Hypocrites

There’s nothing spooky about ghostworking. The newly coined term describes a set of behaviors meant to create a facade of productivity at the office, like walking around carrying a notebook as a prop or typing random words just to generate the sound of a clacking keyboard.

Pretending to be busy at the office is not something workers recently invented, of course, but it appears to be reaching critical mass. According to a new survey, more than half of all U.S. employees now admit to regularly ghostworking.

According to the report, the results show that 58% of employees admit to regularly pretending to work, while another 34% claim they do so from time to time. What might be most striking are some of the elaborate methods workers use to perform productivity. Apparently, 15% of U.S. employees have faked a phone call for a supervisor’s benefit, while 12% have scheduled fake meetings to pad out their calendars, and 22% have used their computer keyboards as pianos to make the music of office ambiance.

As for what these employees are actually doing, in many cases it’s hunting for other jobs. The survey shows that 92% of employees have job searched in some way while on the clock, with 55% admitting they do so regularly.

The ongoing return-to-office resurgence has left many employees feeling like they’re working inside of a fishbowl, performing for the watchful eye of employers. Employees sensing a greater need to broadcast that they’re getting work done. So ghostworking is a performance. It involves actively projecting an appearance of busyness without actually engaging in meaningful work.

Possible Preaching Angles:

1) Diligence; Employees; Sincerity - Scripture encourages believers to work wholeheartedly, not just for human approval, but as if working for God; 2) Hypocrisy - The act of ghostworking is a kind of hypocrisy—projecting an image that does not match reality.

In September 2024, a Portland, Oregon advocacy group for safe and sustainable transportation rescinded its endorsement of mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio. This was after troubling reports of Rubio’s driving habits came to light. Daily newspaper The Oregonian reported that Rubio damaged a parked Tesla and left the scene without leaving a note.

This seemingly minor incident was of great public interest since it followed previous reports of Rubio accumulating 150 parking and driving tickets over the course of her advocacy career. Rubio also had at least one instance of failing to appear in court, had her car towed due to unpaid fines and fees, and had her license suspended six times.

Initially, The Street Trust advocacy group expressed disappointment but chose to stand by Rubio, citing her commitment to safer streets. However, the incident involving the damaged Tesla prompted the group to withdraw its support. The Street Trust stated that Rubio's actions contradicted their values and that they could not hold candidates accountable if they didn't act when those values were compromised. The group emphasized its commitment to supporting candidates who align with its mission of creating safer streets and promoting sustainable transportation.

While many of Rubio's prominent supporters, including Oregon governor Tina Kotek, did not withdraw their endorsements, Rubio was eventually defeated by another candidate.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Leaders must be held accountable not only for their values, but their actions. Those who serve the public must abide by the same laws that they enforce on others.

For years, Jalon Hall was touted as a bright spot for Google’s reputation for diversity. Hall is an African American deaf woman, and had been highlighted on the company’s official social media channels. On LinkedIn, Google praised Hall and said she was “helping expand opportunities for black deaf professionals,” and on Instagram she was hailed as “making life at Google more inclusive.”

But for Hall, those platitudes were only words, and were not backed up with actions. Hall recently filed a lawsuit against Google for failing to provide the accommodations they promised her, and for creating a hostile work environment by characterizing her complaints according to racialized stereotypes.

In an interview Hall said, “Google is using me to make them look inclusive for the deaf community and the overall disability community. In reality, they need to do better. I’m standing in the gap for those often pushed aside.”

Hall says when she was hired as a content moderator in 2020, the company promised to provide interpreters to help her review content as part of YouTube’s child safety regulations, but the company refused. And a manager in another division called her an “aggressive black deaf woman” and advised her to “keep her mouth shut and take a sales role.”

Hall says she filed three HR complaints before she sued, and wants to remain at Google to help promote a better work environment for others.

In early March, the Biden Administration began supporting a bill in Congress that would potentially result in a ban of the social media app TikTok. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it “important,” saying the administration welcomes it. And it’s not the first restriction on the app; in 2022, Biden signed a bill banning the app on government phones because of potential security risks.

But critics of the president are calling such support hypocritical, because a month prior, the President’s re-election campaign began using the app to engage younger voters.

