from The Florida Courier:

FROM THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF: An Orlando-area rabbi, upset that Florida-based televangelist Paula White strongly denied participating in “scroll-wrapping” considered “repulsive and inappropriate”by some Jewish religious scholars, submitted a video that seemingly corroborates that such an act did occur. The video surfaced just hours after White’s attorney categorically and unconditionally denied, to the Florida Courier’s publisher, White’s involvement in any such act.

White’s ‘wrapping’ – allegedly symbolic of being “wrapped in the Word of God,” according to  Rabbi Ralph Messer on the video – is almost identical to Messer’s wrapping of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s Rev. Eddie Long during a controversial, widely ridiculed ceremony that went viral on YouTube.

Criticism of Long was swift and severe from Jewish religious scholars and the Anti-Defamation League, forcing Long to publicly apologize.

White is now pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, founded by the late Zachery Tims. New Destiny is one of Central Florida’s largest churches. She is also pastor of Without Walls International Church, one of Tampa’s largest churches.

How it all started

On Friday afternoon, Feb. 3, the West Orlando News Online reported “rumors that Messer will be in Orlando over the weekend to crown pastor Paula White, new leader of the New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC), queen.”

At 6 p.m. that Friday evening – just after the Florida Courier broke a story on the Internet addressing rumors of White’s possible ‘coronation’ – Messer became the focus of discussion on Orlando’s WEUS-AM 810, a local talk radio station.

Host Don Miller of “The Don Miller Show” harshly criticized both Long and Messer. One of the featured guests on the show was  Rabbi Ira Michaelson of the Beth Tefillah congregation in Clermont, just outside of Orlando.

About 10 minutes into the broadcast, Miller confirmed that he heard rumors that Messer was coming to Orlando “to do this” (another Eddie Long-style ‘coronation’) at another church.”

In response, Michaelson said, “He actually already did this to Paula White some years ago…this was after she was divorced from Randy White and before the scandal with Benny Hinn came out. He took her and wrapped her in a scroll and said the same thing – ‘I’m wrapping you in the Word of God.’”

For the remainder of the hour-long show, Miller and Michaelson continued to castigate Messer and Long. Keith Johnson, a minister, author, and former NFL Minnesota Vikings chaplain, spoke of his concern about Long’s New Birth congregation and the impact of Messer’s actions on the relationship between Black Christians and Jews.

(On Sunday, February 5, Johnson preached at an Orlando-area church about how Messer convinced Long’s New Birth congregation “to pronounce a curse on themselves. Click here for video.)

The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, an associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, spoke to Miller’s show by phone about how the New Birth ceremony was disrespectful of Jewish religious traditions.

Saturday morning call

In multiple phone calls and emails to Florida Courier Publisher Charles W. Cherry II, Daniel Beirute, Paula White’s attorney, unconditionally denied that White would be ‘coronated’ as was Long.

In response to Michealson’s quoted allegation that “He (Messer) actually already did this to Paula White some years ago…”, Beirute wrote in an email to Cherry as follows:

“I don’t know where Rabbi Michaelson gets his information, but my client categorically and unequivocally denies that that ever happened.”

No longer a story

Based on White’s unconditional denial of the Super Bowl ceremony, Florida Courier editors decided that there was no longer a story and posted a “Final Paul White update with links.” But that was not to be the last word.

Rabbi Michaelson, concerned that White’s denial damaged his reputation, emailed a video to Cherry that seems to corroborate his statement about White.

The video opens up with various instances in which an energetic White picks up or drops Bibles on the floor while preaching. About 36 seconds into the video, a caption appears: “Notice Bible on Floor.” There’s more video of White preaching, speaking ‘in tongues’, and dropping more Bibles.

About two minutes into the video, another caption appears. “If Paula had thrown the Koran to the floor, she would have faced certain death. The Jews rejected her from speaking at their 2007 “day of prayer” (sic) because of the following sacrilege to their sacred scrolls,” it states.

