Paula White, the high-profile televangelist and faith advisor to President Donald Trump, stands at the intersection of prosperity gospel preaching and political influence, but revelations about her ministry’s inner workings paint a picture of corruption and self-serving control.

Based on Nathan Apffel’s appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show episode #233, White’s organization presents itself not as a genuine church but as a meticulously controlled business empire that contradicts the very teachings of Christ which she professes to follow.

An insider shedding light on church corruption, Apffel, through his company The Religion Business, revealed that White’s bylaws—marked confidential on every page—secure her invincible authority.

As Apffel explained: “Paula White is a corporation. It is a business and businesses have bylaws.”

Apffel noted, “Her bylaws are labeled confidential on every single page. The bylaws stipulate she can never be fired. They state she can never be removed until she passes away. Once she dies or steps down, the business is transferred to her son.”

This framework turns her ministry into a monarchy pretending to be a church, where White represents herself as the crucial link to Jesus—directly opposing Christ’s emphasis on direct access to God without human intermediaries.

Her influence reaches the White House, where she counsels Trump on religious matters, even though, as Apffel points out, the system she operates contradicts Christian values.

White’s methods, such as demanding large donations in return for promised blessings, underscore a lack of accountability and transparency, reflecting broader issues like explaining abuses as “moral failures” instead of crimes.

@ShawnRyanShow: Nathan Apffel Rips Veil Off Trump’s ‘PROTESTANT POPE’ Paula White—Her Secret Church Bylaws Cement LIFETIME CONTROL and Zero Accountability. pic.twitter.com/UnDUTL3BKR

— National File (@NationalFile) September 8, 2025

Nathan Apffel’s Analysis from Shawn Ryan Show

Nathan Apffel’s discussion on the Shawn Ryan Show pulls back the curtain on Paula White’s ministry, portraying it as a corporate facade designed for perpetual control and financial exploitation.

Building on the bylaws he obtained, Apffel breaks down how White has structured her organization to resemble a monarchy rather than a church. He emphasizes:

“In her bylaws, it says she can never be fired. In her bylaws, it says she can never be removed until death. When she dies or resigns, the business gets passed off to her son. There is no vote on who takes it over.”

This ensures dynastic succession without democratic input from members or leaders.

Apffel further dissects the board’s illusory role:

“They have a board of directors. The board of directors can make decisions. She can fire any board of director at any time. If she doesn’t like to vote on the board of directors, she can veto it. She has full carte blanche reign of that organization.”

He calls this “smoke and mirrors,” arguing it allows White to claim corporate legitimacy while wielding absolute power. The most damning aspect, per Apffel, is the spiritual manipulation:

“And then the kicker is in those bylaws, it says you will find Jesus through your pastor, President Paula White. So it says, Shawn, if you go to Paula White’s church, you can’t get to Jesus. You have to come through me. So again, she’s positioned herself as the middleman.”

This middleman role ties directly to her prosperity gospel tactics, where Apffel notes she’s “out there schlepping thousand dollars, you know, on TV and saying, you’re going to get a blessing.”

Such appeals contradict the biblical principle of direct access to God, turning faith into a transactional scheme where donations unlock divine favor.

Apffel broadens the critique to systemic issues in institutional churches:

“And that’s the problem is people today in the lay Christian are looking at the pulpit and even Paula White might have some decent message, but then you look at the organization and it’s antithetical. It’s running in contradiction to the very message from the pulpit.”

Apffel sees this as a “trillion dollar collision running straight into Jesus,” where the religion business prioritizes intentions over actions, excusing exploitation.

As Trump’s faith advisor, White’s antithetical system raises alarms: “This is the woman who’s giving our sitting president advice on Christ. Her entire system is antithetical to the very Christ that she says she worships.”

Apffel’s independent analysis underscores corruption at elite levels, urging separation of true Christianity from profit-driven enterprises that mock Christ’s teachings on humility and direct communion with God.

Paula White’s Scandals and Controversies

Paula White’s career is marred by scandals that exemplify the pitfalls of prosperity gospel preaching, where faith is commodified for personal enrichment.