“We’re going to try to meet voters where they are,” said Jean-Pierre. Campaign staffers clarified that while no White House staffers have the app on their phones, they are working directly with TikTok influencers to get their message across, and taking appropriate security precautions.

The legislation in question, which has received bipartisan support, would require Bytedance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell the app or face a nationwide ban because of the way its data is stored. U.S. intelligence officials are concerned that Bytedance could be compelled to leak TikTok user data to the Chinese government.

If the bill passes, it would likely be challenged in court by Bytedance, who successfully sued the Trump administration to overturn a similar executive order in 2020.

Possible Preaching Angle:

If we say one thing with our words but communicate something else with our actions, we are not walking in truth, and therefore our words will lack credibility.

The moment we’ve all breathlessly waited for is finally here: Dictionaries are announcing their words of the year. In December, the US’s most esteemed lexicon, Merriam-Webster, revealed its choice: “authentic.”

In its announcement, the dictionary said the word had seen a big jump in searches this year, thanks to discussions “about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.” The concept of authenticity sits at the intersection of what’s been on our collective minds.

Large language models like ChatGPT and image generators like Dall-E have left us uncertain about what’s genuine, from student essays to the pope’s fashion choices. When it comes to the news, online mis- and disinformation, along with armies of bots, have us operating under different sets of facts.

Sure enough, other leading dictionaries’ words of the year are remarkably similar. Cambridge chose “hallucinate,” focusing its announcement on generative AI: “It’s capable of producing false information – hallucinations – and presenting this information as fact.” Collins didn’t beat around the bush: its word of the year is “AI.”

In a polarized world, the dictionaries’ solidarity suggests there’s something we can all agree on: robots are terrifying. AI is an obsession that seems to cross generations. Whether you’re a boomer or Gen Z, OpenAI feels like a sign of change far beyond NFTs, the metaverse, and all the other fads we were told would transform humanity.

Social media feeds have become carefully curated extensions of ourselves—like little aspirational art projects. As Merriam-Webster points out, authenticity itself has become a performance. In other words, we’re getting very good at pretending to be real.

Phishing is a word for a type of online scamming and this type of activity is growing. The FBI reports over 300,000 complaints and over 50 million dollars in phishing losses in 2022.

Phishing occurs when someone sends you a bogus communication, usually by email or text message, disguised as a missive from a legitimate source, such as a bank or government agency. Usually the sender is angling for information, a credit card number or a transfer of funds. Sometimes there is an attachment containing malware, or a link where you can go to log in—which is to say, to have your password stolen.

Phishing grows and grows, demanding continual vigilance; billions of phishing emails are sent every day, some narrowly targeted and others broadcast widely. You have no doubt seen the con artists’ bait dangling in your inbox.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Phishing has some similarities to the kind of temptations Christians encounter. Every Christian is aware of the temptations of the world and what could happen if we are baited, hooked, and reeled in.

In August 2021, sports fans took note of the lopsided outcome of a football game meant to showcase the talents of highly touted high school prep stars. Broadcast on ESPN, the game was a shellacking, as IMG Academy triumphed over Bishop Sycamore, 58-0. The hapless Bishop Sycamore team was likened to the Washington Generals, the basketball club that served as traveling patsies for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. But after a recent documentary aired, audiences began to realize that this story was no laughing matter.

BS High was directed by Academy Award winners Martin Roe and Travon Free and aired on HBO. It tells the story of Roy Johnson, the coach who recruited and assembled the motley crew of football talent, promising them to deliver their dreams of college football stardom. Though it focuses mostly on Johnson, the documentary widens its lens to capture an unflattering portrait of all the various grifters who prey on high school athletes. Washington Post columnist Jerry Brewer called it “a thorough indictment of the youth sports ecosystem.”

Roe said in a recent interview “We didn’t approach this thing to find a villain. He turned out to be an incorrigible liar. We worked pretty hard to fight for the deepest truths we could uncover.” The documentary contains several disturbing allegations, including Johnson forging a check to pay for lodging, taking out COVID-19 relief loans in his players’ names, whipping a homeless man with a belt, and driving over geese to prove a point to his players.

Free said, “I hope parents who see this will realize the need to pay closer attention to the system and what it’s doing to their children. There were so many heartbreaking stories. That was one of the hardest things for me, having to watch a young person in real time confront emotions he never wanted to confront.”

