Quote:
Originally Posted by MissBrattified
Because of the way Rick Warren pastors his church and the relatively modest lifestyle he apparently exemplifies, I would say bringing a need before his very LARGE congregation is perfectly acceptable.
$900,000.00 divvies up to be $22.50 per member. I see nothing at ALL to complain about with his request.
What do his critics expect? For him to cover the cost alone?
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Your point is a good one. Split up the load and the burden is shared.
But, this is where I see a problem. The Government does the same thing. If every American would pay a certain amount, our deficit could be eliminated. Taxes grow, bailing out the Big guy, as our Country goes on spending instead of learning to do what we all have to do when money is tight; cut back or liquidate.
This is what has brought our Country to it's knees. We keep spending when there is no money.
This is the danger of turning the Church into a huge money making machine, where the Head becomes more important than the body, and the focus is keeping the Head afloat. People become numbers. Churches become the next offering. The hand loses focus on the foot. The cost to run the "Machine" becomes astronomical, setting itself up for one thing; The need for more money, even if there is no money, while the Churches below are lost by impersonal, and constant demand.
My personal opinion is, Mega Churches seem to conflict with a healthy spiritual focus, leaving people lost in the masses. I find a parallel with the "Wal Mart" mindset. The Big guy dominates and crushes all below below him.
I wonder if Mr Warren has ever considered how many small churches his Big Church has destroyed. How about the finances of all the Pastors around him who lost people who once supported those small works? Did Pastors do what your father did, doing what he could to pay the bills?
A few years back my wife and I visited a small Church in the Stockton area. We saw the church was struggling, as the numbers were few. With a good spirit, the pastor shared with me that he had a difficult time competing with the Mega Churches close by.
What I find interesting, is people defend Rick Warren but don't know him. He is a celebrity and a dominate political figure and author, but he's at arms distance from most. I don't know why men continue building these empires, thinking bigger is better, when the example Jesus left us was the complete opposite.
Jesus seemed to avoid the Temple, finding his pulpit on a fishing bank or in a field, then going into mountains to pray.
You know, I've asked myself this question; where did we get our Church model from? We sure didn't get it from the Bible.
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