House of Prayer in Hinesville, Georgia.
Photographer: David Walter Banks for Bloomberg BusinessweekThe Georgia Pastor Accused of Defrauding the VA of Nearly $24 Million
The founder of House of Prayer held himself out as a prophet. Former members of the church say he used fundamentalist teachings to manipulate them.
In Iraq, other soldiers often asked Darnell Emanuel to speak to God on their behalf. He hadn’t expected this. Emanuel was an Army combat engineer, not a chaplain. He was responsible for the clearing of mines, not the ascension of souls. It was 2003, and Emanuel was 23 years old. Easygoing and gregarious, he was popular with both officers and grunts. Until recently he’d been an atheist. But he’d experienced an awakening. Back on base, in the US, he was always inviting people to church; some Sundays he’d show up at service trailing a caravan of trucks. At war, his friends didn’t resent his reluctance to join them when they volunteered for combat duty. “I’m not a killer,” Emanuel says. “Everyone would come to me and say, ‘Pray for us before we go over the berm.’”