Then, in an undated broadcast that seems to be recorded from White’s TV show “Paula,” White agrees to allow Messer and another unidentified man to wrap White in what appears to be a Torah scroll. After saying the wrapping represents protection and being “hidden in the Word of God,” Messer tells White, “Out of something that was thrown off the tracks – like your life – God says, ‘I’m going to raise it up and people will read from it and quote it for generations.’”

Messer then says to White, “…The Lord says, ‘You are so sacred to the Body of Christ, I’m wrapping you in the Word of God.’” The scroll seemed to be torn in the process. White appears to be overcome with emotion, then happily shakes Messer’s hand.

Paula White ‘wrapped in the Word of God’ – click here for an abbreviated version posted on YouTube of the video submitted to the Florida Courier.

from The Orlando Sentinel:

A struggle for control of New Destiny Christian Church erupted today with the appointment by the church’s directors of Paula White to succeed Zachery Tims as the new pastor and a lawsuit filed by Riva Tims challenging the church leaders’ authority to do so.

In a press conference announcing her lawsuit, Tims compared the conflict over spiritual ownership of the church to the biblical story of the baby claimed by two mothers.

“I am here today to declare that as founder of New Destiny Christian Center that I am the real mother,” said Tims, who co-founded the church with Zachery in 1996.

Tims claims that, according to church by-laws, she is the rightful heir to the church following Zachery Tims’ death in August. The cause of his death at 42 has not be released.

The lawsuit was filed in Orange County Circuit Court shortly before the church announced White was taking over as senior pastor.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against New Destiny, prohibiting it from naming White as pastor. The suit also alleges that members of the board of directors and White engaged in a conspiracy to “control, monopolize and manipulate” the selection of a new pastor to the exclusion of Riva Tims.

It claims White was $26 million in debt in 2006, and thus unfit and incompetent to run New Destiny, which has more than $4 million in assets.

Riva Tims contends she was wrongfully dismissed from the church following her divorce from Zachery in 2008, but remains favored by the congregation to succeed her ex-husband.

The church says the lawsuit is without merit.

“In the wake of her divorce from Pastor Zachary Tims in 2009, Pastor Riva willingly signed legal documents releasing all claims over New Destiny Christian Center and left our church to begin her own ministry, literally just a few miles away,” said a statement released by the church. “So we are surprised to hear her now say, three years later, that she should become Senior Pastor of New Destiny Christian Center.”

Regardless of the lawsuit, New Destiny said White, 45, will assume her duties as senior pastor during the church’s New Year’s Eve services on Saturday.

“We believe Pastor Paula will continue to make New Destiny a church for all people, reaching out to the hurting and the lost by touching lives and helping individuals overcome the disabling challenges of life,” said Board Member Elder Marguerite Esannason in a statement released by the church.

White, senior pastor of Without Walls International in Tampa, identifies herself as Zachery Tims’ “spiritual mother.” She preached the first sermon in the church after his death, again at his funeral, and served on an advisory board during the search for his successor.

Members of New Destiny said they have nothing against White, but object to the exclusion of both Riva Tims and the congregation in deciding who is best to lead the church after Zachery.

“The people need to be respected,” said Demetrise Begic, 46, who joined New Destiny eight years ago. “We’re the tithers.”

from The Root:

Early this morning, Bishop Eddie Long’s wife, Vanessa, announced that she’d filed for divorce from the embattled pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. She said the decision was made “after a great deal of deliberation and prayer.” But it seems the praying didn’t stop after the papers were filed against her husband, who’s been accused by four young men of coercing them into having sex with him. Early this afternoon, she announced that she’d had a change of heart and planned to withdraw the petition, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

“Upon prayerful reflection, I have reconsidered and plan to withdraw my petition for divorce from my husband, Bishop Eddie L. Long,” she said in an emailed statement bearing the New Birth logo. “I love my husband. I believe in him and admire his strength and courage.”

