Pastor John Gray Faces Backlash over Costly Footwear after Asking Church to Give $250K for Repair

One man of faith is eager to show Christian worshippers in the US exactly how their pastors are spending the churches' monies. Now, one pastor is once again in hot water.

The Instagram account called PreachersNSneakers is run by Tyler Jones, a self-proclaimed Christian who said he is "not trying to cause division." In fact, he said, "[me] and [the pastor] both believe inherently the same things."

The difference is that Jones is putting certain things on display via social media, something that many church members would not do. Many people in the comment section are flabbergasted by the prices of the shoes these pastors wear. Two of those posts are found below.

In particular, Pastor John Gray, who has been on the page twice in two weeks, is being called out for his frivolousness. This is because, just the week prior to his $3,721 Platinum Air Yeezy 2's going online, he was asking his followers for money.

Things got even more absurd when Gray, who preached in the Relentless church, was spotted in a pair of Red October Air Yeezy 2's worth $5,611. One person named Ava Young hilariously commented that "those better be dyed with the blood of Christ for that price tag."

While some people suggested that these shoes may be gifted or sponsored by companies, other people were unrelenting. They wondered if the pastor was doing as much for his community as he was doing to look good.

Gray was also attacked because just a couple weeks prior, he asked members for $250,000 in donations to help repair the roof of the church. Needless to say, those shoes made up a sizable portion of the amount required when one puts it into perspective that they are just shoes.

At the time, Gray broke the cost down for his church-goers, suggesting that 2,500 people can each give $100, or 500 people can give $300. "So now we need 499 'cause I got $300 on it. Anybody else?" Gray asked.

He'd just explained that the inheritance of the church came with a debt amounting to millions of dollars. Gray insisted that "the work must continue."

He added:

"This is not a plea for money, it's a plea for partnership so we can be what we’re supposed to be."

Along with an acknowledgment of the quick transition from Redemption ministry which had been run by Ron Carpenter, Gray informed members that the deadline for the pay-off is April 3.

Months prior, Gray gifted his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini for their eighth anniversary following reports of infidelity on his part. That, along with the revelation that the pastor resides in a $1.8 million home, was just the start of a string of accusations against Gray.

Although Gray said that the car he bought for his wife was in no way paid for by the church, the house was found to be a church parsonage. That is a property belonging to the church and which Gray would no longer be entitled to if he forfeits his role as pastor.

As many people stated, it is not so much what Gray chooses to indulge in that matters. Rather, it is the fact that he appears to be flaunting material things and his contributions to the community may not be matching up.

Yet as many rightly said, it's the prerogative of the church members who are giving up their hard-earned money to determine whether or not they will accept the actions of their spiritual leaders.