Elders, meltdowns, and a new wrinkle on tithing

New Wrinkle on Tithing? Rev. Markel Hutchins is suing an Atlanta family for $490,000, ten percent of the $4.9 million settlement the family got when a family member was killed in a botched police raid. Hutchins said that he “served as the family and estate's spokesperson, strategist, advisor and consultant” and that he and his staff “holistically managed the public and private efforts that made the significant settlement possible…” Give the hireling a gift card to Outback Steakhouse and send him on his ambulance chasing ways.

New Wrinkle on Domestic Meltdowns? No, not a dysfunctional family’s household war but a Swedish guy who was “trying to split radium, americium and uranium atoms in his apartment--but only as a 'hobby,'” Indeed. He had a small meltdown and the radioactive stew blew up in his face.

I understand that at least one prominent blogger is interested in the minister’s housing allowance, specifically, how unordained female staff members, many of whom perform the same duty as male counterparts in other churches, but who are not allowed to receive part of their income from the church in the allowance and who thereby pay more income taxes. This will be worth a look.

Seems to me that there is a growing number of SBCers who are enamored with the concept and with the term “elders.” Seems also that there are a growing number of SBCers and SBC churches who are wary of those who are enamored with it. Plodder smells conflict brewing where these two groups touch.

In case you missed it, the White House has directed that the fault that caused the recent earthquake centered near D.C. be called “Bush’s Fault.”

Could there be any less appropriate name for a hurricane than Irene?

Plodder had a grandaughter born last week. She got a bill from the IRS yesterday for her share of the national debt, $47,106.92. Alas.