Gambling and Casinos
Brandon and Jordan dive into a serious conversation about the proposed casino in Allen County, Indiana. This episode focuses on the detrimental impact of gambling, especially on vulnerable communities, and highlights the importance of stewardship and responsibility from a biblical perspective. They discuss how casinos exploit those struggling with addiction and the consequences that come along with them.
Takeaways:
- The Bible encourages wise and responsible management of finances. Gambling often involves the reckless or extravagant use of resources without planning for the future, which contradicts the biblical call to be prudent stewards of one's wealth.
- Gambling can often foster an unhealthy attachment to money and materialism. The Bible warns against the love of money and the danger of allowing financial gain to become a god, leading to idolatry. Gambling may perpetuate a focus on wealth rather than on contentment and the true treasures of the Christian faith.
- Gambling promotes the idea of "quick riches" rather than steady, honest work. This pursuit can encourage greed and a desire for more, which the Bible cautions against. A Christian perspective encourages contentment, patience, and hard work over seeking sudden wealth.
- Casinos often exploit those who are vulnerable—such as those addicted to gambling or those in financial distress. The Bible calls for compassion and fairness and warns against taking advantage of others’ misfortune or weakness.
- The Bible encourages believers to exhibit self-control and discipline in all areas of life. Gambling, especially in the context of casinos, can easily lead to addiction and a lack of self-control, which is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit and the call to live a life of moderation.
- Gambling may lead individuals into temptation, as it can become an addictive habit that leads to poor decision-making. The Bible encourages believers to avoid unnecessary risks and temptations that could harm their spiritual health and well-being.
- The Bible teaches contentment as a virtue. Gambling, particularly in casinos, often entices people to seek more wealth, which can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of gratitude for what one has. Christians are called to cultivate contentment in all circumstances.
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Check out the new resource, 30 Days in James, by Dr. Brandon Bower.
Links
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Music
Raise You Up (30 Sec)
Diego Mendez
Transcript
Hey, this is Brandon at the Lighthouse and I'm so excited about the launch of our newest resource.
Speaker A:It is a book called 30 Days in Overcoming Addiction and Other Life Altering Sins.
Speaker A:It is a 30 day guide through the Book of James for someone who's struggling with addiction.
Speaker A:You can find it on Amazon right now or you can purchase a copy at the Lighthouse Community center on East State.
Speaker A:I promise you that this book is life transformational and it will help those in your life who are struggling with addiction and other life altering sins.
Speaker A:So grab your copy today and stay tuned.
Speaker A:We have a whole episode about the resource coming up in a few weeks.
Speaker A:God bless.
Speaker A:You're listening to Reflections of the Lighthouse, a podcast sharing the hope of the gospel with those struggling with life altering addictions.
Speaker A:If you'd like more information about the Lighthouse and the services we provide, Visit us@lhfw.org Now here's your host, Dr.
Speaker A:Brandon Bauer.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the Lighthouse and our podcast, Reflections of the Lighthouse.
Speaker A:Today we're going to talk about a different topic, one that we don't normally address on our podcast, but I think it's an important thing to talk about.
Speaker A:I'm here with my good friend Jordan Bradley and we're talking about the proposal for a casino in Allen County, Indiana, which is the city that we're living in.
Speaker A:Welcome, Jordan.
Speaker B:How's it going?
Speaker A:So this is something that we're really passionate about and I know it's not just a Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana thing.
Speaker A:Casinos are across our US and with the rise of sports betting and all of these things, gambling and casinos are very common in discussions around the world.
Speaker A:So we wanted to talk about the proposed casino here in Fort Wayne and then expand it on to things like sports gambling and others, you know, lottery tickets, pull tabs and all of that mess.
Speaker A:So hang on, here we go.
Speaker A:So just recently, Senator Andy Zay of Huntington, Indiana and Mayor Steve McMichael of New Haven got together and they proposed moving a casino from a different spot in Indiana to our great city.
Speaker A:And there is a group of us who do not want this and we are opposing it at every turn.
Speaker A:Now we've had some major wins.
Speaker A:We actually were able to keep the the bill from moving on.
Speaker A:So it did not get voted on, but they are working behind the scenes to try to attach it to other bills or move it within another city in the surrounding areas.
Speaker A:So that is why we're talking about casinos today.
Speaker A:I want to say that I don't know.
Speaker A:Mayor Steve McMichael, I was at a press thing once where he was there, but we never talked.
Speaker A:But I do know Senator Andy Zay, and he is my friend, and we have spoken beside each other multiple times over the last couple years.
