The Love of Money

This post is probably a little bit more of a rant, and less about the work that is going on down in Haiti, but I feel like it goes along with talking about the poverty that exists around the world. I apologize if its a little uncomfortable or if I seem too self-righteous.

I've been working for MMDR/Live Beyond for about 6 months now, and I've gotten to spend some time in Haiti and see the poverty that exists there.  I've mentioned in previous posts how little the people live off of but I don't think it truly registers with a lot of people.  I know before I was able to see it for myself and get to know the people who live in it poverty was just a word attributed to a population in a different country.  When you don't know people living on less than a dollar a day, its easy to hear statistics then brush them aside and forget about them.  It is being engulfed in this poverty that has led me to become a little bit cynical about a lot of things that go on here in Brentwood.  While America as a whole is guilty of not spending their money in a Godly way, I think the greatest tragedy is when we can't even trust the Church to spend money in a way that lines up with God's ideals.

Shortly after returning from this last trip down to Haiti, Liz and I were headed to church like we are most Sundays.  This particular Sunday, though, I was not very excited about going to worship because I knew that this service would not be a time of praise.  The service was being held in the Belmont University Curb Event Center as opposed to our normal church facilities, because they wanted to have the entire congregation together in one service to discuss a new building campaign.  On any other Sunday our church, like most churches, has a few services throughout the morning, and people come to whichever service is most comfortable for them.  This service, though, they felt that it was necessary to rent out a larger space in order to talk to everyone about raising money to build a bigger church.  The church they were planning would mean tearing down major parts of the current building and expanding onto the adjacent land that was owned by the church.  During this service, they also showed a video of what could be expected in the new building.  Like any good Brentwood church there was a place to have food and drink coffee, there was a huge open lobby area where people could hang out before and after services, there was a play-place for the kids, and there was a massive overhaul of the current worship rooms.   The total cost for this project is estimated at $12 million...

While I was not happy that the church was wanting to raise money for renovations when the current facility was perfectly acceptable, I was appalled when I heard how much money we were being asked to give to expand the building.  Did they not know what $12 million could do?  How could it be possible that God's people could focus on where they would drink their church coffee while there are over a billion people on this earth who are dealing with unclean water.  Did they not know that in the time it took most people to read this dozens of children would die from starvation?  How can so many be in so much pain, while we worry about where to eat lunch after church?  Needless to say, I spent the rest of that worship service truly believing that the pastors of the church were losing a spiritual battle and it pissed me off.

I think that often times, here in the states it is easy to forget about those that are suffering around the world because we don't see them on a regular basis.  Even when things pop up on the news from time to time about starvation or poverty around the world, I think it doesn't really resonate with Americans because we don't want it to.  If we start accepting the fact that there are real people dying right now, then we would be forced to make major changes in our lives.  Maybe if we were to go without eating at the expensive restaurants then others could have something to eat at all.  I will be the first to admit that there are a lot of changes that I could make that I just don't want to.  I could give up more comforts and it would probably save lives somewhere.  Those of you who know that MMDR is changing its name to LiveBeyond have likely already heard me talk about this, but I think the name represents a lot of what Americans need to think more about.  We need to begin living beyond our own comforts and luxuries, so that those living in poverty can live beyond their next meal.  So that children can live beyond their first birthday.  So that mothers can live beyond their pregnancy.  So that entire countries can live beyond starvation and unclean water.   

I have come to accept that my pastors are merely complying to the world around them.  While it is definitely not what God would do with that money it is what most would expect them to do with the money.  If I were to be filled with anger toward the pastors, I would also need to be angry at the entire nation, including myself.  Selfishly, I tell myself that I am already sacrificing by serving in Haiti and abroad, but there is always more to be done. Even while I write this, I am contemplating what my next step needs to be in my fundraising for the work going on in Haiti.  I tell myself that I won't be able to keep doing the work without more fundraising, but in actuality I just won't be able to continue doing the work and be as comfortable as I want to be.

Posted in: