Cathy Smith

Rise of Charlatanism and Heretics

The modern Western Church is embroiled in a complex matrix of corruption, scandal, and disillusionment. With widespread discrediting of its moral leadership and spiritual guidance, the Church has witnessed a steep loss of trust from scandals implicating high-profile pastors and televangelists. These men, the moral guides they were supposed to be for their flocks, have instead become the living embodiment of betrayal, dishonesty, and greed. This scandal has caused splits within the Church, further adding to the decline in attendance and abandonment of once-thriving congregations.

Here we explore the sleazy realities of these scandals, the socioeconomic splits that plague modern churches, and how these have de-Christianized our world-without ever ceasing to point toward a central, abiding reality: the religiosity of the early Church, a one marked by fire and infilling Holy Spirit, has been eclipsed by materialism and a counterfeit vision of "God's love."

The Rise of Materialism: A False Gospel of Prosperity

In the earlier phases of Christianity, the religion was profoundly marked with near revolutionary changes in the lives of its believers. As per the Book of Acts, apostles were filled by the Fire of the Holy Spirit as it passed through them with zeal and fervor with which they fought against the wickedness of society. 

Throughout the first centuries, early Christians lived radically, freely exercising their fusional faith where baptism in the spirit was not a metaphoric symbol but a transcendent and complete life changing event. This baptism which John the Baptist proclaimed as “with the Holy Ghost and with fire,” was symbolically infused with the burning, cleansing ardor of the early Christian experience. In Acts 2, The disciples filled with the holy spirit at the time, healed the sick, prophesied in tongues, and powerfully preached the gospel whilst transforming lives and communities.

Moving through the centuries, we arrive at the present day. The Holy Spirit’s baptismal fire, the sacramental power, has been replaced with more dangerous spirit: materialism. The empowering, sacrificial, and service-oriented religion of the past appears to have shifted gradually towards the emphasis of money, material success, and economic greed. The ‘baptism of fire’ that existed in the past was meant to purify the soul and inspire believers to live radically. 

It has now been preempted by a prosperity gospel. This new doctrine determines God’s love and favor to an individual based on their affluence, which would be incomprehensible to the early Christians. This fake prosperity gospel proclaims that wealth, indeed a blessing from God, is also an inheritance to the righteous. This philosophy could not be further from the pay-it-forward self-denial that characterized the early church martyrs.

Televangelists like Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Robert Tilton exploited this shift in mindset, constructing empires on the false premise that material prosperity is spiritual righteousness. They taught Christianity with more emphasis on personal gain than personal sanctification. In this perversion of the faith, congregation members were instructed to "sow seeds"-give money-believing God would return it multiplied. This faith of exchange, where believers were encouraged to give money in the hope of receiving more in return, reshaped the Church from a hub of spiritual rebirth to a prosperous bazaar.

In smaller Churches, the J.P. Morgan Effect

If you are a fledgling version of J.P. Morgan, and you tithe 10-20% of your income to the church, you can take a grievous wound and knock on a pastors back door and sit down for coffee and sympathy. If you are poor, you will be told to “make an appointment.” Or the Pastor and his family will pull the blinds down and turn off all the lights in the Rectory. This is the J.P. Morgan-effect, where the more you are a high-tithing jet setter, the better the service you will receive from the church. This is the essence of the 2025 state of Western “religion.” It does not matter if it is Catholicism, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Transfigured; all that counts is to be a High-Roller Holy-Roller or to be consistently shunned by “God’s Chosen Shepherds.”

The self-denial ethic that characterized the early Church has been transformed beyond recognition, and the biggest loser of it is self-identity. There are self-denying believers in the Book of Acts who were not bound by their wealth but instead joined together with fervor for the teachings of Christ. United by sharing their possessions, nurturing the needy, and practicing countercultural activism, they formed a society unlike any other. Such self-denial is the combination of politics and theology, produced by a life transformed by the activity of the Holy Spirit.

But now churches, particularly megachurches and televangelist ministries, present a very different image of the Christian way of life. Success in these places is in the form of wealth, power, and luxury. Joel Osteen, for example, has built an empire on his "prosperity gospel," instructing that God wants His people to be wealthy. The multimillion-dollar homes, private jets, and multimillion-dollar arenas of Osteen and his ilk bear little resemblance to the life of self-denial in Acts and under the instruction of Jesus.

The substitution of the early Christian paradigm of faith – one of fierce fire and extreme humility – with a materialistic gospel leads many to regard Christianity as not a quintessential life-changing spiritual event, but as a tool to achieve fame and fortune. In the majority of the churches, the Holy Spirit has been substituted by a tool to attain self-wealth. This, and not the flame of Pentecost, has, unfortunately, become the defining feature of modern evangelicalism.

