The Hot Story: Without Walls declines to provide financials to Congress
December 7, 2007 at 10:53 am by Wayne GarciaPastors 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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December 7th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Let’s just call it like it is: They’re scumbags. The Whites take advantage of the downtrodden and live a life of excess on the backs of the poor. If that’s not a scumbag, I don’t know what is.
One more time: In my humble opinion, Without Walls church is run by scumbags. If you go to Without Walls church, you are a scumbag-enabler. Please stop it!
(PS: I had some business dealings with Without Walls in a previous job and am confident in my assessment of their organization.)
December 7th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I’m not the poster child for religion, that’s for sure. But what I consider my blessing from God have no monetary value.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I think what Randy was trying to say was:
We take checks and have large bank account balances!! We take checks and have large bank account balances!!
While I completely despise those such as the Whites who prey upon the weakest of us, the “victims” weren’t defrauded per se. These flocks often enthusiastically support the lavish lifestyles of their shepherds…mama always said stupid is as stupid does.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Wait a minute, I’m confused. Randy White sez the IRS and Congress are “the devil.” That’s what Bobby “The Waterboy” Boucher’s momma said about Vicki Valencourt. Which one’s right?
December 7th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Mrs. Boucher is correct
December 7th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Fairuza can have my soul any time she wants.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Pardon me while I enjoy some schadenfreude at the Whites’ expense. I grew up Presbyterian (which means that I’m now an agnostic), but I have always respected churches that stick to the job they do best - ministering to their parishioners and taking care of the building - and have never cared what theology they have.
But the “prosperity theology” the Whites (and Creflo Dollar, and Benny Hinn, and Ken Copeland, and that whole crooked crew) preach is something that Jesus would have called in pillars of fire on. It doesn’t really matter if their flock are willing dupes or not, just the same way you can’t excuse lenders who sold those no-equity liar loans and interest-only ARMs to poor people so they could “buy” a house they could never afford to keep. Caveat emptor doesn’t excuse them. And I suspect that if the Bible is correct, the Whites and their “esteemed” company will not need to worry about frostbite for a long, long time.
December 8th, 2007 at 12:16 am
“…We walk in integrity. We have checks and balances, checks and balances…â€
Then open up the books and show us.
They’ve gotten away with this for so long–unchecked–that they view their acquisitions as entitlements.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:03 am
PILF!
December 15th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Paul/Randy White is taking the CHURCH WORLD for a RIDE! Guys listen to me, GOD has NEVER/EVER Called EVERYONE to be RICH! As a matter of fact, some are even called to SUFFER in this life. Sure, our LORD can BLESS a person with a nice Job,House,Car,etc…but the main purpose of us still being here AFTER we are SAVED is to try and get MORE PEOPLE SAVED and NOT to make ourselves RICH off of UNBIBLICAL TEACHINGS/PREACHINGS. You NEVER/EVER hear her preaching/teaching on HELL,JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, SALVATION BY GRACE, REPENTANCE its always PLANTING A SEED TO BE RICH and SHE’S the one whos GETTING RICH! I have RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION toward her and other “SO CALLED PREACHERS” who are really WOLVES IN SHEEPS CLOTHING.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Paula White and her entire sociopath entourage need to be stopped! Americans and American Justice will not tolerate predatorily and fraudulent ministries. As I watched this woman on Flashpoint I was flabbergasted by her apparent severe sociopathic tendencies and amazed that she has had this much success in her con job to so many gullible people. This is materializing into a case of a sugar coated Jim & Tammy Fae Baker all over again. Hell awaits Paula White of using the Lord for personal excess and profit. Lear Jets, Exotic Travel, Buying Class A Real Estate Properties, Huge Entourage is not what genuine ministries should do in the eyes of the Lord. God created Paula White but Paula White is using her God given talents against the Lord, karma will be king! God is karma!
Jeffrey DeArmond
December 31st, 2007 at 10:36 am
WP — jonesing for Fairuza too.
Jerry Fletcher — You win the 2007 Best Four-Letter Blog Comment Award.
January 1st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
TY
January 29th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Who is she going to marry next, her rich and famous single friend, Bishop Noel Jones? He talks about her all the time!!!
February 16th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Wow! Did anyone see “Paula White Today” last week? She interviewed Bishop Noel Jones about one of his books. I thought the interview was very…. insightful.