Speaker A:And I know that this is not what he ran on or what what the people of our community expect.
Speaker A:And I want to call on my friend on the air on our podcast to say, my friend, you don't have to do this.
Speaker A:You don't have to keep pushing for.
Speaker A:For this monstrosity of a bill in our area.
Speaker A:But we also found out that one of his chief employees is also on the payroll for the casino.
Speaker A:So it is unfortunate that he is being swayed by that.
Speaker A:We hope that there's no money being involved.
Speaker A:I do believe that Andy is a great senator, but he is wrong on this issue, and we want to challenge him with.
Speaker A:With the following discussion on stewardship and responsibility.
Speaker A:So, Pastor Jordan, let's talk about stewardship and responsibility in terms of gambling and casinos.
Speaker B:I think the first thing about being a steward is recognizing that as a steward, you are not the one in ownership.
Speaker B:I think of a steward like a butler.
Speaker B:One of my favorite superheroes is Batman and Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred.
Speaker B:Alfred took care of Wayne Manor and everything that was had to do with the.
Speaker B:The Wayne estate.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But it was not his.
Speaker B:And it's the same thing for us.
Speaker B:We are just stewards of the things that God has given us.
Speaker B:They are his.
Speaker B:They are not ours.
Speaker B:He allows us to use them, and he allows us to use them for his glory.
Speaker B:And this includes our money.
Speaker B:This includes our possessions.
Speaker B:This includes our entire lives.
Speaker B:And so if we expect God to be glorified by gambling or by the lottery, pull tab tickets or.
Speaker B:Or anything like that, I think we are mistaken.
Speaker A:I agree wholeheartedly.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The principle behind this is that the Bible encourages us to be wise and responsible with our finances.
Speaker A:You know, gambling.
Speaker A:Gambling often involves reckless and extravagant uses of resources without planning for the future.
Speaker A:And it contradicts the biblical call to be stewards of one's wealth.
Speaker A:I will say that in my life, I have been to casinos.
Speaker A:I have had issues with gambling in my life.
Speaker A:It led to other things, but what I remember most about those times is you go up to the casinos, and number one, if you're betting, the alcohol is free.
Speaker A:And for someone who loved alcohol deeply, that was an amazing thing.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But I also saw people getting wasted, and when they got wasted, they spent their money.
Speaker A:And there's manipulation and evil behind those things.
Speaker A:You know, as a nonprofit, we Want to make sure that we're not supporting things that are going to lead to the destruction of other people.
Speaker A:As a ministry that deals with drugs and alcohol, we purpose not to do things like open bars at our events.
Speaker A:You know, if we had an open bar at our fundraising event, we'd raise a lot more money, but what message would be we'd be sharing with our community?
Speaker A:We also don't do things like wine packages or things like that at our local auctions, because while we can get a lot of money from those things, what message is it sending to someone who struggles deeply with alcohol?
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker A:It's if you can make money off of it.
Speaker A:And that's the heartbeat behind the casinos right there.
Speaker A:It is not a wise way of handling our wealth.
Speaker A:Also, if you do any study about casinos, you're going to find that there's a lot of other things that happen when a casino comes to town.
Speaker A:Most specifically, the sex trade increases.
Speaker A:That is prostitution, that is, you know, forced sex on minors.
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker A:It is unbelievable and is shoved under the rug.
Speaker A:And it is a disgrace to the community and a disgrace to our God.
Speaker A:We cannot support something that.
Speaker A:That supports the abuse of innocent people.
Speaker A:Not only is there addiction issues, there's the.
Speaker A:There's the abuse of the individuals who are all made in God's image.
Speaker A:In addition, there's also things like crime increase, drugs increase, property values decline, and the whole lot of evilness that comes along with destructive things like a casino.
Speaker A:I remember we have a.
Speaker A:We had a resident in our program, and we're not going to mention his name for his privacy, but he did really well in our program, but he owed quite a bit of money.
Speaker A:And he was a sports guy, and he thought, I'm going to pay off all this money with sports betting.
Speaker A:And he did.
Speaker A:He made lots of money.
Speaker A:I was impressed.
Speaker A:But scripture also says money gained without work is empty.
Speaker A:And that is what this man felt.
Speaker A:And he.
Speaker A:Instead of working hard for what he had and respecting the rules of the program, he gambled.
Speaker A:And he got caught up in the lifestyle.
Speaker A:And before you knew it, he was up at the casinos drunk.
Speaker A:And he threw every relationship he had out the window.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And he pursued money at all costs.
