Following in the footsteps of late-night hosts who have run for president and held major political rallies, John Oliver created his own mega-church on HBO's "Last Week Tonight."
Oliver went after the televangelists on Sunday night, exposing the TV pastors who regularly take advantage of their believers by exploiting their faith for monetary gain. Send money and be cured of disease or have credit card debt eliminated.
The "Last Week Tonight" host prefaced the segment by pointing out that many of the nearly 350,000 congregations in the United States do great work for their communities and his segment would only attack the televangelists such as Robert Tilton, Creflo Dollar, Mike Murdock, Kenneth Copeland and others.
Oliver highlighted these pastors' well-known purchases of private jets with funds donated by their congregations and their use of the prosperity gospel or seed faith. People donate their hard-earned money in hopes of a greater return because of their faith in God or something more tangible like curing a personal disease or eliminating debt.
Oliver also revealed his own correspondence with Tilton's church. He sent Tilton a total of $319 and exchanged 26 letters. His experience brought him to the conclusion to start his own church to "test the legal and financial limits" of religious organizations, and he named it "Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption."
The show hired a tax attorney to help Oliver establish the church and the show already met some of the standards the IRS sets to define a church. For example, taping the show each week in the studio counts as an established place of worship.
The self-titled mega-reverend and CEO of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption then invited out his "wife," Wanda Jo Oliver (played by Rachel Dratch). He directed the audience to the church's website as well as a mailing address and phone number for donations.
The toll free number directs you to a pre-recording of Oliver asking for money and then asking you to find more people to donate (while he waits for you on the phone). Any money actually donated to the faux church will go to Doctors Without Borders which is a non-profit organization that provides emergency medical aid in places where it is needed most.
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" airs on Sundays at 11 p.m. EDT on HBO.
