Person Exposes Greedy Pastors By Showing What Expensive Designer Items They Wear Every Day Interview
Practice what you preach. We expect our leaders—no matter who they are—to maintain certain standards of decency and to uphold the same values they profess to support. Those expectations are very clear when it comes to religious authority figures, whom we hope to be charitable and to focus more on the spiritual rather than the material things in life. Alas!
The ‘Preachers N Sneakers’ Instagram account, run by Dallas-based Ben Kirby, calls out those religious leaders who act like hypocrites by showing how some of them wear extremely expensive designer items. Having amassed a following of 247k followers in two years, Kirby continues to show the dissonance between what preachers, pastors, and priests say and what the details of their clothing reveal about their actual lifestyles.
Bored Panda reached out to Kirby and spoke to him about keeping religious leaders accountable and what keeps his relationship with his faith strong. Be sure to read on for his insights.
When you’re done looking through this list, you’ll find Bored Panda’s earlier article about ‘Preachers N Sneakers’ right over here. Just in case you wanted some more content before your upcoming Sunday service, that is (we sincerely hope your pastor is more down to earth than the ones featured here).
More info: Instagram | PreachersNSneakers.com | Book
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Old Pic, Timeless Style With Pastor John Gray In The Supreme X Louis V Jacquard Denim Parka $9,625
To hell with the poor and suffering!! It's all about the greed!!!
Hillsong Teaching Pastor Nathan Finochio Bringing It At #colourconf 2019 In Some Ferociously Fab Tiger Slides. Gucci Slipper $1,100
Mosaic Mexico Pastor Emerson Nowotny Keepin The Tide Pen Handy While Rocking This Super Fresh Supreme X Louis V Tee $1,407
$1400.00 for a .50 cent T-shirt???? I guess the starving people in the streets can starve for a bit longer.....what the hell, right?!!
Kirby told Bored Panda that we ought to encourage faith leaders to surround themselves with people who can be honest with them about their actions. "Many churches today are led by one pastor couple with no elders or leadership team on the same level, that’s asking for trouble. Being a pastor is a tough job; it’s an immense calling to lead others spiritually. Why wouldn’t you put as many safeguards in place to help you stay above reproach?"
According to the founder of 'Preachers N Sneakers,' if you're an active member of your local church and you donate to the ministry, it's fine to ask questions about how the organization is "saving, spending, and giving that money." Kirby is a big believer in transparency and thinks that it's a good way to maintain a strong relationship between parishioners and the clergy.
"If you ask about finance specifics and get a wishy-washy answer with no real reporting, you should ask yourself why," he said. "On a more macro level, I think a time is coming where massive church organizations will at least be required to provide more detailed financial reporting to the government or some other governing authority. So many churches have enormous donation revenues (hundreds of millions of dollars), commercial real estate holdings, and licensing income that seemingly have no reporting requirements compared to a for-profit business."
Pastor Mike Todd Staying Anchored In The Balenciaga Triple S $1,090
Prophet Bryan Maldonado Keepin That King Jesus International 501c3 Status Intact In The Royal Blue Lv Runners $1,020
If Retail On The Kicks You’re Wearing Is $2k And The Resale Market Is Paying $8-9k, What Are Your Shoes Worth? Jordan 1 Retro High Dior $8,100
It's just ironic.. is this normal? I'm muslim & have no idea why do these preachers/pastors can live in luxury? Are they given more than enough wages from the church or from ur government? Can anyone explain it to me?
Kirby added that with the advent of the pandemic, the account's content has changed "significantly" with remote services taking the place of physically going to church.
We also enquired about what keeps Kirby's faith strong and whether his project has changed anything. "My relationship with Jesus, my wife, and my community has helped keep my faith strong. Getting insults from other Christians for two years didn’t exactly make me feel great, but it caused me to really dig into why I believe what I believe and learn to place my worth in what God says about me and not what others have to say," he revealed.
