Editorial: Government Intervention Needed to Curb Religious Financial Fraud
Senator Charles Grassley, the former ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has completed a five-year investigation of religious financial fraud that uncovered weaknesses in the United States tax code which allow churches to become tax shelters. The investigation revealed how televangelists exploit love offerings and housing allowances as nontaxable income and operate companies from their churches. Unfortunately two mistakes crippled the investigation:
- No subpoenas were issued and this resulted in an incomplete investigation.
- Questionable activities by televangelists Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer were overlooked after they cooperated in the investigation.
In response to these mistakes Christian Headlines is calling for the IRS to audit the six TV ministries and complete the investigation. Christian Headlines is also endorsing legislative proposals from the Senate and supporting whistleblower protections for nonprofit organizations. And lastly, Christian Headlines is recommending that the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) adopt compensation limits and revise its membership application to obtain additional information regarding church nondisclosure agreements and self dealing.
IRS Should Complete the Investigation by Performing Audits
Senate Finance Committee attorney Lynda Simmons authored four reports describing questionable activities uncovered in the ministries of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Creflo and Taffi Dollar, Eddie Long, and Paula and Randy White. These reports list companies and questionable integrated auxiliaries that televangelists have operated from church properties. When someone operates both a nonprofit organization and for-profit corporation and these entities do business with each other, it can be illegal to excessively profit from these self dealing transactions. 1
An IRS audit should examine at least seven issues:
- Did church employees provide free labor for the televangelists’ companies?
- Did these companies obtain free office space from the churches or did they pay rent? If more than $1,000 was paid in rent during the year, a 990-T form for unrelated business income should have been filed with the IRS. No 990-T forms were listed as sources in the Senate reports. An IRS audit would determine if any of these forms were required and if they were filed.
- Did the churches purchase products and services from these companies? If so, did the churches pay for these products and services at fair market value? For example, if Paula White Enterprises sold Paula Whites’ books to Without Walls International Church at full retail price rather than wholesale, then an illegal transaction took place and Paula White received excessive compensation from the transaction.
- Did Long receive any income from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (NBMBC) besides a love offering? Did attendees of NBMBC receive tax receipts for giving to love offerings taken for Long? 2
- Is Kenneth Copeland operating secret foreign bank accounts? Copeland did not provide to the Senate Finance Committee any information about money collected at conventions held in Fiji, Nigeria, and Singapore. 3
- Did Creflo Dollar pay a gift tax when he gave almost $1 million to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland? 4
- Did each televangelist reimburse their church for use of the church-owned jet when used for personal trips?
List of companies that appear to have operated from churches based on official published documents:
- The companies Paula White Enterprises Inc. 5 and Kabb Enterprises Inc. 6 have shared the same address as Without Walls International Church.
- Since 2010 World Flight, LLC has shared the same address as Creflo Dollar’s World Changers Church International (WCCI). World Flight could be a shell corporation so the IRS should determine its purpose. No property is listed in World Flight’s name in Fulton County, Georgia. No phone number is listed for this corporation at Yellowpages.com and no planes are listed in its name at Landings.com. 7
- World Heir, Inc., a holding company for Dollar’s GulfStream jet 8, and Creflo Dollar Enterprises, LLC have shared the same address as WCCI. 9
- Bell-Aire Aviation, LLC and Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (NBMBC) shared the same address from 2001 to 2008. 10
- New Birth EP, LLC 11 shared the same address as NBMBC from 2006 to 2008,
- New Birth Senior Housing I, LLC has operated from NBMBC since 2005. In 2008 the Georgia-based corporation was shut down and the corporation was re-registered in Ohio. The corporation appears to be part of an elaborate scheme to hide ownership by going through multiple layers of registrations. According to the Articles of Incorporation, “The sole member of New Birth Senior Housing I, LLC (the “Company”) shall be New Birth Development, Inc., an Ohio nonprofit corporation, which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and religious purposes. The sole member of New Birth Development, Inc., is New Birth Church Holdings, Inc., an Ohio corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and religious purposes. The sole member of New Birth Church Holdings, Inc. is New Birth Missionary Baptist Church of Lithonia, Georgia, a Georgia nonprofit corporation which is a church that is exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.” 12
- New Birth Design Group, LLC 13 and Partners of Harvest Foods, Inc. 14 have shared the same address as NBMBC since 2005.
Integrated auxiliary abuses follow a similar pattern. A church files an assumed name certificate or DBA (doing business as) form and then operates a business through the church but doesn’t pay taxes on the income or file a 990-T because the business is a part of the church.
According to the Senate report, Kenneth Copeland’s Eagle Mountain International Church denied that it operated any integrated auxiliaries. However, the Senate obtained a list of 21 such auxiliaries based on assumed name certificates filed in Texas since 1979 of which two are currently active. One of the expired auxiliaries is Eagle Mountain Lake Development & Construction Corp. The Senate should have issued a subpoena to determine if this assumed name allowed the church to run a profitable tax-exempt business. 15
Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer Escape Scrutiny
Excessive compensation is poor stewardship.
Over the last ten years Hinn has earned an estimated $20 million from World Healing Center Church (WHCC) and Clarion Call Marketing, a company that produces products to be sold through WHCC.
Hinn disclosed his income to the Senate but refuses to disclose his income to his donors. According to Hinn’s website, “the ministry’s Board of Directors believes that my total compensation is a private matter” and “my compensation (annual salary) is set by the members of Benny Hinn Ministries’ Board of Directors with the aid and counsel of Mercer and Company, one of the most respected executive compensation firms in America.” 16
Actually Mercer and Company and its parent company Marsh & McLennan have a bad reputation for supporting excessive compensation. 17 William M. Mercer and Company has gone through a series of name changes. In 2002 the company’s name changed to Mercer Human Resource Consulting and was shortened in 2007 to Mercer. 18
William M. Mercer and Company is cited in the special counsel report on the ULLICO / Global Crossing Investments scandal for approving excessively large salaries. 19 When Mary Schapiro, the CEO of the nonprofit Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, received almost $9 million when she left the organization, Amerivet Securities, a member of FINRA, recommended that Schapiro be sued to recover money lost in excessive compensation. Mercer Human Resource Consulting said the compensation was “reasonable”. 20
Besides the lavish income, Hinn also has an extravagent housing arrangement. In a letter to Grassley, Hinn’s attorney Miles Archer Woodlief writes that Hinn’s home at 35 Ritz Cove, Dana Point, California (which has previously been estimated to be worth $10 million) 21 has been reclassified as “a retreat for Pastor’s contemplation and study, Church-purposed entertaining, and for short-term overnight stays preceding or following travel.” 22 Hinn’s organization World Healing Center Church Inc. should lose its tax exempt status for building a $10 million retreat center for its president’s use.
