HOUSTON – A great reformer in the 16th century launched a protest movement that struck at the heart of Christendom. The Church CEO had a voracious appetite for extravagance that drained the treasury in a few years. After looking at the empty coffers, he decided to permit letters of indulgences that would pardon and forgive sins. Luther was outraged at this twisting and distorting of the gospel. He protested and Methodism, Baptist and other PROTESTANT denominations can be traced to Luther’s confrontation with error. The 20th century fountainhead of Rev. Kirbyjon Calwell’s church was this epoch changing action by Martin Luther.
Anointed leaders inside and outside the church have used many schemes and devices to support their extravagant lifestyles and separate you from your pocketbook. They end up remorseful after they left the casino and broke the golden goose. In order to monetize vanity, one must have a scheme whether it is eating at the public trough or the public flock’s pocketbook. It’s called an angle on the cuts. For my dear aunt ‘s evangelist, the angle was healing through holy water or holy oil, somewhat like indulgences. The charismatic leader sold the trinkets to the believing public because of FEAR. The only real way to starve your fears is to feed your faith. But who has time to feed their faith when you are afraid of shadows and can’t stop running? The partakers of the trinkets are sincere, but they are also sincerely deceived because they don’t understand finance and trusted the created, more than the creator.
Whether it is Michael Milliken, who was recently pardoned by POTUS 45, or Mr. Madoff or televangelist Jim Baker, power and wealth easily corrupts. Especially when one is drunk with the wine of the world. It hurts when black people plead guilty to fraud and their targets are the elderly, weak and vulnerable. This behavior is not racial but let us not forget that too often we adopt the value system of the oppressor. We reason that gluttony must not be so bad, otherwise the ruling classes could not be so rich and famous. Too much high living, rich food and other vicious enticements erode the will to say “NO.” Fellowship is broken when we no longer possess the discernment to be able to determine how much is enough. The trailblazers taught us that often less is more. Maya Angelou says that our punishment is deserved because we dismissed the wisdom of the ancestors. The wisdom of the elders loudly proclaimed that if an angle appears too good to be true, it is.
Conscience is important because it is a soft pillow to sleep on. Conscience is a course corrector if it has not been put to sleep. Conscience is the father of healthy shame. Conscience applies the brakes to keep you from becoming reprobate. It is good that conscience acts before a merciless district attorney acts to keep you from completely going over the cliff. Some DAs will not plea bargain for they have forensics -gun powder residue and burns, and DNA from the crime scene. Meanwhile, the flock doubles down on polishing your halo.
I heard his attorney arrogantly say that he was going to beat these charges like you beat a rented mule. But JT says that you can’t win with a losing hand.
The GOOD NEWS is there is REDEMPTION after Contrition and Restitution.
Benjamin Mayes preached the greatest sermon that I’ve heard other than the Sermon on the Mount. His sermon was BE KIND TO JUDAS. Know that whether the fall from grace was because of pride, Ignorance, covetousness or envy, there are varying degrees of these sinful virtues in all of us. Being kind to Judas is being kind to ourselves for we have all sold worthless bonds.
Rev. Caldwell, it is incalculable to overstate the way that your gifts have profited this Houston community. You have put first-time homebuyers into wonderful homes and designer communities. You have lifted the downhearted and helped to free the captives from deadly addictions. You helped many to stop running from their shadow by stepping into the shade.
Brother, you have been important to our spiritual life in this nation. Stay true to your God and your native land and COME BACK TO YOUR FAMILY. You have been wounded, but not mortally. I know you are contrite, manning up and paying restitution. THROUGH IT ALL, YOUR CHALLENGE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS WELL WITH YOUR SOUL. CONFRONT ERROR.
YOUR ECCLEASIATICAL AUTHORITY MIGHT NOT HOLD YOUR PLACE, but we don’t leave the wounded on the battlefield.
As the Tan Canary from the Crescent City, Johnny Adams sings, THERE IS ALWAYS ONE MORE TIME.
P.S. Jim Baker was just warned about selling Coronavirus cures. – AANI
