God v. Mammon: The Sequel

08/09/2006

Throughout the Christian gospels, the careful reader time and again finds Jesus Christ irked with those of his followers who are too attached to earthly treasures. In the 16th chapter of Luke's gospel, in the parable of the unjust steward, comes this warning:

"And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Throughout two millennia, a lot of Christians have found this one tough going. "Mammon," an Aramaic word that is roughly translated as a combination of "riches," "property" and "money," has gotten a lot of church people in trouble. In Sunday's Post-Dispatch, reporter Tim Townsend told a story about God and mammon colliding in Jennings, an encounter that will take a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge to sort out 

A hard-working group of Ethiopian immigrants, members of the Debre Nazreth St. Mary and St. Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Church, had been trying for years to find a church building of their own. Its members, many of whom work in service jobs, had nonetheless managed to contribute thousands of dollars to the church building fund. Finally, in the fall of 2004, a church member found a church building under construction at 2652 Hord Avenue in Jennings.

The owner of the property, the Rev. Charles Roberson, had formed a company called Emmanuel Outreach Ministries Inc. to build the church, but was willing to let it go for $305,000. "We said to each other, 'Let's trust him. He's a pastor,'" one Ethiopian church board member told Mr. Townsend.

So with $3,000 in earnest money and $125,000 advanced to finish construction, the Ethiopians made the deal. Two years later, the church still is not complete and the city of Jennings has condemned it as dangerous and a public nuisance. The Debre Nazreth church members have sued to get their money back.

The Rev. Mr. Roberson, saying "Jesus didn't answer his accusers, and I'm not going to, either," did so anyway. He claims he had been trying to do what the buyers had asked him to do: finish building the church out of sight of the city's building inspectors. "We did what they wanted and when it went sour, they wanted their money back," he told Mr. Townsend.

There is a solution here. The city of Jennings has agreed to postpone razing the building, presenting an opportunity for the faith community of St. Louis to come together. A few dozen good-hearted people, some wielding checkbooks, others wielding saws and hammers, could do as Jesus does in the 11th chapter of Mark's gospel: Clear the money changers from the temple and turn it into a house of prayer.

STLTODAY 314-340-8221