In the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, a luxurious residence stands as a testament to the opulence of modern living.
This five-bedroom dwelling, constructed in 2022, was marketed as a "one of a kind custom home that seamlessly blends history and luxury." The property, which was listed for over a million dollars, was swiftly purchased not by an individual, but by the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church's part-time senior pastor, Senator Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.), who also serves as a representative for the state of Georgia in Congress, now resides in this lavish abode.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the DeKalb County home is replete with high-end amenities such as a 100-bottle wine fridge, a Bluetooth-enabled stainless steel cooking range, custom crown molding, and a walk-in closet attached to a "stunning" European bathroom with a remote-controlled privacy curtain. The privacy of the property is further enhanced by blurred images on Google Maps. Warnock, who discreetly moved into the home in 2023, is living there rent-free. Public records reveal that the property, purchased by the Ebenezer Baptist Church for $989,000 in October 2022, is listed as Warnock's primary residence.
The church, and by extension, Warnock, enjoy a near-total exemption from property taxes, including those that fund Atlanta-area schools, libraries, parks, bonds, and local government operations. While Georgia state law prohibits the Ebenezer Baptist Church from collecting rent on the property, it does permit churches to buy tax-exempt homes for pastors "when no income is derived from the property."
The reason behind the church's purchase of the luxury home for Warnock, who owned his own home in Atlanta at the time, remains unclear. Warnock sold his personal Atlanta home shortly after moving into the church-owned property. Warnock's attorney, Jacquelyn Lopez of the Elias Law Group, confirmed that Warnock is living in the luxurious home without charge. She referred to the church-owned property as the "Senator's personal home" and expressed concerns about the potential "grave risk of physical harm" that could result from the publication of the address.
However, this arrangement has not been well-received by some members of the church. Dr. Albert Paul Brinson, a former associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church by the civil rights icon in 1965, expressed his disapproval. Brinson, recognized by the Georgia State Legislature in 2023 for his insights into the life and ministry of the late civil rights leader, stated that King would never have endorsed Warnock's luxury housing arrangements with the church.
Brinson, in an interview with local activist K.J. Boynton, stated, "King would have never endorsed that in any way." He further explained that the church's housing allowance was intended to provide modest accommodations for its pastors, enabling them to concentrate on fulfilling the church's mission. "If I had been him," Brinson said, referring to Warnock, "I would never have allowed the church to do that kind of thing. [The parsonage allowance] wasn't just to be something that had to be elaborate and the greatest thing it was for the church."
Warnock has not publicly disclosed his new housing arrangement. However, in March, he encouraged his congregation to contribute to a $3.5 million church fundraising campaign known as One Ebenezer, aimed at reducing the church's mortgage debt. During that sermon, Warnock asked the congregation members to donate "at least" $139 on top of their 10 percent tithe in honor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church's 139th anniversary.
In 2023, in addition to his free housing, Warnock earned a church salary of $31,800 and nearly $461,000 in book royalties. However, it remains unclear whether he made any donations to the Ebenezer Baptist Church that year.
Warnock's financial arrangements with his church, particularly a $7,417-per-month tax-free housing allowance he received to cover his living expenses in Atlanta, attracted attention as it allowed him to exceed the Senate's limitations on outside income. This issue came to the fore after the Free Beacon reported in October 2022 that the church, while covering Warnock's living expenses, also owned a low-income Atlanta apartment building that had sought to evict disadvantaged residents during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic for minor infractions such as $28.55 in past-due rent.
During his reelection campaign against Republican Herschel Walker, Warnock dismissed the Free Beacon report as a "vicious and venomous" attempt to "sully the name of Dr. King's church" for "short term-political gain."
While Warnock's 2023 financial disclosure does not mention his living arrangement, ethics experts suggest that it probably does not violate Senate ethics rules, which allow lawmakers to receive "lodging and other benefits" from outside employers under certain circumstances. However, Paul Kamenar, a lawyer for the watchdog group the National Legal and Policy Center, noted that the IRS might view the benefit as excessive, given Warnock's part-time role at the church.
Kamenar criticized the arrangement, saying, "It's obscene that Senator Warnock's church allows him to live rent-free in a new million-dollar house while it evicts poor black residents from its apartment building for being late in paying back rent for as little as $28." He also suggested that "this benefit and his pay for being a part-time pastor may be an excessive benefit under IRS rules and trigger tax penalties."
Warnock's penchant for luxury is further evidenced by his purchase of a $1.15 million Capitol Hill townhouse in Washington, D.C, in January 2023, as reported by the Free Beacon.
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