From 2015 through mid-2022, Jeffrey Kriv received 51 tickets, but paid only two. Kriv had become adept at beating his tickets in court by telling a particular story explaining his behavior. An investigation by Pro Publica found three specific recent examples:

• “Well, that morning, I broke up with my girlfriend and she stole my car,” said Kriv in January 2021, after being spotted running a red light.
• “Yeah, I broke up with my girlfriend earlier that morning, had a knock-down, drag-out fight, verbally, of course. She took my car without my knowledge,” he told a different judge when fighting a speeding ticket in August 2021.
• “I broke up with my girlfriend that day and she took my car without my knowledge,” said Kriv again in May 2022 while contesting another speeding ticket. “I didn’t get my car back for like three days. But it was her driving the car.”

Pro Publica found that he told a version of this story on at least 44 different occasions, without letting on that he himself worked as an officer for the Chicago Police Department. Kriv was repeatedly reprimanded for misconduct while on the job, including complaints filed by fellow officers. Prosecutors have charged Kriv with four counts of perjury and five counts of forgery. All counts are felonies and are for allegedly lying to judges under oath and providing fictitious police reports.

Possible Preaching Angle:

When we deceive others over a long period, we also deceive ourselves into thinking there will be no consequences for our behavior. But that too is a lie. Deeds done in darkness will eventually be exposed to light.

In late May of 2023, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins formally resigned her position after two federal oversight agencies launched wide-ranging investigations into her behavior. Those investigations concluded that she both lied to investigators and used her position to influence a local election.

Investigators say Rollins leaked information to the media for a story intended to sabotage Kevin Hayden, who was campaigning to replace her as U.S. attorney. The story contained the false accusation that Hayden was under federal investigation himself.

The initial investigations into Rollins’ behavior were sparked after she was seen at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. This was a significant departure from the agenda of Rollins’ boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who repeatedly ensured that his agency’s top priority would be maintaining political independence. After Rollins was seen at the fundraiser, Garland barred any political appointees from attending fundraisers or other campaign events.

Rollins’ behavior was said to have violated the Hatch Act, a law that curtails political actions by government employees. Violations included an instance where she solicited 30 free tickets to a Boston Celtics game for youth basketball players, including a pair for herself.

According to the inspector general’s office in the Justice Department, Rollins’ behavior was among the “most egregious” in the history of the agency.

Possible Preaching Angle:

God cares about the delivery of justice, and doesn't look kindly on people who abuse their positions of power for personal gain.

In August of 2022, the University of Michigan Library announced that one of its most prized possessions, a manuscript said to have been written by Galileo around 1610, was in fact a 20th-century fake. This brought renewed attention to the checkered career of the man named as the likely culprit: Tobia Nicotra, a notorious forger from Milan.

Nicotra hoodwinked the U.S. Library of Congress into buying a fake Mozart manuscript in 1928. He wrote an early biography of the conductor Arturo Toscanini that became better known for its fictions than its facts. He traveled under the name of another famous conductor who had recently died. And in 1934 he was convicted of forgery in Milan after the police were tipped off by Toscanini’s son Walter, who had bought a fake Mozart from him.

Here's his explanation of what had motivated his many forgeries, which were said to number in the hundreds: “I did it to support my seven loves.” When the police raided Nicotra’s apartment in Milan, they found a virtual forgery factory, strewn with counterfeit documents that appeared to bear the signatures of Columbus, Mozart, Leonardo da Vinci, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Martin Luther, Warren G. Harding, and other famous figures.

Investigators had also found a sort of shrine to his seven mistresses, at least according to The American Weekly. The article described a room with black velvet-covered walls, with seven panels featuring paintings, sketches, and photographs of the women with fresh flowers in front of each. “Incidentally,” the publication added, “he had a wife.”

For weeks, late night television hosts have been feasting on comedic material from the story of Congressman George Santos (R-NY), after a series of journalistic investigations exposed some bizarre, almost inexplicable lies he told as part of his campaign.

Included in the litany of now-debunked tall tales include lies about where he went to high school and college, previous places of employment, campaign fund disclosure violations, and his personal history and ethnic heritage. He lied about his mother dying during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and about employees of his dying during the tragic 2016 shooting of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Santos even lied about having Jewish Ukrainian heritage, even though multiple family records trace his maternal grandparents to Brazil. And when asked to explain the contradiction in an interview with the New York Post, he backtracked. Santos said, “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Effective and trustworthy leadership starts with integrity. Those who distort the truth will ultimately be discovered and discredited.