"I’ll just say that I’m grateful to have the opportunity to help others push for a more authentic faith and representation of Jesus to the outside world. I didn’t do this in a perfect way and definitely don’t have all the answers, but am trying my best."
Pastor Troy Gramling Back At It Again With The Super Breathable Givenchy Hoodie $1,240
Jordan 1 Retro High $4,005
Just goes to show you how ignorant and stupid the sheeples are.
Kirby, now 31, first decided to draw attention to how famous pastors live after watching some worship songs on YouTube and noticing how the lead singer was wearing 800-dollar sneakers. He found it suspicious how the Elevation Worship megachurch could afford to pay their musicians that much money. What’s more, he started wondering how the church’s pastor, Steven Furtick, could afford new designer outfits incredibly often.
Curiosity didn’t kill the cat; it started a new Instagram account that posted the price tags of the shoes that well-known pastors were wearing. In a single month, the IG account drew in a whopping 100k followers, hungry for gossip and righteousness.
In an interview with Sarah Pulliam Bailey from The Washington Post, Kirby said that at the very beginning, it was “easy” for him to make jokes about it. “Some of the outfits are absurd, so it’s easy to laugh at some of the designer pieces. The price tags are outlandish.”
Pastor Maldonado Stayin Ricci In Good Works While Sporting The Primo Belt Of Truth. Stefano Ricci Belt $2,541
Y’all Busting These Out If Your Family Gettin The Inaug? Jordan 1 Retro High Dior $7,210
Pastor John Gray With Relentless Details! Givenchy Sweatshirt $1,145
I think they do this to show off and rub it in the faces of the congregation.
As time went by, he began asking some more in-depth questions about the relationship between status and wealth, and whether it was right to earn so much money while preaching about Jesus. “I began asking, how much is too much? Is it okay to get rich off of preaching about Jesus? Is it okay to be making twice as much as the median income of your congregation?” he said.
Kirby had kept his true identity a secret, however, he finally shared it with The Washington Post after publishing his new book, ‘PreachersNsneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities.’ Having grown up in a Christian home-schooling family, Kirby is an evangelical and believes in sharing his faith with others.
His family generously donated to their church because they lived a “comfortable but modest lifestyle,” however, Kirby began having doubts about how honest some religious authorities were after he saw his pastor driving an expensive car.
Pastor Furtick With The Fully-Realized Adam-And-Yves Saint Laurent Blessings On Feet $1,095
If your religious leaders are NOT living in a modest home, driving a cheap vehicle, and wearing cheap off the rack clothes, and preaching from a simple, cheap building..........they only thing they are worshipping is money!!!
We’re One Week In And Bishop Td Jakes Has Already Secured The Bag To Secure A Bag. Christian Louboutin Belt Bag $1,250
The Lord Works In Mysterious Color Combinations. Lv Sweatshirt $725, Air Force 1 Sneakers $1,145
Here’s A Fendi Hoodie $1,290
The only UNITY this con-artist wants is YOUR money in HIS bank account!!
“Like Hollywood—a world so often criticized by the pietistic—these institutions and their leaders celebrate and reward the ‘blessing’ of fame, popularity, and influence. Pastors function like ‘talent’ performing for an audience or like a spokesman for the church’s ‘brand,’” Kirby scathingly criticizes the hypocrisy that’s found among the ranks of some of the devout in his book.
Transformation Church Pastors Mike Todd And Charles Metcalf Rocking Their Conference-Best At Transformation Conference. Nike Air Fear Of God 1, $1500
Look at that pompous douchebag! Wow. And the stupid fuktards of the world keep dumping their wallets into his bank account!
Pastor Troy (Gramling) Likes His Tees The Same Way He Likes His Digiorno: Supreme. $1,550
Pastor Jimmy Rollins In The Union Air Jordan 1s And The Crease That Surpasses All Understanding, $1,250
It’s not just what pastors and preachers officially earn. They can get the kicks, clothes, and other things as gifts or donations. Kirby, however, hasn’t lost his faith and doesn’t blame fashion and celebrities as a whole. He encourages other Christians to demand greater transparency and accountability.
