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Posted by: Reach Feb 2 2005, 02:19 PM

Posted on Wed, Feb. 02, 2005

It worked for burgers, now churches try franchising

BY PATRICK KAMPERT
Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - (KRT) - Scott and Michelle Knollenberg of Plainfield, Ill., can spend their Sundays letting national chains cater to their every need - physical, material and, now, spiritual.

They can grab an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's, a stylish lamp at Target, towels at Bed Bath & Beyond and a double tall non-fat mocha at Starbucks. But Sunday's highlight is the church service prepared by Naperville, Ill., pastor Dave Ferguson and his national staff, which will be virtually identical in music, sermon, videos and skits at 10 locations throughout the country.

The Knollenbergs are members of Community Christian Church, which has Chicago-area sites in Naperville, Shorewood, Romeoville and Montgomery. Nationally, the network started by Ferguson and his brother Jon also has churches in Denver, Detroit, New York and Bakersfield, Calif.

In the business world, they call this kind of thing franchising. In evangelicalism, it's known as the multisite church, and it is a growing trend with a similar aim: providing consistent quality and service wherever you go.

Dave Ferguson, co-founder and lead pastor of Community Christian, said his church was one of about 10 nationally that were taking a multisite approach in 1998. Six years later, upward of 1,000 churches have embraced the movement.

In the Chicago area, Willow Creek Community Church, New Life Community Church and Harvest Bible Chapel are among the institutions whose growth has spurred them to find new ways to accommodate the crowds that flock to their weekend services. That usually means satellite campuses that are 10, 20 or 30 miles away from their main location.

Jim Hilmer, a Florida marketing consultant and a former executive for Blockbuster and the Leo Burnett ad agency, is impressed by the trend.

"I think it's very inventive for the church world," he said. "Most churches are pretty staid and tradition-bound."

Alan Wolfe, Boston College sociologist and author of "The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith," isn't surprised that these spreading megachurches are adapting facets of American culture to their advantage.

"When it comes to using cutting-edge technology, American evangelicals have always been pretty good at that," he said. "They were really pioneers in the use of radio, for example. That runs against the image some people have of evangelicals being backward and out of touch."

The Knollenbergs say these contemporary, non-denominational churches are anything but backward. In fact, the Naperville church's foyer is a coffee shop, designed with the help of sociologist and author Ray Oldenburg ("The Great Good Place"). Oldenburg's notion that humans require a "third place" for gathering as a community beyond home and work has been credited by Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz as one of the factors contributing to the success of the coffee giant's shops.

Community Christian has so grabbed the couple's hearts that Scott Knollenberg turned down a promotion, his "dream job," in 2002 because it required moving away from the church to Peoria, Ill. He quit his position a couple of weeks ago to take a 60 percent pay cut and work for Community Christian full time.

"We're not content with having a nice congregation," he said. "It's all about, `How can we help other people find their way back to God?'"

DEFYING STEREOTYPES

While the November elections pushed "moral values" into the public eye, the Knollenbergs don't fit the stereotype of the judgmental fundamentalist either. They're in their early 30s and would flip to a different TV channel if they came across a televangelist.

They speak of their faith as a "journey" instead of a conversion. Growing up, church attendance "was more of a task you had to do every week," Michelle said. "We both learned more about the Bible and Jesus in the short amount of time we've been here than in all the years of growing up in church."

Community Christian and Willow Creek are geared to spiritual seekers in their weekend services. They put a priority on delivering a highly professional presentation to audiences that have grown up with 16-screen cineplexes, big-budget musicals and elaborate concerts. So when Willow Creek hired Colorado megachurch pastor Jim Tomberlin to spearhead its expansion to satellite campuses, he knew the far-flung locations couldn't skimp on the reputation that the South Barrington, Ill., church has developed.

"When Starbucks opens up a Starbucks," Tomberlin said, "people expect it to be Starbucks, not a mom-and-pop coffee shop. There's a lot of meaning in the Willow brand."