Grassley could have verified Joyce Meyer Ministries statements regarding charitable activities but instead praised the ministry for joining ECFA.
On November 7, 2007, Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM) responded to the Grassley investigation by issuing a press release describing an impressive list of charitable activities: “JMM provided more than 11 million meals in 2006, and built nearly 200 freshwater wells and churches in underdeveloped countries. The ministry fully funds and operates more than 50 orphanages around the world, and presents the Gospel to a potential audience of 3 billion people every day via its television program. 23
Critics of JMM are skeptical of these claims. Over past three years JMM has issued several press releases with different numbers of orphanages. Grassley could have asked Meyer for a list of addresses for all of the orphanages to verify that they exist.
Perhaps the IRS should audit Dream Building Inc.(operates under the name St. Louis Dream Center) which is another nonprofit organization operated by Dave and Joyce Meyer. From 2007 to 2009 this charity reported over $5,670,000 in revenue but lists zero employees and zero government grants on the 990s even though it is involved in a USDA sponsored Summer Food Service Program. 24 A 2003 article in the St Louis Business Journal reported that the St Louis Dream Center is a homeless services center with 40 staff. 25
Review of Media-Based Ministries
Senate Finance Committee attorneys Theresa Pattara and Sean Barnett authored a 61-page “Review of Media-Based Ministries” describing how church exemptions are being exploited and offered legislative proposals to correct these problems. Here is a select list of quotes from the review that illustrate questionable activities.
- According to a report in the L.A. Times, televangelist Paul F. Crouch, president of Trinity Broadcasting Network, makes a habit of ordaining the network’s station managers and department heads as ministers so that they could deduct 100% of their housing costs as a “parsonage allowance.” 26
- Committee staff first became aware of potential abuses in the classification of the ministers when the Volunteers of America (VoA) responded to your March 24, 2005, letter. In its response, VoA explained that it is an ecumenical Christian church and is classified as a church or a convention or association of churches. After receiving this response, a VoA insider met with Committee staff. The insider provided a list of almost 200 employees who were designated as “ministers” for tax purposes. 27
- Because churches do not even have to notify the IRS when they form, anyone can set up an entity to receive donations, claim church status when asked, and then shut down quickly. This is easier than ever to do today through the internet. Two of the entities referred to the Committee for investigation were a mail order church and a website set up by a woman practicing voodoo. Both were referred to the Committee because of solicitation concerns. 28
- Larry L. McSwain, a professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, warns that “one of the practices of many churches, especially non-denominational and African-American ones, is to provide a love offering from the members to their pastor in place of salary. This technique is, for some, a way of avoiding the reporting of income.” 29
Legislative Proposals
Christian Headlines recommends that Congress pass whistleblower protections and approve suggestions included in the recent “Review of Media-Based Ministries” that would penalize religious organizations that abuse their tax-exempt status with excessive compensation and fraudulent self dealing.
Senator Grassley requested that Dan Busby, the president of ECFA, chair a commission to examine a list of issues and possible solutions the Senate investigators identified. However, the following endorsements from Christian Headlines go beyond the Senate proposals to be considered by the commission. The Senate review does not call for whistleblower protections or a mandate that the 990-T form be made available to the public by the IRS.
Whistleblower Protections
Televangelists are using confidentiality agreements and threats of lawsuits to prevent employees from revealing fraud.
From the Senate report on Eagle Mountain Church / Kenneth Copeland Ministries:
Former employees were sincerely afraid to provide statements for fear of being sued since they signed confidentiality agreements. Employees were contacted by EMIC/KCM attorneys after the initiation of the Committee investigation and reminded that they signed a confidentiality agreement agreeing not to disclose any information concerning EMIC/KCM. One former employee stated the following, “The Copelands employ guerrilla tactics to keep their employees silent. We are flat out told and threatened that if we talk, God will blight our finances, strike our families down, and pretty much afflict us with everything evil and unholy. Rather, God will allow Satan to do those things to us because we have stepped out from under His umbrella of protection, by “touching God’s anointed Prophet”. Further, employees are encouraged to shun and treat badly anyone who dares speak out.” 30
From the Senate report on Without Walls International Church:
Several former WWIC staff members wanted to speak with Committee staff but were afraid of being sued by the church. Staff is aware of at least one former employee who received a letter from WWIC’s attorneys reminding them of the confidentiality agreement. 31
Congress should pass new legislation that includes strong whistleblower protections. The law should clearly state that confidentiality agreements do not exempt people from giving testimony in a criminal investigation. Also, the IRS should be empowered to revoke the tax-exempt status for nonprofit organizations that intimidate whistleblowers.
Require new churches to register with the IRS
Currently the United States government does not have a right to know when churches are being formed to solicit donations because churches are exempt from filing the Form 1023 Application for Recognition of Tax-Exemption. This exemption should be abolished.
Require churches to file the 990
Churches in the United States are not required to disclose their finances to the public or even their members unless it is required in their bylaws. The following information included in 990s would be helpful for donors to know:
- Total Revenue
- Total Expenses
- Compensation of Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, Highest Compensated Employees, and Independent Contractors
- Travel Expenses (How much did the church / ministry spend on its jet?)
- Settlement Expenses (How much did the church or ministry spend to settle a lawsuit? Investigators suspect that Benny Hinn has spent millions of dollars of donor money settling lawsuits.)
- Investments (Does the church or ministry have large investments while begging for money? Trinity Broadcasting Network reported $309,823,491 invested in 2008.) 32
- Did the organization file a 990-T? (This would disclose that the church or ministry earned more than $1,000 in unrelated business income.)
- Program Services (How much did the organization spend on its mission?)
- Identification of Related Tax-Exempt Organizations (Sometimes criminals transfer assets from the parent organization to affiliates as a means of hiding income.)
- Depreciation (Is the organization buying expensive items that lose value quickly? This is poor stewardship. Joyce Meyer Ministries reported $30,877,925 in accumulated depreciation in its 2009 financial statement.) 33
Amend the 990 to require explanation of nontaxable benefits
In 2008 at least 22 employees at The Inspirational Network received nontaxable benefits. Televangelist David Cerullo received $331,881 in nontaxable benefits on top of a base salary of $1,024,741. Was this benefit in the form of a clergy housing allowance? Is Cerullo receiving honorariums described as gifts? 34
Make the 990-T available to the public
Congress should require the IRS to make the 990-T form for unrelated business income available to the public through the Foundation Center, Guidestar, and the National Center for Charitable Statistics. The IRS already makes the 990 form available to the public.
