Christian pastor lashes out at ‘false reverend’ John Oliver for mocking predatory televangelists

Comedian and host of HBO's Last Week Tonight John Oliver slammed televangelists on Sunday for their greed and extortion as they enjoy mass wealth as a result. To mock the government's absence of regulation, Oliver started his own church, called "Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption," naming himself "megapastor" and CEO.

Looks like Oliver struck a nerve. On Wednesday, Christian minister Jennifer LeClaire said Oliver shouldn't "mock what you don't understand," calling him a "false reverend."

LeClaire, who operates the Awakening House of Prayer, admitted there are abusive churches. But she does believe in the concept of "seed faith" -- the idea that giving money to a church will result in returns for the giver.

"[W]e have to be careful not to paint everyone who believes for an airplane or sows a seed to get out of debt as a heretic," she writes.

Oliver's segment hilariously skewered preachers whose fantastic displays of wealth come at a large cost to parishioners who they compel to donate what little money they have. They tend to believe in the conveniently self-serving idea of prosperity as a sign of God's favor.

"I do believe in supernatural debt cancellation," LeClaire writes. "And I don't believe we should mock so-called prosperity preachers, even if we don't believe they hear from God. Nor do I believe we should insinuate that God is cursing at them, as Oliver did."

These preachers, like Robert Tilton, Mike Murdock, Todd Coontz, Henry Fernandez and Creflo Dollar, live in multi-million dollar houses, take lavish vacations and own private jets while they instruct followers to go beyond their financial means to give them donations.

In a seven-month correspondence with Robert Tilton, Oliver was able to reveal that the church was basically a predatory financial scam.

Watch John Oliver's segment on televangelism here: