Very Interesting News

Senator investigating 6 TV ministries
By Erica Simons


WASHINGTON (BP)--The leading Republican on the Senate Finance Committee is
investigating prominent televangelists and their financial conduct, pursuing
reports of elaborate private jets, Rolls Royces and indulgent salaries.

"It is important that the Congress and the public have confidence that
public charities, which benefit from very significant tax breaks, are
operated in a manner that promotes continued trust," Sen. Grassley, R.-Iowa,
said in a Nov. 5 letter to the TV preachers.

Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn are among representatives of six ministries asked
to hand over their records of expenses and compensations to Grassley.
Because of their non-profit "church status," all of the ministries are
tax-exempt and not required to submit their financial information to the
Internal Revenue Service.

"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," Grassley said. "I'm following
up on complaints from the public and news coverage regarding certain
practices at six ministries."

Other ministries that Grassley has identified for investigation are Paula
and Randy White; Gloria and Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries
in Newark, Texas; Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in
Lithonia, Ga., and Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers International
in College Park, Ga.

Grassley requested the preachers disclose their personal and ministry-
related finances. He asked for credit card statements; lists of expenses for
second and third residences used by the ministers; the cost of hotels,
travel and entertainment used for board meetings; cash and non-cash gifts
given by the ministries, and lists of private vehicles. The media-oriented
ministries have been given one month to comply with the requests.

The senator's goal is to bring transparency to the donor-funded,
billion-dollar industry of TV evangelism, according to his statement.

Most of these ministries are financed by individuals, who often receive
material gifts such as CDs and books in return for their support. Hinn also
sells keepsakes, such as desk sculptures and decorative plates, on his
website.

The practices of these types of ministries have been under scrutiny in the
last several years, mainly in the mainstream press. The Tampa Tribune
recently investigated Randy and Paula White. The Whites announced in August
they are divorcing.

These and other investigative reports weighed on Grassley's decision. Ole
Anthony of the Trinity Foundation, a watchdog of religious broadcasting,
provides a way for donors who feel victimized by pastors and teachers to
report it on his website.

Joyce Meyer, who was investigated by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2003,
provides her ministry's financial reports online and undergoes a voluntary
financial and legal audit each year.

"We are pleased to announce that during 2006, 82 percent of total expenses
were spent on outreach and programs directed at reaching people," said a
statement released by the ministry in early August 2007.

Some leaders are concerned the investigation might blur lines between church
and state.

"This is cause for alarm that a Senate committee would presume to directly
exercise financial oversight of religious ministries," Richard John Neuhaus,
editor of the journal First Things, told Christianity Today.

Kenneth Behr, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability, said the investigation might be unfair. "I think he's
picking a fight," he said of Grassley, according to the Tampa Tribune. "He
is not just asking them to come in and talk, he is asking them for
everything."

Behr's organization has set standards for how churches, private Christian
colleges and large ministries should handle their tax-exempt status in an
ethical way. Members are required to hold to these standards. None of the
six ministries under investigation are currently members.

"If your house is in order, you have nothing to fear and much to gain from
this process," Florida pastor Joel Hunter told Christianity Today. Hunter's
Orlando church -- Northland, A Church Distributed -- provides its members
with a financial report weekly.