Evinmeer
August 15th, 2009, 11:05 PM
Believers Invest in the Gospel of Getting Rich (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/us/16gospel.html?_r=1)
FORT WORTH — Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland (http://www.kcm.org/) and their all-star lineup of “prosperity gospel” preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God...
Even in an economic downturn, preachers in the “prosperity gospel” movement are drawing sizable, adoring audiences. Their message — that if you have sufficient faith in God and the Bible (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/b/bible/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) and donate generously, God will multiply your offerings a hundredfold — is reassuring to many in hard times...
The Bielliers were at the convention a few years ago when a supporter made a pitch for people to join an “Elite CX Team” to raise money to buy the ministry a Citation X airplane. (Mr. Copeland is an airplane aficionado who got his start in ministry as a pilot for Oral Roberts.) At that moment, Mrs. Biellier said she heard the voice of the Holy Spirit telling her, “You were born to support this man.” She gave $2,000 for the plane, and recently sent $1,800 for the team’s latest project: buying high-definition television equipment to upgrade the ministry’s international broadcasts. Mrs. Biellier said some friends and relatives would say the preacher just wanted their money. She explained that the Copelands did not need the money for themselves; it is for their ministry. And besides, even “trashy people like Hugh Hefner (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/hugh_hefner/index.html?inline=nyt-per)” have private airplanes. “I remember Copeland had to once fly halfway around the world to talk to one person,” she said. “Because we’re partners with Kenneth Copeland, for every soul that gets saved, we get credit for that in heaven.” ...
“Any time a worried thought about money pops up in your mind,” Mr. Savelle continued, “the next thing you do is sow”: drop money, like seeds, in “good ground” like the preachers’ ministries. “Stop worrying, start sowing,” he added, his voice rising. “That’s God’s stimulus package (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/united_states_economy/economic_stimulus/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) for you.” At that, hundreds streamed down the aisles to the stage, laying envelopes, cash and coins on the carpeted steps.
Although my personal reaction towards this is revulsion, I decided to force myself to step back and take a fair look at it the same way I do for all spiritual beliefs. I asked myself, "How is this any different from spellwork? They have a desire, they are putting energy into achieving it and taking physical steps to make it happen." Granted, it seems like they're going out about it in the most roundabout and counterproductive way possible... but does that invalidate the method?
What are your thoughts on it?
FORT WORTH — Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland (http://www.kcm.org/) and their all-star lineup of “prosperity gospel” preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God...
Even in an economic downturn, preachers in the “prosperity gospel” movement are drawing sizable, adoring audiences. Their message — that if you have sufficient faith in God and the Bible (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/b/bible/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) and donate generously, God will multiply your offerings a hundredfold — is reassuring to many in hard times...
The Bielliers were at the convention a few years ago when a supporter made a pitch for people to join an “Elite CX Team” to raise money to buy the ministry a Citation X airplane. (Mr. Copeland is an airplane aficionado who got his start in ministry as a pilot for Oral Roberts.) At that moment, Mrs. Biellier said she heard the voice of the Holy Spirit telling her, “You were born to support this man.” She gave $2,000 for the plane, and recently sent $1,800 for the team’s latest project: buying high-definition television equipment to upgrade the ministry’s international broadcasts. Mrs. Biellier said some friends and relatives would say the preacher just wanted their money. She explained that the Copelands did not need the money for themselves; it is for their ministry. And besides, even “trashy people like Hugh Hefner (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/hugh_hefner/index.html?inline=nyt-per)” have private airplanes. “I remember Copeland had to once fly halfway around the world to talk to one person,” she said. “Because we’re partners with Kenneth Copeland, for every soul that gets saved, we get credit for that in heaven.” ...
“Any time a worried thought about money pops up in your mind,” Mr. Savelle continued, “the next thing you do is sow”: drop money, like seeds, in “good ground” like the preachers’ ministries. “Stop worrying, start sowing,” he added, his voice rising. “That’s God’s stimulus package (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/united_states_economy/economic_stimulus/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) for you.” At that, hundreds streamed down the aisles to the stage, laying envelopes, cash and coins on the carpeted steps.
Although my personal reaction towards this is revulsion, I decided to force myself to step back and take a fair look at it the same way I do for all spiritual beliefs. I asked myself, "How is this any different from spellwork? They have a desire, they are putting energy into achieving it and taking physical steps to make it happen." Granted, it seems like they're going out about it in the most roundabout and counterproductive way possible... but does that invalidate the method?
What are your thoughts on it?