De Reverend ov mi old church has been drivin' de latest model SUV ov a certain kind, an' has been sportin' ten-gallon hats like a black cowboy. That somewhat showy persona was but one ov de reasons we switched to a dif'rent church, shallow as it may seem--we decided to be non-denominational in findin' a church when we moved to our town. After settlin' into de new church, we saw de Rev when we went to de supermarket. He was walkin' into a nearby Radio Shack--still dressed like a three-piece-suit wearin' cowboy, an' Mr. Pig commented, "But wait, Piggy! Noh him a encourage everybody fe contribute an' sponsor him fellowship trip to JA, but look how him supe-up him wheels!" Ah didn't say much to that, but ah wondered about it, tryin' to view that Rev as an 'original' in de way ov Bing Crosby, Bill Cosby, Slick Rick, Bob Dylan, Bette Davis, Stevie Wonder, J.R. an' Sue Ellen, Katharine Hepburn--even Flava Flav--people whose individuality just jumps out at ya an' legitimizes all they do--but it didn't work. De pastor don't rock such. In all his style an' fashion, maybe he's tryin' at individuality like de King ov Pop seems ta try unsuccessfully at Elvis' enigmatic persona, or like Elvis succeeded at Be-bop Rock'n'Roll's then-radical characters. ANYway, in de end, we decided that as far as Rev was concerned, we should ignore de Rolli on da arm, stop wonderin' if he's pourin' Chandon, an' not Hate on a brother 'cause he's got it goin' on. However, we moved on from that church anyway, after it came to light that its other Reverend was involved in de abuse ov a teenager whose parents understandably hid her away after that. At that point, we an' MANY members said, "This definitely isn't our church home!" Funny, it wasn't de Rev whose flashy fashion threw us, who ended up wif de legal an' religious problems; it was de other (overlooked) Rev. This evenin' we saw someone who looked like de flashy Rev, an' ov course Mr. Pig had a sour expression again--couldn't blame him, ah had de same expression too. De Bible does say, "Render your hearts and not your garments," or such, but it's hard not to notice certain heights ov flashiness, isn't it?
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It is hard not to notice.It is not that I think the pastor must have the worst car in the world but at the same time I don't want the other extreme.Some middle ground will be nice.When you sacrificing only to see the Rev living large then understandably you notice.
I think for some churches as well, that the pastor also has alternate employment so in cases like that if the job is well paying then it will show through. I agree with Kami, there needs o be a middle ground. I visited my sister-in-laws church last time I was in that side of the world. Pastor had a Lexus SUV and his wife had a Mercedes sports convertible thing. I figure these machines are not chump change. What I would like to know is if they have other jobs. It just kinda struck me that it didn't sit well even if you can personally afford it, to pastor a church and sport a lavish lifestyle. To me it sends the wrong message especially to struggling congregations.
BTW, I saw your comment and it has happened to me. What I do now is go to a particular blog then hit the refresh button. Seems to work.
Mel, I know what you mean. I can think of one Catholic Priest here who's sportin the latest Prado.
On my road, near the top lives a 'Pastor'. I have never wondered what type of denomination as me nuh interested. I've seen him going into his many vehicles....his driver always opens the door for him. Rings (huge) on every finger, large chapparita, the links so thick you coulda use it to chain up you gate. Most times he's dressed in white three piece suit with matching hats.
Some years ago, one evening my sister and I went walking up the road, (we were in our teens) and one of Pastor's mutts ran out and bit my sister...luckily, it was really a bruise....as me certainly did give the dawg some big kick! You know that when we knocked the gate to let the people at Pastor's home know, someone opened the window from upstairs...when the person hear what we were saying, dem shet de window inna we face and gone 'bout dem business! Well, mek me tell you......I blessed the house with some words....and I doubt that you'd be able to find them in the Bible! Thankfully, nutten never do mi sister. The least they could have done was apologized and lock up de mangey dawg! Dr. D.
I hope ya stop gine ta dem churches where Mase and R Kelly preaching ya kno. :-)
Kami, you're right about de middle ground. It just seems so show-off when a minister gets caught up inna every fashion trend, an' look too bashy, an' then spends so lavishly.
