Creflo Dollar 2017, How To Experience Real Life Transformation Part 2, Nov 12, 2016

Creflo Dollar 2017, How To Experience Real Life Transformation Part 2, Nov 12, 2016

Fair enough. I don’t really know that anyone is trying to take away those rights. We have hundreds of thousands of Christian churches in  Creflo Dollar 2017, America, all operating freely without government harassment. Christian ministries proliferate on radio, television and over the internet. They raise billions every year, tax free. Their ability to evangelize is limited only by their imaginations.

Then we get to the meat of things: The signers of this document declare that “God grants life at conception” and therefore they refuse to fund or support abortion. Of course, they aren’t required to do this because of something  Creflo Dollar 2017, called the Hyde Amendment.

The ad then moves on to marriage equality. Marriage, we are informed, “was instituted by God between one man and one woman. The Lord gave only this family unit the responsibility to have children and raise Creflo Dollar 2017,  them in the fear of the Lord.”

It adds, “We also oppose same-sex marriage, polygamy, bestiality, and all other forms of sexual perversion prohibited by Holy Scripture” and asserts that the signers “commit to conducting our churches, ministries, businesses, and personal lives in accordance with our Christian faith and choose to obey God rather than man.”

Couple of things here. For starters, far-right fundamentalists can continue to assert that the only family that counts is one man and one woman Creflo Dollar 2017,  with children, but the reality on the ground is quite different. Same-sex couples are raising children, as are single parents, blended families, extended families, families that formed by adoption, etc. When it comes to government policy, it makes sense to support them all. In fact, a real “pro-family” policy encompasses all families. (Whether those families choose to raise their kids “in the fear of the Lord” is up to them.)

Second, no one is going to require a church to recognize marriage equality or take part in a marriage between same-sex couples. We’ve been through this before. The First Amendment protects the right of all houses of worship and their ministers to decide which couples they will marry. Marriage equality has been legal in all 50 states since June of 2015. How many members of the clergy have been Creflo Dollar 2017,  jailed, punished or otherwise sanctioned for refusing to officiate at the wedding of a same-sex couple? Zero.

Finally, it’s highly questionable that for-profit businesses have a “right” to refuse to provide services to people based on the owner’s religious beliefs. Many states and cities have laws that protect people, including members of the Creflo Dollar 2017,  LGBTQ community, from discrimination.

Americans United has been following this issue closely through its Protect Thy Neighbor project.  AU’s belief is Creflo Dollar 2017,  that religious freedom is obviously extremely important and should be protected, but that this principle doesn’t give anyone the right to harm others or discriminate against them.

Some familiar names are among the signers of the “Declaration of Dependence.” Among them are pseudo-historian David Barton; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; William G. Boykin, a retired Army general who now works for the Family Research Council; Religious Right attorney Kelly Shackelford and two TV preachers, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar.

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Creflo Dollar 2017, The Purpose & Essence Of Prayer Part 2 - Oct 22, 2016

I opened up my Washington Post  Creflo Dollar 2017, yesterday morning – yes, I still read a paper edition – only to see a full-page ad on page A7 headlined, “DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE UPON GOD AND HIS HOLY BIBLE.”

“Oh, this ought to be good,” I thought.

Indeed, the ad didn’t disappoint. It stated  Creflo Dollar 2017, that people have certain rights given to them by the Creator and among them “is the right to exercise our Christian beliefs as put forth in God’s Holy Bible.”

Creflo Dollar 2017, The Purpose & Essence Of Prayer Part 2 - Oct 22, 2016

Fair enough. I don’t really know that anyone is trying to take away those rights. We have hundreds of thousands of Christian churches in  Creflo Dollar 2017, America, all operating freely without government harassment. Christian ministries proliferate on radio, television and over the internet. They raise billions every year, tax free. Their ability to evangelize is limited only by their imaginations.

Then we get to the meat of things: The signers of this document declare that “God grants life at conception” and therefore they refuse to fund or support abortion. Of course, they aren’t required to do this because of something  Creflo Dollar 2017, called the Hyde Amendment.

The ad then moves on to marriage equality. Marriage, we are informed, “was instituted by God between one man and one woman. The Lord gave only this family unit the responsibility to have children and raise Creflo Dollar 2017,  them in the fear of the Lord.”