One prominent example is her Easter “resurrection seed” appeal in 2016, where she urged followers to donate $1,144 based on John 11:44, promising “resurrection life” and miracles. In a video, White declared:

“I don’t know what is dead… but I do know that God has sent me to you to bring resurrection life. To tell you that I believe that as we put our faith together before Easter Sunday on March 27, there’s gonna be resurrection life in your life.”

She added, “The grave clothes are coming off,” and specified, “When you sow that $1,144 based on John 11:44 I believe for resurrection life.”

For lower donations like $144 or $44, she encouraged standing on the verse, while promising anointed prayer cloths for all givers:

“There have been times that I have taken prayer cloths that have been anointed as a point of contact… I would stand in faith that that miracle was gonna come forth and I would watch God do it. God has never failed.”

This reflects prosperity gospel’s emphasis on financial “seeds” yielding blessings, though White clarified donors shouldn’t expect God as a “sugar daddy.”

Another controversy involves allegations of an inappropriate relationship with fellow televangelist Benny Hinn.

In 2011, Strang Communications sued Hinn for violating a morality clause in his book contract, citing an “inappropriate relationship” with White.

The lawsuit followed National Enquirer photos showing Hinn and White holding hands leaving a Rome hotel in 2010, amid Hinn’s divorce filing by his wife Suzanne. Strang sought to recover a $300,000 advance after Hinn admitted the relationship and agreed to repay but didn’t.

Both denied anything beyond friendship, with no lawsuit outcome detailed. This incident raised questions about personal conduct in ministry leadership.

White also claimed a supernatural visit to Heaven’s throne room, describing an out-of-body experience where “a weight suddenly fell upon her that pushed her to the floor, at which point her spirit ascended to Heaven.”

She recounted: “There was a mist that was coming off the water, and I went to the throne of God, and I didn’t see God’s face clearly, but I saw the face of God … I knew it was the face of God.”

God allegedly placed a “mantle” on her—”the color was like a goldish, a yellowish goldish”—and showed her the Earth, placing her in “certain places, one being the White House, one being certain continents.”

She emerged the next morning. This claim, made during a sermon, aligns with her prosperity gospel narrative of divine favor and authority, but critics see it as extravagant and unbiblical.

These episodes tie into broader prosperity gospel critiques, where White exploits followers by linking donations to miracles, positioning herself as a conduit for blessings while amassing wealth.

Such practices deviate from Christ’s warnings against materialism, turning faith into a profit scheme that preys on the vulnerable.

Criticisms from Justin Peters and Local Pastors

Justin Peters, in his Blaze article, argues vehemently against Paula White’s role as head of the White House Faith Office, labeling her a proponent of Word of Faith theology that deviates from biblical Christianity.

He criticizes her prosperity gospel, or health and wealth gospel, as a “significant departure from historical Christianity,” including beliefs that Christians are “little gods” and “as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.”

Peters highlights White’s agreement with preacher Larry Huch that “Jesus is not the only begotten Son of God,” and her teaching that faith and financial “seeds” entitle believers to health and wealth.

Examples include sowing $91 based on Psalm 91 for protection or $1,144 “resurrection seed” for miracles, urging sacrifices before paying bills.

He calls this exploitative, especially of the poor and sick, blaming unhealed individuals for insufficient faith or giving—a pattern among Word of Faith preachers.

Peters also condemns her false prophecies, like predicting Trump’s second term and calling for angels from Africa, which failed and ridiculed Christianity.

He notes her 2021 endorsement of “Mother Moon” at the Unification Church, a cult denying Jesus’ deity, and expresses concern over endorsements from pastors like Jack Graham and Robert Jeffress, arguing true revival can’t come through false teachers.

White, he says, meets “every biblical criterion of a false prophet and teacher,” mixing truth with heresy.

Upon reading my recent article on Paula White at @theblaze , my friend Casey Butner, pastor of Beulah Baptist in Winter Garden, FL, shares some of his observations and dealings with her. Very interesting.

Link to article in case you missed it: https://t.co/BtXwYbdEJb pic.twitter.com/T8dcP83GVV

— Justin Peters (@JustinPetersMin) February 26, 2025

Local pastor Casey Butner echoes these sentiments in a video posted by Justin Peters on X, sharing observations near White’s church in Apopka, Florida.

These criticisms underscore how White’s heresies—prosperity promises, false prophecies, and absentee leadership—deviate from biblical mandates for accountable, present shepherds.

