The Business of Christianity

One of the most famous stories of the Bible is when Jesus chased the merchants away from God's Temple. I know if I were around at that time I would be shamed to see people turn the House of God into a money making scheme.  I'm sure the money changers and merchants had their reasons. After all, it is a place of worship. At that time period more people went  there than anywhere else. There were no malls, amusement parks, movies, or Starbucks. The Temple stood as the center  for civilization. God's law was the Law of land. Thus the temple was where city officials, entertainers, and most of the foot traffic could be found.

Now let's zoom forward 2012 years later. Is Christianity turning into a business? How many people from doctors, lawyers, or even filmmakers fall into the niche claiming that they specialize in the Christian field. Is it because of the 2.2 billion Christians world wide let along the 250 million in the USA that they could attract?

Now you have these mega churches making mega bucks to spread their books, DVDs, websites, and of course the collection basket. Is this a bad thing? I think not...so as long as the intention is good.

The merchants that Jesus chased out may have used the Temple to put money into their own pockets.
They may have rented out space and kept whatever they could sell. However, would Jesus have thrown out these merchants if they were raising funds for the Temple knowing that the funds are for a good purpose?

I just watched a special on Joel Osteen, who currently has the largest church in the US.
1. http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/Pastor-Joel-Osteens-Full-Sermon
2. http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/Pastor-Joel-Osteen-Discusses-Sin-and-the-Path-to-God

Joel's ministry reaches seven million broadcast media viewers weekly in over 100 nations around the world. His  Lakewood Church in Houston has a seating capacity of 16,800 which reaches maximum capacity every week without fail. Joel himself has been received by Barbara Walters as one of the Ten Most Fascinating People. After listening to Joel's interviews with Peirs Morgan and Oprah I've come to the conclusion that Joe's intention is good. He does not earn a salary, rather the mansion he lives in is owned by the very church he built from ground up. To me, that's okay.

We the Daniel Team also have our own ministry. Our intention is to not just promote Christianity or the save the souls of the unsaved (God does that) but rather to strengthen the faith of those already in the path and to prepare them for what is about to come. We love Jesus and believe he is who he said he was. We love that we are glorifyingthe Lord's name. Right now, we do not make salaries. All of us have worked around the clock, coming up with ideas on how to make this movie all on our own spare time while still finding ways to pay our bills. We do it for the love of God (Jesus and the Holy Ghost) and to nurture the spirit of like-minded people of our faith, not to take advantage of the large Christian audience.  Our work is spiritual more than economical.

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;

        I will sing praises to your name.  Psa. 18:49    

So when you make a gift to the movie project note that you are helping us to; praise His name among the nations, to encourage others in the faith, and ultimately, to prepare God's people for Himself.

As Joel said, "I believe all people are meant to experience the abundance that is God."
Amen!


Jim Hague
The Daniel Team

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