Posted on 11/25/2007 9:26:29 PM PST by Terriergal
Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is standing by televangelist Kenneth Copeland as the U.S. Senate investigates the ministry’s potential financial misconduct.
Fri, Nov. 23, 2007 Posted: 19:23:03 PM EST
Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is standing by televangelist Kenneth Copeland as the U.S. Senate investigates the ministry’s potential financial misconduct.
Copeland has given his support to Huckabee and appears in ads with the Republican candidate in the religious magazine Charisma to promote the ministry’s upcoming TV special.
Despite the potential negative effect, former Baptist preacher Huckabee has expressed his trust in the Copelands and will appear on the ministry’s TV show next week.
“Kenneth and Gloria Copeland are about the most gracious, authentic, and humble people I know and I consider them dear friends,” Huckabee wrote to Time magazine. “They have brought hope to millions and have operated with the utmost integrity as far as I know.
“I have found them to be as warm and genuine in their private moments as they are in their public moments,” he said.
The Copelands are part of a faction of Charismatic Christianity which preaches what critics call the “prosperity Gospel” – a highly criticized theology which teaches that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing.
Copeland Ministries has expressed in a statement online that it is leaning towards not complying with the request for financial records from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) of the Senate Finance Committee.
John Copeland – son of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and CEO of Kenneth Copeland Ministries – said the ministry “has been, and always will be, a ministry of integrity.”
“As a church organization, we are required only to share our information with the Internal Revenue Service,” Copeland said regarding the Senate probe, according to the Texas-based Star-Telegraph newspaper. “We operate our church in full compliance with IRS guidelines.”
“We are very diligent in protecting the privacy of our Partners and Friends. We will not participate in a public spectacle. We operate our ministry with privacy – not secrecy.”
The Copelands received the longest questionnaire about their finances, according to Time.
Grassley has asked six televangelists to submit information about their finances by Dec. 6.
“Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey,” Grassley, a Christian, told the Los Angeles Times. “Do these ministers really need Bentleys and Rolls-Royces to spread the Gospel?”
The multimillion-dollar ministry heads, dubbed the “Grassley Six,” are Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Binny Hinn, Creflo and Taffi Dollar, Bishop Eddie Long, Joyce and David Meyer, and Randy and Paula White.
Long and Dollar have said they will provide financial records requested.
Copeland will have Huckabee as a guest for five consecutive days on his internationally aired television show Believer’s Voice of Victory beginning Monday.
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
“televangelist Kenneth Copeland as the U.S. Senate investigates the ministry’s potential financial misconduct.”
What the heck is the senate doing investigating alleged financial wrongdoing by a “ministry?”
That was MY question. I mean, if he committed a crime, law enforcement should be investigating. If he was a public official misusing funds, the Senate should investigate.
But why would they “investigate” a private citizen for criminal activity?
- Sales Tax, 1996 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/07/96)
- Gas and Diesel Fuel Taxes, 1999 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/02/99, 04/25/99)
- Sales Tax, 2000 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 09/25/02)
- Cigarette Tax, 2001 (Associated Press, 04/02/01)
- Nursing Home Bed Tax, 2001 (Associated Press, 06/25/01)
- Sales Tax, 2002 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02)
- Income Surcharge Tax, 2003 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07)
- Tobacco Tax, 2003 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/09/07)
- Internet Taxes, 2004 (Bond Buyer, 02/24/04)
Taxes
______
Is Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee a Pro-Growth, Economic Conservative?
The Club for Growth is committed to lower taxes across the board. Lower taxes on work, savings, and investments lead to greater levels of these activities, thus encouraging greater economic growth.
Governor Huckabee touts himself as an economic conservative, writing in his biography that he “pushed through the Arkansas legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history” and “led efforts to establish a Property Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights” early on as governor (Arkansas Times 09/22/05), but he only offers a small piece of the picture.
