Took some time off my work to get this off my chest.
After many years of investigation by prosecutors, the news finally reads:
"Six leaders of City Harvest Church have been found guilty of misappropriating S$50 million of church funds and falsifying the church's accounts to cover up their misdeeds."
The well-known founder and senior pastor. One deputy senior pastor. Two investment committee/board members. Two former finance managers.
Documentary evidence demonstrates their guilt. The justice system was put to test, and justice was served. Whether or not the pronounced crimes were justified, dare I say it, in the eyes of God, the courts have ruled. The prosecuted cry persecution. They will appeal. To faithful supporters, they are martyrs. Fervent prayers are being offered. To many others, they are guilty as charged. To the rest, we are unsure of what to think.
I am a former church member.
While I left CHC for personal and geographical reasons - I mourn. In fact, I am greatly affected by the news.
After all, it was in CHC that I learned what it meant to love God and love my neighbour. And not merely build my church. No doubt about that. No satire. I was an attendee while I was in the depths of my eating disorders. I could have killed myself. It was the leaders who led me to love reading my Bible, supervised my after-college mealtimes whenever they could so that I would neither binge nor purge (nor ingest some lethal cocktail of chemicals in my depression), talked me out of my self-harming tendencies, and encouraged me to write for God. I can never forget that. Nothing can change the fact that CHC was family to me within the bigger, universal spiritual family I belong to.
I have nothing against those who contend that they were indeed guilty. To be fair, many have written reasonable analyses of the controversy. If you ask me, I too suppose that the guilty are guilty. Facts are facts. I certainly do not condone the misappropriation of funds even for charity purposes, and that applies, whether you are a televangelist, superstar, or prime minister. Neither do I, the lavish lifestyles that the leaders were said to lead in the name of ministry, prosperity doctrine, and what have you. But I am just... pained, not to mention, shocked and appalled by the triumph of some. Many. Fellow Christians. Their smug, condescending "I always knew that they were the devil's advocate" remarks, and their self-righteous celebration of CHC's downfall. "Christianity in Singapore (and Asia) will take a really bad name thanks to these sheep in wolves' clothing," one expressed. "How can the church members be so brainwashed?" exclaimed another.
(Here, I am suddenly reminded of a friend's all-to-wonderful rendition of Sun's "China Wine" in my face when the controversy flared up a few years back. I laughed along, but I felt sorry for laughing later.)
But really, so what if you were right?
What would you gain if CHC, under its leadership, failed?
Does the CHC saga under our scrutiny disqualify or nullify every past work of God's Spirit in their midst as well as through the church?
Has CHC never done any good?
I guess in mocking our fellow hurting Christians for their "foolishness", we forget the Bible's position in 1 Corinthians 12:26 on how dependent we are on one another within the Body of Christ. When one member suffers, all members suffer with it; when one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. How can the other parts of the Body rejoice with a "serve you right" attitude while one part is hurting? (Or maybe self-destructing.) Sure, sin needs to be confronted; those asleep should be aroused; false doctrine should be brought to light; lies should be exposed. But the Bible also says that "if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness..." (Galatians 6:1) Where is the spirit of gentleness in gleeful celebration of another's folly proven? Where is the love? The same verse reminds us that we are not exempt ourselves from temptation and sin (and our secret desires to live lavish, and for some, glamorous lifestyles), so look first to ourselves. Have we never been concerned about our own pockets? Have we never treasured idols?
Furthermore, what are we demonstrating to the watching world regarding the power of the Gospel of Christ? What are we trying to prove to the world by spreading a certain church's shame on social media that is so accessible to the public? I think that tragedies far greater than the guilt of the six (or more) so-called "sheep in wolves' clothing" are our disunity, our fragmentedness, our individualistic approach to Christianity, and our unlovingness towards each other. We give a bad name to Christianity - and not just CHC.
Perhaps then, a more vital question we should be asking ourselves is this: What can we learn from the CHC case with regards to the transparency systems within our own churches, our stewardship of church funds, our preaching, our ministry motives, our leadership and discipleship of our church members, our successes, and our failures?
Theological studies, anybody?
Yes, perhaps CHC's public statement might be unapologetic, defensive, and would appear to most outsiders as outrageously deluded. However, what caught my attention was this: "In spite of these challenges, City Harvest Church has an unshakable calling from God...." I would like to think so. In Christ, there is forgiveness for the repentant - and hope. CHC began well. I hope that they will finish well too.
Keeping CHC in my thoughts and prayers.
1 comment:
A very good sharing. :) you're right
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