Destiny Church has been branded a “cult” after Brian Tamaki said Jesus did not rise from the dead – but the self-styled bishop says he was quoted out of context.

Mark Vrankovich, director of Cultwatch, has released audio clips and transcripts of Bishop Tamaki preaching a series of messages to his followers.

He says the clips show Bishop Tamaki rejecting the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified – the core of the Christian faith.

In the sermons, Bishop Tamaki said he had been preparing his followers for a year to receive the revelation God gave him about the resurrection, so they could “understand what the Bible is really saying”.

He told the congregation they would doubt his teaching, unless they also had the revelation, because of “too many forces and too much teaching and too much backlog of religion”.

“You must get out of your mind that, that Jesus Christ is now, ah, is still Jesus of Nazareth … But Jesus did not come out of the tomb. The flesh Jesus died in the tomb.”

When I read this story, it puzzled me. Why would Archbishop Tamaki start to tell his followers that Jesus was not physically ressurected, and did not rise from the dead. After all, these are pretty fundamental Christian beliefs.

But then I read the context about how he claims to have been personally instructed by God, and that his revelations would take a year for them to accept etc.

And the only answer that makes sense to me, is that Tamaki was going to claim he is the new son of God.

I presume that a son of God can charge an even higher tithe than a Bishop or Archbishop.

An American who travelled to New Zealand to spread the word of God – and whom Brian Tamaki called his “spiritual father” – has been accused of sexually assaulting young men.

Bishop Eddie Long is a well-known preacher in Atlanta who built one of America’s most widely known black megachurches, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

The married father of four, who has strongly campaigned against same-sex marriage, is having to defend himself after he was accused of using jewellery, cars and money to lure three teenagers into sexual relationships.

You sometimes have to wonder – are there any campaigners against same sex marriage who aren’t gay?

BRIAN TAMAKI’S INCOME:
$950,000 to $1.1 million

* Salary from Destiny Auckland: $200,000
* Salary from Destiny Rotorua: $148,500
* Pastors’ tithes: $100,000
* Speaking engagements: $150,000
* First Fruits: $350,000 to $500,000

Extras

* Profits of messages sold at
Destiny Church pay for $500,000 boat
* All 20 Destiny Church branches are encouraged to give at least $1000 to buy gifts for celebrations, including birthday, Christmas Day, anniversaries and Father’s Day.

Purely from a business point of view, you have to admire the set-up. Basically Arch-Bishop Brian has combined God and Amway to make himself rich.

I wonder how he decided on God to be his commodity?

Destiny Church ministers and leaders are heading to its Brisbane branch after more than half the congregation – including its pastor – walked out.

Bishop Brian Tamaki, who founded the church in New Zealand in 1998, is expected to be among those heading to Australia this week after the resignation of Pastor Andrew Stock.

Members of the Destiny Church in Brisbane, who were at Sunday’s service, contacted the Herald yesterday.

It is believed Pastor Stock – who has been at the Brisbane branch pulpit for about three years – withdrew from his role because a newly introduced covenant went against his beliefs, a member said.

Standing up for your beliefs is to be praised.

The member said the covenant told members to “give it heaps” as they worked towards a $3 million project which included building a $1.3 million budget to go towards putting Bishop Tamaki on TVNZ every morning, from Monday to Friday.

The covenant also encouraged members to go without coffee, takeaways and Sky TV for up to seven months to help give more in their church tithes.

All so Archbishop Tamaki can get even richer. I bet you he won’t be going without coffee.

The church member who contacted the Herald said many in the congregation felt the covenant was going against the Gospel.

“It was a money-making scheme. All the people who make covenant with Bishop Tamaki have to buy a $300 ring.

“You might think I’m stupid for going into the church in the first place. But I [only] found out it was a cult after I went in.”

Sadly, for many it is too late by then.

The member said it was widely known that all Destiny Church pastors had to sign a contract.

In that contract, it said if they were to withdraw as a pastor they were forbidden to pastor at any other church for two years and their new church could not be less than 50km from a Destiny Church.

Never heard of God having restraint of trade clauses for his servants before.

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has admitted being part of a group that sought legal aid to oust his marae’s trustees.

Even if it was not Tamaki, I’m not keen on legal aid being used by plaintiffs in disputes like this.It encourages people to litigate, rather than settle.

