'Extravagant Lifestyles' of Mega-Pastors to Be Exposed by Richard Dawkins Foundation

I do agree that there should be a watchdog, and there are already many watchdogs out there that have had no deterrent to this issue. I would also hope and Pray that they dig deeper into this, to find out if the 'Extravagant Lifestyles' are paid for by the church, or if they are pay for by tapes,books,DVDs etc. I know a few Pastors that don't even get their salary's from the church anymore, like I said a "few", very few.

Now the Godly will reap the consequences with the ungodly who instigated it.

i would not consider those kinds of preachers to be "godly" if thats what you meant. fact is if christians would investigate this stuff instead of just letting it happpen then the "ungodly" would not have to do there job for them. isnt there sumthing in the good book that says judgement begins in the house of the lord? i think the christian community at large is responsible for allowing this to go on, just like with pedofile priests. physician; heal thyself.

by bearmaster
Granted these pastors need to be exposed. They will be held accountable to God. But does Richard Dawkins have te guts to take on the persecuted church. I would challenge him to go to N. Korea, Eritrea, or Iran and see how true believers live out the reality of Christ.

My guess is he lacks the courage to see how the persecuted live out tbeir faith in Christ as unto death. Far easier to sit behind a keyboard and call Christians fools. But then God can save even athiest. If not these mega church pastors.

Just my thoughts.

Bearmaster.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, we agree on something! Praise the Lord! :)

Granted these pastors need to be exposed. They will be held accountable to God. But does Richard Dawkins have te guts to take on the persecuted church. I would challenge him to go to N. Korea, Eritrea, or Iran and see how true believers live out the reality of Christ.

My guess is he lacks the courage to see how the persecuted live out tbeir faith in Christ as unto death. Far easier to sit behind a keyboard and call Christians fools. But then God can save even athiest. If not these mega church pastors.

Just my thoughts.

Bearmaster.

if u had taken the time to read the article u would see that the people spearheading this investigation readily admit that many religious folks find the lifestyle these preachers are living to be highly offensive. they are not coming after average joe christians, and they said nothing about persecuted christians in north korea. i will say this again: if christians would police themselves and confront and expose people who do what some of these preachers do then there would be no need for nonchristians to do the dirty work. i see this as a positive step to cleaning things up and maybe putting a positive light on christianity. mr bear, why must u always see the negative in everything? i have always been told that it is a joyful thing to be a christian and that christians have joy joy joy joy down in there hearts. is this true?

While the motives of these individuals is skewed by a preordained agenda, I have to say that I would welcome their exposure of such men. If these individuals have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear. If these pastors are living "high on the hog" (to borrow from an old southern idiom), then they might be embarrassed when such a lifestyle is exposed.

Of course, I think that some of them might defend their lifestyles by claiming that they are "workmen worthy of their hire."

yes i understand what u mean now. thank u for clearing that up for me.

Reading some of the comments... my question is do we know who richard dawkins is? Any work coming from him is a dead-work and should be condemned!

pq*

then the question must be asked of you PQ: what are u doing as a christian to expose the evil works of these preachers? if u do nothing then God will use a athiest. why condemn a man for exposing truth? ur statement is nonsensical. God has used nonchristians all through history. if ur doctor diagnosis an illness in u and prescribes a healing method and u feel better, do u condemn him too becuz he is not a christian like u?

there r sum people on this board that are quick to call down the fire on every1. its a good thing jesus was not like sum people here.

Sir, you claim to be a SkepticGuy, so i understand where you are coming from.

These are people who are working day and night to do anything to discredit the Christian faith. Keep your personal opinion, yet i choose to keep mine. And i see this as an attack on the Church of our LORD Jesus Christ.
And for your information, GOD ALMIGHTY does not need a richard dawkins foundation to do anything for Him.

The HOLY SPIRIT is still the Most Important Person on Earth.

pq*

Thanks, PQ for bringing this to our attention.

This is something which has worried me for a long time and has caused a lot of folks to distrust the church. These Balaam preachers hurt the Body of Christ more severely, as they attempt to attack from within.

For example, when my dad was alive, he knew of a man who had a long, successfully lucrative career as an attorney. Yet, my dad continued to get complaints from this attorney's former clients about their cases and settlements coming up fiscally short. Dad stopped referring clients to this attorney and became suspicious of the integrity of his practices.