“I’m getting people to question the status quo within the church and hopefully push for a reevaluation of what we value. People aren’t going to reach God without this guy wearing Yeezys? Come on,” he told The Washington Post.
In Honor Of Serena Williams Crushing It In The Us Open Right Now, Here Is Pastor Crank In The Nike X Off White Blazer Serena. $1,050
2020: Year Of The Bargain. Alexander Mcqueen Sneakers, $960
Preachers N Sneakers. Versace Sneakers, $995
If it weren't for the shoes I would have expected this look to have come from the dumpster behind Goodwill.
Pastor Emerson Nowotny In The Fear Of God Awolnation Colorway. Air Fear Of God 1, $750
Pastor Rich Dub In The Sean Dub’s. Nike Air Max Sneakers, $1,045
This, Right Here, Is My, Multi-Site Swag Ayye. Burberry Hoodie, $770
Note: this post originally had 56 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
It just doesn't sit right that religious leaders make a personal profit off their parishioners. Make a living, sure, but I struggle to see how taking so much excess from the church pot can be seen to be in line with any religion.
As a Christian, let me say that this is bullshit. If they read the Bible at all, there’s no basis for this prosperity gospel bullshit. Jesus said, “Sell all you own, give to the poor, and follow me.” Not, “Lie to your parishioners, buy yourself $1000+ shoes, and make sure you get a Supreme beach ball while you’re at it.”
Leodavinci (awesome guy to name yourself after, by the way), that’s a misinterpretation. It’s not that God wants us to live in poverty, the point there is twofold. First, that our wealth shouldn’t be the most important thing to us, and tying to the second, that we should help those less fortunate than us. And Terd, my favorite anti-theist. It’s been some time since you’ve attacked me! I’ve missed you! And, I 100% agree with you. Don’t hoard wealth. Don’t be like these guys. Also, morality isn’t defined as having a small carbon footprint. Morality is being the best person you can be with what you have, which is what I try (and, quite often fail), to do. I’m not a perfect person, but hating Christians for wrongs we haven’t done isn’t the way to go either. I do love our talks.
I've had a prosperity gospel (name it claim it same thing) Christian spouting that my mom who died of cancer died because we didn't believe enough. I almost punched her. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that pastors and those who work for God should make only enough to be comfortable. "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:9. Sounds like these people have worked out how to do both. Steal despite being rich.
You're right, my minister husband who teaches sound Biblical doctrine, was kicked out of a church because they said they wanted him to be more like TD Jakes. The Bible says: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
You know what the reply argument back would be? Jesus was talking to a specific person - not everyone. And it only says the LOVE of money - not the money itself is the root of all evil. Then they would go on to quote Matt.7:11 on how the Father wants them to have good things... You can find whatever you like/interpret however you like... in a religion with supposed absolutes.
I have deep faith. Just not in *people*. We are deeply flawed, each one of us. Judge not, lest ye be judged as ye have judged others. If the mote in thine neighbor's eye offend thee, see to the beam in thine own. My faith makes me recoil from ostentatious displays and fraud. We try, we fail, we try again, and in that continued trying, we please God, I was taught.
@Leo Domitrix: But Jesus also taught that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were hypocrites and "whited sepulchers". He didn't flinch from calling them out -- we shouldn't flinch from recognizing the same type in our own time, lest we be deceived. Right?
This comment has been deleted.
please don't quote a work of fiction! its all b******t
Terd Fergison, the Buddhist Dharma is not about morals. An ascetic buddhist, be it monk or otherwise, does not rid of their possessions for ethical purposes. It is because it brings them happiness, not a fleeting excited moment of happiness, but a substantial serene happiness. They know that so much or our anxieties is based in things and the maintaining of things and the short lived pleasures they bring. The practice is about enlightenment, not about moral superiority.