She went on to blame “years of attacks in the media” for her initial decision to seek a divorce.

Last fall, four young men accused Eddie Long of coercing them into having sex. Their lawsuits were settled in May, then dismissed.

The accusations made against Long by Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.

Any guesses as to what — besides “prayerful reflection” — might be going on behind the scenes of the latest development in this mega-church scandal?

from MSNBC:

The wife of Bishop Eddie Long, the Georgia megachurch pastor once accused of coercing four young men into having sex, has told her lawyers to file for divorce, according to a statement issued Friday.

In the statement, Vanessa Long said she had decided to “terminate my marriage” after “a great deal of deliberation and prayer.”

“It is my sincere hope that this matter can be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously, and fairly,” she said in the statement.

“I ask that you respect my privacy and that of my family, as my attorneys and I have agreed that we will not try this case in the media, and I do not intend to make any further statements concerning this matter,” she added. “I also ask that the public pray for my entire family during this difficult period of transition.”

In May this year, Bishop Long settled lawsuits filed by the four men who once attended the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, in suburban Atlanta.

Days later the congregation cheered Long as he took the pulpit, while the choir opened the service with the hymn “Moving Forward,” which began: “I’m not going back, I’m moving ahead. Here to declare to you my past is over.”

Opposition to gay marriage

Long gained a reputation as a spiritual leader after turning his 150-member congregation into a following of 25,000 people and a televangelist empire, partly based on the idea that God would give wealth to the faithful.

He has been a vocal opponent of gay marriage.

The allegations by the men were not investigated criminally because Georgia’s age of consent is 16. The young men were 17 and 18 when the alleged sexual contact occurred.

After the out-of-court settlement, Jessica Gabel, a Georgia State University law professor who specializes in trial strategy, told The Associated Press, “Nobody wants their dirty laundry aired in court. Every day there would be fanfare. This is not something you want in the media.”

Gabel said that attorneys try to keep the terms of any agreement confidential, but added that it was noteworthy that Long was not required to apologize or acknowledge any wrongdoing.

The dismissal of the lawsuits was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It said the men alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.

from the Houston Chronicle:

More than 10 million people watch Joel Osteen’s television broadcast each week, and soon viewers will be able to see how the pastor of America’s largest church lives outside of Lakewood.

A new reality show will follow the Osteens’ ministry as they serve and inspire people across the U.S., Lakewood confirmed.

TMZ broke the news, with details from the show’s producer, Mark Burnett:

“Survivor” producer Mark Burnett is teaming up with Joel Osteen for a primetime network show in 2012, TMZ has learned.

Burnett tells TMZ, the premise of the show is that ordinary people will give up several days or longer to go on a mission with Joel Osteen, one of the most popular pastors in the world. All of the missions will be in the confines of US soil to “start fixing things.”

Over the years, “just about every studio in Hollywood” has pitched show ideas to the Osteens, but they’ve always turned them down, until now, said Don Iloff, Lakewood spokesman.

The Osteens have been friends with Burnett and his wife Roma Downey, who are Christians and have visited Lakewood in the past, and they trust Burnett’s vision and expertise in the reality TV medium.

The program is in its early planning stages and has not secured a network to air it or even a name yet. The Osteen ministry team hopes it provides uplifting, positive programming that will bring families together to watch.

“When you talk reality TV, on one end there’s Extreme Home Makeover, and on the other end, there’s Jersey Shore. We’re on the Home Makeover end,” Iloff said.

Each episode will center around “people helping people,” following service projects, such as the ones the Osteens have organized in Washington D.C. through a program called Generation Hope.

“We do these projects without the cameras rolling,” said Iloff. “But Jesus said, ‘Let your light shine. Don’t hide it under a bushel.’”

Osteen recently appeared on Dr. OZ and network TV superstar Oprah visited his congregation earlier this month.

