Despite the fact that the wealth of the average person has severely declined since the COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020, the same doesn’t hold true for some of the world’s richest charlatans. In fact, the world’s richest pastors have only been getting richer–and they do it at the expense of the vulnerable and poor.

A few weeks ago, we reported that Jesse Duplantis, a well-known prosperity gospel fraud with a private jet, told his congregation that the prosperity gospel only works when you give “out of obedience” to people like him, as opposed to giving out of compassion to the needy. Asinine, I know–but people fall for it every day.

Well, those numbers are out and the 2021 list of richest pastors as reported by #ghbase are as follows:

1. Kenneth Copeland – $300 million
2. David Oyedepo – $150 million
3. Joel Osteen – $100 million
4. Pat Robertson – $100 million
5. Benny Hinn – $60 million
6. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome – $50 million
7. Creflo Dollar – $27 million
8. Rick Warren – $25 million
9. Jesse Duplantis – $20 million
10. Bishop TD Jakes – $20 million

Other notables who didn’t make the top 10 list, but are still living lavishly off of the money they’ve fleeced from other people include Beth Moore, who is estimated to be worth around $10 million, Joyce Meyer, who is estimated to be worth around $8 million, Brian Houston, CEO of Hillsong, around $10 million, and Jack Graham, at around $10 million.

Of course, it goes without saying that all of these pastors are mega-pastors who preach some form or another of the prosperity gospel. All of them are false teachers and all of them lead people away from the truth.

While there are faithful pastors who are worth millions, including John MacArthur, who is estimated at around $14 million, we believe that God has chosen to bless him for His own good reasons and, of course, John MacArthur does not preach a false gospel.

For those that do preach a false gospel, however:

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. –Jude 1:10-11