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Televangelist defends charging $1,500 for prayer course

by Kelly Valencia
Juanita Bynum.PNG - Banner image
Facebook Dr. Juanita Bynum

A US televangelist and gospel singer has defended charging $1,500 (£1,326) to those wanting to enrol in her four-week intensive prayer course.

Earlier this month, Juanita Bynum came under fire as she announced the price of her new course on prayer as part of her ministry. 

A Chicago-based internet preacher and U.S. Army veteran, Pastor Marcus Rogers said the price was "outrageous". 

"As you guys know, I never charge to travel and preach and I never charge for classes. I feel like God freely gave it, so I freely give it to help His people. I know there were a few pastors who don't like that I do that because I teach everything they charge for free. So I want to hear y'all hearts on this. I just think this is outrageous," Pastor Rogers wrote. 

Pastor Marcus' post attracted more than 3,700 comments both for and against his position. 

But now, Bynum has spoken out against the backlash she has received saying that to "discuss the price" was "an insult to who I am after being in ministry for over 50 years". 

"[I've] been a pioneer in the things of prayer and helping people to understand prayer and letting them watch me do it, so that they can know that there are different dimensions and different levels to prayer," Bynum said on a Facebook Live. 

She continued: "And how do I know that there are different levels and different dimensions? Well, it's simple. It's called results. When you get the results, you know the person absolutely knows what they are doing. And that's what I want to do." 

The course, which is due to start on 6th October and is open to 150 people, has been compared to a prayer meeting but Bynum said she is not "charging to pray". 

"This is not some cheap-based class where we're going to be in there swinging from chandeliers and giving you two tots about some Scripture in the Bible and we're going to call that a school of prayer. No, we're going to school and we're going to learn as much as I can deposit in you in 14 hours. I'm going to do my very best."

"All of these years that you have seen me on social media praying and laying on the floor and doing the completionist course for 30 days straight and doing 5 a.m. prayer, I don't think anybody can remember me charging you to pray for you. That's ridiculous."

"It's absolutely ridiculous, especially in the last several years that I have travelled in ministry giving away more money than I want to think about right now. Preaching at conferences and not taking a dime, which I recently did and have done and have stacks of letters to prove that."

Bynum's TV programme airs four times daily on the Daystar network based in Dallas,Texas and has 1.3 million followers on Facebook and 248,000 Instagram followers.

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