Be careful where you give this Christmas
One of the most telling episodes of the Seinfeld TV show was the one where George decides to make up his own charity for Christmas. He creates the fake “Human Fund” charity and then proceeds to give Christmas cards to everyone telling them he made a donation in their name. His deception was exposed, however, when his boss tried to make a donation to the fund and found out George was a fraud. Unfortunately there are many charities and I regret to say many claim to be Christian, that are about as trustworthy and transparent as the “Human Fund.” Millions of Americans choose to give to others during the Christmas season and for good reason. Christmas is all about giving. Christmas is the celebration of God giving us his own son, the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ. We give because God first gave to us and we want to bless others. I hope you plan on giving and helping others somehow this holiday season. But just because we have a big heart does not mean we have to have a soft head. We need to be perceptive when it comes to charities and ministries. Christians should be the most discerning of all people but often we are not. How can you tell a good charity or ministry from a bad one? Thankfully there are easy ways to do your homework and check folks out. For secular and some religious charities you can log onto the Charity Navigator website (www.charitynavigator.org) which gives information and a rating on thousands of charities of every imaginable type. For evangelical Christian organizations you can check to see if they are members of the “Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability,” which has strict standards for all its members (www.ecfa.org). For ministries in general you can check out the excellent website www.ministrywatch.com. There you can find a full description of each ministry, what their mission is, and a lot of financial details. You can also quickly see if they refuse to be open about their finances. Being honest and transparent about finances is essential for all charities but especially Christian ministries. We are to live lives and lead ministries that are “above reproach.” We should be skeptical about any charity or ministry that refuses to answer questions about their finances. For example, when a charity or ministry refuses to say how much they are paying their leaders that should raise serious red flags. Proverbs 14:15 tells us, “Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.” There are many great charities out there that do a great job in helping people. Ministries like Samaritans Purse and World Vision get high ratings. On the other hand Ministry Watch gives ministries like Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and 28 others low marks and has them on a “donor watch” list, warning potential donors of serious questions about their finances. As Christians let’s learn to be wise and discerning and not fall for the hype of some smooth talking preacher on TV. The best place to begin your Christmas giving is to your local church. You can attend and see what they are doing. You and your family are impacted directly by their ministry. If you don’t trust your pastor or finance committee, find a church you do trust and be faithful in giving there first. Don’t let the charlatans rob you of the joy of giving this Christmas. Let’s be wise, however, with God’s money and stay away from charities with no more integrity than George Costanza and his “Human Fund.”
