David Taylor, international preacher and tele-evangelist, was recently arrested in Houston, Texas, and indicted on federal charges, along with his ministry director, Michelle Brannon.
Taylor, who calls himself the “best friend of God” and a prophet, is now facing charges for a $50 million labor trafficking scheme — but the spiritual danger behind his ministry runs even deeper.
On the DOJ website, it expounds on many of the charges that include, “Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office.
Taylor even has “armor bearers” who act as his personal aides, providing around-the-clock care and even fulfilling his sexual desires. On the IRS site, it states, “Taylor demanded that his Armor Bearers transport women from ministry houses, airports, and other locations to Taylor’s location and ensured the women transported to Taylor took Plan B emergency contraceptives.”
Although it is difficult to discuss, we cannot overlook these heinous crimes. We must face them and call out false teachers like David Taylor — not only because of the deep trauma inflicted on many victims, but also because of the serious harm bad actors can have on the witness of the church.
We are commanded over and over again in the Bible to be aware of false teachers who seek to deceive and harm us. Jesus taught in Mark 13:5, “Watch out that you are not led astray or deceived.”
So, what can you learn from David Taylor?
Sound theology? No, he is a false prophet.
But you can learn to identify three specific signs of deception in his ministry so you won’t be fooled or taken advantage of by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Sign #1 — Labor and financial abuse
Taylor has had a long history of associating spiritual blessings with wealth and exploiting others for his own financial gain. Court documents show that, “Taylor reportedly claimed regularly that if someone fails to obey his orders and commands, they are defying God and will suffer in Hell.”
Many of his former congregants now refer to the Kingdom of God Global Church or Kingdom Family Church as a “slave labor cult.” The apostle Peter directly confronted the greed and abuse of false teachers, writing, “in their greed they will exploit you with false words” (2 Peter 2:3). Sadly, many people were tricked into thinking that by giving their life savings or dedicating their service to Taylor, they were doing God’s work.
To avoid falling into this trap, pay close attention to whether your spiritual leaders are living luxurious lifestyles at the expense of others. Do they care more about meeting their needs or yours? Are they selfish for wanting more, or are they doing as much as they can to serve your needs?
Sign #2 — The prosperity Gospel
Many tele-evangelists flaunting their riches and masquerading as righteous disciples of Christ existed before David Taylor. The prominent ones from the past are Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Benny Hinn. All of them, including Taylor, promote a prosperity gospel that claims God’s blessings are material wealth, health, and success in life.
But what sets Taylor apart is how the Kingdom of God Global Church was able to launch fully networked call centers and forced labor of thousands of individuals to fund his lavish lifestyle.
My friend, you and I know that prosperity preaching is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul warned in Galatians 1:8, “If anyone is preaching to you a Gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed.” David Taylor is preaching a different gospel. The true Gospel isn’t about boosting our bank accounts — it’s about forgiveness of sins and knowing that you have eternal life through Jesus Christ alone!
Sign #3 — A distorted view of Jesus
What concerns me most is how Taylor talks about Christ. He doesn’t point people to the all-sufficient Savior but instead elevates himself and his ministry, suggesting that blessings only come through him. Why? Because he is a “prophet like Moses” and he has been worthy enough to see Jesus face-to-face over a thousand times! That’s ridiculous. But, again, what’s so tragic is the millions of people around the world who believed what he was saying was true.
According to Colossians 2:10, those who believe in the Gospel, “have been filled in him [Jesus].” We don’t need a false teacher like Taylor to be our spiritual “filler” in order to be able to communicate with Jesus. That’s not the Jesus we serve. He is our High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14-16).
Claiming that kind of divine glory, as if Taylor acts as our mediator, is not only bad theology, it’s blasphemous!
It really hurts and bothers me to see people fall for the deception and abuse of false teachers like David Taylor. I hope that after reading this article, you are wise enough to distinguish truth from error, and bold enough to follow Jesus even when the world is full of counterfeits. Because false teachers will always come and go, but as Isaiah 40:8 tells us, “but the Word of our God stands forever.”
