A Four Million Dollar Parsonage

I admit to being troubled by reports out of Northville, a suburb of Detroit, where a church has purchased a $4,000,000 home for their pastor. The linked article is mainly focussed on the anger of the local taxpayers that this house is no longer taxable (it used to bring in $40K a year), but I am more concerned at the corruption of a church that feels this is a good use of their money. I know there are many views as to what kind of parsonage a pastor is due - many feel that it should be the same as that of their median member - but can we really justify tying up that much money with so many pressing needs in the world and even in nearby Detroit?

The church defends their decision 2 ways. First, they are a "health and wealth" gospel church which believes God rewards the faithful with nice stuff. A view I admit to NOT being sympathetic to. After all, Jesus would have been considered poor, and appears to have owned only the clothes on his back. Second, they point to the high salaries and expensive lifestyles of sports icons and actors, and argue that it is hypocritical to reward a man for golf more than to a man who is saving souls for eternity.