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 The nation is being savaged by the Great Recession, but many pastors are afraid to talk about its causes, some say. Preachers confront 'last taboo': Condemning greed amid Great RecessionBy John Blake, CNN (CNN) – Bishop Harry Jackson is a former college middle linebacker who can still hit hard. He once described same-sex marriage as a satanic plot to destroy the family, called on Republicans to get “political Viagra” and said African-Americans needed to abandon what he called the Gospel of Victimization. Jackson is not shy about stirring up controversy, but he stops short when it comes to preaching about greed. The Maryland bishop said he encourages his congregation to get through the Great Recession by saving and sharing. But he doesn’t want to alienate well-off members by talking about what’s behind the nation’s economic woes. "I've got to watch it," said Jackson, pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland. "I could get into some big teaching on greed, but the reality is that a lot of that teaching may wind up creating anti-economic-growth and anti-capitalism concepts (in people’s minds). ... I always talk about personal responsibility so we don't get into the blame game." The Great Recession is more than an economic crisis. It has become a spiritual dilemma for some of the nation’s pastors and their parishioners, religious leaders say. Three years after an implosion of the nation’s financial system helped push the country into its worst economic nosedive since the Great Depression, pastors are still trying to figure out how to address people’s fears from the pulpit. But first they have to deal with their own fears, some pastors and scholars say. Though millions of Americans are angry over the economy, little moral outrage seems to be coming from the nation’s pulpit, they say. Too many pastors opt for offering pulpit platitudes because they are afraid parishioners will stop giving money if they hear teachings against greed, said the Rev. Robin R. Meyers, senior minister of Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. “Money is the last taboo in church. It’s much easier to talk about sex than money,” said Meyers, who wrote about greed and the other seven deadly sins in his book, “The Virtue in the Vice.” The anxiety from the pews has become so palpable for some pastors, though, that they now feel like they have no choice. Andy Stanley, a prominent evangelical leader, said some in his congregation cheered when he launched a preaching series called “Recovery Road” to talk about politically touchy issues such as personal greed, the federal deficit and the sins of subprime loans.  The Rev. Andy Stanley says he took a risk preaching about greed to his suburban Atlanta congregation, but it has paid off. The senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, north of Atlanta, told his church members they should look in the mirror before they start blaming politicians for the nation’s economic woes. Any economic recovery “begins with me, not they,” Stanley said. It continues when pastors ask how such a wealthy country can stumble into such a financial mess, Stanley said. “Any time the entire country is talking about something, pastors should pause and talk about it,” Stanley said. “We know what Republicans and Democrats think, but what does the Bible and Jesus say?’’ Other ministers say an economic recovery also must involve pointing fingers. They say Jesus calls his followers to struggle against those people and policies that helped lead to the Great Recession. Charity – feeding the poor, steering people to job fairs – must be accompanied by justice, said Meyers. “It’s good to pull people out of the river when they’re drowning,” the Oklahoma pastor said, “but it’s also good to go upriver to see who’s throwing them in the river.” Should pastors speak truth to economic power? During the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister, inspired others to fight against the economic inequality of the time with the “Social Gospel.” During the Great Depression, Father John A. Ryan built such a national following condemning the excess of capitalism that he was invited to deliver prayers at a presidential inauguration. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spent the last three years of his life focusing on poverty. When he was assassinated in 1968, he was on the cusp of leading a nonviolent, interracial army of poor people into the nation’s capital to demand a fairer distribution of wealth. These ministers who took on the big economic issues of the day were inspired by the example of Jesus, who angered the powerful by condemning the economic exploitation of the poor, religious scholars say. His teachings are seen throughout the New Testament in parables such as “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” “Jesus took sides – he said he didn’t come to bring peace but a sword,” said Vincent Miller, a Catholic theologian and author of “Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in Consumer Culture.” Miller said pastors who are afraid of angering congregants by talking about touchy economic issues ignore the Gospel. “You can’t preach the Gospel without alienating people. That’s part of it. You’re not helping people if you’re not alienating them,” said Miller, the Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton in Ohio. The recession divides preachers, not just politicians That leaves pastors with the challenge of interpreting Jesus’ message for today’s economic woes. On that front, the pulpit is as divided as the nation’s politics. Consider the cause of the 2008 economic meltdown. Was it primarily the result of Wall Street greed? Jay W. Richards doesn’t think so. Richards is a senior fellow at the conservative think-tank the Discovery