Place limits on the Clergy Housing Allowance
When Congress passed the Clergy Housing Allowance, it was intended as tax relief for small, often rural churches that struggled financially to provide housing for clergy. Congress never intended for the housing allowance to be used by millionaries with large mansions. Televangelist Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, receives a housing allowance of $240,000 for his $1.5 million home. 35 Televangelists Randy and Paula White received housing allowances of $713,779 in 2005 and $883,120 in 2006. 36
One possible solution is to limit the clergy housing allowance to the average amount of income spent annually on a home. According to the Review, “the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average housing expenditure for all households in the United States in 2007 was $16,920.38″ 37 If a church or ministry wants to provide a housing supplement higher than the clergy housing allowance, this additional money would be taxable.
Establish real penalties for churches and ministries that engage in excessive compensation
The following ideas were suggested in the “Review of Media-Based Ministries.”
Section 4958 of the tax code is poorly worded so that managers can escape penalties by claiming they didn’t know a transaction provided excessive compensation. The Review says, “By penalizing only knowing participants, the current rules create an incentive for managers to remain ignorant.” 38 The current rules should be changed to adopt a “Reason to Know Standard.”
Replace “Rebuttable Presumption” with “Minimum Standards for Due Diligence” in Section 4958. 39 This change would make it easier for the IRS to penalize board members for allowing excessive benefits.
Section 7611 prevents churches from paying an excise tax when they willingly break the law by providing excessive compensation to employees. The Section 7611 protections for churches should be dropped. 40
Require churches to have voting members
In recent years some televangelists have developed zero member churches. This has obvious advantages for the televangelists. They can’t be fired by the congregation because the congregation has no voting rights. As an example, if Eddie Long is found guilty of sexual assault, his congregation cannot fire him. Also, the congregation has no oversight on how the donations are spent.
From the Certificate of Incorporation for Creflo Dollar’s World Changers Church International:
The qualifications for members and the manner of their admission are: pursuant to Georgia Statues, the corporation hereby elects to have no members.” 41
From the Certificate of Incorporation for Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church:
“The corporation elects to have no members. Any action which would otherwise require a vote of members shall require only a vote of the members of the Board of Directors, and no meeting or vote of members shall be required for this Corporation, any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation of this Corporation or the Bylaws of the corporation to the contrary notwithstanding.” 42
For tax exemption purposes the Congress or IRS should adopt a definition of “church” to include a minimal number of voting members for the purpose of excluding fraudulent corporation soles and zero member organizations from being recognized as churches.
A corporation sole is an organization with only one officer. Criminals are establishing corporation soles, putting their assets in the organization and then claiming the organization is a church to avoid paying taxes. Andrew DeDominicis of Dallas, North Carolina, is under investigation for helping 163 people set up churches as corporation soles. 43
Define Tax-Exempt Limits for Love Offerings
Love offerings have become a lucrative method for religious leaders to collect tax-exempt income. In 2005 televangelist Morris Cerullo was indicted for not reporting $550,000 in income. The case was dismissed on a technicality because the grand jury wasn’t informed that the donor’s intent determines if the donation is income or a gift. 44
From the Senate review: The 2006 audited financial statements of Without Walls International Church state that Randy and Paula White “receive gifts and love offerings that are passed through the church.” And a church spokesperson for Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church said that Long does not receive a salary from the church, but does take a “love offering.” 45 An Atlanta TV station obtained church records showing that Long received a love offering of over $1 million in 2010. 46
The tax code should be amended so that love offerings can no longer be used as a means of tax evasion.
ECFA Should Adopt Higher Standards
After Grassley requested that Busby head the commission, watchdog groups Ministry Watch and Trinity Foundation expressed skepticism of Busby and the ECFA. By taking a more aggressive stance against excessive compensation, ECFA could win over its critics. Also Busby could request that members of the watchdog organizations be part of the commission.
In 2009 the Chronicle of Philanthropy rated Franklin Graham as one of America’s highest paid nonprofit executives for his work with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assocation and Samaritan’s Purse, both members of the ECFA. Busby soon released a statement saying, “ECFA standards are based on the principles of good governance, accountability, integrity and transparency, and do not place dollar limits on the compensation of its members’ leaders.” 47
Perhaps, because of the 2009 controversy, the ECFA is now open to including compensation limits in its standards. In an email, Busby says, “ECFA is currently considering possible modifications to its standards in the area of compensation. We may wait on completion of the Commission’s work to more fully address this area of the standards.” 48
Besides adding compensation limits, the ECFA should also consider asking the following questions to its members and prospective members:
- Does your ministry or church require its employees to sign a nondisclosure aggreement? (This could indicate that the organization has something to hide.)
- Does your ministry or church use off-duty police officers for security? (Some pastors have used police officers to investigate and intimidate church critics.)
- Do any for-profit entities operate from the same office as your ministry or church? If so, are both entities controlled by the same person? Does the for-profit entity pay rent and does the ministry or church file a 990-T?
- Does anyone in your ministry or church receive nontaxable income? If so, why is this compensation nontaxable?
- Does your ministry or church receive love offerings? If so, do the donors receive a receipt for their donation?
- Does your ministry or church pay employees in cash? (This could be used to avoid having a paper trail and the income might not be taxed.)
Three final suggestions for the ECFA:
- On the ECFA website disclose the income for executives of the member organizations. (JMM joined the ECFA in 2009 and discloses Dave Meyer’s income to the ECFA but not to JMM’s donors.)
- Disclose on the ECFA website whether or not the ministry or church has voting members.
- Permanently revoke membership status to any ministry or church that threatens or sues, or intimidates whistleblowers in an attempt to cover up for fraud.
P.S. This is the second article in a series about religious financial fraud. The next article will be about the techniques religious leaders use in cover-ups.