It adds, “We also oppose same-sex marriage, polygamy, bestiality, and all other forms of sexual perversion prohibited by Holy Scripture” and asserts that the signers “commit to conducting our churches, ministries, businesses, and personal lives in accordance with our Christian faith and choose to obey God rather than man.”

Couple of things here. For starters, far-right fundamentalists can continue to assert that the only family that counts is one man and one woman Creflo Dollar 2017,  with children, but the reality on the ground is quite different. Same-sex couples are raising children, as are single parents, blended families, extended families, families that formed by adoption, etc. When it comes to government policy, it makes sense to support them all. In fact, a real “pro-family” policy encompasses all families. (Whether those families choose to raise their kids “in the fear of the Lord” is up to them.)

Second, no one is going to require a church to recognize marriage equality or take part in a marriage between same-sex couples. We’ve been through this before. The First Amendment protects the right of all houses of worship and their ministers to decide which couples they will marry. Marriage equality has been legal in all 50 states since June of 2015. How many members of the clergy have been Creflo Dollar 2017,  jailed, punished or otherwise sanctioned for refusing to officiate at the wedding of a same-sex couple? Zero.

Finally, it’s highly questionable that for-profit businesses have a “right” to refuse to provide services to people based on the owner’s religious beliefs. Many states and cities have laws that protect people, including members of the Creflo Dollar 2017,  LGBTQ community, from discrimination.

Americans United has been following this issue closely through its Protect Thy Neighbor project.  AU’s belief is Creflo Dollar 2017,  that religious freedom is obviously extremely important and should be protected, but that this principle doesn’t give anyone the right to harm others or discriminate against them.

Some familiar names are among the signers of the “Declaration of Dependence.” Among them are pseudo-historian David Barton; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; William G. Boykin, a retired Army general who now works for the Family Research Council; Religious Right attorney Kelly Shackelford and two TV preachers, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar.

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Creflo Dollar 2017, Consequences Of Pride - Oct 19, 2016

Creflo Dollar 2017, Consequences Of Pride - Oct 19, 2016 

The Democrats and mainstream media have colluded to take down Creflo Dollar 2017, Donald Trump and prop up crooked Hillary.

Creflo Dollar 2017, Consequences Of Pride - Oct 19, 2016 

When Democrats and their media partners are at risk of losing elections,Creflo Dollar 2017,  they resort to accusing their Republican opponents of sexual misconduct or “racism.” They’ve accused Donald Trump of both. But he is confounding them with his “true grit.”

The liberal press has been obsessing about Trump’s leaked audio, while ignoring the damaging WikiLeaks story about Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails. They are now using allegations of sexual misconduct to destroy Trump – some of the alleged incidents occurred 30 years ago!

Barack and Michelle Obama (aka “Big Mama”) are attacking Trump while campaigning for Hillary. Michelle claims that she was “shaken” to her core by Trump’s locker-room talk. But Michelle used to fawn over Ted Kennedy, a known serial philanderer. And the Obamas are tight with Beyoncé and Jay Z. Why aren’t they offended by Jay Z’s obscene rap lyrics or Beyoncé’s raunchy videos?

Hillary says Trump is “not fit to serve.” She has dispatched her husband, Bill, as one of her top surrogates. Yet Bill is a sexual predator. He had sex in the White House with Monica Lewinsky and lied under oath. As a result, he was impeached and stripped of his law license. Juanita Broaddrick accused him of rape; Kathleen Willey and Paula Jones accused him of sexual misconduct. He settled with Jones for $850,000.

Yet Hillary has viciously attacked these women as “trailer trash” and called Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony toon.” Hillary doesn’t care about women and children. She defended a child rapist Creflo Dollar 2017, and was caught laughing on tape that she got the only piece of evidence against her client dismissed.

We know Bill Clinton is guilty of some of the monstrous things he has been accused of doing, but the Democrats Creflo Dollar 2017,  and the liberal press refuse to believe his victims, so why should we believe Trump’s accusers?

We also know that Hillary is raising millions from Hollywood execs who peddle smut and objectify women.

Order Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson’s book, “The Antidote: Healing America from the Poison of Hate, Blame, and Victimhood.”

