Televangilists

[Kenyon Ledford]

They have been parodied ad nauseam. The crooks raking in money have been well documented.

Do you think the majority of them are just using the pulpit to rake in cash?

I just started watching them and it seems a good deal of sermons veer into
giving.

I know they have to make money to stay on TV and bring the gospel.

I know of someone who accepted Christ while watching, so I don't think they're just
preaching to the converted.

What are your opinions on TV evangelists?

Or is it un Christian to even have an opinion on them, ie judging?

I can't say anything, because I'm really not doing anything to bring people to Christ other
than trying to be a good example.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I don't really have an opinion on them. I haven't seen anything to do with them in a while. However, the following guy is kind of funny.

 

[Jonaitis]

They have been parodied ad nauseam. The crooks raking in money have been well documented.

Do you think the majority of them are just using the pulpit to rake in cash?

I just started watching them and it seems a good deal of sermons veer into
giving.

I know they have to make money to stay on TV and bring the gospel.

I know of someone who accepted Christ while watching, so I don't think they're just
preaching to the converted.

What are your opinions on TV evangelists?

Or is it un Christian to even have an opinion on them, ie judging?

I can't say anything, because I'm really not doing anything to bring people to Christ other
than trying to be a good example.

1. Of course, it is a business career for them more it is a ministry.

2. I believe many of them preach and teach a false gospel, with false hopes, to many false converts (not all).

3. You and I have the right to judge any and everything according to truth. Judgement is in the power of the creature to distinguish one thing from another.

 

[HTacianas]

They have been parodied ad nauseam. The crooks raking in money have been well documented.

Do you think the majority of them are just using the pulpit to rake in cash?

I just started watching them and it seems a good deal of sermons veer into
giving.

I know they have to make money to stay on TV and bring the gospel.

I know of someone who accepted Christ while watching, so I don't think they're just
preaching to the converted.

What are your opinions on TV evangelists?

Or is it un Christian to even have an opinion on them, ie judging?

I can't say anything, because I'm really not doing anything to bring people to Christ other
than trying to be a good example.

I think most of them started off with good intentions but slipped into the abyss long ago. Sometimes at work we monitor a channel and Jim Baker is on. Even Jim Baker says some things I agree with but it only makes me think of that adage about blind hogs finding acorns or however it goes.

Then you have the ones like Joel Osteen and some woman whose name I don't know who are little more than motivational speakers who throw "Jesus" out every now and then.

All that after being raised to believe they were right. Knowing what I know now I can't tell you the difference between a televangelist and a parody of a televangelist.

 

[crossnote]

I know they have to make money to stay on TV and bring the gospel.

I know of someone who accepted Christ while watching, so I don't think they're just
preaching to the converted.

Staying on TV is one thing, having 5 Jaguars is another.
God can use His Word to save despite the ill (or misplaced)
intentions of the preacher.

 

[Kenyon Ledford]

Just saw a few more. I think there is a school they go to where they are taught to say, "Watch this..."
and also talk about how they gave money and then a mysterious person came up to them the next day and handed them a LOT of money, saying, "God told me to give you this" and so on

 

[mark kennedy]

I used to enjoy Jimmy Swaggart, even went to one of his things at Market Square here in Indianapolis, a pretty good gospel message. When the whole scandal broke out about him and Jim Baker it soured me on the whole televangelist thing. I saw Jim Baker about a year ago on TBN, he told a story I found compelling. He said that the very people who prosecuted him were arguing in his favor in the hearing the released him from jail. Really never got much out of Christian TV but I did like Jimmy Swaggart, right up until he got caught getting goofy with that hooker he liked.

 

[ilovejcsog]

I watch them at least every Sunday. If you watch enough you eventually are a pretty good judge of who is there with God. I tithe also to some of them. As far as how they spend their money it doesn't concern me as it is between God and them.
Charles Stanley, T D Jakes, James Merrit for starters if you need references you've got mine

 

[ilovejcsog]

I used to enjoy Jimmy Swaggart, even went to one of his things at Market Square here in Indianapolis, a pretty good gospel message. When the whole scandal broke out about him and Jim Baker it soured me on the whole televangelist thing. I saw Jim Baker about a year ago on TBN, he told a story I found compelling. He said that the very people who prosecuted him were arguing in his favor in the hearing the released him from jail. Really never got much out of Christian TV but I did like Jimmy Swaggart, right up until he got caught getting goofy with that hooker he liked.

He is still on tv but not on TBN. One of the off Christian channels.

