Am I Wrong Here? Rant.

Had a friend who was a preacher. Went to college and all that. He married a military brat. They started to have kids. Ended up at 4. During all that time, they moved, I would say 5 times before they ended up in North Carolina. At that time, she put her foot down even though he kept saying God had called him and so forth. In truth, first church he was at...the church had a decision to make...they had 2 part time preachers...one was in Youth ministry and the other one ministered to special needs people...Deaf people in particular (I'm deaf myself). Guess which one got selected to be full time? The Youth ministry one. So he said God called him elsewhere and went on that. Part time...part time eventually he did get a full time job being a preacher but the wife just got fed up with all the moves that she said no more. Asked for a divorce which she got. He has moved back to his home town (Kansas City) and isn't a preacher anymore. He works at something completely different but does pay child support. She was just fed up with him moving around and due to her background as a military brat...just was wanting to establish deep roots and all that. He lost that full time job due to the divorce.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Of course, there's always the possibility that he is legit, but clueless as to how to tell people. Instead of asking for money, it would probably have been better to have posted something like this:

I feel the Lord is leading me into ministry in another state. I'm asking for people to join me in prayer while I continue to seek the Lord's guidance in this matter.

He'd probably get more people willing to give money w/something like this since there was no solicitation for funds.

But if he really wants money, then he needs to be forthright and ask for it.
Not a 'veiled' manipulation of emotions in words to get what he wants without asking for it.
Those kinds give legit Christians, a bad name.

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I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

If he is just an acquaintance and you don't plan on donating any money...I wouldn't even give it another thought. He is God's problem, jmho.

Whodunit, who requested the, "friend," on FB?

I don't remember. He was a college acquaintance. That's the weird thing about Facebook. Before it, I kept in contact with about 3 or 4 good friends all from college or adulthood. These have spanned anywhere from 24 to 30 years.

Facebook comes along and you get into contact with people you knew from 20 years ago. You catch up a bit and then you finally realize why you never really kept in contact.

I think it's time to weed out some people. I've been contemplating doing this for professional purposes anyway, so it all works out.

I'm not exactly sure how to "de-friend" someone. Anyone know how?

"church work is BIG business and some are really good at it. I think some here have taken it to new lows. there is one church in OKC now Tulsa and other states that have one live service and then "show" it to all the other church. One minister x how many locations x tithe+ lodes of money. now I ask how does this work???? I thought church was to be a little more intimate ( tv preaching is bad enough) and also not held in movie theaters. I feel that many people use God in a way that is unseemly and just for profit.

There is a protocol for taking one's show "on the road", but it calls for ultimate faith, not money. If the guy needs a business plan or model, tell him to browse the New Testament and read about the 13 guys who pioneered the process.

No need to switch states to go looking for lost livestock to brand.....they are everywhere....Joe

True, but apparently his researched showed this area was "under-churched." However he seems to be spending most of his time playing games and eating out at restaurants.

Again, I'm not saying I spend all my time as a lay-minister, but I didn't specifically say that I wanted to reach the "unchurched" and ask friends to fund my move.

I find a christian swindler to be no different than a non christian grifter... The only difference is, a christian scammer uses a particular belief to get the money they want.. and use "god" to make them sound legit..

Being a christian is something different to every person who calls their self one... Some mean well, most I find don't.. they use it as an excuse to make their selves feel good about their self..

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Never let your fear decide your fate!
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit

Technically, a swindler or scammer is not a christian, not even if they claim to be.

What do you guys think about these kinds of christians?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1501934

I think we may have a branch of that church here.

Actions make a person a Christian, not words or fishes on cars or license plates and shirts with preacher on them.

I think it is very common for people to hear their own voice and think it is God's.

I understand your discomfort!

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Taxes, in excess of what are needed to fulfill the constitutionally authorized activity of government, are theft

I believe it is faith in the finished work of Christ that makes one a Christian.

Actions show that one is a disciple. But faith makes you a Christian. Not all Christians are disciples.

My $0.02, and I may be accused of splitting hairs....

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Taxes, in excess of what are needed to fulfill the constitutionally authorized activity of government, are theft

................Over the years I have had multiple discussions with preachers of various religions..........the essence of their response was , God knows the hearts(motivation(s) of these folks and he will deal with them in his own way and time ! So , a big part of the problem is that the 'Faithful' members of their congretations are so blinded by their own lack of objective analysis relative to their preacher that essentially everything they spend money on is .....OK ! The faithful just absolutely refuse to believe that , Binny Sinn , Kenneth Copeland , etal . are stealing the contributions given to the church . , fordy

http://www.openbible.info/topics/jud...low_christians

I can't disagree with that.

Lots of people say they are Christians. None of us are perfect but actions speak louder than words. Human actions don't make one a Christian but they do show that one is a Christian. Few churches will hire a pastor without a degree.

Fordy, it's not just the so-called pastors who want what's in your pocket that are problematic. There are an awful lot of people who preach unBiblical doctrines like the prosperity doctrine and completive prayer.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

When we were seeking a new church having just moved back, we walked into one..seemed great, people were nice, free cookies were superb! We sat down and noticed the huge TV in the front but thought nothing of it. Imagine our surprise when it flickered on and there was the pastor..broadcasting from another town. The congregation would reply to him, as if he could hear them (he could not)..it was just eerie seeing the mass of people responding to an image on a screen. When the service was done the lady in front of us asked how we liked it and I replied that I enjoyed the message, but it was too bad the pastor couldn't be there in person. She looked at me like and said this is always how it is.

We never went back..not my cup of tea. I can understand this kind of service if a church is extremely remote or a pastor has more than one church and rotates, but this was not the case. It was very robotic to me and we never did go back.