God or money.

Kong Hee fronted the Home Section this morning (17 Nov 2015) with this caption, “Prosecution calls for stiff sentences.” Notwithstanding only three charges, compared to others who are convicted of 6, the prosecution is asking for 11 to 12 years for the leader of the pack (similar to all except John Lam – 8-9 yrs, and Sharon Tan – 5-6 yrs) DJ See, in his written judgment, “pointed to Kong as the key man behind the scandal, writing that the charismatic church pastor had acted consciously and dishonestly.” It is reported that “for the moment, only King and Chew have indicated that they are likely to appeal.”

At this juncture, I recalled an article in the new paper one week ago. It was about “love gifts” that went into the secret account of the leaders of CHC. It was called MPA for “Multi-purpose account”. MPA was set up in 2006 and was closed in 2010. Over that period of time, a select group of donors gave S$2.8 million to the couple, namely, Sun Ho and Kong Hee. It was reported that a major part of the money was spent on Sun Ho’s salaries, bonuses and royalties. On top of that, her hair and makeup and medical bills alone came up to about S$240,000 in 2009. Airfares, hotel and travel insurances nearly topped S$200,000 in 2009. And consultancy fees was about half a million.

One mother of three, who contributed to MPA, came forward to defend her actions and the couple: “I made the decision that it was okay, because this is my money and I know where I want it to go. I gave with my free will. No one forced me to do it.” She continued, “Think about this as though you are contributing to your boss’ birthday and you can give however much you want. Someone sets up a birthday fund for the office and the money is put in there. Eventually, whether the money is spent on the birthday cake or the decorations is besides the point. I just know that I gave the money away as a birthday present and I trust the person to handle it.” Mm…with S$2.8 million over about three years, the lucky recipient could very well celebrate her birthday everyday.

Lesson? “God or money”, that’s what I learn this morning. If there is a final distillation of it all, a convergence of some sort, a crossroad where all the lessons coincide, it is one that goes beyond the love of money as the root of all evil. I think you don't really need to love it to nurture its virgin root. Sometimes, you just need to have absolute control of it and the heart will waver, the soul lust, and the spirit limp. It is said that if you give a beggar a horse, he will ride his way to hell. Same here. If you give a mega-church pastor untrammelled control, with only self (and wife) acting as the oversight, he will then ride his way to his own unmaking. Alas, God does not need to let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, we ourselves sometimes do a better job at it.

Here, I am reminded of Jesus’ admonishment in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

If we put aside the recent conviction, and the judge's statement that Kong Hee “acted consciously and dishonestly”, we are left with a lot of money in the absolute control of two fallible and highly vulnerable persons wildly adored by thousands, and who are living rather large and extravagantly. I feel that the lethal mix of money, control and adulation is dangerously combustible. Imagine a wild river of kerosene and a lighted match floating precariously on top of it - a chain explosion is just a split second away.

You can see how the issue here goes beyond whether the devotee is serving one master or the other. Sadly, it is more about using one master to serve the other, that is, using religion as a means to secure personal fortune and fame as its end. And in a situation where the flush of easy money meets the rush of endless human ambition and appetites, the real crossover happening right under one’s nose is to turn one's hatred for the world into an unwitting accomplice with the world – good intention notwithstanding. (It is ironic that it is called the Crossover, because it seems more like a crossover with no plans to turn back).

But the charade does not end there. Here is where the cover-up goes full throttle. It is also where self-deception takes on a sanctimonious moonshine. Kong Hee claimed in the earlier article that "it's a freewill giving...we didn't force them...We do not use it in a cavalier fashion." (I guess what is modesty to Donald Trump is cavalier to Kong Hee).

However, in the same breath, when Chew accused Kong Hee of defrauding his goodwill donors, including Chew himself, by "hiding the royalties and the salaries and the bonuses (amounting to $450k)...so that they would be emotionally led to contribute more," Kong Hee's only explanation was that "he did not have a chance to check with his wife whether she was comfortable revealing her salaries and royalties." He further said: "We do not have a culture in CHC, as in many companies, that we keep our income as confidential."

It is hard to believe that Kong Hee was sincere with that explanation. Is he accountable to God as His faithful steward or to the comfort level of his wife? Or, is he a trustee of the Church money or a protector of his wife’s feeling? (reminds me of Adam taking the fruit because he could not resist Eve’s persuasion). More relevantly, Is his Church no different from secular companies where the worldly culture was to keep all income confidential or is his Church the body of Christ where truth and integrity reign at all costs?

