There's a documentary out on Netflix called "Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians." It follows a group of Christians who engage in card counting to win money at casinos. Joe and I watched it yesterday.
At first I didn't know what to think about it. There are SO many questions (and potentially sensitive issues) surrounding this. Is it okay for Christians to gamble? Is it gambling if you know how to beat the game? Should Christians avoid lottery and scratch tickets? If it's not okay to gamble, then is it okay to "bring down the house" by leaking money from casinos? What if the Christian gamblers use the money to further God's kingdom or feed starving children or homeless people? Or support missionaries?
My first thought was, "Good for them. They're crippling a business that sucks away peoples' lives. If there weren't casinos, there would be fewer broken families."
My second thought was, "There wouldn't be casinos if there weren't sinful people." People don't go to casinos because the casinos are there. People go because of greed and desperation and, well, addiction. Isn't it their own sinful natures that feed the casino business? If there weren't casinos, people would find other ways to ruin their lives.
I feel the same way about abortion clinics. I believe abortion is oh, so wrong - but I would never picket an abortion clinic. Because if a desperate woman wants to abort her child, she will find a way to do it whether it's legal or not. I will support any ministry that explains the woman's options to her and finds resources for her. But I'd rather she have an abortion in a health facility than in some crazy woman's living room with a coat hanger.
These things exist because people sin. We can attack "the man" and try to bring him down, or we can show people the way of grace. And I believe that if we do attack the casinos or the abortion clinics, we may 1) turn people away from Jesus because they don't understand all our reasoning, because we don't have relationships with them, and 2) force them to find other ways to destroy themselves.
The Christian gamblers justified themselves. "I play blackjack so I have more time for ministry/more time with my family." The documentary made sure to show the children of the players. When a player lost money, he said "I trust God and I trust the game and the system." He never considered that perhaps God was sending him a different message.
The documentary also made a point of zooming in on a beer stein whenever someone was drinking - in my view, to show that these were "cool" Christians. Oh, and all these people are from the Seattle area. I didn't see Muckleshoot, but they showed Emerald Queens and Snoqualmie casinos.
In the end, the "Church team" fell apart. They started losing money, even with all their tricks. They started suspecting each other of stealing. My only thought was, "Hello, Tower of Babel." God confused them so they no longer worked together.
It's worth watching. Certainly sparks discussion and deep thoughts.
At first I didn't know what to think about it. There are SO many questions (and potentially sensitive issues) surrounding this. Is it okay for Christians to gamble? Is it gambling if you know how to beat the game? Should Christians avoid lottery and scratch tickets? If it's not okay to gamble, then is it okay to "bring down the house" by leaking money from casinos? What if the Christian gamblers use the money to further God's kingdom or feed starving children or homeless people? Or support missionaries?
My first thought was, "Good for them. They're crippling a business that sucks away peoples' lives. If there weren't casinos, there would be fewer broken families."
My second thought was, "There wouldn't be casinos if there weren't sinful people." People don't go to casinos because the casinos are there. People go because of greed and desperation and, well, addiction. Isn't it their own sinful natures that feed the casino business? If there weren't casinos, people would find other ways to ruin their lives.
I feel the same way about abortion clinics. I believe abortion is oh, so wrong - but I would never picket an abortion clinic. Because if a desperate woman wants to abort her child, she will find a way to do it whether it's legal or not. I will support any ministry that explains the woman's options to her and finds resources for her. But I'd rather she have an abortion in a health facility than in some crazy woman's living room with a coat hanger.
These things exist because people sin. We can attack "the man" and try to bring him down, or we can show people the way of grace. And I believe that if we do attack the casinos or the abortion clinics, we may 1) turn people away from Jesus because they don't understand all our reasoning, because we don't have relationships with them, and 2) force them to find other ways to destroy themselves.
The Christian gamblers justified themselves. "I play blackjack so I have more time for ministry/more time with my family." The documentary made sure to show the children of the players. When a player lost money, he said "I trust God and I trust the game and the system." He never considered that perhaps God was sending him a different message.
The documentary also made a point of zooming in on a beer stein whenever someone was drinking - in my view, to show that these were "cool" Christians. Oh, and all these people are from the Seattle area. I didn't see Muckleshoot, but they showed Emerald Queens and Snoqualmie casinos.
In the end, the "Church team" fell apart. They started losing money, even with all their tricks. They started suspecting each other of stealing. My only thought was, "Hello, Tower of Babel." God confused them so they no longer worked together.
It's worth watching. Certainly sparks discussion and deep thoughts.
Good thoughts. Yes. tower of babel. If only I could be a cool christian ;)
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