Prosperity Pastor Creflo Dollar Requests $65 Million To Buy New Luxury Jet

In just the latest outrageous scam from the heretical Word of Faith movement, Prosperity Gospel preacher Creflo Dollar issued a plea to his followers to donate $60 million dollars to his ministry in order to finance a Gulfstream G650 luxury private jet charter – the most expensive jet in the world. All for the supposed purposes of “spreading the Gospel.” This shameless and brazen display of greed and excess is just another sad example of the problems with the prosperity gospel – a false teaching that has deceived millions of people into believing that faith in God leads to earthly riches, health and success.

The G650 Project – Shilling For Millions

“…the G650 is the biggest, fastest, most luxurious, longest range and most technologically advanced jet — by far — that Gulfstream has ever built. ” (source).

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; – 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

Dollar’s ministry set up a special website just to focus on “Project G650” its name for its private jet scheme. The site has since been taken down in the wake of a media firestorm but Beginning and End was able to obtain much of the main text:

“The ministry’s current airplane, was built in 1984, purchased by the ministry in 1999 and has since logged four million miles. Recently on an overseas trip to a global conference, one of the engines failed. By the grace of God, the expert pilot, who’s flown with Creflo for almost 20 years, landed the plane safely without injury or harm to any passengers,”

“Due to this recent incident coupled with the 31 years the airplane has been in service, we believe it is time to replace this aircraft so that our Pastors and staff can continue to safely and swiftly share the Good News of the Gospel worldwide. Believe it or not, there are still millions of people on this planet who have never heard of Jesus Christ and know nothing of His greatness. Our hearts desire to see precious lives changed and snatched out of darkness and thrust into His marvelous light! We need your help to continue reaching a lost and dying world for the Lord Jesus Christ,” the appeal continued before asking supporters of the ministry to sow a $300 seed into the airplane fund, billed Project G650.
“The mission of Project G650 is to acquire a Gulfstream G650 airplane so that Pastors Creflo and Taffi and World Changers Church International can continue to blanket the globe with the Gospel of grace. We are believing for 200,000 people to give contributions of 300 US dollars or more to turn this dream into a reality — and allow us to retire the aircraft that served us well for many years,”

Here is the video Dollar’s ministry produced for the campaign:

The G650 is the most expensive private jet in existence, with only several hundred manufactured to date. Bloomberg News referred to the G650 as “the holy grail” of private luxury jets and so exclusive that millionaires are “waiting in line” to purchase one. One financial website calls it “the ultimate symbol of wealth.” And this is the plane that Dollar feels is suitable in order to spread the Gospel. This all begs the question: why does a pastor even need a private jet? When questioned about why he could not fly commercial and spend significantly less of his followers’ money, Juda Engelmayer of 5W Public Relations in New York, which represents Creflo Dollar Ministries, said their significant cargo made the jet necessary.

“You’re missing the point. The plane is not so Creflo Dollar can get on by himself and fly. They take a ministry team of 10 to 15 people with them. They take thousands of pounds of food and provisions with them when they go around the world. If he’s coming to the New York church, he’ll hop on a Delta flight; if he’s taking 12 people plus 100,000 pounds of food, it’s not that simple,” Engelmayer explained.

A brief examination of the interior of the G650 shows that it is not a cargo plane built to carry goods and supplies:

Shortly after Englemayer’s statement David Graham, Global Express aircraft captain with Advanced Air Management, which “specializes in the management of long-range business jets owned by individuals and entities desiring the opportunity to offset the cost of ownership through private charter,” decried the explanation by Dollar’s media representative as nonsense in an email message to the Christian Post late Friday.

“The G650 MAX RAMP WEIGHT is 99,600# then add 4,000# for the G650ER. IT CANNOT CARRY 12 PEOPLE AND 1000,000 # OF FOOD AND SUPPLIES LIKE THE COMMENTER SAYS!!!! CREFLO IS A CROOK AND SCAMMIN (sic) HIS CHURCH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!!!” (source).

The Evil of The Prosperity Gospel

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. – 2 Peter 2:1-3.

Beginning and End has provided extensive coverage of the heretical, extremely unbiblical “Prosperity Gospel.” It is a false teaching that is premised on two simple ideas: 1) God wants every Christian to be rich, successful, perfectly healthy and attractive and 2) a Christian secures that blessing by “sowing seeds” of money by paying it to a pastor as proof of their faith. Once the money is received, God will then bless that person with an even greater financial return on their investment. Of course none of this is in the Bible. The purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not turn a person into a multimillionaire flying around in a private jet. It is to save their souls from hell and the Lake of Fire.
The present world we live in is cursed by sin and doomed to destruction. Jesus Christ clarified this in John chapter 18:

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. – John 18:33-36.

