WHAT JESUS IS UP TO

'OFFICER, JESUS TOLD ME I COULD DO IT'

Bill Egbert, NY Daily News - 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.". . .

News columnist Juan Gonzalez chronicled congregational infighting over Braxton's pay package, which includes a monthly housing allowance of $11,500 in addition to a base salary of $250,000.

Billy Jones, chairman of the Church Committee, challenged the facts of the lawsuit from the pulpit, saying Braxton's annual compensation tops out at $450,000. . .

The bulk of the congregation applauded when Jones noted that a judge denied a motion to delay Braxton's installation.