Test of Journalistic Integrity!

 It is an accepted fact of nature that the sharks feed off the blood, and kill whatever is left of anything else dead in an ocean. In fact, the smell of blood attracts them and soon a school of sharks feed off the carcasses of a dead sea creature, and often humans who accidentally die in the deep sea.

It was this picture that came to my mind as I was thinking about modern day investigative journalism who claims to do a favor for Christianity today. They amplify their mostly unfounded claims and prejudiced opinions on social media handles for maximum publicity and traction, and the Internet has a field day before any clarification or justification takes place. The damage is done and the ministry collapses like a pack of cards. It always takes two hands to clap, 👏 or make a noise. There's always three sides to every story. Your version, my version, and the truth as God sees and judges from heaven. Usually it's his version, her version, and then the filtered perspective of a biased judge and jury in legal situations. Nobody can claim the full truth except the Lord who sees through people, even the intentions and motivations of our sinful, wicked hearts that are prone to all kinds of evil and destruction.

For a few years, I have been closely studying the global Christian ministry landscape being an avid reader and curious about what happens in the world of evangelical and charismatic tradition of the Church. I try my best to learn lessons of the good, the bad, and the ugly episodes that happen on a regular basis. I often wonder why some people spend so much of their time, effort, and of course money to dig, dissect and in some cases do a post mortem on the moral failings or inappropriate behavior of renowned Christian Leaders especially with a flair and intent to drag them and their near and dear ones through the mud, mocking them and destroying their ministries, which most probably was built through blood, sweat and tears. In fact, it is understandably impossible to build up a ministry from scratch and have a global reach and impact without paying a substantial price, and manifold stories of selfless service and sacrifices over the years that helped the ministry see growth and expansion eventually.

Now is it possible to drop the ball 🏀 once in a while? Of course, none of us are perfect and we are all prone to trip and fall occasionally which the Lord is aware of, and He has already made contingency plans. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Now that is never given as a license to sin. We also need to recognize that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable and so we will not know that the power has leaked, as was in the case of Samson. 

"But we have proof!" is a common argument that raises its ugly head every time. Since when did proof become a reason to convict people? Of course, in a modern day legal context, it helps solve a case. Yet, of late, I have lost faith in the modern judicial system with more stories coming out, of the mistrial of justice from around the world. So much for our absolute trust in law and the judiciary. What about the story of Joseph and his lungi or robe in the hands of Potiphar's wife who wanted to have sexual escapades with the younger and probably muscular Joseph? He was probably aware of the promiscuous Egyptian culture of that time and age where sexual mores were similar to the Roman era. Yet, we see him cooling his heels in a prison falsely accused and trapped by a conniving woman with loose morals, and one who was blatantly lustful and seductive. So even if the culture permitted adultery, and Pothiphar himself would be alright with the arrangement, Joseph knew that the One he served had His eyes on him and he practiced God's presence, because the Lord was with him. So proof is not always a final authority. I hope that lungi is preserved in an Egyptian museum! 🖼️ Maybe its doing a "lungi dance" somewhere like Bollywood's SRK! 

As far as David is concerned, he did have an issue with lust and a weakness for women throughout his life. The Bible makes no bones of it and exposes his life to the fullest extent, not leaving out any juicy details. God didn't make a mistake in calling him "a man after my own heart" centuries later. God also didn't make a mistake in including four women of questionable character in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ as we see in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Rahab, a prostitute; Tamar, a seductress; Bathsheba, a sexual abuse victim and an adulterer; and Ruth, a gentile with a failed or even a sick marriage perhaps. Only Mary was a virgin!

We are in a day and time where we need the wisdom of heaven that reflected in wise King Solomon who proved to be an excellent judge back in the day, and he took decisions in his court that would put any lawyer or judge to shame. I believe that investigative journalists didn't make much money in his period and had to find a regular job. Today we have ministries supposedly supported by some gullible people, who specialise in targeting people who are successful ministers of the Gospel, and sooner or later becomes an instrument in the hands of the enemy without realising it. Their so called claim of exposing sin, failures, corruption etc. is more for publicity and financial gains than with the intent to bring out the truth. Lies travel faster than the truth, more today because of the world wide web and the information highway! Of course, with the modern understanding of feminism, whatever a woman says is accepted as the gospel truth, unfortunately. It is sickening to see some cases where people are targeted simply because they are wealthy or just famous. 

What do we do in this context? We actually need to stop shooting the wounded and start carrying them back to safety as they lie bleeding on the battle field. We may be the next target, if not for the grace of God. We need to deal with our appetite for juicy stories and news as it breaks. We need to stop gossiping about it and restrain from passing it off as "prayer requests" in saying "Did you hear about him or her? (or any of the 75 genders of today!)

I am intentionally not naming names here so as to avoid controversy and shaming people. But to those sharks waiting for the next prey, and for bad blood, I warn you as a servant of God, that you will also stand before the judgement seat of Christ in eternity. Hope your hands will be clean and strong. I hope "you" will finish well "your" own race, after making a life and "ministry" by destroying and tearing down other ministries of repute. Heaven will be a place for surprises for sure and I can't wait to get there and see how it all played out in the end. Maybe, just maybe, hell has a special place for these reporters. By the way, you are welcome to dig skeletons from my closet because of what I wrote! My prayer is that we can read the Roys Report, Defender, Christianity Today, Premier etc. with different spectacles from now on. Never forget that "A leader is a reader." 

Cheers!🥂 

Much love and prayers,

God bless you, as only He can!

Rev. Anil Alexander

I aspire to inspire before I expire!

PS: Would you pass the test of integrity?