Endnotes
1 “Grassley Releases Review of Tax Issues Raised by Media-based Ministries”, U.S. Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, link
2Theresa Pattara and Sean Barnett, “Review of Media-Based Ministries”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p. 44-45 , link
3 Lynda Simmons, Senate Finance Committee, Minority Staff Review of Eagle Mountain International dba Kenneth Copeland Ministries, January 5, 2011, p. 23, link
4 ibid, p. 24-28
5 Note: Paula White Enterprises, Inc. incorrectly listed as nonprofit in Senate report, Paula White Enterprises, Inc. registration, Florida Secretary of State, link
6 KABB Enterprises, Inc. registration, Florida Secretary of State, link
7 World Flight, LLC registration, Georgia Secretary of State, link
8 World Heir, Inc. registration, Georgia Secretary of State, link
9 Creflo Dollar Enterprises, LLC registration, Georgia Secretary of State, link
10 Bell-Aire Aviation, LLC registration, Georgia Secretary of State, link
11 New Birth EP, LLC registration, Georgia Secretary of State, link
12 New Birth Senior Housing I, LLC registration, Ohio Secretary of State, link
13 New Birth Design Group, LLC, Georgia Secretary of State, link
14 Partners of Harvest Foods, Inc.Georgia Secretary of State, link
15 Lynda Simmons, Senate Finance Committee, Minority Staff Review of Eagle Mountain International dba Kenneth Copeland Ministries, January 5, 2011, page 4, link
16 “Benny Hinn Answers Top Questions Concerning Financial Stewardship”, Benny Hinn Ministries, link
17 Marcia Vickers, “The Secret World of Marsh Mac”, Business Week, November 1, 2004, link
18 “Mercer history”, Mercer, September 20, 2009, link
19 James R. Thomas, “Report of the Special Counsel”, November 26, 2002, link
20 Patrick Temple-West, “FINRA Leads the Pack in Hefty Payouts”, On Wall Street, October 19, 2010, link
21 Bob McKeown, ” A Preacher’s Life”, NBC Dateline, March 6, 2005
22 Miles Archer Woodlief, “Memorandum”, September 10, 2008, page 7 link
23 “Joyce Meyer Ministries Statement Regarding Senator Grassley’s Letter”, Christian Newswire, November 7, 2007, link
24 “The School’s Out Café Opens for the Summer”, St. Louis Metro Community News, June 7, 2010, link
25 Heather Cole, “Meyer’s $57 million evangelism empire”, St. Louis Business Journal, June 22, 2003, link
26 Theresa Pattara and Sean Barnett, “Review of Media-Based Ministries”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p. 13 , link
27 ibid, p. 15
28 ibid, p. 21
29 ibid, p. 45
30 Lynda Simmons, Senate Finance Committee, Minority Staff Review of Eagle Mountain International dba Kenneth Copeland Ministries, January 5, 2011, page 2, link
31 Lynda Simmons, “Minority Staff Review of Without Walls International church”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p.6, link
32 Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) for 2008, p. 11 line 12
3 Joyce Meyer Ministries, Notes to Financial Statements, December 31,2009, p. 4 link
34 The Inspirational Network Inc., Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) for 2008, p. 24
37 Brett Shipp, “Prominent Grapevine pastor linked to luxury”, WFAA-TV, February 4, 2010, link
36 Lynda Simmons, “Minority Staff Review of Without Walls International church”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p.6, link
37 Theresa Pattara and Sean Barnett, “Review of Media-Based Ministries”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p. 14 , link
38 ibid, p. 37-38
39 ibid, p. 40-42
40 ibid, p. 34
41 World Changers Church International, Inc., New Filing (Certificate of Incorporation),Georgia Secretary of State, December 30, 1994, link
42 New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Inc., Restated Articles (Certificate of Incorporation),Georgia Secretary of State, April 14, 1997, p. 2, link
43 Mike Baker, “Feds: Individuals claimed church label tax scam”, Associated Press, January 14, 2011, link
44 Greg Moran, “Grand jury misled, federal judge rules”, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 14, 2007, link
,Georgia Secretary of State, April 14, 1997, p. 2, link
45 Theresa Pattara and Sean Barnett, “Review of Media-Based Ministries”, Senate Finance Committee, January 6, 2011, p. 44-45 , link
46 Sheila M. Poole, “New Birth reduces jobs and salaries”, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 2, 2011 link
47 Warren Cole Smith and Rusty Leonard, “Franklin’s purse”, World Magazine, November 7, 2009, link
48 Email between Dan Busby and Barry Bowen (Christian Headlines), February 22, 2011
Not arguing the point. You are absolutely correct. With you 100%.
1) Notice that Sixth Circuit means it is already in the judicial system… no added laws needed.
2) Marjorie –I’m not sure this needs addressing… how old is the video?
3) Notice that on the TBN issues…
a) He was taken to court and either settled or withdrawn (all ready in the judicial system
b) NRB – is conducting their ethics investigation – which can lead to expulsion
c) do you know of any organization that has a payroll of 5,000,000 that doesn’t have litigation?
PLEASE READ AGAIN… (not shouting – no bold feature)
4) I have NO problem with adjusting housing allowance… just don’t do it just for religious organizations… do it for EVERYBODY.
5) Did you bypass those links that show how the government will always end up controlling religious freedoms when you give them the power?
Please note:
George Washington: “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible
Patrick Henry: “It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains”
And so many more…
Our Government has forgotten God… and power you give them will make them bigger tyrants.
Let what is on the books control the evil doers… but don’t give the Govt. more power. The will NOT rightly govern the religious community.
Kenneth,
Please re-read this sentence from the Baptist Press article:
“While the Sixth Circuit upheld this principle in EEOC v. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church, it failed to apply it because it found the teacher in question was not really a minister. ”
This is not an isolated case. Here are two more examples of the abuse of the office of minister:
1) When Marjoe Gortner was 4-years old, he was ordained and performed a wedding. The wedding was filmed and you can watch the wedding in the documentary Marjoe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-O9aNl2Xrk
Marjoe is an atheist and claims to have never believed in God. Should a 4-year old child be allowed to perform a marriage and be a witness on a marriage certificate?
2) From an article about Paul Crouch and TBN:
“His spokesman also acknowledges that TBN has taken advantage of IRS provisions which permit Crouch, as head of an organization defined as a church, to ordain as ministers TBN’s station managers and department heads, permitting them to deduct 100% of their housing costs as ‘parsonages.’ ”
http://articles.latimes.com/1989-04-09/news/mn-1727_1_nrb-paul-f-crouch-national-religious-broadcasters
Not all people claiming to be ministers are indeed ministers.
This also is what happens when one releases authority to the government. An encroaching effort to control all other areas of life.
http://www.christianexaminer.com/Web%20News/Webnews_Headlines1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+delicious%2Fgqlf+%28Christian+Headlines+Top+Headlines%29
This is what happens when one releases authority to the government.
http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=35884
Then prosecute the scammers. There are already laws against scammers – controlling churches doesn’t stop scammers. You are establishing a very weak position for establishing Government Control
You will never garner support from the Christian Community to change a simple “Housing Allowance” for everybody (not just churches) by forcing churches to be State Approved.
You will only find resistance.
And having “Congregational Rule”, as you suggest, will produce the same response.
You will have to separate your personal opinions of how church should be run from God’s Biblical Principles and certainly find better methods that Government oversight over churches. They can’t even police their own behaviors let alone the Church’s.
Freedom of Religion may have it’s flaws but still remains the best of positions.
Sincerely and in the bond of Chirst,
Ken
Sorry, my brother, but you
Kenneth,
It is hard for the IRS to police organizations if they don’t know the organizations exist. People are starting mail-order and internet-based “churches” which are nothing more than a scam.
I don’t agree with this either:
“Require new churches to register with the IRS
Currently the United States government does not have a right to know when churches are being formed to solicit donations because churches are exempt from filing the Form 1023 Application for Recognition of Tax-Exemption. This exemption should be abolished.”
This country is based on Freedom of Religion with no Government intervention. We already see across the world, like China, how Government approved churches is just a control issue. Our Government would do just the same as a Secular Government.
