13 Famous American Pastors Caught Doing Unholy Things

13 Famous American Pastors Caught Doing Unholy Things

Religion bridges cultural gaps. Millions have been brought together by their faith and beliefs. Religion is such a wonderful thing that its teachings have the ability to get people through hard times. As the power and influence of religion grow on the people, so does the influence of religious leaders. Religious leaders serve as mentors to millions, teachers, and confidants.

However, the number of scandals that have trailed the ones we call religious leaders, mentors, and confidants have recently become countless. What happens when those who are supposed to guide us and teach us to stay clear from sin, fall for sin themselves.

Since the 1980s the power given to religious leaders has in someway been subsidized and many churches all over the world have begun to crack down on scandals within congregations. Pastors are now thoroughly vetted and indiscretions are becoming less and less tolerated.

In the early 2000s, the Boston Globe uncovered hundreds of priests and church officials who had been abusing children for years without consequence. As you know, the expose rocked the Catholic Church as the issue of abuse was found to be more within its organization. However, to curb such, the Catholic church began to put new ordinances in place.

The number of scandals has since reduced or yet to come to the open. Here is a list of some famous scandals in recent times:

Creflo Dollar

Creflo Dollar is one of the most respected pastors in America and in the world in general. However, his status as “respected” began to come into question when he asked his congregation to donate $300 each to his fundraiser. Dollar asked for this donation so he could buy a $65million Gulfstream Jet. According to him, he wants to be able to travel comfortably to spread the gospel.

Paul Jenning Hill

Paul Jenning Hill wasn’t joking when he preached against abortion. The pastor took his teaching a little bit too seriously when he shot and killed an abortion doctor outside of her clinic in Florida. Jennings Hill was later and arrested and executed.

Andy Savage

Pastor Andy Savage became the subject of several headlines when he confessed to sexually assaulting a woman in 1998. He made headlines because he got a standing ovation from his congregation and not because Justice was served.

Billy Graham

Well, we all love Billy Graham but our beloved teacher was caught saying something we wouldn’t consider holy to former U.S president, Nixon. When the Nixon tapes found their way out, Billy Graham found himself at the center of a controversy. He was heard making comments about the “Jewish hold on the media” and was having a conversation with the president on how to end it.

Cardinal Bernard Law

Bernard Law is perhaps the most infamous “Bad Priest.” Although he isn’t a pastor, he fits into this list anyway. In the 1990s, Bernard Law was exposed by the spotlight team from Boston for failing to dismiss sexually abusive priests from his congregation and for covering their abuses for years.

Ted Haggard

Ted Haggard is the pastor of a Colorado mega-church who was respected and beloved by many. Well, until 2006 when his world was rocked by one of the greatest scandals of the 2000s. In 2006, a gay prostitute came forward to claim Ted Haggard had an affair with him. Haggard was eventually forced to step aside and let his wife become pastor.

Eddie Long

2010 wasn’t a good year for Bishop Eddie Long as he almost lost everything to a scandal. Earlier that year several boys came forward to accuse the Bishop of sexual abuse. Despite the accusations, Long remained a respected member of his parish until he died from cancer in 2017.

Jimmy Swaggart

Before untimely stepping down from his post in 1988, popular televangelist, Jimmy Swaggart made a shocking confession on live television. He confessed to moral indiscretions and incidents of moral failures.

Jim Bakker

The same year Jimmy Swaggart came out with his confession was the same bad year for the founder of Praise The Lord Ministries (PTL), Jim Bakker. Jim Bakker was caught having an affair with a former church secretary, the same year he was indicted on federal charges of mail and wire fraud and of course, conspiracy to defraud the public.

Marcus Lamb

Famous televangelist, Marcus Lamb came out on Live television and confessed to having an affair in his youth despite being married to his wife. Lamb made this confession in 2010 and of course, he got the support of his congregation.

Peter Popoff

Peter Popoff is seen by many as the biggest fraud in televangelist history. Popoff claimed he could diagnose and cure any of his churchgoer’s hidden diseases just by asking the heavens for help. Unfortunately for Popoff, he was caught wearing a wire which his wife used to feed him with information. The pastor now sells bottled water on late-night infomercials.

Aimee McPherson

Although Aimee McPherson’s story is about a hundred years ago, it is still enough to get her into this list. Aimee McPherson was a glamorous evangelical preacher in the 1920s. Aimee disappeared for a month and reappeared, claiming she was kidnapped. Her story was later debunked as a hoax to gain more popularity.

Wilton Gregory

This popular and seemingly down to earth bishop came under fire when it came out that he was building a $2.2million private mansion in an upscale Atlanta neighborhood. Eventually, the bishop sealed his house claiming he had come to his senses about the whole situation.