Relationship with President Trump

Paula White’s bond with Donald Trump dates back nearly two decades, evolving into a spiritual advisory role she describes as a “direct assignment from God.”

In a 2019 Guardian interview, White stated God directed her to “show him who I am,” noting:

“I encounter thousands of people, millions of people, over the course of ministry, but there’s been a handful of people that I knew was, like, this was direct assignment,” specifically regarding Trump.

She has influenced policies, advising on the US embassy move to Jerusalem, affirming it as the “right decision,” and linking Trump to evangelicals on issues like abortion and religious liberty.

Their relationship began in 2002 when Trump called White after watching her show, praising her appeal as “the anointing,” as detailed by the YouTube channel Not The Good Girl.

White’s prosperity gospel, which links financial “seeds” to blessings, aligns with Trump’s belief in positive thinking for success.

In 2005, she bought a $1.5 million Trump Tower condo; in 2006, she gifted him a Billy Graham-signed Bible.

On her show, promoting his book, White said: “That’s the principle I teach, that find your passion in life and figure out a way to make money,” to which Trump replied: “You have to find something that you really love.”

This shared transactional view of faith raises concerns about her influence, especially given Trump’s pattern of selecting controversial advisors like Robert Morris, accused of child sexual abuse in the 1980s.

Investigations into Paula White’s Ministry

Investigations into Paula White’s ministry reveal patterns of financial opacity and potential misuse of tax-exempt funds, underscoring a lack of transparency in her operations.

A 2017 CNN report that White’s former church, Without Walls International, received $150 million between 2004 and 2006.

A three-year probe by Senator Chuck Grassley highlighted the use of tax-exempt funds for over $1 million in family salaries and a private jet purchase.

Despite these findings, no penalties were imposed, partly due to lifelong confidentiality agreements signed by employees, which stifled further scrutiny.

The Senate Finance Committee report provides detailed insights into these practices.

Without Walls International Church (WWIC) and Paula White Ministries (PWM) reported revenues escalating from $21.6 million in 2004 to $39.9 million in 2006, derived from tithes, offerings, and sales.

Expenses included substantial housing allowances—$713,779 in 2005 and $883,120 in 2006—and related party transactions, such as $541,000 in 2005 and $330,000 in 2006 for inventory from companies owned by Paula and Randy White.

Family members received payments up to $1,075,000 in 2007.

The Whites owned luxurious properties, including a $2.68 million Tampa home and a $3.5 million Trump Tower condo, funded partly by ministry allowances.

Personal use of assets was rampant: Ministry credit cards covered gas, meals, and clothing, with Randy White often failing to reimburse.

They chartered jets for non-ministry trips, like a Las Vegas boxing match costing $17,000-$18,000 in tickets.

Gifts included a Bentley convertible to Bishop T.D. Jakes and plastic surgery for a pastor. An insider noted Randy and Paula each received over $1 million in compensation, with a 2004-2005 package totaling about $5 million.

Board oversight was minimal: Chaired by Randy with Paula as Vice-President, decisions were effectively made by the Whites and CFO Norva Carrington, bypassing true governance.

Confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure pacts limited transparency, as seen in former accountant Camillo Gargano’s resignation over mismanagement, including paying personal bills from ministry funds.

WWIC defaulted on a $1 million loan in 2008, and attempts like purchasing a motel through KABB Enterprises failed, leading to its dissolution.

These findings emphasize potential abuse of tax-exempt status, where ministry resources funded lavish lifestyles without accountability, raising ethical concerns about blending faith with profit.

Conclusion

Paula White’s scandals—from soliciting $1,144 “resurrection seeds” for miracles to alleged affairs and heavenly visions—coupled with investigations revealing $150 million inflows, million-dollar family salaries, and private jets from tax-exempt funds, expose a ministry antithetical to Christ’s teachings.

Her bylaws cement lifelong control, positioning her as a middleman to Jesus, while prosperity gospel exploits the vulnerable with promises tied to donations.

Criticisms from Justin Peters and Casey Butner highlight heresies, false prophecies, and church neglect, deviating from biblical humility and direct access to God.

This corruption turns the church into a business profiting off faith, extending influence into political spheres like the White House. As Nathan Apffel warns, it’s a “trillion dollar collision” with true Christianity.