Randy Beeman has little problem with gamblers who set their limits and stick to them – especially if those limits are low.

But he’s seen the floodgates open, watched the way a quick trip to a casino can turn into a gambling addiction and all the troubles that go along with it.

“There’s addictive behavior it can and does lead to,” says Beeman, pastor at First Christian Church, 1000 Ky. “It’s getting something for nothing – a quick buck. The Bible talks about good work ethic, and gambling doesn’t lend itself to that.”

While many Christian denominations – as well as other faiths – tend to look down on gambling, some leaders of the anti-gambling movement in Kansas say there hasn’t been much of an outcry from people of faith when it comes to the expansion of gaming in Kansas.

The Legislature approved – and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed last week – a bill that will allow casinos or slot machines in Wyandotte County, Ford County and several counties in south-central Kansas and southeast Kansas. The additional gambling would be subject to voter approval in each county.

Glenn Thompson, executive director for the anti-gaming organization Stand Up for Kansas, says he was disappointed by the response from churches in the latest round of discussions on the subject.

But he’s expecting congregations to become more mobilized as referendums are scheduled in individual counties.

“I must admit there’s somewhat of an apathy from the churches and people who attend, until a crisis occurs in their own community,” Thompson says. “They’re not thinking it’s going to happen in their own backyard.”

Family issues

Thompson notes there are economic reasons to be opposed to gambling – not just moral ones. For instance, he argues, money spent in casinos is money not spent at local businesses.

But as an elder at Wichita’s Central Christian Church himself, he sees plenty of biblical principles to back his stand.

“Churches are very concerned,” Thompson says. “I think that as people in the pews become more aware of the potential problems and more concerned about them – like the destruction of families – many people we talk to think it’s just wrong.”

Thompson says the principle of greed is behind gambling, and that it flies in the face of the Bible.

One church’s response

One Wichita church already is taking a proactive stance on gambling.

Summit Church in Park City is near the Wichita Greyhound Park, a likely site of slot machines or a casino. The church has announced plans to provide a ministry for those addicted to gambling, if additional wagering comes to the area.

Terry Fox, the church’s pastor who is best known for his stance in support of the state Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, says if there’s gambling, gambling addiction is inevitable.

“We campaigned against it and encouraged people in the Legislature not to let it come,” Fox says. “Now there’s a decision made to do it, so instead of griping and complaining like most preachers do, we decided to be proactive. My philosophy is to care over people.”

The church plans to hire a full-time Christian psychologist to help people with gambling addiction, as well as other issues.

For Fox, there isn’t an explicit stance in the Bible against gambling. He doesn’t think people who gamble are automatically going to hell.

“More than Scriptures, there are principles involved,” he says. “It’s trying to get a lot with a little, which is not a healthy principle and generally doesn’t work in life. And it’s not so much the act of gambling, but the environment of casinos. When people drink and gamble, they do things they normally wouldn’t do.”

Other stances

Fox’s church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination, isn’t the only one to take stand against gambling.

Here’s a sampling of what other denominations say about gambling:

¢ The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says gambling leads to greed, a distrust of God’s promises and a misuse of resources.

¢ The Seventh-Day Adventist Church calls gambling a “modern curse” that is “incompatible with Christian principles.” Mainly, the church says, gambling violates the Christian principle of stewardship.

¢ The United Methodist Church says gambling “feeds on human greed,” “is a menace to personal character and social morality” and “stimulates the fatalistic faith in chance.”

And it’s not just an issue that affects Christians.

Debbie Stiel, rabbi at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive, says Judaism has not been opposed to occasional gambling for entertainment. She notes that the Hanukkah game of dreidel involves betting small change.

But, like in other faiths, there is concern about the extremes gambling can bring.

“Judaism has long spoken out against professional and compulsive gambling,” she says. “These are seen as sinful by the tradition and highly discouraged.”

Islam, meanwhile, strictly forbids gambling. The Quran says the harms of gambling outweigh any potential profits.

Expanded ministry

Meanwhile, some faith organizations are pondering their next step as Kansas moves toward additional gaming.

Beeman says his First Christian Church may choose to start a ministry such as Gamblers Anonymous to help those addicted to gambling. He figures there are enough casinos in the area already to justify such a ministry, and the number of Lawrence residents addicted to gambling will grow if there are more casinos.

Like Fox, Beeman says Christian opposition to gambling is more about broad principles than specific Scriptures.

“There’s not a strong word in the Bible about do gamble or don’t gamble,” Beeman says. “For me, there are some issues about care for your family, not getting addicted to things and good stewardship. Some of those things paint a picture about my concerns about gambling.

“I think it can be fun and entertaining for some people. But I have concern for how we can keep people from becoming addicted to gambling.”