Not talking about pastors, but what kind of deity wants his followers in live in poverty?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Aragorn, jesus did say to sell all you own and give to the poor. So why haven't you? You should sell your smartphone and your computer (they were created by atheists anyway). Is it because what jesus said is not actually good? I don't think that is good. Don't hoard wealth, but also enjoy the good things in this life; this life is the only one guaranteed to you. There are some buddhists that actually do sell their possessions and live poor. Are they morally superior to you? If they are vegetarian/vegan and have way less of a carbon footprint than you, then maybe they are more moral than both of us.
Ah, Terd Fergison, but Jesus didn't necessarily condemn those who didn't do that. In reality, His harsh words were for those who WOULDN'T. Under any circumstances. There is a difference between those who don't live like monks because they don't have to, and those who never could because they are too self-centered and selfish to be able to. That's really what Jesus meant: you have to be WILLING to give it all up. Honestly, God doesn't always demand it, just asks that we are ready to do that. Frankly, these jokers wouldn't. They talk the talk, they absolutely do not walk the walk.
This extra money should be going to homeless and struggling folk as Jesus would have intended (assuming these are all Christian mega churches). Jesus would have chased these fellows out of the church with a whip.
Exactly! That was the original purpose of tithing. Tithes were stocked up for the people who needed them. (The widow, the fatherless, Levites, etc.) And every once in the while you were supposed to basically throw a huge party and share what you had with others. Now people use tithing passages to gain money. It's really sad. (DEUT. 14:28–29) At the end of every three years, you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
What do you think religions are in the first place? They're the perfect way to separate people from their money. Convince them that they're "evil" and all going to hell, then tell them that all they have to do to stop it is to write checks to the church, and you're in like Flint. Do you want to be rolling in tax free money? Start a religion.
Or become psychic... that's pretty much how they operate.
It's my personal O that there is nothing wrong with making BOATLOADS of money, if that is what God blesses you with. Where it all goes downhill is what do with it. If you have a 35k seat auditorium, a couple of private jets, your wife dresses out in Gucci, and there are 50-60 homeless people living within a block of your church, that is a real problem. God doesn't give in excess with the intention of making one person an Instagram star, He gives with the intention that that person makes the world that he comes in contact with a richer place to be in.
Or, as in the case of Joel Osteen, during Hurricane Harvey, worrying more about your church than the people who were seeking protection. If these people really were of God, they'd pray for Him to protect them and do what it took to take care of their congregation. What they do instead is behave like CEOs trying to protect their business.
This comment has been deleted.
Ok, that is your opinion. The solution, don't support churches where this viewpoint is OK. There I solved your problem (not that it was actually problem)
You all are so quick to judge what you have no idea on... as if you're in their house
Give me a break. We are taught to recognize the people who really do exemplify Christian character and those who don't. That is why God gave us a brain and critical thinking skills. The consequences for this behavior are left up to God. But He expects us to use our reasoning skills to recognize when we are being led down the wrong path. Don't pull that "judge not" nonsense here, you are misusing that concept.
The Bible says: " Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” John 7:24... Or in other words judge them by their fruits.
Aside from the "preacher" thingy, who the hell pays so much for clothes just because there is a particular label on it?
I was also wondering that. I normally buy quality stuff that lasts and I like to pay a good price for that. But there is an upper limit a certain piece can cost based on its function, unless it is made for a moon exploration maybe. 1000 USD sneakers are just ridiculous. These people essentially pay a few dollars to those who make the articles (just like with cheapers articles), a few dollars to those who actually design them (maybe a few more than with cheaper articles), and most of that to the brand.
I totally agree. Especially when it comes to shoes. Mine get beat up pretty quick, with one thing or another. I look for bargains every time I get a new pair.
