You can’t serve God, money

Two masters

Regarding “Some Texas religious leaders live in lavish, tax-free estates thanks to obscure law,” (Dec. 9): My values are reflected in my Christian heritage, so the article about the lavish parsonages owned by churches troubled me. Have the church leaders not read, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13)? When a friend is considering joining a church, I suggest that they look at the residence where the church leader lives and at the vehicle he drives. If those are far more expensive than my friend’s house or vehicle, then they may need to look elsewhere for a church to join. John T. James, Houston

Let’s be blunt. What some of these so-called “men (and women) of God” are doing should make all Christians sick. They disgrace the name of Christ. That any minister would even live in such luxurious mansions, legal or not, betrays their calling, no matter the rationale they use to justify themselves. The law can and should be changed to impose limitations on tax variance loopholes for parsonages without jeopardizing the “separation of church and state” argument behind which these shysters hide. Let’s go for it! But caution is suggested. Don’t turn the immorality of some into a vendetta against all pastors. J. Jones, La Porte

While I am usually appreciative of the Chronicle’s investigative reporting, committing three-quarters of Sunday’s front page to an article about tax-free housing for the clergy and relegating mention of the weekend’s historic, deadly tornadoes across the south and central United States to the bottom right raises questions about the paper’s commitment to the news. It is important to increase awareness about issues that affect our community, but most can be deferred in times of a national disaster. How would Houstonians have reacted to a New York Times article about theater district tax breaks the day after Hurricane Harvey? Diana Hudson, Houston