I'm Just Sayin'

Do you ever wonder about those mega churches with the millionaire preachers? I mean...do you wonder about the opulent, lavish lifestyles those preachers with the $3000 suits and the multi million dollar estates flaunt? Do you think these superstar preachers are sincere and therefore worth the money? Do you think the evangelical elite have such personal insight and special understanding of God's word and the message of the Bible that they deserve celebrity status?

The truth is that it doesn't really matter what you think. It doesn't really matter that (if) you think these guys make too much money. They "earn" what is given to them...just as movie stars "earn" what is paid to them and sports stars "earn" what is paid to them. None of these folks would earn a dime if we did not pay them. We, collectively I mean... pay for the things we either think are important or necessary....or entertaining and those who give us the most or the best get paid the most. If and when one of us reaches the conclusion that the third baseman who makes $10 million a year or the movie star who makes $20 million a picture is making too much, we have a choice to make. We can continue to support them...or we can stop supporting them. I have over simplified here, but my point is that we will pay exorbitant amounts of money to be entertained (made to feel good). By the same token, the church member who may be  having trouble paying his mortgage or paying his bills or feeding his family will contribute to the affluent lifestyle of a superstar preacher if that preacher tells them what they want to hear.

This is where things get fuzzy for me. This is the point at which logic becomes fractured and muddy. Do those who support the superstar preachers do so because that superstar preacher's message is more valid than the message delivered by a less well heeled preacher? Is it because the superstar preacher is being supported by more people so the perception is that the superstar preacher is worth more...or is the superstar preacher just better at his trade?...... The answer is, I think, because the superstar preacher is better at his trade. He is better at getting people excited and he is better at delivering his (God's) message. He is better able to cause action. But, as we have seen time and time again, he is not necessarily a man of integrity, nor is he necessarily honest nor is he necessarily a decent person or an actual follower of God and God's word.

The time to quit paying the preacher is when the preacher has been exposed as a fraud...when his deeds cannot be used as an example for the words he speaks...fire him. Why would anyone even consider any other action?