The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

An old axiom supports the premise that “you get what you give.” Many attest to its validity, but sometimes a little more intentionality is called for. When gifts become expectations, then grace ebbs from the equation, sometimes without our awareness.

Unfortunately, the prosperity gospel is alive and well within many religious groups, amplified by the notion that if we had just a bit more disposable income that life would suddenly be grand and that God will bless us financially as of an elect few. Granted, there is truth to the understanding that more income can be helpful to deal with daily economic pressures, but money alone, as the key to faith and happiness is a dangerous proposition.

Call me skeptical, but some of the more egregious hucksters employing eschatological themes play on the fears of others. Does it really make sense to spend $19.95 for a pamphlet telling us the end of the world is imminent and putting forth a guidebook of sorts detailing each step? I only hope the check will clear in time for the author to get some good use out of it. I wonder how many other writers inspire the same fears and manipulations that appear so obvious on the surface. Are we supporting The Word or merely propping up the prosperity lifestyles that can be ours as well (for only so much per month!).

Late-night/early-morning TV evangelists are many and varied. When stations mercifully conclude their religious programming for the day, last minute pleas for donations continue to flow until the very last closing credit. Sending money in order to receive money is one of the more popular scams that gets played, complete with “testimonies” of over-the-top actor portrayals offered as proof.

The heart of the giver, though admittedly naïve, cannot be blamed. We all base giving and life decisions on the information before us. The consequences of never inquiring and continuing to blindly give, however, fall squarely on us. To whom are the monies directed? What lifestyles are they supporting? Do descriptors match what appears to be occurring? Placing the term “ministry” before or after a somewhat ambiguous religious term does not validate or negate it as true ministry, even though it sounds appropriate and makes us feel good. Alternately, there are many activities aside from the church, far beyond the institution’s sacred walls, that represent ministries in their purist forms.

The gifts that Christianity offers are never as plain and simple as we would like. That is part of the mystery and challenge of living in community with one another. We need not embrace perfection in order to rediscover grace in our own lives or in the lives of others. Roadblocks are frequent when it comes to evaluating self, but if we are honest in our approach, chances are high we can get past the kind of prosperity gospel mindset that has hijacked so many of our attentions.

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) If we can pull off what Micah is suggesting, it could be that a new gospel based on grace might emerge, one supplanting gospels of prosperity. Until then, there is plenty to do until the end of the world, even at $19.95.