The leader of a megachurch in Pennsylvania got called out over his luxurious taste. Earlier this month, Dr. William H. Curtis, senior pastor, of the Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, parked his $230,000 Bentley Bentayga in his designated parking space, and it caught the attention of a parishioner who accused him of “sucking” the community “dry.”
According to Raw Story, Jarell Taylor uploaded a photo of Curtis’ black Bentley to Facebook last Monday (Feb. 5) with the caption, “If your pastor [is] driving a Bentley truck, he’s sucking your community dry with hope and tithes.”
The Christian Post reached out to Dr. Curtis for comment, but he didn’t respond. They did however get the opinion of Samuel Cruz, an associate religion professor in New York City, who didn’t take too kindly to Curtis’ high-priced SUV.
“I don’t know how owning a Bentley that’s worth $230,000 contributes in any way to the furtherance of the Kingdom and also how that could be justified,” said Cruz. “To own a car that expensive you have to be among the top 10 percent of income earners or even higher of these United States of America, and I can’t consider how preaching could lead someone to so much wealth.”
Per the church’s website, MABP ministers to more than 10,000 members, with Dr. Curtis serving as senior pastor since 1997.
The Baltimore native has a B.A. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Morgan State, a Master of Divinity Degree from Howard University School of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.