You have to admire these guys. They are, if nothing else, creative in the things they do to encourage us to give them our money. I’m on the mailing list for two pimps; one is an up and coming pimp (also know as a pimplet, or just pimple for short) and the other is one of the official Big Dogs of the Pimp Cup Circuit.
As you may or may not know, for about a year I was going into an office to work three days a week. The rest of the time was spent (ostensibly) getting a copywriting business up and running. But never mind about that. The point is I would have the opportunity to watch a little more television than I would normally have if I were gone five days a week and not getting home until 6 or later in the evening.
I got to see more of I. V. Hilliard than I have ever wanted to see. I even got to watch him tell us about the special programs he’s running to bless our lives. Apparently, in a sovereign act, God moved me to call up the number on the screen and ask for my package.
About that same time, I ran across Samuel Onuoha, some guy out of Nigeria from the sound of his last name. I guess we’re just trying to make sure we have a balanced Pimp exchange between the two countries. We send them the Right Reverend Jamal-Harrison Bryant to consume their country and they send us trinket masters and witch doctors to consume portions of ours. Again God moved me to dial the number and leave my address and other essentials.
You’ve seen I. V.’s church on TV. It’s impressive. Carpeted, pictures of them all over the place. He wears nice suits (okay , they’re expensive suits that you’d never catch me wearing) and has a HUGE crowd hanging on his every word.
Your boy Samuel? His church doesn’t look that impressive. In fact, I believe the space in back of him is even lacking room for a choir. He just has a show on The Word Network (TWN). And of course you know TWN is not as expensive or as widely seen as TBN (Terrible Bad and Noxious) and I imagine the cost to broadcast through TWN is a little less than TBN. I. V. broadcasts on TBN AND TWN.
But I’ve said all of this to point out that even though these men are at different levels in the Pimp game, they use the exact same tactics. Take a look at the letter Sammy sent me in response to my call. Click on the thumbnail.
He fills in my name all through the letter. If I were an idiot, I might even think that the letter was written to directly to me. He explains that I am in a hard place , frustrated, strapped for resources, and just not doing too well. He offers me a way to make my life better.
All I have to do is light the white candle, say the prayer he supplied, put the candle out and send it in with the form he sent me. He will then pray over the candle and light it using the big candle that contains his anointing for us. Once he does that, Gaaawwd can work His will in my life and can bless me with all the material stuff I have been wanting for a while. Oh, and to prove your faith, you have to plant a seed of faith into his ministry. The bigger the seed, the better God can see your faith.
Now, let’s compare him to Mr. Hilliard, the Pimp of the Houston Beltway.
Mr. Hilliard didn’t send me a candle. He sent me a square of gold cloth.
And his letter fills in my name throughout. He goes on to tell me that if I write on the gold cloth and fill in the “Send Me Money” form then God will be able to do wondrous things in my life. Oh, and be sure to send in a seed offering to demonstrate your faith in God. The bigger the offering, the more certain it is that you are offering in faith. And if you don’t have the money right now, you can use your credit card.
So I guess the major difference between Sammy and I.V. is the fact that I.V. can take a credit card number to make sure you give. Poor old Sammy O. has to try to talk you into really giving your last dollar.
Oh, and there was one other difference between the two. Check the spelling on the two letters. I.V. actually has a mistake in his. He says go to “…a quite place,” rather than a “quiet place” in the fourth line of the third paragraph. [Sorry folks, I left my address on the letter. Once I kill it, I’ll put it back up.] You’d think I.V. for all the money he rakes in, would be able to afford and editor who can catch a mistake like that. I mean, for goodness sake, my spelling is sometimes atroshus atrosius atrocious, and I spotted it without even looking for it.
These people are pimps, liars, and deceivers. They would have you to think that they have some special relationship with the God of the universe. They would have you believe that if you go through them, you can get goodies from God, or at least get God to act and make your life a little easier. All they are really doing is making a bad situation worse.
You need a “financial break through”? Give them some money and screw up an already hosed budget even worse.
Are you sick? Give these clowns some money and you can have your faith wrecked when nothing happens.
Are you in a bad marriage? Or your children behaving like a bunch of morons? Give these clods some money. Nothing will improve with your children, and your marriage won’t get any better, but I.V. will be able to buy that new car he always wanted. Unfortunately, things will simply continue to wind down for you because you never bothered to study the Bible and ask God for wisdom in applying it in your life.
Instead, when the site’s readers point out the scams going on here, you complain about me putting my mouth on God’s anointed. The pimps continue to take your money, treat you like fools, and look you in the face as they lie to you.
