You may have heard these words before: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.”
You may have heard these, too: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Those are the words of Jesus, of course, right out of the New Testament. But some so-called Christian ministers have turned Christ’s teaching upside-down — and replaced it with their “Prosperity Gospel.”
They preach that the more money you pile up, the more blessed you are by God. And they work hard to set a good example for their flock. Preachers like Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, for example, who have matching his-and-her Cessna Citation X jets, valued at $20 million each. Or like Pastor Creflo Dollar, who made $69 million last year — and was given a new Rolls-Royce by his congregation.
Nothing wrong with getting rich. There’s only one problem: These preachers and their churches enjoy huge tax breaks as religious organizations. But maybe no longer. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) is leading an investigation of preachers who are living high on the hog and asking the IRS to take another look at their tax-exempt status.
Thank you, Jesus. Grassley should throw the money-changers out of the temple!