Its a collectible item dont get me wrong I will never spend that much money on shoes and I love the culutre its just rare and highly sought after so it inflates in price to a ridicouls price
That's what got me too. I mean, I can see maybe buying a nice $10,000 suit so you can look impressive at fund raisers. And a good suit will last for like, decades. But this tacky stuff makes them look like insecure teenagers with a lot more money than sense.
lmao i just get walmart clothes most of the time
Millions of people. I used to be one of them...then I had kids.
People who have so much money don't know what to do with it
People who value money before everything else. Like pimps. Or these douchebags.
People with more money than brains that's who buy`s this crap.
My only question is who the hell would spend 125$ on a BEACH BALL?
Vapid idiots.
I don't know but my parents teach me with 5€ you can eat enought for one day , so don't waste each euros you can earn . For these people 125$ don't konw how many day you can eat with 125$ so imagine if you should feed your children ...
People with more dollars than sense.
It just doesn't sit right that religious leaders make a personal profit off their parishioners. Make a living, sure, but I struggle to see how taking so much excess from the church pot can be seen to be in line with any religion.
As a Christian, let me say that this is bullshit. If they read the Bible at all, there’s no basis for this prosperity gospel bullshit. Jesus said, “Sell all you own, give to the poor, and follow me.” Not, “Lie to your parishioners, buy yourself $1000+ shoes, and make sure you get a Supreme beach ball while you’re at it.”
Leodavinci (awesome guy to name yourself after, by the way), that’s a misinterpretation. It’s not that God wants us to live in poverty, the point there is twofold. First, that our wealth shouldn’t be the most important thing to us, and tying to the second, that we should help those less fortunate than us. And Terd, my favorite anti-theist. It’s been some time since you’ve attacked me! I’ve missed you! And, I 100% agree with you. Don’t hoard wealth. Don’t be like these guys. Also, morality isn’t defined as having a small carbon footprint. Morality is being the best person you can be with what you have, which is what I try (and, quite often fail), to do. I’m not a perfect person, but hating Christians for wrongs we haven’t done isn’t the way to go either. I do love our talks.
I've had a prosperity gospel (name it claim it same thing) Christian spouting that my mom who died of cancer died because we didn't believe enough. I almost punched her. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that pastors and those who work for God should make only enough to be comfortable. "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:9. Sounds like these people have worked out how to do both. Steal despite being rich.
You're right, my minister husband who teaches sound Biblical doctrine, was kicked out of a church because they said they wanted him to be more like TD Jakes. The Bible says: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
You know what the reply argument back would be? Jesus was talking to a specific person - not everyone. And it only says the LOVE of money - not the money itself is the root of all evil. Then they would go on to quote Matt.7:11 on how the Father wants them to have good things... You can find whatever you like/interpret however you like... in a religion with supposed absolutes.
I have deep faith. Just not in *people*. We are deeply flawed, each one of us. Judge not, lest ye be judged as ye have judged others. If the mote in thine neighbor's eye offend thee, see to the beam in thine own. My faith makes me recoil from ostentatious displays and fraud. We try, we fail, we try again, and in that continued trying, we please God, I was taught.
@Leo Domitrix: But Jesus also taught that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were hypocrites and "whited sepulchers". He didn't flinch from calling them out -- we shouldn't flinch from recognizing the same type in our own time, lest we be deceived. Right?
This comment has been deleted.
please don't quote a work of fiction! its all b******t
Terd Fergison, the Buddhist Dharma is not about morals. An ascetic buddhist, be it monk or otherwise, does not rid of their possessions for ethical purposes. It is because it brings them happiness, not a fleeting excited moment of happiness, but a substantial serene happiness. They know that so much or our anxieties is based in things and the maintaining of things and the short lived pleasures they bring. The practice is about enlightenment, not about moral superiority.
