This is the time for some clear thinking.

 

     Let's examine this development from several angles including some of the individuals and ministries involved, accountability, accepted practices, scriptural instructions, etc.

 

     What I Witnessed Back in the Late 1980's

 

     In the city in which I lived, I witnessed something that has made a deep impression on me and affects my perspective on the Grassley investigation.  It is a ghastly story.  

 

     The Director of Schools in my city, which had a population of around 400,000, had finally retired after serving many years in the top administrative position.  School Board members were aware that it was time not only to find a replacement, but to recruit one that would reform the entire school system, modernize it, and restructure it.  Out of many applicants, they chose a man from out of town.  With him not knowing anyone in the current school system, it was felt that he could make the major changes needed in a fair and impartial manner.  Let's call the new Director of Schools, Mr. Jones.

 

     Jones came in full of optimism and new ideas.  He had reformed other large school systems before.  He began redirecting resources, changing priorities, modernizing systems, and initially the School Board could not praise him enough.  But then he began to run up against an entrenched bureaucracy with political connections.  He fired the head of a large department for incompetence.  Let's call the fired department head Mr. Smith.

 

     Mr. Smith rallied the other forces in the city that were opposed to any changes, and he played the "R" card--the "religious freedom issue" card.  Smith, a born-again Christian, claimed that Director Jones, who was Jewish had fired him because of his religion.  Smith ran for an open seat on the School Board.  His argument that this was an issue of religious freedom was picked up by the Churches in the city.

 

     I stood in amazement as pastor after pastor echoed the rallying cry, "religious freedom is at stake!"  Was this an issue of religious freedom?  No.  It was an issue of incompetence and political maneuvering.   However, as long as we got a fellow Christian into office, it didn't matter how many misrepresentations and false accusations Christians had to make along the way.  The ends justified the means. 

 

     Mr. Smith won the election by a large percentage.  Playing the "R" card had worked.  Now, he had the power to oversee his old boss who had fired him.  He and other board members made Director Jones' job a living Hell.  They opposed everything he did, questioned his competence, and claimed he was doing things for wrong motives.  Mr. Smith and the new board members brought every reform to a standstill. 

 

     After several months of a standoff with Director Jones, Jones either resigned or his contract was bought out--I can't remember which.  He left to take a Director of Schools position in a major East Coast city.  Playing the "R" card had worked though.  Christians had managed to run the supposedly prejudiced Jew out of town.  It was ugly.  It was racist.  I am ashamed to this day over how Jones was treated.  This was certainly no glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

     Strangely, as soon as Jones was gone and a replacement was found, many of Jones' original reforms and ideas were gladly re-implemented with a few cosmetic changes.  You see, the political war had never been about opposition to unneeded reforms.  Nor had this battle been about religious freedom.  It had all been a naked grab for power so that revenge could be exacted on Jones for daring to fire a politically well-connected department head.

 

     This is not to imply that those who see Grassley's investigation as a religious freedom issue have any wrong motives.  I don't believe they do.  Some of them are friends of mine and I respect their opinions.  However, I've lived long enough to see my fellow Christians sometimes do some very ugly things in pursuit of a political or personal agenda.  And the more there is at stake, the greater the temptation to use any means necessary to obtain our goal. 

 

I counsel everyone to be very careful about how we react to Senator Grassley's investigation.  Let us make sure this is indeed a "religious freedom" issue before we begin claiming we are being persecuted for our faith.          Brethren, the Lord is watching.

 

 

     Senator Grassley's Track Record

 

     Charles Grassley, a Republican, was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1974, and was reelected in 1976 and 1978.  He was elected to his senate seat in 1980, and was reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004.  Some are claiming that his investigation is an election year stunt.  However, this is not an election year for Grassley.  He is not running again until the year 2010.

 

     Grassley has a long track record for exposing waste, fraud, and mismanagement.  Remember the Pentagon's purchase of $500 hammers, and $600 toilet seats?  This Senator is the one who exposed all that and worked to implement oversight and new policies to keep such outrageous waste from re-occurring.  He is quoted as saying, "Every tax dollar lost to waste, fraud or abuse cheats the taxpaying public and prevents the federal government from serving the public good."  I don't think any of us can disagree with that. 

 

     In 1986, he helped to craft and pass amendments to the False Claims Act which helped fight fraud and increased protections for whistleblowers.  This year, Charles Grassley received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Whistleblower Center.

 

     Ten years ago, Grassley's Congressional Accountability Act required that Capitol Hill follow the same workplace safety and civil rights laws that regular businesses have to abide by.

 

     Some of the legislation Charles Grassley authored will help the Justice Department recover over $1 billion this year. 

 

     As far as I can see, Senator Grassley has a long record of fighting waste and holding entities accountable for what they do with tax dollars or with their tax exempt status.  

 

     Is Grassley guilty of unfairly targeting these six ministries?

 

     Grassley has investigated non-profits before.  Namely, the American Red Cross, the United Way, and the prestigious Smithsonian Institution.  In the investigations, the Senator identified and promoted changes in the organizations to insure accountability and honesty.  His motives for doing so?  I do not believe that he investigated them because he was prejudiced against blood donors, helping the less fortunate, or that he wanted to destroy historical relics.  Nor do I believe that we can jump to the conclusion that he is prejudiced against Charismatic ministries simply because he is asking of them the same level of accountability that he has required in the past from other non-profit organizations, the Federal Government, and the Pentagon.  His investigation of these six ministries is consistent with the type of investigations he has conducted for over 25 years.  I see nothing out of the ordinary here.

 

     Does Grassley Have an Anti-Charismatic Agenda?

 

     The whispers and cat calls have already begun.  Some have told me that Charles Grassley is a Baptist, and Baptists hate the "prosperity message," so there is no way this will be a fair investigation.  I have been quietly, but bluntly warned,  "don't be on the wrong side of the Religious Freedom debate."

 

     Again, allow me to clearly state that I do not believe that those who see this as a Religious Freedom issue are evil or have wrong motives.  I believe them to be people of integrity.  Reasonable people can disagree without being disagreeable.  Yet immediately calling this a religious freedom issue gives me pause.

 

Brethren, I remember the last time I was warned to be on the "right side" of the religious freedom debate--fellow Christians hounded an innocent man who was only doing his job, until they drove him out of town.

  

     What evidence do we have to support the accusation that Senator Grassley, a Southern Baptist, wants to take away everybody's religious freedom?  Use some logic.  Even if he was prejudiced against Charismatics and wanted to take away our freedom, the only way he could do it is to pass laws that would restrict everyone's religious freedom--even his own and that of his denomination.  How likely is it that he wants to throw away his own religious freedom?  Is he "out to get" us, or is he simply doing the job he was elected to do?

 

     Grassley is a member of a Christian group that organizes the National Prayer Breakfast.  Charismatics participate in that event.  Have any Charismatic leaders who know and have worked with the Senator in this event stepped forward to claim he has made anti-Charismatic statements?  None have that I know of.  Before we make charges against this Senator of being prejudiced against us, I want to see some proof.

 

     The knee-jerk accusations against Senator Grassley, and the excuses being made to limit cooperation with him make little, if any, sense.

 

     
     "We're accountable to the IRS but not to Grassley."