The Shocking Scandals Involving Christianity’s Televangelists, Pastors And Their Lies

The 1980s saw the emergence of televangelists. The practice changed the way many people viewed Christianity. Religion could now be accessed through the television set in every household. As with any powerful tool, there was a darker side to it. The faces displayed on the screen were divorced from the reality of their moral bankruptcy, a condition that many modern-day preachers were all too keen to cash in on. Their powerful influence came with a price of their own – financial scandals, adultery, and other unfathomable evils.

James Bakker was among the most popular televangelists of the 1980s with his “Praise the Lord” (PTL) ministry. Arguably the most infamous of Television-God’s Oracles was Jim Bakker. Asserting offers of prosperity, good health, and divine touch, Bakker's ministry started to collapse in 1987 when he was charged with embezzling funds to the tune of millions from his followers. 

Financially fraudulent as he was, Bakker’s marriage with Tammy Faye Bakker drew public scrutiny when it came to light that he had a lengthy sexual affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn, who later accused him of rape. This controversy culminated to his eventual conviction in 1989 on fraud and conspiracy charges. Bakker received 45 years of prison time but eventually served only five years before getting paroled in ‘94. Even though Bakker’s star had diminished, he made a return to television in the 2000s. Even after everything, he continued to misuse the faithful by selling them health supplements and the notorious prosperity gospel. You shall know them by their fruits.

Though his was perhaps the most outrageous, sensationalized, and covered by the media, Bakker’s story was not the only one. Televangelists used his ministry formulae for self-serving purposes as well. Other prominent televangelists such as Jimmy Swaggert also tried to build his ministry on the foundations of salvation and morality during the 1980s. However, in 1988, he was infamously caught on camera trying to solicit Debra Murphree who was a prostitute at the time. This event caused a tsunami within the murky waters of the Pentecostal community. 

While Swaggart tried to salvage some reputation by going public to confess his sins and shame, not very long later, he got caught again in 1991 with another prostitute, Rita O’Neal. It was publicized time and time again. The relentless failure of his morals culminated in a demise so complete, he never recovered from it. By this point, he had started broadcasting his infamously unhinged ministry and continued doing so for a couple more decades.

The case of Robert Tilton’s conduct is illustrative of the widespread corruption in Christianity today. Tilton overshadowed the ABC probe of “PrimeTime Live” in 1991. His ministry was under fraud charges at the time due to his selling of prayers. Tilton’s ministry had amassed millions (over $80 million) in revenue because they solicited donations from viewers, claiming they would send in money, in exchange toward their personal blessed prayers. The investigation concluded that none of the funds were put to the intended use, and more so, Tilton was filmed tossing sets of prayer requests along with checks without going through them. 

The circumvention of checks and balances led to the opening of cases within the IRS, but not after Tilton spent the early 2000s untouched legally and continuing his little ministry scam.

They have undoubtedly done permanent damage to the image of Christianity. The cycle of sin among televangelists and pastors has made it so that many members of the Church question the integrity of their pastors and the credibility of the faith. When the individuals who are appointed over the spiritual well-being of members are involved in cheating, lying, sexual perversion and criminal behavior, it is difficult for the average Christian to keep trusting the institution.

Schisms and the Shattering of Unity
Although damaging, the televangelist and pastor scandals are a sign of a larger trend of schisms in Christianity's centuries-long history. The Church is always susceptible to schisms, whether theological, political, or social, and modern Christianity is no different. In fact, splits have become more poisonous in the past few decades, tending to fragment entire denominations. The churches are being shut down, too.

Perhaps the most famous of these modern-day splits is the schism within the United Methodist Church (UMC), which has been embroiled in a contentious debate about LGBTQ+ inclusion. While discussions about gender and sexuality have flared for decades, the UMC at last reached its boiling point in 2019, when the Church's General Conference voted to reinforce prohibitions against LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriages. 

The decision outraged mass protests inside the denomination, and in 2020, several progressive bishops and lay officials declared that they would resign to create the Global Methodist Church, an independent denomination affirming more progressive stands on LGBTQ+ rights. In addition to these theological differences, the UMC has recently suffered economic challenges, as many congregations have seen their attendance decline while the split gets wider. The UMC's history is one of the more significant examples of how schisms in the modern age do not always lead to the formation of dynamic, lasting new denominations but rather to further fragmentation and decline in church attendance.

In other instances, congregational schisms have led to abandoning whole church buildings. Consider the case of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, a big church with a rich history. In the 1990s, the Church was the residence of Jeremiah Wright, one of the most controversial persons in modern Christianity. Wright's inflammatory sermons, which often criticized U.S. foreign policy and racial injustice, were radical to some and resulted in his eventual removal from the Church in 2008. The Church struggled in his absence, suffering from severe financial issues and losing many members to other churches. The Church is part of the larger pattern of church closures and city development that has become all too common in American cities.

In some cases, previously thriving and influential churches have dissolved into neglect or have been bought up by developers, who turn the property into housing complexes or commercial properties. Christ Church in Georgetown, a Washington, D.C., historic Episcopal church, for example, sold its property in 2014 to a private developer who converted the building into high-end homes. Church land sales, once the bastion of communal living, are the soulless commercialization of a faith that once offered spiritual guidance to millions but today places a more significant premium on its real estate than its pews.