They are worse than the secular con artist. The con artist is at least honest with himself and, if caught, with his accusers. The pimps lie, consistently and aggressively. They don’t care about you. They only care about their own bellies.
Yes it’s hard work, but that is one of the reasons God tells us to work out our own salvation (Phil 2:12) rather than sitting back and waiting for some Mand of Gawd to twist God’s arm for us.
It’s also why most of us never mature as Christians since we don’t want to go through various and sundried trials. Give some money to IV and have him pray for me and God will make every thing okay. But the Bible says that we are to use the trials as a way of maturing (James 1:2-4).
Which are you going to believe , the two pimps or God?
My wife receives a package from Breakthrough, Pastor Rod Parsley’s church every month asking for money. I never bother to open them.
(MN: You should. They provide great insight into how the pimps think and what they think about you. )
I am on Johh MacArthur’s mailing list. I get a letter from him about every month. In my view, his ministry is one that does the mailing correspondence the way it should be done. There are no gimmicks or false promises. His letters usually address a very important issue regarding the church at large or some aspect about our walk as Christians. He usually offers a bible-based sermon or series and sometimes a booklet. It is usually free and there is no gimmick to get you to give, implicit or explicit. You have an option to give as you are led. The wonderful thing about it is you know you will be getting something that will enrich your life and is Scripturally sound. I don’t mind giving under those circumstances. Other “ministries” should follow this example.
The same for Chip Ingram. On occasion I’ve sent his ministry money and have gotten some very useful material to use for spiritual growth. No offerings of holy water, anointed olive oil, anointed cloth or any other man made item that suppose to have the power of the Lord. Just good resource material to use.
Both MacArthur and Ingram are and have been men of integrity, with ministries that have upheld the truth of God for many years. Also Alister Begg of Parkside church in Ohio is in the same ranks. Thank God there are still men like this.
DTG and MSAMU……..the thread was closed where we were discussing Elders, so I decided to close it out for me here. I know we disagree, but it’s cool that we don’t have to be disagreeable. The 4 of us (you know who number 4 is
) would have a blast arguing over the Bible together!! The neighbors would HATE us 
!!
Love and blessings to all!!
(MN: As the Benevolent Dictator, I excercise my right to play favorites. GaryV, consider yourself played. )
love and blessings Gary v
Backatcha buddy!! We street ministers gotta hang together
Who’s # 4?
Thank you Melvin!!
Melvin, I found the Gold Prayer Cloth particularly helpful. I believe it was sent by God Himself, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.
I was reading I.V’s letter in the bathroom when I noticed I was out of toilet paper………that Gold Prayer Cloth was TRULY an answer to prayer.
TMI, Brah, TMI (i.e. “TOO MUCH INFORMATION”, lol)
God always covers your assets
Wow! did Gary V go there?
I went there………..
I’ll admit Gary V. His doctrine does stink from the toilet to the sewer with the rats.
LOL LMBO TO FUNNY !!!
Another case of the wealth of the wicked (in this case GOLD) laid up for the benefit of the righteous. Let’s order more, it probably works better than Charmin
.
Melvin i’ve never heard of Hilliard sending prayer cloths so did the gold sheet come with something else or are you saying he sent you a prayer cloth? If so could you post a link cause i’ve never seen or heard of prayer cloths at new light.
(MN: It came with the letter with the misspelling. Maybe he never mentioned it to the congregation, but right in front of you is the evidence he sends stuff like that out. And he just sent me one warning me about the generational curses I have lurking in my past. )
Did he say it was a prayer cloth because Hillard does a lot of flashy stuff and I can see a gold hankerchief as part of his soulfulness. I don’t mean to call you a liar but I have a hard time believing after ten years I don’t know of them sending prayer cloths. Over the years i’ve even heard him speak out against them so i’ll ask that you make sure that is a prayer cloth and not just decorative junk they put in the letter.
If I.V. cannot or finds it difficult to deal with his own issues at home, how in the world can he help me or you? Speaking of those breakthrough letters or packages, my parents used to receive those things in the mail from Rev Ike in the 70’s and 80’s. It went in the trash, thank God.
Angela, What Hilliard home issues are you referring to.
From my understanding and reading from a blogger, he denounced his daughter and granddaughter
From a previous marriage I believe he has a daughter who may have a child who are Jehova’s witnesses. If by denounce you mean he won’t uphold them in their cult then consider them denounced.
