Money and Missions: We Steal More than we Give

In the process of writing a chapter for a forthcoming book, I have come across a rather troubling statistic.  Here's the situation, or perhaps I'll ease you into it ...

1. In 1995, the International Journal of Missionary Research reported that the total amount of money embezzled globally from churches and Christian organization for the year totaled US$2 billion. (International Bulletin of Missionary Research, January 1996)

2. By the year 2000, the total amount of donations misappropriated (i.e. stolen) had surged to US$13.2 billion. (IBMR, January 2000) 

2. By 2009, that figure had risen to US$27 billion and was reportedly growing at a rate of 5.77% annually.  (IBMR, January 2009)

3. The latest figures show that "ecclesiastical crime" has now surpassed US$37 billion.  (IBMR, January 2013)

By comparison, the same reports showed total foreign mission giving in 1995 at US$12 billion, 600% greater than ecclesiastical crime total.  By 2000, Christians were still spending the same amount on foreign mission (US$12 billion), but were by then embezzling a billion dollars more per year from their churches and organizations. In 2009, we gave US$25 billion to foreign missions and now we reportedly give about US$33 billion.  Forget the fact that this amounts to only about 0.09% of our total personal income (by the way, this percentage has remained flat since 1995), more startling is that this is fully US$4 billion less than the amount of money that we steal from donors!!!  To put it another way, while our giving to foreign missions has grown since 1995 by 275% (yay!), the amount we've burgled from ourselves has grown by a whopping 1,850% during that same period (boo!).

What that heck, people?!?! That's just really, really shameful. I'm pondering now how way back in 1818, some Christian leaders were convinced that we'd be able to complete the task of world evangelization within 20 years (Hall & Newell, The Conversion of the World, 1818).  A century later, Mott and the SVMers believed it was "entirely possible to fill the earth with the knowledge of Christ before the present generation passes away" (J.R. Mott, The Evangelization of the World in this Generation, 1902).  More recently so many thought that surely we'd be done by A.D. 2000 (or just a little beyond).  Here's what Ralph Winter wrote in 1989:

"It does not seem impossible for the evangelical congregations of the world to adopt by name all of the remaining unreached peoples by the end of 1991.  This, at least, is a good goal to shoot for.  Then, the agencies need to try to engage every group by the year 1995.  That means for missionaries to be at work, either on the spot or as non-residents.  As the world Christian movement gains momentum, every remaining unreached group becomes closer and closer to other groups where the gospel is already being preached . . . . There does not seem to be any overarching obstacle which would make it impossible for there to be a church for every people by the year 2000." (Winter, "Unreached Peoples: Recent Developments in the Concept", 1989)

It begs the question as to how much our thievery may be hindering our ability to faithfully carry out our God-given mission.  I mean we are certainly robbing God (i.e. not tithing), but then we are robbing his Church in the manner of Hophni and Phineas.  What indeed should we expect from the Lord in the face of this?

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Mal 3:8-10 ESV)


Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD. The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw." And if the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish," he would say, "No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force." Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt. 
(1Sa 2:12-17 ESV)

Quadragesima - A Reflection

The Church has now begun an annual season of reflection, confession, repentance, fasting and seeking the Lord Jesus.  Traditionally known as "Lent" or "Quadragesima", this period of 40 days leads up to the Holy Week, Good Friday and our annual commemoration of Christ's Resurrection.  You may not be observing Lent in a traditional way, but I hope that you are doing something during this time that the Spirit of God can use to draw you closer to Himself.  I also hope you will take a moment to enjoy Adam Young's lovely little video called 40 to set you in the mood.

Orlando 2011: The Most Important Moment of the Day for Me

The first full day of Orlando 2011 has drawn now to a close.  It was a fruitful day and I enjoyed it.  I'm not sure where to go with the post today, but I do want to share a couple thoughts.  The first is devotional -- probably the most important moment of the day for me.  The second is more positional.  That is, I want to highlight and support something that Bishop Hwa Yung said during his speech.

First, tonight Vonette Bright was honored by the Mission America Coalition for her work for the Lausanne Movement and the body of Christ.  She received a nice ovation and then addressed the assembly.  Most of what she said was focused on her late husband, Bill Bright.  She said something like, "To live with Bill Bright was awesome!" She went on from there and left me with a strong sense that here was a woman who had an immense love and respect for her husband and his walk with Christ.