Institute and author of “Money, Greed and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem.” Greed was a factor in the 2008 financial crisis but not it’s primary cause, Richards said. There were other major factors, including the tendency of Americans to live above their means and policies that encouraged banks to dilute mortgage lending standards. In addition, he said, large financial institutions were encouraged to engage in risky behavior because they knew the federal government would bail them out. The causes of the 2008 crisis were so complicated that some of the smartest people in the world failed to anticipate it, Richards said. The first thing pastors should do during tough economic times is “pray for, comfort and encourage” parishioners, he said. “If a pastor suggests that the financial crisis happened because of a few greedy corporate titans and some Wall Street traders, that’s a sure sign that he doesn’t understand the crisis,” he said. Neither should Christians condemn the growing gap between rich and poor, Richards said. “Denouncing a presumed gap between rich and poor is, more often than not, a symptom of economic confusion, not prophetic wisdom,” he said. “It can also mask envy, and is usually invoked just before someone calls for the state to coercively confiscate the wealth of some and give to others.”  Bishop Harry Jackson says Americans can experience a miraculous economic recovery if they return to God. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, income disparity in the United States has increased 40% in the past 30 years. In 2010 the nation’s poverty rate rose to a 17-year high, with more than 46 million people – 15.1% of the population - living in poverty and 49.9 million living without health insurance. Despite these grim statistics, Richards said he believes people born in America today can still succeed if they work hard and get a good education. “The American Dream is still alive,” he said. “The fact that millions of people from around the world still want to come here is a sign of that. … If someone works hard in school and develops good financial habits, they’re more likely to do reasonably well financially than most people were for most of human history.” The Rev. Jim Wallis, a prominent evangelical who has worked with Democrats, has a different perspective. He said it’s clear that greed was a major factor in the economic collapse and that a wide gap between the haves and have-nots is social dynamite. “History shows that an increasing gap between the rich and the poor is a prime indicator of imminent collapse,” Wallis wrote in his recent book, “Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street.” Wallis said he hoped his book, written right after the 2008 meltdown, would spark a movement among the nation’s churches to re-examine the country’s economic values. But he said many of the nation’s pastors operate like politicians, afraid to alienate their wealthy donors. “We said the public is ready for this. The church is ready for this,” a weary Wallis said of his hopes for such a movement. “Boy was I wrong.” Where have all the prophets gone? Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of one of the nation’s largest churches, the 40,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. His 90-minute services are broadcast nationwide each Sunday, and he’s just come out with a book, “Every Day a Friday,” which encourages people to have a “prosperous, victorious year” and be “dream releasers” by helping others realize their goals. Osteen said some of his church members have been hit hard by the recession, but he prefers to preach about the cures, not the causes, for the nation’s economic ills. Part of his message: Live within your means, don’t give away your power, live without crutches and travel light. “We go through difficult times, and it’s easy to get trapped in the past thinking about what didn’t work out,” he said. “At some point, we gotta move forward. I’m not supposed to just endure my life. I’m supposed to enjoy it.” Back in Maryland, Jackson said he tells his congregation that the nation’s economic problems are partly God’s way of encouraging the nation to return to a “biblical faith.” He said there will be a “supernatural economic recovery” if Americans practice generosity. “If you have a bowl of rice, why not share a quarter of that bowl with someone who is needy?” he said. Those kinds of sermons annoy Meyers, the Oklahoma pastor. He said too many pastors have reduced Jesus to a “financial adviser, not a prophet.” He said pastors should also call for justice. He said it’s a crime that no bankers or financial leaders behind the 2008 collapse have gone to jail. “We’ll send an African-American teenager off to the slammer who robs a 7-Eleven, but we won’t do anything to a banker who helped cause the collapse of the entire banking system,” he said. But most preachers won’t say that, he said, because much of the church is too captive to greed to address the moral challenges of the nation’s economic problems. He doesn’t expect politicians or other leaders to step into that void because too many are beholden to the rich and powerful. “There just aren’t that many prophets left,” he said. “A prophet is someone who is willing to tell us the unpleasant truth about ourselves. If we can’t bring unpopular messages, who will?” |
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“There just aren’t that many prophets left,” he said. No, you're right – they're all about profits, not prophets. Big difference.
To quote Osteen here is a massive joke. He embodies the "Gospel of Prosperity" and he milks that for all he possibly can.
Truth, brother.
Hey, Jesus spoke clearly against Greed. And he was willing to Speak that Truth to Power. What was good enough for Him should be good enough for his pseudo-followers.
