Out of curiosity Ben Kirby started watching worship songs on YouTube and identified many of the leaders and preachers as wearing sneakers worth from $800 to $1200. Others wore designer outfits worth thousands. He started an Instagram account posting the preachers and the price tags. In the first month he had 100,000 followers.
In an interview for The Washington Post he questioned the blatant extravagance of someone preaching about Jesus: “I began asking, how much is too much? Is it okay to get rich off of preaching about Jesus? Is it okay to be making twice as much as the median income of your congregation?”
One report noted:
Practice what you preach. We expect our leaders—no matter who they are—to maintain certain standards of decency and to uphold the same values they profess to support. … Kirby continues to show the dissonance between what preachers, pastors, and priests say and what the details of their clothing reveal about their actual lifestyles.
Just a few examples of what religious leaders have been photographed wearing:
- Gucci Slippers: $1,100
- Jordan 1 Retro High Dior Sneakers: $7,210
- Supreme X Louis V Jacquard Denim Parka: $9,625
- Christian Louboutin Belt Bag: $1,250
- Stefano Ricci Belt: $2,541
