Kenneth Copeland is a Texas-based televangelist who’s worth over $760 Million. Several years ago, the Houston Chronicle discovered he had been living in a $7 million mega-mansion tax-free. Copeland lives in an 18,000-square-foot home with six bedrooms and six bathrooms in an exclusive lake community outside Fort Worth. I was confronted by a reporter who grilled him for his massive wealth.
Lisa Guerrero, a reporter for Inside Edition, asked why Copeland won’t fly commercial. He defended the practice and said it was vital to his work. He said, “If I flew commercial, I’d have to stop 65% of what I’m doing.” When she asked about the private jet he purchased from celebrity filmmaker Tyler Perry, he responded “Well, that’s none of your business.”
Copeland, who runs Kenneth Copeland Ministries and owns a massive property with a private airport, said Perry “made it so cheap” he couldn’t help but buy it. He cited a recent trip where he visited five continents for why he needed the plane. He admitted to using his private jets to travel to his vacation homes. The journalist grilled him over comments he’d made previously.
In 2015 Copeland said flying commercial was “flying in a long tube with a bunch of demons — and it’s deadly.” Initially, the Televangelist denied these comments, but he recanted and explained the remarks as a “biblical thing.” He further justified his actions by saying “People get pushed in alcohol,” he said. “Do you think it’s a good place for a preacher to be and prepare to go preach to a lot of people? “
He bizarrely made a feminist argument when he said “When somebody in there is dragging some woman down an aisle, it made me so mad to see that on television that I want to punch the guy out myself. I can’t be doing that while getting ready to go preach.” The journalist also drew attention to Copeland’s massively expensive clothing and lifestyle.
He acknowledged this and said, “I’m a very wealthy man.” He also responded to his critics. “They’re wrong,” he said. “It’s a misunderstanding of the Bible. If you go into the Old Covenant, do you think the Jewish people believe you should be broke?” This confused the reporter who asked him “Are you saying that Jewish people appreciate money more?”
He responded by saying “They believe in wealth.” She replied, “Some people would find that offensive.” Copeland clarified “I’m not talking about some people, I’m talking about the Bible.” When the reporter brought up a Bible passage about rich men having a hard time getting into heaven, Copeland replied “All things are possible with God.”
The pastor has defended his lavish lifestyle before. The televangelist said “You may think that house is too big. You may think it’s too grand. I don’t care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to God, hallelujah!’” The property was built in 1999 and “has a sweeping spiral staircase and a bridge that spans across the living room and connects the two sides of the house,” according to a 2011 report by the US Senate Finance Committee.
Copeland’s beliefs are built on the idea that God wants everyone to be “financially successful.” Copeland has been at the center of controversy before. Pete Evans, president of the religious accountability organization Trinity Foundation, said “The law was never intended to give breaks to millionaires and multimillionaires,” he told the Chronicle. “You make a mockery of the law itself.”