As she spoke, I considered my own death.  I wondered what my wife would say about me.  I realized that if Katherine is ever going to be able to honestly speak thusly about me as her husband, I would need to radically change.  I need a revival as a husband and dad.  I need a revival as a lover of God.

Then Fernando Ortega shared some songs about sin and forgiveness and repentance.  Medicine.

Actually, perhaps it would be good for me to stop here.  Ponder this thought would you?  I will post something else on the day in a bit.

A Biblical Definition of Stealing

I like to compile definitions of familiar terms from looking at the whole of Scripture.  I often find myself doing this when teaching the Bible through a translator.  I find that important often because the terms can have slightly different nuances of meaning from one language to another.  So, by looking at the whole Bible on a topic, I can be very clear about what I'm trying to say and don't have to worry as much about what is getting lost in translation.  Moreover, the process is actually very helpful to me as it invariably expands my own understanding of the term as well.

Today, I am working on a Bible study on the 8th command, "Do not steal" for our Nepali Sunday School program. I will be meeting tonight with our three Nepali Bible teachers, who are still relatively new believers and will be encountering this subject in the Bible for the first time.  So, I began my preparation by going through the whole of Scripture to seek out a full, Biblical definition of "stealing."  This way, I will not have to worry about how the Nepali term "चोराइ" relates to the English "steal".  I can instead focus on exactly what the Bible is speaking out against.  The following is the definition that I have arrived at:


To steal is to either dishonestly take what does not belong to you or to unjustly withhold what belongs to someone else.  This includes the property or wages of another, offerings to God, and even justice and compassion to the poor.  The Bible calls us to live in an opposite way, doing honest work, sharing what we have with those in need, and giving generously and cheerfully to God.

(Ex. 20:15, Gen. 31:30, Gen. 44:8, Lev. 6:1-5, Lev. 19:11-13, Mal. 3:7-10, Ps. 35:10, Pr. 22:16, 22-23, Isa. 10:1-2, Eph. 4:28)

Okay, back to study.  I know it is a bit random today.  But, thought I'd share anyway.  Be blessed in this new year!

Calling the Church to Confession and Revival

"The message of Jesus Christ cannot be proclaimed by people who have nothing to repent of." -- John Raines

Let me begin by directing all of my readers to two important places.  First, much of what I'm about to write is coming from my time of carefully and prayerfully reading through Christ Wright's critically important Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper entitled "Calling the Church Back to Humility, Integrity, and Simplicity." So many great papers have been submitted for the upcoming Lausanne Congress, but this is one that I especially hope the Global Church -- including yourself -- takes very seriously.  What Wright has done in highlighting and commenting upon thepoints in the Lausanne Covenant that express sorrow and failure may seem immensely simple, but it is nonetheless poignant and timely.  If you've not had a chance to read Wright's paper, I sincerely recommend pausing at this point in my article and doing so.

The second and (Wright would agree) more important place to point you to today is the Lausanne Covenant itself.  If you are not familiar with this, the Lausanne Covenant is a masterful work of the global Church created through the first Lausanne Congress in 1974.  The covenant has now become one of the most influential documents in modern Christianity. The Covenant is more than a statement of faith, it is a commitment (hence, "covenant") to a missional course of life. I and Trinity International Baptist Mission commend to you the Lausanne Covenant.  Our church and mission team has spent the past several months studying the covenant and have now officially adopted it, incorporating it into our church constitution.  I wish more churches and ministries would do the same.  It has been especially helpful to use John Stott's study guide of the Covenant, The Lord We Love, to guide our study.

What I offer to you today is perhaps even more simple than Chris Wright's paper.  I can only hope that it is somewhat as helpful. As I read through Wright's paper, I found myself writing down notes in my journal -- questions really -- related to each point of failure, sorrow, and shame that he was mentioning.  One thing led to another and I ended up with a list of self-examination questions.  My second step was to seek out pertinent Scripture verses and passages for each question.  Having done that, I took the time to sit before the Lord, reading and reflecting on the Scripture and confessing my sin.  The whole experience was quite important for me.  So much so that I've shared the list of questions and Bible verses with our church family encouraging them to do the same.  And now, I want to share this with you.

