The truth about Pastor Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac Hammond… the very name makes some people cringe.

Unfortunately, those same people who cringe have unfounded reasons for disliking him. They disagree with what they see and hear is his lifestyle, yet they don’t take the time to know (or care) about him as a person and what he truly desires in life.

Usually, these people have a problem with pastors or ministers being rich. They think it’s inappropriate. Now, I’m not going to get into an argument about the prosperity gospel and whether or not God wants people to be rich or blessed. Whatever side you are on, it’s an opinion and you probably think you’re right no matter what the other person has to say.

Let’s instead look at a person’s character. In this case, Pastor Mac Hammond. These people who don’t like Pastor Mac have slandered his character and his decisions simply based on their assumptions of what his lifestyle is. That’s rude, uncalled for, and inappropriate. You can have your opinion and disagree with me, but don’t slander people’s reputations or characters based on your opinion of what you think they should do or say.

That’s childish.

Pastor Mac Hammond is one of the kindest people I know and has extreme integrity in his decisions. I know him as a congregation member and acquaintance/friend. At this point, the “bashers” of Hammond’s character are so biased I don’t know that they will listen to anything I’ll say. But I will comment—for the sake of any who will hear—that Pastor Mac is one of the most generous, caring people I know. His intent in talking about money at church is solely because he knows the people who truly grasp his teaching will be blessed in return by God.

Some of you may scoff at that simple statement, but I know it's true.

What about the people who give away all their money and life savings to preachers? I do feel bad for them, but I know that isn’t everyone in the congregation. It’s a few people out of thousands upon thousands. People who give their money away to preachers misunderstand what that preacher is trying to say and/or take it to the extreme for reasons unbeknownst to us.

Thousands upon thousands of people (around the world, mind you) have heard the ministry of Mac Hammond, Kenneth Copeland, and these other so-called “prosperity preachers” and had their lives completely changed—in a good way—because of what they’ve learned. Period. You can’t argue with that fact. These people are happy, helping others, and financially stable because of the principles they have learned through these ministers.

It’s ironic that these people who hate the “prosperity gospel” have a problem with prospering ministers—people who help people become better in life—but have no problem with athletes, musicians, and actors who are paid many more millions to provide entertainment to people—and often not beneficial, sometimes harmful entertainment. Really? Is that where our priorities are, people?

Someone commented on the millions of dollars they see in these preachers’ lifestyles and say it should be given to the poor. I say the same thing for the billions upon billions of dollars given to the entertainment industry. (How much did Hollywood spend on their latest blockbuster? It would save a third world country!)

Yes, some actors/musicians are generous with their money (I love hearing about that!), but in case you didn’t know, Living Word (Pastor Mac’s church) has given away over 30 million dollars since 1993. I have no idea how much Copelands have given away, but I’m sure the number is similar if not much more.

I’ve talked enough, and I could talk much, much more. If you have further arguments or questions, let me know. I am not here to argue with you, but I will do my best to present the other side of this story that is so clearly lacking in the newspaper articles that have been written to this point.

By the way, I’m a story of a life affected by Pastor Mac’s ministry. I lost my brother and my baby son in the past year and a half and I guarantee that I would not be doing as well as I am if it hadn’t been for the ministry of God’s Word provided through Pastor Mac Hammond’s church, Living Word Christian Center. Plus, when my husband first started hearing Pastor Mac minister, he was grateful for all he learned about how God wanted us to use our money.

Money matters in life. Period. (You try living without it!) Preachers can and should talk about money and how to use it, because money is where people most often make mistakes in life. People will continue to make mistakes about money, but that won’t and shouldn’t stop preachers from helping people learn how to spend money according to God’s Word.