wolves in sheep's clothing - a narrative inquiry

“Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing:” A narrative inquiry 1

Running Head: “Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing:” A narrative inquiry

John’s story of frustration that led him to leave his church.

Jacob Dean Oswald

Wayne State College

Dr. Randa Garden

CAN 462-01: Qualitative Research Design

Fall, 2015


John’s story of frustration that led him to leave his church

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are

ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15). These words, uttered by

Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago serve as a warning not only to the generation at the time, but

also to those in the future. The illustration is meant to warn others about deceitful people who

will do whatever they can to advance their own agenda. Another passage (1 Timothy 6:4-5) is

similar when describing these false prophets:

He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which

produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people

who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a

means of gain.

The apostle Paul wrote this warning in his first letter to Timothy, who was being

prepared by the apostle to be the leader of the Church at Ephesus. It is important to note

exactly why Paul warned of this kind deceitfulness. Exegetically speaking, Paul’s intention (just

like Jesus’s intention) was to warn others about people who would try to deceive them for their

own gain.

Do the words of Jesus and the apostle Paul have any relevance in today’s society?

Based upon the information that will be provided, the answer is an astonishing “yes.”

Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world, boasting millions of followers. However,

just as there are “knock-off brand” products one can buy at the store, there is also a “knock-off

brand” of Christianity that is being fed to thousands of desperate people every single day. The


prosperity gospel, also known as the health and wealth gospel or word of faith movement, is a

message that is very popular within the world today, especially the United States, promising

material wealth and health if people just have enough faith (and money).

This theological perspective, which is notorious for its Pentecostal roots, can be traced

back many years, but gained traction with the invention of the television in the 20th century.

Among the most recognized pioneers of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement is the late

televangelist Oral Roberts. He is not well-liked among fundamental, evangelical Christianity, as

one theologian had this to say upon Oral Roberts’s death in 2009: “Oral Roberts’s influence is

not something Bible-believing Christians should celebrate. Virtually every aberrant idea the

Pentecostal and Charismatic movements spawned after 1950 can be traced in one way or

another to Oral Roberts’s influence” (Macarthur, 2013, p. 155). What is, perhaps one of

Roberts’s biggest and most recognizable self-made doctrines was what he called the “seed-faith

message.”

Roberts taught that seed-faith giving was the means to prosperity. Money and material

things donated to his organization were like kernels planted that would produce a crop

of material blessings from the Lord. God, Roberts declared, would multiply in

miraculous ways whatever was given to Roberts’s ministry – and give many times more

back to the donor. It was a simple, quasi-spiritual, get-rich-quick scheme that appealed

mainly to poor, disadvantaged, and desperate people. It generated millions for

Roberts’s media empire. (Macarthur, 2013, p. 156)


Interestingly enough, the University named after Roberts (Oral Roberts University) is the alma

mater of many prosperity-gospel teachers today, including, most notably, Creflo Dollar and Joel

Osteen.

It should be noted that prosperity theology stresses that to receive the health and

wealth that people are looking for, they must have sufficient faith. Self-proclaimed faith-healer

Benny Hinn, one of the most recognizable supporters of prosperity theology (and Oral Roberts

apologist), travels the world declaring the prosperity message, specifically in the area of

healing. Numerous times throughout the year he can be found filling up churches, even

stadiums, for his healing events. He says, “It’s impossible to claim something you’re not sure

of” (Peters, 2002, p. 67). In other words, one must have sufficient faith and believe enough for

a healing to happen before it can actually take place. The burden is placed on the ones in need.

He goes further: “Never, ever, ever, go to the Lord and say, ‘If it be thy will.’ Don’t allow such

faith-destroying words to be spoken from your mouth. When you pray ‘if it be your will, Lord,’

faith will be destroyed” (Peters, 2002, p. 67). Lastly, Hinn firmly believes that it is God’s will

that every person be healed, saying, “He promises to heal all – every one, any, any whatsoever,

everything – all our diseases! That means not even a headache, sinus problem, not even a

toothache – nothing! No sickness should come your way. God heals all your diseases” (Peters,

2002, p. 53). Taken as a whole, Hinn creates an alarming, deductive notion: If it is God’s will

that everyone be healed, and people have to have enough faith in order to be healed, it

becomes their own fault if they do not receive healing! Unfortunately, this is how faith healers,

like Hinn, can evade accountability. Additionally, the trumpeters of the seed-faith message are

known for asking for people to give not only their faith, but their money as well for the healing


to occur. Hinn once said on his Praise-a-Thon television show: “Make a pledge; make a gift.

