[Scrambler Bob]

Make sure you tithe your welfare check.

[cloudmountain]

"Use the rent" for tithing??

Sounds like the minister wants a caddy for his birthday.

[Theodore R.]

when will black Christians wake up and say enough is enough?

I would say the answer is "never".

[MeshugeMikey]

“....on many occasions the pastors would mock the members who did have college degrees....”

sooprise sooprise

[Nifster]

It is not just African American ‘preachers’ who suffer from this (and their congregations). one need only look to Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, The Crouches ( to name a few) to see that this notion has been pushed for all too long.

I still remember one time hearing Oral Roberts talking about tithing and he likened God to a Coke machine. Oral said he put money in the Coke machine and he got a Coke in return. He gave the church (notice not God but the church) money and he got money back from God as a blessing.

I shook my head and never listened again

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I’ve heard quite a few white preachers push th e”prosperity” gospel. I remember years ago when some ner-do-well borrowed lost of money, gave it to his Prosperity church and expected a 100 fold payback.

It didn’t work.

[Salvation]

**I also realized that my pastors never mentioned education or investments (other than investing in the kingdom of God) as a means to acquire wealth.**

Mentioned in connection with Dave Ramsey’s financial planning class at our Church.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember listing to a black woman preacher on a black radio station. she promised to remove curses, hoodoos and voodoos and make your love life better.

All you had to do was send her TEN DOLLARS, and she would send you a little doll. You then pin a 10 dollar bill to the doll, then after a week, send that ten dollar bill to her, and as the bill is sent through the mail the curse would go with the money away form the person who felt cursed.

You had to do this for several months to remove all the curses, hoodoos and voodoos.

[bluedogpdx]

Years ago, when Obama’s black pastor of 20 some years, Jeremiah Wright, was in the news, I thought I had read that he was retiring to a newly built 10,000 sq/ft home in a gated community which was mostly white.

I don’t know if he preached about prosperity but the victim hood and resentment against white people (and I think he’s half white, just like Obama) sure seems to have paid well for him.

[Alex Murphy]

After some years of attending mega-churches pastored by both black and white men and their wives, I begin to notice a trend. These pastors would always tell their congregation – mostly non-college-educated and barely surviving members – that the way to prosperity is through tithing. Tithing was the only means to prosperity taught by these pastors. In fact, the reason for all that ailed the saints (hard times, sickness, and lack) was non-tithing (i.e., theft of God’s money).

Ping!

[CyberAnt]

Just because somebody didn’t dump a truckload of money on the writer of this article, that is NOT PROOF that God doesn’t meet needs (not wants).

Jesus made the most important statement to a man who ran up to him in the street, begging Jesus to come and heal his daughter. The man’s neighbors all scoffed at him and told him to leave Jesus alone because the daughter was already dead. However, immediately, Jesus looked directly at the man and said, “ONLY BELIEVE”. The man ran back to his home and waited for Jesus to come. Jesus did come and after laying hands on the little girl, she was fully recovered.

For me, that has been the key .. to self-sustaining income, plus miracles of healing .. because I was willing to “only believe”.

[aquila48]

“Ticket to Heaven” by Dire Straits.

[ravenwolf]

If the guy had to get past grade school to figure that out it must be more confusing than I thought it was.

[dfwgator]

"Counting up the dough / Counting up the dough / We shall come rejoicing / Counting up the dough!"

[ansel12]

It works for Mormons, tithing is mandatory in Mormonism and is verified every two years, if you fall short, then you are kicked down to the normal Mormons and can only attend the plain church buildings and are forbidden entrance into the Holy Temples and the secrets and relationships therein.

[arthurus]

Actually my finances began to straighten out after I began tithing. No one told me to tithe. It was my own decision from my own study.

[Blue Collar Christian]

In the small Southern Baptist churches I have attended since becoming a Christian I have not seen this type of preaching. I have seen the tithing preaching, but not associated with becoming wealthy. This article was painting with a broad brush and preaching moral relativism.

[Morgana]

“I want to focus on the plight of the black saints who sit under the ministry of black pastors (and some white pastors) Sunday after Sunday and continue to live paycheck to paycheck.”

Yes I know about this too! I’m currently helping one of those pastors by rounding up (used) clothing, for him, when ever I can. It sickens me to see those TV preachers with their million dollar suits begging for more. I wish more could see through the scam. Help your local pastor even if it means all you can do is donate or find a clothing bank to give him clothing. Or what ever else he (or his family) needs. BTW I’m not even a member of his church.