The reason is simple, there is a relationship between confession and revival.  They tend to lead to each other.  As Wright already referenced several Scriptural examples of this in his paper (specifically Deuteronomy 29-31, Joshua 23-24, 2 Kings 22-23, and Nehemiah 8-10), I'll cite a different kind of example. Take a look at the first six minutes or so of this interview with Ray and Anne Ortlund as they recount their experience of what happened one cold week at Wheaton College in 1970.





Note the connection between confession and revival, revival and confession.  It got me wondering.  God has done great things through such revivals in the past, but He's never before gathered such a group of leaders as what will come to Cape Town next month.  More than 4,000 of the best leaders the global Church has, from 200 nations.  What if God did more than inspire and enlighten our minds?  What if He started a revival among us?  What if?

Well, it is in that spirit that I offer you the following list of questions and Scriptures.  My encouragement to you all is that you will take the time to sit before the Lord (whether you are actually going to Cape Town or participating from afar) and ask yourself each of these.  Prayerfully read the accompanying  Bible verses as well.  Confess your sins and failures.  Let God cleanse you and revive us.  May He do so on a global scale.

Questions for Self-Examination & Confession

1. How have we become conformed to the world? (Romans 12:2)
2. How have we withdrawn from the world? (John 17:15-18)
3. How have we concealed the cost of discipleship? (Matthew 10:38)
4. How have we betrayed the gospel? (Galatians 1:6-9)
5. How have we lacked a living faith? (2 Thessalonians 1:3)
6. How have we lacked genuine love for people? (Romans 13:8)
7. How have we lacked scrupulous honesty? (Ephesians 4:25)
8. How have we identified the Church with specific cultures, political groups, or ideologies? (Matthew 6:33, Isaiah 55:9)
9. How have we failed to respond to poverty? (Isaiah 61:1-3)
10. How have we failed to respond to injustice? (Isaiah 61:1-3)
11. How have we failed to adopt a simple lifestyle? (Matthew 6:19-21)
12. How have we pursued church growth at the expense of church depth? (Colossians 1:28-29)
13. How have we led as dominators rather than as servants? (Mark 10:42-45)
14. How have we been deceptive about the Bible and gospel? (Romans 16:18)

Questions for Prayer, Discernment, and Obedience (following Chris Wright's "three key challenges" mentioned in his paper)

1. How do we move from the idol of power to humility?
2. How do we move from the idol of success to integrity?
3. How do we move from the idol of greed to simplicity?

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."  (1 John 1:1-2:2)

Repentance, Sinfulness and Hinduism

Let me take the opportunity today to share with you all a question that I recently received from a friend engaged in work among South Asian Hindus in a North American city.  Since responding to this email, I’ve found myself feeling the need to share my response with several others.  Perhaps, you also will find reflecting on this question and my response to be helpful.



First, here is the question that I received:

Dear Cody,

Yesterday evening at our church prayer meeting, I mentioned my plan for this Sunday's lesson, and someone prayed that the [South Asians we are reaching out to] would repent of following after the wrong gods and turn to Jesus.

That got me to thinking about the issue of repentance. Without some understanding of the need for repentance, what does "following Jesus" mean? I acknowledge that God meets people where they are; whatever small steps we may take towards Him are all valuable. The Holy Spirit initiates everything, and in fact, "No man can come to the Father unless the Father draws him."

Still, when you have a moment, please share your thoughts on the place of repentance in coming to Christ. My sense is that when we mention the word "sin" "sins", Hindus think of really awful things like murder, and do not think of themselves as sinners. One Sunday I was with the children in the church's "Children's Church" program, and each child was to draw the silhouette of his/her hand on a piece of paper, then write on it one sin they had committed and then tack the hand onto a large cross. The Hindu children denied everything! They did not lie; they did not take someone else's things; they obeyed their parents.

When we were in South Asia, it seemed to us that Hindus thought of sin in terms of failures in their religious ritual observances. The moral sins they seemed to gloss over as "mistakes." These were excused more readily.

It's great sharing with you, but perhaps I should not trouble you...

 Jaya Masihi,

[A Friend]



And now, my response:


Dear Friend,


I appreciate the chance to hear your reflections on these things.  Of course, the issue of how repentance fits into salvation isn’t exclusively a South Asian one.  That is, I don’t know that people from Hindu backgrounds are especially handicapped in understanding their need for a savior, their sinfulness, etc.  Honestly, this subject is one that I’ve wrestled with in every ministry context I’ve been in – Americans, Chinese, Burmese, Ethiopians, Nepalis, etc.  How repentant does a person need to be?  How sinful do they need to think they are?  I’m not even sure if I’ve really figured this out in my own heart as it applies to my own life.
     
Nevertheless, there are a few thoughts that come to mind that I think might be helpful for you to reflect upon.  I know I could write pages on all these, but I’m going to try to make myself be brief.


Centered Set v. Bounded Set


The first thing I’d point you towards is Paul Hiebert’s work regarding “Centered” and “Bounded” sets.  You may be familiar with this already, but I’ve found it extraordinarily helpful in thinking about my mission field.  It helps me to forget about drawing artificial lines between who is saved and who is not – as if I can know.  It reminds me of my call to make disciples rather than converts.  From this view, repentance no longer becomes a question that primarily bears upon a person’s “profession of faith”.  Rather, it is an issue of critical importance throughout the life of that disciple.  From this perspective, I am reminded that for Shanti (a new follower of Jesus) to turn away from false gods was not just something that she did.  It is something that she must do, continually and for the rest of her life.


If the concept of centered and bounded sets is unfamiliar to you, I strongly suggest that you check out the following resources.  First, there is Hiebert’s original, ground-breaking article.  Second, you can watch this brief summary video on the topic.


Guilt, Shame, Fear
Repentance is an appropriate emphasis that really does transcend cultures.  However, it may be the case that Western theology has tended to favor a particular interpretation of “metanoia” that emphasizes “guilt/innocence” in a way that is difficult for people from other cultures to quickly grasp.  Here’s the announcement of Jesus:


“καὶ λέγων ὅτι πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ: μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.”



“The time is fulfilled.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe the gospel.”  (Mark 1:15).


We could translate the last sentence more literally as, “Change your mind and believe in the gospel.”  Certainly a mind-change about behavioral morality should be a part of that, but must that be the primary emphasis?  What if the person we are sharing with can much more easily grasp the concept of shame and honor?  Of fear and freedom and power?  I think a key is to come to understand what is the “bad news” as, in this case, South Asians understand it.  Where has sin and Satan taken hold of the people and the culture?  This is the point where we must preach the gospel vigorously.  I recommend taking a look at chapter 5 of my book Ethnographic Chicago, which talks about spiritual conflict in a folk Hindu context.  I guess my point is that rather than work so hard to get Ethiopians, Nepalis, Pakistanis, or Burmese to agree with us as to what their problem is and why they need a Savior, why not discover what they already believe to be the problem?  Why do they think they need a savior?  Whatever the answer is found to be, does the gospel say anything about that?  Did Jesus die for that?


Sinfulness in Hinduism
On the issue of sin itself.  If I find myself in a situation where I have a Hindu telling me that they aren’t sinful, I need to find a humble way to explain Hinduism to them a little better.  Let me explain.  Some time ago, I got word that a few of the older men in our Nepali community were feeling hesitant to continue coming to our Satsangs because of our frequent use and broad application of the Sanskrit/Nepali term “paapi” (meaning “sinner”).  I came to understand that this term had a very narrow application among Nepalis.  It referred to criminals and to the absolute dregs of society.  Once I discovered this, I took the time to teach about the word from a Biblical perspective.  I warned against the dangers of comparisons and told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  The story, which I told in a very interactive way, was very well-received.  I also used that teaching time to remind everyone of a famous Hindu mantra.  It was a mantra that most were somewhat familiar with, though many have not taken the time to consider the meaning.  The most memorable line of the mantra goes like this:


“Paapoham paapakarmaanam paapaatmaa paapasambuva”

Which means, “I am a sinner by birth and deeds, my soul is depraved by sin; I am conceived in sin.”  John Calvin couldn’t have said it better himself.  I also had a conversation personally with a Hindu man about this topic.  I found that he was hesitant to disagree with Jesus’ assessment of his soul.  And he seemed downright embarrassed to discover that a mantra he had heard all his life confirmed the fact that he indeed was a sinner.  Of course, it still doesn’t mean that he’s going to understand sin primarily as an issue of guilt that must be atoned for or misdeeds that must be confessed.  He may more easily conceive of sin resulting in shame and separation from God and/or leading to his victimization by and bondage to evil spirits.  I’m okay with that.  What I’m praying for is that he’ll see his need to be saved – his need for God’s Muktidata (salvation-giver).


