According to "All Christian News" on Monday, March 13, 2017, a pastor is being accused by another pastor of setting fire to his own church in order to collect insurance money. While this is a sad and unbelievable story, there is evidence that this has allegedly happened on more than one occasion.
Accused of setting fires
Pastor Thaddeus Matthews in Memphis, Tennessee is claiming that Pastor Stephen L. Brown set fire to his church so he could collect insurance money. In fact, Matthews has accused Brown of setting two fires.
The first fire occurred at the Light of Glory International Church in Memphis in 2010 just two years after the church was started.
It took more than 60 firefighters to put out the fire. A 45-year-old firefighter was overcome with heat exhaustion and taken to the hospital where he later recovered. The roof of the church partially collapsed. Brown collected $400,000 from the Insurance Company in addition to donations from church members and people in the community.
Brown requested $1.1 million from the insurance company for damages caused by a second fire. Reportedly, the insurance company has declined to honor Brown's request for compensation. However, the pastor is not giving up on his claim. He plans to appeal the insurance company's decision.
Pastor's advice
Pastor Matthews is advising Pastor Brown not to repeal the insurance company's decision because the fires are suspicious, and if the cases are turned over to federal investigators, the pastor could go to jail for arson if he had anything to do with the two fires.
Matthews also believes that if Brown pushes the issue, the insurance company might make it extremely hard for other churches who might have a legitimate claim.
Did the pastor start the fires at his own church? Even though the insurance company paid $400,000 for the first fire, Pastor Matthews believes Pastor Brown had something to do with both fires. The insurance company is standing firm on its decision not to honor the $1.1 million claim.
