Posted on 05/13/2011 2:57:33 AM PDT by Gamecock
Pastor Paula White broke her silence Thursday night, addressing all the scandals that she has been associated with since her divorce in 2007.
"We’re letting our hair down," White told thousands at the 2011 Pastors and Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla. "I'm not here to look cute ... I came to let the devil know ... I'm stronger than I've ever been."
Though the two-hour message began with shouts of encouragement and notes of affirmation for the participating leaders who may be facing challenges or opposition, by the end of the night it was apparent that the popular charismatic pastor was also preaching to herself.
"I have a word to those who have all odds stacked against them," she preached. "You're about to get your bounce back."
"The enemy strategically plotted against you, hunted you like prey, set out to destroy you, tried to wreck your mind, destroy your heart, jack up your family, take your ministry, ruin your reputation ... and he thought that he had you. He set you up and thought this is what will kill them.
"I came to put every devil on notice ... I'm getting my dream back, I'm getting my prophesy back, I'm getting my vision back, I'm getting my anointing back, I'm getting my strength back."
White, who calls herself the "former messed up Mississippi girl," let the audience know that she would be "very vulnerable and very open" that night.
Before walking back through her tumultuous past few years, she told them, "I think it's time we stop being hypocrites in the pulpit. I think ... it's time that we take the mask off to this generation and show them that we have the same issues and the same struggles."
"We (sic) going public with all our stuff. Somebody's got to get real in the church now."
She did just that, opening up about the pressures that piled up and the crises in her life that the media was all over.
It all began in 2004 when the IRS launched a nine-year investigation into the personal and organizational finances of White and her then husband, Randy.
Just two years earlier in 2002, White had written in her journal: "I'm living heaven on earth. Life cannot get any better."
"I'm above the struggle and beneath the radar. I love my husband and my husband loves me. And we do. The kids are doing good. And millions of dollars in the bank. Not sick," she recalled feeling at the time.
White had risen to prominence as a preacher, motivational speaker, author and TV personality after co-founding what is now Without Walls International Church with her husband and starting her own ministry.
She was living her dream life, as she described to pastors at the Orlando conference.
But after the IRS investigation began, she began to face challenge after challenge to the point where she wanted to and even tried to quit.
"You can handle something if it's for a short season. But how do I praise Him when my days turn into weeks and my weeks turn into months and my months turn into years and my years turn into decades?" she said. "How do I praise Him under that continual pressure? That kind of pressure wears you out."
Listing the numerous trials she went through, White said she experienced a midlife meltdown, compassion fatigue, her friend being falsely accused and sent to prison, a stroke, addiction to the prescription medication she was given following her stroke, and problems in her marriage.
Continuing, she added that her church staff split in the middle with some turning on the Whites and going to the media.
She maintained that the articles written based on allegations from former church staff were "mostly, totally unfounded" and "lies." The Whites were accused of being all about money and fame.
She also indicated that the staff turned on the church because they couldn’t "supply the staff with the lifestyle that they were used to."
Family problems were added when White found out that her son had a drug addiction and was sexually abused by another male at a staff member's house. She then had to experience the pain of her non-biological daughter battling brain cancer. Kristen, Randy's oldest daughter, died in 2008 at age 30.
In the midst of all this, White said she was being pressured to preach and prophesy and fulfill her role in the church.
"[Bishop] Randy, Pastor Paula, give me a word, marry me, bury me, pay these bills, prophesy. Why aren't you doing this? Why isn't it like it used to be? We don't like the music. We leaving the church because you didn't know our names and you didn't come have lasagna with us," she said, mimicking the demands and criticisms she was met with.
White noted that it was under "that kind of pressure" and "in a really weak moment" that she and her husband made the decision to divorce in 2007. The split was amicable.
According to White, her husband closed up to her. While she traveled the world preaching, she pondered, "Why can I win the world and not go home and win the one that I love?"
She recounted a time when Randy took her into a dark room, placed a mask on her, spun her around and told her to find her way out. With tears, White said she sat there for half an hour, scared and calling out to him. He took off her mask and informed her that that is what he felt like he was going through.
When the two announced their split, Randy had agreed to take the responsibility. And "God told me to keep my mouth shut," she said.
Randy, who no longer co-pastors Without Walls, is now writing a book, she noted.
