Demise of Evangelical gods of Money and Power

Global Economic Crisis; Demise of Evangelical gods of Money and Power

By Kato Mivule | May 4, 2009

As the world continues to reel back and forth in this current global economic crisis with no end in sight but only amplified by the ‘Swine Flu’ Pandemic, undercurrents in the global evangelical community are sweeping against the gods of Mammon and Political Power that have so much been idolized in the Westernized Christian Church.

The Fatal Love of Money and Political Power…

Much of the current global economic woes we currently face are a direct result of greed, self-indulgence, control, and manipulation, vices that the Westernized Church fell victim to. If part of the Westernized Church was not compromised by the Love of Money, she then fell for the Love of Political Power.

In as much as the current economic correction has come to the secular world, The Lord in His Providence has allowed this current global economic crisis to affect His Church so as to ‘strike’ at the gods of Mammon and Political Power inside Christendom.

Oblivion to the undercurrents…

Yet when one listens to many preachers and pastors on pulpits today, it seems that they are oblivious to what is going on and they continue preaching prosperity and agitating for ‘Christian Conservative Governmental Rule’, deliberately ignoring the fact that the rug is being pulled out from underneath them.

By a ‘Name it and Claim it’ faith, the ‘Prosperity Money Lovers’ continue to preach prosperity and more materialism, championed by the likes of Creflo Dollar and the Trinity Broadcasting Network – TBN group. Yet on the other end are the Dr. James Dobson and the champions of Political Christianity who seek to take Liberal Governments back onto a path of Conservative Christian Theocratic Rule.

On his recent Focus on the Family Radio Programs, Dr. James Dobson has been lamenting how he has such a “heavy heart” because of what the current ‘Liberals’ are doing both in Congress, Senate, and the White House – of course in reference to Barrack Obama and his support for Gays and Abortion rights.

However, Dr. James Dobson had better take care of himself because the ‘heaviness of heart’ is not going to subside any time soon but only increase to a point where Evangelical Christians will be placed in their rightful place as a minority rather than a self-claimed majority in the American society – which has been a place of presumption, arrogance, and wishful thinking by Political Evangelical Christians in America.

Yet Dr. James Dobson would better serve the Body of Christ by simply placing ‘Focus on the Family’ rather than steer the church towards Political Christian posturing in hopes that America will become a “Christian Nation” again. For the god of Political Evangelical Power has been overthrown.

Better still, Dr. James Dobson could still borrow a leaf from Paul the apostle in his letter to the Christians in Rome who where a minority in Rome and lived under Roman dictatorship, being persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to the Christian in Rome about how to self conduct in a secular society and not how to ‘overthrow’ secular governments and install Christian Theocratic Rule.

Tides beating against Westernized Church won’t subside…
The current Social and Economic tides beating against the Westernized Church are not going to subside but only increase with intensity until the day Jesus Christ comes back in the clouds with all His Glory. The days of Political Evangelical Christianity are gone, the days of Christian Prosperity Gospel are gone, and those who still fight for and hope for Material Christian Prosperity and Political Christianity are only seeing a mirage in the desert.

In the America, the days of Republican Politicians ‘even’ using Evangelical Christians for political gain are gone; Evangelical Christians are increasingly seen as a political liability. The Gospel of Prosperity has been dealt a death blow by the current economic crisis. Many churches are being foreclosed and other on the verge of being foreclosed because they cannot keep up with mortgage payments on the Million Dollar Loans they took to construct the Mega Church Complexes.

The Lord is using the current economic crisis to knock down all the gods of Mammon and Political Power in His Church. I believe that the days of the Mega Church Prosperity Gospel and Political Evangelical Christianity are over. Recent Press reports in the USA show that a number of churches are being foreclosed, unable to pay their mortgages due to the rising unemployment among believers after Churches borrowed a whooping six Billion US Dollars for Church construction projects…

“Lenders specializing in church properties are reporting rising rates of delinquency and foreclosure, but at least one pastor thinks that may mean good news for the Kingdom. In December 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported Evangelical Christian Credit Union of Brea, Calif. moved to foreclosure on seven of its 2,000 member churches in 2008 and expects to take similar action on two more this year. And, another church lender, Church Mortgage Loan Corp. of Maitland, Fla., filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008 after being unable to sell the 10 church properties it had foreclosed on in recent years. While churches have long been considered good credit risks, borrowing for church construction jumped from $3.8 billion in 1997 to $6.2 billion in 2007. Now, as construction financing dries up and collections dwindle, many congregations find themselves without places to worship…”