Barry,
Eddie Long does not fit the Timothy/Titus requirements and certainly does not have my support.
I would assume that his Board has the power to fire him, do you know differently? Judging by the response of his congregation, the fact that they are still going there means that if they were able to vote, they would still keep him. Those who didn’t support him… left and voted with their feet.
Are you suggesting that we change the laws and not allow out of court settlements in any case whether religious or not? I have no problem that if there is a “sexual abuse” case that no out of court settlements be allowed. But notice I didn’t relegate it to “just churches”.
For that matter, those churches that support homosexual pastors wouldn’t fire their pastors either if it were a congregational vote. How would you legally handle that?
Point that was side stepped, however, was the Biblical support for congregational powers to vote out the pastor (which is usually coordinated by a Korah type personality). Moses would have been voted out in such a case.
I really don’t find any Biblical support for Congregational rule (although if some churches want that, I wouldn’t object). I have found that whether it is Biblical with the Pastor at the helm or the Presbytery at the helm or Congregational at the helm or a combo — all work if hearts are right and all fail if hearts are not right. But… to force a congregational rule? A “no go” for sure.
Kenneth,
I believe that you are a supporter of Eddie Long based on your comments. Here’s what I mean by that:
Televangelist Eddie Long was accused of sexually abusing 4 men. They sued him and settled out of court. Eddie Long bought their silence with a nondisclosure agreement.
Had the trial taken place, and a jury found that Long had sexually abused the men, the people attending Eddie Long’s church would have been unable to fire Eddie Long.
… and I think you agree with this. I believe that you support a church system that doesn’t allow the members to hold the pastor accountable.
“Require churches to have voting members
In recent years some televangelists have developed zero member churches. This has obvious advantages for the televangelists. They can’t be fired by the congregation because the congregation has no voting rights. ”
If this is church, according to Barry, then Moses would have been fired and Jesus would not have been able to start his ministry because of the power struggles within his organization.
1) “The prosperity preachers are driven by greed. They have turned the church into a marketplace just like the money changers that defiled the Temple.”
The understanding is that you are saying “all” prosperity preachers are driven by greed.
2) Never said that all blessings are material. Suffice to say that Biblically, material blessing is included although it remains on the bottom step of importance. Money is neither good or evil — it is what we do with it that makes it good or evil. As Deut 8 and 28 says – (and Timothy) be careful that when God does increase your material blessing it doesn’t affect your spiritual life.
3) Form 990 – as it should be.
I re-read the editorial and it is a hairline away from government controlled churches. The more I read it the more it seemed like “Church according to… Barry?”
About the only a few I agree with and even then the Housing Allowance would be way too small for someone opening a church in New York City and has to live in an expensive area. Very short cited. Seems more like a knee jerk reaction from the excessive Housing Allowance of some than it does a love effort to bring correctness.
Kenneth,
1) Where did I say “All prosperity preachers are greedy”???
2) In response to number 4: God does promise to bless his people but not all blessings are material things and some of these blessings are not for this lifetime.
3) Do you understand why I singled-out churches? I doubt it. The answer is simple and it is stated in the editorial that I wrote. Churches have special exemptions that apply only to them. One example: Churches are not required to file the form 990 but all other nonprofit organizations are required to file them.
By the way, you should re-read the editorial and see what solution I offered to end housing allowance abuses.
Barry… we are not so much in disagreement.
1) I agree with the abuse… my statement is not to relegate it to “just churches”. Make it the same for everybody – business men as well as those of the cloth.
2) If we do it this way… then #2 is irrelevant. Don’t make laws that is exclusively about church (like only churches can’t talk about politics)
3) You said “ALL prosperity preachers are greedy” – a false statement as would be “all non-prosperity preachers are all saints”
There use to be a prayer which still exists is some circles “Lord, you keep the pastor humble and we will keep him poor” – another greedy attitude.
4) As do the majority of prosperity preachers — I am reminded of a radio program I was listening to by Chuck Swindoll, a great preacher. He began by saying he doesn’t believe in what the prosperity preachers preach (as he was talking about giving) and proceeded to say exactly the same things that prosperity preachers preach. That happens when one lumps those who do wrong with the vast majority of people who do right.
5) My statement is simple — don’t single out churches… apply it to everyone.
Incidentally, the message of grace also produced abuse–thus Paul said Rom 16:15 “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”
It isn’t the message, it’s the heart.
Kenneth,
1) Legislators write the tax code. They should be able to investigate how the tax code is abused and be able to offer legislative remedies to fix the problems. I don’t have a problem with a housing allowance if it is fairly implemented. But seriously, televangelists receiving a $1.6 million housing allowance during a two-year period!!!! That is crazy.
2) I agree that churches should attempt to solve their own problems, but what if they don’t? Self regulation often doesn’t work. Then what?
3) Let me remind you of Romans 13:1 which says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
The Bible is clear that religious leaders should be in submission to governing officials. If these religious officials are in rebellion against the government, they can be punished. Romans 13:4 says, “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
That verse should answer your question. Yes the government can punish religious leaders that break laws.
3) I never said that all televangelists preach the prosperity gospel.
4) No, I don’t preach a poverty gospel either. The Bible teaches a balanced view.
5) I don’t think you understand the problem so let me explain it as clearly as I possibly can: Our current laws have allowed churches to become the perfect tax shelter for religious criminals. This environment has corrupted the church and led to numerous corrupt men and women becoming church pastors, priests, and church administrators.
Barry also said “Prosperity preachers are driven by greed”.
1) Yes… there are those who are driven by greed. But to judge all hearts is against scripture. One should never lump a whole group for what some do.
2) Paul said some preach from envy, some to create strife, and some out of good will, some out of contention, some out of love. Notice that it doesn’t have to be prosperity preaching to have a bad heart. And one DEFINITELY can be driven by greed even if you don’t preach prosperity.
3) Do you preach a poverty gospel? Pray tell… where is that found in scripture?
Barry wrote, “The Bible teaches church discipline. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to remove an evil man from among them. (1 Corinthians 5:13)
Agreed… question is, does is say “government” or is it the church that does it?
Doesn’t the Bible also say not to take church problems to the government? Do we pick and choose which scriptures to follow?
What about just eliminating Housing Allowance for all people with no exceptions – so that the government is not involved in church affairs?
The issue, in my opinion, is the wisdom of using government (a lesser entity) to control the church ( a higher entity)
Mark,
I have been researching religious financial fraud for over 6 years. I decided to work on an investigative article series to explain how these criminals operate and get away with their crimes.
After lots of delays I hope to complete my article series by the end of the summer and publish the remaining articles at Christian Post.
I decided to attack the fraud on multiple fronts:
1) Expose the corrupt religious leaders through the media.
2) Advocate legal changes.
