FIRST SEE: WHAT IS WRONG WITH WITH THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT
http://www.squidoo.com/wordoffaith
ALSO SEE
Pastor Hinn in Nigerian money row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4619733.stm
Creflo Dollar, Rev Oyakhilome, Joyce Meyer, & the tribe of Pulpiteering Slot-Machines
http://village.africanpath.com/profiles/blogs/creflo-dollar-rev-oyakhilome
http://209.85.129.132/search?q=cache:VzP0QBHyUwwJ:village.africanpath.com/profiles/blogs/creflo-dollar-rev-oyakhilome+Chris+Oyakhilome+and+the+catholic+church&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke
Posted by Samira Edi on August 24, 2008 at 6:00pm
A-a-a-MEN
Dr Creflo Dollar owns a private Jet and a fleet of traffic-stopping luxury cars that leave on-lookers gasping——in stupefaction! With a name that sounds like a "Fistful of Dollars", he leads the lifestyle of the stinking rich, surrounded by the paraphernalia and modcons that come with the territory. Apparently, his divine destiny was indicated at birth, from his unusual appellatoin-- Creflo $.—— a man with a boat load of dosh! And his $$s rightly skink because they have the smell of the filthy lucre!
Looking and acting like a well-scrubbed celebrity, no one would imagine that the man adorned in such expensive finery, uses the humble word of God and a bible as his professional tools——for the moral and spiritual upliftment of the faithfuls. People could only speculate at the oppulence and price-tag of the home he lives in, and the other rides parked in his garage.
With a congregational power of 25, 000.00 strong followers behind him, Reverend Dollar continues to eat and slice deep into the real estate of lucrative souls of the spiritually dissatisfied—— those hunger-mongering for religious manna. His entrepreneurial conglomerate is hubbed from a non-denominational corporation called the Christian World Changers Ministries corporation, something of an oddity in itself, which has undergone different nomenclatures over time. The aim is to spread the investments world-wide, such that every new name has been given with a view to reflecting the ever-increasing global conquest and the stature of the man and his wife who control it.
Here, he invests in the souls of the faithfuls ——those open for the taking——ripe for harvesting——a rag-tag army of fanatical paupers, thirsty for religious salvation. "That" is the mystery of the source of the man's wealth——The contributions of the "Faith Fools", conned through a plethora of outlets and clever merchandizing. Televangelism, the Internet, CD, DVDs, Ipods, videos, live crusades, Sunday’s sermons, books, pamphlets and simply referrals by word of mouth——Like a skilled hunter, he has covered the gamut——for he knows the territory as well as a tiger is familiar with the environment where her hunts in, and the nature of his quarry.
When did such open greed for money lose its value of shamelessness? Today, supposedly, men of God are howling for it from the heights of the pulpits like harlots on the curb. Gone are the days when religious teachings were used as leverage for morality—when men of God were pious, and their followers went to church for spiritual nourishment.
Before I am prematurely branded as an apostate or a pagan; for the sake of full disclosure, I'm a Christian as any child born and baptised into the Christian religion could be labelled as such. I read the bible and that's about it for now. I was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church, but that means nothing to me now, as I go to any spiritual house of worship, where the singing is good and I'm done. The bible more or less provides me with a moral direction or a reminder. I went through Christian boarding Schools, and that has stayed with me. The basic foundation is the same; I've just only given myself a new coat of paint with time.
They use the threat of fire and brimstone to scare believers and non-believers
Why do these faith entrepreneurs and the so-called Pentecost Evangelists—otherwise Pulpit Draculas that suck the blood of the faithfuls—continue to get away with gross deception on a mass scale. They manipulate us by the chicanery of “organized religions with our eyes open. When did naked greed lose its quality of dishonour? Check out the smug smiles of satisfaction on their guilty faces, knowing that they're getting away with con tricks! These Pentecostal charlatans, are usually profligate big spenders! They seem to be divinely inspired to destabilize societies with the keys and bibles of excess. And African "men and women of God" are falling over themselves in shameless perfidy, to join ranks with these gangsters.
Why do they continue to go scot-free, when we know how they're robbing us. Why aren't our minds alert to their naked and aggressive pursuits for our cash, when they're grabbing for our money! Why do we ignore the fact that most of them have been exposed as frauds? And through the miracle power of persuasive merchandizing, they sell the same messages over and over in different formats and we still buy them. The message; "You will be blessed" is recycled in videos, books, online, pamphlets, texts—— they con the desperate with an elaborate web of deceit and we slurp up their lies with our tongues hanging out.
