Yesterday the children and I were shopping for fleece at Fred Meyer (for the homeless men and women who use our church as a shelter) and we ran into Pastor Carol, who was doing the same thing. The kids, who had been restless and whining for a treat or toy, perked up. They adore Pastor Carol and wanted to chat.
Looking at their happy faces, I had a woohoo! moment. The contrast between my childhood and theirs stuns me.
As a child, did I babble with happiness when I saw a preacher? Not likely.
Was the preacher ever a woman? Ha.
Did I participate in helping the poor? Never.
The poor, if mentioned at all, were dismissed as lazy -- or cursed. Charity was a hand-out, and good works were ridiculed as the futile attempts of the faithless. Christians were obligated to give only to Christians.
WHAT? It takes a very selective reading of Scripture to elevate buns over alms, but the OALC manages it. Next time you drive by an OALC church, check out the parking lot. Row upon row of shiny new SUV's. Those are the toys of children who have been poorly instructed on the use of their mites. Am I wrong?
I agree.
ReplyDeleteI also think people should know that faith that doesn't demonstrate itself in ways such as compassion for the poor is the ONLY thing the Bible calls dead faith. For people who spend so much time discussing dead faith, here is the only time the phrase appears in the Bible:
James 2:14-17 reads...
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
WOww you just hit the nail right on the head!
ReplyDeleteI am OALC and I give to charity every month. it's NOT so that you should give only to the christians, but it says in the bible that we should do good to people but most to those who are in faith (i don't know how it is written in english, i'm swedish). it also says women should be quiet in the congregation which means they should not preach at church. we are all preachers though, by the way we talk, dress and behave.
ReplyDeleteIs it the preachers fault that you weren't happy to talk to them? I am friends with all the preachers in my city and happy to talk to them. The same with those preachers from US that I've got to meet so far.