“The message flickered into Cindy Fleenor’s living room each night: Be faithful in how you live and how you give, the television preachers said, and God will shower you with material riches. Evangelist Benny Hinn, raises his hands in prayer during a service at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2002. And so the 53-year-old accountant from the Tampa, Florida, area pledged $500 a year to Joyce Meyer, the evangelist whose frank talk about recovering from childhood sexual abuse was so inspirational. She wrote checks to flamboyant faith healer Benny Hinn and a local preacher-made-good, Paula White.
Only the blessings didn’t come. Fleenor ended up borrowing money from friends and payday loan companies just to buy groceries. At first she believed the explanation given on television: Her faith wasn’t strong enough.”I wanted to believe God wanted to do something great with me like he was doing with them,” she said. “I’m angry and bitter about it. Right now, I don’t watch anyone on TV hardly.”‘ Read more.
I read that article, too, Lynne … there’s a part of me that wishes those ministries could be charged with fraud.
Hey, Lynn, did you see this? I thought of you and your post when I saw it.
Charged with fraud … now there’s an idea.
I’m behind with my google reader again – been too busy this past week. I thought things would slow down as we weren’t h/schooling – ce la vie! I love Asbo Jesus – great cartoon, and comments below.