Money Loving Evangelicals

[parkeradison]

We know that McCain is going to be counting on Evangelicals to help finance his campaign, and they obviously have plenty of money to do so. Take a look at this article I copied from a website.

Lifestyles Of The Rich And “Religious”
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
I think I’m going to have to do a weekly Evangelical, mega church, prosperity preaching feature. It just gets more and more outrageous in Evangelical, “mega church land”. The Wittenburg Door publication interviewed Pastor Erfolg Reussi of the Grande Church in Atlanta, Ga. regarding the “ultra mega church” that they’ve built. Their facility is a stadium-style worship center that seats 35,000.

Size is not the only thing that distinguishes Grande Church. Included in their elaborate and luxurious facility are “luxury sky-boxes”. You know, the kind that sports stadiums offer with all the “bells and whistles”. Of course, these luxury boxes are not accessible or available for the common, “run of the mill” person. That’s right, discrimination is alive and well at Grande Church. In fact, in the interview, Pastor Reussi actually referred to the people who have the honor of occupying these luxury boxes, as being “discriminating people”. I’m sure he didn’t mean for his statement to sound the way it did, but it was, in fact, a statement of truth.

Owners of these luxury boxes are escorted in and out of the worship services through a private passageway to a secure parking garage. Their boxes have reflective glass so they can have the best seats in the house watching the services, but the ordinary, “common folk” can not see into their private and luxurious lairs. After all, why should these “valuable worshippers” get soiled by mingling with the poor? When communion is served it is brought to their private boxes, and these honored worshippers can even bring their own “special wine” if they wish. Some of these boxes have even been soundproofed so they don’t have to listen to the singing of the “blue collar” crowd below. In fact, they are offered their own semi-professional, three or four person praise team to sing with them in each of their own private boxes.

What’s inside these luxury boxes for the “rich and religious”? Each one is a private room with plush, comfortable seating, separate climate control, refrigerator, sink, microwave, one or more large-screen TVs and a private bathroom. Who gets to occupy these special suites? Pastor Reussi says that they are to thank and honor those who have made their grand mega church possible.

When asked how much it costs for someone to get a luxury box, Pastor Reussi said it is not determined by cost, but is a “thank you gift” for extremely generous givers. When asked how large of a donation it would take to qualify for this “thank you gift”, he said that if a person has to ask, then the regular seating area would be better for them.

Wow! Are you thinking what I’m thinking? What hypocrisy, selfishness and greed in the name of religion. This is not what Jesus would do. Obviously Grande Church is ignorant of , or does not care, what the Bible says about not showing favoritism or partiality; moreover, that it states in the book of James that favoring the rich over the poor is sin. I suggest, as is pictured in The Wittenburg Door’s article, that Pastor Reussi”s church take down the “cross” from their church and replace it with a dollar sign.

There's also a new article just posted on this website yesterday about the biggest mega church in America, as well as others in the "pseudo Christianity" archives that will blow your mind. The website is: http://www.rightwingexposed.com

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. There is no god but Mammon, and the Dollar is His Profit.

That seems to be the Talibangelicals' creed.

[KharmaTrain]

2. Gramps Will Shake Every Tree...

He's gonna need $250 million for the general election and its gotta come from somewhere, and Gramps doesn't care. He's already wheeling and dealing for dollars. It's why he won't denounce Hagee and I suspect Gramps will be going for that cross of gold often. Megachurches are like hitting the jackpot...or at least they were. You get the preacher to rain some fire and brimstone...put your campaign people in the parking lots and grab the cash on their way out.

It'll be interesting to see how megachurches survive the current economy. Many of these places are in areas where For Sale and foreclosures abound, money is now going to gas and groceries that went into the collection basket and people's faith turns to survival rather than prosperity.

[skater314159]

4. One Theologian I know says they are already on their way out...

... and that the economy going into the toilet will only make it harder for them to preach their "prosperity gospel".

There is a reason they work so hard to get publicity - ANY and ALL publicity they can - because the minute they can't have thousands of people coming, their gravey-train is over.

