Posted on 01/29/2008 9:54:51 AM PST by FewsOrange
It hasn’t generated a lot of headlines, but in the world of religion and politics, it’s a pretty big deal. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, recently asked six high-profile, hyper-wealthy Pentecostal televangelists for their financial records, under the suspicion that they’re using their ministries for personal gain. (Imagine that.)
Not surprisingly, most of the televangelists’ ministries have been loath to cooperate with the inquiry. One in particular is pledging a holy war.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has gone after more than a few iconic nonprofits during his tenure atop the Finance Committee, including the Red Cross, Smithsonian and Harvard University.
But now the Finance ranking member and former chairman may have met his match: televangelist Kenneth Copeland of the sprawling Kenneth Copeland Ministries based in Newark, Texas.
In a Jan. 22 closed-circuit broadcast of his 2008 Ministers’ Conference obtained by Roll Call, Copeland pledges a holy war against “Brother Grassley” and the Senate for attempting to get a look at the controversial ministry’s finances. Grassley wrote a Nov. 6 letter to Copeland and five other prominent ministers requesting a variety of financial information.
“You render unto the government what belongs to the government. And you render unto God what belongs to God,” Copeland loudly intones to approving murmurs from the crowd of 1,000 ministers and their guests.
Oh, the irony is rich. These TV preachers believe the separation of church and state is some kind of Satanic, communist plot to be rejected by decent people everywhere. That is, right up until a senator wonders if perhaps they’re abusing their tax-exempt status, at which point the church-state wall is high and impregnable.
Now, I should note that, as a rule, I’m not inclined to have government officials poking around churches’ books — unless the church is receiving tax dollars or is suspected of wrongdoing. In this case, the latter applies.
Grassley contacted six ministries that has engaged in activities that certainly look like fraud. These tax-exempt ministries are required, by law, not to use donations from followers to enrich themselves, and there’s considerable evidence that they’ve done just that.
It’s no wonder, then, that some of these Pentecostal televangelists are reluctant to share information with Grassley. Copeland seems to be quite the drama-queen about it.
After a searing attack on Grassley’s tactics — which Copeland says were designed to sully his image and pressure him via the media — Copeland says he will never provide information on his donors, even if he is ordered to do so by subpoena.
“You can go get a subpoena, and I won’t give it to you!” Copeland storms. “It’s not yours, it’s God’s and you’re not going to get it and that’s something I’ll go to prison over. So, just get over it!” he tells Grassley, jamming his finger into the air. “And if there’s a death penalty that applies, well just go for it!”
I see.
As for the broader political context, because the six ministries involved are all mega-churches, filled with likely Republican voters, there’s quite a bit of consternation about Grassley’s inquiry.
Doug Wead, head of evangelical outreach for ex-President George H.W. Bush, said the move threatens to fracture the tenuous coalition of Pentecostal and Baptist voters that supported President George W. Bush in his campaigns. He said the ministers see the probe as personal because Grassley is a Baptist and the churches are all Pentecostal. Grassley argues the inquiry is about tax-exempt policy and not religious doctrine. He says he did not know the churches’ denominations before the letters were sent.
“He’s dividing the base that George W. Bush had,” Wead contended. “He’s opened this deep fissure. If you look at it as a Republican, it looks disastrous.”
Well, that’s certainly a good reason for a senator to look the other way on suspected fraud and abuse, isn’t it?
As for what kind of “holy war” these ministries might consider, we haven’t seen any details yet, but it should be interesting. Stay tuned.
First the verdict, then the trial!
I don't know.
If the church leader /leaders are abusing the tax exempt status for personal gain should they not be held accountable?
If not by congress then who has the power to review? I'm asking because I really don't know the answer.
If Copeland has nothing to hide then why not agree with the reveiw and be done with it?
Not 100% accurate. You are correct that a church need not file as a 501(c)(3) but there are rules by which a religious organization must adhere. Using “non taxable” funds that were INTENDED for religious purposes for personal use are absolutely taxable. And there is more to this than a local church. These charlatans beg for money every week (some every day) for money from their TV audience. The funny part is that if they really believe what they preach, they would know that God provides and they don’t need to beg for money. Of course, they could not live their lavish lifestyles without the begging...
I don't know.
If the church leader /leaders are abusing the tax exempt status for personal gain should they not be held accountable?
If not by congress then who has the power to review? I'm asking because I really don't know the answer.
If Copeland has nothing to hide then why not agree with the reveiw and be done with it?
More than just the church. How about the thousands of people who blindly send in their cash after hearing his sob story on TV?
I added ia (US: Iowa) to the TOPICS list for our FRiends who monitor Iowa news in the sidebar.
Instead of just scrolling past them all, please take a moment to click the applicable state(s) on the Topics screen when posting news of particular interest to people in that state.
I will make sure to forward your reply to OJ.
OK, so you are going to quibble about me not saying “presumed” ... I messed up on that. Fine, now deal with the real issue.
What is more disturbing to me is seeing all those here at FR who have such a hatred for Evangelicals that they are willing to throw freedom of religion under the bus. Dont you people get it ... if we allow them to take our rights one at a time, then there will be nobody left to defend you when the right that you hold dearest is being erased from the Constitution.
If I give money to a church, I really dont care what they spend it on. If for whatever reason, I suddenly do care, then the solution is simple, I can stop giving to that church!
How would you feel if the government started auditing the financial records of the churches and compared what you took off on your taxes to what the church said you paid? What if personal giving was eliminated and the government took 10% of your income and gave it to whatever church you were a member of? What if the government started licensing preachers and priests? Are those of you who hate Copeland ready to allow any of those things? Seriously folks, who let the DU in here???
As will every other church in the country. If the government ever gets a precedent, there will be no stopping them. Say goodbye to your local churches, because they won't be able to stay open...
And if it did?
Just silly. You’d scream bloody murder if they came after your church’s records. And well you should. Once the government can ostracize people because they are Pentecostals, or Jehovah’s Witnesses or any other religion, the U.S. is finished. Go Ken!
Go Kenneth! You have my blessing. Someone needs to point their finger in these blood sucking politicians’ eyes and tell them to keep their hands off of their money.
And talk about misrepresentation. We the taxpayer have been lied to and stolen from for years, while we have to pay for politicians as they ride in limos, dine in style and live on fat pensions. And we don’t have a choice whether we want to contribute or not.
If anyone needs investigating it’s the politicians.
I think we all know who you'd like to put in charge of the "lavish lifestyle" police.
Again, if you had bothered to read any of this, you would know that members (and ministry employees) have come forward to reveal the corruption. I’m not here to argue with you, but if you don’t want to bother to do your research, you are wasting my time.
And spot on, IMO.
Well that's some kind of reasoning. And even though you know that the politicians are crooks, you want them to investigate others?
Senator Grassley is far less a crook than Ken Copeland.
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