I've made numerous derogatory comments about those television evangelists I like to call prosperity pimps because their primary goal is not to preach the Gospel of Christ but to line their own pockets with the hard-earned money of their followers. For example, I've criticized Joel Osteen quite a bit because he's probably the most famous example of these inspirational speakers disguised as pastors and preachers, but Osteen is hardly the worst example of a greedy entrepreneur posing as a man of God. Robert "Bob" Tilton might take the cake as the sleaziest prosperity pimp of them all with an insatiable greed for your money, but Diane Sawyer of ABC's PrimeTime famously kneecapped him while he was still (allegedly) making more than Madonna and Michael Jackson combined. Mike Murdock Even so, Tilton and Osteen have some stiff competition from the likes of Mike Murdock of Inspiration Ministries. Earlier this morning I watched Mike Murdock attempt some verbal gymnastics that might make Simone Biles jealous. With his first breath, Murdock compared tithing to paying protection money to the Mafia - but why would he do that? Apparently so God doesn't do anything bad to us. We should pay God (or his substitute, Murdock) ten percent so we don't get hurt. But then with his very next breath, Murdock talked about planting a financial seed as an investment so later we can reap the harvest as God magically sends wealth our way. In other words, he whacks you over the head with a stick before offering you the carrot. Defenders of Joel Osteen often like to say that he … [Read more...]
The price of a soul
What is the intrinsic value of a human soul? Perhaps the better question is, what is your own soul worth to you? Do you even believe you have one? Some people (like me, for example) believe that their soul is their most valuable possession and that it is priceless, meaning it is not available for sale, no matter how much wealth is offered in exchange. Notice that I said wealth, not money. I may not be the smartest person on earth but I'm not stupid, either. A lot of people don't grasp the true concept of what money really is -- a colored piece of paper that only has value if everyone else agrees. If you don't believe me, the next time you're going to the grocery store just reach into your Monopoly game and grab a few hundred dollars, and see how much you can buy with it. Hint: you won't leave the store empty handed. The store manager might allow you to leave with the "currency" you brought with you if he/she believed the ruse was just a prank, but you also could also end up sporting a pair of shiny silver bracelets provided by law enforcement and arrested for counterfeiting and fraud if the management has no sense of humor. But one thing is certain--you can't even buy a bottle of water with money printed by Milton Bradley. So what, you say? So history--after World War I in the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation caused the Papiermark to become worthless. People literally needed a wheelbarrow full of useless currency to buy a loaf of bread. The British probably would have won the Revolutionary War if their plot to destroy the value of the Continental dollar hadn't … [Read more...]
