fountainhall
March 12th, 2016, 11:50
This has no gay content. I post it merely to illustrate that the USA is not the only country where evangelical “pastors” get up to dirty deeds.
The most costly – and second longest-ever – trial in Singapore’s history is not quite over. Started in 2010 it came to a semi-conclusion in October with all six defendants being found guilty. However, appeals are now under way and the finale will not be played out until September. However it ends up, the case has proved a massive blow to the credence of one of the island state’s mega-churches.
The story begins in 1989. A 25-year old computer science graduate, Kong Hee, had a vision in which the Holy Spirit is alleged to have bumped into him and told him “Kong, raise up a new generation of believers that will take the nations by storm.” Oh yes??? Thus was born Singapore’s City Harvest Church.
Basing its message very much of the prosperity gospel of the disgraced Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker – i.e. give God (i.e. me) as much as you can and God will ensure you get more – and a slick image, the charismatic Kong’s Church grew, especially amongst richer and younger people, and now has, according to the Singapore Straits Times, 17,500 members, although the Church itself claims around 10,000 more. Divided into cells and other sub-groups, giving to the Church seems to be organized more along Mafia-type thug extortion than a genuine desire to give. As a result the Church became extremely wealthy. Kong and his family lived in an exclusive penthouse paid by the Church. Not only did it spend US$34 million to build its own Church, a structure which boasts a fountain that cost over US$400,000, it also invested around US$70 million in the Singapore’s Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in the heart of the city.
Whilst its finances have been kept notoriously secret, the cause of its legal troubles is its co-founder and Kong’s wife, a singer of dubious repute named Sun Ho. After having some success in Asia, especially with her Mandarin CDs in Taiwan, it was decided – allegedly with Church agreement – that the masses in that haven of heathens the United States were ripe for conversion. Ms. Kong would therefore suffer exile preaching in Los Angeles. Only she would not be giving sermons. Instead, her music career would take-off with chart-topping CDs and personal appearances, so bringing millions of souls to God.
Thus the Crossover Project was launched. But how to finance this clearly commercial venture when the Church was a charity and not allowed to undertake such initiatives. No problem. Accounts were falsified, funds misappropriated, dummy corporations set up, including an agency to manage Sun’s career. During her years in the USA, Sun lived in a Hollywood mansion renting for $28,000 per month, engaged expensive PR companies, at vast expense persuaded the most sough-after composer and arranger, David Foster, to work on an album. Another $1.5 million was lavished on Wyclef Jean to produce a single titled “China Wine” in which she was re-styled as a vampy rapper-singer with the name Geisha. Another vdo has her equally scantily-clad vamp complaining about her “days of suffering” with her husband and killing him! Both are total crap!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GgxsfODXrI
The result of those 7 years in the USA? Absolutely zilch! The mega-million dollar CD was never issued.
Back in Singapore, though, alarm bells were ringing, especially in the Fraud Squad. Ho’s adventures had cost the Church around US$17 million and Kong and five of his indoctrinated cronies used a further $18 million to cover it all up. Last November, after a case lasting five years, the Singapore Court found all six guilty and handed down prison sentences of between 8 years and 21 months. The convicted have appealed. The prosecution has also appealed for higher sentences.
If there is irony in this case it is that Sun Ho, for the advancement of whose career the funds were clearly spent, has escaped Scot-free. Not only was she never charged, whilst her husband is awaiting 8 years in jail she has now been ordained as the main Pastor of the City Harvest Church.
Evangelical churches are mushrooming all over Asia. Many use entertainment as part of their mission. Most are aggressively homophobic.
Glory? Hallelujah? Far from it. Just desserts more like!
The most costly – and second longest-ever – trial in Singapore’s history is not quite over. Started in 2010 it came to a semi-conclusion in October with all six defendants being found guilty. However, appeals are now under way and the finale will not be played out until September. However it ends up, the case has proved a massive blow to the credence of one of the island state’s mega-churches.
The story begins in 1989. A 25-year old computer science graduate, Kong Hee, had a vision in which the Holy Spirit is alleged to have bumped into him and told him “Kong, raise up a new generation of believers that will take the nations by storm.” Oh yes??? Thus was born Singapore’s City Harvest Church.
Basing its message very much of the prosperity gospel of the disgraced Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker – i.e. give God (i.e. me) as much as you can and God will ensure you get more – and a slick image, the charismatic Kong’s Church grew, especially amongst richer and younger people, and now has, according to the Singapore Straits Times, 17,500 members, although the Church itself claims around 10,000 more. Divided into cells and other sub-groups, giving to the Church seems to be organized more along Mafia-type thug extortion than a genuine desire to give. As a result the Church became extremely wealthy. Kong and his family lived in an exclusive penthouse paid by the Church. Not only did it spend US$34 million to build its own Church, a structure which boasts a fountain that cost over US$400,000, it also invested around US$70 million in the Singapore’s Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in the heart of the city.
Whilst its finances have been kept notoriously secret, the cause of its legal troubles is its co-founder and Kong’s wife, a singer of dubious repute named Sun Ho. After having some success in Asia, especially with her Mandarin CDs in Taiwan, it was decided – allegedly with Church agreement – that the masses in that haven of heathens the United States were ripe for conversion. Ms. Kong would therefore suffer exile preaching in Los Angeles. Only she would not be giving sermons. Instead, her music career would take-off with chart-topping CDs and personal appearances, so bringing millions of souls to God.
Thus the Crossover Project was launched. But how to finance this clearly commercial venture when the Church was a charity and not allowed to undertake such initiatives. No problem. Accounts were falsified, funds misappropriated, dummy corporations set up, including an agency to manage Sun’s career. During her years in the USA, Sun lived in a Hollywood mansion renting for $28,000 per month, engaged expensive PR companies, at vast expense persuaded the most sough-after composer and arranger, David Foster, to work on an album. Another $1.5 million was lavished on Wyclef Jean to produce a single titled “China Wine” in which she was re-styled as a vampy rapper-singer with the name Geisha. Another vdo has her equally scantily-clad vamp complaining about her “days of suffering” with her husband and killing him! Both are total crap!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GgxsfODXrI
The result of those 7 years in the USA? Absolutely zilch! The mega-million dollar CD was never issued.
Back in Singapore, though, alarm bells were ringing, especially in the Fraud Squad. Ho’s adventures had cost the Church around US$17 million and Kong and five of his indoctrinated cronies used a further $18 million to cover it all up. Last November, after a case lasting five years, the Singapore Court found all six guilty and handed down prison sentences of between 8 years and 21 months. The convicted have appealed. The prosecution has also appealed for higher sentences.
If there is irony in this case it is that Sun Ho, for the advancement of whose career the funds were clearly spent, has escaped Scot-free. Not only was she never charged, whilst her husband is awaiting 8 years in jail she has now been ordained as the main Pastor of the City Harvest Church.
Evangelical churches are mushrooming all over Asia. Many use entertainment as part of their mission. Most are aggressively homophobic.
Glory? Hallelujah? Far from it. Just desserts more like!