Sowing your seed of discontent

As a follow up on my post on the prosperity gospel, it seems some preachers turn God into a huckster, or morning drive deejay, by some of the methods they use. For instance, a preacher will say: "be one of the first 300 callers for your anointing when you sow your seed of a thousand dollars." I like the term "sowing your seed." It sounds so much more easier to digest than to say "Give me your money!". After all, they say, this for only those people with big dreams, so you losers out there don't bother sowing if you enjoy poverty. Don't worry if you don't have a thousand dollars to "sow," either. Apparently God accepts payment plans. And if you want to truly enjoy God's blessings, then it will have to be THEIR ministry, not the Salvation Army, Mother Teresa's order, or Catholic Charities, where real street level ministries are taking place. Theirs. The one where you get no financial statement or know who the board of directors are ( in other word, no accountability, which is supposed to be a big word in Christian circles). What's worse is they prey on the vulnerability of those who have real needs and areal faith to back up giving in large sums. The ironic thing is that sowing only works one way for them. If it really worked, they would sow and become financially wealthy as they are now. And it helps to be a tax free entity, even though schools, police and fire departments are deprived of revenue. So forget about talk of giving to Caesar what is Caesar's, and helping those  agencies carry on Gods' work in their own way, of protecting and teaching.

It's classical cause and effect for these preachers. Donate your money to their ministry, and you'll prosper, just like them. But they prosper on the backs of those who give to them. They'll wear fancy suits and live like sultans paid for by offerings, so they can tell people God has blessed them, because look at how well off they are, and so you should donate to them, and then the cycle starts over again. And that's the climax, donating your money, at the end of the "revival." Nothing about the mercy of Jesus Christ, and how he forgives and changes lives. Just sow your seed and get wealthy like me.

If I were an atheist, I would turn lost people to these programs to gain converts. These teleministries feed into the stereotype of the slick television preacher, and embarrass true ministers of the Word.