Christians robbing ‘the least of these’?

[PUGalicious]

Yesterday, I came across a story recounted on Pastor R. Mitch Randall’s personal blog that should outrage every Christian.

Northern Ghana is by far the poorest region of the country. With the capital city of Accra at the southern tip, what development that has occurred has remained in the southern region. Thus, the north remains a very poor and rural region where many of the villagers live on mere hundreds of dollars a year. There were several villages where the children walked around naked and the adults wore rags for clothes. Their homes were huts made of thatch and mud. Above is a northern church that was built for $2,000 by a local pastor and the village. I paint this picture for you, because what you about to read is absolutely immoral.

When our team arrived in Tamale, we met the local Ghanaian Baptist pastor at his home. As we were visiting, someone asked him if his home was a former Southern Baptist mission home. He smiled and confirmed our suspicion. However, we could tell there was more to the story. He quickly told us.

Apparently, when Southern Baptists began refocusing their mission efforts and redeploying missionaries, they left behind quite a bit of property. For a time, local pastors were allowed to live in the abandoned homes. One day, however, that changed.

The pastor told us that he and his wife were sitting at their home one day when a Catholic priest came by and asked to see the property. The pastor inquired to the reason why. The priest told him that he was negotiating the purchase of the house from the Southern Baptists.

In fear of losing his home and launching pad for ministry, he quickly called the local Southern Baptist representative in Accra. The Southern Baptist missionary confirmed the sale of the property, but instructed him that if he were interested in purchasing the property he could buy it for $18,000, the same price they were going to sell it to the Catholics. He quickly got on the phone. Between the Ghanian Baptist Convention and this pastor’s strong desire to keep his home and ministry center, they were able to raise the $18,000 for the purchase of the home. Of course, they had to take money away from other ministries that may have fed a village or provided clothing for children. One local pastor said, “Southern Baptist leaders care about our souls, but they do not realize that these souls come in a body.”

What angers me most about this story is that these people have absolutely nothing and an organization who has $500,000,000 in cash reserves - yes, this is true - thinks they need a tad more money for their institution. Where is their famous compassionate conservatism? Where is their sense of morality? They must read the passage of Jesus telling us to give our coat and cloak to someone who asks a bit differently than me.

Needless to say, I am outraged. Thankfully, I have left the Baptists battles behind me, but as a Christian I cannot believe a Christian organization would treat the world’s poor like this. This must stop! I appeal to my brothers and sisters in the Southern Baptist Convention to right this wrong. These local Ghanaian pastors are doing great work ministering to their people and deserve our support and respect. And here is the kicker, we heard the same of story in the next village of Yendi. Please, we must treat the world’s poor with greater compassion. These people have absolutely nothing, but sacrifice greatly for the work of Christ.

[jbrown84]

I would like to hear both sides of the story.

[PUGalicious]

So ask.

[OkieKAS]

WELL....throw them in the Lion's DEN!!!!

All the time this Senior Pastor is pointing his finger at other Christians, he is actually coveting an iPhone - his kids can go without a dentist so that he can have one ????

LORD have mercy on us ALL!

ROFLMheathenAO!

HE told YOu to take care of the Needy.....OHHHHNOo HE told YOU to Do it.....Noooooo I did my part...HE told you to DO IT !.......

[PUGalicious]

How does that change the premise of the story?

[Midtowner]

It seems like the sale of the buildings would have benefited these villages more than the locals hanging onto them. If the Catholic missionaries come in, they'll bring a lot of economic growth and opportunity which would not be available otherwise.

Sure, this pastor will have to find another home, but the community will be better off when the Catholics (who are very experienced at missionary work in the 3rd world) come in and start their work.

[PUGalicious]

It seems like the sale of the buildings would have benefited these villages more than the locals hanging onto them. If the Catholic missionaries come in, they'll bring a lot of economic growth and opportunity which would not be available otherwise.

Sure, this pastor will have to find another home, but the community will be better off when the Catholics (who are very experienced at missionary work in the 3rd world) come in and start their work.

Why does it need to be either/or? Why can't it be both?

[OkieKAS]

Change it?

We don't even know that it is even remotely TRUE. I am going by his "personal blog" and I would say...

Be careful NOT to toss rocks......Be careful not to point fingers......

Jesus would say....Those without sin - cast the first stone.

I find it very difficult to find credibility in a Pastor that points a finger but covets an iPhone. I am sure that he would also claim that he was 'just kidding' about getting the phone over his kid's dental needs......

If he reads these words by me, then he will just assume my attitude is unjustified because he didn't really mean it, that I must not understand banter......so then that shall leave him in the same boat with the SB's.....finger pointing - nonetheless.

Albeit, let me also say that, in lieu of the iPhone, I find a Pastor that utilizes a "personal blog" in a public manner to create an arena to point a finger to be in dire straits of some personal bonding with his Bible. That's akin to getting upon the pulpit and blasting this information to his congregation but with the premise that it is just his "personal opinion".

