Editor,
Much has been said about the siphoning of over Rs 3 crore by the Church Chowkidar in the Mawkhar Presbyterian Church, a church which coincidentally I happen to belong to. I’m not here to lament or defend the inexcusable lapses in church administration that led to the siphoning of a huge amount of cash by a single person. This is unprecedented in the history of the Presbyterian Church in Meghalaya.The series of events that led to this crisis is akin to what happens sometimes in a football pitch. A defender gives an inexcusable weak back-pass to his goalkeeper and the opposite team striker pounces on the opportunity to steal the ball from the goalkeeper and then neatly puts the ball into the empty net. This is sometimes called a schoolboy error. Even professional footballers playing at the highest level do commit such silly mistakes. That said, it is generally accepted by religious scholars worldwide that church governance in the Presbyterian Church is one of the most transparent in the whole of the Christian World. The Church is governed by elders and the decision making process goes through various levels of scrutiny leaving very little space for mismanagement or misapproriation.
To be frank I must admit that I’m not on the same page with the Church policies on a whole range of issues. I’m talking about the Mawkhar Presbyterian Church policies in particular, but when it comes to financial administration, I still think the Church can hold it’s head up high because of the rigorous levels of scrutiny regarding financial matters.
What is frightening is the new kind of teaching that has been taking the Christian world by storm since the 1960’s.It emanated in the US and has since taken roots in third world countries of Asia and Africa. This is known as the prosperity gospel. The preachers preaching this type of gospel overemphasize the importance of giving generously to the Church so that the members will receive financial blessings multiple times from God. Most churches teaching the prosperity gospel are run by a single pastors. Most of the members of these churches take the prosperity message to heart, thereby filling the coffers of the church which inadvertently means filling the coffers of the pastor who runs the church. Some prosperity gospel preachers in countries like the US and Nigeria lives lavish lifestyles. Some even have their own private jets!.This is antithetical to the basic tenets of the Christian faith.
In the great recession of 2008, most financial experts in the US were of the opinion that the prosperity gospel was one of the contributing factor leading to the crisis since most of these preachers encourage their congregants to take loans which were beyond their financial capabilities. The prosperity gospel is nothing short of a ponzi scheme. I’ve seen first hand the hardships that poor people had to experience because of such ponzi schemes. I think The National Self Employment Mission (NSEM) is still fresh in the memories of people in Meghalaya especially the numerous poor people who have been duped by it. When it was launched, NSEM took Meghalaya by storm. People were captivated by the idea of getting rich instantly and most people who fell into the snare of becoming lakhpatis overnight were those living from hand to mouth. Not so vulnerable people were also ensnared by the trappings of overnight wealth. At the height of the ensnarement, I was working in a financial institution which has the most reach in the state of Meghalaya. I was posted in a rural branch and it pained me to see people coming to the bank from villages which were as far as 30 kilometers to deposit a cheque of not more than 100 rupees sometimes even less. Sometimes the cheque they received from NSEM did not even cover their travel expenses.
I’m not fully aware of the existence of churches preaching a full fledged prosperity gospel in Meghalaya. They might be in existence but since I’m not a member of such a church, I’m not aware of it. Clergy and laymen alike must be extremely careful that such false gospel does not take root in our state. Two Bible verses which are a subject of intense debate among Christians go like this, “Many will say to Me on that day “Lord,Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, ”I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”.These verses should be a timely reminder and a warning to all the preachers preaching a false gospel.
Yours etc.,
Gary Marbaniang,
Via email