Dear Atheists and Christians...

Well.  The truth is- there is a very good chance that I will offend pretty much everyone who reads this post.
But I am asking you a favor- that you bear with me, read all the way through- and be the open-minded/intelligent/loving/caring/grace-filled/socially responsible people that you are or claim to be.
I don't claim to have all the answers.

But there are some things I want you to think about- some ideas I would like to submit for your consideration.
There are perhaps some questions or perspectives you haven't thought about yet- it doesn't matter which side of the spectrum you fall on- and I would like to ask you to be open to entertain new thoughts or paradiems.
And please, be nice to one another...and to me.
Spewing judgement and hate isn't doing anyone any good, in case you hadn't noticed.

Why am I writing this post?
I am bothered.  Deeply troubled.  By something that an artist friend posted on Facebook yesterday.
Here it is (brothers and sisters in Christ, take a breath before you bite my head off-and keep reading)

This was re-posted from a page called "Proud to be an Atheist."

There is so much that troubles me about this- so let us begin:

1.  I completely agree with this.  It is a travesty for Christ's people to put material consumption before the well-being of the people they should be serving.  Put a pin in this thought- we're coming back.

2.  This is the impression that the world and unbelievers have of the Church in the United States....also horrifying and a travesty...put a pin in that thought as well.

3.  People are judging all Christians (including me) based on things like this.  ALSO horrifying and a travesty- and yes- we will revisit this thought as well.

4.  I am NOT going to address the issue of the tax-exempt status of the church- the 501-3C- to me that is another issue- that I do have THOUGHTS about-but it is not time for me to express those.

So let's begin, shall we?  Keep reading Christians- grace and love- remember?  Keep reading, Atheists- you are open-minded- remember?

1.  When the church looks like this, and the pastor's house looks like this while 1 in 3 children live in poverty- it's time to tax the churches and pastors.

WOW.  That's a heckuva thing.  A bit of a line in the sand, n'est ce pas?  How do I even begin to unpack it?  First of all- I COMPLETELY agree that it's not okay to operate in conspicuous consumption and claim it to be for the glory of God when children in your world, or city, or neighborhood are starving.  That is not okay. Nor is that kind of consumption even remotely biblical.

The photos, in case you don't recognize them, come from Lakewood- which is Joel Osteen's church in Houston.

Here are a few statistics from the Houston Food Bank:

 http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/hunger/hungerfood-insecurity/

On a typical day in the 18 southeast Texas counties served by the Houston Food Bank, 

66,200 people are hungry and can't afford to buy food.  Of that number, 5,000 are children.

One in five households in the same area faces food insecurity.  They live with the threat of being hungry, or having inconsistent access to enough nutritious food. 

It's even worse for kids: one in four children is food insecure in southeast Texas.

In Texas, 6.5% of households experience hunger, or "very low food security."

Now, I don't claim to know how Joel Osteen's church ministers to the needy of the area.  However, I look at that stadium filled with people- and from what I see on the website- it fills up for roughly 5 services per week- and I think, if each person gave $1 toward ending hunger in Houston and southeast Texas- well, that's a lot of ground.  But these people are being taught the prosperity gospel- so I am sure they are giving more than $1 per person- we're talking probably in the millions of dollars- which is a lot.  Which led me to say- well, who am I to think they don't have a ministry that helps the hungry?  So- I went to the ministry page, here:

https://www.lakewoodchurch.com/Pages/Events.aspx

Then, I clicked to filter for "serving"- nothing came up in that search.  There were classes upon classes upon how to improve oneself, but no places of outreach?  Perhaps I am not using the website correctly? It is a legitimate question.

I don't know.  But I do know that if someone who was not a believer was searching to see if this HUGE church was serving the needy- it would be hard to find out.

And- yes, I am picking on Lakewood, because that is the church represented in the post.  I am hoping they have a HUGE outreach ministry to the needy of the area- because, it looks to me like they can afford it.

And if they can't- perhaps they need to reconsider their priorities?  I have heard through the prosperity gospel (which is strong at Lakewood)- that God is a God of more than enough.

I believe that is true.  But I don't think it means that the more is that I get to have a Mercedes Benz and buy you a skateboard.    If there is more than enough- there is enough- and the more is meant to help those who don't have enough.  I am not against people being blessed or having nice things- I am not- but do you really want to have starving homeless families in the streets so you can have 8 extra empty guest bedrooms with adjoining baths?  Or are you inviting those families to live with you? I am hoping for the latter.

I could go on and on about this subject- but instead we will wrap up this point for now with this:

45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.

Now, for those of you not familiar with the text- this is from Luke 19- where Jesus basically builds a whip and tosses the temple.  He causes a STAMPEDE...because He is so MAD that His house has become a place of business instead of what God intended it to be.

Yeah.  That.

Also- throughout the Bible- in both the Old and New testaments- if you actually read it- you will find God and Jesus telling their people, time and time again that they want their people to care for the poor, the sick, the orphan, the prisoner, the widow- to plead the cause of the needy- according to Isaiah - that's what God says it means to KNOW HIM.

Here are a few of my favorites:

She plead the cause of the afflicted and the needy,

then it was well.

Is not that what it means to know Me?

Declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 22:16

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, 

and pray to the Lord on its behalf;

for in its welfare, you will have welfare.

Jeremiah 29:7

But the Bible also says this:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine,

but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears,

they will heap up for themselves teachers;

and they will turn their ears away from the truth,

and be turned aside to fables.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

Here's the thing- in the Bible- Jesus talks about how His children will be hated like He was.

He was hated because He challenged the status-quo- He called out the greedy and selfish "believers" and championed the unwanted and needy fringes of society.  He hung out with prostitutes, the mentally ill, the lepers, the blind, the tax collectors... and because it made the church uncomfortable, they rejected Him- actually had Him killed.

I think He was hoping that we would be hated because of that- not because we became even more selfish and greedy and isolated/insulated than the rest of the greedy and selfish folk in the world.

Okay- that's a lot.  I know. And it barely scratches the surface of this- to the point that I am going to tackle the next two issues in one post.  The next one- it's coming...shortly.

Thank you- and read on.....because not everyone in the church feel or behaves this way...