A priest named "Dollar"

Rev. Creflo A. Dollar Jr. is a well-known preacher. He owns "Rolls-Royces, private jets, million-dollar Atlanta home and $2.5 million Manhattan apartment", (source: NYT) from the 10% of earnings that his congregation give him.

Conventional wisdom would say he's a a bit of a shyster parting people from their money. An editor at "Christianity Today" calls Mr. Dollar's church "a blight on the face of Christianity" .

However, if one must go to a preacher, surely one can do much worse: say, by joining someone like Pat Robertson. Mr. Dollar and his breed of "properity preachers" are motivational speakers who seem to spur some of their congregants to action: God wants you to get off your a** and make something of yourself; go out and multiply your money. One such preacher says: "the lack of money is the root of all evil,".

Ideologically, one could do far worse simply by actually taking the mainstream Christian ethics seriously. A teacher at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary criticizes Mr. Dollar for cutting out "what Jesus makes very clear and central, self-denial and bearing your cross,...."

It's silly to believe in God. It isn't silly to need motivation now and then, but 10% of pay is more than one ought to pay. Still, give me "prosperity preachers" over "suffering preachers" any day.