Free Republic

The federal government can’t take our money and give it to Joel Osteen or Robert Jeffress or Paula White—even in the wake of a pandemic,” I wrote back in May. But that’s exactly what Trump’s Small Business Administration has done by giving Paycheck Protection Program funds to churches. Paula White’s church took in between $150,000 and $350,000, Jeffress’s church grabbed between $2 million and $5 million and, now we know that Osteen’s megachurch pocketed $4.4 million. Other megachurches snagged millions of taxpayer dollars. As time passes, the inevitable abuses are coming to light. One megachurch televangelist even bought a private...

PASTOR JAMES MACDONALD More than a month after winning a lucrative arbitration settlement against Harvest Bible Chapel in the greater Chicago area, founder James MacDonald has alleged elders colluded to oust him from the helm of the church in an unbiblical manner following a failed attempt at reconciliation.“Some are no doubt saying, ‘Dude, you got fired. It happens, even unjustly, all the time – own what you can, get over the rest and get on with your life,” he explained in a recent two part statement (part 1 and part 2) posted on his website.“I agree! And I surely would...

A woman who says she became an evangelical pastor because of her “love for performing” is now a hit on OnlyFans as a stripper—and fulfilling her childhood dream, she told the New York Post. Nikole Mitchell, who grew up Baptist, told the Post she had “always fantasized about being a stripper” and has also come out as bisexual. “But I was indoctrinated to believe my desires and my body were innately sinful and bad,” the 36-year-old said. Her upbringing was fiercely conservative and taught her that women can’t be leaders and that their place is in the kitchen. “So...

Charles Spurgeon prophetically remarked of the coming Laodicean Church Age when he said that ‘instead of pastors feeding the sheep, you would have clowns feeding the goats’, and has that ever come stunningly true. Joel Osteen, America’s most-popular motivational speaker and pretend preacher has now put 400 of his “most successful positive affirmations’ into a push-button cube that sits on your desk, waiting to lead you and guide you. If the bible is true, Joel Osteen is a liar. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,...

A pastor of a Georgia megachurch who also is running for U.S. Senate said last week he believes legalized abortion is “consistent with” Christianity and he would “fight” to ensure it remains legal. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and a Democratic candidate trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in November’s election, made the comments to WGAU’s Tim Bryant. Bryant asked Warnock how the pro-choice views of the Democrat Party “square with” his “role as a minister, a leader of a church, a man of God.” “I believe that healthcare is a human right,”...

The story is remarkable, to the glory of God. It is a story that needs to be told. But first, for some background. I first met Satish Kumar in Hyderabad, India, in 1995. He was a young man, fairly new to the ministry, and at the very beginning of his journey. When we next met, in 2015, he was pastoring the world’s fastest-growing church, having exploded from 25 to 130,000 members in just 10 years. (I was there to witness the miracle firsthand). Now, Pastor Kumar informs me, they have eight church satellites with a total membership of 330,000. This...

Televangelist Jim Bakker said he’s been cut off by credit card companies after he was accused of selling a fake coronavirus cure and asked viewers to send cash or checks or he may have to file for bankruptcy. “You can’t use credit cards if you do give to our ministry at this time because there’s a situation,” Bakker said on his show this week. He told viewers that the government said, “’You sold products that we didn’t approve of,’ but that’s not what we did.”

Andy Stanley, son of famous pastor Charles Stanley, is a serial blasphemer and idolater who twists God’s Word — whenever he even discusses it — and uses it to create a false church built around a false gospel and a false Jesus. Andy Stanly has made a number of dubious claims about the Christian faith and in particular, the Scriptures. Famously stating that Christianity needs to “unhitch” from the Old Testament, he told his audience that the Ten Commandments don’t apply to Christians. He’s flopped on homosexuality — telling the mother of an openly-gay and practicing girl that her daughter...

Pastor Victor Couzens of the Inspirational Bible Church in Cincinnati, Ohio is starring in a real-life episode of Greenleaf. His megachurch is facing foreclosure after having dwindled from 5,000 members to just 200, cheating accusations and criminal charges. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday that the Inspirational Baptist Church went into foreclosure two weeks ago, owing $4.6 million. Furthermore, the almost 60,000-square-foot building is listed for sale. In a phone interview with the newspaper, the 43-year-old pastor would not directly address the financial well-being of his covenant. “Much of this is in-house stuff that I don’t have anything to say about...

Prophet Nigel Gaisie, made some shocking claims concerning the death of the basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant who died in an helicopter crash on their way to California in saturday. While the man of God was preaching and prophesying to his congregations, he said he is capable of raising Kobe Bryant and his daughter from death. He however attached some conditions to this…. According to man of God, he can only do so if 10% of Kobe’s net worth is given to him. Prophet Nigel Maisie says as quoted below. “The Lord just took me into...

