Star Athletes, Megachurches, and a Whole Lot of Money

June 20, 2009 By 21 Comments

What’s the connection between star athletes and mega-churches? Turns out the athletes help bankroll some of the largest churches in the country (as well as their pastors). Evander Holyfield and Kurt Warner are just two glaring examples of athletes who seem to be duped into giving as much as they do.

This video is really disturbing on a number of levels:

Suddenly, the words of Dwight Howard don’t seem so bad… though I haven’t heard anything about how much he tithes…

Filed Under: General, Sports 21 Comments
  • Chal

    So it’s like a Ponzi scheme that never pays out?

  • Joe No Halo

    ABC Nightly News did a report this past Friday about how Kurt Warner has helped his former hometown, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rebuild after last year’s flooding, which is to be commended. No mention of his religion during it but at the end of the report his signiture was pasted onto the screen. Along side it he added “Mat. 6:33″. Always proselytizing…

  • mikespeir

    In my book Evander Holyfield is all right. (I said, “all right,” Evander! Don’t hit me!)

  • elf_man

    Every time I see footage of a megachurch, I’m explicitly reminded of Nietzsche’s “orgy of feeling”. In this case, of course, the price paid is quite literal. A Ponzi scheme with no pay out, quite correct.

  • littlejohn

    Unfortunately, there have been a lot of people connected with sports who wear the religion on there sleeves. Terry Bradshaw comes to mind. Great quarterback, funny guy, but not too bright. And who was that insufferable guy who coached the Cowboys for so many years? Always wore a suit, complete with fedora. Prayed incessantly. Maybe it worked; he was pretty successful. Of course he had Staubach (also a religious fanatic if my memory serves).

  • Jasen777

    Prosperity gospel is sickening. And a big joke on the 3rd world where it is popular among the poorest.

  • atomjack

    It is also no different from the RCC sucking the life out of Africa. Shameful, all around. Earvander needs a reality injection, but for that, Dollar (aptly named) isn’t going to be the source.

  • Richard Wade

    Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing that really pissed off Jesus? People publicly displaying their religiosity, and inking their wealth, status and power with their piety?

    Where’s a righteous carpenter with a rope’s end when you need one?

  • Richard Wade

    Isn’t this the kind of thing that really pissed off Jesus? People publicly displaying their religiosity and linking their wealth, status and power with their piety?

    Where’s a righteous carpenter with a rope’s end when you need one?

  • Rowsdower

    Reminds me of $cientology going after movie stars. The most sickening thing to me is that so many African Americans for some reason have no problem adopting the religion that was forced on their ancestors by their former owners.

  • Justin jm

    Where’s a righteous carpenter with a rope’s end when you need one?

    Maybe it’s just me, but this line sounded rather sinister in my mind when I read it. What exactly did you mean by “rope’s end?”

  • Richard Wade

    Justin jm
    A rope’s end is an old nautical term for a short piece of stout rope used as a club or short whip. I couldn’t quickly find the term for whatever it was that Jesus used when he drove out the moneychangers from the temple courtyard. It was some kind of short piece of braided something.

  • Justin jm

    Justin jm
    A rope’s end is an old nautical term for a short piece of stout rope used as a club or short whip. I couldn’t quickly find the term for whatever it was that Jesus used when he drove out the moneychangers from the temple courtyard. It was some kind of short piece of braided something.

    Okay, thanks. I didn’t know that Jesus was depicted as using a whip to drive out the moneychangers; I’d have guessed that he used fisticuffs or something.

  • Zar

    Wait; the reverend’s last name is DOLLAR?

    Gotta love when the guy says something like, “Who says that they can’t live like CEOs?” Um, Jesus?

  • Tony

    I think you’re being hard on Evander. He only paid for the megachurch so he’d have a building big enough to fit his illegitimate children!

    Allegedly.

  • http://www.awkwardcore.com dan

    makes a very convincing case against paying professional athletes so much.

    are there any atheist athletes?

  • matt

    wow….what a crime, this is why religions in general and those like this one should have to pay taxes, no wonder politicians go to them…they go to them to get them to donate the “church” money for their campaigns. what a scam

  • J

    Well, not really surprising, although quite disgusting nonetheless.

    I mean, athletes are not exactly known for their brain power, are they? Not that they couldn’t use it — I believe anyone healthy has the capabilities — it’s just that they don’t need to, and don’t want. So it’s quite easy to scam them like shown in the video.

    At least the 10% means nothing to them. What’s 3.5 M out of 35 M anyway? Ten percent means much more to the poor saps making 30k a year though, which are also favored victims of these rascals.

    And finally, Holyfield must not have tithed hard enough, given his ridiculous home is in trouble now. There is one born every minute, indeed.

  • http://religiouscomics.net Jeff

    IMO, mega churches and “prosperity gospel” are symptomatic of the “end of days” for Christianity. Christianity is dying and undergoing death-throws.

  • Adrienne

    I think people seek a sense of community when they join megachurches. But unfortunately they are systematically preyed upon by church leaders. Religion is big business, always was and always will be.

  • http://www.leicestersecularsociety.org.uk John Catt

    These athletes can sometimes see the light :-) . See:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(athlete)#Religious_beliefs