Christian Newswire, April 30, 2009; Orange County Church Sees Silver Lining in Rise of Church Foreclosures
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/110410236.html

Even more theatrical is that members of the foreclosed Churches are oblivious to what is going one, only to find locks on their houses of worship and see Church buildings auctioned off…

“The red brick St. Andrews Anglican Church in wealthy Easton, Maryland, was known for its open door. It hosted family movie nights, and weekend spaghetti dinners. Most people had no idea anything was amiss, until the bank took the key, and the church building was foreclosed and sold at auction…”

IPS NEWS, April 14, 2009: ECONOMY-US: Foreclosing on God
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46497

Still among wealthy US neighborhoods in Maryland, the god of Mammon is being knocked down to the ground that the affluent of American society cannot sustain the Mega Church Growth delicacies of Westernized Christianity.

Repercussions in Africa…

What do these events mean for the Brethren in Uganda, Africa? Will the Prosperity and Political Christian Movement, a foster child of Westernized Christianity survive the overthrow of the gods of Money and Power in Evangelical Christianity?

Of recent, Ugandan Media news has been awash with stories in which Uganda’s most prominent Prosperity Gospel Preacher and Political Evangelical, Robert Kayanja has been accused of Sodomy and Sexual Abuse of underage boys. The story has been going on for a longtime but a group of Pastors gathered medical evidence from the abused boys and filled police charges against Pastor Robert Kayanja who happens to be a TBN favorite of Paul Crouch; coincidentally Paul Crouch was taken to court himself for Sodomy in California some years ago. Pastor Kayanja claims the Sodomy Allegations are baseless according to the Ugandan Press.

“…Pastor Kyazze’s response follows a Sunday press briefing held by pastor Kayanja and his personal aide, Mr Chris Muwonge at Miracle Centre, alleging he was kidnapped on April 18 by unknown gunmen who wanted him to testify that his boss was sodomising boys in his church. “I have never been involved in any efforts to undermine or discredit any pastor or individuals at Rubaga Miracle Centre. I have no quarrel or anything personal against Pastor Kayanja or my brothers and sisters at Rubaga Miracle Centre,” Pastor Kyazze’s Press statement sent to Daily Monitor yesterday reads in part. He added: “My struggle has been and will be to fight for the increasing number of victims of sodomy in our society. If this has been misinterpreted as being an effort to discredit Pastor Kayanja, then it is unfortunate and also dangerous and unfounded insinuation.” Pastor Solomon Male, a close associate of Pastor Kyazze yesterday tore into Pastor Kayanja saying the alleged kidnapped of his aide was faked up to divert the society from accusations of sodomy against him…”

Daily Monitor, April 28, 2009: Church wars: Pastor Kyazze denies Kayanja allegations
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Church_wars_Pastor_Kyazze_denies_Kayanja_allegations_83945.shtml

Making matters worse, is that two other Junior Pastors, Pastor Isaac Kiwewesi of Kansanga Miracle Center and Pastor Grace Kitaka of Liberty Christian Fellowship, both under Pastor Robert Kayanja Miracle Center Churches, have been accused of sodomy and all had police charges opened against them with evidence from the abused boys.

“…Mr Arinaitwe, who says he was employed at Kansanga Miracle Centre from 2002, has filed a case with Kabalagala Police Station alleging that Pastor Kiwewesi sodomised him between 2006 and 2007 and promised to pay him Shs3 million. “He used me until 2007 when he got married. He promised me Sh3 million for my parents and said he would send me to the US to stay there with his cousin,” he told Daily Monitor on Monday. Mr Arinaitwe also accuses Pastor Kiwewesi of harassment and threatening him with death after learning that he was coming out with the “secret”. The OC of Kabalagala Police Station, Ms Dorothy Awori, said police are investigating the matter…”

Daily Monitor, October 2, 2008:Pastor Kiwewesi denies sodomy allegations
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/regional-special/Pastor_Kiwewesi_denies_sodomy_allegations_72442.shtml

