Texas Baptist Forum

Texas Baptist Forum

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Money over God

Greed is destroying America from within. Yes, the love of money is the source of all kinds of evil. Yes, we are our brothers’/sisters’ keepers. Yes, it does take a village to raise a child. Yes, we are currently living in God’s kingdom on Earth, and greed is not a kingdom value.

If Jesus were living in the United States today, he would be vilified by the prophets of greed. Jesus would go to Wall Street and turn over the moneychangers’ tables, asking: “What are you doing corrupting God’s kingdom with your selfishness? Agents of greed, how is your love of money consistent with the ‘In God We Trust’ slogan inscribed on your currency?”

Should we change “In God We Trust” on our bills and coinage to “In Business We Trust,” “In Greed We Trust,” “In Marketplace We Trust” or “In Money We Trust”?

We keep on glibly pleading for God to bless America, but I don’t believe God is pleased with our loving money more than we love God. Only God’s transforming love can bring real, needed change to our country. We might start by reforming an economic system that runs on greed and that unjustly makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Reform could happen if we loved the poor as much as God does.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Spiritual healthcare

Maybe you’ve noticed there’s a spiritual healthcare crisis in our churches. I believe churches have missed what God intended.


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During his ministry on Earth, Jesus spent most of his time with widows, orphans, sick people, the poor and especially sinners. In the Bible, he is called a Friend of sinners. In today’s churches, most condemn and ultimately reject many of these people.

The church of the Bible clearly was a hospital for these types. Jesus even said he came for the “sick.” Jesus, the Great Physician, came to heal the diseases that sin has brought and to set people free from the slavery of addictions.

Churches will continue running people out until they adopt a hospital mentality. What kind of hospital would receive healthy people and reject the sick? Church is the place to be sick, but like a hospital, it is not a place for staying sick.

The good news is that this healthcare plan has no flaws to work out, and we don’t have to compromise between two parties or have it signed by the president. It’s already been endorsed by the Creator of the universe with a 100 percent guarantee of its success.

Kevin Hester

Coloma, Mich.

 

 


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