These pulpit tigers fatten themselves as they acquire more, while their followers are dried up financially. Still they leave their captives just at that level of spiritual dissatisfaction, enough, to maintain a perpetual strangle-hold on them. Poor faith-fools . When is the world going to wake up and smell the smoke, as the rotten flesh of these transgressors burn in their own self-made hell for all eternity? For how long will mankind continue to make gods of the people who abuse them?
Joyce Meyer is a big player in this field of religious titans.
It is carnage out there, and the victims of this anarchic slaughtering of biblical proportions are the ignorant and the naive faith-fools, who surrender their power of reasoning in the hands of aggressive suitors!! Organised religion has been infested by an army of money grubbing nouveaux riches, with a hollow interior, of decayed morally; and we have allowed ourselves to get a good rinsing from their pulpit propaganda.
The Titans are winning; the people are lethargic or insipid. Why aren't we clever enough to see that there is absolutely nothing new that these preachers could possibly give us, which is not found in the good old bible? Most of these American Evangelist Entrepreneurs have spawned a followership of copy-cats, who are using the same aggressive pulpiteering to bilk poor, desperate Africans with tantalizing messages of perpetual possibilities— especially in Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where there's an explosion of this rash. Their banks accounts are bursting to overflowing, with the contributions of the faith-fools, they are still greedy beyond belief, leading extravagant lives that directly contradicts their "humble message from God".
They use the pulpits to dazzle their followers, while they themselves live it up like the absolute monarchs of the 16th century in the lap of luxury— above scrutiny or accountability. Their wealth is solidly built on bedrock of their followers' ignorance, desperation and fear. Creflo is not the only one. I believe Joyce Meyer is just as guilty as TJ Jakes. And these are the people deliberately keeping pious Americans continuously ignorant, while their African counterpart have copied their styles, such that everywhere there has been an explosion of churches, with some evangelists opening multiple edifices, just to corner as much of the market as possible.
Creflo Dollar was quizzed by Larry King, but he refused to be scrutinized. He refused to authorize the IRS to look into his books, claiming they did not have the proper mandate to check his financial records...(watch video)
I have a problem with “preachers” like Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, TJ Jakes, Benny Hinn, who have inspired African entrepreneur preachers in this typhoon of capitalism and greed--like Reverend Ayo Oritsejafor, Late Benson Edahosa, Matthew Ashimolowo, Reverend Chris Oyakhilome of the Believer’s Loveworld or Christ Embassy etc—all preachers who live in shameless opulence, while their flocks are suffering from foreclosure, hunger, violence in their neighborhoods, unemployment, collapsing under the weight of debts and basically living in abject poverty. I call their behaviours spiritual vandalism at the expense of the faith fools.
Reverend Benny Hinn went to Nigeria and fell out spectacularly with the local "organizers" over money matters' during a religious crusade in 2005. (Ref: "http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4619733.stm)
On the last day of his mission, he couldn't contain his wrath at what he considered the underhanded tactics of greedy money-grabbers. He spilled the beans to the faithfuls gathered there. About not being rewarded in full of all that had been promised him. He complained about the modest crowd of about 30,000.00 spectators of the 1million that finally attended; nothing like the 6 million converts that had been promised him. And he bemoaned the ""Four million dollars down the drain," supposedly money that he had already spent in preparation of his trip.
Faithful Christians who had flocked to the venue in hopes for spiritual nourishment, listened in stunned silence as the American Reverend from God's own country, turned his homily into a raging indictment against the organizers. In a 2 hour tirade he spared none of the men who had invited him to Nigeria, only to rob him of his divine millions of dollars and followers. In the crowd were also the usual less-than-a-dollar-a-day poor desperadoes, who must have been dazed just contemplating the figures mentioned.
In a blistering tongue-lashing, in the scotching Lagos heat of 48 degrees F, Reverend Hinn sweated through a long rant, revealing in meticulous details, his financial quarrels with the organizers. Apparently it ran in the millions of dollars—which they had failed to refund. He had been welcomed at the Lagos airport in the grandeur befitting his status—a motorcade of Hummvies had escorted him into the plusher side of Lagos as other expensive cars followed, conveying his Nigerian partners. He had flown into Nigeria in style, landing a private Gulfstream jet.
It was downhill afterwards, when the row over money began. Apparently a few days after his arrival, the problems started. But for the sake of his beloved faithfuls, he had bottled up his grievances—until he was fizzing with so much rage he could no longer contain himself. He spewed out to the crowds all the difficulties he was having—about being cheated of his profits— of not having been refunded for his expenditure—the sheer banditry of the organizers whom he branded as 419. Actually, they were his fellow colleagues. Needless to say, he refused to perform the miracles he had promised, although a few excited people came out on cue to give testimonies of healing miracles in spite of the in fighting.
