The incoming pastor of Riverside Church broke his silence over his massive pay package Saturday, saying God was behind him as he took the reins of the iconic Manhattan sanctuary.
"God told me all week, 'I got you.'" the Rev. Brad Braxton said to thunderous applause.
Braxton was installed as senior pastor despite some parishioners filing a lawsuit to trim his $600,000 in salary and perks.
The minister, a former professor at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, ascended to the pulpit to cheers from the congregation of 2,700.
Braxton, 40, tackled the controversy over his compensation, saying critics were "mistaking molehills for mountains."
In a sermon titled "Fear Not," Braxton vowed his priority would be "the sacred business of moving mountains." Continue Reading
