The problem is, nobody stops to think, "My lights are off. I'm struggling. It might not be a good thing that this movie star just gave our pastor a million dollars for absolutely nothing. If he just received a million bucks from him, then why does he also need me to give him some money today as well?" He could've given this money to a struggling member of the congregation and I would've applauded it. But the show Perry and Jakes put on for the cameras was simply disgusting.
Insanely large churches often gain too much influence in the political world. This would be okay if these churches were governed by saints, but absolute power corrupts absolutely, so more times than not these people are religious criminals hiding in the grey areas provided by the notion of faith.
I typically hate mega churches and I really hate black mega churches. Our community has so many internal problems, and institutions of this nature could be doing so much more to help us correct these problems. They're not going to have all the answers, but according to the Bible, Jesus was an extremist so an organization claiming to be the physical manifestation of him on this planet should be equally extreme. This guy's life story was all about being turned up at all times against the wrongs of society. His followers are often less passionate.
Instead most of them just suck the blood out of people's wallets and run away laughing. Being a preacher capable of magnetizing a large number of people requires some serious talent. I understand this, so I respect the talent required to pull this off. I respect the fact that the message they provide on a certain level is usually positive and uplifting. There's a new reality show called Preachers of LA, showcasing church pastors living like P. Diddy. The very book they preach from says it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This scripture is irrelevant, apparently, or simply applies to everyone besides the preacher.
I'll probably annoy a few people with this blog post because black people don't speak down on Jesus and we also don't talk about the church negatively. There's an invisible whip that cracks across our backs when we do this. I'm being punished right now by God for even questioning the sacred nature of his beloved church. But I can't believe in Jesus and expect answers for the portions of the Bible that absolutely sound re-written and scripted to the liking of politicians and con artists from centuries ago. I have zero right whatsoever to spot these things and call them out. It's OK for popular rappers to stop rapping and start a church. It's also OK for these same exact popular rappers to preach about nothing but money. It's also OK for them to start rapping again about their playboy lifestyle while being the lead pastor of this church.
I don't think it's right to play games or take advantage of a person's spirituality. I'm sure these types of people sleep well at night because in their minds the congregation is a bunch of sheep and they aren't doing anything wrong. In the meantime though, the church is morphing into an ever lasting joke.
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