Allow Yourselves To Be Defrauded

The same generation of church-goers whose clarion call is Don't Judge! is the same generation that will bring lawsuit against fellow-church members in a heartbeat.

I am referencing an article published in the October 10, 2007 Church Report about a pastor who punished church members who questioned his authority and who stole church money in order to give his daughter a lavish wedding reception.

Whether he was guilty or not, taking a sinful, money-embezzling pastor before unbelieving, secular courts is definitely in defiance of scripture which clearly instructs not to—to the point of allowing ourselves to be defrauded instead (1 Corinthians 6:1-8).

Of course this same scripture also instructs Christians and church leadership to deal with such a situation—looking at the facts and rendering a judgment—not to sweep it under the rug and move on without missing a beat.

Bringing a lawsuit into the mix made everyone involved wrong.

The church leadership should have stepped in and followed biblical protocol in the situation, which is laid out for us in very clear step by step detail, and gotten rid of that pastor—if indeed he was on a power trip and guilty of greed and theft.

Everyone involved in that debacle needs to repent--the thieving pastor (who needs to be replaced), the church members who brought the lawsuit, and the church leaders who refused to exercise church discipline in the situation (who need to be replaced as well).

But then, the sinful practice of incorporating churches often ensconces—permanently—ungodly leadership, and renders the possibility of having any sort of truly biblical leadership—which includes church discipline—for all practical purposes, impossible.