Creflo Dollar Will Get His G650

Like a singer who jars the ears with discordant notes, and still flashes a flurry of smiles, Creflo will soon get his jet, and the world will not stop him. Does that irk or ache you?

Does the above statement sound senseless to you? Perhaps it does, but that will not hold back the man, although he has been compelled into temporary retreat.

I have followed the forthright backlash and profuse condemnation that Creflo Dollar has received for soliciting for funds to buy a very cheap jet (did I really say that?). Well, in all seriousness, the man wants a $65 million jet; just add five zeros to the name of the jet, and you can't forget the astronomical price.

Under public pressure and communal censure, he has taken the appeal offline; but would that stop the donations pouring in? Certainly not!

People who fail to understand not just Christianity but also a shade of evangelical Christianity will believe that the matter has ended. Think again! Soon, you will see him either in the same jet, a slightly less expensive one, or an even more expensive one. Does this make you mad? If you are, then you don't know much about the perdurable eccentricities that defy logical conventions.

Any mounted challenge to my bold assertion will be done by those who do not understand the inner workings of the strand of evangelical Christianity mentioned above. In that amorphous web, ministers get whatever they want. It does not matter what people say: let them curse; let them scorn; let them appeal not to Thor or Zeus but La Kpan (a Ghanaian god); its leading ministers get what they want—that is the true state of affairs.

I actually laughed reading some of the torrent and barrage of criticism that Rev. Dollar (no pun intended) has received. Some even stated such a jet is meant for billionaires. While no evangelical minister may fall into that bracket, some surely live as such, and there are no veritable presages of desiccating their acquisitive thirst. In reality, they boast their acquired and hoarded wealth bears crystal testimony to God's gracious gift and crystalline endowment.

My personal position on this issue is not relevant. I have observed the practices and happenings on the evangelical scene, and that convinces me that Creflo will soon be flying very high while people continue to lament and snivel. For sure, their interminable jeremiads will not ground him.

"So, how will the plane be paid for?" Is that the trite question you are asking? There are two main ways that such a jet will be acquired.

Firstly, while the appeal has been taken down, trust me, the donations will pour in. You cannot erase the appeal from the minds of people who have read and heard about it. They will send their donations. I chortled reading from one man of God who stated he will not send Creflo any money. It is a risible statement as there are several others who will; so keep your money, man of God, but your colleague will soon get a luxurious jet, and you can continue flying commercial.

Are the people who will send their money benighted souls? Perhaps you should equally ask those who pay huge sums to watch scantily-clad women gyrating on stage; or even those who pay to watch what they will term as "sports". Are they daft for spending their own money on what excites them?

Can you imagine if all the money used for recreation were channelled to feed the poor; there will be nothing called world poverty. Nonetheless, we have and will always have poor people with us. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 15:11 when speaking in John 12:8: "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."

It is quite irritating and irrational to question people who give their money to ministers as being asinine. If people work, should they not have the right and choice to decide what they do with their money? Thus, any suggestions that those who "sow" their money to the church are crazy, must stop—it is a porous argument. Right here, if some people want their pastor to fly in a G650, no public backlash will stop them. They wouldn't mind selling their cheap chattels to see their favourite minister riding the very best. And no suspicious tinge of incredulity from the world will alter their chosen bent.

Secondly, if God wants to bless Creflo Dollar with a G650 (and he has enough "faith"), then no oceans of human opposition will stymie his "blessing." That is how it is. In truth, if the world had their way, no pastor would ride in a Rolls Royce or limousine; but as you are aware, some ministers have them, and they will continue to purchase the best life has to offer. The idea that ministers must struggle and scrape through life is an age-long one. However, not only has such a view been defied by evangelicals, even the Catholic Church has proved it. If in doubt, do your own research and you will be blown away not by its putative wealth but proven opulence.

It is not for me to play judge and decide whether or not Creflo Dollar should buy that jet—it is between him and God—but I know that if God wants him to have a jet (or a G650), he will surely have it, just as several of his colleagues continue to buy new jets all the time.

Scripture tells us in Psalm 78:19-20: "Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?" As we all know, from Numbers 11:31-32, God did!

When the story first broke, I tapped my forehead in disbelief. I found the whole appeal quite distasteful and thought such only gave ample ammunition to the boisterous detractors of our cherished faith. In fact, my initial plan was to write a piece asking for people to forgive the brother, and correct him "in the spirit of meekness" (Galatians 6:1), for what seems a display of noisome penchant by a man of prodigious and covetous tastes, or simply, plain greed. But while having a warm shower, and ruminating on the story and its damage to the fabric of our faith, a thought flew into my mind and stated clearly that there is no need to join the chorus of condemnation, and that he will soon have his jet. A crazy thought, was my first opinion; however, I cast my mind back to the true and intricate workings of this strand and shade of evangelical "faith"; I then realised that as per past precedent, this was not a senseless thought after all.

What is $65 million? Will it do much good around the world? Surely it would; but so would all the stolen money from ordinary citizens. Yes, the money that enables a few people to live the good life while the masses struggle; likewise the lost money from governments that over tax the poor, and leave large corporations to behave with outrageous impunity. And a plethora of other examples may easily percolate to the fore.

And if you are in doubt that Creflo will soon get his jet, watch this space! For whatever it will be, he won't fly commercial for long.

I shall return with my talking drums!

Angelina K. Morrison is interested in national development, true religion, and self-improvement. She enjoys thinking, and writes stories only when the muse grips her. Her first short story Gravellatina, is a breathtaking five-part gripping series available now at Amazon. You can email her at [email protected], or find her at www.angelinakmorrison.wordpress.com or Facebook page.