Pastor cites 'misunderstanding' of ministry (Mac Hammond)

stars tribune ^ | 2-11-07 | pamela miller

[Rakkasan1]

Pastor Mac Hammond's congregation at Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park reacted strongly Sunday to his appearance in the wake of a watchdog's group complaint to the Internal Revenue Service that he violated federal tax law and a front-page Star Tribune article examining his financial dealings: Worshipers gave him a prolonged, cheer-laced standing ovation.

"Y'all better sit down; I'll get too choked up to minister," drawled Hammond, 63, pastor of the nondenominational megachurch, which has almost 10,000 members. He called questions about his financial dealings "a misunderstanding" of his prosperity-gospel ministry, which holds that following God's word leads to spiritual and economic bounty.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Sickening...these Mega Churches are economic tax havens.

This sure wasn't Christ's message. These mega "churches" are almost like an Amway franchise...focusing on the Greed principle.

[Patrick1]

You can't serve two masters. I think someone important to pastors said that.

[shrinkermd]

The Strib always takes the position that there is no condemnation more richly deserved than someone elses's religion.

They have recently been bought out by a buccaneer business organization. We will see what those who will be fired have to say about praying for success.

[seanmerc]

This dude is fleecing the flock. The Lord will deal with him.

[Coldwater Creek]

Satan has a script, and so many church leaders are following it to a 'T'.

A person could go a website connected with my own church, the cornerstone of the Southern Baptist Convention, and almost verbatim the same is going on with our pastor.

It is not all about mega churches, but the leadership and their spiritual blindness.

[Coldwater Creek]

It is not the Mega church that is bad, it is the leadership.

I have attended a mega church that was completely on the up and up until recently. This church is close to 100 years old.

[reagan_fanatic]

...holds that following God's word leads to spiritual and economic bounty.

Especially for the 'Pastors' of these 'Churches'.

[100-Fold_Return]

5

[MEGoody]

This sure wasn't Christ's message.

They forget that Jesus said "My words are spirit and they are life." Wherever the bible talks about God making us rich, it is refering to spiritual riches, not material riches. They miss that.

[ARridgerunner]

"It takes wealth, folks, to establish God's covenant on this Earth. You and I will never get so spiritual that we don't need money to get more influential in the world we're in.

A man after Satan's own heart.

[nativist]

Wherever the bible talks about God making us rich, it is refering to spiritual riches, not material riches. They miss that.

Thats a lie of the devil right there. Jesus was rich and became poor so that we might be rich. We prosper and are in health even as our soul prospers. Godly prosperity comes from faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Godly prosperity means money as well as health and salvation.Being prosperous doesn't mean you live by faith, but if you live by faith you will be prosperous..as your soul prospers. If Jesus was made sin so we could be righteous, if Jesus was made sick so we could be healthy then Jesus was also made poor so that we through his poverty might be rich.

[rawhide]

He said he buys expensive clothes because "if I look decent, I preach better, so I'm really doing it for you, amen."

Thank you, thank you, thank you!(Ignore my thread-bare suit, please. Can't have the preacher looking bad now, here is another dollar!)

[USMMA_83]

That thinking of yours just blows my mind. So Jesus was poor so that his disciples could become filthy rich...is that your point?

[ASOC]

My, oh my, where to begin.....better not, it would get me banned.

[100-Fold_Return]

Hang tough for satan's minions are waiting for Believers to get snared in their traps. Expect to ganged upon, Child of God.

[nativist]

Jesus was rich and became poor so we might be rich. Prosperity goes along with divine health and salvation. They are all benefits from believing the Gospel (death burial resurrection of Jesus).

The fact is prosperity is a result of believing. Walking in complete soundness of body is a result of believing the gospel and being righteous is a result of believing the Gospel. Plain and simple. Sickness is of the Devil and so is poverty.

[nativist]

Sorry man but 100 fold return is also a lie of the devil. the 100 fold refers to mothers father children and land that we have forsaken for the Gospels sake, not give a dollar and God will give you a hundred.

Just so I am clear, Godly prosperity comes with a changing of the heart. The truth is too many Christians think poverty=Godliness or gain= Godliness. Neither is true. righteousness is by faith, prosperity is by faith. The truth is that if God gave most of us a million dollars we would go crazy fulfilling our own lusts, but as God changes us from darkness to light, through faith in the resurrection power of his son Jesus, money increases as part of our faith increasing.

[WKB]

Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.