Posted on 05/05/2014 5:58:32 PM PDT by Gamecock
A former South Side pastor who ran up more than $50,000 in personal expenses on the church’s credit cards was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for theft, according to Cook County prosecutors and court records.
Bernard Johnson, 47, who was pastor at St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft from a place of worship.
In May 2009, he opened an American Express account in the church’s name and used that to pay for clothing, trips, airline tickets for family members, restaurant tabs, car rentals and hotel stays, the charges alleged
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
So did he steal from the church or from AMEX?
I’ve never heard of “Christian Methodist Episcopal.” Around here, we have “African Methodist Episcopal” and “African Methodist Episcopal Zion.”
This is so awesome!! “Church” is not a word in the Bible!! It was inserted for the Greek word “Eklessia” ( meaning the “called out “ i.e. SAVED) in 1638 by King James to gain control over the “believers”. Church derived from the word “KIRKE” or “CIRCE” meaning the circle that PAGANS SAT IN!! If you Believe— you are saved. You don’t need a club house to pay for or a “preacher” to pay his mortgage and car payment and 40K!! JOHN 3:16— That is all you need.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, familiarly known as the CME Church, was organized December 16, 1870 in Jackson, Tennessee by 41 former slave members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Composed primarily of African Americans, the CME Church is a branch of Wesleyan Methodism founded and organized by John Wesley in England in 1844 and established in America as the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784. As such it is a church of Jesus Christ adhering to the basic tenets of historic Methodism, welcoming into its fellowship any and all desiring to “flee from the wrath to come and be saved from their sins.” It holds that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Son of God whose life, teachings, sacrificial death on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead reconciled humankind to God, overcame sin and conquered death, procuring thereby eternal salvation to all who believe. The CME Church believes that the Holy Spirit is God’s continuing presence in the world empowering the church to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and fulfill its mission of saving and serving all humankind. Basic to the faith of the CME Church is the conviction that the Bible is the inspired Word of God containing all things necessary for human salvation. Presently the church reports approximately 850,000 communicant members in the continental United States, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, D. R. Congo.
And yet a church and it’s proper function is described throughout the NT. Not to save but for the saved.
Okay. It looks like this CME split off from the general American Methodist branch (”Methodist Episcopal Church”) in the deep South, while the AME split off in the North and Mid-Atlantic states.
“St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal Church”
They sound a bit indecisive to me. Is this one of those “all paths lead to god” churches?
So in other words he did what Democrats do with taxes, treat them as their own personal unlimited ATM
The resemblance is faint but doesn’t he somehow remind you of a younger Juan Williams?
So you shouldn’t worship with other believers and evangelize Gods word to the unsaved?
And you don’t need the support of other believers?
Seriously?
You are right!
Maybe take of 20 pounds? Perhaps he was 20 pounds lighter before he got the credit card.
Jesus told his followers to sit in the circle that pagans sat in? Why?
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.--- If you Believe— you are saved. ---“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bef loosed in heaven." --Jesus
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is uselessd ? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”e and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
And I believe that it was originally called the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. The AME Church was founded shortly after the Methodist Episcopal Church in the 1780’s. The AME Zion Church came later, but I don’t recall the circumstances. I have visited AME and CME churches and found them to be of the traditional Methodism I grew up in.
Didn’t know Juan Williams had a brother.
John 3:16.
Keep reading, There are over 7900 more verses in the NT. Many of which tell us about the early church and elders and such.
But most are Hearsay— non admissible evidence — Except Joh— He was a witness with first hand knowledge. Mark? Luke? What a joke. Matthew? All 30 years after the resurrection. Non admissible evidence.
/ what a j0
Did he donate to Obama???
15 years is a bit long for this. 5 years max as long as he pays it all back.
Jon Corzine stole $1.6 billion and is a free man.
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