Manipulative, Controlling Leadership

 It hurts when you see Christians in leadership and they use the same dishonest political tactics as unbelievers. I've often felt like I was being manipulated by Christian leaders, and I wasn't wrong to feel that way.

It hurts to be pressured into supporting Christian leaders who promote themselves and their party, faction or ministry more than justice and mercy.

Every time an election comes up, I feel stressed about the twisting and manipulation that goes on around me.

When I asked God about this, I believe the Holy Spirit gave me a very clear answer.
Politics is mostly about manipulation. It is what it is.

What does the Bible say about that?

There are leaders who want to hide their mistakes, or the sins of their colleagues.

For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. Mk 4:22 NKJV

There are leaders who demand unconditional submission.

The apostle Paul was a true and faithful leader. Paul himself condemned the practice of dictatorial leadership.

In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 2 Cor 11:20 NIV

Paul defines the basis for true Christian fellowship.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph 5:21 NIV

Some Christians might argue that this mutual submission should only apply to Christians of the same rank. But how did Jesus understand this truth?

The first Christian woman chosen by God to witness the resurrection was not an apostle, but Mary Magdalene. When she and other women told the fearful apostles that they had seen Jesus, they did not believe. How did Jesus react?

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Mk 16:14 NIV

When a leader goes wrong, some Christians claim he was not chosen by God, but King Saul was chosen by God.

There are Christians who claim that you should never publicly criticise a chosen leader, but David openly accused Saul.

Suppose you have been abused, bullied and shunned by Christian leaders, pastors or politicians.

What does Jesus think about this?

In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man. When the man testified that Jesus had healed him, he was excommunicated by the religious leaders.

Jesus didn't just heal the man. He sought him out to help him when he had become a persecuted outcast.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him. Jn 9:35–38 NIV

Are you being bullied or ostracised by religious leaders? Please don't blame Jesus. He wants to help you personally. The same religious leaders crucified Jesus, but he returned from the grave.

As a young Christian, I was excommunicated, but I learned that the cruel leaders were not the source of my salvation, but Jesus Himself.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:2–3 NIV

Jesus gathered the outcasts of Israel and he also gathers the Christian outcasts today.

Despising the Poor

 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Pr 19:17 NIV

Some years ago I was visiting another city. A man asked me for some money. When I asked him about his situation, he said he was unemployed and homeless. He had been in a poorly paid job and living from paycheck to paycheck, unable to save. 

The conservative government made him wait six weeks before he could receive unemployment benefits. He couldn’t pay his rent and was homeless.

Some people are able to save money from their wages but spend everything, but others are genuinely unable to save, and are punished by heartless governments.

If we look upon all welfare clients as lazy dole bludgers or freeloaders, we are guilty of arrogance. The Bible tells us God is not pleased.

It is a sin to despise one’s neighbour, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Pr 14:21 NIV

We can despise the poor by looking upon everyone on welfare as lazy and irresponsible. Some are, but many are not. Many are suffering from mental or physical ill health.

We can be cruel to the poor by trying to pay the least possible tax and supporting policies to keep wages and welfare payments as low as possible.

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. Is 5:8 NIV

Socialist dictatorship is evil, but market economics without humane regulation has resulted in unrestrained profiteering from real estate speculation, resulting in an epidemic of homelessness in some rich countries.

Christian Activism and Abuse Victims

 As a little girl, she firmly believed in Jesus and prayed with childlike trust in God. But then she was sexually abused. As a teenager, she was confused and sought comfort with marijuana and boys. 

I am thinking of stories of not just one or two women who ended up in a brothel, a psychiatric institution or on the street.

I think of a young man who was begging on the street in a German city in winter. He lived off donations, and he told me he sometimes spent the night with a client.

I know women in Germany who visited brothels to help prostitutes with friendship and kindness.  In one year, they uncovered four victims of trafficking and helped them return home.

In one Australian state, the government reported that 15-20% of all mentally ill patients committed suicide within 24 hours of being discharged. After that, no more statistics were published. The scandal was simply hushed up.

Yesterday, a Christian political activist phoned me. He told me to contact the government and demand that we should have religious freedom.

I was not impressed, and I gave him a piece of my mind.

Why do these activists protest about abortion, gender mainstreaming, etc., but ignore domestic violence, homelessness and the neglect of the mentally ill and victims of abuse?

The young activist protested that he had himself been homeless before he found Jesus in his life. He insisted that this was not a political issue, but personal evangelism was the correct response.

Sorry, but my experience tells me that there are many homeless and mentally ill people who believe in Jesus or have believed once, but are human wrecks because of hypocrisy and abuse in Christian families or churches.

I have talked to Christians who struggle with suicidal thoughts. I know Christians in this situation who sometimes needed government funded psychiatric care to repair the damage done to them by professing Christians, Christian families or churches.

Inadequate government funding of services for homeless victims and mental patients is an urgent political issue and also a Christian issue.

Jesus sharply rebuked the Pharisees for imposing a narrow religious way of thinking on others, but they did not care about poor, sick and suffering people.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 NKJV

There is a very important word in biblical Hebrew and also in Greek. It means both righteousness and justice. In French, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch bibles, the same wonderful word is very prominent.

Sadly, the English language has no word to translate this word. Many Christians read the word “righteousness” and do not realise that it also includes justice and mercy.

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Luke 11:42 NKJV

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Psalm 89:14 NKJV