It is insane to me that Eddie Long receives over $1 million in tax-exempt income by being paid through “love offerings”. Also, a law should be passed to stop preachers like Paula and Randy White from being paid almost $1.6 million in housing allowances in a two-year period.
3) Attempt to build alternative religious networks and organizations that refuse to promote the prosperity gospel.
This last section will be the most challenging. I want to start an alternative organization to National Religious Broadcasters. This corrupt organization tolerates the prosperity gospel preachers. Corrupt religious TV networks like TBN have large booths each year at their convention.
Also, I want to start a Christian video portal site or channel that will use storytelling, movies, documentaries and news to advance the kingdom of God. Hopefully, I can pull viewers away from the corrupt networks.
You wrote, “There must be a balance, but I don’t think it is the prosperity doctrine that should be our real concern as believers.”
I totally reject this statement. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 teaches us that the church bishop or overseer should not be a lover of money.
The prosperity preachers are driven by greed. They have turned the church into a marketplace just like the money changers that defiled the Temple.
2 Peter 2:3 perfectly describes today’s corrupt televangelists. The KJV says they “make merchandise of you”.
If Jesus walked the streets of America today, I am convinced He would say to the televangelists, “Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22)
The Bible teaches that our treasures should be in heaven. However, too many people want their treasures in this lifetime. But those treasures don’t last. (Matthew 6:20)
Kenneth,
You wrote, “Why not let Jesus cast out those who do not know Him?”
The Bible teaches church discipline. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to remove an evil man from among them. (1 Corinthians 5:13)
First sentence should read “scripturally no legal. Wish I could modify it.
Dear Barry… thank you for your frank response… and please let me quote:
“4) Kenneth, I wish that I had worded those sentences differently. I should have wrote that Sen. Grassley “ended” rather than completed a five-year investigation of religious financial fraud.
Also, if you think Grassley found nothing, please re-read this sentence: “Televangelists Randy and Paula White received housing allowances of $713,779 in 2005 and $883,120 in 2006.””
Your answer is, of course, scripturally it is not legal.
My problem isn’t so much this area, which is obvious to all, and certainly not off of the radar screen of Jesus Christ who sees all and will reward all accordingly. And certainly Christians should not stand by and wink and wrong doing.
But the issue isn’t so cut and dry and many dangers are forged with the approach of government intervention.
Examples:
1) Senator Grassley overstepped his authority in trying to get privileged information from donors. An abuse of power. The more we delegate power to the government, the more their tentacles will begin to dictate to the church what they will and will not do. We see this on a daily basis.
2) Who will establish what is “correct”? A 2 bedroom flat in New York City might rent for 2,000 + a month and cost of living is tremendous. How would you establish a housing allowance for a pastor reaching those people from one in my neck of the woods where a 3bed 2 bath can be obtained for 800/month?
3) How do you establish a salary in the same scenario?
4) How much should a minister receive when he starts a ministry? How much is too much? Should it be the average of the attendants? So, if you start a church in millionaire lane, should they get a millionaire salary? And if you start a church in the slums, should your children go hungry like those you serve?
I’m not saying I have the answer, but I’m sure the government isn’t the answer. If someone is getting 1,000,000 in housing allowance, publicize it, tell people about it, blow the whistle from the roof top. If someone wants to go to that church after full knowledge, let them go to it. Can you stop itchy ears if they want it scratched?
Can you stop the continued proliferation of homosexual pastors? Should we put that into the law too since it is an abuse of position and a twisting of scripture? Or should that be a church issue?
Or is it, in reality, something that needs to be corrected Biblically and let people make their decisions according to their own pocket book on who they give to and which church they decide they are going to go to?
Why not let Jesus cast out those who do not know Him?
Once you start the path of Government, you will eventually have Government controlled churches just as they took the First Amendment rights of free speech during elections. It is the nature of the beast.
Sincerely, and in Christ
Ken
It really makes me sick! shame on these ministries
It really makes me sick!
Barry- I think a lot of people are expressing concern because it is a slippery slope you are suggesting.
One thing in your remarks really troubles me. The comment you made to Jenny saying that she was more concerned about religious freedom than religious integrity.
Yes as a Christian we should be concerned about religious integrity especially in our walk and talk and our influence, but as an American we should be equally concerned about religious freedom. Because that is the foundation of what it means to be an American!! Any other way means that the “state” dictates what it is that constitutes “religious integrity” and not the hearts of man.
That’s why many true Christians were and are persecuted and killed in places like China, the former Soviet Union and Vietnam, and many other countries, Because they refused to adhere to the states required “religious integrity.”
I would like you to consider that true religious integrity (at least on any major scale) can only flourish in a land of religious freedom. I admit that it also allows for “religious un-integrity” to flourish. Be that as it may, as a true believer, I believe that the truth will never be overcome by the darkness. And in an arena where truth and error are given freedom, truth will eventually win.- Unless that choice is given to a government power then truth can and will be suppressed by government intervention.
Remember that at the heart of most doctrinal error is a spiritual truth and people with no evil intentions. Just that it is as imperfect man sometimes get out of balance with its application.
For example, I truthfully believe that God indeed wants to blessed and prosper us. You can find things like that in the Word of God. On the other hand, I don’t believe that that is his top priority for our lives nor should it be ours. Building our character, love, honesty and forgiveness rank higher on his list of priorities for our lives. If we work on these things God can take care of the rest..(all of these other things will be added unto you…)
To me that is a balanced approach. Applying those balances to our lives is the difficult part. People are going to interpret those balances differently.
We must have the freedom to allow for that. And trust that God has the ability to chastise those who get too far out of balance. Not by taking away freedom from all of us, or by using the government to place on us its interpretation of “Christian doctrine” but by allowing the truth the freedom to prevail over error. Jesus came to set us free- The freedom we enjoy in American is due to this gospel of freedom. God has always given us freedom to choose.
Is a great apostasy happening? I believe it is, yes I believe the prosperity doctrine is self-serving to those who teach it. I’ve also seen people raise out of their poverty who would otherwise never stepped out in faith to believe God to change their situation if it wasn’t for the strength of some of their teaching. I came out of a denomination that was just as unbalanced that taught that to be godly was to be poor.
There must be a balance, but I don’t think it is the prosperity doctrine that should be our real concern as believers. Look at the churches embracing homosexuality, abortion, redefining marriage, universalism. To me that is real apostasy. Because these churches aren’t just unbalanced, they are completely throwing away the very moral foundations of the faith and even taking away the need for Christ.
I have an idea….Maybe we should try to get some laws passed to put government regulations on them to make them line up with our idea of “religious integrity?”
No I think we need to keep proclaiming the truth of God’s word and calling balance where unbalance resides. And Bringing Truth where Truth has been abandoned.
Remember it is really these apostate churches, that have abandoned truth, that are towing the government line of political correctness , that would force us all into submission to their way of thinking if they could. Do we want to create government sponsored apostasy?
