Prosperity Preacher Creflo Dollar was arrested last night for allegedly assaulting his 15-year-old daughter. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the altercation occurred after Dollar told her she could not attend a party. The girl suffered what the sheriff describes as “superficial injuries” to the neck.
Dollar was charged with simple battery, violence and cruelty to children, but was released after posting a $5,000 bond.
Why am I not surprised by this? Dollar is one of the most disciplinary, judgmental prosperity preachers on the circuit. He blames everything on everyone in his congregation if their finances are not “right,” and warmth is not a word one uses to describe his sermons. Dollar’s brittle, hard theology of prosperity makes for an inflexible and disciplinary personality.
Every parent can identify with teenagers being rebellious, but if the allegations are true, Dollar has crossed a line in disciplining his daughter. Don’t expect, however, that he will receive condemnation from fellow Christian leaders. The scripture “spare the rod and spoil the child” has been used in many a sermon to justify disciplining children, though children back in the day did not have cell phones to take pictures and film their whippings, nor did they have 9-1-1 and child protective services on speed dial.
I wonder how Creflo and Taffi Dollar will explain this to their congregation. And already, according to the AJC article, one church member wrote on Dollar’s Facebook page: “I [don’t know] the details and I don’t really need to because the glory of God has displayed throughout your life the whole 11 yrs I have been at your church.” Sadly, if Eddie Long can hang on to his pulpit after his many transgressions, I doubt if beating his daughter will be enough to make Creflo stay away from the dollars he needs to make every Sunday.