Now, if we can only get bloggers and the Liberal Media to tackle the REAL last taboo – and tell the truth about the failure of Socialism and Kenesian Economics!!!!! And begin to let people know that our REAL economic problems began with the abandonment of Free Enterprise – when LBJ began his "War on Prosperity" back in '64. Prior to that, people actually believed the truth – our economic system works best when people are responsible for themselves instead of expecting the Government to care for them from cradle to grave.
When are churches going to pay taxes?
If a pastor, priest, rabbi, or preacher does not fill the seats then he does not have a job. It is that simple. So it is more important to preach what's acceptable by the congregation as opposed to what really needs to be said and might make some squirm.
I know people who have purchased closed churches to start a new congregations. It's like opening a franchise, and this is happening in affuent neighborhoods. "Grand Opening!!" "Get Your God Here – 40% Off!!"
Somehow I cannot believe these religions, with billion dollar budgets is what God really had in mind.
The money that is given to churches has already been taxed. Would you like to have your income to be taxed twice? (If you're an Obama fan, you'll answer "YES!" of course.
ArchieDeBunker, you've displayed as much inteligence as your namesake. Income is taxed multiple times (state income, federal income, state sales, etc) and it started long before Obama became Prez.
The money I spend in any store is already taxed, get taxed again at the Point of Sale and gt taxed at least twice more by business taxes and employee taxes. That said, if it works for the market economy, it should apply just as well to any church.
Tax them all!
yeah, its easier to condemn gays and make enemies out of the "other"
than actually address real problems within your congregation
I just wish so-called Christians knew what Christ actually said. They throw around half-truths about what they think the bible says and don't have a clue what the Lord himself would do if He were elected President. I can't imagine Jesus being "OK" with starving children on the streets of America. I can't imagine Jesus being "OK" with declaring war on two countries. I can't imagine Jesus being "OK" with the rich stealing from the poor (and, the middle class). Can you? I mean really?!?!?
Preaching about greed probably wouldn't help his financial picture either.
It certainly couldn't hurt... especially since any cursory study of the history of any civilization will show you that when the gap between rich and poor reaches a critical point things change. It could be the governmant has to use force to protect the wealthy and powerful from the masses, or it could be that the citizen's successfully overthrow thge tyrants.
There is no doubt, in any critical reading of the Bible in regards to Jesus... he would not support the moneychangers (that was more about the Chirch allowing politics and business to influence the Church than aything else). Most Churches wouldn't prech this message becuase they are all about money and power, too. Jesus was a rabble rouser who used his pulpit to rail against the wealthy and powerful... we all know how that ended.
Christians: stop teaching your children to worship a fat white dude who gives them toys if they behave. Not believing in Santa anymore is the precursor to not believing in God.
My point is that lying to children about a guy that has an uncanny resemblance to your defintion of god is a bad way to get them to trust you about the real thing.
I agree– I think it's quite appropriate to treat Santa like a superhero or a fable, but when children find out that Santa isn't real, they eventually might think that mommy and daddy are also lying about God. Also, I think that people can adopt non-biblical theology from the story of Santa. In the song "Santa Clause is Coming to Town,"– the lyrics read, "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake" (as does God), "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake!"– this is the opposite of Christian theology, which teaches that there is no goodness in us, which is why we needed the sinless Christ to be born and live among sinners and die for our transgressions.
I want the church to pay taxes so the govt cannot control what is and is not said in the pulpit. Other non-profits contribute or political campaigns and have freedom of speech. Only the church and federal employees have their voices silenced.
Those non-profits should be investigated, and they would be if we had a legitimate justice department. But your point is a good one, let freedom of political speech prevail.
Amazing. More Obama talking points! It's unbelievable, as if there is this strange karma or ESP such that the daily CNN stories miraculously line up exactly with Obama's campaign strategies! I'm quite sure there is no coordination or 'monkey see/monkey do' pattern between the DNC and the MSM. Nah, that would just NEVER happen.
Greed is not causing the economy to be bad,prosperity is not a zero sum game. The economy is bad because of health care reform. With the government running health care costs are going to skyrocket, and businesses don't know how to handle the costs. Democrats don't see a problem with it, because they like being able to pick winners and losers (just ask nancy pelosi – whose already handed out waivers to her friends). That is why I don't think govt healthcare is a good idea, it gives politicians too much power. But back to greed, people can be expected to do whatever benefits them the most. You don't wake up in the morning and think, how can i screw myself over the most, right? Neither does anyone else.
