Oh Those Nice Baptists
Houston’s First Baptist Church is an enormous joint. Just look at their staff.
So no wonder it took them so long to discover the one of their ministers swiped at least $800,000 from them.
Prosecutors say Altic allegedly spent the stolen funds on overseas trips with his family, groceries and to pay for his doctorate in divinity from Lancaster Bible College.
They added that he stole the money in a number of ways, including forged payments authorizations.
I guess the other ministers thought manna from heaven was falling on their colleague.
Tuesday afternoon, his attorney said he has learned his lesson: “He’s actually met with the church and he’s asked for forgiveness.” said James Alston, Altic’s attorney.
The church says their insurance will pay $500,000 of it. You mean they have insurance for this kind of thing in the Baptist church? And that donors say they will make up the rest.
When it takes you this long to discover their theft, you have too much money.
Thanks to SGray for the heads up.
It is my understanding from previous research into bonding employees that insurance won’t pay unless the allegrd embezzler is criminally prosecuted.
1When you embezzle $800,000, and then have the audacity to include “groceries” as a category on which you spent your I’ll gotten gains, why not go all out?
* Groceries
2* Puppies
* Salvation Army Christmas Collection Pot
* and, oh yeah, I don’t want to forget the 10% that was tithed back to the church. Cash. In the Sunday collection plate. Non consecutive bills.
Jesus would say when you have that much money, you have too much money….
3So how many others of the TOP 10 did he break? For sure the ones on stealing, no other gods, and bearing false witness.
4It’s not just the Baptists:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2-nuns-admit-embezzling_us_5c0e174de4b0ab8cf694d5e2
Jesus wept.
5Molly Ivins said it best. Only trouble with Baptists, when they baptize they don’t hold them under long enough
6If you rob someone with a fake gun you still go to prison. What if your MO is using a false god to get your hands on somebody else’s money?
7I’m thinking I need a trip to Europe and a second home someplace warm.
8What church was that again?
I figure that a good deal just saying “sorry”.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/pastor-john-gray-gifts-wife-200000-lamborghini-making-faith-deposit-wedding-anniversary/
The religion industry is much better than investment banking. It’s hardly regulated at all, and investors don’t expect anything (material) for the money they put in.
9If you click
https://www.christianpost.com/news/ex-minister-stole-800k-from-houston-megachurch-church-explains-silence.html
you can see an image of Altic in handcuffs. Kinda warms my heart. I’m thinking that burly fellow accompanying Altic is a Harris County Deputy Sheriff.
10When you see the way the so-called pastors of the mega-churches, Baptist and otherwise (think Joel Osteen) live, it should come as no surprise that this guy figured he was entitled to do the same. The business of religion is one that should be made to pay taxes on its profiteering.
11Did anyone else notice that they have a Gathering Pastor?
12Is he the guy who makes sure all the Baptists are tithing their 10% BEFORE taxes?
New morality for the modern age – “The Lord helps those who help themselves…..” to the till!
13Ed Young and Joel Osteen steal from their congregations on a weekly basis. It’s called “Prosperity Gospel”.
14Checked out their staff photos, never saw such a collection of faux smiles in all my life.
Except the technical staff. Most of them aren’t smiling at all, senior graphic designers especially. makes me wonder why. Graphic designers are usually a fun bunch. Oh, wait…Baptists!
15Growing up in the biggest Southern Baptist church in my hometown, I remember the preachers telling jokes during their sermons comparing us to Catholics, for the purpose of showing our moral superiority. With a large percentage of Cajuns in our area, the Catholic church was the main competition, religiously speaking.
16Years after becoming pretty much agnostic and wanting nothing more to do with organised religion, I married a Catholic girl and agreed to raise our kids in the church with the understanding that I would never become Catholic myself.
Attending Mass was disorienting for awhile.
I kept waiting for the priests to tell demeaning jokes about other religions, brag about the recent attendance numbers, and regularly beat the 10% tithing drum.
Occasionally they suggested 5%.
The difference was humbling.
This must be a Trump supporting congregation – no sin too evil.
17So this is “Gordon Gekko” kind of church?
Cheatolini approves of embezzlers that don’t get caught…
18After scanning the employees, I’m wondering who is left to fill the pews of a Sunday morning?
19With the way pastors/preachers/whomever are preaching politics these days, I’m hoping taxation of the churches will be forthcoming sooner then later! Then we’ll see how many of the phony pseudo-Christian hucksters jump ship!!
BarbInDC – I am more inclined to forgive the nuns. This guy, not ever. Every furschlugginer morning when I turn on TV (early) there’s this pastor who wants I think it’s $58 dollars as “seed” money. What a racket.
20Fraud insurance, when “thoughts and prayers” won’t do. Since they can afford insurance to protect themselves from themselves, it’s past time they start kicking into the general coffers via taxation to protect us from them via the Constitution.
21Speaking as the former bookkeeper for a couple of smallish churches (300 or fewer members), this is appalling. Both pastors were paid middle class wages, lived in “regular middle class” houses, drove “regular middle class” cars. Staff were a bit underpaid compared to others in similar fields. All were highly dedicated. Members donated tons of time and what money they could to outreach programs providing assistance to those in need. Money was usually an issue – as in, we’re concerned about keeping the lights on. There was no “profit” to speak of. That there was $800K just sitting around in this Houston church’s bank accounts, ready for this guy to embezzle? Yikes! And that staff. Good Lord!
22They have a Culinary Service Manager? Darn, I’m going to the wrong church!
23@ Rhea: Yep. Doesn’t the Bible say something about “If you have two shirts, share one with someone who has none?” I bet Mr. Altic had a lot more then two shirts.
@Paul: Oh, how I miss Molly Ivins. I’d love to hear her take on the political mess we’re in today!
@PP: Catholics have their own problems, but following the Liturgy eliminates a lot of what’s wrong with Baptist preaching.
So many churches have become more business than church, and many more have let politics intrude, that I agree wholeheartedly: it’s time to tax churches.
24Religion (in any form) exists for 2 reasons: 1. to keep the masses in line, and 2. to keep a select few on the gravy train.
25That staff roster is alphabetical by first name. Weird.
Don’t know what it means, exactly, except that maybe the people in charge aren’t into normal standards and practices.
26Can someone splain me what the job of a minister of mobilization is?
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