Willow Creek has opened locations in Wheaton, McHenry County and the North Shore. All began with 300 people, and all now draw more than 1,000 each weekend. (About 20,000 attend in South Barrington.) The church is currently filling positions for a facility it will open next year somewhere in or near downtown Chicago.

"We've done surveys in the past, and when you ask people what the ideal church size is, they'll say about 200," Tomberlin said. "But when you ask them what they want from a church, they describe a church of 2,000 - great preaching, great youth and children's programs, a pastor who's available to them.

"There's a sense that small is more intimate, and it's true," he added. "I believe these (satellites) allow us to do both."

WEEKLY MEETINGS

The services that the Knollenbergs attend emerge from video and phone conferences that the church staff has every Tuesday.

Each church staff has 10 days to tweak the service to fit the needs and context of its parishioners. A similar approach is used at Chicago-based New Life church with its five locations.

"We all do the same message, but it will sound and feel a little different at each location just because of the multicultural aspect," said New Life pastor Mark Jobe.

Occasionally, the New Life churches gather for a single service, something Jobe cherishes.

"You'll have a young white professional who works at a tech company downtown sitting beside a first-generation immigrant Mexican who speaks very little English," he said. "But they're part of the same church and the same vision and connected to each other."

The Knollenbergs attend the south campus of Community Christian, and Ferguson or another pastor usually preaches. But some Community Christian locations use a DVD of the message that was recorded during the main campus' Saturday service the night before.

Ditto for Harvest Bible Chapel. Although Harvest has spun off a number of independent Harvest Bible Chapels in the Midwest and Canada, it recently added satellite campuses in Elgin and Niles, Ill. The Niles venue was a dying Baptist church of 70 people who voted to become a Harvest last April. Now, more than 500 people attend two services at the facility.

Part of Harvest's draw is the powerful, charismatic preaching of senior pastor James MacDonald, who also has a sizable following in Christian radio circles through his "Walk in the Word" program.

But Harvest executive pastor Joe Stowell acknowledges that a sermon projected on a large video screen alone won't guarantee growth.

"What we've seen is that people are willing to accept biblical teaching on video if it's accompanied with hands-on, person-to-person ministry," he said. "We learned pretty quick we need someone up front - a campus pastor - a guy who might visit them in the hospital if they're sick."

A PREFERENCE FOR HOMES

The approach is not for everyone. Steve Atkerson was on staff at a Southern Baptist megachurch before becoming president of the New Testament Restoration Foundation, which advocates that churches should primarily meet in homes as was done in the early days of Christianity.

"The difference we're suggesting is that church ought to be relationally oriented," Atkerson said. "Megachurches are, frankly, program-oriented."

Yet part of those programs is, in fact, home meetings, and sociologist Wolfe said they are the engine that drives the big church, though he is skeptical that video preaching will still be acceptable to congregations in 5 or 10 years.

"Without the small groups, the megachurch couldn't exist," Wolfe said. "People focus on these big huge chapels, but the small groups are where the action is."

The Knollenbergs host such a group every Wednesday night in their home. The nine members are currently discussing "Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them," a book by former Willow Creek assistant pastor John Ortberg.

"The concept of one pastor trying to take care of everybody doesn't work very well," Scott Knollenberg said. "We kind of take care of each other."

The Knollenbergs said they found support and encouragement from the group as they went through years of infertility. (Pictures of 10-month-old Chloe are now everywhere around the home.)

Beyond the bells and whistles of DVD sermons and multisite churches, even Ferguson agrees that filling that basic human need - community - is critical to his organization's success.

"If you can get people into small communities and invite God into that, good stuff always happens."

---

© 2005, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

Posted by: MrSpooky Feb 2 2005, 02:23 PM

I can see it now...

Community Christian: Putting the moneylenders back in the Church.

Posted by: Knightley Feb 2 2005, 02:26 PM

Thanks for posting this. I am not surprised, churches are trying to find all sorts of ways to get people back in the church. Of course I'm sure that they'll benefit and soon be rich enough to buy million dollar mansions and jets.

