Meanwhile, At Oral Roberts

There are huge problems with the so-called prosperity message in the Christian church. The teaching is essentially unbalanced and can lead to a self-serving greed among those who follow its precepts. In addition, leadership within the prosperity movement are prone to financial problems themselves. The idea behind prosperity teaching is that God will bless the faithful with wealth. That means that a lack of money must mean that someone is not being faithful.

This teaching has been the undoing of many ministers (see my last entry). There is one institution, however, that seems to be making great strides toward fixing its problems.

Oral Roberts University has been through the ringer. About a year ago there were multiple accusations floating around the Tulsa, Oklahoma campus. Terminated professors accused the president, Founder Oral Roberts' son, Richard, of stealing from the school. They further claimed they were fired for making the accusations. Roberts denied any wrongdoing, but was unable to explain away many extravagant personal expenditures. He was eventually released from the school.

Mart Green has become a savior for the struggling school. Green's family owns the Mardel chain of Christian stores and Hobby Lobby stores. The family has agreed to provide funds for ORU to get out of debt and right it's ship, in exchange for control of the Board of Directors. The process came at just the right time. May Green, who will be serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees, be successful in fixing the problems in what once was, and should be again, a great institution of higher learning for Christians.

ORU has now made another excellent step toward recovery. Recently the university named Mark Rutland as its new president. He will be filling the office once held by Richard Roberts.

Rutland is a perfect candidate for this position. He began his ministry as a United Methodist pastor and evangelist. Later he served as pastor of Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, Georgia. He served several years as pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Orlando, Florida. During his tenure as pastor the church's debt was reduced significantly and attendance increased dramatically. Most recently, Rutland has served as president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Nothing but good has come about during his time there.

There is a long way to go in the healing of ORU, but Mark Rutland is a good step to take in that process. Rutland could, and should, serve as an example for other prominent religious leaders. Integrity of heart and life is what is needed.

Prosperity's Preposterous Propensity

It is happening again. Again is probably too optimistic a term. As long as people, including ministers, are prone to selfishness and sinful behavior there will be failings. However, it seems that there have been a rash of them in recent weeks (months, years).

In this entry I am not going to deal with

• Oral Roberts or his visions
• Jim Bakker and his crimes or moral failures
• Jimmy Swaggart and his special friends
• Ted Haggard and his unusual addictions
• W.V. Grant and his healing gifts
• Robert Tilton and his concern for supporters' prayer requests
• Richard Roberts and his financial problems
• Creflo Dollar and his gifts to policemen.

Those are all too easy. They can be dismissed because the issues involved lack of judgment and stupidity. But I do want to deal with three televangelists and their problems. These three are all smart people who should know better than what they have done. They are not thinking. Or maybe they think they are above and beyond scrutiny.

• Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. It was recently disclosed that their ministry owns a $3.6 million jet, a $6 million dollar home that the Copelands live in on a 1500 acre property. This is true while the Copelands continue to stall and resist a Congressional investigation into their finances.
• Thomas Weeks III. Reverend Weeks recently gained notoriety for his flamboyant wedding to popular preacher Juanita Bynum. There were extravagant gifts, rings and parties. Then there was an inevitable break-up including Weeks beating his wife in a parking lot. This sounds just like something you would read in your celebrity gossip magazine. Finally, Weeks was led from his church in handcuffs after falling half a million dollars behind in rent.
• Randy and Paul White. The Whites have been mentioned in this blog before. (http://revdeweysworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/consistent-christianity.html, http://revdeweysworld.blogspot.com/2007/09/love-and-marriage.html) Now they are in financial trouble. Their $12 million loan on their church property in Florida has been foreclosed. 

One of the saddest parts of this situation is that all of these are proponents of what I believe to be an heretical teaching. The belief is that God wants all his followers to be wealthy. Followers are taught that if they give to the ministry then they will be blessed with prosperity in return. 

I would suggest that everyone be a little more critical before giving to any ministry or church. Make sure you know where the money is going and what it will be used for. Pay close attention to those who are receiving the money. Do their lifestyles match their teachings? Do they live out the principles of Jesus in their lives?

