Rich Preachers
The folks over in the Outhouse got to discussing rich preachers. Not surprisingly considering most of the guys there are preachers, most felt like preachers should make all they can and viewed Mercedes and million-dollar houses as "God's blessing."
I must admit this surprised me ... but not really. The fact the many fundamentalist evangelicals favor rich, celebrity preachers flummoxes me. But I think I may have an answer.
It is my simple opinion that much of evangelical life - culture, etiquette, practice, institutions, organization, etc. - has more to do with American culture than the Gospel. Fundamentalist evangelicals love American civil religion - and folk religion. I think therein lies the answer.
Fundamentalist evangelicals are so enamored with Americana that they tend to support all things baseball and apple pie - even consumption and materialism. Why shouldn't preachers get rich from the Gospel - that is the American way.
posted by Evangelical Orthodoxy @ 3:08 PM
2 Comments:
sad, very sad, but I think you're right. I still think Wesley had it right in his view on finanical ethics:
1. Make as much money as you can.
2. Save as much money as you can.
3. Give away as much money as you can.
Of course, one could debate the first one. Should ministers really be drawing huge salaries in the first place?
Regardless of that point, you don't see the third part happening very much. There seems to be very little of the spirit of sacrifice. Funny, I thought sacrifice was at the heart of Christianity. My mistake, huh?
I think that is what is so interesting about that sermon link I posted. That guy basically calls into question the whole civil religion, be-like-the-world attitude that permeates fundamentalist Christians. For him there is not dress like the world, live like the world, spend like the world but get emo-Jesus a few days a week. It is living radically different.
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