12.22.2015

I'm Now Skeptical Of Anything With "Elevate" In Its Title (Updated: I'm on a Rant!)

First, we have a Fort Worth company which charges the functional equivalent of 180% interest on loans to poor people (did I read that right?) and is still losing money:

And we have this guy in Frisco with the Elevate Life Church. That's his bit: Elevate your life:


You have to watch him on some Sunday morning. He's a horrible preacher. And he almost always mentions giving "money". And I'm stunned they do camera "far away" shots because the number of empty seats is amazing.

But, wait, there's more!

"Oops"

Good Grief! I Apologize For Calling Him Out!
(That's a photo from his younger days when he was doing a different bit.)

Wait. Joel Osteen Supports Him!
Did Craft Pay Him For This? The Commercial Is On Every Sunday 
When Osteen's Show Ends But Before Craft's Begins

And speaking of Osteen, I found the photo below. The Internet can trick you but this site  reported in 2010 that "Several months ago, the couple and their children moved to a 17,000-square-foot stone mansion in the Tall Timbers subdivision in River Oaks. The Osteens' new home is situated on 1.86 acres and surrounded by an ornamental fence. The 411: It has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, three elevators and five wood-burning fireplaces, with a one-bedroom guest house and pool house. The Harris County Appraisal District valued it at $10.5 million."  Some sites list the tax appraisal at $9.6 million.
According to the tax records, this is an aerial view (along with some of his neighbors.) He and Victoria are on the right.


Edit: I can't believe one of the comments who told me I'm wrong to call out Osteen because he receives no salary from the church. You kidding me? Yes, you're right. He doesn't. But the TV broadcast of his sermons advertises his books at the bottom of the screen as well as his "speaking tours". He uses the pulpit as an infomercial. That makes it even worse. Talk about money changers!

They are televangalists. The only thing different from 20 years ago (remember Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Robert Tilton or -- my personal favorite -- Ernest Angley, etc.?) is that the televangelists are slicker now.  And people like you are getting scammed. They aren't preaching the Gospel. They are preaching self-help and therapy.

Edit: And the scary part is that large "establishment churches" are getting blurred in with televangelists because of nutty pastors. I can't believe this goofy guy below, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, has time to take off time from appearances on Fox News to do the following. He takes a different approach from therapy and self help, he tries to be a Baptist Sean Hannity and focus on politics. And I'll bet money he will be promoting a book. Edit: I'm wrong. He is promoting a book and a 15 CD set:

Edit: I finally clicked on his link. Oh, my!!:

You click on that link and you see the following. And he also has something called "The $425,000 Gospel Truth Matching Challenge." He's trying to do what Osteen does. Why the the Board of Deacons has not fired that man is amazing:



Ladies and gentlemen, Idiocracy is approaching us at light speed.

Edit: In the original version I referred to Reverend Osteen at some points as "Olsteen". That was a stupid error on my part and has been corrected.
at 10:17 AM