I think we are getting off point here.This site isn’t about the personal life of these folks.It’s about their doctrine.
Eli’s kids didn’t do too hot either. Neither did most of David’s. Or Jacob’s. (MN:Eli’s children were killed and his neck was broken. David’s household was to’ up ever after. And Jacob’s children brought him much grief. What’s your point. ) This guy’s doctrine and practices give us plenty to blog about without bringing up his family squabbles.
(MN: Sometimes their personal lives are addressed to the degree that their doctrine and character drive the personal lives. How they live, what their reputations are, what kind of trouble they get into, whether or not it has been demonstrated that they are homosexual (Pastor Flunder), are sometimes appropriately included in the overall picture of the pimp. )
I agree with your point Mel, and wasn’t really addressing your points in my comment. I definitely agree that where the private life is made public and reflects the effects of bad doctrine, it’s fair game. But some are getting off onto whether he is responsible for the Jehovah’s Witnesses in his family.
Isn’t that a product of blindness,which is a result of God’s decision not to give them light?? How is Hilliard responsible for that??
Eli wasn’t responsible for his kids’ failure to follow God.David wasn’t responsible for some of his kids’ failure to follow God either. If God doesn’t enlighten us,we are never enlightened. That’s not our responsibility, it wasn’t Eli’s responsibility, it wasn’t David’s responsibility, it wasn’t Jacob’s responsibility,and it’s not Hilliard’s responsibility. Election is up to God.
That being true (and I know you agree with this), then why is this being regarded as the fruit of Hilliard’s failure or false doctrine or pimposity??
Since God doesn’t grant Election to Hilliard’s kids based upon Hilliard’s performance, then to discuss it as though it’s the fruit of his life is simply kicking around private matters for no purpose. It’s NOT a product of his doctrine.
Gary V,
Allow me to comment, if I may. When you read the bible, anytime God placed you in a leadership position, the weight falls on your shoulders and with leadership, comes obedience to the Lord. God told Eli through a prophet that because of his disobedience and that he favored his sons more than Him, he was causing a stumblingblock before the children of Israel. Though God did not call Hilliard, he placed himself in a leadership position so now all focus is on him. He should be aware and know what God requires so he can give the body of Christ proper edification. Hillard and many like him should be preaching to us about forgiveness, sins of the flesh, discriminatory preaching, that turn or burn preaching and since he’s not and so are more false prophets like him, when the souls that he is witnessing die in their sins, guess what, the blood is in his hands. He’s playing church. That devotional preaching and the prosperity gospel is sending folks to hell. True, Eli and Hillard is not responsible for whom God has preordained but as Paul says and I forgot where in the bible, maybe you know, that he would be beaten with more stripes than others because God ordained him for leadership and the responsibility is on his shoulders. I must admit that I don’t know the details of his denouncement of the daughter and granddaughter but if it’s religion, that can be an reckless evil. I stand corrected in case I have missed anything for I do remember you saying that you have dealt with ministry before and that you have the desire to go back into the streets and preach again.
Angela, I don’t disagree with anything you said.I can only assume you posted this before my reply was posted. The only thing I objected to was the fact that his kid and grandkid were Jehovah’s Witnesses and that was being blamed on Hilliard.
God is the one Who Elects folks to salvation. If his kid and grandkid are blinded it’s because God hasn’t enlightened them, not because Hilliard is a pimp.
When we are talking about the effects of his sorry doctrine and pimpery on his personal life (which is fair game), the fact that some in his family are blinded is not among those effects.
He did not denounce his daughter & granddaughter for being a JW, she currently works in his ministry, with her husband over the singles ministry.
To add, if he is the mand of gawd, then he should know about forgiveness.
thanks, Angela.
Careful Angela doesn’t have the facts you may want to do some research on your own.
To Danharr,
You’re right. I have never claimed that I did have the facts. As stated I went by what another blogger said and yes it would have been nice if I did my own research. Do you have any articles or research to back your claim. I don’t like his doctrine and he is still a pulpit pimp.
You might want to tell his Jehova’s witness relatives that since from dealing with those people. I can tell you they don’t want anything to do with you if you don’t share there beliefs. He doesn’t have a problem with them but they have a problem with him and everyone else.
Candles and gold dish towels oops I mean “holy magic cloth” huh? (sigh). I’m rather nostalgic for the old days when the Catholic Church openly sold indulgences and one merely doled out the coin to be absolved of sin. It was a more direct “get ir done” approach to it in my opinion. I guess the Middle Ages just wasn’t a good time to preach Prosperity Gospel.