I recall George Washington once said that it is better to offer no excuse (at all) than a bad one. I guess serving one master would require one to betray the other. This betrayal is subtle and it happens over time. It is also highly resistant to correction. Indeed, to err is human, and to admit and learn from it, for some, is simply preposterous.

One former Chaplain’s words ought to shed some light on the whole prosperity gospel saga: “Jesus Christ said more about money than any other single thing because, when it comes to a man’s real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man’s true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man’s character and how he handles his money.” I guess where one’s treasure is, there his heart will be.

In the end, Kong Hee and his wife are no different from the many fallen leaders before them. His followers would really want to believe that they are different, but sadly, they are not. The reality about us has not changed since time immemorial. But the human fantasy about it keeps changing its script – hoping that this time, it would be different.

The issue with us is that we are all looking for a hero – someone for whom we can emulate on a moral and spiritual high ground. As such, we will always hitch our dreams to a bright, dazzling, high-in-the-sky…falling comet. Alas, no matter how much we rewrite the script, this overriding fact remains: We are only human; none is exempted. We can’t pretend to be what we are not. Given the same circumstances, the same temptations, the same level of adulation, and the same deluded sense of invulnerability developed over time and feted by such mindless adulation, we are all inescapably fallible. We will ride our way to perdition. And to believe otherwise is the greatest lie of mankind.

Let me end here with this tale about being human.

“A man travels many miles to consult the wisest guru in the land. When he arrives, he asks the wise man: “Oh wise guru, what is the secret of a happy life?”

“Good judgment,” says the guru.

“But oh, wise guru,” says the man, “how do I achieve good judgment?”

“Bad judgment,” says the guru.”

And until we admit and learn from our bad judgments, we will always be condemned to live a life piling them up, even unknowingly (until it is too late). Cheerz.

I learn more from DJ See's oral judgment than Kong Hee's sermon.

I learn more about God and the Bible reading DJ See’s oral judgment (particularly, his conclusions) than listening to a sermon at a mega-church service. In April this year, I attended CHC (because my son’s classmate invited him and I thought it was wiser for me to follow him) and Kong Hee was preaching about taking pleasure in God. His sermon was entitled “ENJOY”. It was an acronym for Engage, Nurture, Jesus, Others and Yourself. 

Kong Hee, in suit and tie (without his trademark up-sized Starbucks coffee), was definitely charismatic, larger than life, and the atmosphere was electrifying, almost heavenly. They even had a peculiar fragrance all around that I carried a snitch of it with me until today. It had a deeply calming olfactory and nostalgic effect. Needlessly to say, the band did not miss a beat, the singers were impeccable, and the service went along with clockwork precision – as smooth as silk.

Then, I recently read DJ See’s oral judgment online. Nothing visual at least. It was all in black and white print. I was crammed up in my living room sofa in the early hours of dawn and was enjoying an over-ripe, oxygenated banana. I was surrounded by the smell of the most ordinary home environment and there was no accompanying music to gently usher in the morning read. No calming or nostalgic effect at all. In fact, the only effect I experienced was my incessant sneezing after coming out of an air-conditioned room for the whole night.

And just as an aside, I have appeared before DJ See on a few occasions, and he is no Kong Hee. He is nerdy, bespectacled, and looks at you as if he is examining an exhibit. But I can’t deny that he is one of the most pleasant judges in the courts today. He has no airs, is exceedingly patient, and his trademark smile, that sometimes looks more pained to me than disarming, makes every hearing before him goes as smooth as silk.

Yet, the difference between them, Kong Hee and DJ See, goes far deeper than appearances or stage presence. His oral judgment taught me more about being a Christian than Kong Hee’s sermon will ever do because words alone should never be the sole measure of a leader. His subsequent fruits must invariably follow thereafter. Ultimately, he becomes what he sows. And reading DJ See's oral judgment in the discomfort of my worn-out sofa and holding a blemished banana in one hand, I learned the following five lessons (and I’ll start each lesson with an extract from the oral judgment):- 

1) “The allure of power that can be exercised in secrecy is difficult to resist. When shrouded under a cloak of invisibility, much like the mythical ring of Gyges, persons in such positions of power have no fear of accountability and tend to become their own worst enemies.” (DJ See)

Every leader would do well to bear this in mind. While power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, true power is having the character to deny and resist that power. Sadly Kong Hee succumbed to it. He believed in his own invisibility and invulnerability. He is a fount of authority unto himself in his church. He is the head of his organization. He is held captive, even to a point of obsession, to a vision that is at the very least questionable. He does his own filtering and what gets passed is none other than the sheer will of man (and not of God). The Crossover project – with all its incredulous obscenity projected and liberties taken in the name of purity - exemplifies what men can do when they have decided to follow…their own ambition and unchecked appetites.