[OkieKAS]

Why does it need to be either/or? Why can't it be both?

Apparently it IS, both, as the SB's allowed the utilization of the properties w/o asking for RENT! LOL

[PUGalicious]

mmmmm... oooookaaaay....

.

[OkieKAS]

In the Religious aspect, I only see whining and finger pointing.

In the Political arena I see that the Missionary that was dwelling on the property did not want the Catholics to take it over, so he approached the SB's and wanted to be gifted the property to keep the Catholics from moving in, but he was offended when the SB's wanted the price for it that they had quoted the Catholics.

Missionary got the property, from the SB's, even when they had already quoted the same price to the Catholics, who inquired first.....but begrudged the SB's for asking and taking $$$$ for it, he begrudged the Catholics for wanting it.......when all along, if he had allowed the Catholics to purchase it, then he would have gotten TENFOLD.

In MHO....he screwed everyone, essentially those that they were all trying to assist.

OK Pastor posts it on his personal yet public blog..... to make the SB's look bad because he is just a Baptist.

Enter Public Forum.....I posted my opinions.

[PUGalicious]

In the Religious aspect, I only see whining and finger pointing.

In the Political arena I see that the Missionary that was dwelling on the property did not want the Catholics to take it over, so he approached the SB's and wanted to be gifted the property to keep the Catholics from moving in, but he was offended when the SB's wanted the price for it that they had quoted the Catholics.

Missionary got the property, from the SB's, even when they had already quoted the same price to the Catholics, who inquired first.....but begrudged the SB's for asking and taking $$$$ for it, he begrudged the Catholics for wanting it.......when all along, if he had allowed the Catholics to purchase it, then he would have gotten TENFOLD.

In MHO....he screwed everyone, essentially those that they were all trying to assist.

OK Pastor posts it on his personal yet public blog..... to make the SB's look bad because he is just a Baptist.

Enter Public Forum.....I posted my opinions.

There are alot of assumptions being made that go way beyond what is actually said in the piece and certainly leaps of logic that assume facts not in evidence. Besides all that, frankly, I think you've missed the point. But you're certainly entitled to say whatever you want.

[OkieKAS]

There are alot of assumptions being made that go way beyond what is actually said in the piece and certainly leaps of logic that assume facts not in evidence. Besides all that, frankly, I think you've missed the point. But you're certainly entitled to say whatever you want.

BONG! GOT IT!
What YOU said IS exactly MY point!

mmmmm "assumptions"...mmmmmmm......"leaps of logic" .......mmmmmmm ..."assume facts"........mmmmm......... "not in evidence"..........

PS: Read ALL of the blogs associated with this Pastor's personal blogs.....and then, perhaps, you will receive some heavenly enlightenment.

PSS: BONGHITS4JESUS

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

After zipping through some of what he's written...

He didn't like Falwell, yet was respectful of him when he passed.

He disagrees with the Creation Museum.

He's against the bible in our classrooms except as an object of literature.

He's against this war.

He doesn't think the pill is abortion.

------------------------------------

And he's a pastor?

Not bad at all. Seems to me that he's got his head screwed on straight and thinks things through before spouting off a bunch of talking points and rhetoric when he opens his mouth.

And there's NOTHING wrong with wanting a cool new gadget. I want ALL of them

[OkieKAS]

Bowing to the Oh GAWD the Smell! Gods............

[jbrown84]

CBF leaders and pastors constantly dwell on the problems they see with the SBC, only causing further division. If this pastor truly wanted to bring about change, he'd write letters to IMB and SBC leaders with his concerns. Instead he chooses to broadcast this on a public blog only to cause trouble.

[OkieKAS]

CBF leaders and pastors constantly dwell on the problems they see with the SBC, only causing further division. If this pastor truly wanted to bring about change, he'd write letters to IMB and SBC leaders with his concerns. Instead he chooses to broadcast this on a public blog only to cause trouble.

AMEN!

One would think that when 2 or more of HIS believers are gathered in HIS name, they could resolve their differences, instead of creating more. I bet HE expected this to happen. They should unify their beliefs, as well as their pennies. HE is keeping score, nonetheless.

[PUGalicious]

If this pastor truly wanted to bring about change, he'd write letters to IMB and SBC leaders with his concerns.

How do you know he hasn't?

[PUGalicious]

BONG! GOT IT!
What YOU said IS exactly MY point!

mmmmm "assumptions"...mmmmmmm......"leaps of logic" .......mmmmmmm ..."assume facts"........mmmmm......... "not in evidence"..........

PS: Read ALL of the blogs associated with this Pastor's personal blogs.....and then, perhaps, you will receive some heavenly enlightenment.

