So I listen to him once. I received a mailing from today. Anyway, I wondered what is net worth might be. Turns out it's $50 million. I know Billy Graham was quite wealthy also. So how do these men justify that kind of wealth?

Justify to who? You?

I understand what you're saying. So let's throw Joel Olstien in the mix. ~ $43 million net worth. I assume the money comes from their flock.

Why would you assume that? I would assume that David Jeremiah received a reasonable salary for his time as a pastor and made most of that wealth from book sales.

Prosperity Theology. Material success is seen as a sign of divine favor and to reject those blessings bestowed by God is considered blasphemous.

We know that Jesus set the record straight on what our priorities should be (preparing our souls for the hereafter) and how we should share excess worldly personal wealth to good causes without forcing our hands. (Jesus wasn't a commie).

Matthew 19:24 - " And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

The Word spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.  He made no distinction as to one's position in this world.

Maybe, I don't think they should be poor. I'd really like to see how they spend their wealth.  Do the build shelters, or spread the gospel  to foreign countries?  Help the poor in this country?

If not knowing bothers you so much, you may be better off researching it than wringing your hands in here about it. I don't recall any scandals (or complaints of unorthodoxy) from David Jeremiah, so jumping from him to Osteen in two posts seems a little...odd.

But let's take a look at another pastor/author. A.W. Tozer is actually on my bookshelf. Sold piles of books, and gave pretty much all of the proceeds away. Which was fine while he was alive and had a small salary from past pastoring, but when he died he left his wife basically destitute. Thankfully she remarried and by all accounts her second husband was more attentive to her physical and emotional needs.

So back to Jeremiah. He has sold lots of books. He (like John MacArthur and other octogenarian Californians) owns some nice real estate. But he also donates to World Vision and Samaritan's Purse, and I'm sure plenty of other places we don't hear about. He has 4 kids and 12 grandkids he would probably like to mention in his will.

So unless he starts spouting outright heresy, I have my own sins to worry about. The log in my eye should be of more concern than  the speck in someone else's.

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Romans 14:4

From ill-gotten gains.

But those that do such evangelizing "works" do tread mighty close to what Christ called something else.

I don't know about David Jeremiah.  

Billy Graham took a salary of $80K a year, IIRC.  His organization was one of the most audited and scrutinized organizations in history.  To the extent he had money, it wasn't because he was taking it from the offering plate, so to speak.

My grandfather was a machinist for a tire company for 49 years.  When he and my Grandmother (who did not work, and raised four kids) died, a lot of people would have considered them "wealthy", but it wasn't because of income, it was due to their conservative lifestyle.


Edit:  Here's an article on BG's finances from Money.com.  Note that income would include book sales.  Billy Graham Money Article

Thanks. Not judging or anything else. My mother loved DJ when she was alive. There were a few others that she listened to that rubbed me the wrong way.  She loved Jack Van Impe but he kind of anoid me. Nothing I could put my finger on though. Probably his delivery and wife Rexella.

Sometimes is hard to look at a rich televangelist and not think he's got his hand in the collection plate. Not my place to judge but I'd rather support local missions than send money to a televangelist.

Interesting, Thanks,.

That passage continues:

'When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”'
Matthew 19:25-26

The point is, God is the one who makes salvation possible not a man regardless of his financial position in life. The poor do not find it easier to enter heaven than a rich man.

I had met Oral Roberts. My in-laws knew him and his wife intimately. I remember looking at his wealth and being cautious about viewing it in either a positive or negative light. God is the one to judge His own, not me.

What I did not like about him is that TWICE he almost ran me over in his BMW when I was out jogging. Once was when I was running past the gate to his “compound” when he came blasting out like Adam West pulling out of the bat cave. Gate opened and BAM there he was. The second time his wife was with him, and when I jumped out of the way, I turned to look at him. His wife’s head was turned toward him and jerking all over the place. I knew she was yelling at him, and I took some joy in that.

Funny thing with Christianity, the more you give, the more you get.  

Im no fan of David Jeremiah.

But the man's written like 50 fairly popular books over 40 years.

People who do that tend to be pretty well off.

Don't be such a commie, OP.

Joel Osteen and David Jeremiah will both stand before God and be judged as to where they put their trust.
Being rich isn't a sin.
Many of the great names in the Old Testament were wealthy.
Joel Osteen preaches a blasphemous prosperity gospel.

I think Jesus warns us not to squander our talents and that we should care for widows, orphans, inmates etc. it isn't me to judge the individual but I can see when people are glorifying themselves over God. It one of my own worst faults.

All valid points I’m not gonna see your wrongs I don’t know that you are. But what if, we actually live the way we were early church dad kind of communistic Ali.? Meaning everybody took care of everybody and we’re better examples and we are today?

Furthermore if these Super Bowl performances   are satanic, and if we as the salt and  light believers in Jesus stopped watching it en mass and spoke against it and actually did something about it should’ve said oh that’s just your opinion man, what would be the result?!
I got to assume it would be the world changing as Jesus only lets Satan do tiny amounts of the control that he wants and so if we spoke against it take it how much power and truth and light would go forth?!
In my harpazo  thread everybody seemed like they wanted to be doing this “kingdom now “building Preachin but then when it comes time to do that no wants to be found, at least in my area of operations

And yeah it’s really easy to talk about the stuff on the Internet but when the rubber meets the road…

Not being a commie. When I see wealth and religion mixed I step back and ponder how they got the money.

Question, wht don't you care for him?