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kenneth copeland

10 Signs of a Prosperity Gospel Scam

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It might be a prosperity scam when. . .

#10 The donation button is bigger than their logo

Being in marketing for a few years has taught me about conversion rates. When you have a website, you identify your #1 objective and make sure that your content and website layout all point to the goal you want your customers to accomplish.

#9 Everything is about sowing seeds

I am not sure what the obsession is with the sowing seed idea, but somehow it seems to be prevalent all throughout the prosperity gospel circles. My guess is that they want you to get your mind off of immediately seeing returns when you give them money. It could take ten or twenty years to see that acorn turn into a magnificent oak tree. So a seed now, but don’t expect anything immediately in return.

#8 You have to pay for their paraphernalia to learn the “simple” steps to prosperity

All the books, pamphlets, audio, videos, workbooks, trinkets, seminars, and classes just to explain the “simple” steps to prosperity? Yikes! All of that helps the preacher be prosperous. Whatever happened to hard work, good ideas, and investments to build prosperity?

#7 The website is colored green and gold

It’s so cliché, but it’s true. The prosperity gospel’s top color choices are green and gold. It’s one of the most hideous color combinations on the planet too.

#6 Receiving God’s blessings sounds like a sales pitch

If they are coming at you like an aggressive car salesman to convince you that God wants to bless you, then it’s time to reconsider sticking around any longer. God doesn’t need your monetary sacrifice to bless you financially. A farmer works hard in the field to grow crops. The hard work pays off and that’s where the blessing comes from. The amount of seed the farmer plants and the costs for the seed are minuscule to the amount of harvest that comes from it. Giving shouldn’t be painful, it should be cheerful.

#5 They display people showing off their bling

If you feel that you are on a casino or gambling site, but it turns out it’s supposed to be about the gospel, then you’ve found yourself a prosperity gospel scam. Playing the lottery doesn’t make you rich. The gospel isn’t associated with FanDuel. Feeding the flesh is not at all what we should be looking forward to.

#4 The usual prosperity preachers are on there

Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch (both), Janice Crouch, Creflo Dollar, Rod Parsley, Freddie Prince, Joel Osteen, Mike Murdock. . . and the list goes on. I get it – I don’t think preachers should promote poverty or living your worst life. Both sides of the poverty vs riches argument are wrong. Saying you should be somewhere in the middle is wrong. How you live your life and how God blesses you for it is not our focus. We are not in a contest about how much we gain or how much we give away. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s not about glorifying and enriching our lives. The more I focused on myself, the more I felt secluded in life.

#3 They say the Bible contains the secrets to wealth

It’s not a secret, is it? Work hard, build good relationships, and make good decisions. What’s so secret? Many religions and cultures use idols and icons in their homes as a charm to bring good fortune. The gospel is different. There is no lucky charm, prayer, or buried secret that will turn poverty into riches. God is not a slot machine or genie waiting for you to rub him the right way so he can grant your three wishes.

#2 They sound like a QVC commercial or liquidation event

If they need your money now, or if they sound urgent for you to buy their latest trinket, then it’s a scam. When I lived in Pensacola Florida, for six years the same furniture company stood out on the corner of a busy street holding a sign that said, “Going out of business/liquidation event.” For six years this went on. That was 17 years ago and I wouldn’t doubt they’re standing there right now.

#1 Prosperity preachers talk about money and happiness more than the gospel

The two words – prosperity and gospel should not be in the same sentence. It’s a prosperity message. The gospel is something else entirely different. Content entirely about your lifestyle, parenting, work, relationships, finances, etc. may have its place in our lives. We need wisdom, encouragement, hope, and inspiration in all areas of our lives. When God’s people come together to do what God purposed – to worship him; but instead find themselves focusing on worshipping the needs of our own lives, I see a problem.

HBO Speaks the Truth About Televangelists

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There’s more truth in this video on HBO by a comedian about the sad state of the Church than i’ve seen come from a pulpit. You may not like the vulgarity in some parts, be warned. The truth hurts sometimes, and it offends you, then go back to Sunday School flannel board teaching for 3 year olds

There are 15 truths that were spoken by the HBO comedian that i extracted. I have paraphrased them below. I have written some notes right under some of the truths.

Truth #1: You don’t get to spout out a bunch of jibberish and then say you’re not making this up

Sam ba daka doosh finne bla bla bla tonge jibberish is so detrimental to the validity of the message of the Gospel that it’s become the butt of jokes to believers and non-believers alike. Most of these televangelists speak in tongues on public and international airwaves not becaus there’s something so important to say that they can’t find the words to say it. They speak in this babel because every word and deed they do is solely for the purpose of duping ignorant people.

Truth #2: Saying, ‘You cannot stop me” is not a reason to ask for a 65 million dollar jet

Even non-believers can see how selfish these televangelists are.

Truth #3: After they purchase their private jets, they aren’t even humble about it

Let’s just say that God told these televangelists to buy the jet, did he also tell them to brag about it, and be haughty and boastful?

Truth #4: You’d be better off burying your money in the ground than investing in the televangelists.

