Televangelist couple at center of debt controversy

[tanyev]

Two of the most prominent faces in American televangelism, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Fort Worth, preach the gospel of financial prosperity.

But News Eight learned some former business associates are wondering why that gospel didn't apply to everyone in the flock.

The people who ran Affordable Homes Limited said it was just about to take off when the Copelands suddenly backed out and left tens of thousands of dollars of debt.

While limited partners like the Copelands have no financial obligation to pay the company's debts, the question being asked by creditors is how do the Copelands later pay $20 million in cash for a jet?
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/investigates/stories/wfaa060502_mo_copelands.3436519.html

Who Would Jesus Screw?

Edit to add pics: I've come across their show before while channel surfing, and his eyes always creep me out.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Lovely. They sound like jerks to me.

[AndyA]

2. Shades of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.

They preach that God wants everyone to live well, but instead of doing all they can to help others, they feel it's appropriate that they live well first. In fact, they live better than well, they live in the lap of luxury. All those millions could have helped a lot of other people, but they need a new jet.

God would want it that way... :eyes:

[Dr.Phool]

12. She kinda looks like Hillary.

[Turbineguy]

3. Gee....

our local televangelist only has a helicopter (which he flies nice and low). Makes for a noisy Sunday morning for all us heretics.

[Maat]

5. You're kiddin', right?

:rofl:

That would seriously tick me off. What is it with these people, and having to have such luxurious transportation? Must be to compensate for something.

[Journeyman]

8. Well, Jesus rode an ass into Jerusalem to deliver his message. . .

Now, for some reason, he feels the need for a slew of them to deliver the Word in this modern age.

[Turbineguy]

29. He runs 2 churches

about 30 miles apart and obviously cannot use a more plebeian mode of transport. His flock must think what he says is worth it.

[Maat]

32. Unbelievable.

:silly:

[rsmith6621]

4. PIGS

"the question being asked by creditors is how do the Copelands later pay $20 million in cash for a jet?"

Question is....how do you share Jesus plan for your life when you a riding on private jets????


The Coplands are elitist so CALLED Christians....

[xchrom]

6. JAY--ZUS wants you to be RICH!

after you send us a regular monthly tithe that we know you can't afford.

[Connie_Corleone]

15. The more you give, the more God will bless you 100 fold!!

Hallelujah!!

[earth mom]

21. You nailed it.

I know this lady whose husband sells RVs-the real expensive kind-who told me that once she and hubby started going back to church and tithing as much money as they could each week, hubby started making more and more money. :eyes:

It was all I could do to NOT to roll my eyes or ask her if the only reason she is a Christian is so that God will bless her and hubby with LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of cash.

No doubt in my mind as to their true motives. :puke:

[Dr. Jones]

25. WOW, excellent question.

It was all I could do to NOT to roll my eyes or ask her if the only reason she is a Christian is so that God will bless her and hubby with LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of cash.

Wow, exactly. Maybe someday you can get up the gumption to ask them! Personally, I'm dyin' to know. Again, a perfect example of not what we can do for God or others, but what we can GET from God and others. Worse, what we DESERVE. Some actually do think this way.

[earth mom]

28. That's exactly why I don't do organized religion.

I am completely turned off by the hypocritical, self centered and phony aspect of it all. Instead, I've found that I'm quite happy being an agnostic with a hint of spirituality thrown in for good measure. O8)

Also-If I get up the nerve to question that lady next time I bump into her, I'll post about it and let you know her response. :)

[Dr. Jones]

24. Here in Dallas we get several Christian oriented programming stations...

and more often than not I see some faker asshole being WAY too agressive for money. "Pick up the phone, pick up the phone, call now, pick up the phone," they keep shouting. And then there's that thing about "sowing your love seed" (no puns now!). Somehow they get out of the Bible that if you give to THEIR specific minstry, or "sow a seed," you will get back that money tenfold. How terribly deceptive! And all to get them richer. Makes me
:puke:

[MissB]

30. No sex threads!

"sowing your love seed"

[Kansas Wyatt]

7. Reminds me of an info-mercial I surfed through one night

Jerry Falwell was pitching a financial retirement / investment package. If you would transfer all of your retirement / money to their fund, the government could not tax any of it at any later time (tax free church status). Fatty Falwell went on to explain how much more money that would give you in your retirement or on your return than anything else out there, and you got to be a member of a Righteous Flock of God.

I didn't listen long, but I remembered thinking, that's how they are able to build Mega Churches, get so many followers, buy politicians, and how Fatty Falwell can live the life of luxury like a high class pimp. It's all a racket to them, and they are pimping for investors to follow their path.

[deutsey]

9. His eyes have always freaked me out...very reptillian

[Missy M]

11. I agree with you...he is very spooky looking.

[orwell]

20. But she's kinds cute...

She could so a lot better than snake (oil) man.

Maybe he gives good plane...

Praise Jaysus!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

33. Yes, the Swamp Rat treatment may not even be necessary here...

[Dr. Jones]

10. It's called Prosperity Theology.

God wants to make you healthy, wealthy, and happy. Famous "smiley" preacher Joel Olsteen also preaches this same message. But actually if you look into the pages of the Bible, the early Christians suffered greatly for their cause - they weren't miraculously made wealthy, nor were they so healthy (they got beaten up alot). Rather their message was one of sacrifice and enduring the hardship that came along with their passionate preaching of the Gospel.

The kind of message these two spew forth every day just feeds the modern-day focus on self: "It's all about ME and what I can get from God" rather than what I can give.

[tanyev]

13. Yes, Jesus was quite clear about his concern for the poor, the sick,

and the downtrodden. He was also very clear about his anger at the hypocrisy of the wealthy and the powerful, including church leaders. I don't know how you can formulate a theology of prosperity unless you are reading a very different version of the Bible than the one I read.

[Dr. Jones]

23. Absolutely!

Great point. By the way, they ARE reading a very different version of the Bible than you may be reading. Many megachurches now prefer the more watered-down Bible version called The Message. It is actually one man's re-interpretation of the Bible but in many circles is referred to the real thing. It is a very positive-oriented version that feeds all this modern-day focus on wealth, success, and self. There are also others almost as bad as this one, including the New Living Translation.

For obvious reasons, today's megapreachers such as Joel Olsteen, Kenneth Copeland, and that other Purpose Driven Life guy (Rick Warren I think) prefer these versions. Who wouldn't want to hear how God wants us all to be wealthy and healthy and successful? Then they put out a few self-focused self-help books and they're millionares!

I think they've got it down to a science now. But it is VERY far from the Gospel in the New Testament.

[Connie_Corleone]

14. They take Jesus' words out of context.

One of these preachers, Creflo Dollar (who was taught the prosperity theology by Kenneth Copeland), always says that Jesus talked more about money than anything else. That's not exactly accurate.

Jesus used money as an example in his parables to teach on spiritual matters. He wasn't trying to teach people how to get rich.

If you're poor and sick, then you don't have enough faith. That's they're message.

[Dr. Jones]

26. ABSOLUTELY!! Nail On Head!

If you're poor and sick, then you don't have enough faith. That's they're message.

People who are sick through no fault of their own must then by default be faithless and hellbound! It's a very heartless theology, and those who are struggling get left in the dust. How awlful!

No, Jesus did NOT talk about money very much at all. From what I gather, he focused on his relationship to mankind, mankind's response, and helping the poor and downtrodden in our society. Surely not some kind of theology whereby we call on God and use Him to make ourselves richer and richer.

[kestrel91316]

16. Pretty much sums up what I HATE about modern "christianity":

"It's all about ME and what I can get from God" rather than what I can give."

IIIIIIIII want to be saved. IIIIII want God's blessings. ME me me me me me me me me...................

[Dr. Jones]

27. TOTALLY EXACTLY RIGHT!! Some smart people in this thread!

Yep, it's a ME culture and the church has become the ME church. Come to think of it that's the heart of unChristianlike behavior - focus on self.

[ComerPerro]

19. You got that right

[earth mom]

22. Good post-I agree!

See my post upthread (21) for an example.

[porphyrian]

17. What televangelist ISN'T a profiteering scam artist?

Why is anyone surprised when they are revealed as such?

[onager]

18. Ditto Paul and Jan Crotch, er I mean "Crouch"

Also Prosperity Theologians, with a humongous tacky church-thing located...aptly enough...right near Orange County's South Coast Plaza. (One of the first mega-shopping malls.)

Near as I can tell, their "theology" teaches Jesus was a sort of CEO who taught prosperity. Unfortunately they don't take the idea to its logical conclusion, otherwise we'd all be nailing Ken Lay to two pieces of wood.

Visitors to the complex, alongside the San Diego Freeway, can attend live studio broadcasts, buy TBN-branded clothing and stroll down a re-creation of Via Dolorosa, the street in Jerusalem where Jesus walked to his crucifixion. In a high-tech 50-seat theater, people watch biblical movies in seats that tremble during the quakes, storms and other disasters recounted in the Scriptures.

Their TV shows are NOT TO BE MISSED, though, and I'm an Angry Whackjob Atheist.

Especially not at Xmas. In my favorite episode, they were hawking various Fundie Xmas crap from one of their on-site stores. Jan looked heavily medicated, slurred her words, and was very slow on the uptake whenver Paul brayed one of his leading questions at her. Paul looked really pissed off. I thought that, any minute, Paul might pick up the Life-Size Baby Jesus In The Manger ($79.95) and whack her on the head.

Not that it would do any damage...

Jan Crouch wears heavy makeup, long false lashes and champagne-colored wigs piled high on her head. She speaks in a sing-song voice and lets tears flow freely, whether reading a viewer's letter or recalling how God resurrected her pet chicken when she was a child.

Given that description of Jan...and believe me, it's over-generous...is it ANY WONDER we also get to marvel at this paragraph:

The network, little known outside fundamentalist Christian circles, was buffeted by unwanted publicity last week, when The Times reported that Crouch had paid a former employee $425,000 to keep silent about an alleged homosexual tryst.

http://www.trinityfi.org/press/latimes04.html

[baby_mouse]

31. He looks like a lizard in a mask. nt