Posted by: Ex-COG Feb 2 2005, 07:10 PM

They may get some people back into church, but they are also causing some bitterness within the Christian community. There is a megachurch in my area that is based on the Willow Creek model which has several thousand in attendance at the six weekend services. Before I left my original church, the pastors wife was talking about a pastor she knew who was very upset because he had people who left his congregation for this super church. So some of this growth is just church hopping. They like to make it look like these are new converts, or long-lost sheep, and that Christianity is growing. I did visit the megachurch maybe a half dozen times when I finally did leave my first church. (I was still checking what was out there, just in case there was any possibility of my remaining in the fold. There wasn't.) I found it too "yuppy" for my tastes. You couldn't tell from the building or service what denomination it was, either; I didn't find that out until, while glancing through the glossy three page professional looking program, I saw at the bottom in small print the name of the state bishop of the Methodist church. I never would have guessed.

Posted by: Ian Feb 2 2005, 09:38 PM

I KNEW IT ! This was inevitable.

Christianity has become as meaningful as a trip to the mall .

Come on down and have a non fat, mocha latte and poppy seed muffin with your Jesus.

Posted by: ChefRanden Feb 3 2005, 12:34 PM

Holy mind control Batman!

Jesus prayer for unity is going to come true! Eventually, McChurch will just buy out the competition!

Posted by: atheist_ewtcoma Feb 3 2005, 01:02 PM

Yea but now with mcchurch coming into play they are now able to consolidate their own interpretations to their other branches. Robbing sheep from other chruches will give them a monopoly on the happy feel good mind controle. Limiting alternate views will give people less choices.

They have the potential of making another giant mega cult.
I see billions of dollars and political control in their reach.

Posted by: Madame M Feb 3 2005, 01:39 PM

QUOTE

The Knollenbergs are members of Community Christian Church, which has Chicago-area sites in Naperville, Shorewood, Romeoville and Montgomery.

Oh yes. One of these churches is about 2 miles away from us. We have friends that another one. They rave about it. You can thank Willow Creek, which is huge in the Chicago area, for the mega-church franchise trend. It seems every church, even traditional denoms, want to be the next Willow Creek. I even recently heard of one of these churches that put in a Subway franchise in their lobby. In or out of Christianity, the whole thing makes me ill. Seems like a big money glutton scheme to me, kind of like what the evangelicals/protestants have always accused the Vatican of being, now they want the mega-empire experience too.

I agree with Ex-COG, it is causing alot of resentment in the Christian community. Many think that it is a sign of the end times, that these mega churches are the "church of Laodecia" mentioned in Revelations and will ultimately lead to the one world religion and the great falling away. (sorry, Ex-C's guess this site isn't the great falling away) LOL!

Posted by: Madame M Feb 3 2005, 01:45 PM

QUOTE

Community Christian has so grabbed the couple's hearts that Scott Knollenberg turned down a promotion, his "dream job," in 2002 because it required moving away from the church to Peoria, Ill. He quit his position a couple of weeks ago to take a 60 percent pay cut and work for Community Christian full time.

This is soooo disturbing to me. If I had a dollar for every Christian I have ever known or have heard testimony of, who has way laid their dreams to stay chained to one particular church, well, I could build a mega church with the money.

Pretty sad that this mega conglomerate that is saturated in money pays him so little that it comes out to a 60% loss of pay over what he used to make.

Like I've said, these mega-churches are nothing but a substitution for country clubs for the middle class.

Posted by: BlueGiant Feb 3 2005, 07:05 PM

Single-serving religion...heh. Last I checked the Catholcs have been doing that for centuries.

I am Jack's ass laughing itself off.

Posted by: Karl Feb 4 2005, 04:18 PM

QUOTE (MrSpooky @ Feb 2 2005, 05:23 PM)

I can see it now...

Community Christian: Putting the moneylenders back in the Church.

You're spot-on with that, bud. Yes, let's corporatize religion as well! The Republicans are good at it!

QUOTE ('Bush's faith-based changes scrutinized' by By Don Lattin / San Francisco Chronicle)

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

President Bush has gone “under the radar” and around Congress to spread his faith-based initiative throughout the federal government, according to a new study. The study, compiled by researchers at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, N.Y., is one of the first comprehensive looks at administration efforts to redirect government grants to churches and other faith-based groups.

