Tithing for Swords

I've written before about Rod Parsley, a TV preacher I started watching long before he became such a powerful figure in the religious right. I've written about watching his show one night and seeing him say the following mind-numbing statement:

How do I know that the Bible is the word of God? Because it's the only book that claims to be the word of God. So I don't need the Koran...I don't need the book of Mormon...."

The camera panned over the gathered throng as they shouted "amen, brother" at this stupendously idiotic statement he had just made, all of them apparently blissfully immune to obvious contradiction. One of the hallmarks of these hucksters is giving their followers tokens for their donations - a vial of "holy water from the river Jordan", perhaps, or "anointing oil" blessed by the preacher himself, or a "prayer cloth" prayed over by their "faith warriors".

Rod Parsley, on the other hand, is going for the gusto. For a gift of $41.10 (the price being tied to Isaiah 41:10 as "a reminder that this is your year to walk in complete fearlessness"), you can receive your very own Sword of the King, a 37 inch sword ("a replica of the sword of the legendary King Arthur") with "gold-colored" handle and a beautiful display case with "wood grain finish". I wonder if he gave one of those to John Ashcroft when he appeared at his church last month.

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So, some watery tart from Celtic mythology throws a sword at Arthur and somehow a replica of that sword is supposed to make christians blessed? Or am I missing something?

By afarensis (not verified) on 13 Jan 2006 #permalink

Ed, that comment of Parsley's made my brain hurt. Does he believe that the Bible is written in English, too? (Ma Ferguson: If the King's English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!-- Governor of Texas (circa 1920) )

Ah, Rod Parsley. Charismatic speaker--the man can be spellbinding to watch even as you don't believe a single word coming out of his mouth.

Back when I had TBN, he was a regular on their "Praise-a-thons", scamming money out of the poor and hopeless to line the pockets of one of the weathiest ministries in the world. The man has no shame, and it's telling that he's become such a leading light in the right-wing fundamentalist movement.

If you think Pat Robertson's a nutjob, he's got nothing on Rod Parsley.

...all of them apparently blissfully immune to obvious contradiction...

Apart from how illogical it is, is the statement even accurate? Do the Quran and books of Mormon neglect to self-validate their divine origins? (Not to mention other sacred texts which don't bear mentioning because they're not as competitive in this market.)

Half of what the man says doesn't make any sense, so I wouldn't work too hard trying to understand it.

Parsley isn't a serious scholar, even of the Bible. He's a sensationalist hack in the mold of Benny Hinn, and about as sound theologically (i.e. not very much).

One gift he does have is the ability to switch on and off the waterworks at will. That's quite a feat (you try it sometime) but reveals the utter lack of sincerity of what he's preaching.