There really is not anything that infuriates me more than when I turn on the television and I see a televangelist using every sales tactic in the world to convince his followers that God's Blessings are in direct proportion to the amount of money that you give to their church.
There are many fancy names they have for this practice. "Sowing seeds", that's a big one. "Seeds for Harvest" - I've heard that a time or two. Often times, they insert a highly snactimonious prayer - saying IF you sow this seed, God will bless you back five-fold, ten-fold, hundred-fold - or even thousand-fold. Then, they will tell the accounts of everyone who has been blessed back. Of course, there's a disclaimer - there is no promise that this is what will happen to you. Because, of course, it depends on your faith.
Many have bought into this - and have been burnt big time. Others have bought into it and may have seemed to have seen a return (confirmation bias). But the truth is, the Jesus of the scriptures never preached a prosperity message that linked his blessings to money - where you are essentially buying God's protection and buying God's favor. God's blessing is a free gift, without merit, and fully through the gift of God's Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot purchase your way to riches, just like you cannot purchase salvation. What God has always looked at is your heart - and how the fruits of the Spirit positively impact the lives of others in and around you, to the glory of God. That is, Christ in You - the hope of Glory.
So where DID this practice originate?
Sadly, one of the pioneer televangelists to conceive and successfully use this practice was the man that founded the cult that I was born and raised in - Herbert Armstrong, and his Worldwide Church of God.
Herbert Armstrong was one of the first to utilize mass media to reach massive amounts of people to send income to a centralized source. Before Herbert actually did so, however, he studied intensively, through books, papers - and personally hanging out with rich and affluent people the "secrets" and the skills of money. He took fervent note of every action he needed to do to become successful in the world. He listened to advice that he later would say he carried with him for his whole life. In conjunction with this, he learned how to sell through advertising. He learned every technique, every tool, every trick of the trade to get people to buy his products. He attended advertising merchant meetings - and became extremely good at his trade. That is, until the depression - when there was no product to sell.
Until he found a product to sell.
Challenged by his wife, Loma, to prove her wrong about a controversial belief of Christianity, the day of Worship (Loma became a Sabbatarian), Herbert began to embark on a six-month study to "prove her wrong". But here is where I need to stop and explain something to place this into proper context.
Herbert would claim various times that people would meet him years later and say he didn't act like a pastor. He acted like a businessman - a Chicago Businessman. He echoed this later as well, that he always approached his ministry in the ways of business. This is the key, I believe to seeing his approach to everything that he did. He viewed himself as a businessman throughout. Therefore, it stands to reason that his six-month study of all things "Christianity" was viewed with the filter and the vision, not of Christianity, but of business. He himself admitted he "threw everything out" that he ever learned about Christianity, and, with a totally clean slate - a different perspective - read scripture. And what a trove he found - if he looks at it all with the eyes of a businessman.
Tithing. There we go - God said it - that can be proved. There's an income source. Oh wait! There's a second tithe for what? Festivals? And offerings! They can give income at the Festival - as offerings! Oh, look - a THIRD Tithe to support widows and orphans too! Well, there's the income!
Oh yes, all business has to be totally unique. Hey, look - the Saturday Sabbath! No one else does that! That would certainly be unique! We've got to differentiate! Wait - look at that command - no graven images. All these other churches have graven images - they've got to be wrong! This will do it! Look at what they are doing - Christmas, Easter - see where I'm going with this?
When you look at the Bible out of context. When you look at the scriptures like a book, read front to back, as a legal code or business structure - an organizational manual - you can certainly see how one who is intent on finding a product to sell could certainly find a treasure trove there. And this is what Herbert did.
And the conditions were absolutely perfect for his success. The world was fearful. It had come out of one war and was entering another one. Weapons had become large, and fearsome. Worldwide annihilation was now possible. For the first time, man was looking at his own mortality. It appeared that one could now literally look down the barrel of time and assume that the "end of the ages" was now looming on the horizon. Technology was mushrooming in ways that never happened before. All the materials were there. And the materials that would have squelched his efforts were NOT there - i.e., information, fact-checking, the internet, resources, and historical documentation. He had the perfect scenario for explosive growth - if he played his cards right.