Within the realm of reality TV, viewers are also getting a dose of religion, with TLC programs like All-American Muslim, Sister Wives and 19 Kids and Counting all focusing on a faith and family angle.

From Hollywood’s perspective, it’s not necessarily about the content, but the marketability and profitability of such programs, said Richard Flory, an expert in American Christianity at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

“It’s a different twist on this kind of short-term mission trip evangelicals have done for a long time,” said Flory of the proposed Osteen show. “It turns it into an entertainment model, where you feel good watching it, people feel good doing it and Joel Osteen gets exposure.”

“Houstonian Diego Quintanilla, who was sitting near the duo, tweeted: “I’m freaking out!! I can’t breathe! It smells like money and amazingness!!”

And that quote pretty much typifies the mindless, shallow & Biblically illiterate  that attend Osteen’s “church”

from The Houston Chronicle:

Oprah Winfrey created a buzz Sunday in Houston with a surprise appearance at the 11 a.m. service at Lakewood Church.

Oprah is in town interviewing Pastor Joel Osteen as a part of her new series Oprah’s Next Chapter premiering in January on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

The show will feature conversations with real people, newsmakers and celebrities.

Seated in the front row of the crowd of roughly 13,000, Oprah and Tyler Perry were announced as guests at the service. Houstonian Diego Quintanilla, who was sitting near the duo, tweeted: “I’m freaking out!! I can’t breathe! It smells like money and amazingness!!”

Oprah joined Osteen and his wife, Victoria, for lunch at their home and spoke with them about faith, marriage, power and ego, according to Lakewood officials.

from Charisma:

Jesus just wasn’t into titles. We shouldn’t be either.

I am often asked if I have a title, and my answer doesn’t satisfy some people. I travel a lot, so I don’t consider myself a pastor. All kinds of labels have been pinned on me: Reverend, prophet, apostle … even bishop. Once I was introduced to a church as “Dr. Grady” and I almost crawled under my seat. I only have a college degree. There are no letters after my name.

I tell people: “You can call me Lee. Or if you want to sound formal, you can say, ‘Brother Grady.’”

Today it seems we’ve developed a title fetish. For a while everyone in charismatic circles was becoming a bishop (and some were installed into this office with rings, robes and funny-looking hats). Then the same guys with the pointy hats started calling themselves apostles. Then the prophets got jealous and started calling themselves apostles too! I knew one lady who, not to be outdone, required people to call her “Exalted Prophetess.”

Now the latest fad is requiring church folks to address certain people as apostles. (As in, “When Apostle Holy Moly arrives, please only address him as, ‘Apostle,’ and then make sure he is seated in a private room while his two adjutants, wearing dark glasses, guard his door.”) They’ve even  invented an elaborate theology to go along with this ridiculous rule. It suggests that you can’t receive the true anointing from a man of God if you  don’t honor him with the right title.

Sounds so very ooo-ooh spiritual to the naive. But it’s garbage. Jesus didn’t play this religious game, especially when he was around the Grand Poobahs of His day—the long-robed scribes and Pharisees. After accusing them of loving the best seats in the synagogues, He pointed out that they loved to be called “Rabbi” by men (see Matt. 23:7).

Then He warned them: “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. … the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (v. 8-12, NASB).

People have quibbled over these words for centuries, insisting that ecclesiastical titles are not the problem; pride is what Jesus was rebuking. I would agree that Jesus was going to the root sin. But He was also asking these title-crazy guys if they’d be willing to ditch their labels and act like normal people.

When I was in China several years ago, I met some amazing leaders who had planted thousands of congregations. They had also spent a lot of time in jail for their faith, and they’d been beaten with iron rods for preaching the gospel. They were the bravest apostles I’ve ever met. But when  I asked them if they used “apostle” as a title, one guy said: “We believe in those roles in the church. But we prefer to call each other ‘brother’ or “sister.’”