Trump’s latest accuser is Summer Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice.” Attorney Gloria Allred dragged her out to read a prepared statement in front of the press, where she accused Trump Creflo Dollar 2017,  

Zervos said she still decided to go and meet Trump the following day, but she says Trump didn’t show up. What type of woman would agree to see a man after he allegedly groped and forcibly kissed her? Zervos is not credible.

Zervos also said she tried to get a job with the Trump organization. She admits that when she called Trump, she was told not to call his phone and was instructed to call the office line. Zervos allegedly contacted Trump’s assistant in April of 2016 and said she was hurt by his rebuff. Zervos sounds like a scorned woman being used by Democrats.

In 2012, Democrats were focused on bringing down Mitt Romney by using his “binders full of women” comment to paint Creflo Dollar 2017,  

Any time a Republican presidential candidate makes inroads with black voters, Gloria Allred is dispatched to seek and destroy him. Allred used the same dirty tactics against Herman Cain when he was running for the Republican nomination in 2012.

The Democrats couldn’t accept the idea of a strong conservative on the most powerful court – let alone a black conservative justice –Creflo Dollar 2017,  so they used Anita Hill (Satan’s daughter) to smear Clarence Thomas with ridiculous claims to try to stop him from being confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. They failed.

Democrats don’t know what to do with Donald Trump. Each day, they trot out a new accuser, and Trump just keeps punching back. His campaign raised $100 million in September. His rallies still draw tens of thousands.

Creflo Dollar 2017, Consequences Of Pride - Oct 19, 2016 

America’s survival is at stake in this election. Just consider our overrun borders. And by the time the next president takes office, three of the nine Supreme Court justices will be in their 80s. Justices could soon decide cases on affirmative action, abortion, voting rights and more. Do you really Creflo Dollar 2017,  Yet, cowardly Republicans like Paul Ryan and John McCain have abandoned Trump. They both know how evil Democrats operate, but they are more interested in their own selfish political futures. Thankfully, there are still a few courageous souls in the Freedom Caucus standing with Trump.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/10/trump-will-defeat-hillary-if-you-do-your-part/#IjgwcqvL7AWyawOt.99

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Creflo Dollar 2017, The Purpose & The Essence of Prayer - Oct 16, 2016

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." -- Ephes. vi.18.

In the last place we consider the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer.

Creflo Dollar 2017, The Purpose & The Essence of Prayer - Oct 16, 2016

It appears from Scripture, more than has been emphasized, that in the holy act of prayer there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit working both in us and with us Creflo Dollar 2017, . And yet this appears clearly from the apostolic word: "Likewise the Creflo Dollar 2017,  Spirit helpeth also our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered. And He that knoweth the heart, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. viii.26, 27). Christ expresses this with equal clearness when He teaches the woman of Samaria that "God is a Spirit, and the true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John iv.24); for, so He adds, "the Father seeketh such to worship Him." In almost similar sense St. Paul writes to the Ephesians: "Praying always with all  Creflo Dollar 2017, prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." (Ephes. vi.18)

They already possessed the ancient promise to Zacharias: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication" (Zach. xii.10). And this promise was fulfilled when the apostle could testify concerning Christ: "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephes. ii.18). In the "Abba, Father" of our prayers the Holy Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God (Rom. viii.15). And in her longing for the coming of the Bridegroom, not only the Bride, but the Spirit and the Bride pray: "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." Upon closer examination, it appears that prayer can not be separated from the spiritual rule that we must pray: "Not as tho we  Creflo Dollar 2017, had received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us of God"; a prayer which we then offer, "Not with the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. ii.12, 13).

Creflo Dollar 2017, The Purpose & The Essence of Prayer - Oct 16, 2016

Hence there can be no doubt that even in  Creflo Dollar 2017, our prayers we must acknowledge and honor a work of the Holy Spirit; and the special treatment of this tender subject may bear fruit in the exercise of our own prayers. We do not propose, however, to treat here the entire subject of prayer, which belongs to the explanation of the Heidelberg Catechism on this point; but we wish simply to emphasize the significance of the Holy Spirit's work for the prayers of the saint.

In the first place, we must discover the silver thread that, in the nature of the case, connects the essence of our prayer with the work of the Holy Spirit.

For all prayer is not equal. There is a great difference Creflo Dollar 2017,  between the high-priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus and the prayer of the Holy Spirit with groans that can not be uttered. The supplications of the saints on earth differ from those of the saints in heaven, those who rejoice before the throne and those who cry from under the altar. Even the prayers of the saints of earth are not the same in the various spiritual conditions from which  Creflo Dollar 2017, they pray. There are prayers of the Bride, that is, from all the saints on earth as a whole; and prayers of the local assemblies of believers, supplications from the circles of brethren when two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus; and supplications of individual believers poured out in the solitude of the closet. And distinguished Creflo Dollar 2017,  in the root from these prayers of the saints are the prayers of the still unconverted, whether regenerate or not, who cry unto God whom they do not know and whom they oppose.

The question is whether the Holy Spirit is active,  Creflo Dollar 2017, either in one or in all these prayers. Does He affect our prayers only when, in the rare moments of exalted spiritual life, we have intimate communion with God? Or does He affect only the prayers of the saint, excluding those of the unconverted? Or does He affect all prayer and supplication, whether from saint or sinner?

Before we answer this question, it is necessary accurately to define prayer. For prayer may be taken in a limited sense, as a religious act requesting something of God, in which case it is merely the expression of a desire springing from a Creflo Dollar 2017,  conscious want, void, or need which we ask God to supply; an application to the divine power and providence, in poverty to be enriched, in danger to be protected, in temptation to be kept standing. Or it may be taken in a wider sense and include thanksgiving. In the Reformed Church the Service of Prayer always includes the Service of Thanksgiving. In this sense the Heidelberg Catechism treats it, calling prayer the chief part of thankfulness (q.116). In fact, we can scarcely conceive of prayer, in the higher sense, ascending to the Throne of Grace without thanksgiving.

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Creflo Dollar 2016, PRIDE THE ULTIMATE BLESSING BLOCKER - Oct 12, 2016

Creflo Dollar 2016, PRIDE THE ULTIMATE BLESSING BLOCKER - Oct 12, 2016


CONTROVERSIAL American preacher Creflo Dollar was forced to fend off a furious protester who stormed the stage, during his key-note address at Glasgow’s SECC yesterday.









Creflo Dollar 2016, PRIDE THE ULTIMATE BLESSING BLOCKER - Oct 12, 2016










Less than a minute after the minister had started addressing the hundreds at the gathering of the Destiny church, a man rushed towards Dollar accusing him of heresy. Creflo Dollar 2016, That man was subsequently tackled and taken off stage by both the church and the venue’s security team.


The views of the televangelist Dollar have upset some of Scotland’s Christians. When his tour of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh was announced, the then moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, David Robertson said that Dollar was not welcome in Scotland.


Dollar has been accused of preaching the Prosperity Gospel that says being rich is God’s will and that a regular donation to the church can help a believer become more wealthy.








Creflo Dollar 2016, PRIDE THE ULTIMATE BLESSING BLOCKER - Oct 12, 2016










The pastor, who has an estimated personal wealth of $27 million (£19m), was mired in controversy in 2015 for asking followers to help him pay for a new $60m (£42m) G650 Gulfstream Jet. He said in 2007 that he charges up to $100,000 per booking, though it is not believed that the Destiny Church paid as much as that.


Dollar addressed the controversy yesterday, saying that “you cannot buy the favour of God”.


Then, in an interpretation of a passage from Corinthians, he explained: “I know you think you’re the source of your prosperity, but you’re not, God is. He is the one that gives seed to anyone who wants to be a sower. So if you want to be a sower, he’ll give you seed. If you don’t care about being a sower, don’t worry about it. You don’t need the seed. Creflo Dollar 2016, But he will give you a seed first, then you will be able to sow second. It’s not what you do first it’s what he does first.”


At one point the minister asked a teenage girl in the audience to come forward to the stage. He held out two £20 notes, telling the girl that all she had to do to get the money was to just take it.


Andrew Owen, who founded Destiny, thanked his parishioners for sticking with the church despite some of the criticism levelled at them since The National first revealed opposition to Dollar’s visit.


“I just want to first say thank you to you as a church. You stood with us over these Creflo Dollar 2016, last few weeks, and these last few months, despite all that’s been said and all that’s been happening and you carried the good grace, with faith, refused to retaliate, prayed for those who said some things,” he said. “This is your moment,” he continued.


