Televangelist tells worshippers to keep giving to the church, even if they have lost their jobs during this time

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A skin crawling clip of televangelist Kenneth Copeland telling people to make sure they keep making offerings to the church (most likely his church) despite fearing for their livelihoods, even if they can’t go to church right now and have to do it by email/text.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1240628868966502400

PS

Posted by Right Wing Watch on twitter. Not sure what on earth this guy has to do with being right wing, but the clip is particularly despicable. I know he isn’t the only one who does this too.
 
What he is leaving out is that people that tithe can only tithe on a percent of income they have. If it isn’t coming in, it can’t go out.

There are people out there that will hear this and think they have to still give. He is misleading, and I believe it is totally intentional.
 
Of course it’s intentional.

In my opinion people like him are a disgrace. People are in serious fear over this pandemic and he’s telling them, forget about your health and/or money issues and keep giving to the ministry. It’s prosperity gospel nonsense and very dangerous.
 
Irishmom2 said:
What he is leaving out is that people that tithe can only tithe on a percent of income they have. If it isn’t coming in, it can’t go out.
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Yep, I’ve heard these preachers tell people to use credit cards if they don’t have the money. That’s one of the things that never made sense to me. How can you pay tithes on income that you don’t have? God never said go in debt so you can pay tithes.

But from their perspective, tithes and other offerings are “seeds” that people sow in return for spiritual and financial blessings. So, many people hearing this will think to themselves “even if I can’t afford it, God will reward me for sacrificing.”
 
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The first page of the bulletin from the wife’s parish this week is literally a reminder about e-giving and all of the instructions to get signed up so they can continue to make their weekly contributions.
 
Not sure how it works in Catholic churches, but a “contribution” is fine as long as you give what you can. A tithe is a fixed percentage (10% of pre-taxed income) that many of these churches expect to receive every week. This is in addition to any “special offerings” they guilt trip people into giving for any “special blessings” they want to hawk and any special gifts the church decides they want to raise to “bless the pastor.”
 
We are putting similar announcements out. However we are NOT telling people to give even if they are not employed or if they are not bringing in income. We are reminding them that even though Mass is canceled they can still give. I am fortunate enough to still be at work and I don’t believe I will have to stop working at anytime, God willing. I can continue to support my parish with my monthly contribution, which I’ve been doing by electronic transfer for quite a while anyway.

I haven’t stopped any of my other charitable giving either. I think all of us should continue to support our churches as long as we have the income to do so. Why create more crisis than there needs to be?
 
Understood, but this also came from a parish where when they were trying to raise funds back in the fall told people that they should be giving 10%. If you haven’t been giving for some time, or haven’t been giving that much it would be easy to figure out how much you “owe” the church and should think about paying that in one lump sum to help them out.

Just another perspective…carry on.
 
We still continue to give to our parish. We’re retired and living off our investments, which have taken a beating, but with expectations the market will recover, we will give and possibly increase it to help out.
 
Kenneth Copeland is not a Catholic, and to my knowledge no Catholic televangelist, priest, etc would be pushing for these kinds of donations.
So if people want to use poor judgment and follow false leaders like Copeland, or the local fortune teller, or some other guru, and give them money that they don’t have, rather than believing in the truth, we can’t really stop them. As PT Barnum said, there’s a sucker born every minute.
 
In one sense, I can agree with the idea of keeping a generous spirit (ie you have extra TP and your neighbor just ran out and you give them a roll or two) and not give into a spirit of selfishness and hoarding. Or to donate to the food pantries, etc.

However, Copeland isn’t my pastor and he’s not my religion and I don’t feel any need to pay him out of my non-income on a credit card.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Kenneth Copeland is not a Catholic, and to my knowledge no Catholic televangelist, priest, etc would be pushing for these kinds of donations.
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Nor should “Protestant “ churches.
Specifically regarding televangelists, my Lutheran pastor dad used to say don’t give to a televangelist because he isn’t the one who will visit a sick family member, bring you the sacrament if you can’t make it to church.
 
No disrespect meant, but I have little time for prosperity preachers.

Being wealthy is not a problem for the faithful Christian if he knows how to use money properly. But those pastors who ask unemployed people to chip in for their new car or jet plane are clearly selfish and have not heard the cry of the poor.
 
TC3033 said:
Understood, but this also came from a parish where when they were trying to raise funds back in the fall told people that they should be giving 10%. If you haven’t been giving for some time, or haven’t been giving that much it would be easy to figure out how much you “owe” the church and should think about paying that in one lump sum to help them out.

Just another perspective…carry on.
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How in the world would the parish know how much a parishioner “owed”? Do they have records of peoples income? Does this parish make people turn in tax forms when no other parish in the world does?

It seems you want people to believe the Catholic Church is evil, or at least your wife’s parish is. I get you have a really bad taste for the Catholic Church but please just stop spreading false information about the Church. Post all you want about your own church and what is good about it, but please just stop with the passive aggressive Catholic basing.
 
Prosperity gospel pushers are scam artists and snake oil salesmen. They do no care about the members of their “churches”. They want money. They are literally living their lives thirty pieces of silver at a time.

This is what Kenneth Copeland wants donations for: Kenneth Copeland's house in Newark, TX (Google Maps)

Not for any Christian thing.
 
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Horton said:
How in the world would the parish know how much a parishioner “owed”? Do they have records of peoples income?
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No, but they know how much everyone gave and could provide that. If it didn’t equal up to 10% then it was easy for that family to figure out how much they still “owed”.
Horton said:
It seems you want people to believe the Catholic Church is evil,
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No, not at all. I’m just commenting from experience.
Horton said:
I get you have a really bad taste for the Catholic Church but please just stop spreading false information about the Church.
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I don’t have a bad taste and am absolutely not spreading false information. I just told you a story about what the parish in town did.
Horton said:
but please just stop with the passive aggressive Catholic basing.
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I’m not being passive aggressive or bashing anyone. I told a story from the wife’s parish that happened. Please don’t put words in my mouth, or make accusations of me that I’m not doing. I find it a bit insulting.
 
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Well my Bishop included his request for us to contribute to his campaign, within his letter about the need for prayer and trust in God during this crisis.

Do we trash the Bishop too ?
 
From my experience of the Catholic Church, I’ve always associated the money aspect with the passing of the basket. I don’t fault all Protestants or Evangelicals, especially those who are sincere in their shepherding. They do a lot of good for their parishioners and more than likely do bring them closer to God and Christ.

But when it comes to some people like the person described above, I can only think:

Acts 20:28-30
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Again, I don’t associate material gain and a desire for it as part of the Church Teachings, but that was how I was raised.
 
JonNC said:
Nor should “Protestant “ churches.
Specifically regarding televangelists, my Lutheran pastor dad used to say don’t give to a televangelist because he isn’t the one who will visit a sick family member, bring you the sacrament if you can’t make it to church.
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Agreed, Jon, I didn’t mean to leave the impression that the average mainline or non-megachurch Protestant pastor or minister pushes for these type donations either, especially from people in financial straits.
 
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