It is true that Governor Huckabee fought for an $80 million tax cut package in 1997 that was passed by the Arkansas legislature (Cato Policy
Analysis No. 315, 09/03/98); cut the state capital gains tax in 1999 (The Commercial Appeal 02/29/99); and passed the Property Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights in the same year, limiting the increase in property taxes to 10% a year for individuals and 5% per taxing unit (AP 03/16/99). However, his record over the rest of his ten-year tenure tells a starkly different story.
Immediately upon taking office, Governor Huckabee signed a sales tax hike in 1996 to fund the Games and Fishing Commission and the Department of Parks and Tourism (Cato Policy Analysis No. 315, 09/03/98).
He supported an internet sales tax in 2001 (Americans for Tax Reform 01/07/07).
He publicly opposed the repeal of a sales tax on groceries and medicine in 2002 (Arkansas News Bureau 08/30/02).
He signed bills raising taxes on gasoline (1999), cigarettes (2003) (Americans for Tax Reform 01/07/07), and a $5.25 per day bed-tax on private nursing home patients in 2001 (Arkansas New Bureau 03/01/01).
He proposed another sales take hike in 2002 to fund education improvements (Arkansas News Bureau 12/05/02).
He opposed a congressional measure to ban internet taxes in 2003 (Arkansas News Bureau 11/21/03).
In 2004, he allowed a 17% sales tax increase to become law (The Gurdon Times 03/02/04).
By the end of his ten-year tenure, Governor Huckabee was responsible for a 37% higher sales tax in Arkansas, 16% higher motor fuel taxes, and 103% higher cigarette taxes according to Americans for Tax Reform (01/07/07), garnering a lifetime grade of D from the free-market Cato Institute. During Huckabee’s tenure as governor, the average Arkansan’s tax burden increased 47 percent, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
While he is on record supporting making the Bush tax cuts permanent, he joined Democrats in criticizing the Republican Party for tilting its tax policies “toward the people at the top end of the economic scale” (Washington Examiner 09/13/06), even though objective evidence demonstrates that the Bush tax cuts have actually shifted the tax burden to higher income taxpayers.
Finally, Governor Huckabee opposed further tax cuts at a 2005 gathering of Iowa conservatives (AP 09/17/05). On January 28, 2007, Governor Huckabee refused to pledge not to raise taxes if elected President, first on Meet the Press and then at the National Review Conservative Summit. The evidence suggests that his commitment to protecting taxpayers evidenced in his early gubernatorial years may be a thing of the past.
Spending
The Club for Growth is committed to reducing government spending. Less spending enhances economic growth by enabling lower taxes and diminishing the economically inefficient political allocation of resources.
Under Governor Huckabee’s watch, state spending increased a whopping 65.3% from 1996 to 2004, three times the rate of inflation (Americans for Tax Reform 01/07/07).
The number of state government workers rose 20% during his tenure (Arkansas Leader 04/15/06), and the state’s general obligation debt shot up by almost $1 billion, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
The massive increase in government spending is due in part to the number of new programs and expansion of already existing programs initiated by Governor Huckabee, including ARKids First, a multimillion-dollar government program to provide health coverage for thousands
of Arkansas’ children (Arkansas News Bureau 04/13/06).
These large increases in government borrowing and spending significantly impede economic growth.
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/01/a_report_on_mike_huckabees_fis.php
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Immigration
_________
Fact #1 As Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee denounced an immigration bill (Arkansas Senate Bill 206) that “would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and would have required state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally.”
(Doug Thompson, “Immigration Bill un-christian..governor says”Arkansas News Bureau 1/28/05)
Fact #2. As Governor, Mike Huckabee offered a proposal to give state funded scholarships and state benefits to illegal aliens.
(Laura Kellams, “Huckabee Plan would give aid to illegal aliens” Arkansas Democrat Gazette 1/12/2005)
Fact #3. Governor Huckabee supported a Bush-backed immigration plan that provides a path to citizenship for some illegal aliens.
(CNN 2008 Election Center, http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/mike.huckabee.html)
Fact #4. Governor Huckabee refuses to sign the “No Amnesty Pledge”.
