Mega Preachers and Scandal

[Susie Q Roo]

Having an elderly mother who is very into her TV preachers and also suffers from (thankfully, still pretty mild) dementia, I found this article very interesting. She's not a Pentecostal, but a strict Baptist, and I try to keep an eye on her checkbook when I can to make sure no one's getting too rich off her faith.

Here's an excerpt:

Hank Hanegraaff, a non-Pentecostal evangelical broadcaster who calls himself the Bible Answer Man, expresses concern "about people out there emptying out their bank accounts so their daughter with leukemia can be healed." He recently read on the air a editorial by Grady denouncing "Celebrity Christianity," which described the case of an unnamed female evangelist whose appearance contract included a five-figure honorarium, a $10,000 fuel deposit for a private plane, a five-star hotel, room-temperature Perrier and two bodyguards. The column ended, "May God help us root out the false apostles ... who are making the American church sick with their.... money-focused heresies."

I think I'll stick to my current beliefs, thank you very much.

(At this rate, I'm gonna win the spooner of the year award whether I want it or not! )

[Daddy B]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

Having an elderly mother who is very into her TV preachers and also suffers from (thankfully, still pretty mild) dementia, I found this article very interesting. She's not a Pentecostal, but a strict Baptist, and I try to keep an eye on her checkbook when I can to make sure no one's getting too rich off her faith.

Here's an excerpt:

I think I'll stick to my current beliefs, thank you very much.

(At this rate, I'm gonna win the spooner of the year award whether I want it or not! )

An "editorial by Grady"?! Is that the same Grady who livened up many a musical soiree in Playa Del Carmen?!

[sctx]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

(At this rate, I'm gonna win the spooner of the year award whether I want it or not! )

hell Susie, given there are 3 months still left in the year, you might overtake Ryberg in total number of locked threads

[Daddy B]

"five-figure honorarium, a $10,000 fuel deposit for a private plane, a five-star hotel, room-temperature Perrier and two bodyguards"

Nice work if you can get a god to get it for you...

[sctx]

Originally Posted by Daddy B

An "editorial by Grady"?! Is that the same Grady who livened up many a musical soiree in Playa Del Carmen?!

hmmm.......Grady givin up the raunchy blues to become editor of "Charisma" magazine???.............

w'sup portugese??.....you doin ok these days???

[Daddy B]

Originally Posted by sctx

hmmm.......Grady givin up the raunchy blues to become editor of "Charisma" magazine???.............

w'sup portugese??.....you doin ok these days???

He could have seen the error of his ways and swapped the keg for the brimstone. You never know, like gods substance abuse works in mysterious ways.

I'm bloody marvellous, thank you very muck! How's your good self?

By the way, my wife just asked me in passing (as she was leaving to give Paddy the Mexican Rescue Dog her leggy stretch):

"Have you ever met that "Sticks"?":joke r:

[eccentrictinker]

Televangelist Rex Humbard dies



ATLANTIS, Florida (AP) -- The Rev. Rex Humbard, a former itinerant preacher whose televangelism ministry once reached more parts of the globe than any other religious program, died Friday, a family spokeswoman said. He was 88. (more)

Televangelist Rex Humbard dies - CNN.com

I called on video engineers at Humbard's "Cathedral of Tomorrow" back in the 70's when I was a salesman for Ampex Corp. television recording equipment.

The luxury of the sanctuary, offices and studios were incredible. There was a room with at least 50 desks, occupied by people who did nothing but open envelopes containing checks and cash from willing donors.

Well, one greedy preacher down, too many to go.

BTW, Rev. Shulers' Crystal Cathedral makes Humbards' church look like a Quonset hut.

[cpfstich]

There's been a DaddyB sighting!

How are you Paolo?

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

Having an elderly mother who is very into her TV preachers and also suffers from (thankfully, still pretty mild) dementia, I found this article very interesting. She's not a Pentecostal, but a strict Baptist, and I try to keep an eye on her checkbook when I can to make sure no one's getting too rich off her faith.

Here's an excerpt:

I think I'll stick to my current beliefs, thank you very much.

(At this rate, I'm gonna win the spooner of the year award whether I want it or not! )

Good for you! Some of those "preaching" folks prey off the sick, lame and elderly with their b.s.

[horizon200]

It always amazed me how people get sucked into this...so much for the preacher living within the means of the community!

[Babaloo]

jim and tammy made a lot of money
but they built a great water park and luxury hotel
...it's in mothballs now

[Susie Q Roo]

Oooh... here's another scandal to cringe about. This one's at Oral Roberts University.

Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay.

She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."

[Bluespicker]

I believe there's a special place in hell reserved for religious hucksters.

[Susie Q Roo]

I especially liked this part:

• Mrs. Roberts spent more than $39,000 at one Chico's clothing store alone in less than a year, and had other accounts in Texas and California. She also repeatedly said, "As long as I wear it once on TV, we can charge it off." The document cites inconsistencies in clothing purchases and actual usage on TV.

[Daddy B]

Originally Posted by Susie Q Roo

I especially liked this part:

Called me warped and childish, if you like (again...) but this one's my favourite:

"A longtime maintenance employee was fired so that an underage male friend of Mrs. Roberts could have his position."

If only they had called her Mrs Oral...