>Rachel Zoll, a reporter for the Associated Press, wrote in an article published in the Chicago Tribune on August 14, 2006 that church members have lost billions of dollars in religion-related fraud. Zoll wrote:
Billions of dollars have been stolen in religion-related fraud in recent years, according to the North American Securities Administrators Association, a group of state officials who work to protect investors.
Between 1984 and 1989, about $450 million was stolen in religion-related scams, the association says. In its latest count–from 1998 to 2001–the toll had risen to $2 billion.
The reason for the fleecing of the faithful is that the scammers are getting smarter, and the investors don’t ask enough questions because of the feeling that they can be safe in church.
Here are two examples:
Randall Harding sang in the choir at Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, Calif., and named his investment firm JTL, or “Just the Lord.” Pastors and churchgoers alike entrusted their money to him. By the time Harding was unmasked as a fraud, he and his partners had stolen more than $50 million from their clients.
Leaders of Greater Ministries International, based in Tampa, defrauded thousands of people of half a billion dollars by promising to double money on investments that ministry officials said were blessed by God.
No wonder our society is turning against the church and Christianity. When ministers preach a gospel of prosperity, people believe that the church is only interested in money. When believers are enticed by easy money, wealth, and prosperity, they become easy targets for unscrupulous scammers.
The sad truth in the fleecing of the faithful is this: The “prosperity gospel”–which teaches that the truly faithful are rewarded with wealth in this life–is creeping into mainstream churches.
The scammers target pastors first. If pastors invest in these fraudulent programs, church members see that investment as an endorsement of the program and a declaration that the investment is safe.
It is truly sad that pastors and church members are enticed with the lure of easy money and riches beyond their dreams. What these pastors forget is that the Bible says that lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after (1 Timothy 6:10).
In the world in which we live, money has become the god of our time and those who preach a gospel of prosperity are the prophets of this god.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Prosperity Gospel, Christian Investment
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>I have personally witnessed this very thing, as my brother and his family attend one of these prosperity churches; thay have not yet realized however that they are being scammed. They also won’t discuss religious matters with me or other family anymore unless the discussion is their sales pitch to relatives or family friends about how they should join their church because their church is so great and spiritual. There is however another method of fleecing the sheep, the method my husband and I experience. Some churches grossly overwork and underpay their employees to the point that the term ‘slavery’ comes to mind. Biblically, even slaves were entitled to certain rights and sabbath rests.
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>Dear Fencekicker,I totally agree with you on the issue of churches fleecing their employees. Many churches grossly underpay their employees because some members believe that the call to serve the Lord is also a call to poverty. Members of Church Boards and Committee constantly underpay church workers and give them a salary that they themselves would reject if offered to them.I believe one of the reasons for this fleecing of the ministry is that church members believe ministers work only once a week and that they do nothing the rest of the week. This is what one member of my church told me many years ago, just after I finished my seminary education and began serving in my first church.It is important for ministers to educate their members on how hard and demanding church work is. In situation like this, church workers must stay firm in the Lord and know that God is on their side.Again, thank you for your comment.Claude Mariottini
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