Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Dropout (05/12/11)
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TITLE: Justice, Fairness: Observations Of An Estranged Christian Dropout | Previous Challenge Entry
By K Godfrey Easter
05/19/11 -
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No religion representing His true Body can simultaneously be just and unjust; fair and unfair. Christ’s church is either hot or cold. The biased, leaven-puffed preaching of a lukewarm church makes the Savior (1) gag. It may soothe itching ears, but it deceives the entire church. Apostle Paul expounded on Christ’s proneness to celestial nausea while writing the Christians at Galatia. He wrote,
“(2) A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].”
Nowhere in the Gospels did Christ, upon whom The Message eternally rests, ever directly preach against homosexuality. But He did reiterate God’s vehement contempt for divorce to adulterous shepherds, like many who smile into television cameras today with practiced sincerity. Stridently, He rebuked them instructing,
“(3) Whoever dismisses (repudiates and divorces) his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.”
Christ vigorously defended God’s ageless edict – marriage, once – and for life.
Sober believers can hardly be inspired by Christian television nowadays. (4) Dr. Charles Stanley divorced from his wife, Anna. Television evangelist, (5) Benny Hinn, divorced from his wife, Suzanne. (6) Dr. John Hagee, of San Antonio, Texas, divorced his first wife, married Diana. Christian television pastor, (7) Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr., divorced. Prophetess (8) Juanita Bynum divorced Bishop Thomas Weeks III, who remarried. Flashy young preacher, (9) Dr. Jamal Bryant, divorced. Pastor (10) Paula White has divorced twice. Bishop Clarence McClendon, who divorced from wife, Tammera, remarried. The latest national statistics indicate that divorce rates between Christians and other marriages differ by only one percent. From the cream of Christian television’s crop down, the roster of divorced, yet prominent shepherds goes on and on, as if the words of both the Father and our King returned unto both void.
Elohim, since the Beginning, has been graphically intrinsic with the church concerning divorce. Malachi prophesied,
“(11) ’I hate divorce,’ says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, ‘I hate the violent dismembering of the 'one flesh' of marriage.’”
Then, like mercilessly salting opened gashes, Christian shepherds today ceremonially remarry divorced believers to others. Even worse, they welcome gifted, yet remarried preachers into their pulpits, saying, “grace covers the divorced,” as adulterers live in sin against God and their first spouse with their new one, says Christ. By that same logic, shouldn’t Christianity then also extend the same level of grace and pulpit courtesy to the believing gay preacher, who continues in homosexuality? Either or neither constitutes God’s brand of fairness. Injustice allows one while discriminating against, bullying and abusing the other.
Granted, homosexuality is a sin. But, the unapologetically inequitable manner in which collective Christian leadership has publicly and privately handled the obviously monumental challenges of homosexuality and divorce, per the Gospel, is a greater sin against God than even same-sex activity. As Christ taught, God hates sin, but hates the pride-latent deeds of gifted leaders most. In His fatal attempt at outreaching to the sightless church into which He was born, Christ declared:
“(12) You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it.”
Christ was only parroting God who, through the Prophet, Amos, vehemently declared:
(13) I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fundraising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”
Selah.
Numerous instances of unfairness and injustice within Christendom are the reasons I wholeheartedly embrace being an estranged Christian dropout today. A thousand thanks for pointing me toward Christ, but you can keep organized Christianity today.
Footnotes:
1 Revelation 3:16 (MSG)
2 Galatians 5:9 (AMP)
3 Mark 10: 11-12 (AMP)
4 Worldmag.com – Stanley should resign
5 Youtube.com – Pastor Benny Hinn talks about his divorce
6Worldwithoutend.info - Pastor John Hagee – Cornerstone Church Ministry, Heresy, Divorce & Dirty Deeds
7 Blackchristiannews.com - Mega-Church Pastors Zachery and Riva Tims' Divorce is Finalized after Zachery Admits to a Year-Long Adulterous Affair with a Stripper - 8/20/2009
8 Zimbeo.com – Juanita Bynum Divorce Is Final
9 Hallelujahentertainment.com – Questions, Concerns Over Pastor’s Divorce
10 Religionnews.com - For pastors, divorce’s stain fades
11 Malachi 2:16 (MSG)
12 Matthew 23:23 (MSG)
13 Amos 5:21 (MSG)
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