The Church and Me

About 60 years ago I stopped going to church. It was then my dad gave me the choice of going to church or feeding the hogs. The choice led to an easy decision. Church attendance was boring and feeding the hogs wasn't.

I attended some church services over the next 35 years but not many. I gave it up for good after giving the matter of religion a lot of thought. I'm convinced now that there probably is a God but that he doesn't get involved in our lives.

To me, deism makes more sense. A google search will turn up many sources for information about deism, if you have an interest in pursuing the matter.

Anyway, as I learn more and more about the behavior of high-profile preachers, I'm convinced a church building is a place for me to avoid.

Here are six preachers who, I can say without doubt, are a disgrace to their followers.

Jeremiah Wright

The true colors of Jeremiah Wright, now a retired pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and spiritual advisor (supposedly the former spiritual advisor now) to President Barack Obama, became publicly known during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

As we watched cable news in the comfort of our homes, we saw how Wright jeopardized Obama’s efforts to become our president. We also saw something much worse in Wright. We learned Wright is a person whom we should pity.

Video of Wright shows him emphatically asking God to damn America. Video also shows Wright telling his audience that our United States government invented AIDS as a way to destroy the blacks among us. Briefly stated, we saw Wright conducting what I think of as a training seminar titled, “Tearing Down the United States.”

Wright’s misleading of his flock can damage our county as much as any mole in the CIA. Those who view Wright as credible are certain to spread his propaganda. In time, these beliefs can permeate the country. Too, because his parishioners are mostly black, his actions are certain to harm race relations.

Wright will never admit any of this. Still, I believe it to be true. To me, it is unconscionable for Wright, who served in our military, to turn on his country - the country where he acquired a lifestyle few of us only live in our dreams.

Michael Pfleger

Then, we have Michael Pfleger. What he said is also unconscionable. While serving as a guest speaker at the Trinity United Church of Christ, Pfleger went on a verbal rampage poking insults at Hillary Clinton - and to the white people of America as well. I listened closely to what Pfleger said as I watched him on one of the cable news programs.

As near as I remember, the most damaging part of what Pfleger said was, “Hey, I'm Barack Obama and she said, 'Oh, damn. Where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show.’”

Pfleger did apologize for his remarks but, like in the case of most apologies, the damage was already done. He had already made his point and, thereby, had influenced the audience. It’s much like a judge ordering jury members to disregard what they heard. In a word, ineffective.

Here is another issue to ponder. How many times can a church allow such political statements without losing it's tax exempt status?

Friends of Obama - Really?

Wright and Pfleger claim to be friends of Obama. Why did they, highly educated and expected to be shining examples of Christian living, say things that jeopardized the chances of their “friend” to become our president.

Perhaps they were looking for national publicity. But, surely they know negative publicity often brings down preachers, regardless of their title - ministers, priests, evangelists etc.

They are isolated cases, you say? I say they are not. Here are the names of four more high profile preachers and a brief description of their activities leading to a professional demise.

Jim Bakker

I remember watching Bakker and his then-wife Tammy Faye on their PTL television show around 1975, They carried on and on about how great God is for reasons I don’t remember. I found his attack on us "unclean" atrocious and either turned the television off or changed channels.

As events unfolded, he lost his Christian theme park along with his PTL television program and his opulent lifestyle. In addition, he had an affair with his secretary, he and hiis wife divorced and he spent time in prison for fraudulent activity.

If you visit his website, Jim Bakker Show, you will learn he is back in the saddle.

Doing it all over again?

Ted Haggard

Ted Haggard, a man with White House connections as a spiritual advisor, built a mega-church before losing it amid a scandal - a scandal involving a male prostitute and crystal meth.

Haggard built the New Life Church from scratch to around 14,000 members and was forced to resign as pastor by the Overseer Board. Haggard also resigned his position as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. According to a November 4, 2006 CNN article, the group represented more than 45,000 churches with 30 million members.

The fallen star has nothing to write home about now after falling off the Time magazine list of the 25 most influential evangelicals where he was ranked the 10th most influential.

Good Morning America reported on November 12, 2008 that Ted Haggard believes a sexual encounter with a man when he was seven years old contributed to his problems.

Perhaps so but . . .

Henry Lyons

A March 17, 1999 New York Times article written by Rick Bragg begins with this paragraph:

The Rev. Henry J. Lyons, the nationally prominent black minister from Florida who was convicted this month on charges of racketeering and grand theft, stepped down today as president of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A.

His crime? No crime at all according to his defense attorneys. They say he was a victim of failed business dealings.

I have to agree. Think about it. After all, anything that goes wrong is not a success. I'll venture to say that anything that is not a success is, usually but not always, a failed effort.

What, then, are Mr. Lyons's failed efforts? The St. Petersburg Times Online had this to say at the time of Lyon's 1998 grand jury indictment:

The indictment is remarkable for its scope: The list of crimes includes wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion, extortion, money laundering and conspiracy. The alleged victims include banks, corporations, government agencies, and groups dedicated to registering black voters and repairing burned African-American churches.

Mr. Lyons was convicted and sentenced to 5 1/2 years.

Jimmy Swaggart

Mr. Swaggart rankles me personally because I have sent money to his ministry. This guy hooked me good. I hopped out of bed earlier than I liked to hear him before going to work. When traveling alone, I always looked for hotels that had Swaggart on television. I tried to do the same when traveling with my co-workers but stopped because of the inconvenience to them.

I did not, however, get on the bandwagon of his supporters when he flushed himself down the toilet. I'm not that understanding, forgiving or benevolent. I faithfully listened to the Word from him. I didn't appreciate hearing or seeing a different word about him in the news.

Still, I will say he is a mighty good pianist and singer. If he ever takes up country music, like his cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, I will listen to him. Might even buy his music.

Before going further, I want to thank you for letting me vent.

Swaggart had problems keeping his pants zipped. Here are two excerpts from the New York Times October 15, 1991 issue:

Rosemary Garcia, a 31-year-old prostitute in Indio, Calif., said she was with Mr. Swaggart on Friday when he was stopped by a police officer and cited for traffic violations.

(This excerpt addressed a then-current news development; the following refers to his troubles back in 1988)

In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart resigned from the Assemblies of God, the nation's largest Pentecostal denomination, after a rival Pentecostal minister released photos of Mr. Swaggart with a New Orleans prostitute. Mr. Swaggart faces a $10 million court judgment against him and co-defendants for defaming Marvin Gorman, a former television preacher

I remember watching Swaggart confess on television about the 1988 incident. Interestingly, though, he didn't confess the 1991 incident publicly. Time magazine (online) reported on October 28, 1991:

That latest foray prompted Swaggart to resign from his Baton Rouge-based ministry last Tuesday to seek "professional counseling and medical care." But the next day the preacher reversed the decision, explaining to his congregation that God told him to return to the pulpit. Swaggart announced to supporters that "the Lord told me it's flat none of your business" and that he didn't have to apologize for his conduct.

Jimmy: Did you have a good time with my money?

Larry, are you telling me all preachers are bad?

No. I'm only telling you what I have learned about these six. But, in my own mind, I suspect a bunch of immoral and unethical preachers walk the streets with us.

I guarantee that, after you research their lives, you will shake your head in disbelief. There are no doubt thousands of people from all walks of life whose wicked ways has brought them down. Perhaps Jeremiah Wright and his ilk will fall as well.

Personally, I hope they fall and fall hard. Why? They are, I say without exaggeration, a disgrace. People who claim to be men of God owe their fellow citizens much more than we expect from, for example, celebrities who, because of their behavior, hit rock bottom.