God Will Provide! (Free stuff for me 'cause I'm one of his favorites)

[The_Barrister]

“Some o’ you came here tonight intending to REAP a MIRACLE.”

Then he held the mike close to his mouth, narrowed his eyebrows, and pointed forcefully at at the listeners as he intoned “I’m here to tell ya, you gonna have to sow some SEED!”

All I could think of was the sign at the gas station, “Pay Before You Pump.”

Amen, brother. When I was home nursing a back injury two weeks ago, my daughter and I got a kick out of watching the daytime preachers. The greatest of them all is Robert Tilton.

Ol’d Bobby was havin’ hisself a good day last Thursday. He starts each show with a short bible verse, and then he starts a pontificatin’ about getting your success in life.

But to get started in this amazing grace of getting the good stuff, you need to make a Vow of Faith. He then shows a five-minute video of a person who made a Vow of Faith, and how that Vow of Faith changed his/her life and God gave them something (usually money, job, a new house).

He then comes back on and starts prophesying (or is it profit-seeing?). He squints his eyes real tight and then he’ll say something like “There’s a teacher out there, you’re disatisfied with your job, you’re not making enough money, you need to make a Vow of Faith right now, for $1,000, and you will see your life change for the better! … Yes, and there’s a housewife out there… yes, yes, YOU, I *know * you’re listening to me. You need to make a Vow of Faith right now, and you need to *pay * on that vow, and you *WILL * get that big house. Praise God! God always delivers on his promises to you.”

At the pleading of my daughter I called his “Vow of Faith” telephone line to ask him “I’m a Catholic, can I make my Vow of Faith to a Catholic Church instead of Robert Tilton ministries?” However, there are no live oeprators - the telephone gets answered by a computer!

Gee, if I’m going to fork over $1,000 or more I want to talk to a human being!

 

[The_Barrister]

MilleniumManY2J:

In my opinion, it’s just dumb luck.

How did Dennis Kucinich get in here?

 

[WhiteDove]

Dear Barrister,
As with most scam artists, these guys can only take advantage of those who want something for nothing and are motivated by greed. Gullible housewives are no exception. Isn’t it sad, though, to see the holy name of Christ being abused in this way?

 

[Writer]

WhiteDove:

Thanks for your replies. I felt a little irritated at my irritation, but I find that I don’t even want to talk to this lady. When I asked her if she were going to church anywhere yet, she said, “No, God wants me right where I am, doing exactly what I’m doing” I hate to say it, but I feel I have more common ground for discussion with a non-believer than with her. I certainly didn’t want to challange her and get into a debate on her shallow view of God and the spiritual life.

She’s just doing her own thing, feeling good, on a roll, and everything goin’ her way. Who am I to burst her bubble?

Likely as soon as things take a downturn she’ll attribute that also to God and become “disillusioned”. Problem is she’ll equate the false “health and wealth” gospel with the real faith and become disillusioned with regards to faith in general. It is a false teaching which is certainly spreading pain around people’s lives.

 

[St.Ambrose]

WhiteDove:

Ugh, I just got off the phone with a lady I know. She is a born again Christian with a limited theology. I hadn’t spoken with her for awhile.

I asked her how she was doing, and she was all giggles and levity because God was doing marvelous things in her life! This consisted mainly of free stuff coming her way without any effort on her part. She seemed to attribute it all to God’s direct intervention in bestowing special favors on her.

I wonder what she thinks of the countless people in this world who have had misfortune come their way. Does God not care about them? I just can’t stand this name and claim it attitude towards God.

I have known several people who perceive/think that this doctrine is true and works for them. They are not dummies. I don’t know how they maintain their belief in it over time… perhaps they are particularly blessed of god… or perhaps very lucky and their unlucky “number” has not come up yet and a tragedy happened to them.

I certainly don’t have the luxory of being deluded on this issue.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

“Name it & Claim it” and “Health & Wealth” preaching is as full of garbage as rubbing that blue dot in the National Enquirer…

Whenever I hear these blaphemous preachers claiming “God aint a wantin nobody to suffer” I cant help recall St Pio upon being asked by a penitant if his Stigmata gave him pain…he said" what do think…that Jesus gave me this for decorations"???

Or St Teresa of Avila, complaining to the Lord about her sufferings…“if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you dont have many of them”!

I wish I had the power to cancel those Health and Wealth programs.

 

[Kevan]

Writer:

Likely as soon as things take a downturn she’ll attribute that also to God and become “disillusioned”. Problem is she’ll equate the false “health and wealth” gospel with the real faith and become disillusioned with regards to faith in general. It is a false teaching which is certainly spreading pain around people’s lives.

