Paula White (White House photo)

‘Trump’s Pastor’ is Not Even A Christian

In a previous article, I said President Donald Trump usually picks the least qualified person for the job. His cabinet is full of zealots, ideologues and ignoramuses, who know nothing about the departments they’re running. Case in point, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has never taught or worked in public schools and is a fan of private religious education. So it’s not surprising he recently hired Paula White, one of the worst examples of modern-day Christianity, to serve as special adviser to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative at the Office of Public Liaison.

The ugly reality is White and Trump share an affinity for materialism, showmanship and fraud, not the Christian faith.

But White is not just some ordinary far-right preacher, she’s a money-grubbing spiritual huckster who’s regarded as a fraud by religious scholars. “Paula is a charlatan and recognized as a heretic by every orthodox Christian, of whatever tribe,” said of Southern Baptist Convention theologian Russell D. Moore in the Washington Post. Speaking of White, political commentator Erick Erickson said, “The president of the U.S. is putting a heretic on stage who claims to believe in Jesus, but does not …”

Here are some highlights from White’s spotty past.

She’s an advocate of the abominable prosperity gospel. Paula White believes God wants you to be rich and in order to receive material blessings, you have to first send her money. White is a shameless huckster who sells religious trinkets, such as prayer cloths, and “resurrection seeds.” More recently she even demanded that her followers send her a month’s paycheck or face the wrath of God. In his damning book, “Christian Fascists,” author Chris Hedges explains how this spiritual Ponzi scheme works. He points out that Paul and Jan Crouch, the loathsome pair who founded Trinity Broadcast Network, also ran a similar scam. Apparently, they would use spiritual blackmail by warning their followers that God would curse them with bad luck if they didn’t send money.

White is a vulture. It’s bad enough that White has commercialized Christianity, but she also preys on the poor. Her churches are often located in a poor black neighborhood. This is a cynical exploitation of disadvantaged people. Black people are the most religious group in America. According to Pew, about half of black people attend church weekly and every Sunday White hits them up for money. White has literally built her fortune on the backs of poor black people. She has used that base to finance a luxurious lifestyle which includes private jets, luxury cars and million-dollar homes, including a penthouse bought from Trump. Former employee Hector Gomez also accused White of outright theft. He claimed she once urged followers to donate their belongings to the church and then rifled through the collection plate to scoop up jewelry.

She has a messy personal life. White is currently on her third marriage to semi-retired rock star Jonathan Cain of Journey. Her second marriage was to disgraced minister Randy White and she was also accused of having an affair with fellow shyster Benny Hinn. In addition, two of her previous churches have filed for bankruptcy.

If we lived in normal times someone with a resume like this would never get a job in the White House. But we live in Bizarro World, where the president takes advice from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the first lady is a failed porn star! Everything is upside down.

The ugly reality is White and Trump share an affinity for materialism, showmanship and fraud, not the Christian faith. Conmen of a feather, flock together.