Transcript of Creflo Dollar on Larry King
Chaz Lambrusco
Chaz
KING: Thank you all very much, outstanding contributions. Should
churches be tax exempt? That's the quick vote right now on our website,
CNN.com/LarryKing. And when we come back, we'll talk with televangelist
and mega-church pastor Creflo Dollar. His ministry raises millions of
dollars and now Congress wants to take a look at his collection plate.
Plus, it will tell you how you can be prosperous in 2008 and help create
the life you want. Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Dr. CREFLO DOLLAR, TELEVANGELIST: So it is Biblical to come into church
with an offering. Amen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: And a return visit to LARRY KING LIVE for Dr. Creflo Dollar, the
founder and senior pastor of World Changes Church International. He is
one of six television and mega-church preachers being investigated by
the Senate. His new book is "Eight Steps to Create the Life You Want,
The Anatomy of a Successful Life." And we'll talk about the eight steps
in a little while. But first, Senator Grassley -- last time you were
with us, we discussed the fact that he wanted all the details of your
finances and what goes where and I understand you have declined to give
that?
DOLLAR: Yes, sir.
KING: Why?
DOLLAR: We don't believe there's any legal obligation to do so, based on
the Church Audit Act of 1984, which Senator Grassley co- sponsored. He
made it very clear that there were protections for church organizations.
For example, there's a difference between a church and a tax exempt
organization. All churches are tax exempt, but not all tax exempt
organizations are churches.
KING: Right, like a charity.
DOLLAR: Like a charity, so what happens is the church is exempt from
annual filings and disclosure requirements that other tax exempt
organizations have to be responsible for. Churches are exempt from
filing a 990 Form, which is basically information return form.
KING: But when you see people complain about billions of dollars being
spent on a luxurious lifestyle, wouldn't it be smart to give the
information morally?
DOLLAR: It wouldn't be smart to give the information for the entire
public to examine.
KING: Why? DOLLAR: Because you don't want to get involved with excessive
entanglement with the First Amendment. There are some people who don't
want their information to be exposed so other people can take them
through the scrutiny of why they decided to give to this ministry or why
they decided to support --
KING: I'm talking about you, Doctor Dollar, what have you got to hide?
DOLLAR: I don't have anything to hide. I want to make sure that if a
senator has some obligation and responsibility to keeping the law and
the process -- if there are certain laws and processes that are there to
protect privacy, then I want to make sure I take full example of those laws.
KING: So it has nothing to do with excessive spending.
DOLLAR: Nothing at all. We are fully compliant with the IRS. The IRS
gets our taxes. The IRS, we comply with us 100 percent. And what I would
prefer is if you wanted the information, then you would go ahead and
tell the IRS to issue a subpoena, come in and evaluate it. And then we
would have no problems doing that.
KING: Do you think they should do that?
DOLLAR: They have a right to do that. And if they chose to do that, then
what we would have is protection by Code 6103, where the IRS is required
to keep the Privacy Act for those who turn the information over.
KING: Do you ever, Doctor Dollar, that whether you should spend anything
lavish on yourself, as long as some people are without?
DOLLAR: What's your question again?
KING: Do you ever think why should I spend lavishly on myself when there
are some people who don't have anything? That's not God's message I
don't think.
DOLLAR: The Bible says, Jesus said, the poor you will have with you
always. But the miscalculated assumption is that if we buy anything
nice, it doesn't necessarily mean that we are not helping people who are
without. Our ministry helps people all over the world who are without.
We give millions of dollars a year to help people who are without. We
personally help people who are without. We have purchased homes for
people. I have purchased over 100 cars for people. It's a part of the
gospel that if you have to give to go and give.
KING: So then wonders why wouldn't you show all that?
DOLLAR: Again --
KING: That's a pretty good thing to show.
DOLLAR: If you could see it all, then what you would find out is a lot
of good things. But that's not the point. The point is there are laws
and processes in place --
KING: You're saying this is a principle?
DOLLAR: It's a principle.
We'll be right back with Dr. Dollar. Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLLAR: So it is Biblical to come into the church with an offering.
Amen. Make sure that you can't be bought. Make sure that you have money,
but make sure that money never has you.
And remember, you give because you love god, because you honor god, and
because you respect god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Dr. Creflo Dollar has a new book out, "Eight Steps to Create the
Life You Want, the Anatomy of a Successful Life." Success meaning
financial success?
DOLLAR: Success meaning being able to fulfill your purpose and the
reason why you're here.
KING: And you figured it out and have broken it down into eight steps?
DOLLAR: I believe I have. It starts out with words. Words are very
important. We have four basic needs that every human has to get met.
Number one, you have the need of acceptance, feeling that you're loved
and needed. You have a need of identity, feeling that you are
significant and special.
You have a need of security, feeling that you are protected and you'll
be cared for. And then finally, a need for understanding your purpose
and the reason why you're alive and why you live. Now if those four
basic human needs are not met, you're going to have trouble. If you
don't get them met by parents, if you don't get them met somehow, you're
going to end up in a bad situation.
