There was a guy I knew, and we attended the same High School and College. We belonged to the same fraternity. His family, like mine, was at church all week long. We went on the same Mission trips, sang in chorus together, on and on I could go but you get it, right? We knew each other really well and were friends. I knew him to be a trustworthy man, so the stories we shared with each other I could trust to be true.

He was a couple of class years ahead of me, so he graduated before I did and went on to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for his graduate studies. His entire adult life has been in service at various churches. To this day he is a minister and he’s someone I’d call trustworthy and a good person.

One weekend back in college he returned from SBTS and was telling us about how life at Southern was going. So, it was MUCH to our surprise when he shared this with us…

He was sitting in one of his first classes, and to start the lecture the professor asked, “By a show of hands, who here believes in God?” My friend, of course, raised his hand and had assumed everyone had raised theirs also. Since the professor picked up on something the class did not, he then asked, “By a show of hands, who does not believe in God?”

One lone seminarian raised a hand.

The professor followed up, what I can only imagine is an unusual response, by asking, “If you don’t believe in God, then why are you here?”

The seminarians reply…”Because there’s money in the God business.”

I’ve thought a lot about this over the years. I’ve often wondered which SBC church or churches he ended up leading. I’ve wondered how much money he made in the “God business.” And I’ve wondered just how many MORE were there at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for the EXACT same reason but failed to answer the professors’ question honestly.

As we look at case after case of abuse in Southern Baptist churches, I wonder how many began or ended up leading churches because of all the money in the “God business.”

I wonder how many began or ended up idolizing the power, The Church, the bible, the control over people, and all the other reasons that leaders would forsake the care of believers and forsake the calling.

There’s no way we get to the place we are now without a lot of leaders sacrificing people for power, ministry for money, and the safety of children for the protection of predators. And there’s no way we get to the place we are now without a lot of followers allowing the leaders to get away with it.

If you are a person of faith who’s active in their faith community, let me ask what this professor asked that young seminarian…

Why are you there?

Are you there for the position in your community? Are you there for the prestige a certain church might bring? Are you there because being there allows you some measure of control over the church and its direction? What is the motivation behind your attendance/membership at your church?

One final question. Who is looking after the safety of the children at your church? If “everyone” isn’t how you answered, then you have the wrong answer.

Why are you there?

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…

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