“Religious organizations are now involved in government-encouraged activities ranging from building strip malls for economic improvement to promoting child car seats,” the study states Taken together, the report finds that the Bush programs “mark a major shift in the constitutional separation of church and state.”

“Few if any presidents in recent history have reached as deeply into or as broadly across the government to implement a presidential initiative administratively,” said institute director Richard Nathan.

The study focuses on the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which has set up faith-based branch offices in 10 federal agencies ranging from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Administration officials say the faith-based initiative is meant to merely “level the playing field” so churches and other religious groups can compete for billions of dollars the federal government hands out each year through government social service contracts.

Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, said Monday that he hadn’t had time to read the entire study.
“But parts of it that I have read seem to lay out dark motives for what is happening,” Towey said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. “What it shows is that the president is taking the steps he promised he would take to end discrimination against faith-based groups.”

Towey questioned the institute’s motives and said it had not interviewed him about the program he runs. “They have a point of view,” he said. Religious groups such as Catholic Charities USA and Lutheran Social Services have long gotten government funding to feed the poor, heal the sick and house the homeless. But they were required to set up separate nonprofit agencies to run those programs and to operate under strict rules that forbid them to proselytize or limit hiring to employees of a particular faith or religious denomination.

So far, Congress has resisted administration proposals to rewrite the rules and loosen long-standing restrictions against preaching in publicly funded poverty programs.
What the new study by the Rockefeller Institute’s Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy shows is how the administration has pushed its agenda through presidential fiat.

Most of the report relies on the government’s own statistics and Bush administration statements about expanding church involvement in social welfare programs. Joe Conn, a spokesman for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, called the new study “very alarming.”

“This administration seems obsessed with faith-based solutions for everything,” Conn said. “What they don’t seem to worry about is the Constitution.”
Even the Department of Agriculture now has its own office of faith-based initiatives, Conn noted.

“Maybe they’re going to pray for rain,” he said.

~cited from: http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0408/21/politics-245649.htm

The following cited from: http://www.msu.edu/~vande312/Faith-baseddoc1.html

QUOTE ('Faith-Based Initiative' by Steven Vandenburg)

The framers of the constitution intended a separation of Church and State. Throughout United States history there have been many instances where the two have been on the verge of merging. The idea of Faith-based Initiatives has been present since the early 1990's carrying on into the 21st century. George W. Bush is attempting to pass a faith-based initiative that will have both positive and negative effects on society.

Faith-based initiatives first started in the Clinton administration. “The 1996 punitive welfare 'reform' law passed by the Republican-led Congress and signed by former President Clinton enabled some houses of worship to receive tax dollars for delivery of social services" (http://www.thetaskforce.org/). Although many people thought this was starting an entanglement between church and state there were safeguards put in place to protect this legislation. Under the Clinton administration, Religious institutions were forced to create separate secular nonprofit organizations to administer the programs (www.thetaskforce.com).

During President Bush’s term as president he has implemented a Faith-based initiative cabinet. It was announced January 30th 2001 that the cabinet was going to be lead by Juan DiJulio Jr. Soon after he accepted the job he resigned because of health issues and because of the “calculation and cynicism of Bush's domestic policy operation”(www.disinfopedia.org).

The position was taken over by Jim Towey. Once in office, Towey released statements to get immediate results; “The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is working together with the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Labor, Justice, Agriculture, and the U.S. Agency for International Development to remove these barriers”[of separation of church and state](http://www.whitehouse.gov/).

George Bush’s plan involves funding houses of worship as well as social programs as long as they form secular non-profit organizations as the Clinton administration's bill did. Bush intends to provide 8 billion dollars in tax money the first year and 80 billion dollars over the next ten years (http://www.thetaskforce.org/). Some programs he intends to start are after-school study and assistance programs, drug treatment counseling, meal assistance, housing assistance and other social service programs through the efforts and direction of social providers and religious groups (www.chn.org).

