On Sept. 24, T.D. Jakes, pastor of Potter’s House church in Dallas, anointed his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, with oil to “empower” her to take the reins of the Woman, Thou Art Loosed ministry with its annual conferences (now called Woman Evolve). Jakes said, “As Samuel’s horn of oil anointed David, I so anoint you.” She was “slain in the Spirit” and lay on the stage while Jakes said to the crowd, “I want every woman in this room to lift up your hands and to receive the anointing of God.” Sarah co-pastors two branches of the Potter’s House (Los Angeles and Denver) with her husband Touré Roberts. She had an out-of-wedlock pregnancy at age 13, and her first marriage at age 19 ended in divorce (“T.D. Jakes’ Daughter,” Church Leaders, Sept. 26, 2022). Jakes is a Church of God in Christ motivational speaker and pastor of a megachurch in Dallas, Texas. His book Woman, Thou Art Loosed has sold millions of copies. He preaches a positive, self-esteem, “it’s all about you” message. Jakes preaches the prosperity gospel, falsely claiming that Jesus was rich and that God wants us to be rich, too. He lives in a $1.7 million mansion. He babbles in unintelligible mutterings he calls “tongues.” In a 2015 interview with the Huffington Post, Jakes described his views on homosexuality as “evolved and evolving” (“T.D. Jakes Comes Out for ‘Gay Rights’ and ‘LGBT Churches,” Christian News Network, Aug. 7, 2015).
(Friday Church News Notes, September 30, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)
