So, one might ask why I have such a bad attitude about Ablaze(TM)? I have a few simple reasons why I don't care for this program, or most other programs for that matter.

First off, where in the world is the accountability? The money going for this seems to go into this Ablaze(TM) pile and just magically disappears into nothingness. I haven't seen anyone be accountable for how any of this money is spent, and nobody seems quite sure what the money is being spent on. This is how Benny Hinn should be running his accounting, not the LCMS. If anyone can come up with even a general accounting of how the money is being spent, I'll shut up about this. Until then, anyone who supports this should really be asking why this information is not available. Believe me, I looked.

Secondly, the LCMS is using participation in Ablaze(TM) as a gateway to distribute money. If you are the head of a tiny synod in the middle of nowhere and you are part of the ILC, the money the Synod once gave you from the goodness of its heart now comes with the condition of submitting reports so it can count them and say what a good little synod you are. How nice. What ever happened to the idea of the giving money to poorer churches because they are the Body of Christ and not because we want to force our missions program down their throats. You know, the Greek churches sent money to the church in Jerusalem because they had some great missions plan and they got the Church in Jerusalem to participate, right?

Finally, what makes us think this model is going to work? Seriously, we can going around telling people about Jesus, but unless they realize their depravity, It's not going to get very far. They don't want to count the whole of the law and gospel being preached, just the Gospel. What kind of message is that?Let's not preach the whole reason we need Christ, just the good parts.

I think tomorrow will be either ESL blogging or Ablaze(TM) carols. I'll see what kind of mood I am in.