They received their money ‘in time’ in order to keep them ‘from dying’.

Just like Oral Roberts received his $8 million by the deadline of March, 1987, the Big Three received their billions in bailout money by the ‘deadline’ of shutting down the doors.

However, the Big Three can certainly learn from the Oral Robert’s story. It seemed that after that March, 1987 deadline, Oral Roberts was never a real significant figure in American religion again. The cache and panache that many ole time pentecostals gave him suddenly waned away and we never really saw any major significant contribution from him again. Oral seemed to have faded away from the pentecostal scene only to make special appearances on TBN’s Praise The Lord show and an occasional Benny Hinn show.

In fact, the next time we really heard ole Oral’s name with any significant newsworthy event was when his son Richard (and wife Lindsay) was accused of improperly using university funds for mega payraises, vacations, home improvements, and performance bonuses.

The Big Three can learn from this and learn to manage a corporation like a small business does. Watch the money, get rid of the corporate jets (the televangelists can get rid of theirs also), start using common parts more frequently within all their models, create a leaner and more streamlined infrastructure, develop great products, exciting design, and world-class quality, design energy-saving and high fuel-economy vehicles and technologies, and be more responsive to the needs of their end users.

Maybe the televangelists can learn from the Big Three and start to get rid of the corporate jets and other perks such as their Bentleys and their mega-mansions, create a leaner and more streamlined infrastructure, develop great Bible-based doctrine and not based on esoteric experiences or some consultant’s sales pitches or scripture twisting, and be more responsive to the needs of the people and quit blaming tragedy on secret sin and lacking faith.

All we can do is hope….

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The Big Three And Oral Roberts

Instead of the arrogance, corporate jets, and stretch limos, they came from Detroit to Washington DC in their electric cars (the televangelists still fly in their jets) and used the ‘impoverished third world relief’ tactics of playing on our consciences.

However, there was one major difference between the Big Three CEO’s and televangelists…

The Big Three CEO told us that if we didn’t give them any money, they were going to die.

The faith televangelist tells us that if we don’t give them any money, we are going to die.

As I watched various news clips of those Senate hearings, the first thing that came into my mind hearing the pleas of the CEO’s was Oral Robert’s famous fund raising tactic of 1987 where Roberts announced that if he did not raise $8 million by March, 1987; God was going to “call him home” (a.k.a “die”).

That was literally what the Big Three CEO’s said except the millions of dollars are actually billions of dollars.

I really believe that as Oral Roberts received his $8 million, the Big Three CEO’s will receive their billions. However, what will we get out of this? Oral Roberts was never the same person again and fell out of relevance. Will the Big Three deliver with a high quality, cost-effective, high horsepower, fuel efficient car priced in line with their competitors or will the big money executives of the Big Three do like Oral’s son and daughter-in-law (Richard and Lindsay) are accused of doing…. improperly use taxpayer funds for payraises and performance bonuses while laying off workers (in Richard’s case, university funds)?

What’s next… a Big Three telethon on television? Maybe noted Christian telethon fundraisers Steve Munsey, Juanita Bynum, and Mike Murdock could help the auto industry out and raise money for them.

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We Need Your Money…

the chicken or the egg?

However, after watching clips of Alan Mulally of Ford, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler LLC, and Rick Wagoner of General Motors jet-setting to Capitol Hill and treat our Senators with arrogance and disdain, I offer new choices to the question. Instead of the chicken or the egg, I would like to suggest…

Who came first…the Corporate CEO or the CEO televangelist?

After seeing the clips and most of the re-runs on C-Span, the first thing that came to my mind as these three CEO’s strutted their arrogance and refuse to disclose both their annual salaries and how much money they really needed was that they are now starting to act like another group of CEO’s

televangelists

The attitudes of the Big Three CEO’s mirrored the attitudes of the now named ‘Grassley Six’ when six prominent televangelists were asked by Senator Chuck Grassley specific questions about their incomes and how they spent donations specifically earmarked for ministry endeavors. In fact, the Big Three CEO and the Televangelist have more in common than you think.

They flew in on jets.

They had corporate limos waiting for them upon their arrival

They feel they are above reproach when asked about their annual salary

They feel they are above reproach when asked why they need “X” amount of money.

They treat those who question their salary, question their need for money, and question their management style and the potential to cut away the ‘fat’ as ‘public enemy number one (called ’secular humanistic devil’ in the televangelist world)’

Big Three CEO’s blame the union for not working hard enough and getting big salaries. Televangelists blame their viewers for not praying/repenting hard/long enough and holding back money from them. Big Three CEO’s go after their ‘little men’ to lay them off in order to keep their perks. Televangelists and big time parachurch ministries lay off employees to maintain their big buildings.

Did the televangelists learn from Corporate CEO’s on how to deal with Senators and create corporate churches?

or

Did the Big Three take a page from the televangelist handbook on how to deal with Senators and eventually form Church corporations?

Too chicken to reveal the truth or too scrambled to receive egg on their faces….

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Which Came First…