Airport Pick Up

Let me close with a story that illustrates well for me what I think needs to happen in people’s hearts:
     
It was a Tuesday, a couple weeks ago. I was in the international terminal at Chicago O’Hare awaiting the arrival of flight 37 from Seoul which carried a bunch of Koreans and a few Bhutanese-Nepali refugee families. I was there to pick up a young Hindu couple who I end up being related to through my Nepali sister’s family. Anyway, we had to wait a long time for them to clear customs and I found myself pacing back and forth throughout the terminal.

Well, I walked all the way down to the far end of the building and then pivoted back towards the area where some of my Nepali friends were sitting (they had come to help me greet the new arrivals). They were sitting in an area near an escalator that led to the intra-airport train that took people to domestic terminals. As I began making my way back to that seating area, I saw a small group of people quickly emerge from one of the gates and hurriedly proceed towards the escalator. Leading the group was a middle-aged woman wearing a blue IOM (International Office of Migration) vest and rather impatiently commanding her followers to hurry along. She was followed by a young (mid to late twenties) Nepali couple who were each holding small children (toddlers) in their arms. The husband was mustached, maybe 29, and speedily walking about 10 paces behind the IOM worker. He was intently following, occasionally giving a nervous look back to his wife who was perhaps another 10 steps behind him. The IOM worker was halfway up the steps before the Nepali man reached the bottom of the mysterious moving staircase. He hesitated for a couple seconds and then, prompted by the impatient IOM worker, lunged onto the first step.

A few seconds later, his wife reached the escalator. I was now maybe 20 yards away and saw her look down at the moving stairs and simply freeze. Somehow, in that second, I knew her. She was my sister. She was Nepal. She was all nations. She was Jesus. I knew her heart. And I was Jesus. And I was the Church. And I was her brother. And I was my same old sinful self.  

I moved quickly now as I heard the IOM worker, now at the top of the escalator, somewhat angrily barking at the woman to come up the stairs. I saw her husband looking back helplessly as the machine carried him further and further away from his bride. In seconds, I was standing at her side. “Topailai dar lagyo?” I asked gently. She turned to see a big, white American speaking to her in her heart language. Her eyes were filled with tears, her face was simple and pretty, her arms were tired from holding her baby for hours – she exuded fear from her whole being. And yet, without even a tinge of surprise to hear me speaking Nepali and with absolute trust, she replied, “Yes,” with a graceful tilting of her head.  

I reached my arm over the handrail that divided us and firmly gripped her right arm. Her small frame gave off no resistance as I gently but forcefully led her forward. In a second, she was on the step. A few seconds later, she was gone – off to face an airport train, a connecting flight, and countless other scary and imposing challenges.  I took a deep breath and turned towards my Nepali friends. Only one word came to my mind, “Bichaara.” I figure that there is no good English word for this. It means something like, “I feel pity and love and compassion with and for that person.”

I have not been able to escape that moment. Those few seconds, for some reason, landed so powerfully upon me. Later in the day, I couldn’t help but cry as I relayed the story to my wife. My feeling has been that somehow, God was able to compress everything that I am into that one interaction. That is who I am. That is who I want to be. That is what I want my life to consist of.     


The following Sunday I relayed that story to our community during the Satsang.  Then I explained that sin leaves us in the condition of that young woman.  Scared, paralyzed, helpless, separated from the one who loves us (God).  We look down at the moving steps and realize that we can do nothing, absolutely nothing to close the gap between ourselves and God.  Then there is a voice in our ears.  “Are you afraid?” it asks.  And that’s Jesus.  And he’s down at the ground-level with us.  And he has learned to speak our language.  We are afraid.  But, just like that young woman, we have an opportunity to trust him.  And if we say, “Yes," if we trust our lives to him, he’ll reach out a gentle and firm hand and take us to our Father.    


Well, so much for brevity.  Thank you for reading through my Blog-pistle today.  May the Lord bless you as you serve Him!