Ep 134 | Fraud, Scandals, Corruption, and Theft - The Religion Business

19/09/2025 1h 30min

Listen "Ep 134 | Fraud, Scandals, Corruption, and Theft - The Religion Business"

Episode Synopsis

If you care about disciple-making and the witness of the Church, this episode matters. Jeremy sits down with the directors behind one of the most talked-about church documentaries to ask hard questions—and separate headlines from hard data.Across the American church we are seeing:Widespread Financial Fraud and EmbezzlementLack of Financial Transparency and AccountabilityMisallocation and Inefficient Use of DonationsCelebrity Pastor Culture and Extravagant LifestylesExploitation of Legal Loopholes:Shift from a Religious Mission to a Business ModelSo let’s just say this podcast wasn’t easy for us to publish.Why? We know we could offend some folks, lose some leaders or participants, even lose friends. Yet the findings are factual, not opinion—and the issues are a growing trend, not isolated cases.To be clear: there are many faithful pastors and churches who love Jesus and lead well. We speak with them regularly. They also feel the pressure of these trends around them and the impact on their congregations.We don’t believe this can be course-corrected unless we start talking about it—and we’re committed to doing so in a healthy, loving way that calls the church to greater purpose, purity, and impact.Let us know your thoughts.Let’s make disciples who make disciples.You can find the full documentary The Religion Business here: https://www.thereligionbusiness.com/

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