Evangelical Swindlers
by Dr. Clyde Taylor
S w in d l e r s a r e a p r e t t y sad lot under any circum stance. But it would be hard to conceive of a more reprehensible character than the one who uses the gos pel of Jesus Christ as the flag under which he carries out his fraudulent schemes. Such swindlers do exist, however, and I am becoming alarmed at the degree to which they have been able to hoodwink the evangelical public. They prey upon churches and individual Christians who have a sincere interest in the increase of the gospel witness in foreign lands. Their appeals to the Christian public usually fall into two categories. They pretend to operate either missionary activities or charitable works such as orphanages, lepro- sariums, etc. Now in case you don’t read the rest of this article and ing to the stars about the terrible inflation. Satisfied that her facial muscles are ready, off she goes to the challenging task of matching shock to shock and sneer to sneer with her friend, the chicken seller. Seeing her coming, the vendor cries out the virtues of her fat, healthy fowl. Friend wife picks up the chicken, feels the crop to see how much gravel has been shoved down its throat to increase the weight, and asks, “How much for this one?” “Three dollars.” Now the ritual begins in earnest. Wife wipes her fore head, drops her lower jaw, and pushes the chicken aside. “I could not have heard you correctly. You didn’t dare say two dollars, did you?” The seller’s face reddens and her eyes pop. “Madame, this is not an ordinary chicken. No water has been forced down its stomach . . . no stones put in its crop . . . this is my special pet chicken . . . it is all tender meat.” “One dollar,” my wife offers. The vendor angrily shakes her head and tries to at tend to another buyer. Realizing she must give a little or not get the chicken, my wife offers $1.40. In return she gets a sharp stare accompanied, she believes, by the shadow of a half smile. “All right, last price—$1.90.” “Look, it is getting late. I am in a hurry. I cannot give you more than $1.50 for this underfed chicken.” “Even to please you I cannot lose so much money.” Friend wife then turns, starts out, and in an over- the-shoulder-talking-to-no-one-approach, says, “You could have sold it to me for $1.60.”
The seller senses this is it. She sighs, calls the buyer back, and accepts the offered price. The haggle is over. Both are pleased. The seller has received the price expected and the buyer takes home the chicken she wants, plus, of course, the bonus of having sharpened her wit for the same game on the morrow. To haggle is a real art in a Chinese market, but when taken into the church or home the art becomes sin. It is well to remember that the tongue is a fire. It is undisciplined . . . full of death-bringing poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness! Gut of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so” (James 3:8-10 Amplified). As a woman you can either build your home or “pluck it down.” A virtuous woman is a “crown to her husband, but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones (Proverbs 12:4). Do you ever embarrass your husband by nagging him at home or in public? Do you argue his every decision? You may be uncon sciously destroying the very thing you really desire in your husband his love for you and his God-confidence. Why not make a concerted effort to so speak as to be your husband’s “crown”? The Bible says, “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house’ (Proverbs 21:9). I am afraid some wives force their husbands into a corner. You have the privilege of making your home earth’s happiest place for him. Of the godly woman the Scripture says, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26). This is a far cry from haggling. Through words of encouragement, comfort and strength, you become a real helpmeet to the man God has given you. Let no evil words or worthless talk come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is beneficial to the spiritual progress of others. Let all bitterness, bad temper, quarreling, contention, and slander be banished from your life. Your lips are to speak of the glory of His kingdom and to talk of His power. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 11:19). . . . The art of haggling—let’s leave that to the Orien tal vendor.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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