Swampland in Florida

For the last few decades, there has been a recurring scam in which con men try to sell worthless swampland to gullible buyers. Usually, the potential customers are not familiar with the area and thus fall for the false advertising that touts the development potential of these plots. Over the years, this common scam has led to the figure of speech: “If you believe that, then I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.”

I’ve encountered hucksters trying to sell ‘swampland’ in other areas of life: Religious movements, business schemes, fraudulent charities, and friends and relatives with agendas, to name a few. Sometimes the perpetrators of these scams are, themselves, duped into believing that they represent something of value. I have met people who seem to be passionately convinced that some new product, pseudo-spiritual New Age movement, prosperity theology, or get-rich scheme is the answer to what ails the world. If these individuals are influential, they can easily convince others that these swamplands are buildable. Christianity has had its share of misrepresentations. Abusing God’s name for individual gain is nothing new.

“State securities regulators charge that in the past 3 years, scams in 27 states used the name of God to rip off $1.9 billion. By comparison, for the 5 years ended in 1989, they say $450 million was lost to religious-based scams.” http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/general/2001-08-08-scams.htm

“You can’t find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm.” (Prov. 12:3 MSG) 

How can we tell apart swampland from the firm land of God? Well, if you are sinking further into depravity, if whatever you are building is unstable, if your lifestyle is unsustainable, if your choices are damaging yourself or others, if it emphasizes short-term gain over long-range growth—well, then it’s probably swampland.