Most of my friends will probably know my disdain for the theology and practices of the City Harvest Church. I personally object to its doctrines and teachings on prosperity, the “lottery tithe” incentives, and now, the possible fraudulent accounting.
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However at the current state of affairs, with the MSM launching a full on assault against CHC and in essence, the Church in singapore, and the number of spiteful and hurtful comments by Christians (who ironically were not the donors of the CHC funds)
(2 Cor 2:6-8)
If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
In essence, we should support and pray for Pastor Kong Hee, while not making assumptions of his guilt or innocence until the investigations are over. While his theology and lifestyle may not be congruent to what christian living should entail, he is after all , still a brother in Christ. I believe that God has a intention with regard to this incident, and CHC, the church in Singapore, and Pastor Kong Hee will come out from this incident stronger. It is not prosperity that makes a Christian grow, it is the tests, trials and temptations that build out faith.
My summarised thoughts on the whole incident:
1. I think if the allegations of deceit and CBT are true as reported by the MSM are true, it is clearly wrong and horrible. Kong Hee and his CHC board must face the music for the damage this incident has done to the church's reputation. Deceit and money laundering is clearly against biblical values
2. However equally bad are the christians who are pouring out fire, hell and brimstone and quoting "go to hell" verses at Kong Hee and CHC. it is completely contrary to the teachings of Christ and the apostles.
3. When everything blows over, CHC, churches and other christian organisations should do a postmortem and see what went wrong. Why was there no one to keep a check on Kong Hee and the board's decisions? I suspect its a classic case of groupthink in CHC.
4. Kong Hee intent is not inherently or deliberately evil. He did not found City Harvest as a means to fleece people of their money. In fact he requested not being paid a salary, but the board insisted until the mid 2000 decade. What probably happened was a slow bit by bit compromise to lead to the lavish lifestyle he leads now.
5. The prosperity gospel is clearly wrong and contrary to biblical teachings. However too few people have dared to stand up against it and shoot it down. It's our responsibility as Christians to warn others about its allure, and convict and convince our church leaders on its dangers.
