STEVEN FURTICK IS ONE OF THOSE PASTORS
WHO BELIEVES IN THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL.
MEANING THAT HE STANDS
TO PROFIT CONSIDERABLY THROUGH HIS IDEOLOGY, AND PEOPLE ARE
WILLING TO GIVE HIM A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY.
STEVEN FURTICK
HAS BEEN CRITICIZED QUITE A BIT BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT HE
LIVES IN A MEGA-MANSION.
ACCORDING TO THE RAW STORY, THE
THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD FURTICK HAS FACED INTENSE LOCAL SCRUTINY
AFTER BUILDING A 16,000 SQUARE FOOT HOME ON NINETEEN ACRES,
VALUED AT $1.6 MILLION, WHICH CHURCH OFFICIALS SAID THE PASTOR
BOUGHT FOR $325,000.
PRETTY GOOD DEAL.
HE RECENTLY SPOKE TO THE PRESS, WHICH HE VERY RARELY DOES.
HE WENT ON THE RECORD TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THIS
CONTROVERSY AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HE MAKES, AND
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HE DONATES.
HERE IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
"TO GO ON THE RECORD AND SAY HERE'S HOW MUCH MONEY WEíVE
GIVEN AND HERE'S WHAT WE DO WITH OUR FINANCES, TO ME, THAT
WOULD BE THE MOST ARROGANT THING I COULD DO, AND IT WOULD ROB ME
OF THE BLESSINGS OF WHAT JESUS SAID, WHICH IS THAT WHEN YOU
GIVE, YOU DON'T GET UP AND TELL EVERYONE HOW MUCH YOU'VE GIVEN."
THAT'S WHAT JESUS MEANT WHEN HE SAID THAT, THAT'S
EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT.
HEREíS THE THING, HIS CHURCH ATTRACTS 20,000 PEOPLE.
SO, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, DO YOU HATE THE PLAYER OR DO YOU HATE
THE GAME?
TURN AROUND FOR A SECOND, YOU HATE THE PLAYER.
COME ON, LOOK AT
THAT.
HE IS A SCAMMING YOU.
I'VE LOOKED INTO IT, IT IS REALLY
HARD TO START A CULT FROM THE GROUND UP, TOTALLY FROM NOTHING.
IT IS WAY EASIER IF YOU JUST ATTACH ONTO AN ALREADY
ESTABLISHED RELIGION.
HE'S THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OLD, AND HE'S
ALREADY GOT A MULTIMILLION
DOLLAR HOME.
WHAT THE FUCK?
THAT'S LIKE NINE YEARS OLDER THAN ME.
NINE YEARS?
DON'T DO THE MATH.
I WOULD DECLARE HOW OLD I AM PUBLICLY, BUT JESUS SAID
WHEN YOU AGE, DON'T STAND UP AND TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOUíVE AGED.
ìELEVATION CHURCH DOES POST SOME FINANCIAL RECORDS ON
ITS WEBSITE, REPORTING TO THE CHURCH TOOK IN $33.5
MILLION IN OFFERINGS LAST YEAR, AND GAVE AWAY $3.8
MILLION IN OUTREACH, SPENT $9 MILLION ON PERSONNEL, AND
REPORTED $13.9 MILLION IN CASH ASSETS."
THAT'S AWESOME.
AND THEY ARE OUTRAGED, WHICH IS WHAT CHURCHES
ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.
IT WAS A PRIORITY FOR US, WE GAVE OUT TEN
PERCENT.
DAMN MAN.
I GIVE YOU A FINAL QUOTE FROM THIS LOVELY GUY, WHO JUST
WANTS TO FOLLOW THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST.
HE SAID, "I THINK THE SIZE OF SOMETHING HAS TO BE KEPT IN
THE CONTEXT OF THE NEED.
SO I LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE NEED IN OUR STATE AND IN OUR
COUNTRY AND OUR WORLD, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE A MEGA-CHURCH."
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE PRINCIPALLY ATTACKING YOU FOR
THE SIZE OF YOUR CHURCH.
I'M SURE THAT'S A PART OF IT, IT'S
YOUR PERSONAL, WHAT YOU ARE TAKING AWAY AND BUILDING A
MANSION.
I AM NOT RELIGIOUS, I DON'T NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND WHY
PEOPLE WOULD GET INTO BEING A PRIEST, OR WHATEVER.
BUT IF YOU
DO, I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF IT AS, THE CHURCH HAS THAT ONE
LITTLE APARTMENT, THE PRIEST LIVES THERE AND WORKS THERE, HE'S
NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY.
THAT IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
THAT SAID, GOOD THAT HE IS DOING THIS.
HE HAS ASSEMBLED A
GROUP OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM WHO HAVE NO BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND WITH THE ORGANIZATION THAN THE
AVERAGE SCIENTOLOGISTS DOES.
THEY ARE BEING PLAYED FOR THEIR
MONEY, AND THEY CAN'T RECOGNIZE IT.
AS LONG AS THEY KNOW THAT HE
HAS THE HOUSE, WHICH THEY APPARENTLY DO KNOW, IT IS PUBLIC
KNOWLEDGE, SHOULD HE HAVE TO SAY HIS OWN SALARY?
I THINK
ETHICALLY HE SHOULD, BUT I DON'T THINK HE SHOULD BE FORCED TO.
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO SCAM PEOPLE, GENERALLY ñ YOU ARE
ALLOWED TO TELL RELIGIOUS LIES.
YOU CAN'T TELL THEM FINANCIAL OR
LEGAL LIES.
I DON'T KNOW THAT HE IS NECESSARILY DOING ANYTHING
WRONG.
HE HAS FOUND 20,000
EXTREMELY GULLIBLE PEOPLE.
I WISH I HAD 20,000 GULLIBLE PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE RIDICULOUS QUESTION OF, DO
YOU HATE THE PLAYER OR DO YOU HATE THE GAME.
IT'S LIKE WHENEVER WE BRING UP A KIM KARDASHIAN STORY WHERE
SHE IS MAKING $75,000 A DAY OFF HER APP.
DO YOU GET ANGRY AT HER, OR DO YOU GET ANGRY AT THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE WILLING TO SHELL OUT THE CASH?
I GET ANGRY AT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO SHELL OUT
THE CASH.
BOTH.
NOW I'M ANGRY AT HIM ACTUALLY.
YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT,
PEOPLE LOVE TO GIVE WHAT THEY HAVE TWO PEOPLE WHO HAVE MORE
THAN THEM, FOR SOME REASON.
WHICH IS OF COURSE THE EXACT
OPPOSITE OF THE PURPOSE OF RELIGIOUS-BASED CHARITY.
IT IS
SUPPOSED TO HELP OUT THE WEAKER.
NOT FOR THE WEAK, POOR PEOPLE WHO GO, THE CONGREGANTS, TO
GIVE MONEY TO THE RICH GUY WITH THE BIZARRE HAIRCUT.
BUT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND THEY
WILL CONTINUE TO DO IT, BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT HE KNOWS
SOMETHING ABOUT HEAVEN.