“What good is it
for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”—Jesus
Acting on complaints
from the public, Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the
Senate Finance Committee, has launched an investigation into alleged
financial wrongdoing involving six high-profile televangelists, all
of whom run “non-profit” organizations. The allegations involve
governing boards that are not independent and which allow exorbitant
salaries, housing allowances and luxuries such as private jets and
Rolls Royces.
Creflo Dollar, pastor
of World Changers Church International, is one of those under
investigation. He has several Rolls Royces, private jets, a
million-dollar home in Atlanta and a $2.5 million Manhattan
apartment.
Best-selling author
and televangelist Joyce Meyer, known for her candid, self-effacing
speaking style, is also under investigation. Her office
headquarters, with its 158,000-square-foot, three-story building and
furniture estimated at $5.7 million, was built for $20 million in
2001. Since 1999, Meyer’s ministry has reported spending at least $4
million on five homes for Meyer and her four children, the largest
of which is Meyer’s 10,000-square-foot Cape Cod style estate that
spreads over three acres and includes a private putting green, a
gazebo, a pool and a pool house. Among the items under Senate
investigation are a $23,000 “commode with marble top,” a $30,000
conference table and an $11,219 French clock, all purchased for
Meyer’s ministry headquarters. Meyer seems unapologetic for her
accumulated wealth. As she blatantly acknowledged: “If you stay in
your faith, you are going to get paid. I am living now in my
reward.”
Although Paul and Jan
Crouch, founders of TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), are not
under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee, they epitomize
what it means to wallow in materialism. With a combined annual
salary of more than $700,000, the Crouches are some of the highest
paid in any of the major religious nonprofit organizations. Since
launching TBN in 1973, this husband and wife team has raised
millions through buoyant telethon fundraising and appearances of
popular personalities such as Creflo Dollar. TBN raises more than
$120 million a year from its viewers and continues to tell these
viewers that they are “robbing God” if they are not giving to the
network. Unfortunately, because many of TBN’s financial statements
have not been made public, it is difficult to ascertain exactly how
its viewers’ donations are being spent.
However, the Crouches
live lavishly and reap the benefits of donations to TBN. The Los
Angeles Times reported that TBN owns 30 homes across the country,
including a couple of mansions in Newport Beach and a Texas ranch
home, which they make available to the Crouches. As Crouch sums up
his philosophy: “If my heart really, honestly desires a nice
Cadillac…would there be something terribly wrong with me saying,
‘Lord, it is the desire of my heart to have a nice car…and I’ll use
it for Your glory?’ I think I could do that and in time, as I walked
in obedience with God, I believe I’d have it.”
This belief that God
blesses people with wealth, which has gained in popularity over the
years, is known as the “prosperity gospel.” The prosperity gospel
emerged in the 1970s in response to dwindling church attendance.
Hoping to appeal to the masses and increase their numbers, many
pastors and influential Christian speakers changed their style of
preaching and broadened their messages. Indeed, attempting to
project a less “established religion” feel, many mega-churches today
mirror the tactics of Wall Street and Madison Avenue and have
adopted a more generic look. Some have even expanded their
facilities to include such general consumer attractions as bowling
alleys, NBA regulation basketball courts, exercise gyms and spas and
even food courts complete with Starbucks and McDonald’s franchises.
Unfortunately, with
its promises of success and materialism, the prosperity gospel tends
to lure Christians away from the real message taught by Jesus—that
is, one that eschews riches and focuses on helping the poor.
Instead, broad, distorted ideas are substituted for a message that
appeals to as many as possible. And many prosperity gospel preachers
eventually find themselves swimming in the so-called “blessings” of
material success, which are derived from their ministry.
Yet materialism,
pleasing the crowds and jet-setting have nothing to do with
Christianity. Jesus was an itinerant preacher who preferred the
company of the lowly and despised the rich and powerful. As a
cabinet-maker’s son, Jesus chose his followers from the lower
classes or from a despised trade (tax collectors). However, Jesus
not only favored the homeless but was himself homeless during his
public life. His entire focus was self-denial and helping the poor.
Indeed, Jesus said that it was the meek and the poor who would be
blessed—but not with material possessions. “Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth,” he admonished.
Jesus also urged his
followers that if they practiced true Christianity, they would
suffer as he did. But as one commentator notes, suffering as a
Christian virtue is not part of the prosperity worldview. “Some call
it Christianity Lite—you get all the benefits, but don’t pay
attention to the fact that Jesus called for suffering.” And you
don’t tackle many of the problems of the world—such as poverty,
suffering and war.
Thus, too often, the
prosperity preachers disregard Jesus’ message in order to present
the illusion that if those listening will send money to them,
they—the poor—can be rich also. This is a lie. In fact, influential
pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren goes so far as to call the
prosperity message “baloney.” As he said, “It’s creating a false
idol. You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can
show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in
poverty. Why isn’t everyone in the church a millionaire?”
Constitutional attorney and
author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford
Institute. He can be contacted at
johnw@rutherford.org.
Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at
www.rutherford.org.