Although the Faith-based initiative seems good in heart it causes discrimination and gives religious administrations the ability to be bias. People can be discriminated against based on their religion, gender, ethnicity and sexuality. Houses of worship now have the right under the separation of church and state to decline service to homosexuals, war veterans and other multicultural people. While giving help and assistance to many people in need, the Faith-based initiative strips many others of their natural and civil rights.

President Bush’s initiative can be looked upon as both good and bad. The question people need to ask themselves is wether the funding of religious programs is worth possible discrimination. With earlier systems and initiatives seen by the Clinton administration, Bush is one step closer to providing a controversial bill that will change America forever.

More bad than good, I would say.

Anybody think that a Pagan Temple would get to participate in government-sponsored "faith-based initiatives"?

I can see it now...a dining room full of the ever-increasing poor and destitute remnants of the middle class, courtesy of the corporate-loving neo-con pseudo-moralist religionist supporters of the Bush oligarchy. Gays will be excluded, as will Pagans, atheists and everyone else who does not subscribe to bible-based idiocy. The goal here is to return society to the ignorance and horrors of the dark ages, where church and state operated in concert, and had control over virtually every facet of human existence.

They may show mercy, providing one converts. In which case they'll get to sit down to a meal. On the table, instead of the little photo flyers that restaurants have, illustrating the latest goodies and culinary specials, will be a box. That box will be stuffed with......Chick tracts.

QUOTE (Knightley - Feb 2 2005 @ 05:26 PM)

.....Of course I'm sure that they'll benefit and soon be rich enough to buy million dollar mansions and jets.

Yes, they'll sure want to "keep up with Joneses"...er, uh...Crouches:

QUOTE (' @ TBN Televangelists Buy $5,000,000 Home')

LOS ANGELES TIMES, Nov.4,2001, page K15

Televangelists JAN and PAUL CROUCH of the Costa Mesa-based Trinity Broadcasting Network have purchased a Newport Beach house for close to $5 million, Orange County Realtors say.

The home was described as "a palatial estate with ocean and city views." The Crouches had been living in a smaller house in the same neighborhood.

The house they bought has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a billiard room, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a sweeping staircase and a crystal chandelier.

The three-story, nearly 9,500-square-foot house, which has an elevator, also has a six-car garage, a tennis court and a pool with a fountain.

The house is on slightly more than an acre. Jan Crouch had been wanting a bigger yard for her dogs, sources said.

Trinity Broadcasting, established in 1973, has more than 768 TV stations on the air worldwide. The Crouches oversee a $100-million-plus-a-year enterprise. Even so, faithful viewers are said to consider the couple, who are in their 60s and have been married since the 50's, as everyday folk.

The above was cited from: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/crouchhome.htmlHere are their in-line remarks regarding the newspaper article:

DITC Commentary: Ever wonder where all those "seed faith" dontations are going? Whose getting rich again? Remind me. It thought it was those people who sent in their seed faith donations who were going to get a "100 fold increase" and that they would be the ones buying luxury homes. What a shock to find out it doesn't work out that way! Duh!!!!

I'm going to stop now, as nausea is setting in......

K

Posted by: Madame M Feb 5 2005, 07:27 PM

QUOTE

Whose getting rich again? Remind me. It thought it was those people who sent in their seed faith donations who were going to get a "100 fold increase" and that they would be the ones buying luxury homes. What a shock to find out it doesn't work out that way! Duh!!!!

I can't tell you how many times that pastors of these "tithe and receive 10 fold" churches have had a "personal testimony" of how they had faith and recieved back "blessing". The thing is, for these pastors, their "prayer of faith" is usually heard by the whole congregation who thinks that "blessing" the pastor is akin to "blessing" God. For example, the pastor who prayed for a down payment for a new home and a widow just happened to feel God calling her to give him 20k. Or the pastor who was given a Mercedez by a congregant (even though he was rich enough to buy his own Mercedes) These things rarely happen for the average church-goer who is more likely to need it.

Posted by: Karl Feb 5 2005, 08:06 PM

QUOTE (ChefRanden @ Feb 3 2005, 03:34 PM)

Holy mind control Batman!

