I remember meeting clergy like this guy back when I was an unchurched kid. I didn't know what to believe back then, didn't know who Jesus was, was clueless about Church -- but I knew a phony when I met one.
Now, we're all sinners. I can understand that. I'm not going to throw stones at preachers who mess up, 'cause everybody does. But phony is a choice, a choice to defraud others. The people who come to Rev. Bogus's church don't get "the faith once delivered to the saints," but Rev. Bogus's personal theology, which often bears little resemblance to anything in the Bible or the Creed. Rev. Bogus knows which rules should be obeyed and which should be disobeyed. Rev. Bogus has been consistently promoted by the denominational powers that be because he stands for all the right causes and knows all the right people, but without the safety net of a guaranteed appointment, I don't think he would last two years in pastoral ministry; there is just no substance to what he offers.
No doubt Rev. Bogus thinks I'm an embarrassment to the cause. The feeling is mutual.