“Would you even live in the Bowie of Bowie” .. Sounds like Samuel needs to tell his IT-guy to be a little more careful the next time he creates a “Mail Merge” form-letter for the ministry!
My wife gets tons of these kind of things weekly from various wolves. Fortunately, her eyes are slowly being opened to this kind of chicanery. I’ve had niggling suspicions all along, but thanks to sites like this and IC’s (and sound teaching/reasoning from the Word) I now know why these vipers always made me a little uneasy somewhere in the back of my mind.
And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep (2 Peter 2:3).
Shame.
Hi Melvin. The Sammy letter thumbnail is not clickable for me. I use Firefox and I just tried it in IE 6.0.9. No go. Any suggestions?
(MN: Sorry folks. I had to remove the link until tonight. I left my address on the letter. I did the same thing with Hilliards. I should have it back up this evening - if my FTP utility is working again. )
This is IV Hilliard’s ’spiritual son’
Church buys pastor 3.65 MILLION dollar mansion in Detroit
http://youtube.com/watch?v=r2AmY54zw0s
Should the church buy a 3.65M mansion for the pastor. 75% surveyed says yes, 25% says no. I’ve watched the youtube video. Pathetic. God is showing you better than He’s telling you why you can’t pay your rent or mortgage.
……and what does thishave to do with Hilliard???? You people are reaching far for “Connections of corruption” Ya’ll need to pray!!!
These pimps live high off of the hog and you barely get what’s left of the hog, not even chitlins!!!! What a shame!!! LOL!!!!
Yeah, I see what you mean.
When I see these pimps pimping on TBN or seeing the infomercials about the little trinkets they will send if you send a $ gift or become a partner, it reminds me of the 2nd commandment. Exodus 20:4-6
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
With that said, do these pimps and pimps-in-training really love the LORD? The answer is a resounding NO!
They love money and cause people to sin by worshiping them and their idols just to get money. It’s Balaam all over again.
Addressed to Melvin or Garyv, what does the Gospel of Inclusion mean or did I spell it right? Can one of you please explain to me what this means?
(MN: From the horse’s mouth - try here. And here. )
Thanks Mel, My heart is truly saddened, how could you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and then one day flip out and believe something else? I’m hearing this scripture, My sheep “know” my voice; and another they will not follow? or is it here Mel?
He said he heard God say there is no hell; hell is here on earth so eventually everybody will end up in heaven? hmmm, so him thinking his grandparents who once preached the gospel could be in hell because they backslid is what set him off, how does he know they went to hell? they could have repented. He is walking on dangerous grounds, thousands of souls are being decieved by this lie!
Lord we have got to keep praying!
To Gary V,
Click to where it reads ‘here’, next to MN’s comments above. Look at the carpet, the sign, and his shirt. Wouldn’t you be offended as a man to see so much pink? Tell me what you think.
Pink is the color of inclusion………or heresy. I can’t decide which,but either way I’m not wearing it. LOL
I considered myself to be well-versed in all of the angles the prosperity/WoF teachers use to get one to “sow a seed” into their ministries, but this one is new to me, and as appalling as any of their hooks.
I came across INSP’s fundraising appeal last night with David Cerullo and Larry Huch, and was astounded to hear Huch declare that if someone had previously “sowed a seed” but had never obtained a “breakthrough”, it could be that the breakthrough had been “blocked” - yes, “blocked”, perhaps by a curse! Of course, he had a remedy for that pesky problem - “sow” another “seed” to break the curse and release the blocked breakthrough blessing! Cerullo concurred, indicating that one could “reverse the curse” by “sowing” that seed. What if THAT breakthrough gets “blocked” again - must I sow another seed?? How much money/seed does it take to get Satan’s mitts off my breakthrough? Or, How much money/seed does the Lord require to release the breakthrough that He owes me? How many times am I allowed to “reverse the curse”?
These declarations by Huch and Cerullo are delivered by them to their audience with unquestioned, brazen confidence and authority.
Amazing!
Let’s see, light a white candle and say a special prayer; hold a special cloth and say a special prayer; Pay a fee to the ‘mand of gawd’ to ensure that gawd will obey you. Let me think about that. Isn’t that how you do a spell? Let’s see. I was searching scripture and found so many that would say the answer is ‘yes’, but I don’t want to put them all here so I’ll put the best one that answers that question.
Ezekiel 13:21 (King James Version)
21Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
They should be ashamed for what they do, but of course they don’t.