But she added, "I'm proud of him. He never quit .... God or anything else."
The trials continued even after the divorce when White and televangelist Benny Hinn were pictured last summer in The National Enquirer leaving a hotel in Rome holding hands. They were accused of having an affair and being engaged.
On Thursday, White flatly denied that she ever had an affair.
"They're going to talk about you and write ... because it sells ragtag magazines," she said. "They're going to lie on you but God's going to tell you to keep your mouth shut."
There was also the so-called Grassley investigation. Sen. Charles Grassley launched a Senate probe in 2007 into six influential ministries, including White's, following complaints of opulent spending and possible abuse of nonprofit status.
The probe came to a close in January of this year. With little cooperation from most of the ministries, which called the investigation an attack on their religious freedom and privacy rights, Grassley's office was unable to make any conclusion about the spending of the ministries and handed out no penalties.
White interpreted that to mean her ministry was cleared.
"The church better recognize, it should be thanking six ministries for fighting for the body of Christ for saying 'we are not going to let you dictate to us how we interpret Scripture' and you can't tell us 'because Jesus rode in on a donkey' because if you start telling us how to interpret Scripture in one way, you'll tell us how to interpret it in every way," White said in frustration. Grassley had referred to Jesus' humble entrance into Jerusalem to make the point that ministers today don't really need Bentleys and Rolls-Royces to spread the Gospel.
"I preach in countries if I say 'Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and the life,' they'll arrest me. And don't think America's that far away. Unless the people of righteousness stand up and say 'we're not going to allow for this because you cannot take what is our First Amendment rights. You can't do that!" White asserted. "We pay taxes. We work hard. We do it by the books. We have integrity. But you're going to make a public misery and mess out of it like something's wrong!"
Stressing that her church gave $9 million to mission in January 2007, built education centers in Pakistan, put students through college, fed and continue to feed thousands every week, and helped transform countless lives, White said, "Are you serious? You want to fight over a $50,000 what? Excuse me?!"
Her long, emotional testimony was met with applause and support from the thousands of pastors in the conference room in Orlando.
Though at the time, she wondered whether she would be able to overcome the trials, she now says what the devil meant for bad, God has turned around to work for the good.
"God uses every enemy, every lawsuit, every lie, every betrayal, all the brokenness," she stressed.
"It's not over. I got my bounce back. That's my message."
The three-day Pastors and Leadership Conference, hosted by Bishop T.D. Jakes, kicked off on Thursday.
Wait a minute -- you said in post 10 Rock throwing tends to be a pretty hazardous hobby.
-- why are you now throwing rocks?
HALLANDALE BEACH – THE VOICE magazine, Advancing Christian Life & Culture - August 28, 2008
Randy, pastor of the controversial Without Walls megachurch in Tampa, Fla., has given $2,000 to Obama’s camp and went record in the Tampa Tribune earlier this month during a town hall meeting in St. Pete as an official supporter, according to the Tampa Tribune.
The Voice magazine is still trying to reach Randy White for comment.
Specifically, Randy White, the pastor of the controversial Without Walls megachurch, reportedly told a Trib reporter he’s supporting Obama and thinks his ex-wife and former partner in the church, Paula White, does also.
Could Randy be right? Paula anted up $2,300 to Obama’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.
PAULA WHITE DENIES OBAMA SUPPORT
However, Paula’s PR firm has reached out to The Voice magazine to deny the Tribune’s claims. The following is Paula’s official “political position”:
“Regardless of any media stories or blog posts, I am unquestionably 100% pro-life and pro-family values. My political position has always been bipartisan and nonpartisan. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion and I talk regularly with and minister to people who hold a broad range of opinions.
“Several months ago I was invited to meet Sen. Obama at an event hosted by Oprah Winfrey. It was an opportunity to meet him personally and to hear what he stands for. The apostle, Paul, said “make the most of every opportunity.” This was one such opportunity. The cost of admission to that event was the “donation”, which came from my personal funds.
“I do not endorse candidates and I have not endorsed Sen. Obama. Although people with whom I work on ministry matters may respond to inquiries about my opinions, that is their speculation: no one is authorized to speak for me on personal or political matters. I am a Christian and a proud American. I am staunchly anti-abortion. Any other labels placed on me are given without my consent. Ultimately, I am always focused on bringing people into relationship with Jesus Christ and allowing His light to shine through my life.”