Scratchie, maybe most ov them don't have outside jobs, man, but e Lexus an' de Mercedes woulda mash my corn too, 'cause then I'm de type to start sayin', "Ah hope a noh my money them a spend 'pon de hype-ness!" Ah luv to see a portion ov mi contribution bein' spent on social outreach to help de poor. (BTW, ah do keep forgettin' to renew de Blog-pages when ah visit--Piggy's almost a lost cause--almost!)
But, Doc, Prado aside, that pastor don't right at all! Him household never care if de dog bit a child? What happen to "suffer the likkle children to come unto me" an' such? Some ov them just in it for de hustle it seems, them heart set 'pon worldly glitter.
Kiss Kiss Mel,
There is this C&W (country and western not cable and wireless) song that asks "would Jesus wear a Rolex on his television show?" Can't remember who sung it but it fits right in here.
WOULD JESUS WEAR A ROLEX ON HIS TELEVISION SHOW
Ray Stevens
Woke up this mornin' turned on my TV set
There in livin' color was somethin' I can't forget
This man was preachin' at me.. yeah.. layin' on the charm
Asking me for 20 with 10,000 on his arm
He wore designer clothing and a big smile on his face
Selling me salvation while they sang Amazing Grace
Asking me for money when he had all the signs of weath
Almost wrote a check out.. yeah.. but then I asked myself…
Would He wear a pinky ring, would He drive a fancy car
Would His wife wear furs and diamonds, would His dressing room have a
star
If he came back tomorrow there's something I'd like to know
Would Jesus wear a rolex on His television show
Would Jesus be political if he came back to earth
Have his second home in Palm Springs.. yeah.. but try to hide his
worth
Take money from those poor folks when He comes back again
And admit He's talked to all those preachers who said they'd been-a
talking to Him
Would He wear a pinky ring, would He drive a fancy car
Would His wife wear furs and diamonds, would His dressing room have a
star
If he came back tomorrow there's something I'd like to know
Could ya tell me - Would Jesus wear a rolex
Would Jesus wear a rolex
Would Jesus wear a rolex on His television show
Would Jesus wear a rolex on His television show
LOL!! Jdid, yu 2 good, man! Me don't goh no R. Kelly church--unless them sing "Step In De Name of Luv!" Mase now--them slow-talkin' service woulda too long!
Kiss Kiss, Scratchie, ah never hear that C & W song, but ah heard them say if yu waan know if smokin' is a sin, then ask yu-self if yu woulda offer Jesus a smoke or a spliff if him was standin' before yu! OMG.
Thank you Mel for your congrats. It's me Nena/. Sorry that my page wouldn't let you post. Being as how i get too frustrated to concentrate on my page long enough I couldn't tell you what it is.
About the flashy preacher, because he is so flashy his is constantly under public eye. This is what mad eit easier for the "ordinary" preacher to pull his junk. It's always the seeps in Lambs clothing. I have been to a church where the reverend has been flashy and gaudy and there was something uncomfortable about it. I'm sure that since most of us don't expect these hand picked people to be worldly it makes it hard for us to except the words that come from them.
Nena
Well Mel, to be honest with you, I've been very critical of the lifestyles of many of the pastors at churches here in the US. The problem that I have is not necessarily that they decide to dress well or live the good life, after all, they are business people still and the church is their livelyhood. My problem stems from the fact that far too many of them are into the "bling, bling" lifestyle and the quality of their messages don't have a very strong impact on their crowd...in fact, it oftentimes sounds more like "gimme money, gimme money, and I'll make sure you enter the gates of heaven!" when it is certainly known that the size of your contribution doesn't necessarily dictate where you going to spend eternity!
Hi, Nena, good ta see ya. Yeah, those flashy pastors are monitored much more closely than run-ov-de-mill ones, so others get to slip under the radar sometimes, an' it IS uncomfortable to see de flashy ones flauntin' their bling bling.
Angry, those lavish ministers will keep livin' large at de expense ov de congregation--an' we know some members deserve it 'cause they do their wrongs an' then run to de church ta try an' buy salvation. No sankey don't sing so!
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