Today’s Rich Young Rulers
The Choice Before Western Church Leaders Today
I’m sorry but I can’t talk about multiethnicity at my new church because I don’t want to ruffle any feathers in my first year.
I’ll never forget hearing these words from a Pastor I once considered to be one of the most justice-minded pastors I knew of. For context - this Pastor had prioritized multiethnicity at his last church and paid the price for it.
Everyone at this Pastor’s previous majority white church was okay with diversity. In fact, they were all for diversity. Up until George Floyd was killed and the Pastor started speaking out on systemic racism. After that, the church people realized they wanted diversity without letting go of their conservative political values that conflicted with the realities of systemic racism and police brutality against their black & brown neighbours. And that was simply too high of a price to pay.
So they left the church in droves - leading to this once growing church’s ultimate demise.
The Pastor, fresh from his wounds, didn’t want a repeat of this. Deep down inside, he probably still knew that this is what the Gospel demanded of him.
But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
Another white Pastor I met with was trying to recruit me to his urban church planting team. When I asked him about his plans for justice, diversity, equity & inclusion, he said, “We can always hire a couple of black worship leaders.”
When I gently pushed back on the shallowness & superficiality of this, he said, “My goal is to first plant the church and get services running normally for at least a year. We’ll worry about those things later.” I politely declined and told him that his church would not be the right fit for my inter-racial, justice-minded family because we believe that Christ demands this of his Church.
But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
In Mark 10, we see Jesus running into a rich, young ruler. When he asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”, Jesus responds, “Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
So what are these “possessions” that Jesus alludes to? Many of us have been taught to interpret “possessions” here as merely riches and wealth. So we look at texts like this and say, “That can never be me. I’m not a rich young ruler.”
But I think Jesus meant something much deeper than just wealth & riches. I think he also meant things like privilege, social status and political power.
As a philanthropic fundraiser and former political operative, I can tell you for a fact that it’s easier to get people to part with their money than part with their privilege, social status and political power. It’s easier for us to give up some of our money than it is to give up our political preferences.
But if Jesus is truly Lord, then he doesn’t just demand *some* of our money; he demands *all* of it. He doesn’t just demand some of our wealth; he demands all of it. He doesn’t just demand some of our privilege, social status and political power; he demands all of it. He demands all of us.
Or as one of my favourite political theologians, Dr. Stanley Hauerwas likes to say, “Jesus is Lord. Everything else is Bull***t.”
The Rich Young Rulers of today aren’t just wealthy folks. It’s also pastors and church leaders who have been divinely entrusted with privilege, social status and power but are unwilling to risk it by angering their church members when the demands of the Gospel conflict with their deeply held political beliefs.
The Rich Young Rulers of today aren’t just wealthy politicians or industrialists. It’s also pastors and church leaders who have been divinely entrusted with privilege, social status and power but are unwilling to risk it by platforming teaching, ideas and vision coming from black & brown communities (yes, even liberation theology) that would anger their white congregants because it conflicts with their deeply held conservative social & political beliefs.
As a South Asian Christian, one North American thing I’ll never understand is the white evangelical Pastor’s obsession with being seen as “conservative” when God’s kingdom upsets the old order of things to make way for God’s new creation. Especially when in my experience - most of our brothers & sisters in the majority world identify conservatism with the governments and corporations that oppress them.
A Pastor’s goal should never be conservatism or progressivism. It should be faithfulness. And faithfulness to Christ and his politically transcendent kingdom will always cost us something.
I know so many white pastors who showed a genuine posture of humility to listen & learn from marginalized voices in 2020 who ultimately got radicalized the other way in 2021 & 2022 as soon as there was ‘whitelash’ from their conservative white congregants.
These are today’s Rich Young Rulers who hear the cost of discipleship and walk away dismayed by the demands of Christ. They go away grieving. Because they have many possessions.
What I’m Up To This Week
This is Week 2 of my 3 Week self-imposed Christmas break. In addition to reading and wrapping up seminary assignments, I also get to see my family from the States for Christmas this weekend + next week! Truly special.
But if you’re a Canadian church leader - allow me to share one unique, time-sensitive, opportunity: Because of a generous IJM Canada donor, all church gifts to IJM Canada this Christmas up to $20k will be matched. We’ve already had commitments for more than half of this amount but there’s still time to take advantage of this matching opportunity. Some churches are sending us their Advent collection and one church even did a crafts fair that raised almost $8000! I’ll never cease to be amazed by the generosity and justice-mindedness of the Canadian Church. It’s the whole reason why I moved my family to this beautiful country from the States in September 2021.
I hope you join your church with dozens of Canadian churches to fund rescue, hope & restoration for the millions of children & families in desperate need of that this Christmas. You can give here or reach out to me if you’d like to learn more about this opportunity.
$600 funds aftercare kits for 12 rescued child survivors of online sexual exploitation.
$1200 funds an entire investigations training module for government partners rescuing men from forced labour slavery in the Thai fishing industry.
$6000 funds an entire year of community engagement efforts in one of our programmatic regions.
$10,000 funds an entire rescue operation.
Help me grow this community
Finally, would you take two minutes to share this on your social media and encourage others to subscribe? If there’s a church leader you think would benefit from these newsletters, feel free to send them this link / email and encourage them to subscribe too.
Until next week. Merry Christmas friends!