Pay attention to what is going on and pray for those in authority.

The Anti-Crisis

Many people of all works of life go from one crisis to another. We put out this fire only to learn that another has ignited over there. We do not have time to be concerned about what is important, but only about what is urgent. There is only enough energy to deal with this crisis, right now.

But as our lives grow ever more complicated, we find that we merely move from one crisis to another. There is never a break. There are problems all around us and they all seem to need our attention. At the very least, we feel as though an informed person should have an opinion on each global and national crisis. And those crises are in addition to the mundane personal ones that no one else knows or cares about. At times we are tempted to believe that life was better for our grandparents, or for the Amish. Simpler lives definitely seem better.

There are two things to say about that. First of all, simpler probably is better and healthier for everyone involved. There is less stress and competition when we are not consumed with the latest technology, communication or fad. When we learn to be content with less, we will be even more content all the time.

Secondly, although it seems trite, there is a solution to our problems. Jesus is the Anti-Crisis. He promised in the Bible to provide comfort, encouragement and strength to his followers. He also promised never to leave those who follow him. We never need to face any problem without his power and stability.

I do not want you to get the idea that Jesus will make your problems go away. There was never an indication by Jesus that his followers would be exempt from troubles. In fact, just the opposite seems to be true. He promised that people would hate, ridicule and persecute us because of our faith in him. Jesus did not promise wealth, health, prosperity or safety for those who followed him. He said that there would always be poor people among us. And although he definitely was concerned with healing the sick, there is no reason to believe that we will never be ill.

I believe that I will still have problems, even though I know Jesus. However, I know that I have a friend who will go through every problem with me. I do not have to be too discouraged. I will not be lonely. When my crises come, I know the Anti-Crisis.

The Prosperity Gospel

I have not been everywhere. I have not seen everything. But I have been in some homes with dirt floors, no water or plumbing and no electricity in Africa. I have befriended service workers in the Caribbean who work 60-80 weeks for $100 a month. I have been in homes in Appalachia that you cannot drive to. People live in places where services that I take for granted are not even considered. I have met disciples of Jesus in all of these situations. People with such faith that I feel like a 'doubting Thomas' live in conditions that I would not leave my dog in. These people are poor and they love Jesus.

There are people in my church who live from paycheck to paycheck. They make decisions to pay the rent or to buy their medicine. They do not eat out or go to movies. When they make contributions to the church, or other ministries, it is truly a sacrifice for them. They love Jesus and they struggle to get by.

There are people in many parts of the world who are not only destitute, but they are in danger for their faith. These faithful brothers and sisters in Christ are often arrested, tortured and executed for their faith in Christ. These martyrs love Jesus and prosperity is not even an issue for them.

I have not met the most destitute people in America, in the Caribbean, or in Africa. But I have seen some preachers on television that make me made as anything. I am fed up with preachers who try to justify their extravagant lives and lifestyles by playing on the needs and concerns of innocent, maybe naive, Christians. The idea that God wants me to be rich is at least preposterous and possibly heretical. If God's will was for all Christians to be wealthy there would not be faithful, committed servants of his living in shacks with dirt floors. Surely God would bless the most faithful and the most hurting first.

These preachers, I will not name them because you know who they are (if you do not turn on your Christian television station), corrupt the word and the work of God. They will make more money if they can convince their viewers that God will bless everyone if we just send in some money and have enough faith. So a supposed evangelist is stealing money under false pretenses and challenging the faith of anyone who does not go along with this scheme.

This is a travesty that we have allowed for too long. So do this:

1. Do not watch or support ministers who proclaim a 'prosperity' message. Please continue to participate in every way in the ministries of those who are truly ministering to the spiritual (and physical) needs of viewers.
2. Ask your local television and radio outlets to not support these 'ministries'. Write letters and emails, make calls to request change.
3. Pray for hurting and persecuted Christians all over the world. Find ways to share your resources, time and prayers with those who are in need.
4. Learn to be content with your own possessions and income. God has blessed you. He will continue to take care of you.