A Florida pastor and his son have been arrested for “fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World,” NBC News reported on Wednesday December 14, 2022 (read story here).
Hey, I thought Moses commanded, “Thou shalt not steal”?
The homepage of Josh Edwards’ website, Aslan International Ministry, quotes several Bible verses (here) as follows:
“1 Timothy 4:8 ESV
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
“2 Peter 3:11 ESV
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
“2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“2 Timothy 3:12 ESV
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
“1 Timothy 6:6 ESV
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.”
Apparently this pastor found contentment in great gain from the government, never mind godliness.
Edwards and his son got caught up in a government dragnet for Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) cheaters. They claimed Aslan International Ministry “had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million,” NBC News says, but federal investigators discovered the ministry isn’t a going concern. The office door was padlocked, neighbors hadn’t seen anyone there, the website’s donation links were inactive, and the organization’s accountant hadn’t worked since 2017 and has dementia.
The churchy stuff wasn’t entirely a pose. The Edwards family, who were from Canada, had done missionary work in Turkey prior to taking up Florida residence in 2019. They were nabbed while on the run in 2020 on an “unrelated immigration charge” (wait, what, they’re illegals?), but were released at that time. This time, if they’re allowed to post bail, somebody should check to see whose money they’re using for that.
Related story: The term “pastor” has become almost synonymous with rightwing extremism. Pastors have defied Covid-19 mandates, and meddled in politics. In Mississippi, a pro-Trump pastor wants to take the selection of U.S. senators away from voters — so Republicans can win elections they’re now losing with candidates like Herschel Walker and Bruce Masters. Read that story here.