I have great respect for St.Paul who strides through the New Testament like a colossus; he has contributed prolifically to its composition and is rightfully entitled to all-around appreciation. Learning his theology from none other than a person of the intellectual stature of Dr. Gamaliel, here was an apostle who started late but laboured “more abundantly” (1 Cor. 15:10) than the others. For all that, I am afraid his diplomatic skills are woefully inadequate. Here he is addressing the Galatian church, and look at the language he is employing:
O ye foolish Galatians! (Gal.3:1)
I am afraid our man has missed a trick! Use of such deprecatory words is not very wise, especially if you are hoping to pass the hat around later. There is plenty he can learn from Indian preachers.
Had he followed their pattern, Paul should have used some sticky, syrupy, highly viscous wordings like: “my precious, precious Galatians”!
To be sure the motives in the two cases are vastly different. While the Apostle Paul was concerned about the confusion between the Spirit and Flesh, Grace and Law and such other sublime subjects, many of our Indian brethren are solely or mainly occupied with material blessings: if you listen closely to their words you will hear promises like ” ask whatever you want in Jesus’s name, He will give it to you…….wealth, riches……you will jump for joy”. They picture God as some kind of all-season cosmic Santa Claus dishing out goodies left and right……..well, not to everybody, but to those who put in the seed (read, money!)
Prosperity Gospel to the core
It is difficult to say if the proponents of such teaching are merely meeting the demand in the marketplace for material advancement or if they have come up with some bright new business idea benefiting themselves. The chicanery they employ at times playing around with the word “blessing” is redolent of the medieval practice of selling pardon or promising purgatory in return for a consideration.
The result is a gradual transfer of wealth from an ever-suffering gullible populace to a clever evangelist who has no qualms about his/her methodology. You need a measure of scriptural knowledge to detect this subtle self-fulfilling prophecy.
Listen to what the Master says:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them”(Matthew 7: 15-20)
And what is their fruit? We have to be careful here. Sure, “The labourer is worthy of his wages.”(1 Tim. 5:18) but what are they labouring for? The expansion of the kingdom of God or for feathering their own nests. Like Paul, are they pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? ( Phil. 3:14) or do they fit the derogatory description “whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things“?(Phil.3:19)
Tough questions, but they need to be asked. The Bible does ask us to examine everything (1 Thess. 5:21).
I rather think such people do not give much credence to Jesus’s exhortation: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). These days – as you read in the papers from time to time – the sleuths from the Income-Tax department sometimes overtake the thieves!
But since the preachers are operating in the marketplace, it is not fair to single them out for harsh treatment. The people are equally to blame. The Apostle Paul recognizes this. For he says: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Jesus himself used such language. In the “woe unto you” 23rd chapter of Matthew he addresses the scribes and Pharisees thus:
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Church – yes, a “den of thieves” (any contrary opinion?).
I know it sounds a bit harsh and wholesale, but no harm if it rankles and results in a bit of soul searching.
In the department of pronouncing damnation, none can equal Jude. He reserves some choice phrases for those who do not accept the truth and engage in blasphemous behaviour:
“clouds they are without water carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.“(Jude 12-13)
Then there is another kind of false doctrine that claims immortality.
A couple of years ago a post landed on my WhatsApp with the cautionary word ALERT emblazoned on its frontispiece. Curious, I opened it to find a flyer announcing a most unusual conference, the one you see above. It went on with messages negating the truth of physical death and proclaiming the possibility of immortality. What’s more, it carried Bible verses in support of this view. Wow!
Among the video clips packed into the virtual flyer was one that made my jaw drop! One pastor was encouraging his audience to say that “I am God”; that is each one of the members of the audience on the screen numbering about a hundred or so! It seemed his point was God is perfect and immortal (no quarrel there). (Now comes the whammy!) So, as God’s children, we too are entitled to these privileges. As the audience began to roll its collective eyes in wonder and disbelief, our man went on to coat the concept with credible humour such as: “Does God ever catch a cold and report sick?” To a man, the audience shakes its head with a titter: “No”. The argument was that likewise we should not be ill ever, or die.
Now, the critic in me wakes up. If the audience was god, then the person tutoring them must be at least one level above – a super god. But this cannot be! By character, god is all-powerful and omnipotent. Then how can you have about a hundred gods all vying with each other for supremacy – plus a superintendent type of god. The field gets a bit crowded, what?
Then again what qualifies these characters to be god to me (admittedly a non-god), a frail and fallible human. Did any one of them have a part in creating me, did they go to Calvary, get crucified, shed their blood and die vicariously taking on themselves the due punishment for my sin? Hey, wait a moment! These guys don’t die – remember? This means no resurrection, no ascension, no sitting on the right hand of God the Father, no right to take the scroll from Him and break the seals, for the simple reason that they were not slain in the first place! (Rev. 5:9). Oh, it is all so very convoluted and humongously confusing. Maybe they are not gods after all!
“Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart”.
Awesome as ever. Try to collect and publish. Remarkably witty, full of relevant Scripture, and plenty of wisdom and that razor sharp intellect. There is real value here. Strongly encourage you to publish a collected anthology of all your articles. I’ll help you with monetizing this blog next time I come to Chennai.
Thanks man
Amazing revelation of the true nature of today’s church with all its hypocracy,with very apt Scripture to support your statements,which the prosperity preachers must read and repent if they want their souls safe in the arms of Jesus .Juda it was very good comfort for the burdens I have concerning today’s church
Excellent article. Interpreting the Bible to suit us. Also the point how gullible people are in following the so called spiritual leaders and not what is taught by Jesus as is clearly recorded in the Bible. Finally, in those days there was no sugar coating in the preaching. Sin is a Sin but God in His grace does forgive and forget.
All these were brought out nicely with the relevant Bible Verses.
Thanks Viji
Thank you akka