Speaker A:And it was a really sad thing for us, for the residents in our program, to see a graduate of our program fall so quickly.
Speaker A:And it was telling of his heart, of what was important to him.
Speaker A:It did not say, I value God and I value my sobriety.
Speaker A:It was, I value money.
Speaker A:And the selfishness behind that just Raged real quick.
Speaker A:He also listened to our podcasts and if you're listening, buddy, I love you and I hope that you can beat this piece of your addictive lifestyle.
Speaker A:And we're not talking about this to shame you in any way, but to show the evil that is behind the gaming industry.
Speaker B:One of the things about the gaming industry is that it, it preys on those with addiction.
Speaker B:It feeds off of those.
Speaker B:You explained it very, very brilliantly with the how free alcohol, if you are here betting like, okay, and someone that wants alcohol is going to bet, and what you find is that what the scripture says is true in 1 Timothy, chapter 6 and verse 10 says, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Speaker B:It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Speaker B:How often do we hear of people who have lost everything?
Speaker B:Yes, how often do we hear of people who, because they have lost everything, just drown their sorrows in alcohol and destroy their families even more?
Speaker B:And casinos and bedding and, and things like these just feed off of that type of destruction that happens in someone's life.
Speaker A:Sure, it's fostering an unhealthy attachment to money.
Speaker A:It's putting money as our God, the idol of our heart, rather than trusting that God will provide every need that we have.
Speaker A:And places like casinos and these sports betting things are just preying on individuals and they are robbing our communities of their fathers, of their sons, of their family members, and of their money that they need to survive.
Speaker A:You know, it's March Madness season as we're recording this.
Speaker A:I'm sure it won't be March Madness season when you're listening to it, but you know, we're seeing all of these ads and you know, they're paying these sports heroes great sums of money to go on and say, hey, bet with this sports gambling thing.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:I'm deeply sad.
Speaker A:And by, by, by Peyton Manning and his brother who are on there, they're peddling gambling, but over here they're talking about their faith.
Speaker A:There's a disconnect there somewhere that, that you can do this sin but still be in a right relationship and be a leader in your community.
Speaker A:And I'm saying that those who are peddling gambling are robbing our neighbors of their dignity and self value.
Speaker A:And they're not loving them with the love of Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:They're saying, give us your money.
Speaker A:We call it a stupid tax around here at gambling.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Lottery tickets, that's a stupid tax.
Speaker A:But that's what it is, it's taking money from people don't have it to pay for a life of wealth that's going to end up empty.
Speaker A:You know, I look at, I look at celebrities, I look at, we have, we have a celebrity as a president right now who owns casinos.
Speaker A:And whatever you think of the guy, that's not why we're here.
Speaker A:But I'm wondering, are these people the richest of the rich?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Are they satisfied?
Speaker A:And my guess is they're not.
Speaker A:That's why they keep pursuing things like money and power, because they're empty inside.
Speaker A:Whether or not you like these person's politics or whatever, they're empty.
Speaker A:And only the love of Jesus Christ can heal those wounds.
Speaker A:And yet we sell the dream.
Speaker A:Spend your money.
Speaker A:$5.
Speaker A:You can get $200 in free bets, right?
Speaker A:It's a trap, it's a hook, it's a, it's, it's one of Satan's most well used tactics.
Speaker A:Don't trust God, do it yourself.
Speaker A:Here's an easy quick fix.
Speaker A:Pursue this.
Speaker B:And I think that's really hitting on the, the root of it all.
Speaker A:Greed.
Speaker B:It's greed.
Speaker B:It's the love of money.
Speaker B:It's idolatry.
Speaker B:It is expecting this world to give you what you need rather than trusting in the lord.
Speaker B:Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5 says, Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
Speaker B:For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Speaker B:What's the, what's the hope of the person that's, that might be financially struggling and tempted to bet, tempted to gamble?
Speaker B:What is their hope?
Speaker B:The fact that Jesus has promised to, to never leave or forsake.
Speaker B:So, so what are we doing when, when we're encouraging someone to go to the casino or, or just give us $5, we'll give you $200 in free bets.
Speaker B:Like what are we doing?
Speaker B:We're distracting and pulling someone away from the truth that is Jesus.
Speaker B:And the satisfaction that only comes comes through a personal, by faith alone relationship with him.
Speaker A:So it's talking, we really believe it's exploiting the vulnerable.
Speaker A:And we can see this in Proverbs 22.
Speaker A:Do not exploit the poor because they are poor.
Speaker A:Do not crush the needy.
Speaker A:The scripture is full of warnings about protecting the downhearted and the broken.