Another thing these cheesy prosperity gospel "churches" don't have is true community outreach - other than trying to get more people in the doors; regular churches and synagogues have food pantries and help the poor by paying electricity bills or whatever to help people out. I think the current economy will push people to go to smaller, more loving communities of faith where they can grow spiritually while helping out one another.

[KharmaTrain]

7. I'm Seeing Ripples In Other Areas

Recently, Salem, a very right wing, booosh ranger, McCain/Iseman sucking company sold their radio stations in Milwaukee. This was the first time this company had ever bailed on a market and a sign that things aren't too well in the "prosperity" world...the dollar-a-hollar preachers weren't buying and the bookstores weren't either. Another religious station had their tower blown down and it's been nearly four months and they still haven't returned to the air. Word has it, they are still trying to raise the money to get a temporary signal on the air.

Yes, it's a volume business and in size the little guy is always just a number. But it's not always the case. I live near one of the biggest megachurches in the country...Willow Creek. It started in a little movie theater and now has a huge campus with two massive auditoriums...the average weekly attendance is in excess of 10,000. This church still maintains a very local feel and does a lot of outreach you speak of...sponsoring homeless, food pantries, in-bound assistance for the elderly...our small synagogue has worked with them on many occasions.

[skater314159]

3. They reaaaallllly need to read some Liberation Theology...

... oh wait! That's right, that stuff is only for "librul", "commie", "Marxist", "anti-capitalist", "feminista", "whining minorities". (I had someone who pastored a large Mega-Church in another city tell me that when I confronted him on the message in the Gospel that we should not chase after riches and share with one another.

Mega-churches make me wanna puke... and they make me wonder if these people's Bibles even have Matt 6:1-34 or 25:31-46 in them. Damned prosperity preaching goats; they DO need a dollar sign instead of a crucifix or cross.

[mntleo2]

8. A-Men Skater!

...as someone who was so taken by Liberation Theology I agree. Unfortunately you know what happened to such Christians who tried to live that theology in South America, from Archbishop Romero to nuns to priests, to engineers and ministers of all religious persuasions who watched what was happening in Witness for Peace. Our governemnt killed them. And worse, the same killers who did that are in power today in Bush's regime. Negroponte, Cheney, Rumsfieled, the whole gang, right there doing it again...

God forbid if you actually live Christian principals or these so-called "Christians" will have your head!

My (disgusted) 2 cents

Cat In Seattle

[mntleo2]

5. These Wingnuts Make Me So Disgusted

...as a Christian I just do not get how these greedheads do not get, "It is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel through can enter through the eye of a needle ..." Seems pretty plain to me. Jesus said this and it was not the first time he said to give up wealth.

I heard a tortured "take" on the camel statement by Jesus one time where, see, we just did not get The Rest Of The Story. Uh-uh, see we are just not looking hard enough at that statement. There is a gate in Old Jerusalem called "The Eye Of The Needle." And see, it is a very low door. See, in order for a camel to pass through it, it would have to get on its knees in order to pass through that particular gate. In other words the sermon tried to point out, see, if you stay on your knees in prayer, then this is what Jesus was talking about, it was not all all about wealth ...

Uhhh religious greedheads who pretend you love Jesus so much. I have another story for you that was told right before the camel statement Jesus made.

The story of the rich man who asked Jesus what else he could do as he obeyed all the commandments, he prayed, he gave to the poor, he lived righteously, he was a good man. Jesus looked him straight in the eye and said, "You have one more thing you could do. Give everything you have away to the poor and come and follow Me ..." The man walked away in tears because he was rich and refused to give all that up. (Matthew 19:16-24).

The point is these elitist snobs are no different than the over privileged Pharisees and that rich man of Jesus time. They are just as blind, just as snobbish, just as hypocritical. If they really loved Jesus so much, they would give all they have away and live in a way where they only have what they need and nothing more. Period. End of story.

In other words from what I hear in the words that Jesus said, no one can really call themselves a true Christian unless they are poor in relation to their society's economy.


Cat In Seattle

[nickyt]

6. More on "Wittenburg Door":

Wittenburg Door
Online version of Christian satire magazine. Selected articles from current and previous issues.
www.wittenburgdoor.com/ - 68k - Cached - Similar pages

Satire, apparently, but who can freakin' tell anymore?!