This current world is not the Kingdom of Christ. Christ will return and establish His Kingdom at the Second Coming. Christians should not focus on acquiring worldly possessions as the ultimate goal of God’s blessing. In fact, Jesus specifically commands true, Bible believing Christians not to put an emphasis on material gain:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. – Matthew 19:19-22.

Rather than focus on eternal life and the forgiveness of sins that was won for every believer on the cross, Prosperity Gospel heretic false teachers preach a message that faith in God is the quickest way to start “living large” by wearing designer clothes, getting big paychecks and driving luxury vehicles. And these same pastors use themselves as proof of “God’s favor.” Creflo lives in a $3M Atlanta mansion, drives a Rolls Royce, in addition to his other properties (source). They actually flaunt their wealth to their congregation as “evidence” that they are “anointed” and receiving their “harvest.”

Compare Jesus Christ own words above with the “Daily Confessions” on getting money from Pastor Dollar’s own website:

Like Joseph, I prosper wherever I go and in every situation I am in because the Lord is always with me. I, too, experience preferential treatment (Genesis 39:1-6, 21).

I associate with those who are blessed and highly favored so that I may increase in every area of my life (Genesis 30:27).

I operate in integrity; as a result, I obtain favor from God (Proverbs 11:27; 12:2).

Because I am God’s “favorite,” I prosper in every area of my life-spiritually, physically, financially, socially and mentally (3 John 2).

Because the favor of God shields me, no sickness or disease has a right to live in my body (Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalm 5:12).

Wealth and riches are in my house because I am empowered with His anointing and favor to draw wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalm 112:3). (source).

These catch phrases which are not from the Bible but instead are just man-made slogans, demonstrate so much of what is wrong with Prosperity Gospel theology. By taking single verses out of context a Word of Faith heretic pastor then applies the verse to the congregation. This is not proper Biblical study. In the Bible there are descriptive passages – which detail historical events, and there are prescriptive passages, which directly speak to and command the reader. This distinction is critical to understanding the Bible.

For example, in the book of Genesis we read:

“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:14-15).

If a pastor came to the pulpit on Sunday, read that passage and said: “Now I want everyone to go home and build an ark with the exact directions that God commands us to!” would that be a correct teaching? Are all Christians required to build an ark? Of course not. In that passage, the Bible is describing an historical event – namely, The Lord speaking directly to Noah about the global flood judgment and building the ark to preserve humanity and animals to restart the population. It was not a command for all Christians to construct a sea vessel and to teach it that way would be ripping it out of its context. Yet this is precisely what Word of Faith, “Name it and Claim” it pastors do every week in their sermons to millions of followers all over the world.

In Genesis 30:27, Jacob was living with Laban and working for him for a time in order to marry Rachel. As heir to the Abrahamic covenant, Jacob was indeed blessed. He was a part of the Messianic bloodline that would lead to the Messiah – The Lord Jesus Christ. Soon Jacob had served his time working for Laban and wanted to return to his homeland. Laban, recognizing God working in the life of Jacob said: “…I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.” (Genesis 30:27). Jacob was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. He received the name “Israel” from God, a sign that he had saving faith in The Lord. So yes, he was indeed blessed. And Laban as his host, was also receiving blessings in the 14 years Jacob lived with him. This is the context of this verse.

In his “faith confessions” Creflo Dollar writes: “I associate with those who are blessed and highly favored so that I may increase in every area of my life (Genesis 30:27).” That verse was not a universal principle that associating and being friendly with those who are “blessed and highly favored” will increase your salary, bank account and social status. It was a historical passage describing Laban’s blessing. This is the trick and deception of Dollar and many false teachers. They use Scriptures out of context and speak with such emotion, passion and charisma, that it “feels” like they are truly preaching God’s Word. In fact, they are twisting it for shameful gain.

Also notice the emphasis of the faith confessions from Dollar: on self. He instructs his millions of followers to chant every day: “I am…” “I will…” “I do…”, completely focusing on their own accomplishments and greatness (in a manner very similar to Satan in Isaiah 14, boasting “I will ascened..I will exalt..I will be like the Most High”). And there is not even a mention of Jesus Christ who, in fact, is the one who has done everything to earn blessings for Christians.

It is Christ who has accomplished all, not us. Bible believing Christians only deserve Hell and the Lake of Fire for the thousands of sins we have committed (this author definitely included). Every blessing a Christian receives is through grace – the underserved favor of God: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God..” (Romans 3:23-25).

