Pastors and Money?

Richard Hollerman

We realize that some nationally-known preachers, radio preachers, leaders, clerical dignitaries, and ecclesiastics of various kinds are wealthy. This, of course, is more prevalent in certain cultures than others. I repeat, these religious leaders are rich in money, in lands, in holdings, in cars, and (of course) in popularity. By whom? Sadly, by gullible and covetous religionists of various kinds!

Just today, we read of a New York City pastor (he must have been a Prosperity preacher of some kind) was robbed by three intruders of $1 million ($1,000,000.00). They took his jewelry, his money of various kinds, and his wife also was robbed of her jewels. He gave as his justification for this affluence: “Give me a Bible verse that says a preacher should not be wealthy!” So says the observer!

Of course, there are many but what does the world think of this heist of such a large amount? We didn’t say $20 or $100 but 1 million dollars! Does this encourage the popular attitude that religion is a way for covetous people to gain riches?

Here are parts of the original story that appeared on a leading internet search:

A high-profile pastor was robbed during a live-streamed service in NYC

Bishop Lamor Whitehead says members of his congregation were traumatized when gunmen disrupted a service on Sunday. He’s seen here in 2014.

Gunmen burst into a church as its pastor was live-streaming a service in Brooklyn on Sunday, making off with more than $1 million worth of jewelry from him and his wife, according to the New York Police Department.

The thieves targeted Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who heads the Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches and is known for flashy displays of wealth. Whitehead also describes New York Mayor Eric Adams, the former president of the Brooklyn borough, as his mentor.

Whitehead recounted the robbery in a video on Instagram, describing the moment during the morning service when he saw several armed men enter the Leaders of Tomorrow church in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn .

The armed men drove off in a Mercedes

“When I [saw] them come into the sanctuary with their guns, I told everybody, ‘Get down,’ Whitehead said. “I didn’t know if they wanted to shoot the church up, or if they were just coming for a robbery.”

It was the latter. Tallying the value of what was taken, a spokesperson from the office of the deputy commissioner for public information told NPR that the three gunmen “removed more than $1 million worth of jewelry from the victims.”

The thieves fled on foot before getting into a white Mercedes Benz, the spokesperson said.

Whitehead says he chased the men on foot and then in his car, adding that he knows they changed their clothes in the car and took off their masks. No one was hurt in the incident, police say.

The In his video, Whitehead said it was both “a gift and a curse” to become a well-known religious figure.

Whitehead rose to wide public attention in May

The pastor also made headlines in May, when he mediated the surrender of NYC subway shooting suspect Andrew Abdullah. At the time, Whitehead said he was connected to the suspect’s family through his church. But it was the pastor’s ostentatious appearance — wearing a Fendi suit jacket as he stepped out of a Rolls-Royce at a legal aid office — that drew the most attention.

Some of that criticism renewed after the robbery, as people questioned whether the church leader should be living in luxury.

Whitehead acknowledged the high value of the stolen jewelry, saying the men had likely watched his sermons to scout their target. But, he added, those are merely material things.

“I know a lot of people are gonna say, ‘Oh, why are you so flashy?’ ” he said.

“It’s not about me being flashy,” he added. “It’s about me purchasing what I want to purchase. It’s my prerogative to purchase what I want to purchase. If I worked hard for it, I can purchase what I want to purchase.”

Members of his church were traumatized by the robbery, Whitehead said. He also asked anyone with information to get in touch, saying he wants to be sure the gunmen can surrender safely to police.

According to his church’s website, Whitehead is active in business as well as in the ministry, owning mortgage and real estate companies.

This (above) was the internet write-up about this “flashy” or affluent preacher in New York City.

Sometimes we wonder how anyone can justify this sort of sinful activity and prosperity appearance. But the report above of his justification for his open wealth in a very poor city shows that he tried to do this.

We all know the Scriptures that would show that his open defiance of Scripture surely must have been an abomination to God. Think of Paul the apostle who left all to follow Jesus and do His will. One time, he said that he was “sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:10). It is true that in the time before Christ (the “Old Testament” times) we do find people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon as having material abundance, but it would seem that in New Testament times, we find a different story—that God’s servants would be without this abundance and would be able to confess their own need.

We find Jesus saying, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up is cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Notice particularly Mark 10:21-31). What about Jesus? We find His statement in Luke 9:58, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” It would be good to read the Gospels and the epistles with this question in mind!

One notice says this: “Each day, 25,000 people, including more than 10,000 children, die from hunger and related causes. Some 854 million people worldwide are estimated to be undernourished, and high food prices may drive another 100 million into poverty and hunger.” ( https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/losing-25000-hunger-every-day). Does this mean that we should all live in dire poverty? Of course not, but it does say that it is questionable that we would live in super-abundance.

We encourage our readers to not necessarily be poor but certainly not to flaunt anything that God has given to you, by His mercy and grace. Use your income for the things of God and not selfishly! After all, all earthly things will pass away in the coming conflagration and only God and His kingdom will endure!