Melvin,
I live in Houston, and I visit ole IV from time to time, and it’s truly amazing how stupid people are. You know New Light Christian Center is “one church in 5 locations”… He has locations in Beaumont, TX, Austin, TX, and 3 locations here in Houston (the newest location being the former Lake of Firewood Church). He flies between the Houston locations for each service on a helicoptor. Yep, this is a classic WOF operation (he claims Fred Price as his “Spirital Father”)… you should see how they take up offering, they have the sheeple (I love that word) recit-err confessing stuff. The part of the reciti-err confession that gets me is when they say “Thank you Father because I have given to support the man and woman of God, I will have a first class life style”. I remember Hilliard talking about all of the stuff he has, he says he likes to tell the people how blessed he is to inspire them to use their faith. You know he had Pauls S. Morton, and Eddie Long, and 2 other fellows, (I can’t remember their names) to confirm him as a Bishop a few months ago. I think he’s the biggest Pimp in the greater Houston area.
Back in the 1990’s I.V. was close to the pastor of the church I used to attend in Richmond VA. I vividly remember one of his visits to the church, he was hawking his wife’s weight loss book. He said “My wife used to weigh over 200lbs and that was too much wife for me. She knows that was too much wife for me” He didn’t say it in a nice way either. It was like he was ridiculing his wife. He laughed and then went into a hard-sell spiel about the book.
Years later the Pastor of that church stood in front of the congregation and told them he was divorcing his wife after 30 years of marriage and 4 children.
He is now remarried to a woman the age of his oldest child.
The former wife later revealed to many former church members how this group of pastors had an “I’ll scratch your back, you’ll sratch mine” mentality. They would make plans to speak at each other’s churches just to take up 5 figured offerings for each other. They’d have meetings and hold conferences just to line their own pockets with money. All of the offerings went directly to the speakers and not back to the church budgets.
(MN: I suspect that this is one of the purposes of the “Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship.” Once you get wired in, you become a part of the Holy Manna circuit. Consider the number of “visiting” preachers most of the mega-churches get. And usually, the pastor of the visited church will in turn go and speak at the other guy’s place. Of course, one of the things you have to do to get the other guy to come in and speak is make sure you have enough pigeons to supply him with enough of a love offering to make the trip worth the preacher’s time. )
Sounds like this pastor pulled a McClendon on his wife after 30 years and you know the saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. She’s spilling the anchiladas now and this second reunion may not last. If he can pull that on #1, then #2 better watch out. I am sure that a man of his position is always dealing with beautiful women. Or she just may leave the pastor. The end result can work both ways.
Melvin you are so right. I remember one time this pastor, after returning from a FICWIM conference at Crenshaw CC, standing before the congregation and bragging about the $25000 offering he received at the conference. I couldn’t help wondering if he shared any of that with the team he took there. Everyone who went paid their own way however, I’m sure the church footed the bill for the pastor.
Dear Melvin & Community:
The last portion of this posting claimed my attention when it is speaking of Hilliard becoming a “Bishop”. You know, I am so sick and tired of Pimps wanting “Titles” to validate and elevate their ministries!
I was approached by some well-intentioned but ignorant ministers nearly four years ago about becoming a Bishop. However, I declined for the obvious reason: Pastors are ALREADY Overseers (that’s the greek translation for Bishop).
How dumb can one be? In First Peter 5, when Peter is addressing pastors, he uses three different greek words to describe the exact same person!
The words he uses speaks of three different roles/functions of the Pastor. The words are: Overseer/Bishop, Elder, and Shepherd.
As the Overseer of God’s flock, Peter is speaking of the authority of the office. As an Elder, he is speaking of the “Spiritual maturity” of pastors, and as a Shepherd/Pastor, he is speaking of the “Heart” of the men who lead peole.
I am amazed at the ignorance of Black folks! My, my do I need the prayers of the Righteous to ask God to help me with my lack of patience for this kind of foolishness!
By the way, has anyone purchase the new book “Snakes in the Pulpit?” A friend of mine did on last week and he says that it is “VERY BADLY WRITTEN!” and that the gentleman actually puts himself at risk for lawsuits for calling Eddie Long a homosexual without any documentation. What say the rest of you?
Blessings!
BT
Hey BT!!! Long time no see buddy!!
The author of “Snakes In The Pulpit” is already under fire for possible plagiarism.
