The movie Spotlight is about the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in the Boston area. It follows of the team of reporters that discover more and more damning evidence and cover-ups on the church’s side, and eventually brought to light that it was not a Boston area problem, it was a worldwide problem.

What organization owns the most highly valued real estate in New York City? Surely a financial company of some kind, right? Wrong. It is the Roman Catholic Church. Do not misinterpret my meaning here: I am not condemning all Catholics, all priests, or the Catholic Church. I am emphasizing exactly what Paul does during his meeting with the church leaders in Ephesus: warn against false prophets, false gods, and fake Christians.

If I do not know how to fly a plane, should I be allowed to teach aviation classes? Of course not. Why then, do we not hold many of our clergy to the highest standards? Paul realized the importance of this problem, foreseeing dangers that continue to persist centuries later. Sadly, we have still not learned, still allowing people and organizations that have no business teaching us about Christ, just as I have no business teaching you how to fly a plane, to profit.

Thought: If you give money to the church which a Christian is supposed to, have you asked where your money is going? Churches should be extremely transparent with their funding and fundraising. Doing so will ease much of the worries that Paul and I have emphasized