When Disney CEO Bob Chapek was fired and replaced by his predecessor Bob Iger, many of Disney’s most vocal fans rejoiced. One of them is Len Testa, a computer scientist who once did a master’s thesis using math to optimize his ability to see as many Disney theme park rides as possible.

Testa wrote a column in the NY Times about why he felt Chapek was unfit for his previous leadership position. In the column, Testa claimed that Chapek violated the spirit of founder Walt Disney, his penchant for hospitality, and his appreciation of childlike wonder.

In his August 2022 earnings call, Mr. Chapek reported that Disney’s theme park, experiences, and products division had generated $7.4 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up 72 percent from the same time a year prior. He could have acknowledged Disney’s theme park guests for the stunning results.

Instead, a news release suggested that earnings would have been greater but for an “unfavorable attendance mix” at Disneyland. The company was essentially saying that too many annual passholders were visiting from nearby instead of out-of-towners, who stay at Disney hotels and eat at Disney restaurants more often. Some fans responded by creating T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Unfavorable attendance mix” and wearing them in the parks as in-jokes to other fans.

Testa says that fans interpret a recent uptick in extra theme park fees and surcharges as a lack of appreciation for generations of fans whose loyalty helped to build Disney into the corporate behemoth it is today. Furthermore, he says that influencers and freelance writers have made a cottage industry out of providing tips for people going through the process of booking a Disney trip because of how byzantine, confusing, and expensive it has become.

Testa ends his piece by suggesting that if Mr. Iger wants to experience the park from the perspective of one of the fans, he should try navigating Disney’s reservation system to book a theme park stay on a middle-class salary. Testa said, “When he’s overwhelmed by the cost and complexity, I know many fans who’d be happy to talk him through it. No charge.”

Tech companies often make public statements in favor of affordable housing in the context of public acts of philanthropy. But the sincerity of these pronouncements can be tested by examining responses from the same executives confronted with actual affordable housing developments in their neighborhoods. And right now, many of them are failing this simple test.

Top executives at Netflix, Apple, Google, Facebook parent-company Meta, and others, have publicly opposed a recent housing development plan in Atherton, California, a wealthy Silicon Valley enclave just north of Stanford University. It’s a trend that housing analysts call NIMBYism, which stands for “Not In My Back Yard.”

Jeremy Levine, of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County said, “Atherton talks about multifamily housing as if it was a Martian invasion or something.” Atherton, like many wealthy towns its size, is zoned almost exclusively for single-family dwellings. But the meteoric rise in tech-related jobs has put the state of California on an unsustainable housing trajectory. Simply put, there are far too many people with too few affordable places to live.

To ameliorate this issue, the state of California requires cities to submit housing plans that account for the projected growth in their communities. In Atherton, that meant carving out a zoning exception for several multifamily townhouse sites. Almost immediately, many town residents saw this potential development as a threat to their way of life. One resident said that having more than one residence on a single acre of land would “MASSIVELY decrease our home values, the quality of life of ourselves and our neighbors, and IMMENSELY increase the noise pollution and traffic.”

Atherton mayor Rick DeGolia is sympathetic and said, “Everybody who buys into Atherton spent a huge amount of money to get in.” Urban Planner Ralph Robinson was blunter saying, “People are less sympathetic.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

In contrast to this attitude, the family of God is to be open to everyone, and not exclusively reserved for a wealthy few.

Dean Gunther is a tattoo artist currently residing in Manchester, England. And when a recent client came to him with a bold idea, he was so stoked about the idea that he did it for free.

The client was a friend who hates working out, but wanted to have the look of well-toned, “six-pack” abdominal muscles. So, he asked Gunther to tattoo the look onto his stomach. Gunther said, “I had seen really bad ones attempted before. Because I specialize in color realism, I wanted to give it a go.” Of course, it wasn’t only the technical challenge that got him on board. He also had an additional motivation. "I thought it would be funny."

