Pastoral priorities

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Fri, December 1, 2023 | 05:21

Times Forum

Pastoral priorities

Posted : 2019-09-26 16:00

Updated : 2019-09-26 17:37

By Steven L. Shields

A pastor in Tennessee gives his wife a car worth more than $200,000 ― says it's not church money, but his own; he invested wisely. He had a lot to invest, clearly.

Where did he get his money first? The church. A preacher of the so-called prosperity gospel, he and the handful of others who have made fame in this line of church work have been disproportionately prosperous.

I wonder how many of their disciples are as prosperous?

I wonder if such pastors and churches spend as much time and money helping hungry people not be hungry, helping hurting people not hurt, helping lonely people not be lonely.

These prosperity preachers claim God wants believers to be wealthy, so give more money to the church (in other words, me, the preacher), and God will grant you riches. These same churches have built magnificent temples to their own greed where thousands gather each week in the hope of getting some of the wealth.

Some of these pastors have launched massive business enterprises, all in the name of "the gospel." Many of their children benefit from being the "managers" of such businesses ― in reality, few of those children have the business astuteness or education to do so competently.

What about Jesus' teaching that it would be impossible for a rich person to enter heaven?

There are other kinds of preachers, too. They don't preach the so-called prosperity gospel. They get rich off their gullible parishioners by scaring them into obedience. Scaring them into more donations, judging them by how much they give, condemning other religions and systems of belief, so the parishioners feel confident they are "right" and thus, better than others. I get it. You believe you are right and all others wrong. But you're not alone. Many others think they're right and you're wrong.

How about the elders of your church? Are they genuinely called of God to be servant ministers? Or, are they simply the rich old boys of the congregation who have "donated" their way into status?

I remember many years ago, a famous American television preacher pleaded with his followers to give several million dollars to help his ministry (him) through financial difficulty. If they didn't, he warned, God would take him to heaven, and the followers would be left without a shepherd. It became known the preacher was fond of Italian silk suits, gold and diamond jewelry, a fleet of Mercedes, and houses in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, California. Seriously?

Pastor, what about your salary? Are you living high? Driving foreign cars or top-of-the-line domestic models? Do you drive yourself, or do you have a servant who drives for you and maintains your car? How does your house compare with the average parishioner in your congregation?

Protestant pastors, unlike some of their Catholic counterparts, rarely take vows of poverty, but is it right to live the good life on the backs of your parishioners? Many churches' members are the slaves of the pastor, rather than the other way around.

Jesus didn't get rich off his followers, why are you? How much is enough? How hard are you preaching to your congregation about NOT honoring the pastor according to worldly rank and riches? Oh, I know the culture well enough. Many parishioners feel they can't do enough to take care of their pastor. This may be awkward, but such behavior is not based on the teachings of Jesus.

What about paying taxes? Is it true that pastors in Korea claim they are tax-exempt? Give Caesar what is Caesar's, Jesus taught. The tax burden on the national citizenry is already high. Church properties are free from taxes; the church's earnings are tax-exempt.

But the pastor's salary, too? They benefit from all our taxes, even though we may not be believers or attend their church. Why not ask for their fair share in supporting the national community?

I know that most pastors are hard-working men and women who have deep faith and want to serve others wholeheartedly. I'm not condemning the religious community. They do much good.

But the occasional exceptions need to be held accountable to every day, pure teachings of Jesus. Love your enemy, love those who hurt you; love your neighbor as yourself; go the extra mile; share all you have (loaves and fishes come to mind, with several thousand people).

Religious faith can play a helpful role in society. We need our pastors (and other religious leaders of various faith traditions) to set their priorities and help us set ours.

Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch.