Joyce Meyer Ministries Addresses Lingering Controversies About Financial Practices
Representative for Popular Christian Nonprofit Explains Changes Made in Wake of Senate Probe CPost
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I think it is perhaps quite possible to speak to the issue of a Christian’s need to being discerning about where a Christian should spend their money (esp. as to giving to “ministries”) without looking at what they have/have not contributed to your local church. But, it sounds like we differ here; I do not know the way our people give, but I would teach them commands, principles, guidelines about ministry giving, and place the outcome of such teaching in the hands of the Holy Spirit. I would still teach them of the need to give to our church, etc., and would only go “to the books” to see amounts if I felt there was a serious discipleship matter in play. Even then, I would first leave it at the level of their willingness to be honest, i.e. if I thought that giving were a discipleship issue about giving that needed guidance, I would personally ask them to be honest about whether they gave or not, and go from there. There are implications from this approach that I hope the reader can draw (as regards giving to a JM-esque “ministry”) from what I have written so far. I will leave it there.And, as my Finn ancestors might say “Kippis!”
[Mark_Smith]My point was that people here at SI seem interested in telling people not to give to Joyce Meyers, for example, but HAVE NO INTEREST AT ALL in whether members of the church they pastor give… Does that seem consistent?
SamH
[Mark_Smith]My point was that people here at SI seem interested in telling people not to give to Joyce Meyers, for example, but HAVE NO INTEREST AT ALL in whether members of the church they pastor give… Does that seem consistent?
Not at all. One is a Biblical mandate (warnings against following or supporting false teachers), and the other one is not a Biblical mandate (I am not aware of anything in Scripture where the elders need to know the detailed giving records of members, and even if you could construe a passage, it would not be close to the same level as warnings against false teachers).
It appears that you may not be consistent with your understanding of the application between the two.
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