WHITE, PAULA
TAMPA,FL 33607 SELF EMPLOYED/FOUNDER/CEO PAULA WHI 9/17/07 $2,300 Obama, Barack (D)
Full disclosure, she has also donated to George W. Bush and Romney in previous cycles.
seems so
Don't you see your own actions when you do this and now preaching to others?
I've never seen any of your criticisms of Benny Hinn except that "he's a strange fish".
Thank you so much for sharing your testimony and insights, dear brother in Christ!
interesting — what about Benny?
Basically you're saying that you throw rocks even though you warn others not to because "God lays it on your heart" - in other words you are arguing that you have special divine permission to sin.
After making this amazing statement, you then accuse others of blasphemy.
Fascinating.
She sure does like to say the ‘I” alot doesn’t she.
Very true.
The first 3 words speak volumes:
“Pastor Paula White”
It gets worse, though:
“I came to put every devil on notice ... I’m getting my dream back, I’m getting my prophesy back, I’m getting my vision back, I’m getting my anointing back, I’m getting my strength back.”
Guess she’s going to do it all on her own.
“16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” - Psalms 51
“3. In same book asserts Jesus was made sin”
Scripturally ignorant Catholics should refrain from rock throwing.
2 Corinthians 5:21 - “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Millions in the bank? From a "ministry"?
Fleecing the flock is more like it. She ought to be ashamed of herself banking millions off of the good faith donations of others.
I may only get to that after I get home. I’m not willing to type about a complex topic on this small keyboard.
Thanks for your kind words. I didn’t expect anything I said on this thread to result in anything but attacks! LOL.
Bless you Dear Sister in Christ.
Thanks for being so TERMINALLY WRONG yet again.
Given that you seem to have 0.00000000000% understanding of my words on the topic so far, I have 0.000000000% confidence that you’d understand any more of my words on the topic.
I probably won’t waste words trying.
You have condemned those who have criticized White and then immediately turned around and criticized others.
When asked to explain the inconsistency, you stated that White should somehow be exempt because she is a public figure - which, let's be serious, is an absolutely ridiculous argument.
Then you said that you were exempt from your own rule because God Himself had instructed you to criticize others.
These are the facts. I understand your words perfectly.
I also understand that your spiritual pride is such that you would rather implicate the Almighty Himself in your wrongdoing that admit to your wrongdoing.
Interestingly, this is precisely the moral pathology that White exhibits: her words are not only dishonest and uncandid but defiant.
Unlike you who blames the Lord for his sins, she plays it safe and blames the Devil - but the same attitude of avoiding the blame one has richly earned for one's own repeated transgressions is there.
White's mocking of her own flock's legitimate requests for pastoral care tells us exactly the kind of person she is: Simon Magus.
I'll leave you with this thought: it is one thing to repeatedly sin while admitting that one is weak and has sinned and done wrong. It is another to repeatedly sin while insisting that one is strong and one's sins are really righteous acts blessed by God.
When asked to explain the inconsistency, you stated that White should somehow be exempt because she is a public figure - which, let’s be serious, is an absolutely ridiculous argument.
What a slightly interesting super mangling of my words.
What a straw dog.
So typical of RC’s so used to the Vatican Cult’s mangling of Scripture, history and daffynitions.
Quix (post 115) Those who cannot discern the difference between flesh-driven, personal/organizational idolatrous pique rock throwing vs declaring Biblical and reality truth out of a good heart and motivation . . . probably should shut-up until they can.
So, conditions on rock throwing now? First no rock throwing at the divorcee having a fling with Benny boy, the guy who talks about 9 gods?
hmm...Quix (post 10): Rock throwing tends to be a pretty hazardous hobby.
Interesting -- that's pretty clear that your posts exonerate Paula who boasted in her journal about the "millions" she has in the bank as a result of fleecing her flock
Do you consider two ministers of the Gospel, who are not married to one another, who are photographed hand-in-hand coming out of a hotel in Rome to be engaging in acceptable behavior?
Is that acting "from a pure heart"?
hmm...post 55
Interesting -- yet aren't your posts taking the same potshots and stone throwing?
Matthew 7:3-5
And why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye; and seest not the beam that is in thy own eye?
[4] Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast the mote out of thy eye; and behold a beam is in thy own eye?
[5] Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.