible's instructions there isn't one single passage that says compulsive buying and debt is good. God's Word always cautions that debt enslaves; it limits a person's choices and ability to bless others with our overflow.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth once walked through the commercialized religious industry that had emerged around the Temple with the approving supervision of the religious leaders. The attachments and evolving rituals had turn very profitable for the priesthood, scribes, and merchants. The religious seekers' attention was drawn from the beauty and faithfulness of God to the stuff man had designated as a requirement of worship. As He overturned the money-changers tables and set the sacrificial animals free, Jesus was succinct; "My Father's house was intended as a place of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves." That comment was not only directed at the merchants--it was targeted to the religious leaders who profited from the commercialism.

Has the organized Body of Christ sunk so low it cannot financially survive without the World's modus-operandi?

And what would Jesus do if He walk among today's churches, ministries, faith-based entertainment, and businesses? It's none of their business "What in your wallet?" It's what's in you heart that's "priceless." God will meet the needs of His Work without guilt, greed and goading.