Speaker A:And the proposal by Andy Zay and Mayor McMichael, it is a proposal to crush the poor and to hurt the families of northeast Indiana.
Speaker A:We are called by God to protect those people.
Speaker A:And I know that we're A major voice in the opposition here in Allen County.
Speaker A:We're supporting the rallies, we're showing up to the prayer meetings, we're opening our building for the anti casino rallies.
Speaker A:But we're also getting a lot of flack.
Speaker A:And I want to say we are called by God to protect the broken.
Speaker A:And we are called by God to help the poor.
Speaker A:And if you build a casino here that is not caring for the broken or protecting the poor, and we will do anything at all possible within legal bounds at the lighthouse to stop a casino from coming to our town.
Speaker A:Because scripture is so clear that we have to protect them, do justice for the poor.
Speaker A:That is why we're opposed to this.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:There are so many warnings in scripture.
Speaker B:You read that one in Proverbs 22, but James chapter five, there is such a graphic warning.
Speaker B:It says, come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
Speaker B:Your riches have rotted, your garments are moth eaten.
Speaker B:Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidenced against you and will eat your flesh like fire.
Speaker B:You have laid up treasure in the last days.
Speaker B:Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you.
Speaker B:And the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
Speaker B:We have made the case that casinos and things like them are just the exploitation of the poor and the riches that are being ripped from them.
Speaker B:The money that is being ripped from them is read and are crying out to the Lord.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And that is a warning of judgment.
Speaker B:And that is terrifying that that's coming or that is being proposed to come here in Allen County.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:There's some other biblical principles behind this too.
Speaker A:You know, self control and moderation.
Speaker A:We're told in scripture that a city whose walls are broken is like a person who lacks self control.
Speaker A:It just screams that we have to be careful when it comes to gambling and how we control our money and even how we do business.
Speaker A:We have to make sure that we're doing business within self control and moderation.
Speaker A:And how many businesses have lost everything because of their greed?
Speaker A:And we have to make sure that we're lining up our business practices and our spending practices with the gospel.
Speaker A:We also are told to avoid temptation and unnecessary risk.
Speaker A:You know, if nothing else, casinos and lotteries and these types of things are a temptation for many.
Speaker A:And why would we promote something that promotes temptation first?
Speaker A:Thessalonians 5.
Speaker A:22 says, Avoid every kind of evil and gambling and these Gaming industries lead people into temptation and lead them into temptation fast and release them with the bondage of addiction on top of everything else that's going in their life.
Speaker A:And last but not least, we're told in scripture to be content.
Speaker A:You know, Paul as he's suffering greatly.
Speaker A:He says, I've learned to be content in every circumstance.
Speaker A:Paul could have changed his life by giving in to what the community says, what the leaders wanted, by preaching a health and wealth gospel.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:By bowing to the leaders of the world and shaming the name of Christ.
Speaker A:But he didn't.
Speaker A:Because contentment is great gain.
Speaker A:Now, while the Bible doesn't directly say don't go to casinos, all of the principles underlying the abuse of money and gambling and casinos are there.
Speaker A:And we have to take that framework, line casinos up against the truth of scripture and say this is evil and we do not want that in our community.
Speaker B:When it comes to what we do here at the lighthouse, when it comes with addicts and pointing them to Christ and the forgiveness that's there and the empowerment to live a holy life that comes there, it really all is essentially an exercise in self control.
Speaker B:Yes, that's what it is.
Speaker B:I mean, yes, first and foremost it's the gospel.
Speaker B:But what comes after the gospel is living a self controlled life.
Speaker B:And when we bring casinos and things like that, there is all sorts of loss of control, loss of self control.
Speaker B:And this is a major issue.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:So one last point, and it is when things like casinos come to town, the need for our services will increase, but the funding for our services won't.
Speaker A:And I would rather not have the casino and not have the increased need than to try to be out in the community speaking against an evil that is built trying to help the broken that it is spitting out on a daily basis.
Speaker A:So just know that we promise to do everything we can within legal bounds to, to stop the casino from coming to Allen County.
Speaker A:Jordan went down and testified in Indianapolis.
Speaker A:And again, we have had some victories and we have stopped it for the moment, but it is still stirring underneath and they are working on this.
Speaker A:And we will come back online and tell you if there are any major updates that you need to be aware of.
Speaker A:But would you please pray against the casino in Allen county and if you're not from around here, pray against the, the gaming industry that is destroying many.
Speaker A:One last small comment.
Speaker A:We're gonna have to talk about superheroes because any superhero that needs a butler isn't Super Go Superman.
