Recent Posts
Home >Unlabelled > Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar on his daughter: 'She was not punched' â CNN Belief Blog on Astini News
Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar on his daughter: 'She was not punched' â CNN Belief Blog on Astini News
Posted on Monday, July 2, 2012 by astini
By Steve Almasy, CNN
Atlanta (CNN) – Telling thousands of parishioners that he should never have been arrested, Pastor Creflo Dollar said at his Sunday morning service he neither choked nor punched his 15-year-old daughter, as she claimed in a report to police.
Dollar, senior pastor of World Changers Church International in suburban Atlanta, told congregants in the sprawling megachurch and listening at one of more than a dozen satellite churches that when the facts of the case come out, they will be "appalled."
"The truth is, she was not choked. She was not punched," Dollar said.
On Friday, deputies responding to a 911 call photographed a scratch on the daughter's neck and arrested Dollar on charges of simple battery, family violence and child cruelty. Dollar said the mark on his daughter's neck is more than 10 years old, the result of eczema, a skin condition.
CNN's Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories
"I want the church family to know that all is well in the Dollar household," he said, in his first public comments since spending more than 12 hours in jail. He immediately addressed the issue upon taking the pulpit Sunday, speaking for nearly eight minutes about the challenge of raising children and denying he had hurt to his daughter.
After Dollar told the crowd about the skin abrasion, one man yelled, "Case dismissed!"
Dollar's daughter said she argued with her father over attending a party, investigator Brent Rowan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office told CNN on Friday.
Rowan said the daughter told the deputies that her father charged her, put his hands around her throat and began to choke her, according to a police report. She said he then slammed her to the ground, punched her and beat her with his shoe.
Deputies also spoke with another daughter, 19, who corroborated her sister's account of what happened.
Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter
Dollar blamed the devil for causing the controversy, saying that to discredit his message of "prosperity gospel," the enemy must discredit the messenger.
Prosperity ministers preach that God rewards the faithful with wealth and spiritual gifts. Pastors such as T.D. Jakes, Dollar and Joel Osteen have become the Prosperity Gospel's most well known preachers, building megachurches and business empires with a message equating piety with prosperity.
Dollar's church claims about 30,000 members and has an $18 million, 8,500-seat sanctuary about 15 miles from downtown Atlanta.
Friday's incident was emotionally charged and escalated from an argument, Dollar said Sunday. But he never intended bodily harm to anyone, he assured the audience.
"I love her with all my heart," he said, shaking his head with conviction.
Creflo Dollar's Prosperity Gospel finds followers and critics
He cited a Bible verse from Psalms that talks about malicious witness against the good man, and evil men delighting when he stumbled.
He later, during his sermon, also joked about the arrest, saying that being a religious man sent to jail "upped my resume."
"Paul ... Jesus ... and Creflo," he said to a huge cheer.
The pastor, known for his pinstriped suits, laughed at being clothed in a yellow jumpsuit and sandals while being handcuffed and being held in a cell.
For most of the service, Dollar spoke of the people being "the righteousness of God by faith," the third in a series of sermons he prepared weeks ago, he said.
"No weapon that forms against you shall prosper," he reminded the audience, citing scripture.
At the end of the more than hourlong appearance, he said that he was persevering thanks to God's love.
"And we couldn't do it without the love of you brothers and sisters."
After the service, congregants declined to comment on Dollar's appearance.
Since he started his ministry in an elementary school cafeteria in 1986, Dollar has earned praise and criticism.
Supporters say he has preached a message that's financially empowered his parishioners and challenged the idea that Christians should be ashamed to be rich.
Critics call him "Cash-Flow Dollar," and say his message perverts the Gospel.
CNN's John Murgatroyd and John Blake contributed to this report.
Blog Archive
-
▼
2012
(4078)
-
▼
July
(59)
- Medal of Honor recipients react to Supreme Court d...
- Paris Jackson on âEllenâ: Says father, Michae...
- Preview: 3-D Space Shuttle Movie Will Bring the La...
- Writer-director Nora Ephron dies at 71 - Entertain...
- Lamisil on ringworm treatment - Lucius Schumacher ...
- Hoboken skies to feature appearance from world's l...
- Law & Order star Danny Pino back home in Miami - P...
- Sleeping Like Superman: Can I Survive For A Month ...
- Oosthuizen eyes second major title at Olympic - Go...
- The CareGiver Partnership Joins Forces with Faces ...
- For Steven Soderbergh, 'Magic Mike' makes an anti-...
- Jenny McCarthy: the latest version | The Detroit N...
- Celebrate Canada Day with free music from HMMAC - ...
- Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar on his daughter: '...
- The Daily Republic | Mitchell, South Dakota on Ast...
- Ironman Triathlete Lance Armstrong: Real reasons f...
- SC judge rules DWI penance is to read the Bible - ...
- Tamra Barney, 'Real Housewives Of Orange County' S...
- 'Gasland' Filmmaker Takes on Cuomo and 'Dot.FlatEa...
- For Debate Prep, Send In The Stand-Ins : NPR on As...
- Tiger Woods squeaks out a win at Congressional on ...
- Where have you gone, Kevin Youkilis? Massachusetts...
- Journalists and grammar - Baltimore Sun on Astini ...
- Auburn Shooting: Attorney for Desmonte Leonard, ac...
- Tim Tebow is the NFL Athlete 'Most Desired' by Mar...
- College Board sets up 857 desks on National Mall -...
- Flag flap: Texas veterans upset 'Old Glory' banned...
- Lolo Jones Uses Tim Tebow's Name to Boost Her Mark...
- A Recycling Ideal So Close, Cities Can Smell It on...
- Ethereal Singer Makes House Track, Loves Calvin Ha...
- Wimbledon 2012: Maria Sharapova not taking any cha...
- Multiple Sclerosis Association of America's MRI In...
- âWho is Rodney King?â âWho is Dick Clark?â...
- Pineda, Injured Arm Out of a Sling, Visits the Yan...
- Kate Upton reportedly booted from Santa Monica pie...
- Alan Turing Google Logo Honors Genius' 100th Birth...
- MINI Cooper Clubman Mobile DJ vehicle nominated fo...
- TSPLOST opponents raise concerns about ballot 'pre...
- Netflix Review: The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequen...
- Kim Kardashian Loves Spanx - Hates Her Thighs on A...
- Terrifying moment a buzzing swarm of 3,000 bees de...
- Multiple Sclerosis Association of America's MRI In...
- How Spain joined Britney Spears & The Simpsons on ...
- College World Series 2012 Bracket: The Arizona Wil...
- 'Buffett Rule' Opponents Keep Investments in Buffe...
- Canadians growing prouder to wear patriotism on th...
- Instagram outage causes a flutter on Astini News
- A Closer Look At The Wii Uâs Xbox-Like Pro Contr...
- Kentucky NASCAR race winner celebrates by 'Tebowin...
- Mobile Commerce - Googleâs take on the tablet: s...
- Donna Henes: Daylight Saving Time: Spring Forward!...
- Bernanke's Game Of Twister Continues on Astini News
- UFC on FOX 4's Vera doesn't care why 'Shogun' chos...
- E-mails reveal Penn State complicity in Sandusky c...
- Hudson Reporter - HOBOKEN NJ RESIDENT NAMED TO DEA...
- New Crash will be worse than 2008 says economist o...
- Wolf: Favre is greatest Packers player ever on Ast...
- The Last of the Mohicans, BT Blocks the Pirate Bay...
- Need Help Cleaning Up from the Storm? Seva Call Ad...
-
▼
July
(59)