From the Pastor's Study
From the Pastor’s Study
Scams and Such
Sept 9, 2022
Yesterday (Tuesday) about mid afternoon I started receiving a large number of texts and phone calls and emails about an email that many people from this congregation had received. Apparently, I was asking for a confidential meeting, and if someone clicked on the link, they would be asked to buy gift cards for me. I don’t know if everyone received the same emails, but it appears that someone was trying to get people to buy gift cards so that they could steal the money from them. This was not the first time I heard about this kind of scam. Helen has received similar emails at work, supposedly from her boss asking her to buy gift cards as well. What caused that scam to fail is that her boss’ office is within easy walking distance. This is one of the many scams that are out there, and they are all created by people who are seeking to take advantage of others. It must work sometimes, or they would stop trying.
Several people sent me screen shots of the email, and I noticed several things about it that made it seem suspicious:
First, the email address was not one that I have created or ever used. Someone made that email address up so that they could impersonate me.
Second, the wording in the email was awkward. It sounded like someone who was not entirely familiar with English had written it. In fact, I suspect that someone had written the email in another language and then used a website to translate it to English. The wording was not quite right.
Third, the whole idea of a pastor wanting a member to buy gift cards in his behalf is suspicious. We have ways and means of paying for things that involve a capable treasurer who can write cheques with proper receipts. Gift cards are never used in a church to pay for things unless the deacons are helping out someone who has to buy groceries. Even then, they try to find other ways to help those who are in need.
Behind all of this is a person who is out for personal gain. Most probably we will never know who initiated the scam, but we do know that they are doing what they are doing for themselves, not to help others. And that is the saddest part of the whole thing: the church exists to help others, and this individual sought to benefit themselves. I am also a little disturbed that someone tried to impersonate me by using my name, and, if I understand it correctly, my picture as well. Both my reputation and the reputation of the church could have been sullied by this self-seeking person who initiated the scam.
As I was thinking about this whole thing, it came to mind that this is not entirely uncommon, and it is not completely original. Far before computers were invented, as far back as biblical times, people were using the church to advance their own cause, sometimes even seeking to benefit themselves financially by scamming others.
In the early church, especially in post-New Testament times, there were a number of occasions where people claimed a new teaching that would enhance one’s status with God. They claimed to have secret information that they would reveal only if someone was willing to make a commitment to them. They had a lot in common with present-day scammers, for they were looking after their own interests and not the interests of others. But their scams can be identified as scams if we consider the following:
First, consider the motivation. Is a particular teaching or ministry or program being developed for the benefit of all or is it for the benefit of the one who had developed it? When a pastor is able to build a mansion and fly about the country in a Lear Jet, paid for by the donations of others, we must wonder if what they are teaching and doing is really true. Or, perhaps, are they using the ministry of the church for their own advantage?
Second, we must evaluate what is being said. Just as the wording in the emails was awkward, the teachings of those who are scamming others can be awkward as well. They promote ideas that don’t seem to quite fit with what we know to be true. To catch this awkwardness, of course, we need to be aware of what it true and right, or else we might miss it. As an example, a number of people commented that they knew it wasn’t me who wrote the email because I would never use that kind of wording. It didn’t fit. Likewise, when someone is teaching something that is not entirely true, it will not fit well with the teachings of Scripture.
Third, the church has 2000 years of developing its teaching and while are always learning something new and while we are always learning to apply the teachings of Scripture to our current context, we need to also rely on the fact that the teachings and practices of the church are reliable. When someone proposes something that is completely different (buying gift cards as opposed to submitting a receipt and receiving a cheque), we ought to be suspicious. If our church decides to begin to rely on gift cards to make purchases, we can be sure that it will have been well discussed in council first (and probably discarded) and then announced to the congregation in the bulletin. Cults are formed when a leader separates him(her)self from the church and the normal way of doing things, refusing to listen to other Christians and gain their perspective, to develop a new way or a new practice. We ought to be wary of that. Solid Christian teaching and practice almost always is based on what has been tried and proven to be true.
It is sad that someone tried to use our church community for their own benefit. It should not have happened, but in today’s computer world, such an occurrence is hardly rare. It happens too often. We ought to be aware of warning signs. Sadder still are those times when someone twists the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they can personally benefit. Perhaps one of the best tests to determine authenticity is to ask, “Is this being done for the glory of God and the good of others?” That is the first test of authenticity, and if we combine it with the suggestions above, we can be sure that we are not scammed to believe a gospel that is not a gospel.
Pastor Gary
