March 12, 2012
Where is “Orange County?” That would be a killer question on a game show; the answers would be all over the map.
Reason: because Orange County is all over the map! New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Indiana and California would all be right answers. The Real Housewives of Orange County (California) could get lost on the way home from a “botox” clinic if they tried to abbreviate the address in their GPS…
For the last half century – before Housewives and Choppers broadened the brand – Orange County (California) was an incubator for new and innovative Christian ministries. Leaders rose from obscurity to celebrity as they told the old, old story in new and revolutionary ways… and neighborhood names became American – and, then, international – images of Christianity in a new era.
The last few weeks in Orange County (California) have been tough ones for some of those well-known notables. The newspaper inches have told stories that didn’t make the Sunday bulletin.
One pastor started a ministry in Orange County on the roof of the snack bar at the Orange Drive-In in 1955. His ministry built a church which subsequently became a landmark; recent financial challenges led to bankruptcy, the sale of the iconic campus to the local Catholic archdiocese… and as of this weekend, the resignation of the entire ministry staff of the remnant church, including the founder. Tough times never last, but tough people do…
Two couples launched a Cable TV network in Orange County in 1973. In ’75, one left the ministry to start their own network; but the other couple persevered. Organized as a church – they have no elders, but that means no 990 financial disclosure forms like “normal” ministries file – some of the broadcast behemoth details are now being exposed in court by a relative. Until last fall, she was the network’s CFO; she is now charging the ministry’s attorneys for complicity in allowing gross financial abuses by/for the leaders. They will all have their day in court…
The new generation hasn’t been left on the sidelines: another Orange County pastor has been in a crossfire over articles suggesting that his ministry is “going more than halfway” with Muslims in an effort to create friendships that cross the religious divide. Do biblical Christians and Koran-reading Muslims worship the same God? That question has left academe to become a spiritual street fight in our town…
In the midst of all of that, the story of Youcef Nadarkhani’s travails is just an international bullet point. The Iranian pastor committed a death-penalty felony at 19 when he exercised his faith and converted from Islam to Christianity. Today – at 32 – he has a family and a church, but his case is before the Supreme Court of Iran. The charge: apostasy. He will not renounce his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Reveal: to make something secret or hidden publicly or generally known. Revile: to subject to verbal abuse. Persecute: to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve or afflict; specifically, to cause to suffer because of belief. Are these different experiences?
Jesus had comfort to offer to those who are reviled or persecuted: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:10-12)
If my ministry brethren are being reviled or persecuted, I pray God’s blessing toward them, as promised. If, instead, their ministry details are being revealed to be inappropriate… I pray that God’s integrity will be protected and his character will be honored. He deserves nothing less.
This ministry business can be a little challenging…
Bob Shank
Bob,
Let it challenge away; we are with you as is our Lord Jesus Christ.