The Political Whore

Pastors Randy and Paula White are likely headed for more criticism after they declined to provide financial information about their Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries to a congressman looking into media reports about a handful of mega-churches in the US and the lavish lifestyle their founders enjoy. From the Trib:

A defiant Randy White, however, addressed his congregation at the Thursday night service, indicating he was ready for a fight.

“You hear me, and you hear me well,” he said. “When the enemy wants to attack the church, he attacks the character and the finances. The devil is a liar.”

White told the congregants there have been “no laws broken and no misappropriation of money” regarding his church.

“We walk in integrity. We have checks and balances, checks and balances,” he insisted. Many of his comments were met with applause.

The next step could be congressional subpoenas or an IRS probe, the story predicted. I haven’t read any allegations of wrongdoing about these churches, but it is clear that their pastors are living high on the hog while collecting lots of money from some folks who can’t quite afford the amounts they are contributing. The Whites and some of the other churches preach prosperity theology, that great wealth is a sign of a blessing from God.

Here’s Flashpoint’s Brendan McLaughlin interviewing Paula White about her prosperity gospel.

I’m all for people making money; just not from the poor and troubled who are looking for answers and prosperity of their own.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to parts 1 & 3 of Brendan’s interview with PW. Thanks for David F for sending them along.

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