Mega Preacher Creflo Dollar Says His Preaching On Tithing Was All Wrong: Black America Responds

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Megachurch preacher Creflo Dollar has had a change of heart about tithing. Dollar, who is the founder and CEO of World Changers Church International, headquartered in College Park, Georgia, about seven miles from Atlanta, preached the prosperity gospel. While it has worked to make him one of the wealthiest Black preachers with a net worth of an estimated $27 million, Dollar said he is no longer urging his nearly 30,000-member  congregation to tithe 10 percent of their income to the church.

Typically tithing is considered a biblical commitment to one’s place of worship. During a recent sermon entitled “The Great Misunderstanding,” Dollar said that the 10 percent tithe concept was a rule cited in the Old Testament. Since he is preaching for the New Testament, his followers didn’t need to submit to that rule. Instead, he noted, under the New Testament, people can tithe whatever they are comfortable with–more or less than 10 percent.

He also urged his followers to “throw away every book, every tape and every video I ever did on the subject of tithing” but he added he will not apologize for his error in understanding scripture, Christian Post reported.

“I want to start off by saying that I’m still growing, and the teachings that I’ve shared in times past on the subject of tithing were not correct,” Dollar said in his June 26 sermon.

“And today, I stand in humility to correct some things that I’ve taught for years and believed for years but could never understand clearly because I had not yet been confronted with the Gospel of grace, which has made the difference.”

“I won’t apologize because if it weren’t for me going down that route, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am now,” he continued. “But I will say that I have no shame at all in saying to you, throw away every book, every tape, and every video I ever did on the subject of tithing unless it lines up with this.”

While he said he regretted urging members to tithe 10 percent, he did not offer regret for taking money to buy a $65 million private jet in 2015. At the time, he asked his church members to give $300 each under what he called “Honor Giving,” which is like tithing, the Washington Post reports.

With the Gulf Stream jet he told his followers he could take his teachings worldwide.

Black America had thoughts on Dollar’s the u-turn on tithing.

Some saw the admission as a positive move.

“For a world famous man of God to openly and publicly admit he has been wrong on a particular doctrine, is a breath of fresh air! Especially on a doctrine as divisive as “Tithing”. I still disagree with some of his doctrine; salute Pst. Creflo Dollar for this show of humility,” B. Russell tweeted.

Others were impressed but not forgiving on Dollar’s prosperity preaching philosophy.

“I credit Rev @Creflo_Dollar for admitting his error but doesn’t apologize for misleading his followers as many mega preachers do. He suggest they throw away all his material on tithings yet doesn’t offer to return the money he’s made from them. Moses called these types magician,” The Righteous teachers tweeted.

“I’m not sure how I feel about the last few messages and stances I’ve heard from Creflo Dollar but he has my attention. And that says a lot because I couldn’t stand him for YEARS. I’m definitely open to hearing more,” sugar don’t belong on grits tweeted.

The confession made other tweeters curious.

“Creflo Dollar apologized for all the years he taught tithing incorrectly and said religion is sustained by two things: fear and guilt. I’m going to watch the entire sermon today but it is refreshing any time a pastor—especially a cishet Black male one—apologizes,” Candice Marie Benbow tweeted.

“He made this shift a while ago. And you can hear the shift throughout his doctrine now. If you haven’t checked him out lately, might be worth a few minutes. It’s a totally different, refreshing Creflo,” Robert F. Trilliams tweeted.

Reporting-live-from-the-Kremlin replied, “It makes me wonder about how long he taught it and how entrenched he was in the doctrine of tithing. A lot of families have fallen out about this. Churches will excommunicate ppl over tithes now preachers are like ‘my bad’.”

https://twitter.com/wishbumpycoulda/status/1544047605629571073?s=21&t=i5BRr_0qdWRCZKjt4A9OhQ

There were tweeters who wondered if Dollar would give the tithings back.

“He said to throw the books and tapes of his out, but he didn’t say that he’d be giving out any refunds. That’s HIS money,” Chris Brown B1 FBA About that life tweeted.

“Dollar should return the proceeds to his members without having them taken him to court,” The Righteous Teachers later added.

Besides his jet Dollar’s assets include a $2.5 million home in Manhattan, two Rolls-Royces, and a million-dollar home in Atlanta, according to MoneyInc.com.

Source: moguldom.com

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