John,
I’m working on some of these pearls and the one below reminded me of a question I’ve had. Would what your father said below (I’m really just thinking about the “Get out of debt” part) also apply to low-interest and long-term debt like a mortgage? For instance, if someone could pay off their mortgage in advance but would rather use that money to prepare for the future (i.e. retirement, education for their kids, or whatever) – would that be ok? Or perhaps there is not a one-size-fits-all answer here; it just depends on a person’s situation?
Thanks,
Taylor
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Hi Taylor.
The short answer is no. Preacher Clark did not teach that you were “in debt” in a bad way if you had a car or a house loan. However, if you were unable to make your payments on time, it was obvious that you were in debt, as he was speaking of debt, and needed to get your affairs in order (e.g., sell what you have, and then buy a smaller house or a cheaper car).
The debt he was speaking of had more to do with discretionary spending. He taught us that if anyone borrowed money to buy unnecessary things (including Christmas presents), they needed to pay those debts off before they brought offerings to the Lord. He would not even allow anyone to become a part of his work in Christ if they were in that kind of debt because of such purchases, unless they began a sincere effort to get out of debt and were committed to living the kind of life that avoided wasteful spending in the future.
jdc