The Socioeconomic Divide Within the Church
If necessary, add a deeply entrenched socioeconomic divide within the Church that continues to split congregants and repel potential members. In most churches, especially megachurches, the best-off members are first in line financially and have the most influence over what is preached and omitted. The result is a widening gulf between the wealthy, who are traditionally viewed as the most religious and spiritually favored, and the poor, who are relegated to the fringes and often treated as second-class citizens.

This is particularly evident in megachurches, where the pastors often reside in opulence, and the members who can contribute large sums of money are treated with extra privileges, including prime seating, private meetings, and VIP functions. The influence of wealthy church members also often prescribes the Church's social and political leanings, resulting in some churches avoiding discussions about contentious issues such as social justice, poverty, or structural disparity. These churches would rather preach a prosperity gospel, believing fiscal success equals God's blessing.

The reach of this socioeconomic divide goes well beyond. The economically or socially disadvantaged-typically the unemployed, divorced, or poor-are reminded that they do not belong in the Church. The message is clear: if you are unsuccessful, your faith may not be strong enough. The poor are told that their poverty reflects their failure, and their poverty is proof that God disapproves of them. This has created a culture of toxicity in which the already marginalized are further oppressed by the same institution that is meant to offer them relief.

This economic isolation has also contributed to the overall decline of church attendance, especially among the younger generations, who are most turned off by the materialism and cliquishness that pervade much of the modern Church. As wealth disparity increases within the Church, so too does belief disparity, with the poor abandoning more traditional Christianity for the more accepting and equalitarian spiritual communities.

The Cults on the Rise: The Moonies, Worldwide Church of God, and Other New Religious Movements

While serious issues beset mainstream Christianity, it is also witnessing the rise of alternative movements whose religiosity, in a few instances, veered into cult-level manipulation. One such movement includes the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, which was founded by Reverend Sun Myung Moon in 1954. Moon presented himself as the "Messiah" and the "True Father" and used his charisma and deception to win followers worldwide. The Unification Church became infamous for its clandestine rituals and brainwashing of the members, where numerous people complained of being forced to marry strangers in mass wedding ceremonies organized by Moon himself.

The Moonies' coercive recruitment practices and control of disciples' finances and personal lives were the center of most scandals during the 1970s and 1980s. The Church was especially notorious for its "love bombing" methods, in which potential converts were lavished with affection and attention to the extent of emotional dependence. Moon's enterprise was based on large sums of money donated by followers, and numerous ex-members subsequently alleged that the movement had bilked them for cash.

Another example of a radical and polarizing movement in non-traditional Christianity is the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in the 1930s. Armstrong's Christianity was a revolutionary redefinition of Christendom and focused on keeping the Sabbath and celebrating Old Testament feasts. The WCG, whose peak membership was during the 1970s and 1980s, was wracked by internal conflict and scandal during the 1990s when Joseph Tkach, Armstrong's successor, led a radical doctrinal shift toward mainstream Christianity. The radical theological revisions led to widespread apostasy, and the Church, which had been a healthy religious organization, collapsed.

These cult-like groups testify how charismatic leaders exploit vulnerable followers, typically for money or personal power. The rise of these types of movements commonly results from moral collapse and fissures in the traditional Christian denominations. However, like other splinter groups, these cults also fragment and disperse after two years, leaving a legacy of emotional and financial devastation for ex-followers.

A Religion in Crisis

Scandals, schisms, and socioeconomic cleavages besetting modern-day Christianity have created a perfect storm that risks diluting the weakening Church. Although Christianity continues to be an ongoing force in the lives of millions, televangelist scandals, the rise of new cults like the Moonies, and the selling off of churches to real estate entrepreneurs are symptoms of a much deeper crisis of religion. 

Only time will reveal whether or not Christianity can find its way out of this mess, but at present, the religion is in tatters, and its future looks uncertain. The questions that formerly stirred the consciences of the faithful-what truth is, what is faith, what is the purpose of life-now seem to have been overwhelmed by more pragmatic concerns of greed, scandal, and moral rot. The Church is lost, and whether it can find its ground again is a question that will decide the fate of Christianity for generations to come.

Asking Jesus to Baptize you with His Fire and His Holy Ghost and reading Psalm 91 costs nothing. Asking God to purge you, over time, of the Seven Deadly Sins costs nothing. This alone makes you a much better Acts and Romans Christian than any filthy rich narcissist or sociopath charlatan and heretic. Give your soul over to God and find some useful purpose of His to commit your life to, without fear. If your religion is other than Christianity, find some equivalent meaning and act, some notion of paying-it-forward, of self-denial. Ask God to make you an instrument of His will. The true Church is within us all.

The Decay of Modern Christianity: Scandals, Schisms and the Rise of Socioeconomic Stratification

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