Should Christians support ministries that have been caught doing wrong?

[mathinspiration]

If religion ministries has lawsuits do to sexual scandals,unethical behaviors or lying about where they put their funding , should you still support them?

 

[AvgJoe]

No, I wouldn't.

 

[Jonaitis]

No, I wouldn't.

Once they lose credibility, trust, and their witness to the world I would stop supporting them...

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

If religion ministries has lawsuits do to sexual scandals,unethical behaviors or lying about where they put their funding , should you still support them?

If there is unconfessed sin of any kind connected with a ministry and the only reason the sin has come to light is that those leading the ministry have been caught and are trying to defend their sin, then that could open that ministry to demonic infiltration and anyone supporting the ministry could be opening themselves to the demons that have infiltrated the ministry.

 

[JosephZ]

No.

 

[FireDragon76]

Not if they haven't taken steps to remedy the behavior, reflecting on the harm of their actions and making restitution.

Your money is your own, it doesn't belong to anybody else, so use it wisely.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Criticizing ministries that appear to have made errors can only be made by people who have never sinned or made any errors themselves. Because we have the treasure in earthen vessels, no ministry is perfect and squeaky clean, nor is any Christian believer for that matter.

If I got involved in a perfect ministry, it would no longer be perfect, because of my involvement; the same as if I joined the perfect church which would immediately become imperfect because I would be then a part of it.

To quote George Orwell's Animal Farm and apply it to Christian believers" "All Christian believers are recreated equal, but some believe they are more equal than others". It is those "more equal" people who set themselves up as critics of churches and ministries that are "less equal" than themselves.

 

[JosephZ]

Criticizing ministries that appear to have made errors can only be made by people who have never sinned or made any errors themselves. Because we have the treasure in earthen vessels, no ministry is perfect and squeaky clean, nor is any Christian believer for that matter.

The question in the OP was "If religion ministries has lawsuits do to sexual scandals,unethical behaviors or lying about where they put their funding , should you still support them?"

Would you continue supporting a children's ministry in a developing nation if it was discovered that children were being sexually abused? Would you continue to support a ministry where funds were being raised in the name of people living in extreme poverty to send children to school or for feeding programs, yet the ministry was instead using the money to pay the personal bills of its staff and pay for their personal vacations?

While you are correct, we are not perfect, should we continue supporting ministries that have been found guilty of such crimes?

Should Christian ministries be off limits to criticism simply because they are Christian and we all are guilty of sin? Personally I don't think so.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

The question in the OP was "If religion ministries has lawsuits do to sexual scandals,unethical behaviors or lying about where they put their funding , should you still support them?"

Would you continue supporting a children's ministry in a developing nation if it was discovered that children were being sexually abused? Would you continue to support a ministry where funds were being raised in the name of people living in extreme poverty to send children to school or for feeding programs, yet the ministry was instead using the money to pay the personal bills of its staff and pay for their personal vacations?

While you are correct, we are not perfect, should we continue supporting ministries that have been found guilty of such crimes?

Should Christian ministries be off limits to criticism simply because they are Christian and we all are guilty of sin? Personally I don't think so.

Unless you can and are prepared to name specific ministries that have shown guilt in these areas, then the comments remain rhetorical and based on some sort of "what if" theory, instead of on hard facts.

 

[RDKirk]

What do you mean by "ministries?"

If you mean that the ministry as a whole has been credibly proven to be doing evil as an organization, then no.

If you mean that some individual in the ministry has been credibly proven to be doing evil, then it greatly depends on the specifics.

 

[NBB]

Some speak trash for example of Benny Hinn, yes he spends money on luxuries and made some errors, but what else? some say the holy laugther and fallings are not from God, i see this a lot, i just can't say anything.

 

[JosephZ]

Unless you can and are prepared to name specific ministries that have shown guilt in these areas, then the comments remain rhetorical and based on some sort of "what if" theory, instead of on hard facts.

