EXPLOITING THE CROSS

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Exploiting the Cross:

 

William Joseph Lyons

 

 

Modern-Day Slavery! Sex Slaves! Woman and children are being held against their will in tourist towns and beer bars all across the world. These are narratives that NGOs, like the Exodus Road uses to promote their work, and their contribution to saving society. Here’s the problem. Matt and Laura Parker use religious, and false narratives in order to reap huge profits for themselves, their friends and their family members. It is time the church wakes up and regains the moral responsibility that Jesus entrusted to His followers.

 

YES!!! Unfortunately, Human Trafficking exists around the world. Yes, unfortunately, men, women, and children are being held against their will; they are being physically and sexually exploited for personal gain. Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking is an affront to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s heart cries for the victims of trafficking and exploitation; every believer should cry for these victims as well. However, when organizations chose to lie about the situation, and when organizations begin to misrepresent their work, and they raise money on a false narrative, God is not pleased.

 

The prophet Isaiah expressed the heart of God in Isaiah 61:1-2. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” God provides justice and love for the hopeless, and he brings rescue and deliverance to those who are oppressed and in bondage. God will continue to call His people to compassion, and to fight to redeem mankind. When Jesus died on the Cross, He was bringing deliverance, and rescue for all mankind.

 

So, it’s established that God wants to bring hope to those in need, and He did so through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, it’s not bringing the Good News of the Gospel when an organization lies about what they are doing. When organizations call what they deem to be sinful and immoral practices; slavery, and exploitation, there is a problem. Because God is looking to redeem all of mankind, He did so through His Son, Jesus. God does not need Matt and Laura Parker claiming they are rescuing individuals from sexual slavery and human trafficking when these individuals are not being trafficked or exploited. Do they have a need for the gospel, yes? Do they have a need for an education, and other employment opportunities, yes? Many of the individuals who are working in this industry need daily supplies. They don’t need the false narrative of “rescue.”

 

I very much want freedom and restoration for trafficking victims. However, when an organization misleads church communities, schools, and law enforcement agencies into believing that they are on the front lines of doing God’s work, this is a problem. The Exodus Road doesn’t claim to be faith based, this is what Matt and Laura Parker will tell you. Nice name for not being faith based. Your biggest supporters are churches. You pull at the heart strings of innocent individuals sitting in pews week after week. You prey upon young college students in an attempt to exploit their desire for social justice. You misrepresent what God has come to do. You don’t actually help the poor, and the needy. You look for “soft targets,” such as, beer bars in tourist areas. Once again, I do not morally agree with beer bars and younger women begging for attention and drinks in these establishments.            However, these bars are legally operated under the laws of the country they are operating within. Almost every one of these bars and the girls working there are following the law of the land. However, Matt and Laura Parker from the Exodus Road want to use sensationalism! They want to put pictures and images of these girls in front of church members. Matt and Laura live the high life. They live in luxury while exploiting communities of need.

Bangkok Post - The sex workers embraced by the wrong arms of ...

Yes, these young girls need to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Yes, these young girls need an opportunity to make an income for themselves and their families. Poverty is ripe in most of the countries that faith based NGOs operate within. If you really want to live out the gospel, let’s be honest about the narrative, let’s not allow the con to continue. Ask these questions. Hey Matt, which law enforcement agency “deputized” you? Where are all these perpetrators who have been arrested, where are the stories of their convictions, and where are all of the court records pertaining to these convictions? And finally, please ask this question. Did you just pay for the conference room, or did you actually train law-enforcement officers?

 

Let’s stop the false narrative of bar rescues. Let’s actually pray and support law enforcement agencies and truthful NGOs to go after the hopeless and the oppressed. I believe God has a heart to bring justice to those who are being, or have been abused. However, why will the American Church continue to allow flashy, flamboyant, misleading and disingenuous leaders of NGOs the opportunity to continue to EXPLOIT THE CROSS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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