A Christian is forgiven or “justified” by the sacrifice of Christ. God’s blessings are not earned. They are given because a born again Christian is given the privilege of receiving the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ and thus their sins are forgiven. The many Christians who are today in prison cells for their faith, or tortured for witnessing the Gospel or killed for holding a Bible study are not somehow “unfavored” or “weak in faith” Christians. Christians dealing with illness are not “inferior.” The Bible guarantees no worldly, material prosperity. Our riches, health and prosperity are spiritual until Christ’s eternal Kingdom which all Christians will in fact inherit. But false teachers preach that if you are not making big money today, your faith must be weak. And they point to their own mansions, designer shoes and Bentley luxury cars to back up their claims of their being “blessed and highly favored.”

This is precisely what the Bible prophesied in 2 Peter chapter 2, which goes in depth about the mentality of false, pseudo-Christian pastors who have infiltrated the church:

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; – 2 Peter 2:12-15.

Wolves in sheep clothing like Dollar will often brag about their riches and luxury items to the church. This is what Scripture refers to as “sporting themselves with their deceivings while they feast with you.” And the apostate Dollar has become so brazen that he feels comfortable asking for such an outrageous amount of money as $65 million dollars. This is a perfect example of how far some churches in the world today have fallen from sound Biblical doctrine into corrupted, spiritually bankrupt, satanic teachings that move the focus from Christ and onto money. Here is a video of Dollar “sporting” at church:

This disgusting display hits on Dollar’s main emphasis: tithing. The tithe, which was a part of the Mosaic law, does not apply to Christians today. Just as Christians do not have to perform temple sacrifices, observe the numerous rituals for cleansing one’s body or go to Jerusalem for Passover, the tithe is not a requirement. Christians are told to give as the Holy Spirit leads:

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7.

Notice the verse above says that giving should not be “of necessity”. The tithe in the Old Testament was indeed a necessity – it was a mandatory tax to support the temple. In the Prosperity Gospel the tithe is supposedly, a sign of one’s faith. This heresy teaches people that their work “earns” God’s blessing. This is the exact opposite of the Biblical Gospel that teaches a person can do NOTHING to save themselves – it is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made by laying His own life down and dying on the cross that paid the debt for a believer’s sin and earned all the blessings Christians receive. Ephesians chapter 2 explains this succinctly:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9.

Dollar puts such an emphasis on tithing in order to compel and guilt his followers into paying him that he even threatened his congregation with a sermon about his secret desire to shoot and execute followers who do not pay him their tithes. He says as much in the first 2 minutes of this video:

What spirit is leading a man who is so obsessed with money that he would speak this way? Is it a spirit of God or the doctrine of demons? 1 Timothy chapter 6 goes into more detail about money hungry, worldly minded false pastors like Dollar:

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. – 1 Timothy 6:4-11.

In past articles, Beginning and End has chronicled the excesses of Prosperity Gospel false pastors. Kong Hee of City Harvest Church in Singapore spent over $20 million dollars of church tithes to fund his wife’s secular hip hop career, including music videos where the pastor’s wife was scantily clad and gyrating in homosexual dances. Houston pastor I.V. Hilliard also sent a special request to his followers to “sow a seed” for transportation money to fund a new helicopter for the church. This after the pastor threw a birthday party for his wife in which he charged church members $100 to attend and gave specific instructions on what gifts were to be given, down to the name brands of the designer hand bags the “First Lady” deserved for her special day. The Hilliards live in a 7 building, 30 bedroom, 36 bathroom palatial compound and of course own a private jet.

Pray For The Modern Church

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. – Jude 1:3-4.

The fact that anyone takes false heretic preachers like Dollar seriously is a clear indication that much of the church is destined for the prophesied falling away from the faith in the end times. It is time for pastors to speak out not just against Creflo Dollar and Prosperity Gospel heretics, but the many other false teachers who twist and pervert the Bible with corrupt messages for personal gain.

Pray for Dollar to not just remove his website but to repent of all the ungodly, demonic teaching he has been spreading all over the world for decades. And for the many hundreds of thousands of his followers to read and learn the Biblical Gospel and reject false teaching. It is because there is so little emphasis on studying Scripture and its ultimate authority in the church, that so many attendees are captivated by men who teaching messages so blatantly contradictory to the Bible. If you are a Christian or attending a church that preaches in this manner, please, read your Bibles. Listen to the clear words of Jesus Christ which command us to store treasures in Heaven not in Earth. Rebuke and depart from anyone teaching such blatant false teaching. And understand that faith comes from the heart, not your bank account.