Why “Pastorgate” Should Not Matter in the 2008 Election Race
Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen some U.S. presidential candidates go through “Pastorgate,” which is a series of scandals involving controversial comments made by ministers of churches that are or aren’t associated with the candidates. Barack Obama had to deal Rev. Jermiah Wright and more recently Father Michael Pfleger. John McCain had Rev. Rod Parsley and Rev. John C. Hagee. And Hillary Clinton? Well, no pastor seems to care about embroiling her in scandal. In any case, I have watched the media headlines and “news” talk shows dissect these “scandals” to the point of overkill. As an observer, I simply don’t understand why the media is harping over the Pastorgate comments. After all, the candidate didn’t say these things; these pastors did. So why is the media focusing so intently on comments made by these “rogue” pastors when these words didn’t come from the candidate? It’s quite simple; the media is trying to sway your vote by shooting a huge marketing effort for/against a particular candidate, which is why I think the U.S. government controls mainstream media more than we realize. However, we, as Americans, should take a deeper look at why these comments from pastors are irrelevant to the 2008 election.
When I attended institutionalized churches, I listened to hundreds (if not thousands) of pastors’ sermons. Some things the pastor preached, I agreed with and others, I did not. I usually didn’t agree with the pastor using the Word of God to preach a personal agenda that had nothing to do with saving souls or uplifting people. See, I listened intently enough to realize that there were times when I was being served up personal agendas that the pastor was pushing via charismatic sermons. Here are examples.
Example 1
One particular pastor constantly preached about how “the Baptists are trying to do it like we do.” By “we,” this particular pastor meant the charismatic movement known as the Pentecostal movement, which is similar to the Evangelicals. He obviously had an ax to grind against the Baptists because he often used them for target practice during his sermons. Whenever I visited that church, I noticed he could barely deliver a sermon without targeting the Baptists at least once. I also noticed that while some members jumped on his anti-Baptist bandwagon, others were so turned off that they eventually left the church, which also sent him packing not too long after attendance dropped.
Example 2
Another pastor used his sermons as a personal soapbox to air his rivalries with certain members of the church - the ones who were against his fiscal management. His number one concern was money and had the financial secretary (whom he was sleeping with) write him checks without the church board’s approval. He would call certain matriarchs of the church “white headed biddies who sit on the front pew” during his sermons. Of course, everyone knew whom he meant with a quick glance at the front pew. Well, these so-called “biddies” happened to be on the church board. They were trying to make sure the church didn’t go broke because he, in addition to the financial secretary, chose to continually break the by-laws. I guess his diamonds, chains, and the ability to sport a different designer suit every Sunday was more important than paying the church’s bills and helping the poor and needy.
Example 3
The primary pastor at my parent’s current church often preached about “enemies in the church” who “send spies to report back about what we’re doing.” This is because my parents’ minister was “stealing” members from other churches (according to what he said) and bringing them to that church. Yes, I know it sounds like some Jim Jones’ rhetoric, but he’s not on that path (although I monitor what he’s doing in case he starts talking crazy). While there may have been some people (aka spies) from other churches who checked out what was making people join that church, I think he was exaggerating to get the people behind him and make himself feel more important than he really is. He seems to have aspirations to become a TBN ministry (or something similar), which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
I have many more examples I could share, but the point I’m making is that ministers often say things for personal reasons that have nothing to do with what you personally believe as a member of that church.
I watched as Obama went through the modern torture rack (via the press) over what the Rev. Jermiah Wright said. Many Americans blindly lapped up the media’s coverage like Pavlov’s dogs without doing some logical thinking. For people who go to church, think about this: do you agree with everything your minister says? If you don’t, then why would you think Obama would believe everything Rev. Wright preached every Sunday? Why would you believe that McCain believes what Rod Parsley or John C. Hagee believes? Church, to me, is like going to Wendy’s and making your burger your way. You add the things you like and remove the things you don’t like. While there are some people who blindly take everything offered to them, some people do customize what they want and don’t want while still patronizing the place. That being said, it’s unfair to associate what a pastor says with what a candidate believes and follows, which is why these pastor scandals should be irrelevant. Unfortunately, many people aren’t thinking for themselves and are allowing the media to do their thinking for them when selecting a candidate. Snap out of the mainstream media’s marketing bomb and use your brain.
Before I sign off, I would like to say this to any mainstream or high profile minister who is supporting a candidate for the 2008 election: zip it. Support them by staying silent on the election. Just worry about your church, save souls, and deliver the Word of God without using it to serve your own personal agendas or air dirty laundry. Remember to follow the “WWJD” philosophy (for the Christian ministers out there). That is your job, after all, so focus on doing that instead of making outlandish and offensive comments that have no place in the election process. Of course, I realize that some of you preaching the Word of God are false prophets, so there is nothing I do about that…except hope that what you hide in the darkness will come to light. It always does, even if we have to wait until Jesus comes back.