2) “But this may have also been the inevitable consequence of CHC’s election to carry out its affairs and operations relating to the funding of the Crossover in a discreet fashion. This was merely a euphemism for a culture of insecurity mired in secrecy and opaqueness where asking difficult or awkward questions was taboo.” (DJ See)

This is prevalent in all good organizations; churches or otherwise. What is often discreet is often about turning a blind eye to what is blatantly indiscreet. The culture of insecurity and fear is what keeps the sacred hierarchy in check only (and no balance). This is the insidious stranglehold of holy groupthink. Everyone is required to submit to authority. No one dares to ask difficult or awkward questions lest he or she is ostracized. It is a perverse inversion of “giving to God and giving to Caesar,” where the right order is subverted to taking from God so as to give to Caesar instead. And Caesar here refers to whoever is at the top of the Babelian pyramid of power.

3) “Where professional advice was sought, this was really mainly an attempt to seek out self-supporting confirmatory advice based on selectively-disclosed information. They omitted mention of the crucial fact that CHC remained in control of Xtron and would correspondingly control the use of the funds. They provided leading questions for belief confirmation and support from only those advisors whom they trusted to support the Crossover vision and were quick to reject or filter out any disconfirming information.” (DJ See)

This is where the culture of insecurity and fear reaches Leviathan proportions. When all information is filtered through a self-deluded confirmatory lens, and all sound, inconvenient and balanced oppositions are selectively rooted out, the leadership has full and absolute control of what they want to hear to perpetuate the subterfuge and not what they need to hear to do what is timelessly right. The danger here is that like the Titanic, no one wants to believe that they are heading for the iceberg until it is too late to steer a safe course away.

4) “…they convinced themselves that it was both morally and legally permissible to temporarily use the money from CHC’s funds when they knew it was not.” (DJ See)

I always thought that self-deception is oxymoronic. For how can you deceived yourself and not know? How can the one who creates the lie be the same person who takes the bait? Surely, he must know that what he takes as truth is nothing but a lie all along. Imagine talking yourself into buying a heater in the blistering equatorial city that is Singapore instead of an air-conditioner and then defending that purchase as if it was the best decision you’ve ever made! I guess there is no apparent contradiction if one applies morally questionable “means” (Crossover Project) to achieve a theologically defensible “end” (Great Commission) and then seeks refuge and justification in that end but remains blissfully oblivious to the corrupting influences of the means. It is a body-contorting mind game no doubt. But one that becomes second nature over time. It runs in largely the same logic as vices always pay homage to virtues, or in this case, hypocrisy always pay homage to authenticity. And the sad reality is this, I have never met a conscious hypocrite. Have you?

And…

5) “It has thus been wisely said that the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light, and if they choose not to come into the light they do so for fear that their deeds will be exposed, as they surely will in time.” (DJ See)

There is always the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. But it takes many straws to do it. And each successive straw gets away with it until the last straw is innocuously added. That is where the camel succumbs and collapses. It is similar to a Ponzi-like pyramid scheme where the top gets away with it unscathed and those down the chain get burnt with great losses. 

When the leadership fails, the whole church suffers in the same way that when the head of the fish rots, the whole body follows. I believe that in the context of a Church, DJ See’s words can’t be anymore bitterly ironic. If Christians are called to be the light of the World, then the Crossover project is all about using darkness as a cover to pursue the light of truth. This is just about as effective as trying to drown a fish in water or engaging in shadow boxing and expecting a knockout. Stripped of all its celebrity’s stage-lights, the Crossover project is nothing more than the gospel of Success without making the Gospel a success. And the last straw in this case has always been that crossing-over moment when the leaders start to believe that they can do anything in God’s name and get away with it.

Let me end with this extract from DJ See’s oral judgment: “The accused persons chose to support the Crossover vision and to act and participate in acts in support of it. The Crossover became a comprehensive logic for justifying their beliefs and actions, and for doing whatever was expedient for its advancement. The pervasive mindset seemed to be one of short-term expediency; the use of means involving dubious methods was worth the risk to them if there was some hope of longer-term gain.” Cheerz.