Most of the deaf went back home, still unable to comprehend what had happened. The lame limped back disappointed to their poor shacks on their crutches, to continue living in hope of another man of miracle. The blind were also led off, shaking their heads in disbelief, unable to see why a man of God would refuse to perform his due miracles, just because of a row over money—something they had nothing to do with. It would seem that Nigeria had finally seen the last of the famous man of God. He has since promised never to return.
"Rev. David Manning is the whiner in the group, who uses the foulest language in his sermons to lambaste Blacks and other preachers.
This list is by no means exhaustive. In this already heavily-crowded field, there are other weird, fringe characters like Rev. James David Manning of the AtLAH church. People think that he is a man in the grip of self-loathing; as his language will embarrass a whore in a tavern! His specialty is the African American community, where with a sense of ridiculous self-righteousness, he sometimes spews the breadth of his festered lingo to address his parishioners.
He is the metaphor for another kind of greedy evangelist, who, as an underachiever, spends his time complaining about being undercut from the lucrative real estate of desperate souls to exploit. Whether his language is influenced by his time in jail or not, he seems like an unrefined character who would be better suited tackling the side of beef in a butcher's shop, a pimp, a skipper or a prison thug; than a preacher. He claims that no Black man who has never been in jail is a good man, and cites Nelson Mandela, Dr King, and Malcolm X as proof of his weird assertions.
"Rev" Chris Oyakhilome - founded the Believer's Loveworld and the Christ Embassy Churches, A skinny lad that began his Christian Crusade as a student in the University of Benin, Edo State Nigeria, he grew into one of the heavy weight preachers with a faithful followership that also made him a very wealthy man.
He cornered the market from two fronts; with clever sound bites that appealed to his consumers, he founded the Believer's Loveworld, and also The Christ Embassy. He sells the world of God, by investing it in different products. By diversifying his outlets, he promotes himself through clever merchandizing in videos, books, pamphlets, and curiously, blessed water. The fiery preacher uses inspirational verses to tell the people what they want to hear, and the promises them aplenty in prosperity and material riches. His business has grown from Nigeria to the UK, to the US - he too owns a jet and a fleet of cars like many other Nigerian preachers. He also copied Archbishop Benson Idahosa's famous line "My God is not a poor God”
TJ Jakes - is a very wealthy African American Evangelist, and multi-Investor. Many African evangelists took after such men of religion as he, inspired by his vast multi-million-dollar empire. He has however been accused variously as one of the Evangelists who are living a life outside the canons of the church - morally, spiritually, and financially decadent.
Referred to as "The doyen of Pentecostal preachers," Pastor Enoch Adeboye, is one of the first who saw the visions of a lucrative market in religion, before it got overcrowded by rivals. He started his Holy Ghost Congress church in 1986. After surveying the scene of his country, beset by crime, corruption and political strife, he saw a colossal sea of spiritual possibilities ready for his taking. He formed his church, and began to absorb all the fringe followers who were floating lethargically between traditional beliefs and Western religions like Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. He successfully mopping up the "pagans" who were still wading in the occult, like "witchcraft." and the wizards of the villages. He offered his followers a chance for spiritual redemption and financial salvation.
"Reverend" Mathew Ashimolowo a Nigerian preacher was initially based in London, where he had amassed a large fortune, largely from the immigrant community of Nigerians. Not too long after his arrival from his own country, his lavish lifestyle attracted the attention of the British Authorities. He was going to build the biggest church of mammoth proportions in London, maybe to rival the Canterbury Cathedral, which he considered too modest? He was investigated by the British Bobbies and they didn't like what they saw.
He came under the harsh scrutiny of the British Financial Services Authorities, and he was none too pleased. He was said to own at least 20 Bank accounts, some of which he had forgotten about. He had once pleaded guilty to some other financial improprieties and had paid a hefty fine for those crimes. Plagued by incessant scrutiny, he fled the country, relocating back to Nigeria and escaping to an unregulated territory where he could operate as he pleased, free of the bothersome scrutiny of the Brits.
Bimbo Odukoya is the leading female preacher in Nigeria. By the way, Bimbo is her real name, not a title. However operating a dating website does not exactly dispel the doubts about the type of woman she is. Whether she's a preacher or prostitution promoter.
It is curious that in both French and English, Bimbo invites the married and singles to inter-date.
