Great point on City Harvest Church

This appeared on TRE

LIONS:

May 21, 2013 at 11:41 pm  (Quote)

As poor as the churh’s mouse.

now,we have ‘AS RICH AS CITY HARVEST’?

CHC: Missing a trick

(Or “Morale that bad meh at CHC?”)

I was surprised to read that a must-go annual major Christian mega-show, scheduled for early August, has been cancelled because of the troubles enveloping CHC. The hubbie of Auntie Sun was the executive director of the show, CHC members provided the manpower to run the annual show, and CHC, this year, the venue.

It seems one Canon Wong announced on the festival’s Facebook and website on 13 July that in view of Kong Hee and CHC “currently undergoing a challenging period”, the festival’s committee had decided not to go ahead with this year’s festival.

While, CHC and its members cannot be faulted or blamed for not wanting to put in the effort for the show this year, it would have been good PR for the church, its members and its “prosperity” gospel: When the going gets tough, the tough get going” would be a great message to tell people about the CHC members.

Or in biblical terms:

– “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

– “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Good boxers never ever give the impression that they are hurt by the opponent’s punches. Remember the “Thrilla in Manila” or when Ali forced himself up when he was knocked down by Fraser in their first fight?

And anyway, by carrying on as usual, they would be showing the finger to their detractors.

They must be pretty demoralised by what has happened: if the five are convicted, they, CHC and its members have failed to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” . They have failed theit God.

As it is, the Commissioner of Charities has made findings of fact that CHC management have failed to appeal. This could account for the very aggressive show of support (members keeping up their spirits by showing defiance?) for Kong, the other four charged, and Auntie, that some (not me, though), including a top criminal lawyer, think amounts to contempt of court.

But I’m surprised that the other churches didn’t step in to offer the manpower for hospitality, ushering and security that is usually provided by CHC staff and members. CHC could still provide the managers, technicans and venue.

As to those netizens bitching at Kong, Sun and the CHC because of the lifestyles of Kong (Sentosa Cove penthouse) and Auntie Sun (Hollywood mansion and lifestyles for herself, and various relations and friends: “The  [African prosperity gospel] pastors’ wealth raises eyebrows. Some have their own planes for jetting between the churches and the offices of their sprawling business conglomerates. In March David Oyedopo, reckoned to be Nigeria’s richest pastor by Forbes, a business magazine that puts his wealth at $150m, added an airline to his empire.” (From a recent issue of the Economist)

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s

(Or “CHC members: Why should tax-payers subsidise Sun Ho’s Hollywood life-style?” or “We are subsidising CHC in Crossover Project”)

In this, I pointed out, among a few other things, some in favour of CHC members, some against, that CHC members were wrong in thinking that CHC’s money could be spent as they wished: that it was not their grandfather’s money. This post expands the point I was trying to make because based on their media comments, some CHC members are showing a great deal of entitlement over spending taxpayers’ money over Sun Ho’s Hollywood life-style and Crossover Project. 

Maybe, they don’t realise they are using the money of other S’poreans, who may not share their idea of Christianity, or who may believe in other gods, or even no god. 

Methinks the members of the City Harvest Church in expressing their love and support of Kong, the other four accused and Geisha Sun are forgetting what Jesus is reported to have said in Luke 20:25,  Matthew 22:21 and Mark 12:17 about the relationship that should exist between the church and the state. Luke’s version reads, ”Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s”.

In this saying, Jesus was establishing  the limits, regulating  the rights, and distinguishing “the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth” according to a famous American biblical commentator of the 19th century  http://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/1810_clarke_commentary.html

I’ll try to explain the relevance of this quote to the CHC situation.

CHC management and members are saying that how the money spent by the five is a CHC internal affair and nothing to do with others, implying that the Commissioner of Charities should leave them alone: it’s their money and if they want to spend it on their Auntie Sun and her hollywood buddies so be it.

But the problem with this view is that the status of a charity is granted not by God but by Caesar (the state).

CHC could have opted not to become a charity, but it chose to register as a charity (presumably because it was greedy for — OK taking advantage of — the tax benefits and reputational branding of being a charity). It becomes subject to the Commissioner of Charities, and all that entails.

It is no longer a private organisation, and the laws and regulations relating to charities applies.

In return for the tax benefits and seal of gd corporate governance that CHC gets by being designated as a charity, it has to play by S’pore’s (Caesar’s) laws, and in particular, the laws and regulations that CoC’s enforces. These include not “misusing” (as defined by Caesar’s laws, not the laws of God as understood by CHC) the charity’s funds . It cannot pick and choose which laws and regulations it has to obey.

Not their grandfather’s money.

Because of the exemptions from tax that a charity and donors get, the tax-paying public is subsidising Geriatric Gyrating Geisha’s Hollywood life-style and music performances. This explains how the state subsidises a charity, any charity.

As Christians, CHC church members accept that it’s either God’s way or the highway to Hell. Likewise they must accept that by becoming a charity, CHC and its managers have to obey the laws of Caesar. And that if the managers fail to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”, they will be punished by Caesar’s courts. At least there are courts. Their God is prosectuor, judge and executor (OK, also the defender).

“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up,” as Hosea 8:7 says.

No wonder other Christians are worried. CHC members should listen to this lady and “sit down and shut up” before they upset other S’poreans with their sense of entitlement that other S’poreans must subsidise Auntie Ho’s Hollywood life-style and Crossover Project.

CHC management and members, and Kong and his Geisha seem unable to appreciate that hard times for the many mean greater scrutiny of the few who flaunt living in Sentosa Cove penthouses or Hollywood mansions, especially when the former are subsidising the latter’s lavish life-style.

They shouldn’t forget that one reason why the PAP government is unpopular is because of its perceived indifference to the widening income gap. And remember, the PAP ministers don’t show-off their life-styles unlike Auntie Ho.

In a coming post (hopefully next week), I will prophesie  that Kong and the management of CHC are preparing the way to take a course of action more usually associated with a certain political party.