Historically, Christians in Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox churches have been involved in financial corruption from misusing indulgences to fund-raise for Saint Peter’s Basilica to the confiscation of property, often by labeling the owners as heretics. So, we cannot judge the scribes as being any worse than some people in our own Christian history. Clearly, the use of religion for selfish and abusive purposes is nothing new. Sometimes the church is the Whore of Babylon and sometimes the Bride of Christ. The scribes were actually not well off financially and relied upon the good graces of wealthy contributors so they could concentrate on their work. The potential for compromising the message is ever present. Do we focus our faith on Christ and not on the ones who flatter or coerce us, demanding that we preach what they want to hear?
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