Once they completed the two-day project, they took a video and shared it on TikTok to verify the rapidly spreading rumor of the six-pack-tat, which looks impressive from a distance. Gunther’s followers responded with a combination of disbelief and bemused congratulation. One user summed up the approach with a simple aphorism: “if you can’t tone it, tat it.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

We shouldn't be satisfied with only an appearance of goodness or righteousness. Without spiritual discipline and the holiness that results, it is nothing but empty posturing.

The rich talk a good game but often don’t live up to their convictions. Many affluent Americans whose politics are on the liberal left are being exposed as hypocrites in regards to housing, taxation, and education. The New York Times, which in many cases is the flag-bearer for the left, is displaying integrity and courage in criticizing and exposing their own.

Just one example given is the San Francisco area adding 676,000 jobs in the last eight years but only having 176,000 housing units. The City Council attempted to re-zone a certain area to allow for the construction of a 60-unit affordable housing complex. The overwhelmingly liberal residents of Palo Alto voted to repeal the decision, eventually resulting in the construction of a few $5 million single-family homes.

The New York Times lead writer on business and economics, Binyamin Appelbaum, comments:

I think people aren’t living their values. You go to these meetings in these neighborhoods where they’re talking about a new housing project, and it’s always the same song. And it goes like this. “I am very in favor of affordable housing. We need more of it in this community. However, I have some concerns about this project. We have the hearts to do this. But we’re doing it wrong. And we’re dictating harm onto the neighborhoods.”

And then off we go with the concerns. And then nothing ever gets built. This is happening all over California. And the result is that these neighborhoods are so expensive that they keep anyone out who isn’t a part of this small group of superrich residents, many of whom bought their properties decades ago and who spend their time fighting vigorously to keep the value of their real estate assets superhigh.

You can watch the video here.

While rumors of racial slurs and other untoward behavior continued to encircle New Jersey mayor Sal Bonaccorso, he steadfastly denied any involvement, calling the accusations offensive. But once evidence proved otherwise, the mayor was forced into a quick about-face. Mayor Bonaccorso said in a YouTube video, “It was wrong. I am embarrassed and ashamed to have spoken that way about a race of people.”

His swift admission was prompted by the release of several audio recordings as part of an investigation. It unearthed not only the racial slurs themselves, but the fact that the city of Clark Township had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements and other legal proceedings to prevent them from being found.

The recordings were part of a lawsuit that had been drafted by Antonio Manata, previously a lieutenant with the Clark Police Department. He had complained for years of rampant racism and sexism in the department, but felt his progress at reporting the troublesome behavior had been stonewalled by the mayor and other top leaders. To document the behaviors, Manata made a series of secret recordings of the mayor and other high-level CPD officers. When he threatened to expose them, the town agreed to pay large sums of money to get him to drop the lawsuit and relinquish the recordings.

At a town council meeting after the story came to light, Bonaccorso tried to plead his case with the community, saying he disagreed with the decision to settle. But Clark resident La’Tesha Sampson, said she was disappointed at the mayor’s lack of apology. She called his initial response “really, really disturbing.”

The criticism after that council meeting is what prompted the mayor’s YouTube apology. Bonaccorso says he’s learned a lot from recent protests for racial justice, especially those that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s killing during the summer of 2020. He just hadn’t learned enough to be truthful about his mistakes … at least not until he had no other choice.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Jesus reserved his harshest criticisms for leaders who made a show of respectability but gave voice or thought to evil in private.

Historian, philosopher, and author Richard Reevesis is a senior fellow at the think tank Brookings Institution. He is concerned that most people can’t distinguish between truth and truthfulness. An error and a lie are not the same. He gives the example of the COVID-19 pandemic:

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we all wanted instant, accurate advice on what to do and what not to do. But the virus was novel. Scientists were scrambling to figure out what it was, how it spread, and how to defeat it. The honest answer to many of our most urgent questions was: “We don’t know yet.” The most important question for citizens is not whether public health advice is always right. It’s whether public health officials are consistently trying to get it right and communicating … “the full painful truth,” honestly and clearly. Trust is built on truthfulness rather than truth.

We don’t like the deliberate lie but acknowledge someone may be making an honest mistake. Truth is empirical, but truthfulness is ethical. Truth is the end product; truthfulness a vital element in its production. ... But the real problem is a loss of virtue, specifically the virtue of truthfulness.

