[Sly Fox]

Time released this story just a week before the ORU scandal broke ....

Are Mega-Preachers Scandal-Prone?

Friday, Sep. 28, 2007
By DAVID VAN BIEMA


Gospel singer and preacher Juanita Bynum performs at BET's Celebration of Gospel IV at the Orpheum Theatre on January 20, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

Juanita Bynum's story may read like soap opera, but her travails are a reminder of the longtime magnetism between celebrity Pentecostal preachers and scandal. The 48-year-old regular on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) made her reputation with a sermon renouncing pre-marital sex to search for a holy partner. She appeared to find one in a minister named Thomas Weeks III, wed him in a $1 million on-air ceremony, and together they went out to preach and teach the perfect Christian marriage. Then, in August she accused him of badly beating her in a parking lot (he has been charged, but claims he "walked away" from the confrontation), and said she planned to seek a divorce — and to become the "new face of domestic violence." A dramatic reversal of fortunes, certainly, but hardly the first in her particular corner of Christianity.

Click Here for Full Story

[Hold My Own]

I think about this often...I never worry about something like that happening here at TRBC but at times I worry that maybe we'll stop using words like Sin and Hell in order to appease to more people...then I remind myself the foundation that TRBC was built on and who raised Jonathan to be the man he is today...and that ease's my concern that we will only worry about growth in numbers but rather growth in individuals...I believe we're in good hands but theres no doubt with the more success and the bigger we get the easier it will be to become susceptible to falling....Jonathan is not the only one that can cause a church to stumble either, it goes to the Music director all the way down to the small group pastors that can cause a church to fall...its so important for them all to be on rock solid foundation and be ready for the decisions that will come their way that could effect more than just themselves.

[El Scorcho]

It seems that everyone in a position of power is scandal prone these days. I'm not so sure that mega-church pastors are any more prone to a scandal than any of their power peers. However, they're certainly in a position where a scandal could have a far greater affect on their power and career than a lot of those peers. One would hope that they'd take that into consideration as Sly has mentioned, but it seems too few are.

It's pretty certain that temptation is never going to go away from them, though, so I wish they'd take some time to consider the damages.

Side note: The ORU story is a great example of the importance of marrying a woman that's solid in character. Their 1st "lady" appears to be anything but.

[Fumblerooskies]

Are they more prone to scandal...or are the scandals simply more publicized due to the size of the ministry?

[RagingTireFire]

Are they more prone to scandal...?

Yes. Anytime the messenger becomes as important or more important than the message, scandal is inevitable. Thankfully, some people recognize that. There's a reason none of us are alumni of JFU.

[Ed Dantes]

Are they more prone to scandal...?

Yes. Anytime the messenger becomes as important or more important than the message, scandal is inevitable. Thankfully, some people recognize that. There's a reason none of us are alumni of JFU.

There are only a few true mega-churches or uber-evangelists out there, and it does become news worthy because of their fame. However, you're not going to make national news if you have a scandal as the head of a small church. So yes, I agree with Fumblerooskies.

And while principally I agree with RagingTireFire about the messengers falling once they feel they are more important than the message, I do take issue with the fact that you are equating the heads of megachurches as those who feel they are more important than the message. Frankly, that can happen, even in a small church.

[RagingTireFire]

Are they more prone to scandal...?

Yes. Anytime the messenger becomes as important or more important than the message, scandal is inevitable. Thankfully, some people recognize that. There's a reason none of us are alumni of JFU.

There are only a few true mega-churches or uber-evangelists out there, and it does become news worthy because of their fame. However, you're not going to make national news if you have a scandal as the head of a small church. So yes, I agree with Fumblerooskies.

And while principally I agree with RagingTireFire about the messengers falling once they feel they are more important than the message, I do take issue with the fact that you are equating the heads of megachurches as those who feel they are more important than the message. Frankly, that can happen, even in a small church.

I didn't equate anything and I never said anything about mega-churches. The question was about mega-preachers; those whose personal fame or notoriety outstrips anything they might be saying or represent.