 

[Kenyon Ledford]

I watch them at least every Sunday. If you watch enough you eventually are a pretty good judge of who is there with God. I tithe also to some of them. As far a how they spend their money it doesn't concern me as it is between God and them.
Charles Stanley, T D Jakes, James Merrit for starters if you need references you've got mine

Thanks! You get a useful wrench, which I thought for the longest time was a turkey drumstick

 

[Sabertooth]

Do you think the majority of them are just using the pulpit to rake in cash?

With caveats, no.

I just started watching them and it seems a good deal of sermons veer into giving.

There is a certain subset of churches (on & off TV) that spend an inordinate amount of time on money. (That is where most of your con wo/men will hide.*) And they are most likely to have enough funds to break into radio & TV.

But big, legitimate churches have money to do so, as well.

Though I won't judge outright, I am very leery of churches who must always include the topic of money in. every. single. message.

*Jesus said that there will always be "tares" in our midst [Matthew 13:24-30].

 

[ilovejcsog]

Thanks! You get a useful wrench, which I thought for the longest time was a turkey drumstick

What is a useful wrench? A drumstick sounds better

 

[Kenyon Ledford]

Seed sowing is what many of these guys talk about. They're asking people to buy God's favor! Buy blessings. Wow! It's multi level marketing. "Gee, if 1,000 people send me 100 dollars..."
And with the lifestyles these people are living, I can't believe much of the money is going into
ministry.

Very sad.

 

[ilovejcsog]

I can only hope that God guides me to where he wants his money. My obligation ends there. I trust him to lead me to the best place to spread his word.

 

[Sabertooth]

I tithe also to some of them.

Just picking nits: It is only a "tithe" when you send 10% to your own church. Everything else is an "offering..."

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Sharing the gospel by TV can be a very expensive way of getting the Word out to people. TV time does not come cheap when you think of the equipment and staff needed to run a regular TV evangelistic ministry. And these outreaches are financed main through the offerings received from ordinary people who wish to support them. I think that there is nothing wrong with people who are benefiting from the ministry knowing how much it costs to run it. I also don't think it is wrong with advertising the costs and asking that people give to keep the ministry running.

But I would have confidence in a ministry that shows evidence of a board of trustees, a treasurer, accountant, and auditor; plus having the preacher paid a set salary (that enables him to have a reasonable home, reliable motor vehicles, and for him to pay his bills and feed his family just like any other appropriately paid pastor of a church), and staff who are paid livable salaries.

(When I speak of an appropriate pastor's salary, I don't include those bean-counting churches who pay their pastor a pittance when they could afford to pay him a salary that enables him to pay his bills each month.)

But a ministry where the head rooster is also the main preacher who gets all the money and takes the lion's share for himself to enable him to have a 10 bedroom 3 bathroom mansion with swimming pool and all the extras, plus a collection of the most expensive motor vehicles, is, in my mind, ministering for personal profit and not for the love of winning souls for Christ.

So, if I was going to give to a ministry, I would want to see their balance sheet and audited accounts. If they are unwilling to supply that information, I would refrain from give even one dollar to them.

I have a friend who has a world-wide prophetic ministry. He has always lived by faith, and all the donations received have gone into the ministry and not to him. These days, he is receiving a retirement pension and he and his wife are living on that. He has an ordinary 3 bedroom home in a middle-class suburb in a small town. Yet, God has provided thousands of dollars to have his ministry books printed in the languages of a number of countries around the world, and has supported his travel expenses to travel from New Zealand to Africa, Italy and the United Kingdom at different times. As a result, God has mightily blessed his ministry with souls saved and filled with the Spirit wherever he ministers. He get so many invitations to preach that he is usually booked up a couple of years ahead.

 

[ilovejcsog]

I would agree with you but I have watched them for years and you can pretty much tell by their lives outside the church where the money is going. Also how they elaborate the services and how they dress, etc. Check out the three I posted and you will see what I mean. It wasn't deliberate on my part, only realizing their outward appearances after your post. It is interesting that they are humble in their appearance. Another thing is their families. They are so Godly. I am so impressed what good children they raised It seems all are involved in the church. It doesn't get better than that does it? None are flashy. I can give you many that are and have proven to be what they appear. That's what I mean, if you watch them enough the truth comes out in several ways.

 

[Sketcher]

I don't know of any Televangelists that don't have a Pentecostal/Word of Faith bend. That's where most of the problems come from, IMO.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

They have been parodied ad nauseam. The crooks raking in money have been well documented.

Do you think the majority of them are just using the pulpit to rake in cash?

The va$t majorit¥ of them are fine, up$tanding individual$ who onl¥ want to $erve the £ord. ₩h¥, ca$h i$ the furthe$t from their mind$.

 

[ilovejcsog]

I don't know of any Televangelists that don't have a Pentecostal/Word of Faith bend. That's where most of the problems come from, IMO.

Pentecostal/Word of Faith bend.?
What does that mean?