Truth #5: The target of these preachers are vulnerable people

If an HBO comedian can see this, then why don’t we?

Truth #6: Seed faith is the most disgusting seed-based concept

Wow! Just wow! This is a non-believer portraying his disgust for individuals that claim to be in our circle. As believers, we whine and complain how peaceful Muslims don’t call out those who use their religion to terrorize, and yet here are we, sitting on our flippin hands.

Truth #7: Almost anything thought or belief can be considered a religion

So sad that just because there’s a steeple, a pulpit, and a pastor, that thieves can stand on stage and use the bible to require donations just because of their existence.

Truth #8: Why is the copeland’s 6 million home considered a parsonage and is tax exempt?

Truth #9: the odds of a church being audited are the same as gloria copeland curing your cancer

Truth #10: When you are able to operate with so little oversight, it is amazing at what you can get away with.

Forget oversignt. When these scam artists can operate without the church chasing them down and burning all their belongings in an exorcism is amazing to me.

Truth #11: The Televangelists run a complex scam

In the video you will see how the comedian had letters sent back and forth to a televangelist. You will see how organized and planned out their little scheme is.

Truth #12: This is all hilarious until you image someone who cannot afford to be swindled into giving their money

Nuff said.

Truth #13: the false preachers are sending a message to setup a church in order to test the legal and financial limits of what religious entities ought to do.

Truth # 14: We’re not interested in your seed, we’re interested in your money

Nuff said.

Truth #15: Amazingly, this is all legal

The shocker isn’t that it is legal, but that it should be illegal and yet churches, who represent God, are actually practicing it.

Prosperity Gospel on Skid Row

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An article from Christianity Today shows the recent developments of the false prosperity gospel teachers. Click on the link to read the whole article.

• In Fort Worth, Texas, a review board ruled December 7 that Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ $3.6 million jet did not have tax-exempt status. The ruling came after the ministry, whose 1,500-acre campus includes a $6 million church-owned lakefront mansion, refused to release the salaries of Copeland, his wife, and others.

• In suburban Atlanta, Georgia, a sheriff’s deputy served an eviction notice November 14 at Bishop Thomas Weeks III’s Global Destiny Church. Court documents indicate the bishop, the ex-husband of televangelist Juanita Bynum, owed half a million dollars in back rent. The church has lost roughly half of its 3,400 members since Weeks and Bynum’s 2007 fight in a hotel parking lot, in which Weeks was accused of pushing, choking, and beating his then-wife.

• In Tampa, Florida, Without Walls International Church—which once attracted 23,000 worshipers—has shrunk drastically after co-pastors Randy and Paula White announced in 2007 they were divorcing. The church faces an uncertain future after the Evangelical Christian Credit Union began foreclosure proceedings November 4 and demanded repayment of a $12 million loan on the church’s property.

• In suburban Minneapolis on November 18, Living Word Christian Center pastor Mac Hammond won the first stage of a court battle with the Internal Revenue Service to keep his salary private. Yet in 2008, he was forced to put his private jet up for sale and cut Living Word’s hour-long television show in half to save money amid falling contributions.

Meanwhile, Copeland and the Whites are among six televangelists whose large organizations have been targeted in a Senate Finance Committee investigation into allegations of questionable spending and lax financial accountability. All six preach some form of the prosperity gospel.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/february/2.12.html

What else can I add that I haven’t said already?

List of Pastors That Use or Own Private Jets & Mansions

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Here are the pastors and televangelists that own or use Private Jets that are supposedly owned by their ministry

Name of a person who had no place to lay his head.

  • Jesus Christ (Matthew 8:20)

Copeland Ministries’ CEO Responds To Investigation

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This article was introduced to me in a tithing discussion group. You can read about the article here. Of course, most of you have heard about the senate investigations into the TBN preachers. CBS News in Dallas states, “the first time, officials with Kenneth Copeland Ministries are talking publicly about an investigation into the church’s spending habits.”

hmmm, this ought to be interesting, listen to what John Copeland, Kenneth Copeland’s son and Chief Executive Officer of Kenneth Copeland Ministries said, “Where in the Bible does it say you should have watch dogs and judgment groups that watch over ministries?” Ooooh! if only I could have been there to respond. I would have said, “where in the bible does it say that you need millions of dollars to fund an empire?” The only thing the bible talks about in the New Testament is helping the poor, distributing to all and paying for the needs of ministers. Sorry people, John Copeland is an idiot. There. I said it. He’s an idiot!

Copeland jr. said: “How can you reach the world if you don’t have money to do it?”

My Response: Listen dude. I understand the importance of money, but I do believe that all it takes are willing lives who are ready to sacrifice themselves, not their money. There is so much more that this guy says. He should keep his mouth shut. Let’s go on. . .

Copeland Jr: “A lot of people may see that[private Copeland jet] as a luxurious lifestyle, but when you hit 19 countries in 12 months, what are you going do that with? A jet is a tool. It’s just a tool to use in ministry.”

My response: Sure it’s a tool for you, but it’s not a tool for the poor. Besides that, I agree that’s pretty much all your doing is hitting other countries up for their wealth as well.