Because that’s the only way you’re going to get your miracle….As you give, the miracle will

begin” (Macarthur, 2013, p. 166). Hinn is also noted as saying, “Someone came to me in church

recently and said, ‘Well pastor, how much should I give to God?’ I said, ‘Well, what kind of

harvest are you looking for?’” (Macarthur, 2013, p. 166). The unfortunate cycle is glaring: have

enough faith, give enough money, and receive your healing. If your healing doesn’t come, then

you need to have more faith and give a bigger gift. Only then will the healing happen. Also,

quite peculiar is the fact that Hinn and his ministry do not keep a documented account of such

healings that supposedly happen at his events (Brumely, 2006). Moreover, according to Trinity

Foundation President Ole Anthony, at these events, “There are a lot of people who said they

were healed but there was no medical evidence that they were sick in the first place” (Brumely,

2006). This ushers in a host of questions, mainly: Are there any authentic healings that occur

at these gatherings? According to one person who witnessed one of Hinn’s events, upon the

night’s completion, the results were heartbreaking:

Watching the crowds lingering after the service made me ask another question as I

walked out. I had to capture this shot, so I did. One of the last to leave the giant NCCOG

sanctuary was a Latino couple with their child, a toddler whose limp body was plugged

into hoses and respirators and beeping, blinking life support packs hanging off his

walker. I wondered if they asked why their child was leaving the same way he came?

Did his parents agonize over whether they had a deficient and incomplete faith? What

sin might they be asking themselves were they guilty of? What generational curse had

to be seed-faith broken? When Hinn told them to believe God for miracles, why didn't


God sweep into that place and take that beautiful little boy up in His great nail scarred

hands and quicken his tiny body and spare him the uncertain future he faces ahead? I

couldn't tear my eyes away and I have not forgotten the poignancy and puzzle of this

moment. (Martinez, 2007)

It would be reasonable to think that some people could be so desperate, their circumstances so

dire, that they run out of money to give to these prosperity giants. This appears to be the case.

“The emphasis on debt reduction in prosperity teaching is clearly a response to a serious and

widespread problem” (Gledhill, 2003). The message has expanded. The fact that prosperity

theologians have to address the widespread problem of debt accumulation is telltale in and of

itself.

Perhaps it is no surprise then, that those preaching the message of health and wealth

have plenty of it themselves. “Like the professional pardoners of the Middle Ages who pedaled

indulgences to the highest bidders, they pervert teachings for profit” (Abdul-Jabbar, 2015).

Prosperity teachers Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s ministry nets approximately $100 million

annually (Goodstein, 2009). These numbers seemed to have raised the eyebrows of Republican

Senator Chuck Grassley, who, according to one source, “sought credit card receipts and the

numbers of the church’s offshore bank accounts” (Biema & Thompson, 2007). However, the

Copeland’s are not the only ministry under close surveillance. Grassley’s other targets included

Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White. When asked about what

caused this investigation, Grassley cited “Recent news reports regarding the possible misuse of

donations made to religious organizations” (Biema & Thompson, 2007). It seems as though

there may be enough evidence to support Grassley’s sleuthing, as Joyce Meyer reportedly spent


$23,000 on a commode and Creflo Dollar is the proud owner of two Rolls-Royces (Biema &

Thompson, 2007). Faith Healer Benny Hinn has also been reportedly caught in the middle of a

Ponzi scheme that has bilked people out of more than $160 million dollars. “The defendants

deceived investors, promising to generate investment returns that would benefit Christian

ministries through merchandising and manufacturing business,” the Security and Exchange

Commission said (Olsen, 2004).

However, perhaps the saddest aspect of prosperity doctrine is just that. It is a doctrine,

and it is being used to take advantage of those who are in need. For example, Creflo Dollar,

pastor of World Changers Church International, is adamant in his claims that the Biblical texts

describing Jesus as poor (such as Luke 9:58) are not accurate. In fact, he says quite the

opposite. “Did Jesus have money? Well, the Bible was clear. Kings brought him gold. Did Jesus

have money? It’s clear. He had a treasurer to keep up with it” (referencing Judas Iscariot, the

man that Biblical scriptures indicate carried the money bag for the disciples) (Blake, 2006).

