Pastor Archives - Universal Life Church Monastery Blog

Pastor Under Fire for Justifying Rape if Women Wear Shorts

February 23rd, 2024

A sermon by Rev. Bobby Leonard, a pastor from North Carolina, has sparked outrage for his controversial statements that women wearing shorts justifies rape because "a man's a man."

Political & Religious Controversy 173 Comments

Crypto Pastor: "God Told Us" to Pocket $1.3 Million From Investors

January 26th, 2024

A pastor and his wife are facing charges that they defrauded hundreds of Christians out of millions of dollars in a crytocurrency scheme. They're mounting an interesting legal defense: They say God told them to.

Political & Religious Controversy 82 Comments

90% of Pastors Say Young Churchgoers Need to Donate More

November 3rd, 2023

Are young people uncharitable to their churches? A new report found that more than 90% of church leadership believe that Millennials and Generation Z aren't financially supporting the church enough.

Political & Religious Controversy 48 Comments

Report: Pastors More Pro-LGBTQ+ Than Their Congregations

October 2nd, 2023

A new poll reveals a major disparity between pastors and their congregants when it comes to views toward the LGBTQ+ community. What does this growing divide mean for the future of faith communities?

LGBTQ & Human Rights 116 Comments

Pastor Who Used Blackface Says People Are Too Easily Offended

May 1st, 2023

An Oklahoma pastor is refusing to apologize or back down after images of him dressed in blackface surfaced earlier this month. He says that society is too easily offended, and that the blackface was harmless.

Political & Religious Controversy 102 Comments

The Sermonator: With AI-Generated Sermons, Pastors Ponder Robot Takeover

February 17th, 2023

There's been a lot of talk of AI and chatbots lately, and pastors are not immune to the general job security unease. With advancements made every day, will pastors eventually be replaced by artificial intelligence?

Political & Religious Controversy 47 Comments

Brooklyn's 'Bling Bishop' Charged With Fraud

December 28th, 2022

Pastor Lamor Whitehead made headlines earlier this year when he was robbed at gunpoint during a live streamed sermon. Now the controversial 'bling bishop' is being charged with defrauding a parishioner.

Political & Religious Controversy 52 Comments

Brooklyn Pastor Robbed of $1 Million Worth of Jewelry During Sermon

July 26th, 2022

A Brooklyn pastor was robbed of roughly one million in jewelry during a livestreamed Sunday sermon. The robbery has opened a dialogue on just how much money clergy should have, and whether they should flaunt it.

Political & Religious Controversy 80 Comments

Your Pastor Has Had Enough: Clergy Members Join the Great Resignation

May 17th, 2022

Citing stress, politics, and declining church attendance, some 40% of church pastors recently reported wanting to leave the church. Is the Great Resignation going to sweep straight through church pulpits?

Progressive Spirituality 33 Comments

TN Pastor Purges 'Demonic' Books in Bonfire; Protesters Burn Bible in Response

February 8th, 2022

Is it okay to burn books we don't like? One Tennessee pastor caused a firestorm last week when he held a bonfire for his congregation, burning 'demonic' books like Harry Potter and Twilight in the blaze.

Political & Religious Controversy 196 Comments

The Universal Life Church Ministries proudly welcomes all who feel called to get ordained, regardless of creed. We enable all faiths; Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Pagan, Wiccan, Atheist – and more – to join our growing non-denominational congregation. Underlying everything we do is a simple core belief: that we are all children of the same universe.

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