Evangelical Orthodoxy

Politics, News, Faith, Fun

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Big Money

David Montoya obtained a copy of the 2007 BGCT budget. I requested and he sent me a copy. Needless to say, being a high-level BGCT staffer provides big bucks. I do not begrudge many of these men making tons of money - it is a large, complex organization with lots of assets. However, one must wonder what it says about our mission when our leaders make such American-business-style salaries. There is this great myth out there that ministry does not pay well. While salaries are pretty diverse, there are lots of guys in ministry - particularly pastors - making a mint.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Valleygate

It has been a tough year for the BGCT. Valleygate pretty much blew up in its face during its annual meeting this month in Dallas. For those two blog readers who may be unfamiliar with Valleygate, check out David Montoya's blog. I do not know Rev. Montoya, but he gets a lot of cred from me. He once was a shining young star among fundamentalists. Once, he saw their anti-Christian and unethical behavior, he basically ratted them out and became a pariah. He seems like a man whose eye is on the prize; unlike apparently some BGCT leaders.

Valleygate essentially involves $1.3 million laundered from church-planting funds by a couple of guys starting Mexican churches in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. This did not come as a big surprise to me. A dear friend of mine - who is Mexican - relayed to me years ago about how it is not uncommon for Mexican pastors in the U.S. to rake in tons of dough overseeing "churches." Like in the Valley, many of these churches are made up of extended family members and really would not pass muster as a fundable church - but anyone who has been to a church meeting in the last three years knows that you can get just about anything if you put "Hispanic Initiative" in front of it. One meeting even caused one very liberal pastor to exclaim, "enough about the Hispanics already."

But that is not really the issue. I guess it is part of it. The BGCT clearly turned its head and put it in the sand regarding this matter all in the name of cultural sensitivity or political correctness. The FBI told the BGCT in 2000 there were problems in the Valley, but the BGCT ignored it. Now, the BGCT is doing what all institutions do - running, blaming and CYAing. Montoya and others' claims for accountability have fallen on deaf ears.

As hard as it may be, Charles Wade must fall on his sword for being on watch while $1.3 million of church gifts were stolen for nice houses, Range Rovers and Jaguars. Wade probably is innocent of any fraud - but you know what they say about ships and captains. Clearly, like it probably has for 100 years, the good-ole-boy network is out protecting its own. I think the sad part is that it shows there really may not be that much difference between the SBC and the BGCT - just the labels. On the inside, a people who may be doing what they think is right but life has turned the gospel into an institution.

In Dallas, the BGCT had a special opportunity. An opportunity to be countercultural. It failed.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

A Response to ChrisE

Okay my friend. You were right to call me on the carpet. So today, positive reviews about church. We visited St. Phillips Episcopal again. What a refreshing change. The sanctuary - yes sanctuary - if warmly filled with natural light due to windows around the top - where a second story would be. With the symbols and language, I felt like I actually was at church worshiping God and not just at a Jesus concert. There really is something to be said about participating in rituals that date back to the time of Christ. While Christ may have made Andrew play drums in a cage, I kind of doubt it. I can see it now, Jesus on vocals, Peter playing lead guitar, John on Bass, James on rhythm guitar ... The Messiahs. Okay, enough.

There is something about this conservative, Episcopal worship that is fulfilling. I like the fact that communion is weekly - as Christ commanded - and that we drink from a common cup. I like the mix of ancient hymns - was sang one of St. Francis of Assisi's famous ones - and new songs - from Word or Maranatha. I like the liturgy and communal aspect of worship. I like the fact that there is more focus on the gospel than the persoality of the preacher.

I still am too conservative to actually become an Episcopal, but I enjoy the worship.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Bible as a Prop

It is time for another round of church visitation reviews. This morning, the family and I visited First Baptist Church in Frisco. This church was remarkably like the church we visited a few weeks ago, Fellowship Frisco. But more on that later ...

On thing that struck me about the pastor at FBC Frisco was how he used the Bible as a prop. He carried it around and even thumbed through it all during the sermon, but he never read from it. He would pick in up, wander from side to side, put it down, and repeat the process. What was interesting is that he would read the Scripture passages off a tele-prompter on the back wall of the "worship center"(I always get nervous in churches that have "worship centers") while holding his Bible in his hand. There was a moment of a little humor when he was looking longingly to the back wall and the powerpoint guy was a little late.

Look, the printed book is not inherently holy. The words are inspired. I have not problem with the pastor reading Scripture passages off the PowerPoint (I also get nervous in churches with PowerPoints); but why bring the Bible to the stage? To me it cheapened it and reduced it to a prop. He did not read from his Bible but wanted everyone to know he was a Bible-believing preacher. Too bad little of the sermon actually came from it.

FBC Frisco was one of the stranger churches architecturally I had been in. It was a wide rectangle. From the front of the stage to the back door was probably 15 rows of seats, but the church was probably five times its depth in width. Other than that, it was exactly like Fellowship Frisco. Kind of reminds you of all those little Baptist churches in the country that have similar architecture, signs and Sunday School rooms.

These churches have worship centers that are auditoriums. They're built specifically for concerts. The walls have no windows but acoustic panels. The stages have room for a full band, and both churches had a drummer in a box. That slayed me ... the drummer was in a little transparent cage at the back of the stage. I wish there had been a "please do not feed the drummer" sign. Each church had its requisite candles from the Willow Creek catalog and - I kid you not - the exact same dominating A/V production area with about 5-10 "ministers of media" running cameras, power points, video, etc. Believe it or not, both churches had the exact same red-lettered digital clock to let the performers know how long they had. FBC Frisco has cameras, and it showed either the pastor preacher or crowd shots on three screens above the stage. What was funny is the church is not very big - maybe seats 500. Each church had the same chairs, the same flat-screen TVs broadcasting the show in the lobby of the "worship center." And, these two and the church of the plagiarizing preacher all had the same Community Coffee center (I love Community Coffee).

I am interested in how architecture defines our worship. These churches are built not really for worship or prayer or contemplation or repentance or awe but for entertainment. The question that went through my mind more than once - where do people get married these days? I could not imagine getting married in one of these dark, souless auditoriums.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Bad Day for the Religious Right

In the span of one week, the Religious Right lost not only one of its (apparently) key leaders but also lost its power base. Yesterday, Democrats slaughtered the GOP and took control of Congress.

In many ways, both of these events are related and related to Lord Acton: absolute power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Both Haggard and the GOP were seduced by the power of power. While swept into power twelve years ago and reformers pledged to cleanse the Congress of corruption and bloat ... now it has become the party of corruption and bloat. And it was justly punished.

While I do not talk politics too often here, it fascinates me. On the grand scale, I tend to be more conservative than liberal - I believe in personal responsibility, limited government control, and local control. However, the GOP lost its focus on limited government. Additionally, the party of "family values" and conservative politics seems to have abandoned both with Jack Abramoff and briges to nowhere.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Last Note on Haggard

I have beaten the Ted Haggard story to death, so this is the last think I'll say about it. I think this and other stories of minister indiscretions points to a greater problem that affect our churches and our church leadership. Take this quotation from an AP article that appeared in today's paper from Mr. Haggard's wife. In a letter to the church, she said that "church members no longer had to worry about her marriage being so perfect she couldn't relate to them." Understandibly, this quote that is both full of arrogance and denial prompted laughter from the congregation. It evoked pity from me.

But Gayle Haggard underscores a point plaguing churches: pressure to be perfect. How many ministerial families go through life pretending to be perfect? How many church members pretend at church to be perfect? How much anger, dysfunction and even violence bubbles just beneath the surface of ministers, their families and church members in general.

Wouldn't it have been wonderful if Mr. Haggard could have gone to some of his pastor buddies - James Dobson for example - and confessed and sought help? But what would have happened? I suspect he may have found not support but castigation. It seems there is this Christian act that so many Christian leaders perform that it becomes too much to bear and ministers either fall or burnout. I do not advocate miniters wear their sins on their sleeves, but they ought to be able to discuss their sins and help one another.

I do not know about you, but I never feel more fake or phony than in a group of pastors. Not only is there a constant competition and one-upmanship about who has the biggest church and best pulpit, but there is this "I am holier than you" attitude. I think it would do us all well if ministers would allow their brokenness to be a little more available for healing.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

More Haggard Talk

I think this episope with Mr. Haggard reflects a growing trend among churches and fundamentalist Christian leaders to be more concerned with power and politics than with changing lives and spreading the gospel. It seems like the way of the pastoral power ladder has been according to who is the most politically saavy not who is the best shepherd. It seems much of what passes for evangelical life these days is sound and fury signifying nothing - lots of buzz words and pop talk but little theological depth. I guess it goes with our culture.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Ted "Bill Clinton" Haggard

It looks like Mr. Haggard is busted. Unfortunately, he turned in a Clinton-like effort and claims "I didn't inhale." While this very well may be true, most critical reasoning makes his case look pretty weak. Haggard claims to have bought meth and gotten a massage but never took the meth and never had sex. Sounds like a legalist making a legalist defense. I pity the man and feel terribly sorry for his church and his family; however, I would think his soul in better shape if he would just come to terms with his sin, acknowledge, seek repentance and forgiveness. The "I did not inhale" argument suits no one.

Ted Haggard

The sad story of Ted Haggard made national news this week. The president of the National Association of Evangelicals has been accussed of having sex with a man as well as having a drug problem. In another example of fundamental (pun intended) irony, a crusader against gay privileges and rights may be a homosexual. This case and others demonstrate how much easier it is to have an opinion or belief than to live it. I was speaking with a collegue yesteday - a good liberal - who was bemoaning how few white kids were in his child's school. While the facts about Mr. Haggard have not been compiled completely, I cannot help but wonder how his fate might have been different if he had focused more on being a pastor and less on being a politico.