Source: OWN

I remember when I first got my Kindle, I went crazy buying books.  One of the good things about Kindles are that you can read the reviews before you purchase the book.  So when I went to look up some of Iyanla Vanzant books, there was a review that surprised me.  One reader talked about how they lost respect for her and questioned her credibility when during one of her shows with teen girls who were prostituting themselves, she had Karrine Steffans to talk to the girls.  Because of that one act, this reader completely disregarded all of the positive things that Iyanla has done for people (though the review was written in 2009).

No one’s past is spotless, and no matter what your intentions are, you might have a small blip on your background that could cause people to call your credibility in question.  Especially when you gain the notoriety of fame.  Some people have been able to rise back up after the hard hit of public opinion, while others have stayed down.  Let’s look at a myriad of these professionals.

AP

It was just last week that a former employee of Creflo Dollar’s World Changers Church International in Georgia went into a morning prayer service and proceeded to shoot the leader, Greg McDowell, to death in front of church members. Less than a week later, Rev. Danny Kirk Sr., head of the Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church in a suburb in Fort Worth, was attacked in that church by a crazed man wielding a guitar.

On Monday, a man (whose name hasn’t been released as of yet) drove his car into a side wall of the church, proceeded to run after Reverend Kirk, who was in the parking lot, chased him into the church, and beat him to death with an electric guitar. According to the Associated Press, while the secretary hid for her life and called police, Reverend Kirk fought back against his attacker as much as possible. And when police finally arrived on the scene, they found the suspect beating him with the electric guitar and proceeded to use a taser to subdue him. Kirk had was dead by that time and another church worker was hurt while trying to help Reverend Kirk fend off his attacker. After being taken in custody, the suspect was later found unresponsive. Interestingly enough, the suspect was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival. Authorities aren’t sure if the beating he might have received while attacking Reverend Kirk was trying to defend himself played a part in his sudden death, but according to the AP, an autopsy is being done to determine his cause of death. Investigators are trying to figure out what the motive was for the attack, and if the reverend and the suspect even knew each other at all.

Those who are part of the congregation, which is around 800 people, are in mourning over the loss of their beloved Reverend. Kirk was known for his kind heart and love of volunteering at hospitals and schools. As one churchgoer, Montonya McNeil, put it, “He really was concerned about our souls. You looked forward to being here. … I’m not asking God why, because I know where he (Kirk) is, but we won’t get those big bear hugs and those great sermons anymore.”

Such a sad occurrence, and unfortunately, Kirk can’t get the real justice he deserves since the suspect is dead. However, in such a time, it’s best for those at Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church to remain confident in their faith, and as McNeil noted, know that Rev. Danny Kirk Sr. is in a better place.

Did you hear about this sad story?

It’s truly a shame when people can’t even feel safe and comfortable showing up for a morning prayer service, but that’s what this world has come to I guess. Just ask the folks who assembled for such an event this morning at Creflo Dollar’s World Changers Church International in College Park, Ga, who were present when a former maintenance man walked up to the worship leader and put multiple bullets in his body, killing him.

It’s not clear what the motive was, but 52-year-old Floyd Palmer, who was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, was said to have calmly walked into the worship service and proceeded to shoot the 39-year-old worship leader, Greg McDowell, at point-blank range. Palmer only fired at this volunteer, but not any of the other 20-plus people attending the service. According to USA Today, the shooter had a criminal past, including pleading guilty in 2004 to assault and carrying a handgun in Baltimore.

According to a Fulton County Police spokeswoman, Palmer came to the church dressed in a suit and tie, so it’s unclear if he came to the church with the motive of only killing McDowell. Coincidentally, the megachurch, which has about 30,000 members, has both uniformed and plainclothes security on grounds most of the time. Dollar was not present during the shooting. Palmer was picked up at a local Macy’s in the late afternoon as his car was spotted in the mall parking lot. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the victim was was a member of the church’s production crew as well as a  facilities maintenance manager, and because Palmer just resigned his maintenance position in August because of personal reasons, it seems these men would have a reason to come into contact with one another for previous reasoms. But once again, a motive isn’t clear as of yet.

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Pastor Ken Terry said that McDowell, a volunteer for a long time, “was faithful for a number of years. We have known him for years. Since he was a little kid. McDowell was the father of two toddlers with his wife Rosetta, which Terry touched on. “He spent a tremendous amount of time with them. He was the model dad.”  Such a tragedy boggles me because of how bold the shooter was to go into the house of the Lord and do such a thing. But I guess this is the world we live in now…

christiansinthenews.com

Ohhh you know the type:  always telling you how right you should be living and their own windows need washing. Or the other type: the ones who’ve reached a certain level of enlightenment in life and now feel the need to continuously tell you what you’re doing wrong.  Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes, it’s just downright sad how the tables often turn.

Check it out…and please try not to get yourself too upset!

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Source: Stanfordadvocate.com

Much to many people’s surprise, Pastor Creflo Dollar still stepped in the pulpit yesterday despite the legal matters he’s currently engulfed in. As you know by now, Creflo’s daughter alleged that the Fayetteville minister choked and punched her during an argument over her wanting to attend a party and though the mega-church leader had already released a public statement on the domestic arrest, he wanted to address his congregation personally and tell them exactly why his daughter’s allegations are false. Here’s what he told them:

“I want to say this very emphatically, I should have never been arrested…­­The truth is that a family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional…And emotions got involved and things escalated from there….The truth is she was not choked, she was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck…But the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema. To come and take a photo of a mark that’s been there for 10 years and not have enough intelligence to ask the parent what it is, is appalling….When the facts of this come out, you will be appalled.”

