Integrity. Kenneth Copeland. The gospel of Copeland is about the abundant life. His abundant life. It is a mix of word faith theology and prosperity heresy. His word faith teachings are so aberrant that he claims we can control the weather by our spoken word. He has taken the little gods theology and placed it on steroids by claiming Adam was God in the flesh, a blasphemous assertion. His calling card however is an unashamed, unabashed mugging of God's sheep to enrich himself. If you think nothing of a pastor owning three multi million-dollar luxury jets, writing off his 6.5 million dollar mansion as a parsonage to avoid paying taxes on it and bragging about being a billionaire from the pulpit then all I can do is suggest you read the bible again.
"Since that interview 40 years ago, I have watched Copeland conduct his life and ministry with integrity. He has consistently preached the gospel, winning as many as 122 million people to Christ, according to what he said in the interview. His ministry has also given millions of dollars to help the poor--something they couldn't have done if they weren't as big as they are. Every person I've ever known who works in Copeland's ministry is of high caliber, ethical and honest. I feel at peace with the way Copeland's ministry conducts its affairs--to the extent that I support them financially each month out my own pocket." -- Stephen Strang
This is what is so wrong with modern Christianity in this country. That anyone would believe that 122 million people have been saved through the efforts of a huckster who has profited to the tune of a billion dollars is simply staggering. What this probably means is 122 million people believe they are saved but have never known Christ. They will stand before Him and say, "Lord Lord, did we not sow into Kenneth Copeland's ministry for decades and He will say away from me, for I do not know you. Harsh? Too bad. There are eternal lives at stake while Strang props up someone so blatantly false as Copeland. As for the giving of millions of dollars it is only in proportion to the hundreds of millions (or billion) he has fleeced that it matters. The widow's mite was considered more for she gave all she had. As for ethical and honest I guess that is why they refused to turn over their financial records to Congress back in 2007, right?
"But the reporter didn't focus on those good qualities. She focused on one quote from several years ago in which Copeland said he bought his own private plane so that he didn't have to fly "in a long tube with a bunch of demons." Those who know Copeland immediately realized his comment was purposefully a little tongue in cheek. And Copeland made it clear that he wasn't referring to people when he was talking about demons. On the contrary, he emphasized how much he cared about people. Instead, he was talking about the spiritual atmosphere of a public place." -- Stephen Strang
I watched the quote and it was quite obvious that he was speaking about the people. Perhaps Stephen finds this amusing but as a minister who fancies himself so powerful, shouldn't he be seeking out demonic filled tubes to drive them out and set people free? He was not talking about spiritual warfare in public spaces, please.
"To put it into perspective, he could have said the same thing about Greyhound buses. How many people choose to buy their own cars instead of riding a public form of transportation, despite the lower cost of a bus ticket? We don't question the motives of people who buy their own cars, yet we question the motives of an evangelist who would prefer to fly in his private plane to minister around the world instead of using a public airline." -- Stephen Strang
Wow, that has to be one of the most asinine comparisons I have ever heard. Let me break it down for you Steve. A car, costs in the thousands of dollars. Even if a prosperity pimp like Copeland wanted a 60K automobile I don't think anyone would blink. When you buy your wife however a $200,000 Lamborghini, as John Gray did recently, you have crossed a line of unseemliness. The larger point of course is that a luxury private aircraft runs typically between 40-60 million dollars. Your comparison is ridiculous.
"Although the Inside Edition reporter had no business asking Copeland some of the questions she did, I believe Copeland was still very gracious with her. When she told him that both her grandfathers were poor preachers who would've been appalled at Copeland's lavish lifestyle, he responded with a smile and thanked God for faithful preachers like them. The bottom line is that this kind of skepticism and criticism is rooted in jealousy. Unfortunately, there are many people who are jealous of successful ministries. I've witnessed the same kind of jealousy in the publishing business and in the media." -- Stephen Strang
