I recently read a story about divorced couples living under the same roof. A dismal housing market and struggling economy have forced some to reside together physically although they are separated legally. As one Denver divorcee states, “It’s the lesser of two evils. I think the financial stress of a foreclosure, which would probably lead to a bankruptcy, would be worse.”
Well, somebody should have sent this memo to the world of Christian broadcasting.
In 2007 two of the most high-profile couples in televangelism—Paula and Bishop Randy White and Bishop Thomas Weeks and Juanita Bynum-Weeks—ended up in divorce court. And like many struggling Americans, their post-marriage realities reveal that even those who peddle prosperity-laced theologies are not immune to the financial crisis of the “world’s systems.”
Foreclosure proceedings have begun on Randy White’s Without Walls International Church campus in Tampa, Florida. With member contributions down around 30 percent as a result of the divorce and rising unemployment rates among parishioners, the church has struggled to maintain two properties totaling around 25 million in mortgage debt.
Similar is true in Atlanta with Bishop Weeks. Last month sheriff deputies evicted the Global Destiny Church from its facility as the landlord reports not having received a payment since July. Bishop Week’s domestic violence guilty plea and the subsequent loss of over half of his membership surely explains why the ministry is currently more than $400,000 behind in rent and fees.
To be sure, my heart sincerely goes out to parishioners who have pledged money in the past and faithfully committed themselves to supporting their church. I am certain this is a painful time as congregants naturally have vested spiritual interests in the ministry.
But I will reserve my compassion for the bedazzled Bishops. Will they use this as a teaching moment for communities of faith—an example of the folly of financial indulgence and the need for theological sobriety during trying times? Or will this just propel them to pull another scheme from beneath their Versace sleeves?
The mega-drama continues….
