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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