That settled it for me. A few years later I met Iftakhar, a Pakistani apostle who has oversight of 900 churches. He also has two scars on his arm from gunshots fired by Muslim extremists who have put a price on his head. When I asked him how I should address him, he smiled and said, “Iftakhar.”

If these two giants of the faith—and true apostles—don’t require to be addressed with titles, then Your Worshipful Grand Master Rev. Dr. Bishop Jones (who claims oversight of maybe four churches) shouldn’t wear his ministry role around his neck like a tacky neon name badge.

If people can’t see the anointing on your life through your character, then don’t cheapen the gospel by wearing a title you don’t deserve.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t use reverend, minister or even bishop to identify their roles in the church. But can we please dispense with the  insecurity, and the childish “I’m more important than you” appellations, and get back to the simplicity of the gospel? Let’s get over ourselves!

Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of David, the Prince of Peace and the Apostle of our Confession. Yet when He came into this world He laid aside His heavenly glory and took on the lowly name of Jesus. He wore no fancy robes. He demanded no titles. He did not come to be ministered to, but to minister. If we want to serve Him honorably, we must forsake our need for fame and cast our crowns at His feet.

The creditors committee in the Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy case has filed suit against church insiders, alleging that family members borrowed money from an endowment fund and continued to receive generous salaries and perks even as the church struggled financially.

The lawsuit is the result of a conflict between the committee and church insiders, who include family members of founder Robert H. Schuller. According to a bankruptcy exit plan filed by the committee, insiders will be the last paid after the sale of the church campus.

Insiders such as Schuller; his wife, Arvella; and daughter Carol Schuller Milner and her husband, Timothy, want to be paid at the same time as other creditors. As a result, the committee vowed in August to sue.

The claim, filed late last week, alleges that the ministry borrowed about $10 million from an endowment fund from 2002 to 2009.

The lawsuit also alleges that family members used “control and influence” to enter the church into agreements that benefited the family to the detriment of the creditors. The suit is asking that family members, or insiders, receive payment after every other vendor is paid off when the bankruptcy is settled.

“We think that the allegations of the complaint will ultimately be proven to be untrue,” said Carl Grumer, the lawyer for Schuller, his wife, his daughter Milner and her husband. He said the suit will not affect the anticipated sale of the church.

The lawsuit outlines several agreements between the Schullers and the church. According to the documents, Robert H. Schuller signed a
transition agreement in which he is entitled to a $300,000 annual discretionary fund, plus health insurance and travel staff for the rest of his
life.

The agreement, signed in December 2005, also stipulates that his son, Robert Anthony Schuller, be installed as senior pastor. But when Robert
Anthony stepped down in 2008, he entered into a contract to start a new church. He received $235,000 to finance the ministry and his regular salary for one year. The church also agreed to provide a Mercedes-Benz for the ministry and to fund its initial phases.

The lawsuit also names Fred Southard — the church’s former chief financial officer, who resigned in January after a U.S. trustee questioned a six-figure housing allowance — as well as Schuller family members Jeanne Dunn and her husband, Paul.

The suit alleges that Paul Dunn, the producer of the church’s Christmas and Easter pageants, was paid even though the shows were canceled in 2009 and 2010.

Milner said she always believed there were financial safeguards in place. She said she and her husband were not on the board or in management and were not privy to the church’s finances.

“This isn’t even accurate information,” she said about the lawsuit.

A hearing date has yet to be set in the matter.

Document: Read the full lawsuit

Perry’s “The Response” is over and now some pro-family and evangelical leaders that were involved in this unbiblical rally are trying to convince Christians that those who warned against the event were wrong. If I was wrong then the Bible is wrong and I can promise you the Bible is not wrong!

The New Apostolic Reformation, International House of Prayer, and Word of Faith false teachers were involved in the event and that is what made the entire event unbiblical.(2 Corinthians 6:14, 2 John 9-11). People can claim Jesus was exalted but Jesus is never exalted when people disobey His Word and give credibility to false teachers.