I say again, Wake up Christians, do we really want to give the government this kind of power?… You know, come to think of it, we may just need big churches with lots of money to fight such oppression and coercion… So let’s choose our battles wisely!
I want to thank everyone for taking time to leave a comment. I’m the former editor of Christian Headlines and author of this editorial.
Here’s a couple of comments based on your feedback.
1) The Bible mentions a great falling away of the Church. I’m convinced the Church is falling into apostasy and too many Christians are unwilling to do anything about it.
2) Allen, I do have serious theological disagreements with the prosperity preachers on TV. The Bible teaches that Christians should not be “lovers of money.” I’m amazed that you would accuse me of writing this editorial based on jealousy. I’m not against someone earning an honest living. However, taking advantage of people to get wealthy is a sin.
3) Jim, I’m also opposed to government fraud.
4) Kenneth, I wish that I had worded those sentences differently. I should have wrote that Sen. Grassley “ended” rather than completed a five-year investigation of religious financial fraud.
Also, if you think Grassley found nothing, please re-read this sentence: “Televangelists Randy and Paula White received housing allowances of $713,779 in 2005 and $883,120 in 2006.”
I have a question for you. Is this legal?
5) Charitas, the Christian Headlines blog uses a moderation system. The site administrator must approve all comments before they go live on the website. That was the reason your comment was missing.
In regard to your comment about ECFA. That is a good idea, however, membership in ECFA is voluntary. False teachers and false preachers are very unlikely to join an organization that provides effective oversight.
6) Jenny, I am an evangelical Christian. I believe that salvation is available only through Jesus Christ and cannot be earned by works. From your comments it seems to me that you are more concerned about religious freedom than religious integrity. I’m convinced that when the Church compromises its integrity, God may need to removed its freedoms. God chastens those He loves.
7) Todd, if you are consistent, you will also oppose all laws that require church daycare programs to perform background checks on employees to prevent sex offenders from going to work at these facilities.
It should be obvious from my article that I am not advocating the government telling churches what they should teach. Instead, I’m concerned with people abusing their tax-exempt status and getting wealthy off the donations. This is poor stewardship, fraud, and the Bible calls it ill-gotten gain. Many churches today are just like the Temple that Jesus entered and threw out the money changers. False preachers and false teachers are turning the church into a marketplace. I wonder what you are going to do about it.
Are you on crack? Seriously? I agree that accountability is needed, but that accountability exists. I entirely agree with what Kenneth Delagado said, so I won’t repeat it. But, abolish the CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT that gives Christians the right to assemble without the control and intervention of the government? Have you never read a history book? Have you never read the Constitution? The First Amendment?
” Require new churches to register with the IRS. Currently the United States government does not have a right to know when churches are being formed to solicit donations because churches are exempt from filing the Form 1023 Application for Recognition of Tax-Exemption. This exemption should be abolished.”
Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
The IRS has no grounds to restrict or register the church based on THIS ALONE. And the only way you can force churches to register with the IRS is to abolish this, the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. So I ask again. Are you on crack?
Have Faith!! God is quite capable of dealing with His Men an Women and even those who are truly not. These vast resources are needed to complete the Great Commission. Do you honestly believe that a head of state will talk to someone who lives and acts like the power of God has not touched thier lives? We are all accountalbe for our actions and the resources that God gvies us. Just remember what happened to those who dared touch Saul! We serve a sovereign God. He will not share his power with any government!! As if our God needed help regulating his people! Trust God! Though it may look like our government may regulate the fairness of earned income of these ministers, this control will not stop there. Remember God dispenses his favor to those whom He will. He is God!
I left a comment as “a church treasurer”, it was removed after a few days. I am fine with the decision but I just don’t understand why. Can anyone please give me an explanation?
am I reading this right to say that Christian headlines is the proud leader of this witch hunt? And I thought it was nonbelievers that were seeking out ways to defame christianity and plant seeds of suspicion towards all christian ministries, and cause govt regulations that block christian liberties. Well was I wrong .. its our own family.
yes there will always be those that take advantage of money … money money money… look at our society its a huge issue.. broke govt.. broke people…
but to start this sort of process when christian liberties are at this time in america already so in danger says to me that the people heading this up have been offended, hurt , hold resentment bitterness anger and want to rip the covers off of everything thats hurt them. I pray God heal your hurts.
I find that at times when I want to run around exposing sin, its best to sit back , pray for God to do what God can do best, and for me to stay focused on Worshipping the creator , LOving my fellow human beings and walking the walk.
I am now wondering if Christian headlines is actually a christian organization? I had thought so but this confuses me. Are you ?
Thank you graceman, you make a really good point about the danger of government interference.
However we need to also be aware that if some form of oversight is not employed the net effect will be similar.
I am the Church treasurer for my congregation and have to continually face down compromising practices.
Many of these practices are not intended to be dishonest or even sinful they are just mindless pragmatisms.
It is very easy for mild compromising practices to grow and become outright fraud especially if leadership has a seared conscience.
A practical solution to improve accountability (without government) would be to employ a more robust form of EFCA with broad public relations for bringing to light any abusers (even those outside the org.)
Such an organization could also employ ethics controls with penalties for non-financial misbehavior.
All Church officers must ultimately be willing to submit to God’s Holy Word for reproof and for volitional conduct because when they circumvent the Bible the entire organization and other innocents will suffer.
Who in their right mind would belong to a church that didn’t allow membership? That would send up a red flag for me automatically! My g-mother lost a TON of money to Jim Baker. My suggestion is, give to your own church, or give to a reputable charity. I agree w/the above statement, if your on the up & up, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Right?
I should add that by disclosing, I meant disclose all to the church members. And by the way, who wants to belong to a church where they don’t allow membership? That would automatically send up a red flag for me.
I for one have had a hard time trusting televanglist since the big Jim, and Tammy Baker scandal in the late 70s! In the 90s, my husband kept the church finacial records. There was a check off sheet for every expenditure, from the program (feeding the homeless), right down to the water bill. On the last Sunday of the month, the check off list was read allowed to the congregration, and copies were given to any member that wanted it. No money passed through our Preacher’s hand; it instead was counted by my husband infront of the church elders, along with randomly selected member’s which changed each Sunday. Our Preacher, and his wife paid for their own house with the money they earned working at “regular” jobs; he was a manager of a grocery store, and she was a nail tech. They still live in the same house which cost a whopping 27,000 in the mid 70s. My very long winded point is; a church (no matter the size) can be run with total disclosier, and should be. Maybe the way we did things wouldn’t work so well for a mega-church, but really; how hard is it (if your on the up and up) to at least have seperate addresses for a company, or have a phone number for that company? All that said, I am with the other post’s that say the government intruding any greater than it already has, is the WORST idea ever!