Copeland Jr: “There’s a lot of doctrine that teaches that you’re not a good Christian unless you’re poor,” Copeland said. “But, that’s not our doctrine, that’s not what we believe.”

My Response: HUH? what doctrine are you talking about? I’ve never ever heard of that. I don’t know about you but monks are non-existent in this era.

Copeland Jr – in response to why his parents preach theprosperity gospel and live in a mansion: “It would be kind of silly for that to be your doctrine, but then put your pastor in a 2,000 square foot house,”

My Response: That’s right, I forgot, the greek word for manger actually means a mansion. For all the talk Jesus had about heaven and the kingdom, he sure lived it here on the temporary earth. would you consider Jesus poor?

It’s a bad idea for Jr. to open his mouth in public. If you think the Copeland’s are God’s children, then I’m sorry, I think they are pharisees, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are vipers.

A Comment on Prosperity Preachers

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I had received this comment below on one of our articles. I was debating in my mind whether or not to approve the comment in that post, because it looked like someone just spamming for attention to their site. But then I read the material in the links provided and i thought it was all very interesting and informative in the least. I want to hear your thoughts and intuition on the information below. Here’s the comment:

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Kenneth Copeland put on an excellent performance at his latest ministers conference held on January 22, 2008 visible here, which has now gotten the attention of people all across the USA, and abroad. The message he was unmistakably sending, came across loud and clear on every subject he was addressing. From voicing his personal feelings about the senate investigation to a multitude of other issues facing KCM. Surprisingly, Kenneth does admit to some element of truth in the letter KCM received from the Senate, but did not go into any detailed explanations. Also in his defense, he makes the accusation that the truth is being twisted a bit. An old saying comes to mind, what comes around goes around. Years of promoting the promises of prosperity, physical healing, and last but not least the twisting of biblical scripture for personal gain has returned to KCM full circle.

“I had a home“, “I had a life“, “I had faith“, “I had a family“, “I lost a loved one“, these are merely a handful of endless testimonies coming to light nationwide. Ranging from all walks of life, their heartbreaking testimonies can be found throughout the web, yet inconceivably, victims are being labeled as fools, ignorant, and basically downright blind for not seeing the truth behind the Prosperity Gospels’ falsehoods. Being only human, our quest for health and wealth regrettably does lead some in the wrong direction. Promises and guarantees, made by the Prosperity Gospel ministers, give people that have not obtained these blessings on their own, a second chance at achieving their goals in life. An important discovery I made while reviewing testimonies, revealed the fact numerous victims had very little knowledge of the Prosperity Gospels’ dark side. These unfortunate victims, appear to be equipped with only a small portion of the web of deceit these ministers weave. For example, picture yourself being raised in a small country town, with a population of only a few hundred, the closest city, only a population of only a few thousand.

Computers, internet, cable, satellite TV, and other high-tech gadgets are not needed or desired. This was my life, before KCM.
Prosperity Gospel ministers enter the homes of many victims through a thirty-minute Sunday morning worship service on a local broadcast station. Myself, growing up in Jigger La., truly located in the middle of nowhere, I can testify to the fact that we only received on a clear day about three or four channels at most. Therefore warnings of the numerous dangers, and intentional deceit, associated with Prosperity Gospel ministries, being made by critics, ministers, and victims went unheard by many. The irony of this is the many warning labels we all encounter every day. From cleaning supplies to over-the-counter medications, labels posted on various products warn us of the dangers associated with that particular product. Regrettably, Prosperity Gospel does not offer this, but it should! Families have lost their homes, life savings, and some even their lives to the Prosperity Gospel.

Unfortunately, my mother was not one of the lucky ones, her confidence, and faith in this false Gospel, ultimately cost her, her life. After more than a decade of programming her mind to believe and think the Prosperity Gospel way of life, she lost her battle with cancer. By refusing medical attention, she sealed her fate, but the programming she had acquired from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland proved strong all the way to her last breath. A diary she left behind revealed the horrific tale of her life from 1992-2002, the top of each page titled with Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, or BVOV. Some mistakes in life we can not undo, and good intentions don’t always go as planned, these victims are simply following misleading promises of health and wealth. Their use of miraculous healing confessions, and newly found wealth testimonies, are their sales pitch, my mother among others, are proof that their sale pitch does work. The possibility of certain Mega churches misusing contributors’ finances for their own personal luxuries is ultimately what brought this scam to the public attention, not the loss of life, the financially bankrupt, nor the numerous homeless victims that have been left in the wake of this devastating hoax.

Knowledge is the only discovery I found to be effective in this seemingly endless battle. Sadly for some, our efforts will go unheard. As for my family, once again I am addressing another envelope to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, asking once again for a summary of my mother’s (Bonnie Parker) contributions to KCM, and since they have bankrupted our family also due to the numerous expenses we encountered before and after mom’s death, and once more, ask them to purchase a headstone for mom. I believe they at least owe her that much.

– The family of Bonnie Parker

Book recently published by Sara Posner, also looks into these subjects,
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Profits-Republican-Crusade-Values/dp/0979482216