This Sunday morning might be a good time to mosey over to BBC News, where Vicky Baker has written a searing piece “The preachers getting rich from poor Americans”. Baker tells the story of Larry and Darcy Fardette, two hard-luck and sometimes-homeless Christians who are taken advantage of by prosperity-gospel televangelists. The Fardettes kept giving money to people like Todd Coontz, a televangelist and “finance expert” whose specialty is asking listeners for “seed” donations that will help unlock miracles. Baker writes:
In August 2015, the couple … caught an episode of John Oliver's satirical news show, Last Week Tonight. "I never watched John Oliver. I had never even heard of the guy," says Larry. But his attention was immediately caught by a skit that ripped into money-grabbing televangelists. Larry and Darcy sat up in shock, recognising all the names. They say they felt as though God was lifting a veil. "We had been so ignorant," Larry says, shaking his head. The next morning they went to a local library to find out more online. In just a few clicks, they came across the Texas-based Trinity Foundation, which had assisted Last Week Tonight with its research.
In January, Todd Coontz was sentenced to five years in federal prison for tax fraud and evasion; he is currently out on bail pending appeal and is still pulling in money from his listeners. Needless to say the Fardettes will not get any of their money back.