The Governor is suffering from what is called “amnesty amnesia”. It is a contagious ailment spreading rapidly through the ranks of the Republican presidential candidates.
Watch Huckabee admit to selling out our citizenship to illegal aliens. He thinks it’s not amnesty, but illegal aliens still get the grand prize: citizenship.
*
January 28, 2005 AR Gov. Mike Huckabee goes on the attack From this:
[AR] Gov. Mike Huckabee on Thursday heaped criticism upon immigration legislation in the Arkansas Legislature, describing it as “inflammatory . . . race-baiting and demagoguery.”
He also challenged the Christian values of its main sponsor.
Huckabee said the bill, seeking to forbid public assistance and voting rights to undocumented immigrants, “inflames those who are racist and bigots and makes them think there’s a real problem. But there’s not...”
...He singled out [Republican Sens. Jim Holt, one of the bill’s sponsors], who often talks of his strong Christian beliefs, saying, “I drink a different kind of Jesus juice. My faith says don’t make false accusations against somebody.
“In the Bible, it’s called don’t bear false witness.”
In response, Holt said he was hurt by the governor’s questioning his faith.
“I just want to uphold the law and protect the benefits that apply to citizens,” Holt said.
*
A lingering controversy over the role former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee played in establishing a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock financed by taxpayers and local businesses continues to follow the Republican presidential candidate’s campaign, even as he enjoys a surge in polls.
Critics in Arkansas contend Huckabee worked with some of the state’s most prominent and politically powerful businesses to draw illegal immigrants to the state to accept low-paying jobs.
Space in an Arkansas government facility was leased for $1 a year to the Mexican government to establish the Mexican consulate until a permanent Mexican consulate facility could be built, at the expense of Arkansas citizens and corporations.
“We wanted people to come to Arkansas and get the proper paper work and do things with a work permit and a visa. It’s so much easier to do that if you have a consulate where people can go to get proper documentation, rather than just accommodating people illegally.” -Huckabee
*****
Global Warming
____________
Former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, said he supports a mandatory cap-and-trade system to cut US greenhouse gas emissions, becoming the second Republican presidential candidate to call for a carbon market to address climate change.
*****
Nanny-stater
___________
Supports national smoking ban.
*****
Crime
_____
In his book From Hope to Higher Ground, he wrote that Three Strikes was an overraction to the permissiveness of the ‘70s:
“In the 1990s, the pendulum swung harshly back in the opposite direction and very popular policies such as “three strikes and you’re out” and “no parole provisions” were adopted.
Being tough on crime is certainly more popular than being soft, but America needs to be careful that in our attempt to stoutly enforce our laws and protect our citizens, we do not end up with a system that is based more on revenge than restoration. A revenge-based criminal justice system seeks to measure out as harsh a judgement as is possible so as to satisfy the natural inclination to get even.”
*
Huckabee’s poor judgement freed a convicted rapist from prison despite a warning from his victim that he would repeat his crime if turned loose. Soft-hearted Mike ignored the advice and persuaded the parole board to let the dangerous criminal out of prison. Less than a year later, the violent predator sexually assaulted another woman and killed her.’
*****
Huckabee and Ethics
_______________
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2007/10/29/mike-huckabee-and-ethics.html
*****
Betsy Hagan, Arkansas director of the conservative Eagle Forum and a key backer of his early runs for office, was once “his No. 1 fan.” She was bitterly disappointed with his record. “He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal,” she says. “Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but don’t be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office.”
Phyllis Schlafly, president of the national Eagle Forum, is even more blunt. “He destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles,” she says. “Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush as a ‘compassionate conservative’ are now trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee.”
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005
By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - In a impassioned speech before hundreds of influential Hispanic civil rights leaders from across the nation, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a captive audience Wednesday that America is great because it has always opened it doors up to people seeking a better way of life.
"I would hope that no matter who we are, or where we are from, that America should always be a place that opens its arms, opens it heart, opens its spirit to people who come because they want the best for their families ...," Huckabee said as the largely Hispanic audience gave him a standing ovation.
Huckabee was the keynote speaker, along with Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson, at a noon luncheon of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is holding its 76th annual convention in Little Rock.
About 10,000 political, community and business leaders, along with exhibitors and speakers are in Little Rock attending the convention at the Statehouse Convention Center. The convention started Monday and runs through Saturday.
Although he never actually talked about the U.S. or Arkansas immigration policy, Huckabee made it very clear where he stood on the issue. In his opening remarks, he said the nation will need to address the concerns of the Hispanic community because of its growing influence and population base.
He told the LULAC delegates that their presence in the state's capital city was very important because Arkansas has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the nation. "Your gathering is so very significant for our state," Huckabee said. "We are delighted to have you."
Despite several light moments, Huckabee did not stray away from several controversial issues that made him a target of criticism during the recently ended 85th General Assembly. He said Arkansas needs to make the transition from a traditional Southern state to one that recognizes and cherishes diversity "in culture, in language and in population."
"This is an issue that is going to require extraordinary efforts on both sides of the border, particularly those coming from Mexico," Huckabee said of verifying the status of illegal aliens. "But I am confident that our government will recognize that we should accommodate people who wish to provide the best opportunities for their families (and) employers so that we can make sure our economy has the necessary work force."
During the legislation session, Huckabee criticized an immigration bill by Republican senators Jim Holt of Springdale and Denny Altes of Fort Smith as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life. Senate Bill 206, which died in the Senate, would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote and also force state agencies to report suspected cases of people living in the country illegally. Holt, R-Springdale, replied later to Huckabee's comments that Christian charity does not include turning a blind eye to lawbreaking.
“If he was a public official misusing funds, the Senate should investigate”
I thought that was the job of DOJ.
Good question, Senator. I always cringe when I see this from our pastors who are esteemed most. I would have thought Joel Osteen might have been in this group being questioned as well although I must admit he's certainly one of the most engaging speakers I've seen.
Bada Ping!
What bothers me is that Copeland preaches “faith, love, healing, prosperity, redemption, righteousness, the anointing and the principles of victorious Christian living.”
I’m skeptical about the healing and speaking in tongues. But I’m very disturbed when someone boasts of teaching prosperity. I’ve read the Bible through a number of times, and seem to have missed the passages where God wants us to be prosperous.
I’m glad Huckabee doesn’t dump friends when the going gets tough - good on him. I’m very disturbed that he is a friend and supporter of Copeland. It might be good politics, but it is bad theology. I expect better of a Baptist minister...let alone a candidate for President!
I’m disturbed by everything about this story, on every level. Huckabee, the Copelands, and Grassley’s investigation.
I agree. Copeland should be investigated by the DA for any potential fraud.
However, I feel I need to point out that Copeland’s CFO says no one needs to worry, because the Board of Directors knows where the money goes and they are all men of great integrity...who just happen to believe that God wants them to be rich.
Really you might want to got back to Abraham and read forward... God made many a man prosperous
It may be a sign that insider politicians are playing hardball with Huckabee and this investigation is really about dragging him through the mud, not Copeland.
Who does Grassley support for president?
Bottom line here is that Democrats control the Senate now and it makes sense for them to go after television ministries as political enemies.
But why does Grassley have to pile on?
I don’t know what’s up. But, as far as I know, Chuck hasn’t endorsed anyone. He did say some pretty flattering things about Huckabee a few weeks ago, though.
“However, I feel I need to point out that Copeland’s CFO says no one needs to worry, because the Board of Directors knows where the money goes and they are all men of great integrity...who just happen to believe that God wants them to be rich.”
I’m not accusing or defending Copeland. I just think it seems improper on many levels for the senate to be involved.
“You need to have standards to fail and be a hypocrite”
Failing doesn’t make you a hypocrite.
A hypocrite is one who doesn’t even try, while condemning others.
Because it’s now a rat congress, and the rats play dirty. Shamelessly dirty.
Will the GOP remember if they ever get one of the chambers back? No.
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