Let’s Sin To Succeed!
Someone recently was telling me about the incredible testament to human achievement with the Great Wall of China… largely built, I’ve been told, through slaves and prisoner labor. Which got me thinking about another great human achievement, the Kolyma Highway in Eastern Russia, nicknamed “The Road of Bones” because the bones of those who built it… inmates of the gulags… were actually incorporated into the building materials which make up the road. Which got me thinking about another great human achievement, the Pyramids of Egypt, which, although arguable, were built from slave labour. Which got me thinking about so many other things that we enjoy today that have been produced directly from imposed cruelty and human suffering.
Which got me thinking about so much of the church today. I’ve heard all the justifications and made them myself. But nothing excuses the incredible human cost for some of the things we enjoy. Like ministries which verifiably rely on the outrageous support of the elderly and the poor for their success oriented lifestyle, personally and corporately. Sure, bigger better and richer reaches more people saves more people touches more people hires more people attracts more people etc etc etc… but it neglects the pain inflicted upon others along the way to get there. And I think it is inexcusable. I’ve been a part of ministries that glory in their success which has been directly built upon the foundation of the abuse of human beings. I’ve done it and I’ve been done to! Paul implied that we will continue to use the justification that we should sin so that good will result (Let’s sin more that grace will much more abound!), but that doesn’t excuse our sin. In no way. Yet we do it all the time. Yes, even small churches, house churches and poorer Christian leaders. We all are willing to impose pain and suffering on others for the desired good results. We do it all the time. The beginning of transformation is to first of all admit this horrific tendency in ourselves and in our organized religious institutions!
This awesome tattoo was created and applied by my friend Zara Leaf.
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That is a great post. You draw a great analogy from a large scale cruelty to accomplish something great to pastors or churches doing it on any scale to accomplish their goals.
I suppose the chief difference, and I think a significant one, is that the Wall, the Road and the Tombs were all done by unwilling participants and even dumb sheep will run away from a master who does them harm. The anthropologist in me wonders what gets people to drink the purple kool-aid and send in their welfare cheque to Joel? I just don’t get it.
Sorry David, I’ve tagged you.
just seeing Joel’s mega-watt cheesy smile makes me want to gag on my kool-aid…er, afternoon latte.
Yes, I can identify both ways. I feel sick.
“We all are willing to impose pain and suffering on others for the desired good results”
As someone this is not a pastor I do not struggle with this idea so much - but I do agree that slavery was used in many societies to build wealth/structure - heck even the states got in on the action. Do you think root cause of the problem could be in the Capitalist manifesto/mind-set? I have come to see humans are of value and not ‘things’ - it when we use humans to get those ‘things’ we are betraying humanity and Jesus’ teachings.
I kind of get the point - but how do you mean the church has abused it’s own to get ‘rich’?
clare and i are surrounded by house church fallout. in the wake of the church’s move towards bigger and better lies a bloody broken mess of hurt people. we meet a lot of twenty somethings who’ve simply had enough. one i know has become an atheist, he doesn’t seem any happier for it, but then he doesn’t seem any worse for it either.
our lodger has had her faith publicly questioned simply because she’s not prepared to be anything other than honest… that’s just weird. it’s one story after another after another. but, amazingly, most people i know are able to distinguish between the church and their faith and are finding all sorts of ways to express their beliefs and worship their lord.
it’s like that bloke says in jurassic park… ‘life will find a way’.
“Paul implied that we will continue to use the justification that we should sin so that good will result (Let’s sin more that grace will much more abound!), but that doesn’t excuse our sin.”
I’ve never thought of it in that way before. Very good. The end does not justify the means. The means justify the end.
so very well said. thank you David
It sounds like you have some great point here. I would just like some specific examples of the kind of thing your talking about. Are you talking about “rich” ministries accepting donations from poor families? What are some other examples?
One example that comes to mind is megachurches that are driven to growth by offering a million ministries to the communities which they are attempting to reach.
In and of itself, missional outreach, may be a great thing.
But often these churches put these ministries in place without analyzing the current infrastructure of the church. Are there enough people wanting to minister in order to meet the needs of those who may respond? Are there people who are really passionate about the ministry under consideration?
If not, the end result may be burnout, family stress, emotional meltdowns, and broken families for the church lay people. Not to mention frustration and a feeling of not getting what was promised on behalf of those being “reached.” Church leaders who do not encourage balance in the lives of their followers and who refuse to build balance into their systems are abusive!
Because this kind of abuse is rampant (at least in many churches in the States), these church leaders are never held accountable. It is assumed that this is how it has to be, so damaged people just hop from one abusive situation to another not knowing what else to do.
I applaud those individuals and church organizations who are attempting to act (not just think) outside the box of traditional churchianity.
BrianM - you lost me on the purple kool-aid and the Joel bit - did I miss an interview or something in the news??? Sorry.