PSS: BONGHITS4JESUS

The difference, OkieKAS, is that the blog post in question is remarkably similar to others' testimonies, including those related by a best friend of mine who just completed more than a decade of missionary service with the SBC and resigned this Spring because of similar frustrations and an unwillingness of the SBC to honestly address some of the concerns of those in the field.

If it were an isolated incident, I might more easily dismiss this pastor's concerns. And nothing from his previous blog entries provided "heavenly enlightment" that would discount what he said in the blog post in question.

[Dark Jedi]

It seems like the sale of the buildings would have benefited these villages more than the locals hanging onto them. If the Catholic missionaries come in, they'll bring a lot of economic growth and opportunity which would not be available otherwise.

Sure, this pastor will have to find another home, but the community will be better off when the Catholics (who are very experienced at missionary work in the 3rd world) come in and start their work.

They'll also tell them that condoms cause AIDS. (they've been doing that for years, a major reason AIDS is rampant in Africa.)

A little economic growth is not a bad trade for losing 3/4 of your adult population to a preventable epidemic.

[OkieKAS]

My issue with this is not the fact that it may harbor some truth to it, as posted on the Pastor's blog. My issue with all of it it, simply, the issue of finger pointing.

Who cares who did what? The main concern should be focused on the needs of the people being served and not who did what or who gave more.

You should only be concerned that YOU did your share.

Why didn't you post this as: SBC robbing ‘the least of these’? and not "Christians".........

Before I would point my finger at any entity, I would make sure that I was above sin, first and foremost.

The entire issue was the sins of the SBC, as though not any other entity was guilty.

We ARE all going to be accountable for what we did and most certainly for what we failed to do.

The Bible says that we ALL fall short of the glory of God.

Don't point fingers just step in and pick up the slack.

[jbrown84]

Well said.

[PUGalicious]

My issue with this is not the fact that it may harbor some truth to it, as posted on the Pastor's blog. My issue with all of it it, simply, the issue of finger pointing.

Expressing dismay at any action could be construed as finger pointing.

Who cares who did what? The main concern should be focused on the needs of the people being served and not who did what or who gave more.

I don't think this was a comparison on who gave more. This was an observation that an organization who certainly had plenty was yanking the rug out from under a local pastor who had very little. That I care about.

You should only be concerned that YOU did your share.

While I would generally agree with you, it will always concern me when one church organization makes a decision that adversely impacts another church.

Why didn't you post this as: SBC robbing ‘the least of these’? and not "Christians".........

Because I did not want to scapegoat a single denomination within the headline. This is not a phenomenon solely restricted to the SBC, even though this particular story took this particular SBC action to task.

Before I would point my finger at any entity, I would make sure that I was above sin, first and foremost.

Do you practice what you preach in every post of yours?

The entire issue was the sins of the SBC, as though not any other entity was guilty.

This particular story related to one specific action by one specific group. Nowhere did the pastor claim that no other entity was guilty.

We ARE all going to be accountable for what we did and most certainly for what we failed to do.

No argument here.

The Bible says that we ALL fall short of the glory of God.

No argument here.

Don't point fingers just step in and pick up the slack.

That's a nice platitude.

[OkieKAS]

You know what....I seldom get involved in aspects of religion. To each it's own.

But, since, apparently, you have made the efforts to quote me or to take apart my opinions, then I am of the belief, in all fairness, that Pastor Mitch, be made aware of these comments, as such as they may be.

I am not one that would refer to any subject that involved the mentioning of anyone's name or entity of Church, that I would feel comfortable with in making comments regarding, and the author not be informed, thereof. Consider him informed.

Essentially, he and his Church are in Norman and the blog that you referred to, has information pertaining to his family on it.

My opinions are of such that I will always stand by them. I do not treat them lightly, essentially in regards to my spiritual beliefs.

In lieu of this, I am still of the opinion that it is finger-pointing and you need to only put your money where your mouth is.

Give until it hurts! Don't blame and finger - point at any entity, because as you see fit to do unto others, God will, also, see fit to do unto you.

As for the "Christians robbing......" or SBC or any other entity not stepping up to the plate, then I await your statistics on ALL religious organizations that did provide support or failed to.

[OkieKAS]

First, I would never take it upon myself to "preach" anything. Although one could say that when I stood before others, they may have likened it to preaching. I didn't tote a Bible, however.

I will pro-offer my highly assertive opinion(s), as I feel necessary, and I will stand upon my own two feet in doing so. I am fully accountable for what I cite or write.

Foremost, I do take it upon my own soul to never part with any of it, so, yes, I, not only practice what I believe, I actually LIVE it.

In everything I have ever posted in my entire life, I have lived and believed in with all of my being. Even in jest. As you can see in my profile, my actual name, in all accuracy, is posted, therein, as well as where I dwell, at the moment.

So........ if the witch hunt comes for me, then they will always know EXACTLY where to find me. As does God.