When Creflo Dollar first entered the sanctuary he was greeted with a massive standing ovation that drew memories of the welcome Bishop Eddie Long received from his congregation during his legal battle. But in Creflo’s case I think many truly believe he is innocent and have already thrown his daughter into the mini-Mike Epps category and believe she is a spoiled child who took advantage of the justice system’s tendency to believe women in domestic situations much like the comedian’s daughter did.

Eczema is quite an interesting defense so I’m curious to see what other “facts” pastor Creflo Dollar was alluding to yesterday. I suppose all will be revealed eventually though.

Check out the clip from his sermon yesterday. What do you think about the eczema defense?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: joy105.com

You’ve probably already heard about Pastor Creflo Dollar’s arrest on Friday for alleged assault against his 15-year-old daughter. As we told you on Friday, the scuffle between father and daughter all started over an argument on whether or not the young woman could attend a party. Though there was talk of his daughter being punched and choked, according to the Associated Press, authorities who responded to the call of domestic violence made by the 15-year-old (and corroborated by her older sister) say she was left with “superficial injuries.” Dollar allegedly put his hands on his daughter when the argument escalated. He was arrested at his home in Fayetteville, and posted bond of $5,000 on Friday morning. He has now released a statement about the incident, in which he says the following:

“As a father I love my children and I always have their best interest at heart at all times, and I would never use my hand to ever cause bodily harm to my children. The facts in this case will be handled privately to further protect my children. My family thanks you for your prayers and continued support.”

If you were wondering, yes, Dollar is expected to preach at church today. Expect some hoopla around that service if you’re in the area and plan to attend.

A big conversation has opened up since this story broke on Friday, and it basically prompted folks to ask when are you taking it too far in disciplining children who get out of line, and when did such discipline require a call to police and a charge of assault?  To throw in my two cents, I’ll definitely say that times have changed, as have the children and young people of today. And from what I can see while riding the train or walking the streets, a few of these young’ns could use a whooping or two. But choking? No dice. Either way, I’m just starting to think this was a small family conflict that got blown out of proportion. But hey, only Creflo, his daughter and God really know what happened in that room, so I’ll let them work it all out…

If you’ve ever been awake really early on a Sunday morning, chances are you probably know who Pastor Creflo Dollar is. If you don’t, you should know that he’s the founder and pastor of World Changers Church International in Georgia, and depending on who you ask, he’s got an interesting reputation. He definitely gives a great word, but controversy has surrounded him for a while as people criticize him for living a bit too lavish and not allowing his church to be “financially transparent.” And there’s something about a pastor with the last name Dollar who owns a couple Rolls-Royces and a private jet that just rubs folks the wrong way, right? But now he’s got a bigger issue to deal with, as the 50-year-old was arrested this morning for allegedly attacking his 15-year-old daughter.

Dollar was arrested at his home in Fayetteville, Ga. and was charged with simple battery and cruelty to children according to WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Atlanta. According to the report, their scuffle was over whether or not the young lady could attend a party. Somehow things spiraled out of control from a conversation to a full blown fight, because the report goes on to say that Dollar wound up choking her, threw her to the ground, punched her, and if that wasn’t enough, hit her with a shoe (With a shoe too??? Geez…). When police arrived, the young lady was said to have a scratch on her neck that was given during the altercation.

In defense of himself, Dollar admitted that he did “restrain” his daughter when she became very disrespectful to him, and in the process he spanked (yes, spanked) her and wrestled her to the floor after SHE hit HIM. But that was it. No punching or shoe beating. In the end, Dollar ended up going to magistrate court and posted bond this morning. We’ll have to wait and see where these charges might take him as time passes, but boy oh boy did he get caught up in some mess.

This is a pretty sad situation I must admit, and when you’re somewhat of a popular public figure who is known for having a somewhat suspect reputation for different reasons, this type of thing doesn’t help. If all that talk of the young woman being hit with a shoe and choked is true, then this man’s got some issues, but if this was just a tussle that went left and was exaggerated, it wouldn’t be the first time a parent got into a messy altercation with their child, so alas, you can’t be that hard on him. Maybe the tussles didn’t end up like this, but you get what I’m saying. Either way, I’m sure there will be some new and nosey faces in church this Sunday…

How will it affect Dollar’s reputation? What were your thoughts on him before?

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(Eurweb) — The demand for religious films is on the rise, especially in the advent of Tyler Perry plays and big screens as well as movies produced by T. D. Jakes.  Megachurch preacher Creflo Dollar is catching the wave and has opened up a film division within his Christian empire.  According to reports, the new company, CAD Productions will produce at least three faith-based films a year, with one in the making right now.

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In SMDH news, Creflo Dollar (that name, that name) gave a rousing hour-long sermon this past Sunday, in which he stated his support for Bishop Eddie Long in light of the fact that he settled his sexual abuse case for an unreported sum rumored to be in the millions. Dollar also informed any members of New Birth Baptist Church that he doesn’t want them there and that they should return to Long’s side immediately. He claims that Long simply had a “wreck”, but that he will be forgiven and will still go to Heaven”.

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(AJC) — Fresh off the settlement of a sexual misconduct scandal, Bishop Eddie Long appears to have gained an endorsement of sorts from a fellow well-known megachurch pastor.  Pastor Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International in College Park gave a lengthy sermon Sunday about redemption and forgiveness. Then he spent several minutes talking about a fellow, unnamed pastor who had a “wreck.”  In a video of the sermon posted on YouTube — viewed more than 34,000 times — and also on the church’s website, Dollar appears to tell members of Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to return to the Lithonia church.

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