Senate Probes Televangelist Finances

[Kazimierz]

ARTICLE (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-11-07-televangelist-probe_N.htm)

Acting on tips about preachers who ride in Rolls Royces and have purportedly paid $30,000 for a conference table, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday he's investigating the finances of six well-known TV ministers.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said those under scrutiny include faith healer Benny Hinn, Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar and one of the nation's best known female preachers, Joyce Meyer.

Grassley sent letters to the half-dozen Christian media ministries earlier this week requesting answers by Dec. 6 about their expenses, executive compensation and amenities, including use of fancy cars and private jets.

In a statement, Grassley said he was acting on complaints from the public and news coverage of the organizations.

"The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces," Grassley said.

"I don't want to conclude that there's a problem, but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more. People who donated should have their money spent as intended and in adherence with the tax code."

Those ministries that responded Tuesday either said they were cooperating or committed to financial transparency and following the law.

The investigation promises to shine new light on the kind of TV ministries that were crippled by sex and money scandals in the 1980s. Experts also say it stands out as an unusual case of the government probing the inner workings of religious organizations.

Most of those under investigation preach a variation of the "prosperity gospel," the teaching that God will shower faithful followers with material riches.

Grassley's letters went to:

• Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas, a $20 million organization and prosperity gospel pioneer. Questions were raised about the transfer of church assets to a for-profit company, Security Patrol Inc., a $1 million loan from Gloria Copeland to the group, and a "personal gift" of more than $2 million given to Kenneth Copeland to mark the ministry's 40th anniversary.

A Copeland spokeswoman released a statement saying the ministry is working on a response to Grassley's letter, follows all laws and best practices governing churches and religious non-profit groups, and "will continue to do so."

• Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga. Grassley's letter asks for records on private planes, board makeup, compensation and donations and "love offerings" to visiting ministers. In a statement, Dollar called his ministry an "open book" and said he would cooperate. He also questioned whether the investigation could "affect the privacy of every community church in America."

• Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas, is asked about use of a private jet, a home in Dana Point, Calif. and "layover trips" while traveling on ministry business. Hinn did not respond to requests for comment.

• Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga., was questioned about his salary, a $1.4 million real estate transaction and whether he, and not the board, holds sole authority over the organization. Long plans to fully comply with the Senate's request, and his church has "several safeguards" to ensure transactions comply with laws governing churches, according to a statement from Long's spokesman.

• Joyce and David Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo., who were quizzed about receiving donations of money and jewelry and the handling of cash from overseas crusades. They also were asked about expenditures at ministry headquarters, including a $30,000 conference table and a $23,000 "commode with marble top."

The ministry's lawyer released a statement describing the ministry's work and public release of several years' worth of audits. He also said the IRS found in October that the group continues to qualify for tax-exempt status.

• Randy and Paula White of the multiracial Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa are asked about home purchases in San Antonio, Texas, Malibu, Calif., and New York, credit card charges for clothing and cosmetic surgery and the reported purchase of a Bentley convertible as a gift for Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent Texas preacher and televangelist. An e-mail to a spokeswoman for Jakes was not immediately returned.

In a statement, Randy and Paula White declined to comment on specifics, saying they needed time to review the letter with their lawyers. But the Whites called the Grassley letter "unusual, since the IRS has separate powers to investigate religious organizations if they think it's necessary."

Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar all sit on the board of regents for Oral Roberts University, which is mired in a financial scandal of its own.

The Senate Finance Committee has chided secular non-profits for governance and compensation problems in the past, but this level of scrutiny for what are basically "non-pulpit churches" is unprecedented, said Ken Behr, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Because the groups have tax status as churches, they are not required to file tax forms open to public inspection.

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Under IRS Guidelines, ministers may receive "reasonable" compensation but cannot enrich themselves through their non-profits

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Discuss.

[IrishNed]

Under IRS Guidelines, ministers may receive "reasonable" compensation but cannot enrich themselves through their non-profitsWouldn't it be nice if those same Guidelines applied to Elected Officials, like the President and Vice-President?? Or, let's throw a wider blanket and apply them to all elective Offices.

[MelL]

Wouldn't it be nice if those same Guidelines applied to Elected Officials, like the President and Vice-President?? Or, let's throw a wider blanket and apply them to all elective Offices.

Has there been anything to indicate that either President Bush or Vice-President Cheney have profited directly from their policies? Surely other people have gained, but that's a given under any administration. But as far as I have seen, there hasn't been any sign that either one has received money through their positions.