I have a problem with these mindless heavyweights of the cogic circuit, who continue to harness all the power at their disposal, with bottomless greed, and with no modicum of shame to stop. From the pulpit, these unscrupulous sharks tap liberally from the peoples' gullibility, quicked-up to a frenzied tempo of uncertainty, exploiting their spiritual dearth mercilessly.
Instead of providing a spiritual direction for their flocks they brainwash them into a mindset of the perpetually enslaved transgressors, too sinful and too weak-willed to save themselves—beset by a myriad of problems. Problems that are as weird and varied as poverty, job positions, chieftaincy titles (in Nigeria), continuous celibacy, witchcraft, childlessness, inability to pass exams, poor marriages, stubborn children. The weak-minded faithfuls are hung up on a promise of liberation throughthe power of the miracle. Without proof, they mesmerize their congregations with statistical improbabilities and impossible claims- like raising the dead, cure AIDS, jealousy etc. The sheep are hooked on the promise of tantalizing fulfillments and won't hesitate to dig deep into their pockets to contribute to the church.
"Rev" Archbishop Benson Idahosa of Benin City, Nigeria was something of a sinister minister. Alive, his famous mantra was "My God is not a poor God," and encouraged his worshippers to show off their wealth. He used to deride those who dressed "poorly" to go to church, telling them that God does not like the poor. He wore the most expensive lace Agbadas, and built the most costly edifice for worship in GRA, Benin City. He was one of the first Evangelists who diversified his investments by opening schools and hospitals in Nigeria - all tax free, but for which he charged very high fees.
Idahosa also sold a special fruit, as part of his aggressive merchandizing ministrations, which he claimed had miracule elements that cure infertility in childless women. He alone supervised the eating of this miracle mango, sometimes in the privacy of his innermost chambers.
He claimed he could perform some of the more complicated miracles that Christ never could manage, all centering on the financial well-being of his followers. Many of his detractors however claimed he also dabbled in fetishes.
He was so cocky, he promised his followers he will never die, but ascend via the steeple of his church, proceeding directly into heaven body and soul in full view of the followers when his time of expiration came. Unfortunately, he lacked the vision to see his own end, when he collapsed and died in his backyard, was buried there in Benin City-that macabre spectacle yet to be realized; although some ex-church members still claim he haunts them, as he is the cause of their nightmares.
Idahosa claimed to raise the dead
Idahosa was also a philanderer who had multiple affairs with many women followers. Just before he death, rumour were rife that he had separated from his wife Margaret, whom it was alleged he used to abuse in front of church goers.
A proud man who promoted himself meteorically through the church ranks, from humble deacon to Archbishop within a short time, he wore a skull cap as the symbol of his powerful position. He also maintained an unhealthy rivalry with one of his fellow Evangelists, who was based in Warri, Reverend Ayo Oritsejafor. Between the two, these men of God divided the Christian Congregation of the Middle Belt, as they strived to outdo each other. He successfully cornered and baptised big shot artists and the wealthy and influential men like the Esama of Benin, Chief Igbenedion. Their rivalry was about who was the wealthier, and able to attract the most influential people in Nigeria.
Reverend" Ayo Oritsejafor- He owns the World Of Life Bible Church Warri He too maintains a healthy relation with the "moneyed class" and the influential people of Nigeria. Here below, he is flanked by Lucky Igbenedion , the Governor of Edo State.
In Nigeria, that name Igbenedion is associated with some of the worst financial crimes. But he is er lucky- the son of Igbenedion, the Esama of Benin. One of the most ruthless and wealthy men of Nigeria, Chief Igbenedion has dabbled in all sorts of business activities. He was almost made bankrupt by the dogged pursuit of the late tyrant General Sani Abacha, whose administration chased him for years of unpaid taxes, and brought him under investigations over his business activities. He is the owns Igbenedion University, Igbenedion Hospital and other investments including the now defunct Okada Airlines which was blighted by financial mismanagement, neglect, and professional inefficiency. Pastory Oritsejafor is in good company, as his friend have also got "friends" in high places.
Dieudonne Tukala "exorcises" children whom he accuses are possessed of Witchcraft in London for money. He is from Ivory Coast, and has personally supervised the relocation of children back to Africa to be cured of the evil spirit. Unsurprisingly, he ran into the robust arm of the law in the UK. Investigations are still on-going over allegations of his dabbling in ritual killing.
Pastor Lanrewaju Obembe uses commercial lingo to attract people to his church. He tells them in a recorded message on his website that God is rebranding them, from nobody, to somebody. And in Nigeria where position counts more than morality, this is a powerful message to lure people to him for guidance. He was one of the "surrogate evangelists, during the botched visit of Benny Hinn to Nigeria.
That’s my sermon for the day.