Dollar’s statements seem to be easily refutable as Eric Meyers, professor of archaeology at

Duke University says of Jesus, “He didn’t even have his own tomb. He had to get it from a

friend” (Blake, 2006). Additionally, Sondra Ely Wheeler, an ethicist at Wesley Theological

Seminary in Washington, D.C. overtly dismisses Dollar’s claims: “To call Judas a treasurer is like

looking at two kids who go to the movies and calling the one who holds the money the

treasurer” (Blake, 2006). Dollar’s message is clear: Jesus was rich, and he wants you to be rich,

too. Dollar has also made news headlines more recently in 2015 for asking his congregation to

contribute $65 million dollars for a new jet, saying, “If I want to believe God for a $65 million

plane, you cannot stop me” (Stevens, 2015). As the saying goes, “The rich get richer……”


The Biblical scriptures seem to speak for themselves in regards to Jesus his wealth, or

lack thereof. After talking to a particular wealthy young man in Mark 10, Jesus told his

disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

Further, the apostle Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy that, “The love of money is a root of

all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Lastly, Jesus’s words in Matthew 16:26 would seem worthy

of mention: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

The Jesus that is described throughout the Biblical scriptures is exegetically different than the

vending machine-esque Jesus of prosperity theology. This is a con-man’s message and those

preaching it are perhaps no different than the religious elites that Jesus rebuked in Luke 11:46

when he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and

you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”

Purpose of this study

The purpose of this narrative inquiry will be to understand the ways and environments

in which religious followers are financially manipulated by their church leaders. In the present

study, it is my hope that my interview with John, a 56 year old Christian, will provide insight and

understanding into the context of his experience of attending a church that was financially

abusive. John’s story exemplifies the already-prevalent problem within society of religious

extortion.

Therefore, my research question, grounded in narrative inquiry is:

RQ1: What features characterize church leaders and their environments in which they

financially manipulate their parishioners?


Narrative Inquiry Method

In the present study, I used narrative inquiry to understand the experiences of a middle-

aged Christian who previously attended a church that was very audacious in their approach of

manipulating people for financial gain. According to Clandinin and Connelly (2000), narrative

inquiry can be described as “a collaboration between researcher and participants over time, in

a place or series of places, and in social interaction with milieus” (p. 20). Furthermore,

according to Creswell (2013), narrative researchers gather stories from participants about

specific experiences “lived and told” (p. 71). After collecting their stories, the researcher may

analyze and “restory” the stories “into a frame work that makes sense” (p. 74).

I underwent my narrative inquiry by conducting an in-depth, face-to-face interview with

John about his experiences while attending this church which he says embraced prosperity-

theology. Moreover, I accumulated a collection of stories regarding his time spent while

attending this church as well as the quality of relationships he had while being a member. For

this analysis, the interview was audio-recorded and then transcribed.

The transcribing process involved transcribing the interview verbatim. Upon completing

the transcription, I read through the entire transcript to identify specific, emerging themes that

could be arranged into a thematic narrative. According to Riessman (as cited in Creswell, 2013):

“an analysis can be made about what was said (thematically), the nature of the telling of the

story (structural), or who the story is directed toward (dialogic/performance) (p. 72).

Therefore, I have appropriately chosen to perform a thematic analysis of my interview with

John. The analysis is divided into labeled sections that identify themes that emerged during the

interview.


Participant

Upon IRB approval from my college, I conducted an interview with John, a middle-aged

Christian who felt as though he was financially manipulated by his previous church. John was

selected because he had “stories or life experiences to tell” (Creswell, 2013, p. 74), which

serves as a defining characteristic of narrative research.

After consenting to participate in this study, I worked with John to set up an interview

location. He chose to be interviewed at his home. John also agreed to have the interview

recorded. Furthermore, at the request of my college’s IRB, I ensured John of his anonymity in

regard to the study including the fact that his real name will not be used.

