Reply #23: he sounds like a Koresh type [View All]

[Mandate My Ass]

"This is really the most critical time of your life," he said, striding across the stage, which was strewn with electric guitars, and wearing a T-shirt printed with the word "Obey" in gothic script.

<snip>

The Smiths preach about the reality of miracles. They speak in tongues. They believe the Bible is fact, not allegory, and that living radically as a Christian does not necessarily mean taking a vow of poverty -- "We've got multimillionaires in this church. I've got no problem with prosperity," said Smith, who bought a $410,000 home on the Eastside with his wife in 2002.

A little selective isn't he about the bible being literal? IIRC, it says a lot about poverty and spreading the word.

A few weeks earlier he had urged them to attend his three-day Bible camp, even if they didn't have the necessary $200....

And now for the absolute highlight of the article by far...

"Camp totally changed my life," said Imani Lawson, 20. "Before it, I was like, 'Why am I going to camp? I'm a pre-med and Spanish major and my grades suck.' But I asked God about it and God totally spoke to me about my grades. He said, 'Just keep going to church, I'll take care of that.' " And he has, Lawson said. "School became so easy, I'm like, 'Wow, God.' "