Some become disillusioned, and it’s not a pretty sight. But most of those I’ve seen have talked themselves into a bubble where there can be no data that contradict their belief. If things go well, then God is blessing; if things get tough, then I need to speak more faith-filled words; when things finally get better, that proves that this stuff works; if they get worse, that’s just a temptation of the devil.

sigh

 

[Makerteacher]

The Barrister:

Amen, brother. When I was home nursing a back injury two weeks ago, my daughter and I got a kick out of watching the daytime preachers. The greatest of them all is Robert Tilton.

Ol’d Bobby was havin’ hisself a good day last Thursday. He starts each show with a short bible verse, and then he starts a pontificatin’ about getting your success in life.

Oh goodness, I thought Bob Tilton was off the air. I am astonished! He had his “Word of Faith” ministry here in Dallas in the 80s and the early 90s, but following several financial and sexual scandals, including a divorce (he’s on his third marriage now) and some legal convictions, he lost the ministry and the buildings, which have been subsequently bulldozed to the ground. He moved to Tulsa where he did the same thing over again.

Many who worked for him have testified that he would instruct them to open the mail, remove the cash and checks, and throw the letters and prayer requests away.

Now I understand he has begun again, this time in south Florida, and is running the same scam. Here in Dallas he was commonly referred to as “The Profit (as opposed to prophet) Bob Tilton” I cannot believe he has started up again and that anyone would send this Prosperity Gospel preacher cash money anymore!

Here is a link to the Trinity Organization’s page on Tilton. Trinity is a sort of religious watchdog group and was partially responsible for the expose’ on Tilton back in the early 90s.
trinityfi.org/press/tulsaworld02.html

 

[Monarchy]

The Barrister:

Amen, brother. When I was home nursing a back injury two weeks ago, my daughter and I got a kick out of watching the daytime preachers. The greatest of them all is Robert Tilton.

If you don’t consider it blahesphamy (sp?) you can go to www.stupidvideos.com and see a hilarious video. Go to search and type in preacher. Two videos will come up featuring him. Someone took and added an interesting ’ background soundtrack’ of a somewhat bathroom nature.

 

[Ghosty]

I wonder what she thinks of the countless people in this world who have had misfortune come their way. Does God not care about them?

God obviously couldn’t stand Jesus!

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

WhiteDove:

Ugh, I just got off the phone with a lady I know. She is a born again Christian with a limited theology. I hadn’t spoken with her for awhile.

I asked her how she was doing, and she was all giggles and levity because God was doing marvelous things in her life! This consisted mainly of free stuff coming her way without any effort on her part. She seemed to attribute it all to God’s direct intervention in bestowing special favors on her.

I wonder what she thinks of the countless people in this world who have had misfortune come their way. Does God not care about them? I just can’t stand this name and claim it attitude towards God.

The attitude in question isn’t obvious from your account - or am I missing something ? Some people have a strong awareness of what used to be called - and still are ? - “special providences”, that is, of events working in their favour: see Romans 8. 28 to the end of the chapter for an early example of this. It’s not the same thing as the “prosperity Gospel”; the “prosperity Gospel” and it overlap at some points, but that is all.​

Why not ask her what she thinks ? ##

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Makerteacher:

Oh goodness, I thought Bob Tilton was off the air. I am astonished! He had his “Word of Faith” ministry here in Dallas in the 80s and the early 90s, but following several financial and sexual scandals, including a divorce (he’s on his third marriage now) and some legal convictions, he lost the ministry and the buildings, which have been subsequently bulldozed to the ground. He moved to Tulsa where he did the same thing over again.

Many who worked for him have testified that he would instruct them to open the mail, remove the cash and checks, and throw the letters and prayer requests away.

Now I understand he has begun again, this time in south Florida, and is running the same scam. Here in Dallas he was commonly referred to as “The Profit (as opposed to prophet) Bob Tilton” I cannot believe he has started up again and that anyone would send this Prosperity Gospel preacher cash money anymore!

Here is a link to the Trinity Organization’s page on Tilton. Trinity is a sort of religious watchdog group and was partially responsible for the expose’ on Tilton back in the early 90s.
trinityfi.org/press/tulsaworld02.html

From that page:​

“God wants to make you rich, promises “Pastor Bob” Tilton, and Tilton will send you financial prayer cloths, posters of himself, packets of oil and other trinkets to make it happen”.

As a certain poster might say , someone was obviously looking in the mirror .

If his knick-knacks are fit to be used by Christians, those who agree with him can hardly object to sacramentals…

Are dishonesty and fraud and infidelity essential to being a television evangelist - or can one be a TV preacher without such qualifications ? I have a lot of convictions too - I’m convinced he should be behind bars ##