At Guernica, Meara Sharma interviews Anthony Pinn, a scholar of African-American religion, about the role mega-churches play in the American black community:
Guernica: I think for many people, there’s something off-putting, or just unsettling, about a pastor like Creflo Dollar, who has a private jet, a Rolls Royce, and multiple million-dollar homes. There’s a dissonance between that kind of lavish lifestyle and being a spiritual figure.
Anthony Pinn: For believers, it would only be off-putting if Creflo Dollar said, Look, this stuff is only available to people like me. I’m special. You can’t get this. But to the extent that he provides this invitation—you live by my teachings, and you can have what I have—then it’s appealing.
It really depends upon how one views churches. If one views the black church as being primarily about the business of spiritual renewal, emotional, psychological, spiritual well-being, then it’s offensive. But, to the extent that folks recognize black churches as businesses, why shouldn’t they see their CEO have what the CEO of Pepsi has? The parishioners don’t see a contradiction between the church as an economic enterprise and a place for spiritual renewal. One leads to another. They flow together.
Guernica: So what happens when it doesn’t seem to be working for the parishioners? When they’re not getting more prosperous, even though they’re abiding by the teachings?
Anthony Pinn: This is the genius of the system. It’s not working because you’re not doing it right. There’s no flaw in the system! No flaw in the teachings! There’s a flaw in your practice of the teachings. How can the minister say this? Because the minister is still doing well! The minister is still driving that Rolls Royce, wearing ten-thousand-dollar suits, so clearly the teachings work! You are not practicing them properly.
And Jesus wept.
The Dish 