Prosperity is not a zero sum game is correct, but greed most certainly is hurting our economy. We need health care reform now, not the crap that Obama and Congress gave us, but all Americans should have access to good health care. And greed is stopping us from providing that to our poor and our needy.
Your economy is bad because of HEALTHCARE?? You do realize that the economy tanked because of lax financial rules, no checking of credit so people (who clearly could not afford it) bought homes well beyond their means? That banks who offered mortgages sold it off like a packaged product to foreign banks and lied about the rating?? They said it was Triple AAA, meaning secure beyond measure, instead of what it should have been is Triple DDD. They sold that off to foreign banks who thought the American housing market was solid and secure!! They lied and lied and lied and you think it is because of HEALTHCARE!??
Lots of other countries have national health care plans like us here in Canada or the UK or Germany or the Netherlands. I could go on but I digress: they had national health care long before the global economy tanked. They have them because they think healthcare is a right, not a privelege.
The global economy tanked because of a lousy, lax American financial system. I thank my lucky stars our last LIBERAL government had the sense to say no to our banks who wanted to de-regulate like yours did. That saved us from the crap you're going through; unfortunately we're economically entwined so you are bringing us down although we are not suffering nearly as much as you are.
Jeffrey Sachs, the US economist, had a video on CNN Money very recently where he talked about the seeds of this recession which go all the way back to Regan. The de-regulation kick he was on planted the beginnings of this global problem, and it remains to see if the US government will ever wake up to see what the problem is.
No, but a person who is blessed by wealth could wake up and say, "How can I help my fellow man today." Businesses cannot 'afford' healthcare because businesses have become all about profit and making themselves rich. They have forgotten about their fellow man. Greed is without a doubt the biggest problem the world faces... this struggle is not new. It is one of the reasons governments must exist. If you leave it up to only the rich and powerfiul, they will only think about and help themselves. We seriously need an FDR or even a Teddy R. today.
Yeah, right, it has nothing to do with Bush starting TWO wars that he had no intention of funding? Oh, and then he let his rich friends get richer because of those 2 wars (can anyone say "Haliburton"?). Hello!? You've got your head where the "sun don't shine" if you think Obama deserves all the blame for the policies of the king of greed and corruption (G.W.B).
I can't believe some of you people, I don't know why I'm astounded at your ignorance, I guess I should just get used to it since it seems to be here to stay.
The REAL issue nobody wants to confront is the massive number of religious organizations that have incredible wealth and are perfectly capable and even expected would be happy to pay a small share of taxes but pay NOTHING because they are asked to pay nothing. These many wealthy organizations support the evil doings of politically manipulative organizations such as ClearChannel, Fox News, Koch Brothers and on and on and should have their tax exempt status revoked for this political activism. If nothing else it is time to at least consider that granting them TAX deductions so they may pay LESS tax than everyone else would be sufficient to acknowledge their potential to DO GOOD THINGS but a complete waiver of all taxes is absurd and antiquated thinking.
Worst case we need to vastly increase SALES taxes which hit everyone and even hits these politically active TAX SKIPPERS in their big KOCH BROTHERS FUNDED fat pockets.
I know of at least one church that DOES pay taxes and will not be bullied into being told what can and what can not be said in the pulpit. If you want the church to pay taxes you will create the world's largest, richest political lobby, and there won't be a thing you can do about it.
Go ahead, make our day.
According to the caption under his picture, Bishop Harry Jackson says Americans can experience a miraculous economic recovery if they return to God. Well, I am not so sure about Americans, because I don't remember Jesus promising material wealth to his followers. But, I bet the "bishop" will make some cash for himself.
Oh yeah, lots of people become clergy because it is the financial gravy train. (Eyes rolling)
I wrote in my book "Basic Principles" that God cannot inspire anybody to preach prosperity. And while everybody is preaching on it, people were loosing their jobs, if they were for God. It`s time to offer solution and a way out. People have developed their brand of theology to exploit the people. The message of the "Great Commission" based on repentance and eternal life is forgotten. Each race has develoed a brand of theology that is suitable to them. But the truth remains that the gate of hell will never prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ (Mathew 16:18). Who knows if this is the way by which the Lord wants the seekers of truth and eternal life to come back to the word of God. The Bible says: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: Gal 6:7. Lets see if the prosperity preachers will come out of their shames. For it God has been speaking through them, they should have seen the worst of the economy before this time. Surely the faithful will overcome because our God spoke of this time. Those who knew or can differentiate between the material things and the eternal things will wait on the Lord and the good Lord will see them through. They can only stay upon the words of the Hope of Israel Psalm 1:1-3
Did you misspell "losing" in your book, too? Hint, "loosing" is the present tense for when you let something go, e.g. "We are loosing the hounds on the protesters as we speak."
