Clergy must avoid practices that taint the church

It is the 19th century British newspaper magnate, Alfred Harmsworth who is believed to have coined the oft used “man bites dog” maxim in journalism. He observed that unusual events, such as a man biting a dog, are more likely to make it into the news than when a dog bites a man. In fact, journalists have further argued that there is no news in a plane that does not crash.

Whereas this may be true, when all that we ever read, hear, or see in the various news media are about men biting dogs and planes crashing, it can have the unintended consequence of distorting our perceptions of reality. Dogs may develop a phobia for humans while air travel may greatly decline. A balance is thus necessary. In the recent past, the church has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. From wrangles over property, to impropriety in use of finances; and from the flock being fleeced to sex scandals. The frequency of such reports paints the picture of an institution lost in sin and a clergy gone rogue.