And played his cards right he did. He was able to utilize the techniques of many other organizations - the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, even the Mormons, into his business. He morphed in a theory of British Israelism to appeal to his target audience - America and Britain - for high morale and superiority. He recruited people who were masters at persuasion - people like Herman "The Brain" Hoeh, who could turn any text into support for his doctrinal positions. People like Rod Meredith - a master orator. People like Raymond McNair - smooth talkers like Gerald Waterhouse. Even his own brother - a four-part harmony piano player.
And then, there was radio. Now, he had clients. An audience. Turns out, he had everything going for him there, too. He had a deep, resonant, preacher's voice that he learned how to use in sales effectively. And he had a product. That product was a twist on the Gospel - a message that he alone had given directly to him. A message that he, under God and Christ, would - with all those who bought into his doctrine - would literally rule and reign with Christ as kings - transforming this Earth into a Utopia - the true Government of God - ruling with a rod of iron, swiftly and severely punishing anyone who dared to be different - literally "forcing" their subjects into happiness.
This appealed to people.
To "prove" he was right, he used a carrot and stick approach. In three to five years, you'll see it all come to fruition. Problem is, it never did. So people kept giving, waiting, giving, waiting, giving, waiting. The church would grow larger, and greater. More radio stations. Then TV. More people. And larger, and greater.
Herbert would keep the income flowing by his sales skills. More crisis! Emergency! Give! Don't Slack! Crisis! Over, and over, and over again, letter after letter - it's happening now. Look! It's happening! It really is! Right now! See? Just wait. Oh wait. It's not happening. You're not trying enough! Give more! Have more faith! If it's not happening, you're the only one to blame!.....
And all the while that Herbert was blasting out how horrible the finances were - those at the top were doing mighty well. Top executives were driving Jaguars. Wearing expensive coats. Shopping at expensive places. And most of all - expanding their empire with a massive building project that would be completed in 1972 - through a weave of lies and campaigns of fear designed specifically to push enough money through to finance the grand idol of the scheme - the Ambassador Auditorium - composed of the most costly gems and products of the world, to schmooze the richest and most powerful of Hollywood cementing Herbert Armstrong as a status symbol of importance and success.
I know this is true, for one thing, because of the pages of history. They speak for themselves. Failed prophecy, greed, vanity, ego, the accounts of those who suffered, the fruits of the organization, and where it is (or actually, isn't) right now, to name a few.
And others caught on to the formula - with a more "mainstream" approach. And so, you see the televangelists of today using, in one form or another, generally the same principles that Herbert helped to pave the way for them to use.
The intention of Christianity was never to become a business. The intention of Christianity is service and love - servant leadership, and servant lifestyle. It's a way of life not of covetousness, or materialism, or gold, and silver. It's a way of life that shows Christ in you through His Spirit - the fruits of which are love, and joy, and long-suffering, and patience, and kindness, and mercy, and self-control - leading others to see a life worth living not in materialism, where rot and decay will always fail, but in virtue - treasures stored in heaven.
I won't watch those televangelists anymore. I've rejected the concepts of Armstrong. I'm learning the methods to de-program myself from his influence. And it's helpful to know the truth of the matter - of when religion became a business. Because, when I see the business of televangelist religion's tall, massive skyscrapers looming ahead on the horizon, filled with the expensive suits and the smooth tongues - and all the guilt and mammon you can handle - I can guarantee you there's corruption and worldliness to it's core. I'd rather turn right on the little dirt road, find the small house and the shack, and meet the ones who are genuine, and real.
Only there can you hear the wind, the birds, the breeze - and it's quiet enough to hear the small and gentle whisper of the Spirit of God.
Selected Photos from "The Envoy" - Ambassador College
Good article.
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