Please, if I missed something, point it out! :)

[kbeach]

In Loving Memory Of Bonnie Parker,
I’m writing this in regards to the letter written to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland located at http://sis359.blogspot.com/ I wrote the letter with hopes of someone passing it along to the Copelands. Comments the letter has brought is overwhelming. My heart goes out to all who has suffered any type of a loss regarding Prosperity Gospel. Several times over the past few years, I felt that there was not anything I could do, or say that would make any difference in the way people see Prosperity Gospel. I was battling, and still am, a multimillion dollar organization for answers, I had never felt so alone. Now after receiving hundreds of supportive emails, I feel I have a army beside us. Some have requested a more detailed accounting of the last few months mom was with us, the following is merely a forth of the story. Our thanks go out to you all.
I have a link all can visit to view pages of mom’s diary, there is only a few now but I hope to post them all on this site. If you have any questions about these pages please let me know.
Thank you!
Kris
http://picasaweb.google.com/sis359

Also if you would like to share your story you can visit,
http://phillyflash.wordpress.com/2007/12/26/mrs-bonnie-parker/#comment-1742
Or
http://www.steves-space.info/televangelists-exposed-discussion-forums/index.php

The following articles are referring to Prosperity Gospel
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKP3-tVm-viy8t0ccGbs6IP_zfUAD8TQ080O0
http://simplyagape.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

The following are two must see KCM websites,
http://www.kcm.org/giving/cga/
http://www.kcm.org/studycenter/articles/health_healing/prescription.php

No words could describe just how I felt at that moment. I promised her she would not be left alone, yet here we was in the hospital emergency room lobby, and she was somewhere behind the locked double doors alone. Hour after hour passed , a nurse finally appeared motioning for us to follow her. Seeing the pain in her blue eyes assured me this was no dream, this was it, the moment she knew would come someday but hoped never would. The nurse carefully pulled moms gown back revealing a sight that would be with me the rest of my life. I could hear the doctor asking questions directed to me and my father such as “When did she have a Mastectomy”, and “How long has she been this way?”. My father replied” She hasn’t had any surgery” this answer brought looks of disbelief from the doctor and nurses surrounding us. I realized then exactly they were thinking, they actually thought we denied her medical attention. Their expressions were convicting us without any reasonable doubt. Her left breast was completely eaten away, leaving only a large whole where it used to be. Reality had hit me all at once, our fears were confirmed she was not going to be with us much longer, and we were being blamed for the condition she was in. Mom would not let us bath her even toward the end, she had led us to believe it was due to the weight loss, she didn’t want us seeing her frail body. Truth was she didn’t want us to see her chest. We were escorted back out to the lobby so they could resume their evaluation. Result of each test came back just as we had expected, It was to late nothing medically could be done. The following day’s brought more criticism from the hospital staff, finally I had endured all I could, it was time they knew the truth. I know it was hard to believe we knew nothing about the cancer that had consumed almost her entire body, but that was the truth. And they were going to hear me out no matter how long it would take. I felt most to blame, I was her daughter, I should have seen this coming. But my father, they was not going to direct this blame towards him any longer. Come shift change I walked down to the nurses station where one group were leaving and the other arriving. Asking for a moment of their time, proved easier than I thought. As they began to move closer, I began to take them back in time where I believed it all began. Starting with her right eye in which she had lost the ability to open. This was the first sign something was wrong. Mom insisting day after day it was merely a sinus infection and nothing more. The mention of a doctor was unacceptable, she made that clear. Her eye would remain this way a few day’s then become normal again. Twice more her eye would fail her before closing permanently, refusing medical attention each time. As time passed she began loosing weight rapidly, eating very little, and staying in bed mostly all day. We were fighting a loosing battle and there was no end in sight. She was dieing and there was nothing we could do. Why was she doing this to herself and us? The time came she could no longer stay alone, someone had to be there at her side at all times. My dad worked most every day so mom was with me most all the time. Each day she became weaker. I bought a baby monitor and put by her bed and mine so I could hear her during the night. I dreaded the night for I didn’t know what the morning would bring. I had to get up before my children because if she had passed on I wanted to be the one to find her not them. The fear of her dieing and us not having a clue of what from, or why, was the reality we faced each day. My concern had evolved into anger, she was refusing medical attention and putting us though a living hell, why? There was nothing legally we could do, but watch her die. Once we could legally step in and force her to get in the ambulance waiting outside my door, she was probably only hours away from death. Still refusing and begging not be taken they loaded her in and drove away. I believe she knew she wouldn’t return, deep down we all knew. But there was always that single ray of hope, and no one was going to put that out. We had spent the last few months surrounded by uncertainty, fear, and anger, maybe now at least we would know physically what was wrong. But why she made that fatal decision to refuse any type of medical help was still a mystery. In my eyes she committed suicide, I was going to have to live with that horrible fact. Nothing made since, would it ever? There was not a dry eye in that nurses station that evening after I concluded my memories of the last few months, but in their eyes we were no longer guilty of neglect. Once all the test results were back and we were faced with the fact there was nothing the hospital could do we had at make a decision regarding where to take her to live out what little time she had left. I could not take her back home with me, my kids had been through enough. Southern Oaks nursing home was only five miles from my house, the following two moths this would become our home. The staff took us in as if we were family. We owe the last few months of mom’s life to the staff of Southern Oaks, we will forever be grateful to them all. Mom from this point on had her good day’s and bad. October 19, 2004 she was finally called home. All day her blood pressure had continued to fall, her breathing had became labored, and she was totally unresponsive. Around ten o’clock that night dad told me to go home for a while, I didn’t want to but he and my husband insisted. She passed away a few minutes after I left.
For the rest of the story simply type , Kenneth Copeland, Bonnie Parker in your search engine.

Thank you,
The Family of Bonnie Parker
sis359@gmail.com

[DISASTEROID]

They should be convicted on the mere principle of spending so much money on themselves and their empires in such a gluttonous manner. Just think of how much food all of that money could have bought..or how many lives could have been changed.....sad.