Jesus prayer for unity is going to come true! Eventually, McChurch will just buy out the competition!

You know what's next, don't you Chef? "Faith-based" loans from the Small Business Administration to buy a McChurch franchise "ministry". It's all gravy from there...$$ka-ching$$ Of course, a McChurch loan request would probably get much more attention than a minority person wanting to start a regular business in the inner city.

QUOTE (Madame M)

....These things rarely happen for the average church-goer who is more likely to need it.

Sad but true. It's sure nice when pastors get to build a $3,000,000 "parsonage". etc. It would be interesting to see actual Scientific Statistical data on donations vs. "blessings". Nah...no need to do that...it's all "true" anyway..it says so right in the book....

K

Posted by: Reach Feb 5 2005, 09:50 PM

QUOTE (Madame M @ Feb 5 2005, 07:27 PM)

QUOTE

The thing is, for these pastors, their "prayer of faith" is usually heard by the whole congregation who thinks that "blessing" the pastor is akin to "blessing" God...<snip>... Or the pastor who was given a Mercedez by a congregant (even though he was rich enough to buy his own Mercedes)

The congregation of Crenshaw Christian Center, bought their pastor, http://www.faithdome.org/hi-bandwidth/, a Rolls Royce.

The ministry name, Ever Increasing Faith Ministries, seems apropos, a Rolls being a step up from a Mercedes.

...with a name like "Price."

Posted by: ChefRanden Feb 6 2005, 09:42 AM

QUOTE (Karl @ Feb 5 2005, 10:06 PM)

QUOTE (ChefRanden @ Feb 3 2005, 03:34 PM)

Holy mind control Batman!

Jesus prayer for unity is going to come true! Eventually, McChurch will just buy out the competition!

QUOTE

Riverview Community Bank
http://www.riverviewcommunitybank.com/

9040 Quaday Ave NE, Otsego, MN 55330 - Phone: (763) 274-3200; Fax: (763) 274-3201
Divisions, subsidiaries, and alternate company names:
N/A

Description: It's a bank -- but the founder admits it's more of a front for Christian evangelism than anything else:

There are two paintings in the offices of Riverview Community Bank in Otsego ... One that hangs in President Duane Kropuenske's office shows two businessmen in an office; one is shaking hands with Christ, as though closing a deal. The other painting is a scene of what appears to be Eden. Tucked into the background of that painting is a small representation of Riverview.

The artworks appear to offer an answer to the question: Where would Jesus bank? ...

Call it faith-based financing. ...

Bank fuses faith and finance
Jon Tevlin, Star Tribune, December 6, 2004

The Star Tribune also notes that Ripka "[found] Christ during an 'altar call' at an Amway convention." (Amway = big red flag)

Chuck Ripka is a moneylender -- that is to say, a mortgage banker -- and his institution, the Riverview Community Bank in Otsego, Minn., is a way station for Christ. When he's not approving mortgages, or rather especially when he is, Ripka lays his hands on customers and colleagues, bows his head and prays... The bank opened 18 months ago as a "Christian financial institution," with a Bible buried in the foundation and the words "In God We Trust" engraved in the cornerstone. In that time, deposits have jumped from $5 million to more than $75 million. The phone rings; it's a woman from Minneapolis who has $1.5 million in savings and wants to transfer it here. ... Chuck Ripka says he sometimes slips and says to people, "Come on over to the church -- I mean the bank."

Then again, the idea of corporations dominated by a particular religious faith has a hint of oppressiveness, a "Taliban Inc." aspect. As it is, Christian holidays are the only official religious holidays in 99 percent of American workplaces surveyed...

Some friction may come from the insistence of marketplace Christians on seeing offices and factories as arenas for evangelism. Converting others, after all, is what being an evangelical Christian is all about. One tenet listed in the Riverview Community Bank's first annual report is to "use the bank's Christian principles to expand Christianity." If that wasn't clear enough, Ripka put it in even starker terms for me: "We use the bank as a front to do full-time ministry."

...[Ripka says] Jesus talks to him -- actually speaks to him, calling him "Chuck." ...

