The reading was inspired by a comment from mega-church pastor, Ted Haggard, that was quoted in the article "Soldiers of Christ" by Jeff Sharlet in the May 2005 issue of Harper's Magazine. You'll find the quote in slactivist's responsive reading. Here's the fuller context in which the quote appeared:
"There was," Pastor Ted said one afternoon in his office, "a significant influence exerted on the last election by Colorado Springs." He was meeting with me and another reporter, an Australian from a financial paper.
"You mean," the Australian asked, "almost like a force going out from Colorado Springs?"A force? Pastor Ted liked that. He smiled and offered other examples. His favorite was the Ukraine, where, he claimed, a sister church to New Life had led the protests that helped sweep the pro-Western candidate into power. Kiev is, in fact, home to Europe's largest evangelical church, and over the last dozen years the Ukrainian evangelical population has grown more than tenfold, from 250,000 to 3 million. According to Ted, it was this army of Christian capitalists that took to the streets. "They're pro-free markets, they're pro-private property," he said. "That's what evangelical stands for."
In Pastor Ted's book Dog Training, Fly Fishing, & Sharing Christ in the 21st Century, he describes the church he thinks good Christians want. "I want my finances in order, my kids trained, and my wife to love life. I want good friends who are a delight and who provide protection for my family and me should life become difficult someday . . . I don't want surprises, scandals, or secrets . . . I want stability and, at the same time, steady, forward movement. I want the church to help me live life well, not exhaust me with endless "worthwhile" projects." By "worthwhile projects" Ted means building funds and soup kitchens alike. It's not that he opposes these; it's just that he is sick of hearing about them and believes that other Christians are, too. He knows that for Christianity to prosper in the free market, it needs more than "moral values" -- it needs customer value.
New Lifers, Pastor Ted writes with evident pride, "like the benefits, risks, and maybe above all, the excitement of a free-market society." They like the stimulation of a new brand. "Have you ever switched your toothpaste brand, just for the fun of it?" Pastor Ted asks. Admit it, he insists. All the way home, you felt a "secret little thrill," as excited questions ran through your mind: "Will it make my teeth whiter? My breath fresher?" This is the sensation Ted wants pastors to bring to the Christian experience. He believes it is time "to harness the forces of free-market capitalism in our ministry." Once a pastor does that, his flock can start organizing itself according to each member's abilities and tastes.
2 comments:
Isn't spirituality the opposite of materialism? How, then, can a Christian reconcile a life built on acquisition with the teachings of Jesus?
I'm reminded of the scene from one of the Anne of Green Gables books that I've used for years in teaching my children. Anne is an older teen now, and a friend of hers who is fun- and life-loving and beloved by everyone, discovers that she is going to die. It's not so much that she's frightened by death, but everything and everyone she loves is on earth! She doesn't want to leave!
Anne learns a lesson that she shares with the rest of us: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where they can be destroyed; accumulate treasures in heaven where they'll be waiting for you in eternity. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I.e., her friend's dismay was caused by the fact that she had nothing to look forward to in heaven -- and everything to leave on earth.
Sow how does this pastor justify leading his flock to directly contradict the words of his Lord?
I thought "evangelical" had something to do with Jesus. How naive I am.
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