No word on his religious beliefs, but Reevesis has a patron saint for his views:

Our patron saint in this effort could be Nathanael. He appears in the Gospel of John and has a good claim to be the patron saint of truthfulness. When told about Jesus, he scoffed: “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’” But Christ, knowing he had said this, exclaimed: ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’’ Christ was clearly not applauding Nathanael for the truth of his statement, but for his willingness to speak his mind – for his truthfulness.

Chloe Mrozak apparently wanted to vacation in Hawaii without abiding by the state’s mandatory ten-day quarantine for people from the mainland. To get around this requirement, Mrozak presented a falsified vaccination card upon her arrival.

Because it took time for authorities to investigate her claims, Mrozak was allowed to leave the airport. However, officials were tipped off because the name of the vaccine was misspelled as “Maderna” instead of Moderna. Eventually, officers were informed by National Guard reps in Delaware that there was no record of her vaccination, casting further doubt on the legitimacy of her documentation.

Initially, investigators lost track of Mrozak because they were unable to locate a hotel reservation under her name, but they eventually located a social media account displaying recent exploits and a distinctive, identifying tattoo. Armed with that info, they arrested Mrozak several days later when she returned to the airport to fly home.

When confronted with the evidence of her crime, Mrozak tried to convince the officers that she was actually vaccinated by her own doctor and paid for the shot, despite the fact that COVID vaccinations are free in the United States. Mrozak was charged with misdemeanor suspicion of falsified vaccination documents; bail was set at $2,000.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Some people will use the appearance of proper behavior to mask the dark deeds of their selfish desires. Don't be easily fooled by falsehoods and fakery, but diligently seek the truth wherever it may be found.

Out of curiosity Ben Kirby started watching worship songs on YouTube and identified many of the leaders and preachers as wearing sneakers worth from $800 to $1200. Others wore designer outfits worth thousands. He started an Instagram account posting the preachers and the price tags. In the first month he had 100,000 followers.

In an interview for The Washington Post he questioned the blatant extravagance of someone preaching about Jesus: “I began asking, how much is too much? Is it okay to get rich off of preaching about Jesus? Is it okay to be making twice as much as the median income of your congregation?”

One report noted:

Practice what you preach. We expect our leaders—no matter who they are—to maintain certain standards of decency and to uphold the same values they profess to support. ... Kirby continues to show the dissonance between what preachers, pastors, and priests say and what the details of their clothing reveal about their actual lifestyles.

Just a few examples of what religious leaders have been photographed wearing:

• Gucci Slippers: $1,100

• Jordan 1 Retro High Dior Sneakers: $7,210

• Supreme X Louis V Jacquard Denim Parka: $9,625

• Christian Louboutin Belt Bag: $1,250

• Stefano Ricci Belt: $2,541

The Department of Justice has filed charges against a father and his three sons for their role in illegally selling industrial bleach. The bleach itself is not an illegal substance, but according to officials, the family business consisted of fraudulently marketing the toxic chemicals as a miracle cure.

According to the criminal complaint, Mark Grenon of Bradenton, Fla, along with his adult sons, repeatedly told their customers that their “Mineral Miracle Solution” could cure not only COVID-19, but also various other aliments including malaria and cancer. According to a press release from the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Florida, "[The] FDA has received reports of people requiring hospitalizations, developing life-threatening conditions, and dying after drinking MMS."

The DOJ alleges that the Grenons sold thousands of bottles of the fraudulent solution, netting over $1 million in the process. They are also accused of attempting to operate as a religious nonprofit entity, the “Genesis II Church of Health and Healing,” for the purpose of avoiding government scrutiny and regulations.

The Grenons are charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, and also criminal contempt, because the government previously filed a civil suit to stop the sale of their product, which they ignored. Not only did they continue selling the toxic fake cure, but they sent a letter to the judge of the civil case informing him that they had no plans to comply with the court order. They also included threats of violence if the state were to try to enforce compliance.

The FDA has warned consumers not to purchase or consume MMS, explaining that it’s the same as drinking bleach and can cause serious side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure.

Possible Preaching Angle:

All kinds of people make promises of wealth, prosperity, or healing. However, you can tell who's legit in part by the outcomes of their "ministry"--are people really healed or set free? Or is it a trick? God is about wholeness and integrity, not just headlines and spectacle.