Not talking about pastors, but what kind of deity wants his followers in live in poverty?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Aragorn, jesus did say to sell all you own and give to the poor. So why haven't you? You should sell your smartphone and your computer (they were created by atheists anyway). Is it because what jesus said is not actually good? I don't think that is good. Don't hoard wealth, but also enjoy the good things in this life; this life is the only one guaranteed to you. There are some buddhists that actually do sell their possessions and live poor. Are they morally superior to you? If they are vegetarian/vegan and have way less of a carbon footprint than you, then maybe they are more moral than both of us.
Ah, Terd Fergison, but Jesus didn't necessarily condemn those who didn't do that. In reality, His harsh words were for those who WOULDN'T. Under any circumstances. There is a difference between those who don't live like monks because they don't have to, and those who never could because they are too self-centered and selfish to be able to. That's really what Jesus meant: you have to be WILLING to give it all up. Honestly, God doesn't always demand it, just asks that we are ready to do that. Frankly, these jokers wouldn't. They talk the talk, they absolutely do not walk the walk.
This extra money should be going to homeless and struggling folk as Jesus would have intended (assuming these are all Christian mega churches). Jesus would have chased these fellows out of the church with a whip.
Exactly! That was the original purpose of tithing. Tithes were stocked up for the people who needed them. (The widow, the fatherless, Levites, etc.) And every once in the while you were supposed to basically throw a huge party and share what you had with others. Now people use tithing passages to gain money. It's really sad. (DEUT. 14:28–29) At the end of every three years, you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
What do you think religions are in the first place? They're the perfect way to separate people from their money. Convince them that they're "evil" and all going to hell, then tell them that all they have to do to stop it is to write checks to the church, and you're in like Flint. Do you want to be rolling in tax free money? Start a religion.
Or become psychic... that's pretty much how they operate.
It's my personal O that there is nothing wrong with making BOATLOADS of money, if that is what God blesses you with. Where it all goes downhill is what do with it. If you have a 35k seat auditorium, a couple of private jets, your wife dresses out in Gucci, and there are 50-60 homeless people living within a block of your church, that is a real problem. God doesn't give in excess with the intention of making one person an Instagram star, He gives with the intention that that person makes the world that he comes in contact with a richer place to be in.
Or, as in the case of Joel Osteen, during Hurricane Harvey, worrying more about your church than the people who were seeking protection. If these people really were of God, they'd pray for Him to protect them and do what it took to take care of their congregation. What they do instead is behave like CEOs trying to protect their business.
This comment has been deleted.
Ok, that is your opinion. The solution, don't support churches where this viewpoint is OK. There I solved your problem (not that it was actually problem)
You all are so quick to judge what you have no idea on... as if you're in their house
Give me a break. We are taught to recognize the people who really do exemplify Christian character and those who don't. That is why God gave us a brain and critical thinking skills. The consequences for this behavior are left up to God. But He expects us to use our reasoning skills to recognize when we are being led down the wrong path. Don't pull that "judge not" nonsense here, you are misusing that concept.
The Bible says: " Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” John 7:24... Or in other words judge them by their fruits.
Aside from the "preacher" thingy, who the hell pays so much for clothes just because there is a particular label on it?
I was also wondering that. I normally buy quality stuff that lasts and I like to pay a good price for that. But there is an upper limit a certain piece can cost based on its function, unless it is made for a moon exploration maybe. 1000 USD sneakers are just ridiculous. These people essentially pay a few dollars to those who make the articles (just like with cheapers articles), a few dollars to those who actually design them (maybe a few more than with cheaper articles), and most of that to the brand.
I totally agree. Especially when it comes to shoes. Mine get beat up pretty quick, with one thing or another. I look for bargains every time I get a new pair.
Its a collectible item dont get me wrong I will never spend that much money on shoes and I love the culutre its just rare and highly sought after so it inflates in price to a ridicouls price
That's what got me too. I mean, I can see maybe buying a nice $10,000 suit so you can look impressive at fund raisers. And a good suit will last for like, decades. But this tacky stuff makes them look like insecure teenagers with a lot more money than sense.