Essays for end times – No.3 : Cleanse the Augean Stables

Man has an innate urge to be clean. This is quite the opposite of pigs which have an innate desire to wallow in liquidous muck.

Now cleanliness has two dimensions – one relating to the body and the other, the soul. Many people believe that Mahakhumb is a good place where the two are married! There are others who doubt that; in their view the body comes out worse for the experience and it needs a lot of scrubbing with soap and hot water to remove the stains. More about that later. As for the soul, it seems like an easy way out  – sin today and Sangam tomorrow!

This raises a question about  those hordes of Ghar Wapasi gangs that wreck railway property recklessly just because the trains are running full and can’t take them in? Will they keep going back and forth endlessly between the Sangam and the station? That’s an interesting idea that the Bible touches upon as well in Hebrews 6:6, talking about continuous and deliberate sinning after salvation and atonement therefor.

And there is another thing. It is not clear why the authorities keep talking about ludicrously exaggerated numbers? If indeed 45 crores of Hindus go to the Khumb, that is pretty nearly one out of  two! The math is right but the fact check fails and therefore the intention suspect. Is it the idea to project India (falsely) as a holy nation?

Curiously, that is exactly what the God of the Bible has been seeking – a holy nation! (1 Pet.2:19) but certainly the idea that a dip in the Sangam can make a nation holy was anathema to Him. The Bible verse 1 John 1:7 states, “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” This of course is a reference to Christ’s crucifixion as the  vicarious sacrifice for the sin of mankind. So if we hold up the Bible as the gold standard, the dip in the Sangam is quite unnecessary and therefore not at all worth the trouble!

At least they (the Hindu majority in this country) seem to care about their soul, unlike a number of bishops in the Methodist Church of India. Sorry to take you by surprise with a sudden – and most unexpected – twist in the narrative, but this is a tale that needs to be told; both in the interest of transparency and to preclude any peculiarly pious, holier-than-thou posturing by Christians.

Don’t get me wrong. I have immense regard for the people who enter the (Christian) Ministry. Their dedication is admirable and the opportunity cost incalculable. Here is  something from the Old Testament of the Bible that gives us a sense of fire in their belly: Jeremiah says in his book chapter 20 and verse 9 that, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.” And there is an echo in Jeremiah 23:29 : “Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the Lord”. The New Testament does not lag behind. The writer to the Hebrews refers to his angels thus:“. . . Who makes His ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7). And we hear Paul declaring: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”1 Corinthians 9:16.

Let me give you a taste of a flaming sermon that exemplifies the above:

Admittedly that was previous generation.

In recent times, things in the Church have descended so so low that it is difficult to imagine a nadir that is lower . Rather than the church influencing the politics of the country, it is the other way around now. There is many a take-away for the political novice from the  chicanery and shenanigans that are par for the course – for example –   in the election to the office of Bishop. Yes, it is a costly business that looks for an early pay-back through whatever route!

Can you even imagine the standards Paul set for this post? Read 1 Timothy 3 1-7: 3 “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full^[a] respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

“Lover of money”… Ha, ha there it is!

Elsewhere the Bible states that the “love of money is the root of all evil“1 Timothy 6:10

And in Matthew 6:24, Jesus clearly suggests it’s possible to serve mammon instead of serving God, but He goes even further: Jesus states it is impossible to serve both at the same time. He says you will love one and hate the other. According to Jesus, there is no middle ground—no half-and-half. (from Google)

Google explains further that mammon stands for money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain.

Some of our ecclesiastical leaders  have been sucked into this vortex with their eyes wide open. They have quite forgotten Jesus’s teaching that it is better to gather up treasures in heaven. Matthew 5:19-21. Actually the latter part of the verse is more instructive: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

They are in a great hurry to feather their nests while the going is good, building houses for themselves, setting up questionable trust funds, collecting funds for their retirement benefits and so on. But they do not want to talk about retirement; or rather, they do not want to retire. Though there is a nominal superannuation age, they merrily go beyond like they are Popes for life, with salary and benefits.

Nor is this rot found only in the Methodist Church. It seems to be a pan-church phenom. Let me quote for example a news item that surfaced sometime ago.

Quote:

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recovered Rs 1.65 crore and $18,000 in cash from the premises of PC Singh, the Church of North India Jabalpur Diocese bishop.

By PTI

 

JABALPUR: The Madhya Pradesh Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Monday arrested P C Singh, bishop of the Church of North India’s Jabalpur Diocese, in a cheating case registered against him, a senior officer said.

His arrest was confirmed to PTI by EOW’s Superintendent of Police Devendra Singh Rajput in the evening.

Earlier in the day, Singh was detained from the Nagpur airport in Maharashtra for questioning, Rajput said.

Last Thursday, the EOW claimed to have recovered around Rs 1.60 crore in Indian and foreign currencies from bishop Singh’s residence in Jabalpur during searches following the registration of the cheating case against Singh, who was then in Germany.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Rs 2.70 crore collected as students’ fees by the society’s various institutions between 2004-05 and 2011-12 was allegedly transferred to religious institutions, misused, and spent by the bishop for personal needs, an EOW official earlier said.

Unquote

This should not surprise us. Apparently, the church was a happy hunting ground for the leaders even during the time of Jesus on earth. Matthew 21:12-13 speaks plainly about that time: