Friday, February 19, 2010

Following Pastor Ed Young's Money Trail

The latest mega-pastor to come under fire is Ed Young, pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas. Here's a quote from WFAA News 8 in Dallas/Fort Worth:

Not long ago, the Fellowship Church in Grapevine was one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the nation.

Its pastor, Ed Young, was making national headlines by encouraging married couples to have more sex.

But since that time, sources say membership has waned and some say Pastor Young may have lost his way — putting himself and secrecy over God. …

One former staff member who says he was close to Young but wishes not to be identified, described it this way: “The lack of accountability. The lavish lifestyle that keeps increasing, while the attendance keeps decreasing.”


Here's the video from that report:


And here is Pastor Young's address to his congregation on the matter (WARNING: it's rather lengthy):



There are several things that I'd like to comment on, and I'll try to do so in a rather succinct manner:
  1. I don't trust mega-pastors.
  2. I don't trust people who accuse mega-pastors while wearing creepy hoods and having their voices distorted like Darth Vader.
  3. I believe those are good men who serve on Fellowship Church's board of Directors (they close out video #2).
  4. I believe good men are trusting by nature, and can be duped.
  5. I don't like the flippant way Pastor Young tried to dismiss the allegations.
  6. I believe there's more to come.

1 comment:

Grendel said...

I think your last statement is very telling. Part of it is the very real fact that very few of our lives would stand under intense scrutiny; part of it is the "lavish lifestyle" which points more to conspicuous consumption than anything else; part of it is the sometimes rabid glee which nonbelievers display when pointing out the faults and flaws of pastors (mega and otherwise). . . not that ANY Christian would claim to be anything more than human (and thus as flawed as anyone). In the last instance, it's a kind of hypocrisy for individuals to impugn the morals and ethics of others when they themselves possess neither morals nor ethics.