Bishop Art Hodges encourages return of cash; emphasizes taking spilled money morally wrong.

Bishop Art Hodges. (grabbed: Art Hodges III FB timeline)

Last Friday, bags of cash fell from an armored truck at Carlsbad. It burst open and put traffic in a halt as some people gathered the spilled money. Bishop Art Hodges of South Bay Pentecostal Church joined KUSI and shared his insights.

Spilled Money, Finders Not Keepers 

The report on KUSI News stated that Highway Patrol warned motorists to bring back the spilled money from an armored truck on I - 5 Carlsbad last Nov. 19. 

In a statement to The Guardian, Sgt. Curtis Martin of California Highway Patrol said that one of the doors opened, and the bags of cash fell out of the armored truck. There were two people arrested on the scene. 

Curtis said that others found to have taken the cash could face criminal charges. 

Elizabeth Alvarez of KUSI News shared on Good morning San Diego the numbers where people could call and stated that once people contacted the Highway Patrol, authorities would direct them on how to turn in the money. 

Alvarez compared the incident to a scene out of a movie. 

Meanwhile, Bishop Art Hodges, senior pastor of South Bay Pentecostal Church, spoke his take on the incident. He joined KUSI News for an interview. According to Elizabeth Alvarez, they invited the bishop for his insights and perspective on what happened.

Alvarez asked the bishop if it was right to get the money, though some might think the spilled money was a blessing. 

Bishop Hodges stated in the interview that people could see that people could think that times had been hard and stressful. Some might look at the spilled money as a blessing from heaven, Christmas in November. 

Nonetheless, Bishop Hodges said it is not. But rather, it is a test of character, a test of integrity, and a test of ethics. He further stated that America is an exceptional nation because it was built on a high standard of right and wrong. 

Moreover, that standard was based on the founding as Judeo Christian Ethics, which means America is built on the principles of the Bible. 

He summed up what the Bible might say about the incident of spilled money - The Golden Rule. 

Do to other people what you would want other people to do to you. 

Bishop Hodges emphasized that taking the money off the freeway is wrong.  When people encounter such an incident, one should think the money is not his, whose is it? He encouraged everyone who might have taken the spilled money to return it.

Moreover, as an answer to Alvarez's question regarding those who chose not to return the spilled cash, Bishop Hodges, on a Biblical perspective, stated that people are forfeiting blessings from God. 

People are choosing not to receive the blessings of God. The bishop cited the powerful verse in Ephesians 6:8.  

Bishop Art Hodges

According to CA Pastors Town Hall, Bishop Art Hodges serves as superintendent of the So Cal United Pentecostal International Churches. At present, he is also serving as the Senior Pastor for South Bay Pentecostal Church.

He and his church won a lawsuit against Governor Newsom regarding violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for simply desiring to be "open to worship." 

 

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