Pastor Keion Henderson criticized for saying congregants won’t be blessed by giving to poor
Megachurch Pastor Keion Henderson has drawn the criticism of Bible-believing pastors and Christians in recent days over a resurfaced clip from one of his 2023 sermons in which he is seen telling congregants that they won't get "wealth" or blessing from God by giving to the poor but only when they tithe to church.
In the controversial clip taken from a Nov. 5, 2023, sermon entitled "It's All About The Benjamins," the founder and CEO of The Lighthouse Church & Ministries in Houston, Texas, said he finds it problematic that every time someone is in need, the church likes to donate money to them.
"Let me tell you something: the poor will be with you always, and there is no blessing connected to blessing the poor other than getting back what you gave to them, but no multiplication," Henderson said.
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"Multiplication is segregated for tithes and offering. When you give to the poor, the only thing you do is help them, but you don't help yourself," he insisted.
"So when you give a dollar to somebody on the street talking about 'I did my job, God.' Like thank you, but it ain't going to help you," Henderson said. "Read your Bible. Charity does not bring wealth, only the tithe does that."
When contacted by The Christian Post for comment on his message Wednesday, Brian Smith, a spokesperson for The Light House Church & Ministries, said in a statement that Henderson's message was taken out of context.
"Unfortunately, the few seconds shown are completely without the context of the entire message, which is that one should not wholly substitute tithing with giving to individuals. It is absolutely not true that the sermon was meant to discourage individual, reasonable service," Smith said.
"Rather, in addition to this reasonable service, one should also give to God because it is He who can provide the multiplication, thereby allowing one to use His blessings to aid their brothers and sisters."
The Lighthouse Church & Ministries spokesperson listed the church's own history of charitable giving.
"The Church's benevolence program has provided more than $451,000 this year in charitable giving, including to neighbors in need, local students, and scholarships to graduating high school seniors. In August, our Lightfest back-to-school event gave free school supplies to 700 local kids. We have 30 different ministries that bring hope, strength, and love to anyone seeking God's Grace and Salvation," Smith said while arguing that Malachi 3:10 requires Christians to tithe.
Still, public reactions to Henderson's message in the clip have not been supportive. Some critics believe the pastor was trying to manipulate his followers to extract as much money from them as possible.
"What Keion Henderson is preaching is not of God. This is blasphemy," wrote Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. on X. "Preaching well and being true to God are not one and the same. This man wants your money. He is not trying to save souls."
Pastor John Wesley of Truth Unveiling Ministries dismissed Henderson's message as inconsistent with biblical teachings.
"He was better off saying just give me your money than coming up with something that does not coincide with the text," Wesley said while pointing to Acts 20:35.
The Scripture states: "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Wesley suggested Henderson was hypocritical in his teachings since he recently claimed that God told him his followers would give him $4.4 million in three weeks. Henderson claimed that after Hurricane Beryl caused $20 million in damage to three of his church's four campuses this summer, God told him He damaged the churches so he could rebuild facilities twice as big.
"God gave me a vision, and He said we can do it in 21 days. I'm asking 2,100 people to give $2,100 in the next 21 days, and what we're calling it is 'Out of the Harbor,'" Henderson said. "I call you from California. I call you from New York. I call you from Florida. I call you from the U.K. I call you from Africa to join us in our call to action: 2,100 people, $2,100, 21 days, to kickstart our efforts to get back into our building."
When asked if God delivered the $4.4 million in three weeks, Smith only noted that the church "received a generous outpouring."
"After the launch of the Out of the Harbor campaign, we received a generous outpouring from our members, as well as friends around the world. We are grateful for their love and support in our seasons of resilience, revival, and rejoicing," Smith said.
Wesley suggested it would be unconscionable for Henderson to endorse a message like this now, particularly given that so many people are suffering from storm damage around the country.
"The truth of the matter is, it's all about the money. There's people right now who are suffering due to the storms. Why would you tell people that there's no blessing in giving to the poor? Who do you think the Gospel was preached to throughout the text? Our Lord, He helped the poor people," Wesley argued.
"When He blessed them, He [didn't] look for anything in return. The Lord said, 'When I was hungry, you didn't feed Me.' He was speaking to the goats, the people who pretended like they had love, but they didn't show any compassion towards the poor."
Wesley quoted Proverbs 19:17 to criticize Henderson's message, which states: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."
Pastor Sydney Hart of Beulah Missionary Baptist Church of Dunnellon in Florida agreed with Wesley's position.
"What he (Henderson) said doesn't line up with the Word of God. The idea that giving to the poor does not result in a blessing for the giver but only benefits the recipient is not consistent with biblical teaching," Hart wrote on Facebook.
"The Bible speaks of God's blessings and favor being poured out on those who show compassion and generosity, including giving to the poor," he said, citing Proverbs 19:17.
"This text is quite clear: giving to the poor is viewed as lending to God Himself, and God promises to reward the giver. The reward may not always be material, but there is definitely a promise of blessing. People this is why we have to read our Bible for ourselves," he said.
Hart cited Proverbs 28:27, which warns that not giving to the poor will attract curses.
"Those who give to the poor will lack nothing," the Scripture says. "But those who close their eyes to them receive many curses."
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