Mr Tamaki, who said he has “a mortgage like everyone else” and is “not a multi-millionaire”, told the Herald he was representing a group of whanau members, who sought legal aid to depose his marae’s trustees at Te Kopua, near Te Awamutu. …

In October, a former financial administrator for Mr Tamaki and his wife revealed to the Weekend Herald that he received up to $500,000 a year from church donations on top of his six-figure salary.

It would be an outrage for them to get legal aid. Tamaki is one of the richest 0.1% of NZ. He should be ashmed at his attempt to bludge.

Destiny Church supporters parted with tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of watching 700 worshippers swear an oath of allegiance to leader Bishop Brian Tamaki.

Church officials have confirmed “several thousand” people paid $30 each to attend the ceremony, with a $60 concession for family groups.

But costs didn’t stop at the door. Oath takers paid $295 – plus a $5 administration fee – for the ring symbolising their loyalty to Bishop Tamaki. Some were given the option of paying the ring off over time.

My personal theory is that Tamaki is just a cunning businessman, who is using religion to make stacks of money. I mean $90,000 from the spectators and $210,000 from the oath takers is a sweet $300,000.

If he wasn’t selling God, he’d be promoting PONZI schemes or Scientology, or spamming viagra pills.

He likened the covenant’s provisions of non-disagreement with the way Prime Minister John Key would view party members espousing different views from the party line.

Ummm what a ridicolous comment. First of all there is no swearing an oath of loyalty to the Leader of a political party, let alone a detailed book instructing you to never disagree with the Leader in public.

More importantly party members express views different to the party line all the time. Hell I do it every week.

A timely cartoon from Blunt.

In requiring its men to swear an oath of loyalty and obedience to Brian Tamaki, the Destiny Church – having glorified the messenger above the message – has begun to transform itself into a cult.

I’ve been of the view that it has had cult like features for some time.

In a seperate article, Mr George reports:

The leader of Destiny Church, Brian Tamaki, who not long ago anointed himself bishop of the church he founded, has now proclaimed himself the church’s “spiritual father” and designated the male members of the church as “spiritual sons”.

At a special service during the church’s annual conference in Auckland at the weekend, about 700 male members of the church swore a “covenant oath” of loyalty and obedience to Mr Tamaki and were given a “covenant ring” to wear on their right hands.

A church document describes the covenant as “a solemn oath of commitment that is binding, enduring and unbreakable. You are bound to covenant … Covenant is an irrevocable, undissolvable oath of commitment”.

Just hope they don’t put him in charge of the cool-aid.

Then comes the section entitled “Protocols towards our spiritual father”, which takes 1300 words to describe in jaw-dropping detail how the “spiritual sons” shall behave towards their “spiritual father”.

Under “Public Conduct”, the sons will in all conversation always speak of Mr Tamaki in a favourable and positive light; and in formal and/or public occasions, they will always address him and his wife, Hannah, first in acknowledgments and addresses at meetings “as a sign of respect to the father of the movement”.

If any “son” is honoured either by the church or secularly, he is to mention his “mentors and role models” – Mr and Mrs Tamaki – “because Bishop is one of God’s best-known representatives in our country”.

This may give Winston ideas for some new sections in the NZ First constitution. I suspect Anderton already has such clauses in the Progressive constitution

They must endorse what Mr Tamaki endorses, fully support what he promotes and ensure that what he is involved in is supported and successful.

“Whenever Bishop speaks all other talking stops: give him your full attention. Be careful not to cut in on him when he is speaking and ensure others don’t either.

“Don’t start talking or gesturing to somebody else while Bishop is speaking.”

The “sons” must never openly disagree with Mr Tamaki in front of others and must “be careful not to become familiar (which can lead to contempt)” with him “due to his friendliness and openness”.

I’m not sure what is sadder. That Tamaki himself is so lacking in self-esteem he needs a guide like this to make him feel important, or that any of his followers read this crap without bursting out laughing.

They should come to church anticipating that God will speak through Mr Tamaki and should always be dressed well at all meetings with him. “His dress code is your dress code.”

That will get interesting if Tamaki starts cross-dressing!

They must never tolerate anyone (regardless of who they are) speaking or talking critically of Mr Tamaki and his wife/family or the church. “You are not only to stop them in their tracks but warn them that they criticise you when they criticise Bishop.”

Oh yes how dare anyone criticise the great Bishop. They must be stopped.

I am sure gays and lesbians up and down NZ will be celebrating.

To be fair some progress is better than none. The next step is to get Archbishop Tamaki talking to male hairdressers and if he survives that maybe he could try talking to women cricket players.