A team of evangelical leaders including host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program, Michael Brown, declared Fresh Fire USA leader Todd Bentley “not qualified” for leadership Thursday after an investigation found allegations of “ungodly and immoral behavior” against him “credible.” “Based on our careful review of numerous first-hand reports, some of them dating back to 2004, we state our theological opinion and can say with one voice that, without a doubt, Todd is not qualified to serve in leadership or ministry today,” said the leaders in an official statement shared by Brown on Facebook. “There are credible...

A Christian megachurch in California is soliciting prayers and US$100,000 in donations on behalf of two of its members, who are holding out hope that Jesus will “resurrect” their recently deceased toddler. Kalley and Andrew Heiligenthal say their daughter, Olive Alayne, passed away on Dec. 14 at the age of two. Kalley is a well-known singer at the Bethel megachurch in Redding, Calif., and she shared the news of her family tragedy with her 262,000 followers on Instagram Sunday. “We’re asking for prayer. We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection...

The Rev. Wes Feltner, lead pastor of preaching and vision at the multi-campus Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, has resigned from his post amid an investigation into allegations from two 35-year-old women who say he manipulated them into sexual relationships while they were teenagers 17 years ago. “After much prayer and deep consideration for his family and the mission of Berean Baptist Church, pastor Wes Feltner has submitted his resignation,” elders of the church read from a statement to the congregation last weekend, according to the Star Tribune. “Pastor Wes and his family are entering a period to seek...

Paula White, .. a transparent fraud who pushes the prosperity gospel, preached at church founded by South African conspiracy nut Rodney Howard-Browne a few weeks ago and declared that the White House is now holy ground because she walked there. In fact, everywhere she walks becomes holy ground. Whatever that means. “How does he do that?” she asked. “He does that through you. He does that through me. Wherever I go, God rules. When I walk on White House grounds, God walks on White House grounds. When I walked in The River, God walked in The River. When I go...

Happy Friday! Paula White, President Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor, is joining the White House staff — seen as a move to boost relations with Christians. She gave a prayer at a June rally saying “demonic networks” have aligned themselves against Trump and vowed that the president “will overcome every strategy from hell and every strategy from the enemy.” [TheHill] Topping the news: The House voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry into Trump. Democratic Utah Rep. Ben McAdams was the only member of Utah’s delegation to vote for it. [Trib] [Fox13] [StandEx] -> Utah Gov. Gary Herbert wrote a letter to...

Paula White-Cain, who has long been a member of President Trump's evangelical advisory board, is now joining the White House in the Office of Public Liaison. A White House official tells the New York Times the pastor and evangelist will advise the president's "faith and opportunity initiative" created by Trump to give people of faith more of a say in government programs. White-Cain began to advise Trump long before he was elected president, offering pastoral and spiritual counsel after he called her one day back in 2001, saying he'd seen her preach on Christian television and appreciated what she had...

Of all the projects real estate mogul Donald Trump wanted to build, here’s one that nobody saw. According to his long-time personal pastor, Paula White-Cain, Trump, in 2006 was taking steps to build a glass cathedral. “He wanted to build a house of God,” she told us. “He said, ‘Let’s do this, let’s build this before we’re too old,’” said White-Cain told Secrets. Trump had an architect in place and was eager to have her take charge of the church, but White-Cain said the timing wasn’t right for her. At the time, her ministry was on nine TV networks, and...

He's the flashy church leader who takes money for miracles and is living a million-dollar lifestyle thanks to the tax-free donations from his thousands of believers. Phil Pringle rose from humble garbage collector to leader of C3 Church – one of the biggest churches you've probably never heard of, and the focus of a two-part exclusive investigation by A Current Affair. Its target is God's hipsters - a following of young faithful hooked on Instagram. Over three decades Phil Pringle has built an empire including around 400 churches world-wide, and the church claims more than 100,000 members. And for a...

You had ONE job! Evidently Donald Trump can’t make it through a single White House meeting without forgetting his manners. This time, he was caught red-handed STARING at Paula White’s butt inside the Roosevelt Room. We’ve got the shocking pic, here! Donald Trump, 70, — the man with wandering hands and wandering eyes. He may not be grabbing women anymore, but that does NOT excuse his inappropriate behavior inside the White House. As he pulled out the chair for Paula White, 50, to take a seat, Donald forgot his manners at home and totally checked out her butt in the...

So it must have been quite a shock to his viewers – many of whom, perhaps, have supported his ministry for years by sending him money – to hear him say earlier this week: Hinn: "… I'm sorry to say that prosperity has gone a little crazy – and I'm correcting my own theology …. And I will tell you now something that is going to shock you: I think it's an offense to the Lord, it's an offense to say give a thousand dollars. I think it's an offense to the Holy Spirit to place a price on the...