PS… there are already laws on the books for fraud. If there is fraud, they can pursue according to the laws of the land.
I find this commentary quite laughable… look at what it says:
“has completed a five-year investigation of religious financial fraud…
No subpoenas were issued and this resulted in an incomplete investigation.”
After FIVE years, it was an “Incomplete investigation”???? Plllease!!! Sounds more like they didn’t find anything…
“Questionable activities by televangelists Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer were overlooked after they cooperated in the investigation.”
Let me see if I understand this…. our govt “overlooked” after they “cooperated”??? Plllease!!! Sound more like “they cooperated and we didn’t find anything”!!
What a political move by the Senator who violated the laws of the land by not following IRS rules!
I’m less bothered by the acts of greed within ministry, but more by the hypocrisy apparent in the individuals who engage in this behavior. Stop pretending that all the money received was an unexpected “blessing”; we know an evangelist needs money to survive and they need us to pay them for their services. Pretty much, they have a job and they need a salary. But when their salary begins to afford them mansions, jets, and cars to appease vanity? At that point, the rest of us are skeptical and not fooled by the cheerful “Hallelujah!” and “Look what the Lord has done!” meant to divert our attention.
I agree with @graceman, requiring Churches to register with the IRS as suggested above will cause all Churches to be subjected to government control. See Russia and China for how that’s worked out in the past. These sleezy televangelists are easy to spot and regulate after the fact.
A better editorial would be:
RELIGIOUS INTERVENTION NEEDED TO CURB GOVERNMENT FRAUD
People,stay focused. You are blaming these human ministers of the word for being human! All they have done is tried to grow the strength of their ministries. Just because the taxman blows his whistle it doesn’t mean they’re bad people! Think and decide for yourself and don’t mix caesar’s debts with God’s ministry! The bible says that too!
I think you have a theological beef with most televangelists, and you are jelous they make more money than you. Come on be honest. This is personal! Else how does what you are proposing help anyone, but the government?
All churches including mega-churches are ran by imperfect human beings. So are governments. If the government regulates the Church, then who will regulate the government? Imperfect men will make the laws and then imperfect judges will interpret the laws, many of them will be secularists, humanists and atheists. Then imperfect agents will enforce the law! LOOK OUT ALL CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS!! At least the churches have an amount of regulation because it depends on the free will of the people to either support it or not support it. The government has no such restraint, since it forces people to support it. If a church gets too far out of sync the supporters will eventually rein it in or abandoned it. But if the government goes too far no one is allowed to pull their support, your donations to them are collected from the barrel of a gun. It is not as easy to control government. And we have all seen how incapable our government is at regulating itself. They can’t even control their own spending. If a business was run the way our government runs with all of its lies, fraud and abuse, the owners would already be arrested and put in prison.
As I’ve Spoken to you before, I think you are on the wrong side of this issue my brother. There is always more than one side to every story. Using the government to go after and regulate churches is a bad move for all or us. There is no financial organization more corrupt than the government. There is nothing more corrupting than the Power of Government. There is no organization that wastes more of the people’s money than the government. Plus the government uses that money to assist and promote far left liberal ideologies, in our schools, in our media, and in the funding of abortion organizations and trans-gender education plus much more that most believers do not approve of, things that are destroying our families and our culture. I applaud Church Organizations that try to keep that money out of the hands of the government. If they use some of it for personal gain, so what? Its not up to the government to tell anyone what they can make and what they can’t. If someone doesn’t like the way some minister lives, or the way he runs the ministry, they have a choice; Don’t support him! Its a free country! The left cries “Separation of Church and State” when it is to their advantage to keep Christians from participating in government or government activities but when it comes to the State interfering or regulating the Church and sticking their nose into church activities. suddenly there is not a peep about it. Do you really think that if the government gets legislation passed to regulate big churches, that it will not then regulate all churches (big and small)! If the government gets that legal right, soon they will be regulating the content of the ministry and telling the ministry what they can do and can’t do and what they can and can’t preach. Its already happening in many countries including Europe and Canada! You know once the government has their foot in the door there will be no going back, besides all ministers are already required by law to pay taxes on personal income. Using ministry funds to invest in companies or businesses, should be the right of any church organization. That is right in line with the teachings of Jesus. Investing money to make more money is not a sin or a crime, it is what I believe God would expect out of any of us. We all make use of tax shelters and we all take advantage of deductions to lower our tax bills. Why would we expect less from Churches or Christian organizations? For example: Depreciation is only a tax shelter and that is determined by the government, it doesn’t have anything to do with mismanagement as you so leveled in your report. Just that old things are not worth as much as new things. That is a no-brainer! I’m sure all of these organizations make use of tax attorneys. I would trust my money any day in the hands of a minister (big or small), than I would in the hands of the government! Or maybe you just love government and government regulation and you believe the government is more righteous and holy and needs more money to carry out is agenda than churches do!!!!
If someone is living too lucratively or not handling funds as they should, that is up to God to decide NOT THE GOVERNMENT! In our country the founding fathers limited the power of government over the church because they rightly knew where the biggest corruption would lie. It’s the government not the church that has contributed mostly to the down turn in our culture. And according to the Word of God, If you stand in judgment against your brother, you better know well what you are doing and talking about, because you will be judged by that same judgment. Remember every one of us will have to stand before God and give an account- not for someone else, or even a big name minister- but only for ourselves. That includes the big name ministers and the little named servants. So we are better off to let God do the judging, I’m sure he’s big enough to handle it without our help or help from the IRS.
Be careful. You do not really want government to starting regulating Christian organizations. If they have such power, they will abuse it and shut down anyone they do not like.
This is sad. I follwed and truly trusted in the words of Benny Hinn. I would go to his conferences when I could and thought he was truly doing great work for God/Jesus.
Now to find all this out, not only about him but about all the others in this “rat pack”.. what a crushing blow.
Needless to say I will NOT be following him or and of the others listed. Why can’t people be honest in these times, yeah they’re rough but Jesus said they would be and He said “He who endures to the end will be saved.” Sorry Benny and others you have not endured, but rather profited from the very ones who need the gospel.
Good Bye
In my view yes this most definetly needed its only about money today with all TV preachers and this not how jesus said to spread his word at all I think they should all be closed down period .The prosperity gospel they preach is for them not you and they hide behind the Bible to get it done for them only ! Did jesus ride in to Jerusalem on the most prized stallion clothed in the finest silk wearing gold and precious stones -if it was Creflo Dollar what do you think or Paula White or Benny Hinn and the list is endless . Enough of these liars using gods Holy word to make themselves rich and they say God told me too when so many others have not -I say Toast them for their twisting of his Holy Word !
This is excellent! Great information and insight. I will share with our blog.
If you’re serious about this, go to http://www.990now.org and sign the petition.