AAAAAARRRRggggghhhHHHHH! Why do I even try?
*places shotgun to head*
@dude – why dont you offer a remark instead of cutting someone down. Being the grammar police only shows what a nerdy loser you are.... how's that feel?
I'm happy for you that you got to promote your book, that explains this other book.
To dude deuchebag in response to @dude - why don't (did you omit the punctuation in don't as a form of petty vengeance ?) you offer a remark instead of cutting someone down. Being the comment police only shows what a nerdy loser you are.... how's that feel?
As the director of Interfaith Worker Justice, I'm seeing a renewed interest in talking about economic issues within congregations. I recently visited a large Episcopal church (quite wealthy) where congregants were discussing whether capitalism was really working for most Americans. I was quite surprised by the level of concern about the basic economic structures in the society. These are important conversations and such an opportunity to for lifting up core values around justice and fairness.
Oh? Won't want to create anti-capitalist sentiment, but it's fine to create lots of gay hate? That's some seriously unbalanced values. The Bible does not preach capitalism.
Ironic isn't it that God is the founder of gay hate and if i understand this correctly God is also the creator of gays. All males are part female and and we have the marks on our chest that proves it. What the H was God thinking ?
"Owe no man any thing,"
-Romans 13:8
kingjamesbiblesociety.org
Cowardly pastors will be recognized as working for the enemy if their beliefs based on the Bible are true. They feed the sheep to the wolves by keeping quiet. What they ought to be doing is leaving the gays alone and take care of the vulnerable. All they need to do is preach to verses from their Bible. Are they doing this for fear of not having as much income from the church if the wolves flee? They sure are not doing it out of love, compassion, or the requirement that they live like Jesus.
Remember, in our society corporations are now people.
What does that mean "Owe no man anything"
To Calgary Sandy I don't want to get into a hateful argument with you about this but what is the intelligence behind having to belong to an organization just to believe in God. They may have faith in God but not enough to go directly to God, so there is a lack of clear thinking here.
"Owe no man any thing,"
-Romans 13:8
http://kingjamesbiblesociety.org
I think you need to look at the Bible in total vs. pick out 1 scripture. Besides, there's also a verse against 'usury'. In that case all of these corporate ceo's are going to Hell. God gave us common sense too. We owe the federal gov money come Tax day. Give unto Ceaser what's Ceasar's. We have a society that does not run on fumes. We have govt agencies that help society, cops, firemen, roads, and department of defense. Folks who don't use their common sense make silly (selfish) comments. It is wrong to go into to much dept and to be careless. Its aslo wrong for many corporations and companies to rip people off and/or be deceptive. Many times in our country, legal does not equate to moral.
Way too many so caled "Bishops" saying way too much of absoutely nothing. God never called anyone to preach nonsense!
People like Jay Richards are living in a dream world. The current cause of the Financial Mess is simple GREED of Wall Street Bankers and people like Jay Richards. This group changes their tune when trouble hits them and it will. God willing.
All religious people are dumb, yes some are nice. But if you believe the crap that spews out of pastors mouths such as this one... YOU ARE DUMB.
And you are dumb because your prejudice cuts you off from millions of wonderful and bright people who believe but are not Fundamentalists making up garbage. Some of the greatest philosophers in the West were religious people. I am an atheist and very well educated. I was raised in a Baptist Church in the slums. I know about stupid and ignorant and I would say there are just as many stupid non-believers. I have met lots of intelligent and knowledgeable people in University, schools I have taught in and a Christian Non-profit I worked for. It does not make you look intelligent to make global statements against huge groups of people. It make you look ignorant, stay at home and take shots on line about things you have only an opinion on is what you look like.
CalgarySandy, that is unbelievably refreshing to hear. I think that's the first time on CNN I have seen an atheist comment that NOT all Christians are stupid and deluded.
Yeah, that's right Pete. And most of the people who have ever lived in America...dumb. Most of the people who founded the nation....thick as bricks. Most of the people who charted European civilization, hardly smart enough to get out of bed in the morning. If only they had all been wise enough to see through this ruse.