Here are couple of examples

This missionary in Haiti was arrested and jailed for minor crimes in 2011. He was featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network and Fox News at the time sharing his ordeal. He was eventually able to leave Haiti, but later returned. All during this time Christians and fellow missionaries supported him.
Nightmare in Haiti: Family, friends work to free Bradenton man

He was charged in 2017 for sexually abusing children.
He ran a missionary orphanage in Haiti. Now he’s accused of sexually abusing the kids

He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Former US missionary gets 40 years for child sexual abuse

Here is an example of a missionary who, despite running an unlicensed orphanage in Cambodia, was getting support. He was also arrested for having sex with children.
Missionary, supported by East Texans, jailed for child sex abuse in Cambodia

He was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
‘Missionary’ Gets Life in Prison for Abusing Children in Cambodia

These are just two examples, but there are many more. Both of the missionaries in the examples I gave were guilty of minor crimes initially, but Christians supported them anyway.

There are also large organizations like New Tribes Mission that get caught up in sex abuse scandals as well.
Ungodly abuse: The lasting torment of the New Tribes missionary kids

New Tribes is still operating, but they have since changed their name.

Even if my questions are rhetorical or hypothetical, how would you answer them?

Would you continue supporting a children's ministry in a developing nation if it was discovered that children were being sexually abused?

Would you continue to support a ministry where funds were being raised in the name of people living in extreme poverty to send children to school or for feeding programs, yet the ministry was instead using the money to pay the personal bills of its staff and pay for their personal vacations?

Should we continue supporting ministries that have been found guilty of crimes?

Should Christian ministries be off limits to criticism simply because they are Christian and we all are guilty of sin?

 

[NBB]

Usually people stop supporting ministries for a lot less than those things, or even for wrong reasons, i say nobody will support someone with that kind of stuff going on.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Here are couple of examples

This missionary in Haiti was arrested and jailed for minor crimes in 2011. He was featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network and Fox News at the time sharing his ordeal. He was eventually able to leave Haiti, but later returned. All during this time Christians and fellow missionaries supported him.
Nightmare in Haiti: Family, friends work to free Bradenton man

He was charged in 2017 for sexually abusing children.
He ran a missionary orphanage in Haiti. Now he’s accused of sexually abusing the kids

He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Former US missionary gets 40 years for child sexual abuse

Here is an example of a missionary who, despite running an unlicensed orphanage in Cambodia, was getting support. He was also arrested for having sex with children.
Missionary, supported by East Texans, jailed for child sex abuse in Cambodia

He was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
‘Missionary’ Gets Life in Prison for Abusing Children in Cambodia

These are just two examples, but there are many more. Both of the missionaries in the examples I gave were guilty of minor crimes initially, but Christians supported them anyway.

There are also large organizations like New Tribes Mission that get caught up in sex abuse scandals as well.
Ungodly abuse: The lasting torment of the New Tribes missionary kids

New Tribes is still operating, but they have since changed their name.

Even if my questions are rhetorical or hypothetical, how would you answer them?

Would you continue supporting a children's ministry in a developing nation if it was discovered that children were being sexually abused?

Would you continue to support a ministry where funds were being raised in the name of people living in extreme poverty to send children to school or for feeding programs, yet the ministry was instead using the money to pay the personal bills of its staff and pay for their personal vacations?

Should we continue supporting ministries that have been found guilty of crimes?

Should Christian ministries be off limits to criticism simply because they are Christian and we all are guilty of sin?

Thanks for providing the information. I would continue supporting the ministry if the leaders of the ministry disciplined and fired those involved. If they refused to discipline the perpetrators then support should be withdrawn from the ministry until appropriate discipline was applied.

What I was concerned about could have been information received about ministries through envy, jealously and gossip. To avoid unjust and unfair action to withdraw funds without substantive evidence of wrong-doing, we need to do proper investigation, preferably from two or three witnesses on the spot, to substantiate any rumours of wrong-doing.

I know of one ministry accused of wrong-doing through gossip and inuendo, which caused the ministry to lose funds, and the African missionary workers starved, some dying of starvation. And it all came from gossip from another missionary who was jealous that more converts were being won than through his own ministry.

 

[JosephZ]

I would continue supporting the ministry if the leaders of the ministry disciplined and fired those involved. If they refused to discipline the perpetrators than support should be withdrawn from the ministry until appropriate discipline was applied.

That would be reasonable especially when it comes to ministries that are large and have numerous volunteers and staff members.

 

[JackRT]

If religion ministries has lawsuits do to sexual scandals,unethical behaviors or lying about where they put their funding , should you still support them?

Hell no!

 

[WolfGate]

Has lawsuits or lost lawsuits? Ministries have been sued unjustly also.