Postscript: 

Now, don't get me wrong. It was nevertheless a good sermon delivered by Kong Hee that day. It was sound as preached - even undeniably encouraging. But my point here goes beyond just presenting the gospel to the masses with cherries on top and bow-tie to boot. It is more about living it up in earnest. It's about the brokenness of humanity, not the greatness of their exploits. It's about our heart being broken by the things that break the heart of God. And not a heart that is resistant to all earnest attempts to break it simply because one refuses to admit - with a contrite heart - what he sees reflected back at him when he looks into the St. James' mirror (James 1:23-24). 

To me, the greatest tragedy of man is not to look into the mirror and see the face of a monster staring back at him. That ugliness is universal. No one in words, speech and presentation can ever correct that. However, the greatest tragedy is to look into the same mirror - confronting the same hideousness - and then turns away and forgets about it completely. Or worse, to pretend that all's well and swell. 

I guess the greatest challenge to our leaders today is not so much about sprucing up our public image before the masses. That's quite second nature to some leaders and some are surfing high on that image. The greatest challenge however is to confront one's private image, the hidden desires, the lust for fame and wealth, the envy and discontentment, and all the unmentionables, and then to look to Calvary - where the greatest travesty and hideousness were portrayed - for our source of brokenness, hope, direction and strength. I see no deeper and more enduring transformation for a man than a self-confrontation at Calvary rather than a self-projection before a crowd of adoring fans.

I dreamt I went to see Joseph Prince's god for the second time.

I dreamt I was taken up to heaven for the second time and I was waiting for an audience before Joseph Prince’s god (JP’s god). The angels told me that JP’s god was busy and he'd see me later. I asked for how long must I wait and was told that they weren't sure. But they assured me that it wouldn’t take long. So, I decided to kill some time by taking a tour around heaven.

It was a walk to savor. I saw many wondrous things and they were simply splendid. Words alone cannot express or do justice to the view. I stood in awe of the beauty of heaven.

Then, something caught my attention. I saw many angels protesting with raised placards and banners outside the compound of a huge white mansion. I decided to check it out. When I approached the mansion, I noticed that it was really big with 3 Olympic-size pools, an 18-hole resort golf course, a multi-storey private car garage, and an in-door sport complex. However, the main gate to the mansion was closed, bolted shut. Nobody was home.

I then approached one of the protesting angels and asked him what was the gathering about. He told me that they have been retrenched. I was puzzled, worried even. I inquired further and he replied that they used to work under the direction of the Holy Spirit (“HS”). They assisted the HS. But recently, they have been put out of the job because the HS does not convict people of sins anymore. As such, they are now setting up an Occupy-Wall-Street-like protest at the mansion belonging to the one who'd started it all...pastor Prince.

I scratched my head and asked the angel why. He said that it is a directive from JP’s god to be implemented with immediate effect. The dejected angel told me that his department received the memo that fateful day with a severance notice to boot. Most of them then packed up their things and the departure was immediate. In one day, the whole department was vacated. That was that. They were out of a job and mind you, it was a large department.

The angel lamented that it was supposed to come with lifetime employment assurances, that is, each of the angel was assigned to a life below to assist in convicting, guiding and disciplining for the duration of a lifetime. Of course, it was the HS who rightfully did the conviction of sins and they were just assisting Him. Credit duly accorded. But since that dreaded memo, their jobs were taken from them.

Now the department has been drastically downsized. JP’s god had significantly cut down the scope of work and the labor required for it. It is now down to one conviction and that was it. It is the conviction of unbelief - period - and that conviction starts and ends at the altar call.

The angel told me that radical grace was supposed to do the rest, that is, fill in the gap thereafter - until death. I asked the angel how does it work in detail and he told me that they were quite clueless about it. They haven’t the faintest idea on the day-to-day application. With a tinge of sarcasm, the angel reminded me that JP’s god even had a refreshing coinage for it in heaven. It is called NCC 2.0 for “New Covenantal Conviction 2.0”.

I asked him whatever happened to the time of the early Church Fathers, the Catholic theologians, the Protestant leaders, and all the denominational founders before this NCC 2.0 movement? Had they been doing (or receiving) it wrong for the last 2000 years before radical grace in fine leather stormed on stage? I told the angel that the last time I checked, the consensus was that the HS convicted us of all sins throughout our lifetime – be it altar or falter calls. It was not just a one-time-make-or-break deal. 

