With a nudge from their pastor, the 25,000 members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta opened their hearts, and their wallets, to Ephren Taylor. And why not, given his glittering credentials? Mr Taylor billed himself as the youngest black chief executive of a publicly traded company in American history. He had appeared on NPR and CNN. He had given a talk on socially conscious investing at the Democratic National Convention. Snoop Dogg, a rapper, had tapped him to manage a charitable endowment.<\/p>\n
So when Mr Taylor\u2019s \u201cWealth Tour Live\u201d\u009d seminars came to town, faithful ears opened wide. Eddie Long, the mega-church\u2019s leader, introduced Mr Taylor at one event with the words: \u201c[God] wants you to be a mover and shaker\u201d\u00a6to finance you well to do His will.\u201d\u009d Mr Taylor offered \u201clow-risk investment with high performances\u201d\u009d, chosen with guidance from God.<\/p>\n