Well, recently, a couple years after my dad passed away, I came across a report in the State Attorney's Weekly Journal which publicizes attorneys who have been brought before the Bar Association for disciplinary action.

This very same attorney, had a case pending to be disbarred after an investigation launched by written complaint to the Bar by one of his clients. The investigation found that this attorney, over the past 25 years of his practice, has/had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients by transferring money from client escrow accounts into his own personal funds.

Hallelujah, for he was caught! Yet saints, this same crooked attorney almost immediately changed professions and is now the "Pastor" of a small church in a small county in Virginia!!!

Whaa! How in the world? None of his "followers" know about his disbarment for embezzlement, as he is pastoring a church in a very small town, with a high elderly population and low socio-economic status. He resides, however, in Richmond, VA. in a 4,000 sq. foot home, his wife (or the "First Lady", that is) drives a late model Jaguar, he drives a huge SUV, and they've got two children who have just graduated from Ivy League colleges (Harvard and...uh...the one President Obama graduated from).

He is one of those mega preachers in his own mind. Yet, his whole lifestyle up to this point has been funded by two decades of willful robbery and theft from vulnerable clients seeking just restitution for various losses. His clients have lost homes, maxed out retirement funds, and unwittingly paid for many of this attorney's investments, profits and assets over the span of his career.

How many people will now suffer who put faith in this criminal who now disguises himself as a man of God? Unbelievable, saints. Oh, if there were only a way in which more of these Balaam's could be exposed to the populace! They lurk through and damage the faith communities on a local level as much as they do in the "mega churches".

This is why I love SI's support of house church communities. Some communities are so desperate for a local church (such as the one in which this disbarred, thieving attorney pastors), that they will neglect to do the proper vetting of pastoral candidates and like the Israelites hastened Samuel against God's will, end up with a Saul in the pulpit instead of waiting for a David.

House churches allow for a community of faith to grow naturally in close relationship and intimacy so that if it is the Lord's will for the house church to grow beyond the residence, and a local church is planted, then entrusted leaders can be called upon from the very same household of believers whom have developed a history of worship together. Then you won't find these irksome situations whereby, a highly credentialed stranger is hired to pastor a church in a community which he knows nothing about, nor has developed a relationship with, because he and his family reside 50 to 100 miles outside of the community in some leafy lane lap of luxury. Their plan is to use religion to maintain their worldly lifestyle by sucking the local church community dry of all of its resources to secure their own wealth and future.

This happens way too much, saints. It is nauseating. In the case of it being Richard Dawkins who sheds the spotlight on this atrocity, I say, let the enemy expose the enemy. Though the sins of the false mega church wreak far more havoc, confusion, and evil in this world than 100 Richard Dawkins could accomplish.

Love-in-Christ,

KP

Just FYI, for some of the new kids on the block, this 'Extravagant Lifestyle' of "ANY" Pastors did not just fall out of the sky last night. I use to attend a little neighborhood Baptist Church back in the 50's and early 60's, that the Church built the Pastor the only brick home in the neighborhood and he drove the only Cadillac within miles. This has been going on forever, it's just now with the internet it's exposed more, just like everything else.

Sir, you claim to be a SkepticGuy, so i understand where you are coming from.

its just a name i came up with. u need not read too much into it. i am here to observe, learn and experience. i have learned a lot and observed a lot. when possible i like to make people think a little deeper as well as myself. :-)

Matthew 13:24 - Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Matthew 13:25 - But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Matthew 13:26 - But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

Matthew 13:27 - So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

Matthew 13:28 - He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

Matthew 13:29 - But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Matthew 13:30 - Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

KP,

Since you are knowledgeable of this attorney-turned-pastor's criminal background do you not feel an obligation to confront or expose?

It would upset me if I would have personal knowledge of such a crafty person occupying a pulpit somewhere - I would feel compelled to confront someone somewhere.

My opinion.

The religious charlatans are being exposed?

YAY !!!!!!!!!!

I have prayed for this for a long time and prayed that members of the church would wake up to these wolves in sheep's clothing. They are masterful in their deceit. It's way past time for the Body to stop being so naive.