All this time, as I was talking, I noticed that the disillusioned angel was nodding. Occasionally, a faint, forlorn nod, but I could see that he was agreeing with me - if not a little saddened for being reminded of the good old days. The angel then told me that things changed after that Swiss Alps' vacation when pastor Prince received the radical grace edict and the rest is, well, retrenchment history for him and others.

I could tell that the angel was quite reluctant to credit pastor Prince for being the leader who'd caught the message while almost everyone else before him missed or misinterpreted it. I guess he was still licking his sore wound from being retrenched. He then repeated half-heartedly this radical grace mantra as if on certain pre-set clockwork cue: "It's hard to keep sinning against a loving savior." 


The angel also reminded me that asking for forgiveness after the altar call is a thing of the past. It is now a cathartic session with JP's god where we confess our sins but stop short of asking for forgiveness. He said that we confess our sins because we know we are already forgiven and not to ask for forgiveness. Mm...it sounded to me like some kind of gratitude overdose or overkill. I then squinted at that because I see a confession without asking for forgiveness as an in-your-face non-sequitur. Imagine telling your wife that you have betrayed her with your secretary (it’s a one-time lapse of judgment) but you're deeply remorseful and repentant about it and then changing the subject to last night dinner without seeking her forgiveness. Mm…I guess with JP’s heaven and god, rules are just different, and strangely so. JP's god must be an all-patient, all-understanding, all-forgiven and unconditionally loving god. 

The angel further said that it is now a one-to-one intimate bonding with JP's god quite similar to a TGIF buddy-buddy night-out and not a Lord-I-am-sorry-for-this-and-that session anymore. He was also quick to add that  we ought to be convicted of our righteousness in Jesus' completed work at Calvary and that we are free from sins forever.

I then ask him who does the conviction of our righteousness since the conviction of sins is put out of commission for good. I think my persistent probing must have started to piss the angel off as he raised his arms in frustration and hollered: "Well, definitely not us. We’re retrenched remember?"

After a long sigh, the angel continued, this time in more somber tone, "I guess this works out for the best because this way, we won't be so sin-conscious or sin-obsessed." At this point, I was bursting at the seams with these questions: "Wouldn't we swing to the other extreme and become self-righteous or self-absorbed or self-consumed? Wouldn’t we take a loving Savior for a ride, for granted, for self-serving gains?" But I anticipated that the angel would just repeat to me that radical grace mantra: "It's hard to keep sinning against a loving savior."

Furthermore, I think I have annoyed the angel enough. I then paused and thought to myself: So it is now about a conviction by, of and for oneself? A sort of self-therapy session with JP's god as our personal confidante or coach? I guess the angel read my body language and replied with a cautious yes and no. Yes, he said, because the HS does not convict us of sins anymore and it's partly up to us now. And no because we are deemed righteous by virtue of...waitforit..."Radical Grace" - we repeated those two words in sync like clueless cheerleaders. Then, a confounding (uncomfortable) silence ensued. We stared blankly at each other. We had nothing to say.

Wow, this NCC 2.0 is definitely new to me, I thought aloud. It would really take some time for me to get use to it for sure.

I ended my conversation by telling the angel that I will miss the time when the HS convicted me to genuine/sorrowful repentance. I will also miss the time when the HS stirred within my soul to reveal my failings, to unravel my pride, to uncover my lust, to disarm my anger, to check me on my greed, to strip me of my hypocrisy, and to move me to ask for forgiveness.

I told him that there is nothing quite so empowering as being convicted of my sins and then coming humbly before God to repent as I grow in love, gratitude and maturity in my loving Savior. Growth to me as an imperfect earthly vessel is to stumble and fall at times and then to repent from it in progressive spiritual maturity with skinned knees to show and not a one-time-you-are-free-from-all altar-call experience. In other words, repentance at the altar is not an on-and-off switch but a halogen dimmer that works in reverse as we gradually grow in love and in His light. The angel then whispered these words to me, "I am not supposed to say this but I miss those times terribly...at least I still have a job then."

On that note, I bade farewell to the angel and decided to turn back to wait for JP’s god. However, I was curious about a notice hanging at the front gate of JP’s mansion. I walked towards it and it reads: “Gone with god on an overseas book tour. Be back tomorrow.” Sigh…it’s going to be a long wait – I thought to myself. Cheerz.