CORRUPTION-FREE CHURCHES
THEOLOGICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL STEPS
Keywords:
CORRUPTION-FREE CHURCHES, Church, Corruption, Ethics, Abuse, Power, ChristianAbstract
Corruption is “the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.” This globally used definition shows that the core of corruption is the abuse of public or private power which is entrusted by a community or an individual to an individual or a community. If a teacher, a public official, a policeman, a parliamentarian, a medical doctor, an entrepreneur or a pastor abuses his/her professional position to get a personal financial or non-financial advantage, it is internationally defined as corruption. An endless number of books, articles and case studies on corruption on all continents exist, mainly on the private and the public sector. Relatively few exist on corruption in religious organizations. But in a corrupt environment, it is not surprising that religious organizations are also affected, especially related to the abuse of resources of the institution. Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jews organizations are affected as Christian Churches. Many cases of corruption and of instruments against corruption in Churches are reported from all continents.
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