Posted by: Karl Feb 6 2005, 10:57 AM

Well, that's certainly disgusting, Chef. Speaking of activities similar to Amway's "Multi-level Marketing", it's tough to top stuff like this:

The following cited from: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7027/business.html

QUOTE (segment from 'Pat Robertson's Business Practices')

......Pat the Scam Artist

With his ill-gained fortune now in place, Pat experimented with a number of new businesses, the most interesting among them being American Benefits Plus/Kalo Vita. This was a multi-level marketing scheme along the lines of Amway and Avon. Here, Robertson recruited people across the country (starting in '91-'92), as many as 20,000 people (many of them retirees) to sell coupon books. He told them in training seminars that his program was backed by the Bible, and that they could earn $15,000-$20,000 a month. Things didn't go that well with the coupon books, though, and Pat suddenly decide to change the company into Kalo Vita, and sell vitamins. Problem was, this left people with coupon books unsold, and when they tried to send the books back to AFB/Kalo Vita, they found out that they would not be refunded their money. One 76 year-old woman in in Indianapolis was stuck with $7,000 worth of unsold coupon books, and had to refinance her home. During the subsequent investigation, it was found that CBN had "loaned" money to AFB during its founding, almost 3 million dollars.

Diamond Pat

Another one of Robertson's more notorious business deals is the recently exposed diamond mine case. In this ingenious venture, Robertson saw an opportunity in the country formerly named Zaire (now the Congo) for diamond mines. The former Zaire is a country rich in natural resources, including diamonds, but these resources were thus far being plundered by its (former) dictator, the brutal Mobuto Sese Seko. Mobuto (who recently died of cancer) was one of the world's richest men, while his people lived in grinding poverty. It was often noted that he could have cured all of his country's ills by writing a personal check. Mobuto had been trying to come to the US to try to improve relations, but the State Department refused to grant him a visa, due to his lengthy human rights violations (see the Pat's Dictator Friends page for more info). In all of this, the clever Pat Robertson saw an opportunity. The two became close associates, and Mobuto allowed Pat to open diamond mines in Zaire, under the name of the African Development Company, while Pat tried to persuade the State Department to allow Mobuto entry into the US. Ultimately, it was found out that Pat had been using CBN money and equipment to aid his diamond mining operation in Zaire (see the News page for more details). A good deal for Pat, seeing as he employed people in Zaire for ridiculously low wages, and managed to use CBN's infrastructure to cut costs even more.....

Not at all dissimilar to the union-busting activities of Bush's corporate pals, or their desire for over-seas slave labor and working conditions (e.g. Bhopal, etc.)

QUOTE (James 5:4 - KJV)

Behold the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which of you is kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are enterd into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth."

QUOTE (Mark 12:40 - KJV)

Which devour widow's houses, and for a pretence make long prayers...

One word that comes to mind when reflecting on these types of Xtian scam artists and hypocrites.....

.....VERMIN.

K

Posted by: ChefRanden Feb 6 2005, 11:24 AM

Karl,

I'm sure Pat has a verse to cover himself with. What I don't get is why people believe that he speaks for God. His endeavors to pile treasure on earth should have made it clear to his sycophants that his heart isn't in heaven. Well maybe it is the last days when they say people will go about calling evil good.

chef

Posted by: Karl Feb 6 2005, 12:07 PM

QUOTE (ChefRanden @ Feb 6 2005, 02:24 PM)

.....Well maybe it is the last days when they say people will go about calling evil good.

In light of Isaiah 45:7, Numbers 31:17/18, etc., that's always the way it's been with biblegod. It's impossible to tell the difference, from the mishmash of constructs and literally unsupportable Myths.

That's why bible-based religions are so fucked up.

Of course, when as high a percentage of this country consists of hypocritical neo-con religionist oligarchists who subscribe those same baseless texts, that same fuckedupedness seeps into everything. Then what you end up with is a fucked up society in a fucked up country.

The "last days" won't be the result of biblical "prophecy". They'll be the result of the abject idiocy generated by absurd religious dogma, greed and stupidity.

K