Even if John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, Jimmy DeYoung, Erwin Lutzer, and other great Bible teachers were speaking at The Response, it would have still been an unbiblical event. The reason respected Bible teachers were NOT in attendance is because I believe they understood that uniting with and giving credibility to false teachers is a clear violation of Scripture. Romans 16:17-18: 

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 

I believe many of our pro-family and “evangelical” leaders are indeed simpletons and were deceived by the “smooth words and flattering speech” of the New Apostolic Reformation and Word of Faith leaders.

The little word simple of the Hebrew language is real concrete, not abstract like Greek. Simple comes from a root word that means an open door. And a simple-minded person was somebody whose mind was always open… the simpleton was the person who had not enough discernment or discrimination or knowledge or understanding or wisdom to know what to accept and what to reject. And the Word of God will teach you how to close the door. It will teach you how to be wise. Wise is chakam in Hebrew, it means skilled in all aspects of living. 

On my radio program, I have been pointing out the “Emergence of the New Religious Right”. I call it the “emergence” because many of the Emergent Church ideas have come into the New Religious Right (NRR) and many in the New Religious Right are working openly with members of the Emergent Church, New Apostolic Reformation and Word of Faith movement. . . . . .

I also call this new generation of pro-family leaders the “New Religious Right” because I do not believe that many of the now deceased leaders of the religious right from the 1970s and 1980s would agree with the theological and doctrinal compromise of many of the leaders of today’s “New Religious Right”

In fact, on my radio program on August 3, 2011, Dr. Tommy Ice revealed how the religious right was formed during the presidency of Jimmy Carter with leaders like Jerry Falwell, Adrian Rogers, and Dr. D. James Kennedy. Tommy also revealed that his friend Jerry Falwell preached a sermon one month before his death on the dangers of the Emergent Church. On my radio program, Dr. Ice stated that at the conclusion of Falwell’s sermon he approached Falwell to thank him for his sermon. Dr. Ice reported that Falwell told him, and Mrs. Ice, that he was going to break ties with Pastor Rick Warren as he believed that Warren was embracing many of the ideas of the Emergent Church.

For this and other reasons, I believe that if Dr. D. James Kennedy, Jerry Falwell and Dr. Adrian Rogers were alive today, they would not enter into spiritual enterprises with members of the Emergent Church, the Word of Faith and the New Apostolic Reformation.

Even the secular media is noticing this emergence of the New Religious Right. On July 21, 2011, Business Insider reported

As mainstream evangelical influence wanes, however, the New Apostolic Reformation is gaining broader acceptance among conservative Christians. The Response, whose endorsers also include more mainstream fundamentalists, is evidence of the New Apostles’ emerging influence – and of its leaders growing appetite for political power. Here’s what you need to know about the fastest-growing religious movement you’ve never heard of.

I have many examples of the converging that is occurring between the religious right, the New Apostolic Reformation, the Word of Faith and the Emergent Church leaders that has resulted in the emergence of a New Religious Right. However, for this article, I am going to focus on one example of this convergence.

On the website of Governor Perry’s The Response, one of the honorary chairmen listed was Samuel Rodriquez. According to the website of “Come Let us Reason”, Rodriquez was part of the “Third Way’s” efforts to bring “evangelicals and progressives” together through the drafting of “Come Let us Reason Together: A Fresh Look at Shared Cultural Values Between Evangelicals and Progressives”.

 Where does the idea of “third way” originate? This idea derives from the belief system of philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and finds its contemporary manifestation in the “Third Way” movement of today’s progressives.  In the Third Way, capitalism, socialism, and communism merge to form a misanthropic combination of the three. This blending is now represented in the terms “the New World Order” and “the new enlightenment.”

