I took a pass on going to Living Word church (LWCC) to hear Mac Hammond respond live to critics this morning. Instead, I watched the telecast of the 9 a.m. service, since I'd spent plenty of time yesterday with Pastor Mac and his proxies developing yesterday's post. If you'd prefer my short version, it's this:
LWCC is a sophisticated, tax-exempt enterprise led by a man who believes that god has called him to be rich. Its operations and financial dealings are reviewed by a Board of Trustees, all ministers who subscribe to the "prosperity gospel" doctrine. His airplane leasing deal and other non-salary compensation reported elsewhere have been approved by that Board and disclosed to lenders. His relationship with the church enables the flying pastor to own two aircraft for business and personal use.
LWCC's advisors have reviewed these arrangements and transactions and assured us they are legal. The Bible and his pastor-packed Board have assured him they are also moral.
This morning, before hearing Hammond's explanation, I realized I missed making two obvious, related points yesterday.
- The documents I was reading were developed explicitly to present a financial picture of LWCC, but not its actual ministry work. Because all a lender cares about is whether LWCC can pay off the mortgage, even if the information were interpreted correctly, the picture would be one-sided and incomplete.
- The picture is of an organization that can produce substantial cash to pay off debt — it shows a debt service capacity of $6.7 million per year. Whether you think this is good or bad, LWCC pays a lot of attention to money, and if you are a member, so will you.
Now, to many people, squeezing their own family budget to make the Lord's mortgage payment each month is not their idea of Christianity. But it fits quite consistently with the prosperity gospel message Hammond articulated today.
I'll comment on his side of the story in a separate post.
