Hello everyone. Well this is my first blog experience and I do must confess that it's rather odd to be writing down my ideas to the entire world and to no one in particular but myself.
I decided to come online with this after talking to a good friend about my frustration with the ways of the evangelical churches in Brazil.
A little background on myself: I am Brazilian and am now 32 years old. I was born at a protestant Christian home. I was raised with the idea that we should love God and our fellow human beings. I was taught about Martin Luther and his 95 theses. I was taught we should respect preachers in general as those who transmit God's word and seek the good of others regardless of any personal benefit or reward. I was taught that we are sons of the Reformation and that the sacrifices born by those who crossed the world in order to bring the word of the Lord to so many should be honored by all those who call themselves Christians.
Well, these were, and still are (to some extent), some of my beliefs. But, as of the last few years, I have come to almost be ashamed of what so many religious leaders have been doing to the church.
You see, my friends, I am Brazilian. We, in the last couple decades, have seen an amazing growth of protestantism in Brazil - and that's is great. However, even though the quantity of Evangelicals - as we call ourselves - has grown tremendously, this has not come without a dear price.
No, we are not persecuted and nobody is burning our temples. On the contrary. What we see these days are leaders who seem to be worried about building beautiful temples. We see preachers worried about electing allies for congress. We see preachers worried about buying helicopters and airplanes while what people really need is not a flying preacher, but a down-to-earth man who is worried about preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see televangelists whose TV programs are more focused on selling all kinds of goods than on transmiting the good news of the Lord.
You see, my friends, when I see all this going on in this great nation, I can't help but ask myself: WHERE IS LUTHER? The way I see it we are in dire need of a New Reformation. No, I am not a preacher. I am not a Theologian. I am just a regular guy who is ASHAMED of what these men are doing to an institution that should be, at the very least, ethical.
I see in the twenty first century these men selling all kinds of amulets, gadgets, books, holy oils, holy water, blessed roses, etc. just the way it was done in the days of MARTIN LUTHER, and I say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
Let's honor the memory of that great man and let's not be a part of this.
If you know a preacher (or a church) who spends more than five minutes asking for contributions (whether on TV, radio, or live in a temple), RUN!!! Do not be a part of it.
Just ask yourself: how many temples did the Lord Jesus build? Was He worried about luxury? Where in the Bible do we see him actually asking for money?
Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying we should not have temples. Of course we should. And of course that it costs money to maintain such a structure. What I mean is that we should start asking questions when we see some evangelists spending millions building true palaces instead of spending money to send missionaries to the places they are most needed. Or worse, using the financial resources of the church to live as kings, with beautiful cars, mansions, boats and even airplanes and helicopters.
If you are Brazilian I am sure you know what I mean. If you are not Brazilian and you see similar things going on where you live, please feel free to join me in this protest against these men and women who are embarassing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and spitting on Luther's ideas.
Please remember that complaining and criticizing is simply not enough. If you are criticizing and are still contributing for this system, you are actually worse and even more responsible, because you have seen the light and just didn't have the strength to take a stance and act.
Here is what I propose:
1- Do not contribute anymore. Instead of giving your money to rich churches, whose pastors are driving Mercedes Benz and BMWs distribute it to smaller ones, whose leaders are actually worried about the true Gospel of our Lord.
2- If you are not sure you can find a serious church, and truly want to help, look for a serious charity organization. Remember that the Rabi from Galilee said that the 2 most important commandments are to Love God above all else and our Brother as we would love ourselves.
3- If you know a preacher who owns a publishing house and spends time on TV or on the radio advertising his material, DON'T BUY IT.
4- If your pastor has just recently bought an airplane or a helicopter, and uses whatever excuse to try to justify such purchase, LOOK FOR ANOTHER CHURCH.
5- If you know a missionary agency that allows its missionaries to starve on the field and go through all kinds of difficulties and hardships, SPEAK OUT!!! Missionaries must be respected and their agencies have the responsibilities of making their life easier, not the opposite.
6- Most important: PRAY. Pray that men and women all over the world will start to take action against these bad preachers. Pray that God will start inspiring us to take actions against those who insist in using His name in their own financial and political benefit. Pray that people will stop funding these bad preachers who embarrass not only the Gospel, but embarrass us as Christians and dishonor the memory of Martin Luther and the principles he stood for.
Let us call for a new Reformation against the profiteers of the Gospel. Let us join hands all around the world and put a stop to this shameful use of the name of our Lord.
Well, my friends, this is my yell of protest. I don't know how often I will visit this blog. As I said, this is my first blog ever. I thought about writing it in Portuguese, but I decided to do it in English because I felt it should reach a larger audience. Please feel free to comment. I hope these few words will inspire people to make a difference and take action.
Thank you all who took the time to read me. Take care and may God bless us all.
