And Warren’s annual income and church paid expenses are?

Mandated purchase of afterlife insurance from tax-exempt corporate entity. Sweeeeeeet!

At least now Warren is safe from everything except moral bankruptcy.

Sigh… I know a bunch of charities and other organizations that could do a hell of a lot of good with $900,000.

Cleverly, Pastor Rick™ claims not to take a salary, choosing instead to live off his book royalties, which are (of course) substantial.

This year-end appeal reads like a stunt. I wonder how many parishioners did without at Xmastime so Rick could meet his payroll, or wherever the money went.

God sure surprises me!

Fleecsters in pulpits are a venerable American tradition.

Didn’t know that about the salarly. Does he also forgo T&E reimbursement?

Remember when Oral Roberts needed to raise a gazzilion dollars or Gawd was going to take him home. Or behind the woodshed or some such nonsense.

Dya think? That’s almost the annual budget of the historic preservation society that I’m on the board of, and we have to maintain 11 historic buildings on that.

It’s amazing how many stupid people there are. Did they bring their cash in wheelbarrows?

Warren needs to go live in Uganda for five or so years on the average income of a woman.

Isn’t that the country that already has a surplus of evangelicals?

Letterman did a holiday gift-guide segment around that time which featured a globe/bank attached by a string to some pearly gates. A cutout of Roberts would slide up the string toward the pearly gates until you put a coin in the bank, which would bring him back down to Earth.

It is also the country that was thinking about executing gays. Warren was involved in some way.

The rapture’s coming in 2011. Bet all those people who thought it would be 2012 are feeling really stupid now.

“and the shortfall was met.” ; I went to the link provided to Saddleback and did not see this claimed. Was that an assumption? or, perhaps, he didn’t get the $900,000 and chose not to reveal such, hoping to solicit even more monies.

Yep, currently contemplating a death-penalty for gay sex. Warren would feel right at home.

Yep. That’s the one.

Drink slidin’ down the bar atcha.

That funny.

Really? I thought the Rapture had already happened. My clothes flew off, I figured I was just too fat to fly.

You didn’t flap your arms hard enough. You need lessons. Ask Bob.

Ratfood!

Good afternoon, Senator.

Good idea, he works for peanuts.

People will never get it that the Mega Churches, and their Preachers are all about the money.

Not saving souls in mass as they are sold.

Sounds like a PR stunt to me. If 46,000 attended services a few days before I’m thinking about 45,000 of those folks had to pony up 20 bucks a head on average to meet that goal.

Bob reminded me that the last time I ran down the street naked and flapping my arms people looked at me like I was crazy.

Is it your claim that when the rapture comes we have to go naked.

I scrolled through several pages of the comments there. Nice to see that most people are calling it out as fine-quality BS.

That has always been my understanding, clothes come off then you go flyin’ up to Hebbin.

Here’s a tip, if you’re standing next to someone when they get Raptured, don’t look up.

Breaking: Tiger Woods taking putting lessons from Jimmy Swaggart. Unfortunately it involves just going up to the hole and looking in.

assumption being that we will not be joining the good folk. Who would want to spend eternity with those self righteous dimwits? I would like to finally meet Gawd. I bet she has a hell of a handshake.

Why is this even a blip in the horizon of FDL? Taking on pastors, even distasteful ones; is this a new sport here?

Isn’t there some sort of irony of the “purpose driven life” preacher blaming the birthday of supply-side Jesus for his financial woes?

It is good practice. And fun, too. You do remember fun, don’t ya.

IMO any place lacking self-righteous dimwits is heaven.

Yes. It’s called Whack-a-preach. Wanna play?

Good one!

La Figa tab, which you are on, is oriented to popular culture types of subjects.

Just made a batch of eggnog. Anyone who wants one, hold out your glass.

I think we have enough good pastors at this site to keep us holy. Thanks, tho, for trying to shame us. I haven’t had enough shame lately!

My fudge is setting up.

There’s also a popular one called “whack a holy moly”

I have a pumpkin flan in the oven, that did not bake in the time that the recipe said. I’ve never made flan before, so keep your fingers crossed.

Shame, Shame, Shame

Is it just me, or does Rick Warren look a WHOLE lot ,unsettlingly so, like Jerry Falwell?