[Ed Dantes]

Yes. Anytime the messenger becomes as important or more important than the message, scandal is inevitable. Thankfully, some people recognize that. There's a reason none of us are alumni of JFU.

There are only a few true mega-churches or uber-evangelists out there, and it does become news worthy because of their fame. However, you're not going to make national news if you have a scandal as the head of a small church. So yes, I agree with Fumblerooskies.

And while principally I agree with RagingTireFire about the messengers falling once they feel they are more important than the message, I do take issue with the fact that you are equating the heads of megachurches as those who feel they are more important than the message. Frankly, that can happen, even in a small church.

I didn't equate anything and I never said anything about mega-churches. The question was about mega-preachers; those whose personal fame or notoriety outstrips anything they might be saying or represent.

Ok. But you don't have to be a preacher at a mega-church to be a "mega-preacher"... and you don't even have to be a preacher to fall into the category of what you just said.

[RagingTireFire]

There are only a few true mega-churches or uber-evangelists out there, and it does become news worthy because of their fame. However, you're not going to make national news if you have a scandal as the head of a small church. So yes, I agree with Fumblerooskies.

And while principally I agree with RagingTireFire about the messengers falling once they feel they are more important than the message, I do take issue with the fact that you are equating the heads of megachurches as those who feel they are more important than the message. Frankly, that can happen, even in a small church.

I didn't equate anything and I never said anything about mega-churches. The question was about mega-preachers; those whose personal fame or notoriety outstrips anything they might be saying or represent.

Ok. But you don't have to be a preacher at a mega-church to be a "mega-preacher"... and you don't even have to be a preacher to fall into the category of what you just said.

Ok. But mega-preachers are the only people we're talking about here so what's the problem?

[Ed Dantes]

Ok. But mega-preachers are the only people we're talking about here so what's the problem?

No problem. At this point, we're just parsing words, so it's silly to disagree because we agree on the same subject.

Just an anecdote:

I've been part of one church split, another church I later attended saw most of its senior leadership leave, and I've seen my wife's father (a pastor himself), get railroaded by a third church.

The three varied in size -- one was small, the other had a couple hundred, and the other could be classified as a "mega-church". Size wasn't the common denominator in the three, obviously. What was, though, was what you astutely pointed out -- each of them, regardless of size, were controlled by people who felt that they were bigger than the message itself. So it shouldn't surprise anyone when their respective situations deteriorated.

[olldflame]

Let's not forget that TRBC has had a scandal or 2 of it's own, involving men who were right there on JF's right hand; but with his rock-solid hand on the wheel, the ship did not stray from it's course. We need to keep JJ and Jonathon in our prayers that they will be able to continue to provide the same kind of stable leadership.

[Sly Fox]

Glad you acknowledged the elephant in the room, olldflame. Although many of our younger posters probably have no idea what we are referencing.

[kel varson]

Glad you acknowledged the elephant in the room, olldflame. Although many of our younger posters probably have no idea what we are referencing.

Had it actually been Dr. Falwell who messed up, that would have been the end of the ministry.

[Purple Haize]

They are more prone to be noticed simply because everyone likes to see someone fall. Seriously, think about it, what is funnier then someone falling on stage, walking across the parking lot, in life etc. Add to that the person who falls has been standing up telling you how to live your life and you don't want to live that way. Now THAT is a story with legs. I remember reading I WAS WRONG by Jim Bakker and hearing him speak after he was out of jail. He said something that I found to be VERY true. He said that speaking in public is one of the biggest fears people have, and like anything "scary", roller coasters, haunted houses, driving fast etc, it can also give you an adrenaline rush. It can get to a point where you are ADDICTED to that rush and you feel you are invincible. The larger the crowd/audience the greater the rush. I have had opportunity to speak in front of 10's of thousands of people and he was spot on. It IS a rush and it can make you feel bullet proof.
So ;YES they are more prone to scandal and YES they are just focused on more