A big name minister who does not live opulently

[Bookman]

There were many preachers that relied on God as their supplier in previous centuries but my impression of most of them was that they at least relied socially on their network of friends to come up with support for them, which they often did when they felt that they had to or else the preacher was going to suffer. So the reliance on God wasn't that miraculous. But not always, some times it seems to have involved very miraculous interventions not involving social connections at all.

In the history of the church, prior to the past 50 years, I can't recall a well known preacher who was rich at the expense of people poorer than him. I'm sure some existed, but the ones who are remembered best are those who did not seek NOR DESIRE wealth.

[Colonel]

Everyone bought Rick Warren's book, good for him. Maybe that was God's favor, maybe it wasn't. It doesn't matter that much, depending on what he does with the money. He doesn't spend much on himself and that cannot be a bad thing in and of itself.

[Colonel]

In the history of the church, prior to the past 50 years, I can't recall a well known preacher who was rich at the expense of people poorer than him. I'm sure some existed, but the ones who are remembered best are those who did not seek NOR DESIRE wealth.

The media age makes it possible to go viral on support from ordinary people. Even people making videos about nothing on youtube can become millionaires if their number of views simply go viral and then all they need to do is figure out how to keep it up.

I'm sure most televangelists started out doing something useful but why one ends up on television and the other 100 don't is a more open question. I'm sure that God promotes but I'm also sure that that is not an explanation for it all.

[Romans828]

In the history of the church, prior to the past 50 years, I can't recall a well known preacher who was rich at the expense of people poorer than him. I'm sure some existed, but the ones who are remembered best are those who did not seek NOR DESIRE wealth.

Powerful and anointed men such as: Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, William J. Seymour to name a few.

[Colonel]

Powerful and anointed men such as: Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, William J. Seymour to name a few.

Those were among the few in a position to accumulate wealth at that time, without the media age to rely on for it. But they chose not to. Then the prosperity doctrine came along and now all of a sudden accumulating personal wealth became something extremely spiritual in and of itself.

[Colonel]

In the history of the church, prior to the past 50 years, I can't recall a well known preacher who was rich at the expense of people poorer than him.

If everyone spends $50 on your books and $50 on a seat at your conference and they saw it as paying for a service and then you got rich off of your share of the revenue, does that mean that you got rich at the expense of people that are poorer than you ? I think that is going a bit far unless you've been in the habit of manipulating (by way of strange doctrines for instance) or begging or even threatening (more strange doctrines) your way to the money.

[curly sue]

Colonel said:

accumulating personal wealth became something extremely spiritual in and of itself

That's what I'm seeing in these threads.

[Colonel]

Colonel said:


That's what I'm seeing in these threads.

Like I said, I don't think Kenneth E. Hagin himself thought so.

[BAP]

Yeah, I guess a person can be just as prideful about not living opulently as they can living opulently. :)

My thoughts exactly

Some of the most prideful people are the anti-prosperity types

[Nikos]

My thoughts exactly

Some of the most prideful people are the anti-prosperity types

Just another opinion. And to some, their opinions are their gods!