(Before his demise,ofcourse.)

Fabulous! I want to be every bit as shameless as those gals!

Just curious, do these charlatans ever have enough money. It seems as though some crisis is always besetting these fine god-fearing folks. Maybe they’re not praying hard enough or maybe god just doesn’t like them very much or else they wouldn’t be constantly begging for money.

Taking on fraud and hypocrisy is part of FDL’s mission. And don’t even get me started on that whole “tax-exempt status” thing.

If people want to patronize dirtbags like Warren (and there are plenty more just like him…worse, even), then they can go ahead and do that. However, I draw the line on these entities not being legally compelled to pay their fair share of taxes. These big-time “ministries” are nothing more than cash registers, and it’s time for this shit to stop.

Book Salon up at the Mothership with Michael Berube’s The Left At War hosted by Henry Farrell

Fudge and eggnog. MMmmmm.

Well said, Shoto.

Give ‘em a break It costs a lot to keep a Gulfstream up in the air…

Let me see “Pastor” Warren give an impassioned plea for $900,000 help starving people in his parish or whatever and then I will be impressed.

I don’t recall any church I have ever gone to making any impassioned pleas for money except to help fundraise things like missions or events to, you know, help the community.

There are great reasons to give a community of faith your money. Can’t think of many good reasons to give megachurches money, however.

Don’t forget how Obama elevated Warren to a much higher status by bestowing upon him some politically significant appearances (“q&a” at his church along with McCain during the campaign, inaugural invocation).

Yup.

$900G’s to make his year-end nut? Why doesn’t that raise any questions?

If it’s any consolation, I’ve heard that some of these “megachurches” got big (expansion) ideas during the real estate run-up, and now that the cash is not flowing like it used to (people out of work, etc.), they’re running into financial problems trying to service that debt. I wonder if the Warren “crisis” has anything to do with that? If not, then what is it? Again: $900G’s? Fuckin’ dirtbag…

I for one am excited that God would step in and plug a nearly one million dollar shortfall so quickly. Now that the rest of us are more clued into the way churches work we can try to apply these deeply religious principles to our own lives. I for one am going to stop praying for anything but cold hard cash. If that doesn’t work I’m going to open my own church so that God will start paying closer attention attention to my pleas.

Sermon on the mount? We don’t need no sermons here.

Lisa, I don’t know who you are. I have been a regular reader of this blog for several years. I vote Democratic, I am an unabashed liberal, and a Christian.

From the tone and comments of your article, it is sadly evident. Yes, you do not know how churches work, or for that matter what they do. Open a dialogue with faithful Christians, you will be surprised.

Warre’s story is nonsense. I believe most churches have encouraged their regular parishoners to give a monthly donation in the form of a check (often mailed) for years. It is more convenient for both the church and the parishoner. I may be way wrong, but I’ll bet his weekly take is less than $1000000. And if he had all those other extra services (ten in a week? no wonder his flock is tired of him), they should have made up any shortfall. Surely he had a collection for each. You don’t schedule an entertainment program unless you expect a profit.

From where I am, it looks like you don’t understand what this part of the world is like.

We’re not here to make god-botherers like Warren feel good. (People who are genuinely Christian, however, will not be bothered by us. We can tell the difference.)

Lessee now, a weekly take of ‘less than $1000000′ could mean that he’s taking in as much as $50 million a year.

You can build a lot of church, live a fine life, or help a lot of people with that kind of money. I think I know what his choice was; the church I grew up in would have taken a different route. (Their whole church, building and land, probably cost less than one year’s offerings at Warren’s megachurch. They took thirty years to build it, just to keep it affordable for the members.)

PJ, I liked this from the comment section of my link above:

Ha! I will gladly accept any material goods those embarking on the “rapture” will not be needing. Sorry, no returns on May 22nd, 2011 when this foolishness is put out to pasture.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/01/BA8V1AV589.DTL&feed=rss.news#ixzz0bV1FCeMO

That’s laugh-out-loud funny. Never considered that before. Naked – yes, looking up – no.

