Much Grace

I was reporting people for nothing -- so went my earlier post. It was a rumour about me in the Church -- recently revived. Yet quite the opposite is true. Here is one example. At the close of my city ministry, the Church treasurer -- apparently on behalf of the Church -- sent me some papers to sign. I found them disturbing. They didn't feel right at all. I therefore asked for personal advice -- no more -- from the Human Rights Commission. But the Commission "sat up and paid attention". They requested a statement from me. Then they wrote to me: "Report to the SAPS (the police)." And they wrote to me a second time: "Report at your nearest SAPS." But I decided no. I would not. Perhaps I shall describe why in a future post. OBSERVATION: This hardly agrees with the rumour of reporting people. In fact I showed people much grace -- and reported no one inside my old Church -- although I did report others who, incidentally, were not cleared as the rumour goes.

POSTSCRIPT: I wrote recently: "Why do churchgoers so readily believe false statements about a minister? Could it be an unhealthy suspicion of ministers?" The rumours have caused a lot of distress, to the Church, and to me. A current source of rumours is an accountant in the Church, who is quite simply malicious.