Prove to me that you're a minister, before I train you on how to be one, and then pay me for the privilege of learning from me what God intended for me to give you freely - knowledge of the love of God and Jesus Christ. Come again? What sense does this make? Did God really intend for men, appointed by other men, to dictate the lives of everyone else, and do it for a fee? When did the "charity of others" turn into an invoice based business model instead of a philosophy of giving up your worldly possessions to follow the path of the Lord? And, was it really God's intent to have ministers of faith proclaim witches and heretics so those might be burned at the stake? Was it God's intent to have an Inquisition that would hold back man's progress through the Dark Ages? And, did God really intend that priests throughout the ages would live their lives at a status of authority and riches above those they supposedly served? I had a hard time coming up with a title for this post, and I'm still not comfortable with what I have. There is so much to cover on this topic that I tend to bounce around, but those of you that follow my blog are well aware of this. I offer my apologies, up front. To read this post, please follow this link to "The Path": Proving Faith: At What Cost Ministry?
