The term “white-collar crime” refers to a whole range of fraudulent behavior by business and professional people. They include crimes of deceit, cover-up, or violation of trust that may not involve physical force or violence. They are mostly driven by greed—to gain some financial advantage or to avoid losing money or property. A single scam can destroy a company, a family’s life savings, or billions of invested dollars. A lot of the cheating robs the poor—those who have little and are least able to lose what they have. Suffice to say, God is furious at such wicked practices. We read this in Micah chapter 6, “How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights? The rich among you have become wealthy through extortion and violence. Your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.” God is especially nauseous at those who go to church on Sunday then cheat others out of their money all week. The prophet says, “
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
