The Gospel for Asia (GFA) lawsuit alleging misuse of donations to build a luxury HQ in Texas rather than do ministry in India has made headlines. Following Warren Throckmorton's critical posts, February news articles have been released in Christianity Today, Charisma News, and the Christian Post. What can we learn from this debacle?

I evaluated GFA's leadership, strategy, finances, and impact as a philanthropic advisor to wealthy Christians in 2010. After comparing 7 church-planting ministries in India, GFA came out on the bottom for many reasons, starting with no internal accountability. Our philanthropic advisory firm Excellence in Giving has directed all philanthropy clients away from GFA since our first evaluation of their work.

​GFA Lawsuit is an Indictment Against ECFA

For the past decade, GFA has had serious organizational problems. But they proudly displayed the ECFA seal up until last year. ECFA missed the issues at GFA for years because their seal of approval is virtually worthless for an international ministry. How can I make such a bold statement when ECFA discovered GFA's financial mismanagement in 2015 and revoked their membership before the lawsuit? Let me explain what ECFA does and does not check when they sell their seal to a ministry.

I do have an axe to grind. I have been disillusioned. I have gone behind the curtain of Christian publishing. What I found explains why reading popular Christian books rarely helps you learn how to study the Bible correctly or understand Jesus.

I submitted my book proposal for Reenacting the Way (of Jesus) to multiple Christian publishers. I had been told the prowess of your publishing company determined your status as an author. If you wanted to get your message out, find a big publisher to market it well.

I knew my chances of landing a book contract were slim. Most Christian publishers are profit-seeking companies just like non-Christian publishing companies. They want authors who will sell thousands of books, preferably on pre-order. Since I don't speak to 100,000+ people annually via conference tours, church web broadcasts or radio programs, I don't have a big audience ready to buy books. So publishing my book runs a high risk for any company's bottom line. That's business. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the rejection letter I received from Moody Publishers.