To gain some insight into John’s life, I asked him about his upbringing, specifically in

reference to going to church. He told me that he wasn’t raised in any specific church. “I

attended church a little bit when I was younger, off and on. Um, parents did not…my mom and

dad did not go to church” (J1-8). John did say that when he did go to church, it was with his

grandmother and great-grandmother. After telling me that he “did not actually come to the

Lord” (J1-11) until he was 37 and that he had been in a number of different churches since

then, I asked him if there was one that stood out in terms of dissatisfaction. He indicated that

there was, and this particular church will be discussed along with the many negative

experiences that John had while being a member.

There were five themes that emerged as a result of my interview with John – Control,

Messages about Giving, Promise of Rewards, Extravagant Living, and Personal Suffering. The

following section of my paper begins with the analysis of these emerging themes found within

the interview transcription of John’s experience in this specific church.


Narratives of Control

Perhaps the strongest theme that emerged during the interview was control. John

reported feeling that the church he attended was very controlling in nature. This is not

surprising, given the variables present in the warrant section of this study.

Telling you what you can and can’t…who you…what you can and cannot do, who you

can see who you can date. Um, more of a controlling…The longer I was there the more

controlling I seen it get to be. (J1-21)

Furthermore, throughout the interview, John made many subtle comments about a

variety of different ways the environment of the church seemed to be controlling. He stated

that the church’s head pastor even told the congregation who they should vote for in elections.

One instance that greatly bothered him was when he was asked to not drive the bus for the

church anymore. The church’s bus program is meant for those who do not have a ride to

attend services. This particular aspect played a large role in John’s decision to leave the church.

They said they fired me from driving bus, but yet they were saying it was because of

insurance reasons, but they wanted me to go work in another area of ministry and my

feeling is if you’re an insurance risk in one area, you’re going to be an insurance risk in

any area that you’d work. (J1-34)

Another area of control that John saw was that of the head pastor in terms of being in

charge of the church. Apparently, he did not like his authority being challenged by other

people.

Well, I mean, they uh, more or less you’d get forced into what they wanted you to do,

and if you didn’t then you’re outcast or, and not with me but of some of the others,


other people I know, they were asked to leave the church because it got to be where

they started questioning and I, uh, pastor would not tolerate being questioned. (J1-41)

Moreover, many churches have what is called a “board of elders” which serves as the

leadership of the church. They make joint decisions about anything that the church needs to

address such as problems within the church, or its finances. John reported that the pastor’s

desire for control reached the point where he did away with the board because it infringed

upon his ability to be in control.

From what I was told, when they first…When the church first started there was a board

of elders and after a while the senior pastor up and did away with the board of elders

because he did not want anyone telling him what he could and could not do, how the

money was to be spent, or anything else that was taken in – that was taken in offerings.

(J1-105)

Furthermore, John said that at times, the pastor would encourage people to ask him

questions in regard to his teaching, but “he shut them down” (J1-132). Surprisingly enough,

John had also said that this head pastor had his own security team that was with him at all

times. “He had a security team. They ended up developing a security team and he didn’t go

anywhere without at least one or two of the people on that security team following him

wherever he went” (J1-159).

Despite leaving this church, John did note that one good thing did happen while

attending – he met his current wife. However, John communicated that the church was also

exerting their control over their relationship.


I was driving bus and she was a rider, and at one time we dated and they had an

absolute fit because I was seeing her. We were still going to the church. I even got told

I could not pick her up and even take her to church because she didn’t have a way other

than on the bus. If she wanted to go on a Sunday evening, I was told I couldn’t turn

around and go pick her up, take her, because it did not look right. (J1-243)

Messages about Giving

Related to the theme of control, John had said that the church was very aggressive

when it was time for the weekly offering. He said that many times, the pastor would talk

extensively about giving. I asked him about the emphasis that was placed on giving and if it was

ever incorporated into the sermon for the day.

Yes, on, on the giving end of it, on tithing, um, there’d be anywhere from a 10 to 30

minute lecture or brow-beating of what you uh, about giving the 10 percent, uh giving

your 10 percent. It was like the more you gave, the more they wanted you to give. (J1-

48)

I pressed John a bit more in hopes in that he could further explain the degree of the

church’s efforts. I specifically asked him if the church stressed to give “more.” He went into

detail about how there were multiple offerings for multiple things such as buses, gifts, and even

a new building for the church.

