Hidden Forms of Christian Gambling?
The sermon was about the evils of gambling. Ohio had a casino iniative on the ballot, and our denomination's state conference was working day and night to block it. As I was listening to the information about the rallys, emails, and big efforts to get the news out, I began wondering if this casino thing wasn't what Jesus had already talked about. You know, the part where He said that the person who managed his money poorly would lose it to someone who managed it well. How often does preaching against sin amount to much? Why not preach FOR something like holiness and insight?
Drifting back to the sermon, I picked up just a trace of "holier than..." attitude, which sent my thoughts spiraling again. We had just heard a financial report which included information about the church's insurance policy. Buying insurance means that we're betting that the church will burn down, while the insurance company is betting it won't. Seems like gambling to me. Sure didn't sound much like faith.
Since most civilized countries require their drivers to carry insurance, the government becomes the biggest enforcer of nationalized gambling, and we all participate when we drive.
After the service, the pastor left an insured building and got into an insured car to drive to an insured home. If on the way, he or she engaged in a cell phone call, they were betting that they had enough resources to co-manage the conversation and the driving. If they got a little "creative" with the speed limit, they were betting that (1) the police wouldn't stop them for five or ten miles over the limit, and (2) they wouln't go so fast as to lose control, in effect gambling with their life and perhaps the lives of others. No wonder the world often makes fun of what seems like our "double mindedness."
It turns out that we all gamble, it's just that "some's better than others." It is OK to stand up for what you believe, but make sure that if you're going to throw stones you know how much glass is around you, and what the deductable is.
Drifting back to the sermon, I picked up just a trace of "holier than..." attitude, which sent my thoughts spiraling again. We had just heard a financial report which included information about the church's insurance policy. Buying insurance means that we're betting that the church will burn down, while the insurance company is betting it won't. Seems like gambling to me. Sure didn't sound much like faith.
Since most civilized countries require their drivers to carry insurance, the government becomes the biggest enforcer of nationalized gambling, and we all participate when we drive.
After the service, the pastor left an insured building and got into an insured car to drive to an insured home. If on the way, he or she engaged in a cell phone call, they were betting that they had enough resources to co-manage the conversation and the driving. If they got a little "creative" with the speed limit, they were betting that (1) the police wouldn't stop them for five or ten miles over the limit, and (2) they wouln't go so fast as to lose control, in effect gambling with their life and perhaps the lives of others. No wonder the world often makes fun of what seems like our "double mindedness."
It turns out that we all gamble, it's just that "some's better than others." It is OK to stand up for what you believe, but make sure that if you're going to throw stones you know how much glass is around you, and what the deductable is.
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