Dear Gary:
Man, its great to hear from you as well! I’ve been trying to stay busy and stay focused on the ministry as there are many challenges. Wow! That is a shame about the author. do you know that he and I actually spoke by phone 2 weeks ago! He sounds intelligent, so I’m sorry to hear that he possibly has “borrowed” some info without giving proper credit.
That is very unfortunate because he had an golden opportunity to expose the dangerous ministers and now he is under fire. All I can say again is Wow!
Blessings,
BT
and “YOU” call yourself….bishop!
Hey Melvin,
Back in 1990 I received my first inkling that something wasn’t right with these pimps.
I used to watch uber-pimp Robert Tilton. He actually sent to me a vile of water, which he claimed to have collected from the actual pool of Bethesda. He said that he had prayed over it and that if I anointed myself with it, I would receive the answer to my prayer a la John 5.
The lights started to go on right there . . . pool of Bethesda, yeah Bethesda , Maryland!
This reminds me of Rev. Ike’s blessing plan that he used in the 60’s and 70’s on the radio. “YOU CAN’T LOSE WITH THE STUFF I USE”. He used to be a laughing stock to people who were really serious about the ministry. Has he now become the great innovator of modern day ministry models? It appears to be so. Rev. Ike’s blessing plan was a bag that he sent to you with instructions that you not open it. My mother had a friend who worked in his headquarters in Boston, MA. Their jobs were to mail out the letters and the blessing plan bag to people. The friend opened the bag. In it were a couple of rocks, sticks, dust, pieces of papers, etc. This was the stuff of voodoo, roots, obia, etc. These men are doing the same thing; flim flam artists in high end suits and collars. Fleecing, raping and leaving the sheep wounded and left to predators. Jer. 23:25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prohesy the delusions of their own mind?…..but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.” People are decieved because the are following this cult of personality and the love of money. Too many Christians are biblically illiterate and therefor subject to the lies, dreams, visions and blessing plans of charlatans and pimps.
Wow is all i have to say about this kind of tom-foolery! Once upon a time when i was vulnerable and young in the faith(early 90’s). I sought advice from a popular ministry that gave me a pamphlet on condition of me sowing a financial blessing(seed). Sounded good at the time however w/every intent of sending a seed, circumstances didn’t allow that. Looking back it’s almost as if it was a good thing that i forgot to sow back into that ministry, having lost the address(unintentionally). We are to GIVE; freely you have recieved, so freely give, according to the Bible paraphrasing. It’s unsettling to see this now that i’ve matured to a certain degree and wish that this wasn’t so prevalent in today’s Christian communities. What is needed in Christendom is for us to get back to searching the scriptures daily, to avoid those that would prey on others w/ erroneous practices. As if they don’t care about the God they claim to represent (misrepresent w/ major errors).
It seems that these misleaders feed off of ignorance that’s in society, while benefitting off of guilt and ignorance. The poor we will always have w/ us, and these men and women are trying to make sure of this fact by using ungodly practices that shipwreck the faith of the blinded while having their blood upon their hands!
Thankfully there are people out there who are willing to speak up and expose those that willing go beyond preaching the gospel, to soliciting money beyond practicality and reasonable expectation.
Shame to see these practices go on and on!!!
Im off topic on this, but is anyone going to watch the Gospel version of American Idol on BET tonight? I have been hearing commercials for it all day today. I am curious as to what you all will think of it. Kirk Franklin is the host. Bebe Winnans is a judge and I think Mary, Mary are judges as well. I am curious as to how they are going to handle themselve and the contestants because I have always felt that Kirk was more in the world than he tries to portray himself. Just because you can lead singers in a song does not mean you are of God. I dont know about Mary, Mary or Bebe Winnans.
(MN: Consider this: It’s on BET. How much can it profit you to watch it? Cozy up to a re-run of 24. It will prabably do you more good. Heck, watch Justice Thomas tonight on Fox. Just don’t waste your time with the Booty Every Time network. Of course, that’s just my opinion. )
I did not watch it. Totally forgot about it, so there you go. I was not supposed to even see it. But I did watch Exalted. They had…um, what do you call her….Junie B (lol). They had family and friends talking about her and she talking about herself. They were saying things like she was always gifted with the annointing and prophecy. That when they were kids she always wanted to be the preacher or teacher when they played church or school. They also talked about recent events. The interesting thing was one woman on the show stated that JB should start trying to understand why she keeps getting into abusive relationships and that she did not think that JB should be an advocate for abuse but that she should get herself healed and whole. I didnt write down any names because I had not planned to watch the show, after watching I am even more convinced that she is not who she tries to portray herself to be. Very interesting.
