Prey or Pray??

I am writing this post because I came across an interesting advertisement for a book on the subject of black women being preyed upon in the church.  Now I am not going to reveal the name of this books site or the title for two main reasons.  One based off of the advertisement and subject expressed via their site it is biased and one sided.  The second reason is this is being proposed as the "true" doctrine of what God's holy church is all about and it is not.

Mind you this is a free country and we all have the right to our opinion and assumptions, which is a blessing and a curse.  Things like this is spread throughout the world and will infect the ears and hearts of readers who have been victimized by people in authority in the church that have abused the position given to them.  I would like to give my take on this topic as seeing how this is a blogging board for real Men of God and not the fakers.

I have been a victim of the mindset where if you want a good woman go to church.  Almost all men, saved and unsaved, know this.  There isn't a man alive who is say 25 and above that can say that they don't know the best places to find a good woman who is not running the streets and with various different partners.  One such place is the church; another is the library; another may be a lawyer or hospital worker.  The fact is none of these places have any solidarity to the character of a Godly woman.

Just as none of these places can signify the solidarity of a man's character based on the geographical location.  Now with that being said I do understand to a degree the subliminal message behind this book.  Women who have been lied to and taken advantage of because of their willing to give themselves to someone who has lied to them in some form or fashion are hurt.  I get that and I am not down playing it.  But to sit there and say that the hidden agenda behind tithing, worship, submission, celibacy or any other teaching in the church is a con is a lie and a distraction from the true nature of the church.

All of this boils down to some simple truths that are ignored.  How sound is the integrity of the Pastor and other leaders in the church (male or female)?  Are you reading and studying the bible by yourself and for yourself?  Are you taking the word of your Pastor as gospel versus reading the gospel yourself? Are you praying for God's will be done or are you trying to manipulate the Spirit into leaning your way?

Now I will tell you the truth at one point in my life I was like a lot of folk who were either babes in the Lord or not even trying to be a new creature in Christ Jesus.  I was self motivated and desired what I wanted.  I didn't have any integrity and when I did do something that was against God's teachings I ignored it and kept right on trucking.  Not so anymore.  If I am made known my wrongs I desire to get them right.  I pray for more self-control and to not abuse the gifts and blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me.  But that didn't happen overnight.  It took persistence on my part to want to know Christ and mirror his ways.

It seems that the black church is the one being singled out here probably because that's the hot topic or perhaps because its from personal experience alone.  Mind you i have not read the book I am just going off of what I have experienced and conversations i have had with others as well as the premise the book advertises online.  No church house is short of people taking advantage of the office they hold.  Doesn't mean it has to be the pastor or the preacher per se.  It could be a deacon or sunday school teacher or evangelist or missionary.  But to single out men and to declare God's word a lie is beyond me.  Church should be church, whether it is black dominated in appearance or white dominated in appearance or mixed.  It should be Christ dominated all the way around.

I apologize and am extremely sorry for those persons who were manipulated by those in authority in the church (male or female).  It is tragic and damaging to the body of Christ as a whole.  The church is not a dating pool for the single, but it is a place to worship and fellowship with like minded souls that love and desire Christ more than anything in this world.  If you do not desire Christ first and foremost than how can you say your a member of God's church?   You may be a member of so and so's church on the corner but that doesn't mean you are a member of God's church.  God's church, His bride is not constricted to a building nor one person.

I prefer to pray for my sisters and brothers rather than prey on them, because if you are preying on someone else, someone may be preying on you....and that is not how God's house is to be ran.