Could We Unknowingly be Funding Liberal Causes? 

By Rev. Jim Venice

This past fall I attended the annual Missouri Baptist Convention at the Tan-Tar-A resort overlooking the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks (while the autumn leaves were in full color) as an exhibitor with an informational display table for our ministry. This was the second time that I have been allowed to attend the convention and it was an incredible opportunity for me to meet more than two thousand Baptist pastors plus other church leaders all in one place to introduce our ministry to them and extend our ministry services.

I had just arrived to set up and was looking for my assigned table. While walking past other exhibitor booths that had already been set up something caught my eye: it was a booth with a display poster that had a statement across the top that read “Tithing is not good stewardship!” I was immediately caught off guard and taken back and thought to myself “What a strange statement to make in a room full of preachers.” It definitely was designed to be an attention grabber and worked very well.

The sign went on to explain that we need to tithe not only our income but also our time, talents, and skills, etc. The company that was being presented was The Timothy Plan (www.TimothyPlan.com). When I visited their booth later in the day and had the opportunity to meet the individuals working that booth, I was asked if they could help me with a free “moral audit” of my retirement account.

You might be asking “What in the world is a “moral audit?” I had the same question. Evidently, most of us are not aware that the companies who are managing our retirement accounts are investing our retirement funds in companies that support activities like abortion, gay activism, the porn industry, gambling, etc. Furthermore, I was made aware that most denominations have their own minister’s retirement programs and most of the organizations managing those ministers’ retirement accounts are also “knowingly” investing these conservative Christian’s monies in immoral activities. Even more disturbingly, when these organizations were confronted—they didn't want to be bothered with the facts or the truth.

This was an incredible wakeup call for me and I pray that it will be for you as well. We ALL need to be better stewards of God’s money and the money that HE allows us to use—after all, it all belongs to Him! If you are not sure about where your retirement funds are being invested, I encourage you to call the Timothy Plan for your own free “moral audit” at 800-846-7526.

Also, the American Family Association (www.afa.net) is doing a wonderful job blowing the whistle on businesses that fund similar activities and are anti-family or anti-Christian. (Like their campaign against Ford Motor Company to try to get them to stop funding gay activist groups and pouring large amounts of money into the homosexual agenda.) Whether you realize it or not, when we buy Ford products or the other car brands owned by Ford, a portion of the money you pay them is given to liberal causes. You can visit the American Family Association’s website and subscribe to their email alerts.

I believe that we will all have to give an account to God for how and where we spend/invest our money. Let’s together stop the enemy from using our/God’s money to advance evil causes and godlessness.

Rev. Jim Venice is the Executive Director and Founder of Pure Heart Ministries a sexual redemption ministry that has served the St. Louis Bi-state region since 2002. The ministry is founded upon the belief that Jesus came to redeem our whole person - including our sexuality – and believes that change is possible through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ! They offer various support groups and pastoral care/Christian counseling for those affected by all sexual expressions outside of traditional marriage, not limited to sexual addictions and abuse, pornography, unwanted feelings of homosexuality, etc. You may contact Pure Heart Ministries by phone: 636-679-6815 (St. Louis suburbs), 314-259-1204 (St. Louis city), 618-589-0392 (IL – Metro East St. Louis) or 573-298-6408 (Jefferson City and Central MO); by email at info@PureHeartMinistries.org, or through their website at www.PureHeartMinistries.org. You may also write to them at Pure Heart Ministries, PO Box 1024, Saint Peters, MO 63376.