THOSE TV PREACHERS!

Are you sometimes irritated by those TV evangelists who take advantage of gullible people who may have been hurt & turn to TV preachers who (at least by stereotype) get rich from the money their viewers send in?.

This isn’t about that particular kind of TV preacher. 

It’s about another kind of TV preacher.

The kind of TV preachers I’m talking about display smug self-righteousness. They seem to enjoy condemning others who don’t measure up to their level of legalistic beliefs & values. They look down their noses at those on a lower moral plane than they are.

This kind of TV preacher sees the pulpit they preach from as an inherent right, & may the Lord help anyone who would try to ignore them or take their pulpit away from them.

This kind of TV preacher demands to be heard & respected as a herald of what is right & enlightened. They see themselves as authorities on all things spiritual & moral.

Who are these TV preachers? Here's just one of them...

CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM?

Some have seen in Acts an incipient “Christian socialism.” They use passages like Acts 2:43-45 & 4:32-35 to show that the early believers practiced socialism. For a number of reasons, that idea is just not true.

First, socialism is generally non-theistic or agnostic. I say this not because those might be most common beliefs among socialists. I say it because socialism in effect replaces the biblical idea of God as provider, protector, executor of justice, & even Savior. Government & its bureaucracy become the replacement for God.

Second, socialism is wealth transfer. What we see in Acts is a response that today would be called relief. It is making sure that victims of a natural disaster or other kind of calamity are kept housed, fed, & clothed. It only keeps people alive, but it doesn’t empower or enable them to care for themselves.

Third, socialism is coercive. The wealth transfer in Acts was voluntary as a compassionate response to a very real need. No one was required to give or penalized for not giving. Socialism would never happen if people were given the option to not participate.

Fourth, socialism seeks to create utopia thru human effort. It is one thing to seek to alleviate the terrible effects of sin & the curse while recognizing that ultimate cure will only come thru God’s sovereign action. It is something totally different to presume that human effort can remove the effects of human rebellion against God.

What do I say this? Because Christians have no business pushing this idea. They need to take a closer look at Scripture.