I just checked the unemployment numbers for the counties that Saddleback churches are located in.
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/
The Corona “campus” is in Riverside County which has an unemployment rate of 14.6% and all of the others appear to be in Orange County which has an unemployment rate of 9.4% so it doesn’t seem impossible.
Even before things crashed a lot of irresponsible people lived paycheck to paycheck. Now a lot of people who lived responsibly are joining their ranks.
I agree that there’s something screwy going on and I think it’s Liberalism.
The church itself obviously has a multi-million dollar income, I don’t see how one Sunday of short donations can put them in the red - if it does it’s just irresponsible on their part. If donations are down (which I’m fully inclined to believe) and it’s putting a squeeze on their finances then it’s the type of problem that shows itself over weeks and months.
If they had plenty of time to see this coming, why wait till the last minute and then demand your members fork over a million dollars by the next day? That’s what’s screwy.