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| - My wife and I attended LWBC (mostly, a smaller campus they were trying to establish for a while) for about a year. I give them three stars rather than two, because I believe Doctor Tom, his sons, and several of the people we got to know...are genuine, friendly, and truly care about folks. I've read some of the negative media coverage and while I take issue with LWBC on some points, it's not because of what the media has said about them. It's not because they're money grubbing people. They're not. Yes, unfortunately, the word "millionaire" is in the title of many books they've got for sale. But...My wife and I found that they truly believe God wants us (all of us) to live an "abundant" life. I do too. I just differ with some "prosperity" or "name it and claim it" Gospel teachings on what an abundant life in Christ really means - in this world and the next. An abundant life in Christ might include becoming a millionaire, and it might not. The focus should be the "in Christ" part first and foremost. Whether that leads you to buying your food at the 99 cent store or at AJ's Fine Foods isn't the main point. In the Presence of Christ, you'll be living (and eating) "abundantly" either way. You can be a millionaire or homeless...if you're "in Christ" through whatever season of life you're traveling, you are living abundantly. You have peace, joy, hope, love, truth, kindness and good will in and around you. Like Jesus, you start to find that becoming other-minded and less self consumed is the path to happiness and meaning. I'm not romanticizing worldly poverty and homelessness, nor judging someone who happens to be a millionaire (or billionaire). It's just that we dishonor God's Presence by using worldly wealth as a measuring stick for our faith. To be fair, there are teachings on the other extreme that wear worldly poverty as a measuring stick. Both extremes miss the point. Both come dangerously close to making financial status, one way or another, an idol.
My wife and I stayed at the smaller campus LWBC was planting for about a year. We made some great friends, and had our suspicions of the Prosperity Gospel softened a bit. I believe God had us spend a season in this atmosphere, for a variety of reasons. When LWBC suspended this new smaller campus, we prayerfully took it as our way to off-ramp to another church...in Grace and Peace.
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