I watched “Sunday’s Best” (gospel American Idol) and then decided to watch the “Exalted” show with our very own and precious Juanita Buythem. The singing show was what I expected…heck so was the Buythem propaganda show. It was really a full court press on damage control. I’m certain that the comments of the one woman on how she needs to heal first will be deleted. I was ticked because the next clip with that woman was some proBynum crap. It was not a twosided story. It was all about exalting the exalted.
Bynum said that she’s called to be a BILLIONAIRE and her face is to be in secular magazines because her destiny is bigger than……….????? Bigger than what is the question? They hyped her up with all kinds of crap like Christendom’s version of Oprah.
The part where I saw the Buythem we know was when she was yet “in the world” and her roommate was questioning what they were going to for food. Buynum tells her not to worry about it, gets into her flight attendant outfit and walks into the church down the street. She “testifies” and comes back with $40. The birth of the scam?
I honestly do not have a problem with her making money off of her books, movies, DVD’s, CD’s. The BS is all the other crap. Her brother called her DOCTOR however they made it clear she was and has never been formally trained. They used it to emphasize the fact that she’s been able to do so much “with so little”. However since I’m now in seminary I viewed it as a problem, a huge problem, to be responsible for so many and yet does not know the first thing of any foundation of theology.
To only be “led by the spirit” (which one?) is a problem. In “Models of the Church” Dulles talks about how limited and dangerous that model can be when taken to extremes…..which Buythem has done in spades.
I’m getting angrier and angrier with this crap. It’s all about a fake female empowerment misconstruing scripture. Empty sermons and empty heads. All emotions and no logic nor thought. All tears and no thinking. I can’t get enought.
Well said! Thats what I was telling a friend that they seemed to be praising her and that it was not a well rounded story and very one-sided.
I didn’t watch either although I won’t totally rule it out over it’s series run. Just saw Kirk and Mary Mary in concert-Mary Mary was on point. Kirk’s music was good - his was a more “feel good” set, but still, it was a good concert. The Sunday Best show, I must say, makes me just a tad bit uncomfortable because how are you going to “judge” these contestants? On their passion? On their singing ability? On their sincerity? Or just on if they can look and act the part - maybe “get happy” near the end of the song.
Exactly. Uncomfortable is the right word. I saw and heard some clips and Bebe didnt seem too nice, but again I didnt see the show. And editing can take things out of context. Also, I was listening to a radio program and the host of the show said that it seemed to her that the people they picked were the ones that looked good even if the singing was just okay. Matter of fact I believe she said that one looked like she had just come from the club and she is moving to the next round. The ones that could really sing but looked kinda frumpy were told thanks but no thanks. So I guess they are looking for Sundays Best….Sundays Best looking. Sad.
I have reviewed the mega madness with JB since August. I was once a follower in my earlier days of being saved. However, when I started to seek out the scriptures for myself and study to show thy self approved, I began to discern the lack of substance that JB had to share. The comment of JB stating that she is new face of domestic violence is insult. Unfortunately, my parents are statistics of what happens when no one seeks intervention. JB and Weeks have a chance to set things in order. However, to me it just seems like another opportunity to pimp the people. What a shame!!
What is going on Melvin. Things well my brother? Good post, I am amazed at what happens. How low do you think they will go bro? They are going to start something to get them in serious trouble one day. I eagerly await that day! God bless and you are still crazy dude. LOL
I just don’t see a problem with any of this. Perhaps because of my Roman Catholic upbringing these indulgences aren’t a problem. Perhaps because of my aunt’s who practiced santeria I don’t see a problem in these pimps/ettes getting filthy rich….umm I mean blessed by their schemes.
I mean if L. Ron Hubbard can start his own religion and have the intellectually gifted stars of Hollywood fall for it then why not these christians? I mean what’s wrong with fleecing all these suckers. Heck the beauty is you use their own money to buy stuff and then show them all the stuff their own money bought you and present it as gawd’s blessing on your anointed life. You then tell your benefactors that they too can have the same they just need to increase their tithe. The more you show them how much stuff their money buys you, the more money they’ll continue to give you. It’s perfect! You use their own greed and ignorance against them. For those who go broke you then blame them for not having any faith. It’s absolutely perfect! A freakin license to print money!