Yeah, they stressed the more, of giving more and more even on the…They’re always

taking up uh, a lot of times they were taking up extra offerings for um…One instance

was buses for the bus ministry. Christmas time it was extra offerings for gifts for the


pastors, for the senior pastor and his wife. Uh, when they went to build their new

building there was…they…I wanna say they more or less insisted that everybody uh,

everybody had to make a pledge of…towards the building fund. And, in some instances

I heard that some of them, that they got called in and said they had to bump up their

pledge because they weren’t pledging enough for the building fund. (J1-52)

Later on in the interview, John lamented his frustration about the frequent badgering

the church would receive about giving:

It was just, they wanted you to just give and give more. Give as much as you could and

then give more above and beyond what you actually could give. They weren’t worried

about if you had food on your table or not, as long as they had food on their table and

they got what they wanted (J1-79).

He would go on to explain his frustration one more time as he emphasized the church’s

emphasis on giving:

It was always something about giving. Give give give give give. ‘You can’t out-give the

Lord,’ well true, none of us can out-give him. Who can out-give somebody that has

everything and provides for you and sees to it and gives to you? (J1-148)

Promises of Rewards

Pertinent to prosperity-theology is the promise that having enough faith, or giving

enough money will bring about miraculous blessings that far exceed the original investment.

This is what keeps the message going, and the money flowing. I first asked John if he was

familiar with the term “seed-faith,” coined by Oral Roberts. He said he was familiar with that

term, and his church was using it.


They would push it to where, well, the more seed you sow, the more you’ll reap – reap

back in benefits and, uh…Not directly but very indirectly. It was, well, the more you

sow, when you get to heaven you’ll be rewarded even more when you get to heaven

because you gave more than…more than others. (J1-62)

I wanted to gain more insight into exactly how these church leaders used this message

to gain compliance. John went on to describe that one of the pastors had the audacity to tell

him that the church had helped him pay for his child-support. Apparently, this was one indirect

“reward” of John’s giving. However, John was not impressed.

Yeah, they, they trade as much in promises…say the Lord would reward you more for

giving more. Give you false promises I guess you could say it’d be false promises uh, of

that the Lord would give you more than what you would get. One instance, at the time I

was paying child support and they turn around, one of the pastors made the comment

to me that they helped me pay my child-support and it’s like…Now, they never helped

me pay my child-support. (J1-70)

John went on to further describe exactly where these spontaneous blessings could be

expected to come from:

Yeah, it was, I mean, the more you give, you’ll receive more and, um, you’ll be looked

upon…the Lord would look more upon you and reward you and…on your check or…

pay...bills would be paid off and…um…You needed a new car, different vehicle or

something like that, he would provide it for you and stuff and I never seen any of that. I

didn’t see no special blessings from any of it. (J1-87)


Narratives of Extravagant Living

It is not surprising that some of the most recognizable faces associated with the

prosperity message live very luxuriously. While interviewing John, I got the impression that this

was true for the leaders in his church as well. John described specific examples of how the

leaders in his church spent the church’s money, but he also admitted that, at times, nobody

knew where their money was going. According to John, the leaders of the church were very

well off:

Here about five or six years ago the church went through a bankruptcy and it was

actually disclosed at that time what the senior pastor and his wife was drawing in wages

as well as what they were allotted for housing allowance a year, and it was right at

about a million dollars. (J1-99)

John had noted that at one time, the senior pastor seemed to live a moderate lifestyle

consisting of a “very moderate home” (J1-180). However, after the land around his house was

in danger of environmental damage, John said that the pastor and his family moved into a

different, much nicer house. John said that the pastor had stated that the state bought them

the house they currently live in.

Well, they’re out in a very rich area. The house out there, 2 to 300,000 to start with,

and that’s on the cheap end of the homes out there and some of them get up to half a

million. It’s out on a golf course. (J1-190)

Lastly, after already saying that the church took up offerings that were additional to the

regular one, John said that there was one particular offering that was meant to give the pastor

a new car, and his wife, a necklace.


Again they took up a special offering for it for about two, two and a half months, um,

every week there was a special offering for about that two, two and a half months, uh,

collect money to turn around and buy the senior pastor a corvette. The next year it was

to get his, uh, senior pastor’s wife a very nice necklace. (J1-216)

Narratives of Personal Suffering

The last theme found within the interview was John’s suffering as a result of his

experience in his church. I specifically asked John if he had ever sought professional help as a

result of what he encountered at his church. “I uh, yes, I did for a while, um…go to counselling.