I have often been lamblasted by church members who like to say that I'm being critical and judgmental when I talk of these religious "leaders." But I try to graciously remind them that God REQUIRES....Yes, requires that we have DISCERNMENT. To have discernment is different than being critical. Jesus has told all of us thru Scripture that there would be MANY DECEPTIONS. If we ignore that grave warning, we are ignoring a WORD FROM HEAVEN to our own peril.

I pray that all of them will be exposed for what they are...and that folks who have naively been caught up in these lies will flee the churches/pastors they have supported. God save us from these treacherous and unworthy specimens that think of themselves as leaders.

dottiejean....
The religious charlatans are being exposed?

YAY !!!!!!!!!!

I have prayed for this for a long time and prayed that members of the church would wake up to these wolves in sheep's clothing. They are masterful in their deceit. It's way past time for the Body to stop being so naive.

I would be careful in giving the members of the Church to much credit for exposing them, matter fact, it's probably quite the opposite, but as an optimist myself, I Love your optimism.

Hi MrBillPro....Yeah, you're right....maybe I'm the one being naive...ha...about them being fully exposed.

But(without naming names), I have noticed off and on over the years that some of those vampires have been exposed. I only wish that it could go all the way.

What I mean by that is for their "ministries" to completely fail (go bankrupt), and for a good portion of them to end up in the slammer for many years so that they are unable to start up a new "ministry" once again...like some have done. It seems that most of the time they just get their wrist slapped, pay a fine, and then are back at it again. They are relentless.

Comfort comes in knowing that one day soon they will pay heavily in His all-consuming Presence. BLESS GOD !!!

In our bid to "expose" our Brothers in error, let's ensure its done in Love and not in the spirit of strife. Let's also not be over-zealous and wiser. Than the LOrd Of harvest who preferred to wait till the Harvest to separate the wheat from the tares.

In our bid to "expose" our Brothers in error

televangelists who lie cheat and steal from widows and poor people are your brothers? i wouldnt advertise that around. doesnt the good book speak harshly about liars cheats and theives?

The ungodly may expose motivated by malice as dawkins has. I thought the saints were motivated by love to 'cover a multitude of sins". Jesus warns us to beware of the "false", but I wonder what spirit motivates a true believer to expose rather than cover out of love, humility, and brokenness.

Russ

so let me understand this: christian are to cover up sin? isnt that what the catholic church has done? what is the difference? i do not think that is what the good book meant.

hi, i have to maintain a Godly spirit in my walk to maintain the rest that is in Christ. these men who have kissed Jesusfor 30 pieces of silver and more will one day stand before that same Jesus to answer for their actions. i cannot throw any stones. i have known some of these guys and have rested in the fact that they will have their payday from God.i hate everything about these actions but am restrained.jimp

oops-i accidently hit "submit" twice and was unable to cancel post.

This thead reminds me of a sonnet which I was inspired to write many years ago in a terrible church situation involving dishonesty and corruption in leadership. Even though I had never heard of a true revival at the time, I was led to entitle it "Revival". I could not remember the original last two lines today, so I rewrote them to fit my present burden.

Revival

Help us, O Lord, for anguish grips our souls!
A fearful scene of horror meets our eyes!
Those who profess to be Your own, despise
By works the very Name their creed extols!
The pious garb conceals a cloak of holes.
The lips that pray form, too, the serpent's lies.
Shall falsehood reign while Truth, defeated, dies,
And Vice this whole benighted sphere controls?

Arise, O God-Your saving pow'er display!
Free us, Your people, from sin's cumb'ring chains,
And let Truth's flag be lifted high today
By holy hands, washed clean of earthly stains!
Lord, move our hearts to fast and weep and pray,
Until, within His Church, the Saviour reigns!

David Jantzi

David.....what a wonderful sonnet. TYVM for sharing it with us.

It catches the heart cry of many who long to be done with all the sociopathic treachery that surrounds us in the world of politics and also religion. I have a feeling that God Himself longs to be done with all of it too.

Altho' He lovingly waits for people to repent, the Scriptures also say that He is indignant everyday.

That's why I believe that He will turn up the heat soon in North America....to prove who is righteous and who is not. The "Pretenders" will be exposed and suffer the consequences as He uses any means He wants to bring things out into the light.

"Judgment begins in the household of faith first." It's only fair that way. A good parent will always deal with his own children first.

Thnx again David....Blessings.....