“PENTECOSTAL churches are investigating a city pastor accused of engaging in sodomy. “The National fellowship of Born-again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda has set up its own committee to investigate the allegations against Kitaka,” the chairperson, Pastor Alex Mitala, announced yesterday. This followed reports that Pastor Grace Kitaka of Liberty Worship Centre, headed by Pastor Imelda Namutebi, sodomised a boy. Mitala said Pentecostal churches are against homosexuality or activities related to the act…”
New Vision, July 12, 2007: Pastors to probe sodomy allegations
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/575675
Interesting is that all these accused Ugandan Pastors are the champions of the Prosperity Gospel in Uganda, with Mega Churches, Mansions, and expensive SUVs to their names.

However, if the Sodomy litigations against the Ugandan Prosperity Pastors go ahead successfully without the impediment of Uganda’s corrupt Law enforcers, then the top voices of Uganda’s Prosperity Movement will have one of their platforms removed.

Yet still, due to the financial stress that Western Donors are going through, the remittances being sent to Africa are dwindling and that means that the donations to Prosperity Gospel Preachers in Africa from the West are being trimmed down greatly. This translates to the easy access of a flamboyant and materialistic lifestyle being removed from the Prosperity and Materialism preachers in Africa…

Eventually that will mean loss of thousands of dollars in their coffers and thus a heavy financial blow to Uganda’s Prosperity Gospel Movement and eventual fall from Political Evangelical Power – for the gods of Money and Political Power are crumbling in Christendom! The happenings in Uganda’s Evangelical Church are a Case Study for African Evangelicalism.

Events that are changing the landscape…
Two events will forever change the landscape in global Westernized Christianity – the Election of Liberal President Barrack Obama in the USA and the Current Global Economic Crisis. Both signal the fall of the Evangelical gods of Power and Mammon in Westernized Christianity.

Instead Christians had better prepare themselves for a society that will increasingly become agnostic and antagonistic towards Evangelical Christianity. However, this is not without reason, Evangelicals for the last three decades have engaged overtly in militant political maneuvers to install and impose Christian Moral Theocratic Rule politically in the Westernized World and therefore the secular world sees them as suspect.

A clear point of this ‘secular suspect’ of Evangelical Christianity can be seen in the recent poll done by the Pew Research Center according to CNN in which 54 percent of Evangelicals in America thought Torture is justifiable…
“The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey. More than half of people who attend services at least once a week -- 54 percent -- said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is "often" or "sometimes" justified. Only 42 percent of people who "seldom or never" go to services agreed, according to the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life…The president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Leith Anderson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment…”

CNN: Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful; April 30, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/religion.torture/index.html

Though the survey is factual and shows the ideological decadence of Political Evangelical Christianity in Westernized Christianity, such views by the secular world of Evangelical Christianity only help to build a more antagonistic and Antichrist society, totally suspect of any Evangelical activities, even the good.

Christians in an antagonistic and Antichrist society…

However, Jesus Christ was clear that Christianity was not going to be popular but rather suspect, hated, and maligned by the world. But it is in such context that we are to live peacefully and live a Christian Life that reflects the glory of God as we become witnesses of Jesus Christ in a growing Antichrist world…being faithful to the very end.
Revelation 12:10-11
(10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
(11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 13:7-10
(7) And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
(8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(9) If any man have an ear, let him hear.
(10) He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

I believe that Christians allover the globe had better take the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ seriously that “you will be hated of all nations for my Name Sake”. For that time is not future but progressively and surely happening now…
Luke 21:17
(17) And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Such a world as described by Jesus Christ in Luke 21:17 is not the Dr. James Dobson Christian Moral Utopia. However, if we are to suffer as Christians, let us not suffer because of evil behavior like the support of torture and other Political Christianity meddling but rather let us suffer purely for the Name Sake of Jesus Christ, our love and faith in Him.

1 Peter 2:19-25
(19) For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
(20) For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
(21) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
(22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
(23) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
(24) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
(25) For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

For the evangelical gods of Mammon and Power have been overthrown and as Christians, we had better live our lives as Peter the apostle alludes to in his letter to the Christians – let us not suffer in the Name of Mammon and Christian Political Power but for the Name of Jesus Christ.

In Christ Jesus
Kato Mivule

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