Believers Invest in the Gospel of Getting Rich

Donors streamed forward at the Southwest Believers? Convention this month in Fort Worth.

FORT WORTH ? Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their all-star lineup of ?prosperity gospel? preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God.

Private airplanes and boats. A motorcycle sent by an anonymous supporter. Vacations in Hawaii and cruises in Alaska. Designer handbags. A ring of emeralds and diamonds.

?God knows where the money is, and he knows how to get the money to you,? preached Mrs. Copeland, dressed in a crisp pants ensemble like those worn by C.E.O.?s.

[The rest is here.]