 I doubt the leadership of the New Religious Right has even heard of the Hegelian Dialectic Process. Do you think they know that as far back as 1953, it was revealed in U.S. Congressional hearings that the socialists had infiltrated the churches and religious organizations in order to transform America from within? This tactic was also expressed by Saul “the red” Alinsky.  . . . . . .

read the full article here.

The term “televangelist” has almost universally negative overtones. Typical responses from people who are asked what they think about televangelists include the following: dishonest, greedy, materialistic, wasteful, and scandalous. The sight of televangelists wearing overly expensive clothing and jewelry, living in ridiculously expensive homes, and driving the most luxurious of cars, has caused many people to turn away from faith in Christ. Even non-Christians can discern that the teachings and lifestyles of most televangelists are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

There is nothing inherently wrong with televangelism. Television, just like any other medium (such as radio or the internet), is simply one way to get the gospel of Jesus Christ out into the world. There are many godly Christian leaders who use television to advance the gospel. Television is not the cause of the problems in televangelism. The problem in televangelism is the unbiblical beliefs of many televangelists. While television itself is not the problem, it does contribute to the problem in that it is far more difficult to discern a wolf in sheep’s clothing on a television screen than it is to discern such an individual through careful, in-person investigation. Television makes it easier for a facade of godliness and life-changing ministry to be presented, when behind the scenes, all that is truly occurring is a fleecing of unsuspecting sheep.

The core cause of many televangelist scandals is the belief commonly known as the health-wealth gospel. Televangelists are the primary propagators of the idea that it is always God’s will for all Christians to be perfectly healthy and financially wealthy. The essential message of the health-wealth gospel is that if you give money, God is obligated to bless you with health and wealth. If you give money, but are not blessed with health and wealth, you either did not give enough money, or do not have enough faith to truly receive the blessing. In this, health-wealth televangelists encourage people to give large sums of money, while preemptively explaining why the people are not blessed with health and wealth as they were promised.

Also known as the “prosperity gospel,” it is decidedly unbiblical. Yes, the Bible encourages believers to give (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6). And yes, the Bible teaches that those who give generously will be blessed by God (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:7). However, the Bible does not teach that we should give SO THAT we will be blessed. The Bible teaches that we should give because we love God and want to thank Him for what He has given us. Our motive for giving should not be so that God will bless us in return. Rather, our motive for giving should be to glorify God and to share the blessings He has given, thereby further expanding His kingdom and promoting the message of the gospel. The message, focus, and motive of the health-wealth televangelists are clearly unbiblical.

While it is always wrong to motivate giving by unbiblical methods, it would at least be somewhat understandable if these televangelists used the money for godly purposes. Sadly, that is most definitely not the case. It is utterly ridiculous to think that it is God’s desire for televangelists to spend the money donated for their ministry on mansions, while there are hundreds of languages into which not even a portion of the Bible has been translated. It is offensive for televangelists to drive cars that, if sold, could feed a starving African village for months. It is abhorrent that televangelists own clothing outfits that cost more than the average family can afford to spend on clothing in an entire year. To those who have been offended by the many televangelist scandals, please understand this – those televangelists do not represent the Christian faith and they are not following either Jesus’ teachings or His example. Televangelist scandals have truly “given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14).

While it is inconceivable that anyone could truly study the Bible and come away with a belief in the health-wealth gospel that many televangelists espouse, it is possible that some televangelists genuinely believe their message is true, biblical, right, and good. However, whether he believes it or whether he is intentionally and knowingly attempting to fleece people, the result is the same: people are deceived, robbed, and hurt.

To those Christians who have been deceived and hurt by televangelist scandals: please do not let your experience with televangelists cloud your relationship with Jesus Christ. Study God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and you will see the true message of the gospel. To those non-Christians for whom televangelism is a reason for your rejection of the Christian faith: do not reject faith in Jesus Christ due to the lies, deceptions, ungodly teachings, and unholy lifestyles of the televangelists. Examine God’s Word for yourself, and if you are to reject the true gospel, at least reject it for what it truly is.