April 17, 2021 SnyderTalk—Getting Rich by Selling Yahweh has become a Way of Life for Many Preachers

“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

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Getting Rich by Selling Yahweh has become a Way of Life for Many Preachers

In the mid-1980s while I was teaching at the University of Virginia, Katie and a friend of hers who is a very good artist decided to write some Christian children’s books. They wrote a couple of them with illustrations that were exquisite. I’m not an expert on children’s books, but I have two daughters. Over the years, I have read more than a few of them. The books that Katie and her friend wrote were very good, and they had plans for writing a series of children’s books with the main characters.

As a college professor, I had written and published several books by that time. Most of my books were academic pieces, but by the mid-1980s, I had ventured into books that were aimed at a broader audience. I knew a little about the publishing industry, so Katie asked me to contact Focus on the Family for them to see if they had an interest in publishing their books.

At that time, we had a house on Smith Mountain Lake between Lynchburg and Roanoke, Virginia. On weekends, we drove from Charlottesville to our lake house and listened to WRVL radio while we were in the car. It’s the Liberty University radio station. Melanie and Rebekah were with us, and they enjoyed a program we heard almost every Friday called “Adventures in Odyssey”. It’s produced by Focus on the Family, and I thought Focus on the Family was a natural fit.

I contacted Focus on the Family, told them about the books, and sent the books to them for consideration. I never heard anything from Focus on the Family about the books, but communicating with them caused my name to be placed on their fundraising “hit list”. That’s my term. I received fundraising letters from Focus on the Family for many months before they finally dropped my name off their list.

That’s what happens when people don’t donate. It’s a fundraising strategy that’s based on probability. Let’s say that the probability is 1/10 (10%) that someone who receives a series of fundraising letters will actually make a donation. After a certain number of mailings, if someone doesn’t donate, his name is removed from the list. That’s what happens to about 90% of the people who receive fundraising letters. People who donate (the 10%) are placed in another category, and the goal is to get them to increase their donations.

It’s a science. Christian organizations have become expert fundraisers. In business we have an acronym for it: OPM or Other People’s Money. You have it. They want it. In the world of Christian business, Yahweh is the product. They call Him “Jesus”, but His Name is Yahweh. Christian organizations are not as good with the Name as they are with raising money.

I know that sounds crass, but it’s the truth. If the truth hurts, so be it.

I had a similar experience with Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). They may use the same fundraising consultants that Focus on the Family uses. Either that or there is a standard approach to fundraising that has been adopted by a large number of Christian organizations.

Again, I went to both organizations with a specific request that was completely ignored, but contacting them made me a fundraising target. I am a strong believer. I expected better from them than that. They have great fundraising strategies. That’s all I will say.

I read an article titled “8 Richest Pastors in America”. It was published in 2018, so my guess is that the pastors mentioned in the article are richer now. Below is the list of 8 pastors along with each one’s net worth in 2018:

  1. Kenneth Copeland: Net Worth $760 Million
  2. Pat Robertson: Net Worth $100 Million
  3. Benny Hinn: Net Worth $42 Million
  4. Joel Osteen: Net Worth $40 Million
  5. Creflo Dollar: Net Worth $27 Million
  6. Billy Graham: Net Worth $25 Million
  7. Rick Warren: Net Worth $25 Million
  8. Joyce Meyer: Net Worth $8 Million

There are other lists of the richest preachers or pastors. Some of them are quite long. I’m not picking on anyone, but when I look at the moral trajectory of the United States today, I have to conclude that Christian leaders in the U.S. as a group are failing miserably, but they are raising a lot of money. Based on what I see, I’m afraid that a lot of preachers whose names don’t appear on any of the lists are dreaming about joining the ranks of celebrity preachers. I think I’m right. I believe that things are as bad now in the U.S. as things were in Judea when the Messiah was with us in Person.

When confronted with the data above and personal experiences similar to the ones I mentioned, a casual observer could easily conclude that getting rich by selling Yahweh has become a way of life for many people who have been “called to the ministry”.

It’s not a new problem. I call it “fleecing the flock”. This is how Yahweh explained it to Ezekiel:

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what Adonai Yahweh says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts. My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: ‘As surely as I live, declares Adonai Yahweh, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh!’

This is what Adonai Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’” (Ezekiel 34: 1-10)

In the next few verses, Yahweh told Ezekiel that He would do the job the religious leaders should have done:

For this is what Adonai Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out. As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock.

I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land. I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares Adonai Yahweh. I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’

This is what Adonai Yahweh says to you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Why must My flock feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied?’

Therefore, this is what Adonai Yahweh says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Since you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, will be their Elohim, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken.’” (Ezekiel 34: 11-24)

The Messiah is the Good Shepherd. He fulfilled that prophecy. This is how He explained it:

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.

I am the Good Shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” (John 10: 11-18)

Compare the Messiah with today’s Christian leaders. It makes me wonder who many of the most prominent Christian leaders in the United States today represent. I don’t think it’s Yahweh.

Yahweh will not be mocked, and there are consequences. Christian leaders need to police themselves, or much worse is on the horizon for them and the rest of us.

The Messiah also said,

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both Elohim and money.” (Matthew 6: 24)

It is almost impossible to misinterpret that statement. In fact, it’s so clear that you need help to be confused.

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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”

John 10: 14-18

See “His Name is Yahweh”.

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