This Instagram Account Calls Out Preachers Who Rock Expensive Sneakers And Clothing
One of the hottest new Instagram accounts is also one of the most controversial.
PreachersNSneakers has already garnered over 65,000 followers who are intrigued by photos of preachers wearing "questionably-expensive" kicks and clothing. The two main questions are related to stewardship and the fact that these are people who all preach humility.
an account owned by a 29-year-old professed evangelical Christian and sneaker reseller using the pen name Tyler Jones — raises questions about stewardship (how the preachers are managing their parishioners’ tithes) and the optics of preaching humility, Mark 12:41-44, and Matthew 25:35-46 while wearing clothes that regularly cost more than an entire month of full-time federal minimum wage (~$1,200).
In addition to the photos of preachers in expensive sneakers and swagged out expensive gear, screenshots of the retail (and resale) value of the items are included with the post and some pastors are doing everything they can to remove themselves from the microscope of criticism.
One pastor defended himself, saying that he received the $800 pants and $2000 backpack for free.
He later deleted that comment and changed his Instagram name from @chadcveach to @chadveach.
The creator of the IG account explained that he wasn't trying to cause a rift.
I’m not trying to cause a division; me and him both believe inherently the same things. I just think that if you’re in church you should know how your pastor is spending the money. I do think that you’re held to a different standard if you are leading a church that people are contributing money to and investing some amount of their trust in you to lead them spiritually. That’s a pretty heavy calling. I think you at least need to be aware of the optics of the things that you’re wearing.
Some people agreed with Jones, saying the leaders should be more mindful of how their choices relate to the messages they preach. Others believe the money they receive (and subsequently spend) from their lucrative book deals and appearances shouldn't matter.
I will be honest and say that I was surprised to see so MANY of these evangelical leaders with so much "drip," but something tells me now that this page is active you may see them making better decisions when it comes to the gear they rock (and preach in) moving forward.
I'm curious to hear how you feel about this, so check out some of the best posts and drop me your thoughts on their "drip-to-tithe ratio" in the comments.