Pastor rick is down on the media? really? the same media saps who portray him time and time again as somehow different from other wal-mart style mega churches? and paint him as some kind of “moderate” implying that he’s not a millenial whacko and a narrow minded biggot, which of course, he is? or can it be that pastor rick, like any other with it corporation, has a full time marketing division, which tells him that the church folk respond well to blaming “the media” and “big gubmint” while the MSM saps get all moist and engorged over “bi-partisanship” and moderate-ism. maybe

You guys are too much. I may not be able to make it to the end of this comment section in one piece…

well pastor rick is a minor celebrity, who gave the inaugural spirit cleansing or whatever that is.

you must mean en mass, and not “in mass”. becuase they are protestants they dont follow the sacraments in any formal way, and they dont say mass.

I vaguely remember an interview he did once in which he stated he did not profit from the book sales of his bestseller, or some such utterance. No link, of course. Anyone else remember this?

As to the shortcoming, 900K wouldn’t be his weekly take. How much was attendance down? If by half, 1,800K would be weekly take. If by only a quarter, 3,600K per week.

It’s common for contributor-supported organizations, whether right or left, to announce financial emergencies to get their backers to kick in the cash. “We’ve got plenty in the bank, no worries, contribute if you feel like it” isn’t the way to write an effective fund-raising letter.

Ah, well, if only we had smileys, one with a wink! I suppose I should learn to do sarcasm without smileys!

Churches may be like retail: they rely on heavy funding at the end of the year (lotsa people defer donations until end of year, Christmas is end of year, etc). So you can’t be sure that they’re looking to get the same amount every week.

Lisa is a witch. That’s right, you are commenting on a witch-website. How’s that make you feel, xtianist?

Many churches encourage people to pledge a given amount per week or per month, or even per year, so they have a good idea of how much to expect. It’s not an unusual practice; it’s like organizations and publications that encourage you to renew for multiple years. (Which reminds me I have dues to pay this month to one of mine.)

Thanks for the correction. Yes that’s what I meant.

Most of the Mega Churches and Televangelists don’t say mass, that doesn’t excuse them from the money they try to amass, at their followers expense.

Nobody notices they ask You to buy the salvation of Your soul.

A philosophy that espouses prosperity if you believe in God, if you follow his teachings….wonder what went wrong. Rick Warren I fear is just another snake oil salesman…step right up folks and get your supply of hate and hypocricy, give your money to the church and God will bless you ten fold. Mr. Warren says he doesn’t get a “salary” from the church, but I’m sure as can be that the church pays all his bills and whatever other expenses he deems necessary, and the profits from his books are gravy. I get so mad at these charlatan “Pastor” & “Preacher” schemers who prey on the fears & prayers of the poor & the weak, the desperate, needy folks with nothing more than their hope that God will enrich their lives and make their burdens easier….of course it never happens, and if what the Bible says is true, Rick Warren will burn in Hell for his lies, deceit, hate & fear mongering, and doing nothing more than taking money from they poor and in fact making their lives more difficult instead of easier. This is all my own opinion.

From the looks of him, most of the money he collects goes toward his food bill.

From what I understand, Rick Warren reverse tithes, meaning, he gives 90% to the church and keeps 10% of his earnings from the books he writes.
He does not take a salary (any pay) from the church.

Also, I have found that the Saddleback church assists with a food bank for the community, assistance with homeless, AIDS, overseas AIDS care, and many other types of assistance for not only the OC community but other areas of the world. I would ask that some of you please investigate the facts prior to condemning a person that is clearly trying to make a positive impact on the community and world.

I read the article in the Register and found it disturbing that someone would take an e-mail that was sent to churches members and remove all of the positive messages to the members regarding goodwill toward the community outreach that was performed in 2009, and pasted the blurb regarding a request for funds ..

I would like to say, I wish all of you a great new year, and do appreciate that you took the time to read my comments. I will say a prayer that each one of you experience the joy of giving.
Take care, Beth

Only God knows what is in Rick Warren’s heart. I am surely in no position, nor do I have any desire to judge him. I’ll leave that to those with the real qualifications. I sure don’t want to eat that karma bisquit. When you have a big profile, folks are gonna shoot at you. Right or wrong, he has helped the community and has done the Lord’s work. God bless Rick Warren. There. That will fix him.

Those who contributed to Warren’s operation did so of their own free will, there weren’t any enforcement, judiciary, or penal organizations set up to compel their donations.