Post by anointedteacher on Oct 2, 2009 11:32:46 GMT -5
In an interview with Essence.com, Dr. Betty Price, wife of megachurch televangelist Dr. Fred K.C. Price, discusses her new book, 'Warning to Ministers, Their Wives and Mistresses.' The inspiration for this tome about temptation came from the paramours:
It was 20 years ago when I started receiving letters from women of various churches who were having illicit affairs with powerful married ministers. I was flabbergasted. ... Then my phone began ringing off the hook. I couldn't understand why these women were reaching out to me. I think it was because they saw my husband, Dr. Fred K. Price, and his televised preachings and were captivated by his message.
Price, who is a minister in her own right, has been married to the founder of Los Angeles' 22,000-member Crenshaw Christian Center for more than 50 years. She holds no punches in describing her own experience of a woman bent on having her husband:
Years ago this woman came into mine and my husband's lives like a whirlwind. She called herself a prophet. ... At the time, my husband was new to the ministry and he was very interested in hearing messages from God. This woman always needed to see him after church and preferred to talk with him alone. My woman's intuition kicked in. ... My husband, however, was caught up. I knew he wasn't doing anything with her physically because I was taking care of him at home. But this woman was very charismatic.
Speaking up to her husband and taking a stand was the way she diffused the situation, Price says. She did not make the mistake of going after the other woman:
In my situation, it didn't go as far as him sleeping with another woman. I recognized something was wrong, and I spoke up. My husband listened.
Years later, Price says, letters from two women who were having affairs with preachers affected her deeply:
I received two anonymous letters within a week apart. Both women shared their involvement with very high-profile men of God. ... They expressed how they never intended on being involved with a minister and each woman was desperately seeking a way out. ... Both ministers have threatened and coerced these women. They told them if they stop the affair then they would be dishonoring God. However, both women expressed they were benefiting financially in the relationships. They were stuck. ... After reading those two letters, my daughter said I had to write a book.
Price says keeping adultery among the clergy a secret is "very harmful" to the church and must be addressed head-on.
Whether you are studying for the ministry, already serving as a pastor or bishop, supporting a spouse in ministry, or in the midst of an affair with a minister ... I think it's time this behavior is exposed. There are so many families being destroyed because of these women and men of God.
It must have taken steely courage for Price to not only speak up as a minister but to also share her own personal story as a woman, wife and first lady of a church. Adultery is a very sensitive topic, and it wreaks havoc on both families and congregations. Since it destroys reputations and effaces one's credibility, all of those involved -- wife, mistress and clergyman -- often keep it a secret.
Occasionally, the truth comes out. Some well-known men of the cloth have had their names sullied from extramarital affairs or accusations of having strayed.
Jimmy Lee Swaggart, of the Assemblies of God Church, publicly admitted to "transgressions" 21 years ago, proclaiming, "I have sinned against you, my Lord." Eight years ago, Rev. Jesse Jackson came forth to admit that he not only had an extramarital affair, but had also fathered a child. Last year, Elizabeth Payne, a former executive assistant at one of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's churches, came forward to claim that she had an affair with the controversial reverend. Payne lost her job and her husband.
Clearly, Price is on to something here. By bringing the issue front and center, she encourages both clergy and churchgoers to have honest discussions about how adultery begins and how to stop it. Price concludes by stating:
I challenge ministers and their mistresses to ask themselves, where is God in your life? What is your commitment to God? Where is your conscience?
It was 20 years ago when I started receiving letters from women of various churches who were having illicit affairs with powerful married ministers. I was flabbergasted. ... Then my phone began ringing off the hook. I couldn't understand why these women were reaching out to me. I think it was because they saw my husband, Dr. Fred K. Price, and his televised preachings and were captivated by his message.
Price, who is a minister in her own right, has been married to the founder of Los Angeles' 22,000-member Crenshaw Christian Center for more than 50 years. She holds no punches in describing her own experience of a woman bent on having her husband:
Years ago this woman came into mine and my husband's lives like a whirlwind. She called herself a prophet. ... At the time, my husband was new to the ministry and he was very interested in hearing messages from God. This woman always needed to see him after church and preferred to talk with him alone. My woman's intuition kicked in. ... My husband, however, was caught up. I knew he wasn't doing anything with her physically because I was taking care of him at home. But this woman was very charismatic.
Speaking up to her husband and taking a stand was the way she diffused the situation, Price says. She did not make the mistake of going after the other woman:
In my situation, it didn't go as far as him sleeping with another woman. I recognized something was wrong, and I spoke up. My husband listened.
Years later, Price says, letters from two women who were having affairs with preachers affected her deeply:
I received two anonymous letters within a week apart. Both women shared their involvement with very high-profile men of God. ... They expressed how they never intended on being involved with a minister and each woman was desperately seeking a way out. ... Both ministers have threatened and coerced these women. They told them if they stop the affair then they would be dishonoring God. However, both women expressed they were benefiting financially in the relationships. They were stuck. ... After reading those two letters, my daughter said I had to write a book.
Price says keeping adultery among the clergy a secret is "very harmful" to the church and must be addressed head-on.
Whether you are studying for the ministry, already serving as a pastor or bishop, supporting a spouse in ministry, or in the midst of an affair with a minister ... I think it's time this behavior is exposed. There are so many families being destroyed because of these women and men of God.
It must have taken steely courage for Price to not only speak up as a minister but to also share her own personal story as a woman, wife and first lady of a church. Adultery is a very sensitive topic, and it wreaks havoc on both families and congregations. Since it destroys reputations and effaces one's credibility, all of those involved -- wife, mistress and clergyman -- often keep it a secret.
Occasionally, the truth comes out. Some well-known men of the cloth have had their names sullied from extramarital affairs or accusations of having strayed.
Jimmy Lee Swaggart, of the Assemblies of God Church, publicly admitted to "transgressions" 21 years ago, proclaiming, "I have sinned against you, my Lord." Eight years ago, Rev. Jesse Jackson came forth to admit that he not only had an extramarital affair, but had also fathered a child. Last year, Elizabeth Payne, a former executive assistant at one of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's churches, came forward to claim that she had an affair with the controversial reverend. Payne lost her job and her husband.
Clearly, Price is on to something here. By bringing the issue front and center, she encourages both clergy and churchgoers to have honest discussions about how adultery begins and how to stop it. Price concludes by stating:
I challenge ministers and their mistresses to ask themselves, where is God in your life? What is your commitment to God? Where is your conscience?