For two or three years I went to counselling” (J1-224). Interestingly enough, the counsellor in

which John consulted also went to the same church at the time, and then ended up leaving,

too. Furthermore, I asked John to go into greater detail into how he was affected by the

practices of his church. I specifically asked him if he had given money to the church and he

responded that he had. He also confessed that he had been stretched to the limit in some

ways.

Yes, I was pushed very much to the limit. I was at the point I ate, well, um, I ate a lot of

tuna fish and hot dogs for meals. If I got…if I had hamburger once a week, that was like

eating a ribeye steak for me at the time. Where my finances and stuff were at, paying

child support and everything – yeah, it was a strain. (J1-232)

Discussion

In the present study, by way of narrative inquiry, I was able to better understand the

experiences of someone of had been religiously manipulated by those who hold to prosperity-


theology. Clearly, John’s experience frustrated him very much as he is no longer a member of

the church where he encountered these things. His story adds credibility to the issues of

prosperity theology. Furthermore, one Christian pastor says it right with his accusation against

prosperity theology, saying that it “sets the individual believer above God and relegates God to

the role of a genie, or Santa Claus, or a valet who is at the Christian’s beck and call” (Macarthur,

1992, p. 328). Put simply, this message is one of extortion at its finest. Additionally, the

present study provides evidence for the pervasiveness of the central phenomenon.

In light of the contributions to this study, I do recognize limitations and directions for

research to be done in the future. The present study involves a participant who was financially

manipulated by church leaders who promised prosperity as a return on investment. Absent

from the study, is any mention of healing in regard to any physical or mental ailment, which is a

staple of the Prosperity Gospel/Word of Faith movement. Therefore, future research may

expound upon that specific facet of the prosperity message. In doing so, qualitative, in-depth

interviews should be given to those who have been manipulated financially with the promise of

physical healing in return.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. John has since left his abusive church along

with his wife. Together, they now attend, and are members of a different church within their

city of residence. He reported that they both are feeling very comfortable and are happy to be

a part of their new church. However, the interview ended with a sharp quip of criticism about

where he previously attended: “I would not recommend the church to anybody” (J1-238).


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Peters, Justin D. AN EXAMINATION AND CRITIQUE OF THE LIFE, MINISTRY, AND THEOLOGY OF HEALING EVANGELIST BENNY HINN. N.p.: n.p., 2002. 53-67. Print.

Stevens, Alexis. Creflo Dollar 'dreaming' about new jet. N.p.: The Atlanta Journal-Constittution, 2015. LexisNexis Academic . Web. 2 Nov. 2015. <http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?>.

Van Biema, D., & Thompson, M. (2007). Going After the Money Ministries. Time, 170(22), 51-52.


Interview Questions

1. What is your age?2. What is the name of your faith?3. Talk about your upbringing in regards to going to church

a. What denomination were you raised in?b. Was your Family dedicated in going to church?

4. How has your experience in church changed throughout your life?a. Have you attended multiple churches?

5. Is there one church that stands out among the rest in terms of dissatisfaction?6. What made you feel dissatisfied with this church?

a. Tell me about the environment of the church7. What are some negative experiences you had while attending this church?

a. Did you ever feel like you were being deceived?b. How did this church use deceptionc. Please explain your story

8. What were the sermons like at this church?a. Was there an emphasis on giving?b. How often were there messages about giving?c. Does the phrase “seed-faith” sound familiar to you and how do you understand that

message?9. What are some common phrases that you remember that were preached from the pulpit?10. Did you ever feel pressured into giving money to this church?

a. Did anyone ever promise that good things would happen to you because of your generous gift?

b. If so, please tell me about these things11. Did you experience any special blessings because of your giving?12. Were you made aware of where your money was going?13. How many people do you still communicate with from this church?14. Did you have a deep connection with anybody from the church?15. Were there other people within the church who experience a similar event to what you

experienced?a. If so, please elaborate

16. Tell me about the relationship between you and the leaders of the church.a. What kind of lifestyles did they live?

17. Did you ever seek professional help in regard to your experience?18. What would be your advice to someone interested in attending this church?19. Is there anything else you would like to address regarding your experience in this church?

wolves in sheep's clothing - a narrative inquiry

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