What to Do With Your Money (Instead of Buying a Televangelist Another Jet)
Jesus never asked for your money. But he had a lot to say about what you should do with it.
Let’s start with the obvious: Jesus was not running a megachurch. He didn’t have a mansion in Galilee or a chariot with custom wheels. What he did have was a lot to say about money—and none of it was about sending your last dollar to someone preaching on TV.
Televangelists would have you believe otherwise.
Paula White-Cain, a televangelist and spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, was appointed in February 2025 as the Senior Advisor of the newly created White House Faith Office. A prominent proponent of the prosperity gospel—a belief that financial contributions to religious causes will result in personal material blessings—She really puts the screws on her followers by whipping out this passage from Deuteronomy 16 — “None shall appear before the Lord empty handed” — without a smidge of irony. She’s also for soliciting $1,000 donations ahead of the 2025 Passover season, promising donors "seven supernatural blessings" in return, so hey, pull up your Venmo app.
Other prosperity gospel ministers are in equally desperate need for your cash:
Kenneth Copeland: In 2015, he encouraged followers to fund a new Gulfstream V jet to add to his aviation fleet, emphasizing the necessity of private aviation for ministry work, because commercial is apparently how the devil rides.
Creflo Dollar: In 2015, he sought $65 million from congregants to replace his current jet with a luxury Gulfstream G650 airplane for international ministry travel. It’s got six sleeping berths, which I think we could all use on those long flights — but don’t wait for Creflo to take you.
Benny Hinn: Known for offering "miracle crusades," he has been scrutinized for suggesting that donations can lead to healing and financial miracles. Just imagine what $100 each from followers in Trinidad and Tobago did for their suffering!
No matter what these folks may tell you, giving money to them — or any minister — is not the same as giving to God. No divine being worth their title needs / wants / cares about money.
People do, however, so here are some biblically sound, spiritually grounded, and socially relevant ways to redirect your giving—backed by Jesus himself.
1. Jesus Told Us to Feed the Hungry. Literally.
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. — Matthew 25:35
This wasn’t metaphor. Jesus pointed directly to feeding the hungry as one of the core signs of faithfulness. He was about alleviating suffering, not building wealth. Not “sowing a seed” so you could get something in return.
Instead: Give to a local food pantry (especially ones that aren’t faith-gated). Or use your cash to stock a community fridge, fill a backpack program for kids, or buy hot meals for unhoused neighbors. Check in on people you know in your neighborhood; there’s a lot of hidden hunger in the world, especially among the elderly. Offer to bring over a casserole, some enchiladas or a lasagna — but don’t frame it as charity, market it as “I’ve got extra, would you like some?”
It could make the difference between someone getting by on a fixed income…or not.
2. Jesus Admired the Widow Who Gave What Little She Had—But He Didn’t Praise the System That Took It
She, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. — Mark 12:44
Yes, Jesus honored her sacrifice. But the very next thing he did was predict the destruction of the temple system that let that happen.
Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. — Mark 13:2
Coincidence? Hmmm.
Modern parallel? Many prosperity preachers celebrate people who give beyond their means—but they rarely question a system that enriches leaders while bankrupting believers.
Instead: Give where your dollars directly relieve suffering, not pad someone’s six-figure salary. Consider debt relief funds, mutual aid, or Go Fund Me campaigns for medical expenses. Charities that fund life-saving medical research, or medical services in poor communities also get the Jesus seal of approval, as do those who provide housing. Support the construction of multi-family housing in your neighborhood so rents, mortgage costs, and homelessness rates will come down.
3. Jesus Was a Fan of Redistribution (Don’t Tell the Billionaires)
Check out,
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. — Luke 12:33
and then,
If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. — Matthew 19:21
Jesus didn’t say give to the temple. He said give to the poor. Remember, we’re aiming to alleviate suffering. That was Jesus’s main mission, as I see it, and he urged us to follow his example.
Instead: Be willing to have your taxes go to redistribution of wealth. What does that look like in our time? Good public schools so that everyone’s kid has a chance to get ahead. Inexpensive or free college for all who academically qualify. Free job training and retraining for those who need it. Equality of opportunity and high-quality education for all is the best equalizer there is.
4. Jesus Was Frosty about Celebrity Preachers
Jesus criticized religious leaders who “devour widows’ houses” while parading around in luxury. This is where it gets personal to me. When my grandmother, an elderly widow, reached out to a televangelist for healing from cancer, she was flooded with nothing but string-alongs and requests for donations. The false promises from religious leaders she trusted made her situation that much more bitter.
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” — Mark 12:38-40
If a contemporary religious leader looks like they’ve got it made, you better bet Jesus would include them for condemnation.
Instead: Look for the people Jesus would have helped. Find out what they need, and do what you can to get it for them. Remember the big four: food, health, housing, and opportunity.
5. You Don’t Need a Middleman for Generosity
Prosperity preachers want you to believe that your blessing is tied to them. That your breakthrough won’t come unless you “sow a seed” into their ministry. But Jesus said:
When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. — Matthew 6:3
Your generosity shouldn’t be showy—or channeled through a personality cult. It can be quiet, direct, and powerful.
Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” — Luke 5:14
Jesus often did his best work under the radar, and we should too.
Instead: Give anonymously. Buy a few bags of groceries. Help with a medical bill, or with rent for someone who’s struggling. Where’s the need? Get creative.
6. Focus on Your Soul’s Health, Not Your Bank Account
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said,
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I can’t add anything to that. Jesus wasn’t speaking in parables here, but out in the open so everyone could understand. That’s how universal, and how important, this message was. He wanted to make sure we got it.
Jesus Would Get Kicked Out of Most Megachurches Today
He overturned the tables in the temple. He hung out with women in a patriarchal society. He shared meals and conversation with the disabled, felons, the unhoused. He called out hypocritical religious leaders in public. And he warned over and over that wealth can become a spiritual poison.
Remember,
You cannot serve both God and money. — Matthew 6:24
and
Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. — Luke 6:24
Jesus was clear. And yet, today’s prosperity gospel tells you that your lack of wealth is a sign of weak faith.
Let’s stop pretending those two messages are compatible.
Final Word: Generosity is Sacred. Exploitation is Not.
Jesus didn’t promise us wealth in return for giving.
He promised life—abundant, liberated, meaningful life. And he showed us that the road to that life is paved with love, justice, and generosity. Not with mansions or private jets.
If you're ready to reclaim your spiritual giving from the grifters, you're not alone.
Let’s give like Jesus did.
Hello, Enthusiasts! This is your friendly former military intelligence analyst with an M.Div. I’ve spent a few decades in nonprofits — getting families into housing; supporting clients in recovery; providing crisis & suicide prevention services; funding medical, dental and behavioral care; and partnering with the disability community.
If you’re feeling flush, please consider tossing a coin into the tip jar. Many thanks, my friend!
Look me up when you’re on BlueSky, LinkedIn, Threads, or Medium!
Bonus! 10 More Modern-Day, Jesus-Aligned Giving Ideas
Here are even more places your money can go instead of lining the pockets of a prosperity preacher:
Medical debt relief (check out RIP Medical Debt)
Work to end private prisons. Rehabilitation/retraining for prisoners. Bail funds
Mental health support programs
Climate justice organizations, reforestation
Food justice organizations and small farmers
No-kill shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries for animals
Organizations that support survivors of domestic violence
Shelters, temporary housing and support centers
Emergency funds for car repairs, mortgages, doctor bills, and rent relief
Indigenous land and sovereignty initiatives