Six megachurches face inquiries
- Thread starter spike
- Start date
ResearchMonkey
Well-Known Member
anywhere where theres hidden untraveled places with soft dirt (for privacy)
ResearchMonkey
Well-Known Member
Organized religion usually becomes a hussle.
maybe the congregation should be the ones to hold him/themselves accountable
maybe the congregation should be the ones to hold him/themselves accountable
ResearchMonkey
Well-Known Member
naw, its a meth lab now
Gato_Solo
Out-freaking-standing OTC member
Jesus himself tossed the 'moneychangers' out of the temples...IMO one of the main reasons he was crucified...What one should remember is that the church is supposed to be for the saving of souls and not for the lining of pockets. This is one of the things I, personally, stand for. Since this thread is becoming something I don't like to discuss, I will refrain from further discussion on this topic...
SouthernN'Proud
Southern Discomfort
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Jim Bakker. Jerry Fallwell. Now it's Joyce Meyer.
I don't support Joyce Meyer in the slightest. In fact, she turns my stomach. My wife truly admires her and finds her inspirational and uplifting. To each their own...I don't watch her, and she does if she chooses to.
When a ministry passes the point of reasonable expansion and crosses into the arena of business ventures, tax sheltering, what have you...IMO it loses its potential for real impact. Suddenly the message becomes more...palatable, watered down, user friendly, pansied, whatever adjective you cotton to. The speaker starts thinking bottom line instead of soul winning. Billy Graham falls into that catagory IMO, although he does still deliver some powerful messages. Still, I can't get past thinking about his motivation during his sermon, wondering if he might phrase something differently if he were speaking to 85 instead of 285,000.
Everyone has their own ideas about the perfect spiritual experience. Some choose to eschew it altogether. Some prefer a "megachurch". Some prefer small congregations where everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Some choose Manson or Koresh or Jones.
It's a personal preference, and as such none of us is qualified to dictate anything about the choice of someone else. I can say that a megachurch needn't worry about saving me a seat anytime soon. I have my reasons for that stance, and I won't justify them. Just as someone else has no responsibility to justify their preference to me. It does seem like the bigger the following gets, the more likely something fishy starts taking place behind the scenes.
In re: tax exempt status...I'm for allowing legitimate churches/religious organizations to maintain tax exempt status. Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and unto God that which belongs to God. Caesar already has his bite of that apple by way of income tax before I gave my offering to the church...that's enough.
I don't support Joyce Meyer in the slightest. In fact, she turns my stomach. My wife truly admires her and finds her inspirational and uplifting. To each their own...I don't watch her, and she does if she chooses to.
When a ministry passes the point of reasonable expansion and crosses into the arena of business ventures, tax sheltering, what have you...IMO it loses its potential for real impact. Suddenly the message becomes more...palatable, watered down, user friendly, pansied, whatever adjective you cotton to. The speaker starts thinking bottom line instead of soul winning. Billy Graham falls into that catagory IMO, although he does still deliver some powerful messages. Still, I can't get past thinking about his motivation during his sermon, wondering if he might phrase something differently if he were speaking to 85 instead of 285,000.
Everyone has their own ideas about the perfect spiritual experience. Some choose to eschew it altogether. Some prefer a "megachurch". Some prefer small congregations where everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Some choose Manson or Koresh or Jones.
It's a personal preference, and as such none of us is qualified to dictate anything about the choice of someone else. I can say that a megachurch needn't worry about saving me a seat anytime soon. I have my reasons for that stance, and I won't justify them. Just as someone else has no responsibility to justify their preference to me. It does seem like the bigger the following gets, the more likely something fishy starts taking place behind the scenes.
In re: tax exempt status...I'm for allowing legitimate churches/religious organizations to maintain tax exempt status. Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and unto God that which belongs to God. Caesar already has his bite of that apple by way of income tax before I gave my offering to the church...that's enough.