(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Fleecing the Flock: Meet Prosperity Gospel's Creflo Dollar, One of the Richest Pastors in America [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-10 Dollar has also published Change Magazine and The Max, and over 30 books and devotionals, such as: Dollar also heads the Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association, Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records. According to The Richest website ( https://www.therichest.com/richest-pastors-in-america/ ), Dollar is worth around $27 million. Over the years, the sexual, often drug-related, and financial scandals of politically powerful conservative evangelical leaders like Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Jim Bakker, Benny Hinn, Jerry Falwell Jr, and many others made for titillating headlines. There is another dedicated group of evangelical hustlers – advocates of what is called the Prosperity Gospel – that have been building fortunes off of the generosity of their megachurch flocks. Meet Creflo Dollar, one of the richest pastors in America. Dollar, who two years ago made headlines by reversing his position on tithing, telling his followers to dump every one of his books, tapes, etc. that refers to tithing — has yet to return any money to his fleeced flock. (More on the tithing controversy below). The Richest website noted that “The church's teachings often focus on prosperity theology, emphasizing that financial blessings are part of God's plan for believers.” “Among the pricey possessions owned by [Dollar]are a 53-acre mansion, a 182.9-acre country residence, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Dollar ‘also owns a $65 million Gulfstream G650, which is the epitome of luxurious private travel.’” In addition to his unseemly accumulation of wealth, Dollar has been the subject of several controversies. In 2015, Dollar came under fire for asking his congregants to donate $300 each so he could get a $65 million jet. In 2009, he was arrested after he “got physical” in an argument with his 15-year-old daughter, authorities said. The charges were later dropped. According to the Celebrity Net Worth website (https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/authors/creflo-dollar-net-worth/) “Dollar is highly controversial for his teachings of prosperity theology, which posits that material wealth and physical wellbeing are determined by God, and as such can be improved via faith and monetary donations. Leaders from several Christian denominations have denounced prosperity theology for being irresponsible, exploitative, and contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Like other pastors who espouse the ideology, Dollar has used his ministerial earnings to fund a lavish lifestyle. In addition to multiple million-dollar homes in Atlanta, New Jersey, and Manhattan, he owns a private jet and two Rolls-Royces. Dollar has also been widely criticized for refusing to disclose his salary or any financial information pertaining to his ministries. Consequently, he received an "F" grade for financial transparency from the evangelical Christian organization Ministry Watch.” The Tithing Controversy In a late June 2022 sermon, Dollar publicly reversed his decades-long position on tithing — the practice of giving 10-percent of one’s income to the church — or what Dollar called “honor giving.” According to Black Enterprise’s Kia Morgan Smith, “Dollar is changing direction, doing a 180 in his trajectory of thought, years after he took fire for asking his parishioners to donate $300 each so he could buy a $65 million Gulfstream G650 jet for doing ministry abroad.” Dollar is now saying “tithing is Old Testament teaching and is no longer pertinent for New Testament believers.” “I would argue that tithing isn’t required or even encouraged for believers in Jesus Christ,” Dollar said in a sermon called “The Great Misunderstanding.” He continued, “I want to start off by saying to you that I’m still growing and that the teachings I’ve shared in times past on the subject of tithing were not correct. And today, I stand in humility to correct some things I have taught for years and believed for years, but could never understand it clearly because I had not been confronted with the Gospel of grace, which has made the difference.” He said, "I won’t apologize ’cause if it wasn’t for me going down that route, I would have never ended up where I am right now. But I will say that I have no shame at all saying to you, throw away every book, every tape and every video I did on the subject of tithing unless it lines up with this.” According to The Roys Report (julieroys.com/…), “David Croteau, dean of Columbia Biblical Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, has written extensively on biblical principles of giving and critiqued teachings on tithing. After listening to portions of Dollar’s sermon, he said he appreciated what he heard as ‘humility’ and ‘careful exegesis,’ which ‘surprised’ Croteau, given the megachurch pastor’s past messages. “’I wish he was a little bit more like Zacchaeus,’ said Croteau, referencing the biblical story of a tax collector who saw the error of his cheating of the poor. The Gospels record how Zacchaeus gave back more than he had stolen from them. “What if (Dollar) had said, ‘Get those books and tapes back to us, and we will refund you the money?’” asked Croteau. ‘Maybe that would have been financially devastating, but it would have been so impressive if he could have done something like that.’” [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/10/2245855/-Fleecing-the-Flock-Meet-Prosperity-Gospel-s-Creflo-Dollar-One-of-the-Richest-Pastors-in-America?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/