Dollar’s tour took in a session at the exhibition centre in Aberdeen, and at the church’s Edinburgh base.


Robertson had previously said that Dollar coming to Scotland was “appalling”.


“He’s a multimillionaire, American, televangelist and we really do not need him here. The church doesn’t need him. It’s embarrassing to Creflo Dollar 2016, have somebody like that come. His prosperity gospel is blasphemous. It’s not what people in Scotland need to hear,” he said.


Chief executive of Humanist Society Scotland Gordon MacRae had also said: “We trust that Destiny Church would not expose any of their vulnerable members to be exploited by his voracious appetite for money. We don’t want Scotland to become the Creflo Dollar 2016, latest layover stop for wealthy televangelists seeking to rip people off.”


Dollar spoke for around an hour yesterday and was warmly received by the audience, receiving a standing ovation.

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Creflo Dollar 2016, "God Can Make You A Financial Success"

Creflo Dollar 2016, "God Can Make You A Financial Success"

Because I am the righteousness of God, angels have been sent to minister to me. They respond to the Word of God which I speak. Therefore, I loose angels with the words of my mouth.

Creflo Dollar 2016, "God Can Make You A Financial Success"

I say today, let the Lord be magnified who takes pleasure in my prosperity. In the name of Jesus, I command the angels to bring to me prosperity in my spirit, in my home, in my body, in my family life, and in my finances.

Creflo Dollar 2016, "God Can Make You A Financial Success" Part 1 - Sept 30,2016 

I declare promotion and command the angels to bring promotion into my life. I have a blood-bought covenant promise from God Almighty to multiply exceedingly. Therefore, I confess I am exceedingly fruitful and blessed, right now, in Jesus’ name! I command the angels of God to go and bring this covenant to pass in my life now! I have the power to get wealth, and release the angels to bring wealth into my life.

I declare right now that I am healthy, healed, delivered, and freed from the bondage of sin. I am the head always, and never the tail. I am above only, and never beneath. I lend, not borrow, and everything I put my hands to prospers.

I walk in the favor of God and my favor is increased even as I am speaking. I have more than enough money to pay every bill that comes in, and I declare I am totally debt-free now! I have the authority of Heaven and in the name of Jesus, I declare that whatever I bind on the Earth, is bound in Heaven, and whatever I loose on the Earth, is loosed in Heaven.

Creflo Dollar 2016, "God Can Make You A Financial Success Part 2" - Oct 7,2016 

I am free from unforgiveness and I set my will to forgive anybody for anything, no matter what! I walk in the love of God toward everyone, no exceptions! I send my angels forth right now, to do God’s pleasure and bring these words to pass. Angels, go now, and minister prosperity unto me, in Jesus’ name!

Father, I thank You in advance for all You have done on my behalf. Like You, I’ve declared what will be and am committed to calling those things that be not as though they are. Right now I rejoice, and I’m exceedingly glad that you have granted to me the petitions I have requested, while I am yet speaking. My total life prosperity is settled now, and with great expectation, I will continuously speak faith-filled words, and allow my every word and thought to confirm what I believe I have received, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Creflo Dollar 2016, "How To Overcome Shame"

SUMMARY

We must not let shame sabotage God’s purpose for us, or paralyze His call on our lives.  He has given all of us an assignment, and we must believe that everyone’s life is significant and has a purpose. The devil’s favorite weapon to use against us is shame over something that happened in the past. As Christians, we must not only understand shame, but learn how to overcome it. Shame stems from a sense of failure and is a powerful emotion caused by a consciousness of guilt or shortcoming, but the answer to the shame dilemma is Jesus, Himself.   

Creflo Dollar 2016, "How To Overcome Shame"

A. God sent His Son to take on the shame that we deserved. He did this to free us from it.

Jesus gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to those who pulled out the hair. He did not hide His face from shame and spitting. God will help me, and I will not be confounded. I know I will not be ashamed (Isaiah 50:6, 7).
He submitted Himself to shame to spare us from it.
God helped us overcome shame when Jesus died on the cross.
At the ninth hour, Jesus asked God why He had forsaken Him (Matthew 27:46).
Jesus suffered the shame of rejection. There was actually a separation between Him and the Father. This was so that God would never forsake us.
Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was stricken, afflicted, and smitten by God (Isaiah 53:4).

He suffered the shame of our sins, and endured this on our behalf.
Christ suffered once for our sins, so that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
This was only necessary to do one time, as part of His finished works.
He took on all the shame of every sin that mankind would ever commit. Because of this, we must not let shame overtake us when we make a mistake.
God made Jesus, Who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that in Him we could be the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Through Jesus, we are righteous without having to do anything righteous.
God laid a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. Whoever believes in this Rock will not be ashamed (Romans 9:33).
Jesus became the Rock of offense.

B. Our debts of shame and guilt are paid in full. We no longer need to carry them.

God says to comfort His people. Tell them their sins are pardoned, and they have received double from Him for all their sins (Isaiah 40:1, 2).
This Scripture is based on the custom of posting debts written on parchment on the doorpost of a home, in hopes that a rich man would pay them all and fold the paper over double. This would indicate that the debts were paid.
Folding over the paper meant the shame and humiliation of having debts was not visible any more. This indicated that the poor man no longer owed anything.
Jesus blotted out the handwriting of the ordinances against us, took them out of the way and nailed them to the cross (Colossians 2:14).
Compared to the wealthy man who hid the debts of the poor man by folding over the paper, Jesus actually erased our debts completely.
For your shame, you will have double, and for confusion, they will rejoice in their portion. They will have double in their land; they will have everlasting joy (Isaiah 61:7).
We are no longer in debt from sin. Jesus has given us a double portion of forgiveness.
There is a difference between guilt and shame.
Guilt is seeing what we have done. Shame is seeing ourselves as failures because of what we have done.
Guilt is feeling bad about what we do. Shame is feeling bad about who we are.
Guilt is an awareness of failure. Shame is a sense of failure in someone else’s eyes.
Guilt is about disobedience to the Word. Shame is how others perceive us, or how we see ourselves.
There are consequences to shame.
It can lead to paranoia, excessive perfectionism, and being a doormat for others.
It ties us to our past and sabotages our future.
It extinguishes our hope.
Adam heard God’s voice in the garden of Eden, and admitted that he hid because he was afraid (Genesis 3:10).
After Adam and Eve sinned, they realized their guilt, and it made them feel ashamed.
Adam could have repented and God would have restored him, but shame stopped Adam from doing so.

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Creflo Dollar 2016, Commentary: Trump's D-list of prosperity preachers

Donald Trump recently paid a visit to Great Faith Ministries International, the home base of Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, a Detroit prosperity preacher. There, Trump enjoyed Jackson's adulation, and earned his endorsement. At a crucial point in the service, Jackson declared, "I prayed over this prayer shawl and I fasted" as he draped a gold and white Jewish prayer shawl on Trump's shoulders, a practice known as the laying on of the tallit.

While this did not make sense to many people, for preachers like Jackson, the practice of bestowing prayer shawls is a symbol of God's favor and power. And though viewers noted the half-empty church, the whole lavish production made sense: While Trump has struggled to earn the support of mainstream Evangelical leaders, his campaign presents the perfect opportunity for unknown prosperity preachers to boost their brands.

Republican presidential candidates have always sought prominent pastors for endorsements and votes from their loyal congregants and followers. Unlike his predecessors, Trump has not received the usual slate of well-known evangelicals for endorsement. Rather, Trump has received endorsements from lesser-known prosperity gospel pastors who admire his business acumen. These relatively unknown pastors, like Mark Burns, Darryl Scott, and Jackson are the most prominent in the Trump campaign.

Though these kind of churches don't publish membership numbers, their churches are typically smaller than the stadium-sized spaces that major prosperity preachers enjoy, and their congregations are smaller as well. While better-known prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen have followings in the thousands, multicity meetings, and New York Times bestsellers, Trump's preachers are not at that level. They are the D-list prosperity preachers. Connecting to Trump gives them a huge boost in national visibility. In return, Trump gets photo-ops with black congregations and pastors and credibility with white voters and some evangelicals. It may be tempting to think of these relationships as solid endorsements, but they are best seen as "entrepreneurial relationships" benefiting both parties. Here's why.

Creflo Dollar 2016, Resting In The Finished Works of Jesus Oct 5,2016   

First, Trump has allied himself most closely not with mainstream Evangelical pastors but with lesser-known prosperity preachers. The prosperity gospel, formerly called the health and wealth gospel, attracts entrepreneurial types of religious leaders. They are fond of lavish religious ceremonies, such as the laying on of the tallit. These types of preachers create opportunities for followers to give money to their ministries, emulating motivational speakers rather than Bible expositors. All use television and the Internet to preach and spread their unique take on the gospel. Burns has a small television studio and a regular show on Jackson's Impact network, which bills itself as the largest African American founded and operated national Christian network. No surprise then that Omarosa Manigault, director of Trump's African American outreach and a former contestant on Trump's The Apprenticeis a pastor as well.

These networks of preachers, with larger luminaries like Osteen, Paula White, and Creflo Dollar commanding millions of dollars, represent a different type of religious endorsement than Evangelicals typically do for GOP candidates. They are often neo-Pentecostals or charismatics who believe in healing and "gifts of the spirit," unlike predominately mainline white Evangelicals. Their congregations are often, but not always, interracial.

While many prosperity preachers are against abortion and same-sex marriage, their major concerns and messages are about the financial prosperity of themselves and their flocks. They are more apt to have schools about running businesses, obtaining home loans, and investing. For these churches, Trump is the living, breathing proof that God's blessings have financial rewards. Endorsing and promoting Trump is a way for them to gain visibility on an international scale, and more followers, opportunity, and money.

That endorsement and visibility can come with problems. Burns also tweeted a picture of Hillary Clinton in blackface on his Twitter account, which he has since deleted. Burns is married to a white woman and preaches about how interracial marriage will save America. Later the same week, CNN uncovered that Burns lied about graduating from college and being in the Army Reserve. Burns became so fed up during the interview disputing his credentials that he got up and walked out.

Both of Burns' faux pas generated much press, but in this election cycle, Trump seems to be sticking with his "pastor" for now. That has not been the case in other cycles.

In 2008, both Sen. John McCain and President Obama had problems. Obama had an issue with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose sermon line "God Damn America" ran on a nonstop loop during the campaign. Obama responded by repudiating Wright and giving his now-famous "race speech" in Philadelphia.

McCain was not well-liked or trusted by evangelical leaders at the beginning of his campaign. As a result, he went outside Evangelicalism to Pentecostals for endorsements, such as from the Rev. John Hagee, pastor of Cornerstone Church and founder of Christians United for Israel, and the Rev. Rod Parsley, megachurch pastor. Both hailed from large voting states, Texas and Ohio, and McCain was forced to repudiate both pastors after segments of their sermons regarding Jews and Muslims were made public.

In 2012, Mitt Romney struggled with Robert Jeffress regarding Romney's Mormonism, but in the end received Jeffress' endorsement. Romney also garnered Billy Graham's endorsement and a promise to do "all I can to help you" in October 2012. Graham helped Romney by removing Mormonism from the list of cults on the Billy Graham Evangelical Association website.

So while Burns, Trump's pastor, may have embarrassed the campaign, there is a very good chance he will not be jettisoned. For Trump, the optics of having a black preacher or two at his side far outweigh the problem of a racist tweet. With support among black voters registering in the low single digits in some polls and zero in others, Trump needs Burns to help him recover from a reputation for racism that's also putting off young and white voters.

It is also worth mentioning that this recent black church visit was likely the suggestion of Manigault, who is savvy enough to know that sending Trump to a social justice-oriented black church is out of the question. By aligning with black prosperity churches that are focused on economics and that downplay racial tension, Trump can gain the optics and credibility with white Christian voters who may be on the fence about voting for him.

While Trump's visit to Jackson's church may be the beginning of a counter to Hillary Clinton's well-publicized visits and embrace of African American pastors and churches, it is also an investment in the future. If it is true that Trump really wants a media empire instead of being president, than who better to court than prosperity preachers who love the camera, love money and want to be famous? Trump and his black prosperity preachers are a match made in media heaven, but it remains to be seen if they can bring him any miracles at the polls come November.

Anthea Butler is an associate professor of religion and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She wrote this for the Washington Post.

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