Pentecostals

5 Stories

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Mack Wolford believed faith compelled him to face the risk

(Newser) - A West Virginia Pentecostal pastor who used poisonous snakes during religious services has died of a rattlesnake bite. Mack Wolford, who just turned 44, was killed by a snake he had owned for years, reports the Washington Post. He was bitten during an outdoor service at a state park he...

Pentecostal Questions Haunt Palin
Pentecostal Questions
Haunt Palin
Oct 11, 2008 6:48 AM CDT

Pentecostal Questions Haunt Palin

McCain may be avoiding pastor attacks to avoid focus on Palin's beliefs

(Newser) - John McCain has so far avoided attacking Barack Obama's controversial pastor in what may be a strategy to keep Sarah Palin's preachers out of the spotlight, Time reports. Palin officially left her Pentecostal church before campaigning for lieutenant governor but has made many return visits—including one in 2005 when...

Prosperity Gospel Blamed for Subprime Hell

Belief that God bestows riches may have duped faithful into dodgy mortgages

(Newser) - A fast-growing strain of Pentecostalism may have made its followers victims of the credit crisis by preaching that God's hand was behind dubious mortgages, Time reports. "Prosperity Gospel" preaches that God will "make way" for the poor to gain wealth, making believers easy prey for greedy mortgage brokers,...

Televangelist's Husband Admits Attacking Her

Founder of Global Destiny churches pleads guilty to assault

(Newser) - The husband of Pentecostal televangelist Juanita Bynum pleaded guilty yesterday to assaulting her and was sentenced to three years probation. Thomas W. Weeks III, the founder of Global Destiny churches, admitted grabbing Bynum, throwing her down and kicking her in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel in August, the...

I-35 Beckons the Faithful
I-35 Beckons the Faithful
Feb 16, 2008 6:45 PM CST

I-35 Beckons the Faithful

Prayer movement hopes to touch communities along highway

(Newser) - A group of Dallas Pentecostal Christians reading the Bible one day noted that Isaiah 35, Verse 8, mentions a "highway for holiness." That put them in mind of nearby Interstate 35, which runs from Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, Minn., NPR reports, and that, in turn, prompted an unusual...

5 Stories