Televangelist Finds Passengers Getting Dragged Down the Aisle Too Distracting, Has to Fly Private

Private air travel isn’t always about luxury. It’s not always senior executives in business, either, flying private. A team of Walmart middle managers originating in Bentonville, Arkansas might three days to visit a single store in the Upper Midwest including travel time — or visit multiple stores in a day.

Kenneth Copeland’s ministry once disclosed that it owns at least 5 planes, though now says he has three — including a Gulfstream V which was purchased from Tyler Perry. Copeland says the Lord speaks to him, and performs maintenance on his aircraft. Here he is taking possession of Tyler Perry’s jet:

The minister has described flying commercial as getting in a long tube with a bunch of demons. Lisa Guerrero ambushed Copeland with a surprise interview for Inside Edition. She asked him about whether it’s appropriate for a preacher to spend money on private jets this way (he says got a great deal on the plane from Perry) and about the comment about flying with demons – are people demons?

Copeland says he can’t let himself get distracted by passengers being dragged down the aisle on commercial flights. So really it’s all United’s fault that he has to fly private. He finds David Dao distracting and wouldn’t want to stop to pray for a victim like that, it seems.

People. I love people. Jesus loves people. People get pushed in alcohol. Do you think that’s a good place for a preacher to be and prepare to go preach to a lot of people when somebody in there is dragging some woman down an aisle, it made me so mad to see that on television I wanted to punch the guy out myself. I can’t be doing that when I’m trying to get ready to preach.

And as far as whether it’s appropriate for a minister to be wealthy and live in luxury he says, “if you go into the old covenant, do you think the Jewish people believe you should be broke?”

Of course the Pope flies private and so do Presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders. President Trump owns a 757 and a Cessna.

A Presidential candidate can more effectively conduct a national campaign with a chartered jet. Security for the Pope would be far more challenging flying commercial.

I wouldn’t rule out a ministry doing exceptional work leveraging their effectiveness by reducing travel time or improving security with a private aircraft. I am skeptical that’s what’s going on here, however.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. In this instance, the problem with this guy is that he doesn’t know when to shut up.

    If he’d just said, I’m very busy and the only way I’m able to get out and preach the gospel as often and as widely as I do is because of the jet(s).”, there would be no more than a murmur about the excess.

    Instead, he rattles on and on about demons and sin and distractions.

    It’s not unlike when my kids have a lot of reasons why something can’t be the way I think it is. If they give me one good or, even, mediocre reason, I believe them. When they give me a long list of reasons, I assume bullshit.

  2. I have a background working with private jets. I also have a background with my parents dragging me to church.

    All I can say is… This is just to funny. It’s like an April fool’s day joke, the Onion, or a stand up comedo routine or something.

    I’m loving it.

  3. These televangelist mega-church preachers are absolute frauds who prey on the emotions of the blind flock that continues to support them financially.

    I remember several years ago when the wife of another fraud, Joel Osteen, slapped a flight attendant on a Continental Airlines flight.

    The blind sheep continue to send money to these frauds when the evidence is right before their eyes.

  4. Yes most of the televangelist mega church preachers are frauds although most priests fall into that category as well, just that they are not enriching themselves. They are frauds because most of what they preach is so removed from scripture and watered down fluff made to make people feel good when they are supposed to help people be good and remove sin from their lives. If priests and mega church preachers were being honest they would say people should keep every single penny of theirs and spend it on improving their own lives instead of wasting it on the high salaries of televangelists and pointless feel good charity that only encourages and grows a problem.

    But people give their money and it is their choice. So many people are deceived in other areas to give to charity, to give to certain politicians, to give to morally bankrupt (sinful aka against the Bible) causes.

  5. Love the quote about the old covenant and not being broke. And some alleged Christian. He conveniently ignores Jesus’ actions and teachings, including being among the poor and the sick and his saying that it is harder for a rich man to get to heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Cannot stand these hypocrites.

  6. @Tom “his saying that it is harder for a rich man to get to heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. ” he responds to that specifically by saying that ‘with God anything is possible”

  7. I started following preachersnsneakers on Instagram so I can see just how corrupt so many of these charlatans really are. Love seeing a preacherman in his $750 shooz dressed for $uccess

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