Sounds like he’s materialistically preaching to the materialistic choir.
3 Likes
Side-stepping the usual knee-jerk opinions of religion: more humble congregations deal with harassment of their pastors. It’s quite common for many clergy to develop burnout and mental health conditions while tending to folks because the level of emotional involvement in care is so demanding and frequently unappreciated. He’s worried about designer clothes?
Any reasonable congregation would fire him immediately.
12 Likes
The pastor has inadvertently stumbled onto a daring cutting-edge anthropological study aiming to determine the limit of what could be gotten away with without committing a crime.
10 Likes
I don’t understand how “the congregation” is buying anything specific for him. They’d be donating. And he’d be spending those donations.
Is the conceit that the collection plate was somewhat lacking this month and the pastor is being public about what he had been wanting to use those donations on?
1 Like
There’s a very direct correlation between the type of smooth talking criminals who engage in grift and the type minister who can inspire their congregation. I’d say this guy is the perfect Venn circle diagram. Even his bio is full of corporate bullshit.
6 Likes
Well, that congregation is a pack of selfish bastards! /s
It’s interesting to me that out of the wall of self-congratulatory text, I have no idea what their theology is.
I can guess that it’s some kind of protestant evangelism but beyond that?
Presumably if I’m in the market for their particular flavour of religion, I’m either already familiar with their various organisations or I don’t care and just want some sharpdressed and well accessorised man to shout at me for a few hours now and again.
5 Likes
Sounds legit. Maybe he’s letting them off lightly. See Acts of the Apostles Ch 4, or…
4 Likes
Prosperity theology?
6 Likes
Sure.
I’d also guess that they’re charismatics or Pentecostal but beyond that?
1 Like
This guy is an utter berk in the way he raises his funds.
But here we are, 30 comments in, and nobody has yet noted the nominative determinism here. It’s not his fault - his name made him do it!
Funderburke.
1 Like
Are you not paying attention? He was “creating synergy!”
4 Likes
Funderburke (n) a greedy hypocrite.
@fuzzyfungus OMG, he is worse than I originally imagined! 
Synergy! Fucking Synergy!
6 Likes
Given that he styles himself “Prophet” (as well as Carlton Funderburke I, when having a numeral after your name is really only something II or higher should be able to blame their parents for, styling yourself ‘the first’ is like making up your own nickname) I think it might be something a trifle out of the Protestant mainstream; but I’m also at a loss for specifics.
Curiously, neither the church he operates, the ‘fellowship’ under which it operates, nor the school he received a doctorate of divinity from provided me with any clarity on exactly what flavor of protestant we are talking here.
The fault could definitely be my admittedly anemic knowledge of how to pick up the relevant clues from religious operations that don’t conveniently self identify; but I came up with little.
(edit: the one tidbit that does seem of interest is “Realizing the need for spiritual covering and accountability, he remains submitted to the voice and mantle of his father-in-love, Bishop L.W. Bolton, Jr.”, especially when a different prophet(also his web designer) says that “He is submitted under the pastoral covering and leadership of Overseer Carlton & Pastor Sylvarena Funderburke”. That sounds a lot like ‘shepherding movement’ talk; unclear whether it’s the relatively lightweight flavor that just substitutes for an org chart among structurally independent teeny nondenominational protestant outfits; or whether it’s closer in practice to the definitely-cult-adjacent ‘heavy shepherding’ stuff is unclear on cursory inspection.)
5 Likes
WTF does this have to do with the Gospel? Sheesh.
Glad this was captured on video and disseminated.
For shame!
1 Like
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Louis Vuitton.
–Luke 16:13
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He may be Carlton Funderburke the first (as per his bio), but he won’t be the last. the money is too good. No more tax exemptions for religious institutions of any denomination.
1 Like
Also his father-in-law.
4 Likes
He would have told this guy to sell all of his possessions and serve the poor.
5 Likes
He wants a Movado?! Jesus. If he was truly a holy man, he would have insisted upon a Patek, an AP, or a Vacheron Constantin.
3 Likes
