Upstairs at Victory Chapel Church — a cinderblock bunker converted from a long-ago Ford dealership — the pews are reserved for praising heaven. But downstairs, in a basement rental hall, a pair of women preached of worldly wonders.
At 11 a.m. on alternating Saturdays, they set out rows of folding chairs and spread tables with urns of coffee and boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts. And they offered testimony to the bounty of real estate, encouraging their growing flock to buy the wood-frame walk-ups and rowhouses surrounding this workaday stretch of Columbia Road, just down from the OJ Car Wash.
The key was trust, they told the faithful, as the voices of the practicing choir rang through the building.
The problem, prosecutors say, is that the women put Hayes and others into homes they couldn’t possible afford. They did so by filling their loan applications with details of jobs, paychecks and bank accounts that were all so much fiction.
Much has been made of the very questionable lending that accompanied the rapid growth of subprime mortgages, a phenomenon that made homeowners of so many people. But less attention has been paid to the gimmickry and manipulation that delivered the loans an industry craved.
Some say this was nothing short of fraud. Those accused reject the charges.
Can’t make that mortgage payment? Well, if you’d just believe in Tinker Bell really hard. . . er, have more faith in God, everything will turn out just fine.
More fruit from the poisoned tree of the Protestant revolt…
that article had nothing at all to do with religion, but you put a headline on it that makes it look like the church was selling houses and screwing people.
SHAME ON YOU
one line in the story mentions using a room in the church to hold meetings to get people into sub prime loans and I didnt see how in any way the church was involved other than letting a room
A good article about the crooks in the lending industry but you slanted the headline to make it look like religious leaders were the crooks
your a sad sad person if this is all you have to do
A church is supposedly a place of trust. Read the article…
But the bottom line is beyond dispute. Valerie Hayes can tell you about that. Just don’t go looking for her at the home she bought, thanks to the women at Victory Chapel Church.
I did read the article and the room was rented from the church, they didnt know that the people renting it were scam artists.
the article is good and informative but the title here is defamatory and incorrect
I find the continuing Anti-religious Crusade on this blog amusing. Don’t let any logic stand in the way. Burn the priests! They are the source of evil in our community!
The article quite clearly stated that the women operated in a “basement rental hall” and that the church was not otherwise involved other than letting them rent it, and what they did was not illegal. Your headline makes about as much sense as claiming that Myspace supports child molesters because some of them created web pages on it. Oh, but don’t let reason stand in the way of the Anti-Crusade…
Interesting, Paul, that you didn’t see fit to mention your involvement with that church. Is there a reason?
What Paul are you referring to ?
So if this meeting was held in the basement of a Masonic lodge would this blog still be railing against it?
Seriously, this Christophobia has gone far enough.
Don’t forget to click on your horoscope down and to the left.
Referring to the only person here who appears to be named Paul…that would be you, fella.
I don’t get your accusation, it makes no sense. I live in Texas this occurred in Boston. How could I have any affiliation to it ?
your going to have to think a little harder if your looking to insult me that one made no sense, but then when do liberals ever make sense.
your sad very sad
It is a revealing bias against Christianity. Note that it doesn’t say that women are liars or people who rent basement rooms.
Right, so you wouldn’t be the Paul Mitchell who is listed as a contact person for the Victory Chapel Church website. We couldn’t have a dissembling Christian around, that would have to be a huge coincidence, right?
No I am not
I didn’t even notice that (sharp eye though) I am Paul Mitchell ,Houston ,TX
and I am running for congress (Tom Delays’ seat )
I sell steel strap and am fed up with the corruption in Washington, I do not belong to a church, but I attend Quail Valley church in Missouri city ,TX . I can promise you something like that would never happen at our church they don’t rent any part of it to any one who isn’t a member, not even for weddings (if they were a member the church should know a little about the background of the person “should”)
good eye though I had no idea what you were talking about
Excellent article.
Turns out the history of the “christian” church has been to scam the flock since the second century. If it wasn’t the catholics locking up the bible and persecuting people for centuries, it was the protestant revolt that only fixed the most disgusting of falsehoods by the catholics.
Turns out Luthers big issue was the selling of indulgences promising freedom from punishment on earth and in purgatory. His problem was the excessive fees the priesthood in rome was charging. Unfortunately, it was not a biblical practice. When did Jesus ever charge for helping the sinners he reached out to.
Also, he had a big problem with disgusting lifestyle of the clergy of the period.
And it hasn’t changed down to today. If it’s not pedaphile priests, it Jimmy Swagart in Hotel rooms with prostitutes.
It’s not the flock’s problem. Turns out it is the clergy taking advantage of the flock. Gee didn’t that happen in the first century with Jesus calling the jewish rabbi’s hypocrites? Also, didn’t Jesus feel for the flocks and felt like they were sheep without a shepherd.
My work here is one.
The fact is that 80% of the people who got sub-prime loans are making their payments and enjoying the benefit of home ownership.