Sometimes Clergy Are the Killers
One wag, in commenting on the series on Clergy Killers, raised the question as to whether the clergy were doing the killing or being killed. As we wind up this series, we need to be honest that not all clergy are noble and deserving of sympathy. As one of the characters in my mystery novel, A Star and a Tear, amzn.to/1aTDdgs says, “Sometimes clergy are called by God, then divert to ministry as a profession, and finally slip into it being a job.” Tragically some clergy betray their calling and reflect shades of evil in the way that they act in a self-serving manner in the ministry.
The Temptation of Sex, Money, and Power
Like other professions, being in the ministry is no guarantee that one will not be tempted and succumb to the temptation to take advantage of others to satisfy one’s own selfish pleasures. I have known other clergy who have mistresses, grow rich off of schemes that use the symbols of religion, or use their position to dominate others. Their behavior is an offense against the God who called them and a painful betrayal of the people who they serve. In the past couple of decades, we have seen the tearful confessions of people like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker, etc. As another character in my novel suggests, “Sex and religion can be two of the most powerfully creative and destructive forces in the universe.”
The Sins of the Few Reflect on the Majority
Even if we don’t think it is fair, most clergy recognize that when one of these clergy betrayals come to light, all of us in the ministry are affected negatively. The trust in the clergy has declined rapidly over the past few decades, largely due to such stories of scandals. As clergy we must name the demon of distrust and the reasons behind it, if we are to rebuild the trust in our profession. One of the reasons I have published the three volumes of Clergy Tales–Tails and now my novel, is because I want more people to know about the complex mosaic of clergy life. My hope is that through fiction I can help “to build respect for clergy one story at a time.” amzn.to/13VO446
I understand that this serves as an advertisement for my books of fiction, but I have deliberately tried to keep the prices low so that more may read them and join my campaign.
