SIn of the Month

Sin of the Month: Auto Leasing

By Dave Bush

"No pastor should ever lease a car! You'll never be able to convince me that leasing a car is good stewardship."

Hopefully you are getting a good laugh at that statement, because when I heard a fellow seminary student make it, I experienced some serious road rage. I wanted to call the cops. This guy was way over the limit! In reflection, I have been impacted by the need for fellow Christians to own up to similar damage (yes, damage!) done to the body of believers. Our violation: Making personal insights and applications into universal mandates.

It is always a yellow light when people use absolutes like this man. "No" pastor should "ever." No space was given to consider an individual's financial situation. Furthermore, leasing is not universally regarded as simply a waste of money. Monthly payments can be more affordable. For some, the goal is to free up money for other expenses, such as food and utilities (Is that bad stewardship?) The person mentioned believes it is "a matter of equity." There is no accumulating monetary value relative to the money spent. Wow! That means all those Christians who are renting apartments and houses, get out now! For engaged couples, don't even think about renting tuxedos for the groomsmen. Buy them, so there will be some equity. Businessmen, if you are renting office space, repent! Where's the equity, brother? Contractors, you aren't renting that bulldozer, are you? You didn't rent that U-Haul when you moved, did you? Equity, man! And that video you rented last night…shame, shame! All right, I'll stop. But let's pull over and consider the lease argument again.

First, we have no biblical mandate that tells us to never lease a car. Second, we have no explicit statement that "equity" is the only road sign for expenditures. We have been given financial principles as a compass, but no more. I would agree that equity, though a definition of the term is somewhat relative, is a good road map to follow. But it is a principle that varies in application. Of course Christians should seek to get our money's worth! But to disregard one's individual financial situation, and to turn what "works" for some into universal mandates for others is no less than Phariseeism.

It struck me listening to him that his financial dome light had come on at some point. In mapping out financial matters, he became convinced that leasing is bad stewardship. He would never go down that road! But now he wants to put on the brakes for everyone else, too! "No pastor should ever lease a car!" Let's face it, there is no consensus that leasing is bad stewardship. Yet he, and we, have no problem making laws out of personal insights and applications.

"Christians should not listen to rock 'n' roll!" That's "standing in the path of sinners," right? No! Living like sinners is "standing in their path." Those who feel "dirty" listening to it respond by avoiding it. And you should, too! Well, thankfully, we have the Christian-music alternative--bad theology and joy, joy, joy. Did someone say "false reality?"

"Christians shouldn't go to R-rated movies!" Really? Isn't the Bible "R-rated?" It sure does contain a lot of violence, sex, and other disobedience. Sin in the Bible is no different than on the big screen (excepting the visuals). You don't refuse to avoid the Bible, do you? Thankfully, we have the Christian alternative. You know, those movies made in the early seventies that look like they were made with a video camera, a cast of well-intentioned actors, and scripts from Planet Naiveté?

"Don't pursue a career in 'secular' music! There's too much temptation!" (of course, this belief usually comes from those who have never been in a band or stepped foot on a stage) Stereotypes are powerful, but it is naïve to believe a debaucherous lifestyle is unavoidable in the music field. But thankfully, we have the Christian alternative. A songwriter/performer friend of mine was blessed by loosing tens of thousands of dollars by a Christian record distributor. The man conveniently declared bankruptcy just before he was supposed to market the CD.

"Husbands are obligated to lead their family in daily devotions." Really? It is not as if that would be a bad thing. But where is the command for husbands to lead in daily devotions? Thankfully, a husband's guilt about falling short of that is overshadowed by his fear-driven Protestant work ethic. After all, he wouldn't want to be judged an infidel by those waiting in the shadows.

"No pastor should ever lease a car!"

All the beliefs mentioned above I have encountered in some form or another. It seems so obvious that we need to steer far away from this conscience-binding. But time and again we are broad-sided by it. Are we just stupid? No. So what's the deal?

Maybe this is the deal. Having determined that it would personally put us into a tailspin to listen to such music, go to certain movies, pursue an art form, forsake leading daily devotions, leasing a car, etc., we conclude this is "ungodly" behavior for everyone else, too. One person determines, given their propensity for lust, that he/she better not go to the beach. It would be too tempting to lust. And for such an individual, it might be best if they don't go. Yet we seem to conclude that our own pylons are everyone else's, too! But we can't tell everyone, "Don't go to the beach!" That might sound spiritual, but we are not in a position to bind consciences by it.

Inappropriate guilt plagues more than a few Christians, and unbiblical mandates are often the cause. Why do guys like Josh McDowell try to convince people that God isn't a "cosmic killjoy?" Maybe it is because Christians fail to love creation, poorly represent biblical teaching, and love our own ideas.

If your conscience convicts you before the Lord that auto leasing is bad stewardship, then don't lease! But please don't try to bind others' consciences by that. I certainly hope my fellow seminary student keeps quiet around pastors on the leasing issue. The key we must learn is discerning between personally helpful insights and biblical mandates. That can only come from self-examination and familiarity with Scripture. These are things you cannot develop simply by reading an article, like this one. But at least now you are more familiar with the terrain.

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