Jesse Duplantis #fundie cnn.com
A prosperity gospel televangelist from Louisiana says Jesus has asked him to buy a new private jet. And wouldn't you know it, Jesus has real nice taste in planes.
Jesse Duplantis, leader of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the owner of three other private jets, is asking his followers to chip in so his ministry can purchase a brand new Dassault Falcon 7X, which runs about $54 million.
In a video recently published on his website, Duplantis says the planes get him closer to the Lord -- both literally and figuratively -- and he had a divine conversation in which Jesus asked for the new aircraft by name.
"It was one of the greatest statements the Lord ever told me, he said, 'Jesse do you want to come up where I'm at?'" the minister says. "'I want you to bleed me for a Falcon 7X.'"
By "bleed," Duplantis -- er, Jesus -- apparently meant "ask for donations."
Duplantis goes on to tell his followers that jets, especially nice ones with good fuel efficiency, allow him and his ministries to reach more people around the world. And no, it wouldn't technically be his, it would be the ministry's.
"All it's gonna do is it's going to touch people, it's going to reach people, it's going to change lives one soul at a time," Duplantis said of the aircraft.
"I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the earth today, he wouldn't be riding a donkey," he added with a chuckle.