Did you secretly want to be famous growing up? A rock star? An actor? How about … a pastor?
Coz if you want that kind of lifestyle, Ray McCauley ain’t doing too bad a job of it. From rocking up to press interviews on his Harley-Davidson, to his Fendi-wearing, botox bearing winsome second wife, Ray is da man, debt and all. Rumoured to earn a whopping R100Â 000 a month he’s still managed to get himself mired into debt, thanks in no small part to his penchant for shopping and the finer things in life. Now that’s rock ‘n roll.
Maybe you’re wondering how you’ll have time to preach. Don’t worry! Just ask the former bodybuilder and Mr South Africa who, for several years, stayed in a beachfront mansion in Durban, popping over to his megachurch in Johannesburg by plane on weekends to do a bit of teaching. See? Easy peasy. The rest of the time you can 1) Hobnob with the political elite of the country, 2) Take your wife shopping, 3) Take yourself shopping, 4) Take yourself and your wife shopping.
Who cares? You’re probably thinking right about now. Christianity is redundant. Except that the country’s last census found that about 79% of South Africans considered themselves to be some sort of Christian. Whether that translates into action or not, the fact remains that McCauley, with his 45Â 000 strong congregation and intimate political connections, wields a frightening amount of influence.
Which makes his materialism all the more repulsive. McCauley, like his American counterpart Joel Osteen (who lead a conference this past weekend at McCauley’s church — for a grand R375 a head) preach a twisted version of the Bible’s message — one that emphasises personal enrichment and wealth over becoming more like Christ. You know: humility, self-sacrifice and servant leadership. Not quite as exciting as multimillion-rand homes, R25Â 000 restaurant bills or a former model for a wife.
Not that they won’t justify their lifestyle. Zelda said in a magazine interview in 2004 that she set aside Wednesdays for personal pampering, including Botox treatments and massages, according to Times Live.
”My appearance is important to me,” she said. ”I believe God expects a wife to look good for her husband.”
It’s statements like that which make me cringe and furtively hide any symbols of my own faith. Forget 1 Pet 3:3-4. Forget the moral compass the church is supposed to be.
McCauley’s biggest failure is not his debt, his former divorce or even the trappings of his incongruously luxurious life. His crushing failure is exactly how much he is like every corrupt leader and politician our beleaguered land has had the misfortune of financing.
If McCauley was salt he’s be a tasteless sodium capable of preserving nothing against decay; if light a muddied half beacon with no powers of illumination.
Coming back to that 79% Christian majority in our country. How many of those are public servants? Civil servants, people in government — heck even voters. Politicians never tire of telling us their religious allegiances. Or making surprise appearances on church platforms just before elections.
If we have any hopes of fixing the endemic corruption and ethical decay in our political system, starting with an individual’s own moral centre is the key.
But instead of using the Bible to revive the individual conscience, McCauley and his fellow prosperity-teaching buddies offer a sanitised version of rapper 50 Cent’s philosophy: Get rich or die trying.
No wonder everyone wants to be a rock star.