Right-Wing Exposed

I hope you read my piece last week titled, “Lifestyles Of The Rich And Religious”.  That one should have startled you, but we have plenty more startling revelations to come.  Today I want to share some things with you about Joyce Meyer Ministries.  Joyce Meyer is probably the most famous woman preacher/teacher in America, if not the entire world.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch revealed some interesting data some time ago about Joyce Meyer and her ministry.  The figures released were from the years 2002 and 2003.  It was reported that the annual income of her ministry was about 90 million dollars.  It also revealed that Joyce’s annual salary was $900,000, and her husband Dave’s was $450,000.  That’s nearly a million and a half annually between the two of them.  Not bad for a “gospel preacher”.  But, that’s only half of the story.

Joyce’s ministry also bought her and Dave a two million dollar home with all bills paid by the ministry.  I guess we can understand that, right?  I mean how can she and her husband possibly pay for their own home with the mere million and a half salary they receive?  Oh, by the way, they also received an additional $50,000 annually for a housing allowance.  Well, I guess everyone needs a petty cash account for those odds and ends that you can’t afford.  And, the ministry board authorized the Meyers to control another $790,000 fund to be used at their discretion for bonuses to “executive management”.  I wonder who that could be, let’s see, Joyce is the President of the board and her husband Dave is the vice-president.  Well, just because they’re the two highest executive management officers does not necessarily mean that any of that extra $790,000 went to them, right?  And, even if it did, these people have bills to pay and hungry mouths to feed too.  Oh, that’s right, their bills are paid by the ministry. 

Then, there’s the Meyers’ three children.  Joyce saw to it that she wasn’t going to be a selfish parent and leave them out, so she had her ministry buy each of them a home.  However, you have to give Joyce credit.  She did not want to spoil her children by giving each of them million dollar homes, so she only let her ministry pay $1,475,000 total for the three homes.  She made her children live humbly in half-million dollar houses.  Good for you Joyce.

There are reportedly between 8 and 11 members on her ministry board.  Of course, Joyce, Dave and two or three of their children are included among those members.  I suppose they want to have enough family members on the board to make sure that the board doesn’t get carried away and give them more than what’s necessary to enable them to live humble lives as followers of Jesus.

I should mention that the board also authorized the Meyers to have free use of a corporate jet.  A few years ago when Joyce was in Minneapolis she shared why she needs to fly to her meetings in a private jet.  She explained that waiting in airports and all of the accompanying hassles involved with airline terminals would be so tiring.  Whereas now, when flying in her private jet, she can arrive at her meetings feeling fresh and be better prepared to be used by God.  I guess that makes sense.  How stupid of me not to think of that.  I should have known that Joyce would have a good and valid reason.  People need to travel in luxury in order to be powerfully used by God as Joyce is at her meetings.  That must be why the Apostle Paul either walked or rode an animal as he traveled across the Middle East, Europe and Asia preaching the gospel, so that he could be fresh for his meetings as well.  Paul knew Joyce’s secret.  Just ride a mule hundreds of miles and then you’ll be ready to be used powerfully by God.  After all, a mule and a private jet could be considered to be comparable methods of transportation when it comes to comfortable travel in preparation for preaching appointments.  Likewise, the Apostle Paul, who literally wrote half of the New Testament and evangelized two continents walking and riding an animal, was probably not used anymore powerfully by God than Joyce Meyer.  And, I’m sure that he probably used similar tactics as Joyce as well, right?

Joyce Meyer and the rest of these personal-jet-flying, million-dollar-salary-taking, mansion-living, diamond-wearing, luxury-car-driving, self-pampering, prosperity-preaching, gospel-abusing television evangelists are not worthy to carry the shoes of the Apostle Paul or any of the early disciples of Jesus Christ.  Paul said that he preached the gospel “free of charge” so that he would not “abuse his authority” in the gospel.  Does that sound like Joyce Meyer or her cohorts? 

It’s time to expose these Evangelical frauds, and that is what you will find me doing every Monday.  The Bible says that church leaders who sin publicly should be exposed and rebuked publicly.  So, I encourage you to share these posts far and wide.  These are the same people who are also very vocal and active in the right-wing political arena.  When people see their greed and corruption it should help to shrink their support base.