So what I had an opportunity to do in this book is to divide it up into
eight steps so that you can understand life. And if you don't like where
you are, then you can at least diagnose life and then fix it and do some
repairs and some adjustments so that you can live a successful life.
KING: Am I better person the more money I have?
DOLLAR: No, you're not. Prosperity -- money by itself cannot define
prosperity. But prosperity is defined as wholeness in every area of your
life, spirit, soul, body, family, marriage. It includes money, but money
is not the basis of success.
KING: Are you successful?
DOLLAR: I'm successful because I believe I found the will of god for my
life.
KING: Did you find it early on?
DOLLAR: Yes, sir, I found it at the age of 22 on a college campus. And I
really didn't want to be a preacher. In fact, I didn't like preachers
because in those days the preachers used to come over to your house and
eat up all the chicken before anybody else got a chance to sit down and
eat. But I had an opportunity to understand that there was a calling on
my life and anointing to fulfill the will of god in my life.
KING: The book is "Eight Steps to Create the Life You Want." Dr. Creflo
Dollar is the author. We have an email from Jaime in Bend, Oregon; are
the monetary amounts you spend yearly for your multiple homes and cars
and luxuries equal to or less than what the church provides to those in
need within the congregation.
DOLLAR: Much less, much, much less.
KING: But when they something -- Do you need plural -- do you need more
than one home?
DOLLAR: No, you don't need more than one home. But, you know, people in
our society today have always had a problem with excess. And we don't
have any problems with movie stars having more than one home. We don't
have any problems with sports people having more than one home. But,
boy, if you get a man of god that has more than one home, then he's got
to be doing something wrong.
KING: That's because the man of god claims to be preaching the word of
god. And the sports star doesn't. The movie star doesn't.
DOLLAR: But the word of god says, and he makes it very clear in
proverbs, the blessings of the lord maketh rich and addeth no sorrow.
See, Larry, we also believe in the gospel of prosperity that god wants
you to be successful in every endeavor of your life.
KING: Including rich?
DOLLAR: Including financially.
KING: We'll be welcome back with some more moments with Dr. Creflo
Dollar. The book, "Eight Steps to Create the Life You Want." Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLLAR: We give you praise, lord, that we're not where we used to be.
We're not what we used to be.
Touch, heal, deliver, set free, make whole, whatever's wrong, make it
right, send every devil to flight and give us life. We give you praise
in this place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Dr. Creflo Dollar, "Eight Steps to Create the Life
You Want." You preach what's called the prosperity gospel. Is Dollar is
your real last name?
DOLLAR: I promise you Dollar is my real last name.
KING: I thought you were going to say something like buck.
DOLLAR: Somebody asked, they said, why did your mom name your Dollar? I
don't know, but I'm glad she didn't name me Creflo One Dollar.
KING: Dollar is your last name? It was your father's name, Dollar?
DOLLAR: Yes, it is.
KING: We have an email from Janet in Wichita, Kansas; what is the one
thing I can do first thing tomorrow to make me rich?
DOLLAR: Well, again, we have to make sure we understand what rich really
is. And I define rich as being whole in every area of your life, spirit,
should, body, marriage and finances. A man can have a million dollars in
the bank but be dying of cancer. He's just a poor man with a million
dollars in the bank because he still lacks healing. It's not money
that's going to make you rich. It's going to be whole in every area of
your life.
KING: You have a church in Georgia, right, outside of Atlanta?
DOLLAR: Yes.
KING: But you also preach in New York at Madison Square Garden?
DOLLAR: Madison Square Garden about 85 percent of the time.
KING: Is that just anybody? Is it a named church?
DOLLAR: World Changes Church in New York and the one in Atlanta is World
Changes Church International. And then we have one in Battle Creek,
Michigan, World Changes Church Battle Creek. And in two weeks we're
opening four more up in Queens, Brooklyn, Marietta, Georgia, and
Carolton, Georgia.
KING: How do you divide your time?
DOLLAR: Satellite technology. What we do is we beam those other churches
in. I fly up personally to do New York and Atlanta. But the other
church, we send a live stream to them and they get the message through
technology.
KING: What do we mean by World Changes Churches?
DOLLAR: World Changes Churches is basically we want to make an impact in
the lives of people so that they can go and change their world and thus
go in and change the world that they have to deal with every day of
their lives. So we believe that the way we can change your world is by
changing the way you think.
KING: Do you think you'll resolve all this with the Senate?
DOLLAR: I believe we will. In fact, I sent a later to Senator Grassley
and invited him to the church to worship with us. I want people to
understand that our responsibility as Christians is always walk in love
no matter what.
KING: Good luck on the tour and thank you for joining us. Our guest has
been Dr. Creflo Dollar. The book is "Eight Steps to Create the Life You
Want, The Anatomy of a Successful Life." There you see its cover.