Applauding Dave, Stoning Steven: The Ramsey-Furtick big house dilemma.

I thought about going with a much shorter title.  It would have been “Wait, what?”  While a lot of this is old history, it appears that it’s a bit of a new controversy and I just stumbled on it this morning.

In case you don’t know, Steven Furtick built a big house. In related news, so did Dave Ramsey.  If you want to know more about either of those events, I’ll save you the Google search and simply provide links for you here.

It’s a big, big house with lots and lots of room

It’s a bigger, bigger table and it can hold more food

In that second article, Dave Ramsey actually responded. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and then go back up 5-10 comments).  Here’s what he posted:

Hey guys,
I just found this discussion from a twitter link. Wow. Thanks for all of your concern about my soul, my reputation and my witness. Please continue to pray for me because wisdom is sometimes elusive. The teacher in me has to reach out and help with proper biblical and life view points for some of you.
First, None of this is any of your business nor is it your problem, however in an effort to teach I have always been overly transparent. So I will try to help.
1) We tithe 10% of our before tax income to our local church
2) We have a family foundation that God allows us to give many times what our personal home or other items cost, so we give much more of God’s money to his kingdom that we live on percentage wise.
3) No Gary, we don’t have any debt any where of any kind. No corporate debt, no credit cards, no mortgage debt, no blind trusts, and no kind of debt no where no how. Didn’t you hear? I don’t believe in debt.
4) Before making a large purchase of any kind we ask God if that is what he wants us to do with HIS money. Like you I sometimes hear clearly and other times I am not sure. In the case of our home I was very sure.
5) Our home is a very small percentage of our net worth.
6) In the two years we have lived here we have had many many functions to fund raise for ministries, charities, and community causes. Millions of dollars have flowed through those events. We view our home, like everything in our life, as a tool to be used for the kingdom.
7) Yes, it blows my mind how much it costs to maintain a lot of things God has called me to manage. We have a 64,000 square foot office building (paid for) that we spend a lot of natural resources and money to keep operating and from where I came from it is sometimes hard to emotionally grasp the zeros. However, I man up, and step up to do what God gave me to do. It is weird some days though.
8) I used to say ignorant things like “what does anyone need with a _____ like that” when I was immature. Now I have been blessed to see how God uses people who are obedient when they are broke and when they aren’t. I was with a really Godly guy a few weeks ago worth 2.2 BILLION. He gives 300-500 million a year. Some of you sent him hate mail worried about his soul because he bought a $110,000 car. That does not make him wrong, that makes that person silly, foolish, and spiritually immature. Note: God gave HIM 2.2 Billion to manage, God did NOT assign you to help. 

Thanks again for your concern and please continue to pray for me as I am perfectly capable of messing this whole deal up. So far though, I am not inconsistent between my message and my life. So far I have managed to keep God First, Sharon Second, my kids third, and serving all of you fourth. I am having a blast and I thank all you who do understand. 

P.S. I will not be visiting back to see your comments because I already know what they are: Some get it, Some don’t.
Yours In Christ,
Dave Ramsey

My goal isn’t to write anything about either of these 2 houses, but to simply ask a question based on an observation.  When the news broke about Steven Furtick’s house, people were so quick to pick up stones and collectively throw him under the bus about it, but for the most part, the church is applauding Dave Ramsey for his.

What’s the difference? Is it as simple as the fact that Ramsey is a business man and so he earned his, but Furtick is a pastor so he didn’t?  As a pastor, I have an issue with the assumption that pastors don’t work hard enough to earn something.  I’m also not sure that pastors are automatically disqualified from nice things, either.

But there’s a disconnect somewhere, and that’s why Ramsey will be applauded for his response, but if that same response was signed by Furtick, he’d be stoned.  My simple question (and I guess we’ll see if anyone reads this) to the church at large is, “why?”

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