Hi team - I want to share with you a blog piece from The Gospel Coalition which I really enjoyed called "Scams… and How to Avoid the Worst Sort." written by Stephen Liggins
Have you ever received an SMS telling you to urgently pay a toll? An email informing you of an incredible investment opportunity? An unsolicited telephone call apparently from a reputable organisation asking for your personal details? Or a Facebook friend request from someone whose name you don’t know and whose somewhat provocative profile photo you suspect is probably not a photo of them at all? If so, you have almost definitely been the target of a scam.
A scam is a deceptive scheme that aims to take something of value from unsuspecting people. It usually takes the form: ‘If you do X, then you will get Y, but with the hidden agenda of taking Z.’ X may be providing your bank account details or sending someone your money. Y is some desirable outcome, such as getting a truckload of money, finding love, or helping someone in need. Z is usually the loss of your money, although it might, on occasions, involve the loss of something far worse.
Our laptops, smartphones and tablets are fertile ground for scams. A report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reveals that Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams in 2022.[1]
The Ingenuity of Scammers
Our church recently hosted a presentation on avoiding internet scams. The range and ingenuity of the scammers’ methods is extraordinary. Some of the more common versions include those which commence along the following lines:
‘Your email address has been selected for a huge financial prize!’
‘Your long-lost uncle has left you a huge fortune.’
‘Just send your money overseas for a share in this incredible company.’
‘Sorry, we can only text each other, but you are the one for me.’
‘Mum, I’ve lost my phone and am in trouble. Please contact me urgently on this new number.’
‘You need to pay a fee to get a tax refund.’
I could go on.
Looking at the spam folder on my computer I can tell you that I am not going to let Luke Zang revolutionize my trading. Neither will I enter into correspondence with Marina from Russia who is looking for marriage.
Forewarned is forearmed. Scams are easier to avoid when we are aware and alerted to some of the common tricks. This is also true for the most deceptive and dangerous of all forms of scams: spiritual scams.
Spiritual Scams
Spiritual scams aim to prevent Christian faith, or to damage and destroy it. Those that aim to prevent faith are often based on the model alluded to in Matthew 16:24–26. In this passage Jesus warns against thinking it is best to not take up one’s cross and following Jesus. ‘What good will it be for someone to save to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?’ he says. Or to put this sort of scam into algebraic terms: ‘If you do X (don’t follow Jesus), then you will get Y (the whole world), but with the hidden agenda of taking Z (your soul).’
Some common versions of scam suggest that if you don’t follow Jesus you will gain intellectual credibility… or social popularity… or more sexual satisfaction… or will avoid suffering. Of course, the result is that you will forfeit your soul. Most people reading this article will be aware of fairly straightforward responses to each of these deceptions.
Our problem is more likely to be with those scams that aim to damage and destroy our faith. Some tempt us, simply but powerfully, with disobedience. For example:
You are stressed. Look at porn, it will relieve your stress.
You are emotionally hurting. Get drunk, you’ll forget the pain.
You are tired. Sleep in on Sundays and skip church, you’ll feel so much better.
Others push us in the direction of distraction and bad priorities. For example:
Family is important. Give your children every possible sporting and cultural opportunity (even if it means you and your kids missing out on meeting with other believers on Sunday, or at any other time for that matter), then you will be a good parent.
God has created a great world. Make sure you enjoy it (by constructing and then ticking off an increasingly long list of things you have to see and do before you die, even if it means expending all your thoughts, time and money on self-satisfaction), because God gave us good gifts to enjoy.
For those who insist on regular church attendance, there are other scams. One of the most damaging versions is simply based on the thought that venting our frustration at some (usually minor) church issue—for example, the length of sermons or the style of music—will make us feel better and result in positive change. Explosive ventings rarely result in anything good!
An honest reading of these lists combined with a little self-reflection probably reveals that we are getting spiritually scammed left, right and centre.
Satan: The Father of Scams
Jesus identifies who is behind these spiritual scams. He says of the devil:
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Jn 8:44)
The scams outlined above, along with countless others, ultimately come from him. Next time you think: ‘Getting drunk will help’; or ‘I’ll skip my Bible reading and prayer time (yet again)’; or ‘I’ll express my frustration and rage over that (non-essential) issue’, recognise the source. Remind yourself that the devil hates you and wants to see you dead.
C. S. Lewis incisively picks up on spiritual scamming in his famous book The Screwtape Letters (1942). This fictional account of a senior demon coaching a junior demon is a crash course in spiritual scamming.
To avoid internet scams, it’s good to get training from an internet expert who can teach you how to reliably identify scams. To avoid spiritual scams, we need the instruction of a spiritual expert. The expert is, of course, Jesus. In John 14:6 he says: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
Jesus is the truth, and he tells the truth. We can avoid being spiritually scammed to our great harm, and to the great harm of others, if we stay close to him. We need to ensure we continually speak to him, listen to him, meet with others who love him, and serve him. And, if you don’t think that’s the answer, you are being scammed!