In the first round of the federal government's Paycheck Program Protection, almost $80 million went to church and para-church organizations (you can see the breakdown by the organization from the Roys Report). I can't say with absolute conviction that this is unquestionably wrong, but it does not settle well with me, especially when I see some of the enormous amounts taken by wealthy organizations. There are the expected culprits - Joel Osteen needed $4.4 million and Joyce Meyers needed $5.1 million - but I was disappointed to see some others that I would not have expected - Craig Groeschel and Life.Church accepted $7 million and Willow Creek Community Church banked $5.7 million.
Am I wrong to find this unsettling or do others feel uncomfortable with this arrangement as well. Is this an indictment on the church? Granted times are difficult and giving is no doubt down considerably, but it is mindboggling that the church has created multimillion-dollar organizations, called to help the poor and oppressed, that can't even support themselves without governmental assistance. Perhaps, if the church can't support itself in times of difficulty, it has outgrown its own usefulness.
Someone help me out!