[note heavy sarcasm in all the above]
too bad it’ll only cost you your soul……
Most people are to young to remember Father Devine in Phila. ,Pa. His followers would go out and work and bring him their paychecks. He owned a hotel on N. Broad St. called the Devine Lorraine ,named after his wife, it housed a lot of his followers . The man made a fortune and had a beautiful estate on the mainline of Philly. He was a pimp but he took good care of his people unlike these pimps today. I’m not condoning what he did but at least his followers got something for their work and money. His hayday was the 30s thru the 60’s . look him up , sometime . Pimpdom is is a very old scene.
Ok……
Reading this post is EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING……
There’s no LOGICAL REASON as to why the foolishness you adressed, Mr.Jones, should continue….
Be it I. V. Hilliard, Bernard Jordan, Benny Hinn, or various others using the tatics adressed in the post, why are they going unoticed?
If I convinced an elderly couple that I was their great-grandson, and then convinced them to give me money based upon the premise that we were related, I’d be wanted by the police right now. If I did that to, say, 20,000 people every week, I’d be Public Enemy #1, and rightly so.
Yet these People Melvin’s listed do foolishness of this kind 24/7 & the government’s stayed SILENT THE ENTIRE TIME!!!!!
Should the government ensure that citizens, especially vulnerable ones, be protected? Does the government have a responsibility to look out for people? or should they just let natural selection take it’s course & continue wondering who the heck is protecting such people like Hillard with special “above the law” privileges?
Our government knows that psychics and mediums are con men/women. .They must display warning signs - “for entertainment purposes” - whenever they’re operating……& some of them, like Ms.Cleo, were justly CONVICTED.
Yet guys like Hillard are a far bigger threat……& no labels are placed on them yet.
I disagree. You don’t want government poking its nose in these guys’ scams. As much as I dislike it, I don’t trust government enough to make any kind of judgments about those who say they speak for God.
Psychics aren’t illegal. They’re all over the place. And while I don’t know what got Sister Cleo in trouble, it was more than simply saying she was a psychic.
If your idea is picked up, I could see a future in which only Astrology is allowed to be practiced. Or insurance companies won’t cover you because you MIGHT do something that you consider faith and they consider costly.
Sir,
If the government could crack down on scams like those of Jim Baker, or Priests/preachers caught in sexual crimes like child molestation/prostitution–All of whom claimed to speak for the Lord— the kats adressed in these posts are no different….
Something has to be done……
(MN: You have got to be kidding. Bakker sold two hundred percent of a set of buildings. That’s illegal. Priests have sexually abused children. That’s illegal. Lying about God is not illegal.
This is not a theocracy and we would do well to stay as far from one as we can.
Surely you can see the difference between what you have listed and lying to people about God. )
I could not agree with you more. Many people who seek to have that government snoop/ban/investigate etc, don’t realize that such intrusions will not be limited to entities that that they are in disagreement with.
This goes for music, movies, religion or anything else. People need to make their own decisions and live with the consequences. Its called life.
Melvin, I believe that I get what you’re saying and correct me if I’m wrong. God has already established order both on earth and in heaven. When you read the book of Titus, it talks about the powers that be and their laws and then you have the spiritual laws of Moses. Therefore, you can be arrested for disobeying the powers that be ex: tax evasion, and the false prophets have 2 Pet 2 already coming to them as judgement for blasphemy because it is prophecy and you cannot stand in the way of prophecy.
Exactly. There is a huge difference within the area of law between running a religious scam and sexually abusing a child. There is a huge difference between cheating someone out of the retirement with the promise of some material gain, and taking advantage of someone’s spiritual stupidity.
I believe Evangel Temple came out ont the winning end of such a contest when they convinced people to refinance their houses so the pimps could build a building in Prince Georges county. Some of the less stupid sheeple sued to get their money back. I believe they lost the suit.
The commenter was right. If you are too lazy to read your Bible, how is it the government’s responsibility to protect you from the religious wolves?
Ditto on the thoughts, Angela….
Saying these charlatans need to be cracked down upon in the government isn’t an issue of theocracy. It’s an issue of fraud, which is UNLAWFUL….. (MN: No, it’s not unlawful. Telling you to send me money so God will bless you is not illegal. What have I promised to give you? Nothing. What service have I promised to perform for you? Maybe I promise to pray for you.
To note, Ms.Cleo got busted for the same thing, seeing that she falsified her information & made it seem she was Caribbean when the reality was that she was not……& all it took was someone bringing a copy of her birth certificate to the attention of the government.
Now, as simple as that was, why are the “faith healers”/con artists getting a free pass……Especially in light of the MYRIAD OF EVIDENCE regarding their scams?????? It seems like a huge double-standard,whether the name of God is invoked or not……