Most denominations and associations of churches have taken a stand on gambling, but just try to find out what those stands are. Associate news editor John W. Kennedy kept getting passed from secretary to secretary for various denominational and church leaders. “Finally someone would come on the line to tell me that their group passed a resolution on gambling back in the sixties or fifties—some as recently as the eighties.” Yet, as John shows in his cover story (“Gambling Away the Golden Years,” p. 40), “Gambling in the nineties is a whole new ball game.”
John had better luck with the casinos. He visited four in Kansas City, Missouri. Harrah’s let him in, gave him a tour of their two riverboats, and answered his questions. Station Casino, on the other hand, did not return his calls, said they were not available when he showed up, and called John “unethical” when he took up an employee’s offer for a tour of the boat. (After passing the gaming rooms, the microbrewery, and the cigar shop, the employee pointed to the on-site bakery and declared, “Oh, that’s a sinful place!”)
While he discovered many retirement communities providing bus service to the casinos (with one, John Knox Village, running buses three times a week), few wanted to endorse gambling. Apparently, there is still a memory that such activity was once considered illicit not only by the church, but by society.
John had no problem finding those hurt by gambling. He attended several Gamblers Anonymous meetings in the Chicago area. “I heard horror story after horror story about ruined lives, especially among the elderly. People assume older adults are wise and smart about money, but few have had any life experience with gambling before a casino opens up in their area. When they develop a problem, they are embarrassed and quiet, not wanting anyone to know.”
By far the hardest part of John’s research was finding churches actively involved in fighting gambling or ministering to those harmed by it. He found that gambling presents itself as a local issue, and so national offices have a hard time mobilizing against it. At the local level, concerned individuals heroically organize things like GA meetings, but there are few outlets for fighting casinos once they open.
Why has the church been so silent about an ac tivity that has clearly harmed so many? It is not as if the activity is otherwise edifying for those who don’t get addicted. My fear is that our lethargy is a measure of our captivity to another gospel, one that exchanges a concern for our neighbor for a chance of hitting the jackpot.
Copyright © 1999 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
