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Senator Still Awaits Ministries
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Published: January 9, 2008
Updated: 01/09/2008 12:22 am
TAMPA - Randy and Paula White, the now-divorced founders of Without Walls International Church, still have not answered the questions asked by a U.S. senator looking into the tax-exempt status of their ministry's finances.
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is waiting for four of the six ministries to provide the information he requested in November about lavish spending and questionable expenditures. The deadline to respond was Dec. 6.
"It's a new year and the ministries that have chosen not to cooperate have a chance to see the inquiry in a new light," Grassley said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday. "This has nothing to do with church doctrine. It's only about tax-exempt policy."
Only two of the six, Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Joyce Meyer Ministries, have delivered packages of material to the senator's office.
The Whites, whose Tampa-based church operations and international TV ministry are being scrutinized, declined to comment to the Tribune through their newly hired public relations company in New York.
The other targeted evangelists are Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International, who sent a letter to Grassley indicating that the ministry does not intend to provide information voluntarily and raised the question of a subpoena; Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc., whose attorneys at first promised to respond by Dec. 12 but have had no contact with the senator since leaving a message at the office Dec. 13; and Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, who indicated an unwillingness to cooperate through his attorneys in a letter received by Grassley last month.
Attorneys for Long issued a statement that said Grassley's request "disregards the privacy protections of the Church under law and appears to cross the line of Constitutional guarantees for churches."
Speaking for Without Walls, public relations spokesman Juda Engelmayer released a statement that said the church has been in dialogue with Grassley's office through its legal counsel in "preparation for a reply" to the questions.
"Out of respect for the process we will not disclose the nature of those conversations or the substance of our response to the Senator at this time," Engelmayer wrote. "However, we look forward to productive discourse with Senator Grassley's office in anticipation of a speedy resolution of this matter."
In individual letters to the ministries' leaders, Grassley asked specific questions based on information given to his staff and from media reports. He questioned the use of private jets by some churches and luxury items purchased by some ministries, such as Joyce Meyer's $23,000 antique bathroom cabinet.
"Those are reasonable questions for church members to ask, but not a congressman," said Ted Olsen, managing editor at Christianity Today, the nation's leading evangelical magazine.
"We're driving down a road very quickly into a realm of questions that the government has no right to ask," he said.
Last month, Randy White took a defiant stand against the inquiry during a church service, telling his congregation that the investigation was an assault on their faith. He said the church has not broken any laws or misspent money.
In November, Paula White appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live." She acknowledged the ministry owned a jet and defended the "prosperity gospel," a belief that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. But she said her calling has "never been about money."
"Financially, I believe that you should have enough to do the assignment that you feel is part of your life," she said.
Lee Grady, editor of Charisma, another publication geared toward Christian evangelicals, wrote in a recent column that in his 15 years at the magazine, he has never experienced such "intense spiritual turbulence" among the faithful.
"Recent religious scandals have so tarnished our credibility that we have become a curious freak show," he wrote. "Many unbelievers now associate ministers with wife-swapping, wife-beating, no-fault divorce, gay affairs and $10,000-a-night hotel rooms. We need a Holy Ghost housecleaning."
In the Jan. 15 issue of Charisma, Grady said he will commend the ministers who complied with Grassley's request and will urge the others to also comply.
"The Bible says if you're doing nothing wrong, you've got no reason to fear the government," he told the Tribune. He said Grassley is a Christian with no intent to persecute the church.
"I think all Christians want our ministries to operate with integrity," Grady said. "And I can tell you that most of our readers are getting tired of money-focused celebrity Christianity."
An organization that champions religious freedom has come out in support of Grassley's inquiry.
"If there is fraud, then it needs to be brought out," said Edd Doerr, president of Americans for Religious Liberty in Maryland. "Cloaking yourself in religion doesn't prevent you from being investigated."
Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached be reached at (813) 259-7613 or mbearden@tampatrib
.com. Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668 or bhelgeson@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( ajanello ) on January 9, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Someone should show this Senator the Constitution. 'Congress shall make no law' means NO ONE has the authority to regulate (tax) religion in this country. But sensationalism sells newspapers with misleading headlines about how this guy will save us from the unscrupulous. The ministries get rich because people apparently don't want to be saved from throwing their money away. And they should have the freedom to throw their money away.
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Posted by ( dogworld ) on January 10, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Churches have arrogated to themselves special privileges and abused the government. There is no Constitutional tenet that says churches should not pay taxes. The Government is not to make a law that establishes a state religion. If you were suspected of abusing the government financially you would not be able to just say you won't cooperate.
The churches have tacitly admitted they work illegally by refusing to cooperate. They all need to be prosecuted.
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Posted by ( OLLYWEST ) on January 10, 2008 at 7:03 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
WHEN TAX TIME ROLLS AROUND OUR LITTLE RURAL CHURCH SENDS OUT A COMPLETE FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN TO EACH MEMBER. WHEN I RECEIVE MY TAX DEDUCTABLE RECEIPT EACH YEAR FROM ONE OF THE MINISTRIES IN QUESTION, WHY NOT SEND A FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN? THEY CALL ME A PARTNER. DON'T PARTNERS GET TO SEE THE FINANCES OF A COMPANY?
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Posted by ( pgcfriend ) on January 11, 2008 at 9:21 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
All six ministries that are a part of a church. Ministries that are not a part of a local church have to give a lot more details. They legally do not have to give details. I think it would be good if they did but they do not have to be as detailed as parachurch ministries do. I know this because of knowing two ministers that are parachurch mnistries.
It is reported in The Tulsa World that Benny Hinn had asked for more time and said that he would have the requested information to the SFC by the end of January.
Every person that contributes to a ministry may want to reconsider. Twice one of the Bible teachers at my church said that there was a very well known minister that is selling their mailing list for $25,000. He was sent the link by another minister. He would not say who the minister was. He mentioned this during a series of messages blasting the perverted prosperity gospel. He rips it apart in a way I have never seen it. He did tell the senior pastor. I'm seriously considering mentioning this to him. I truly feel the ministry must be exposed just in case people I know are giving them money. I'm sure the minister has not asked the people on his list for permission of giving their information out.
I humbly feel this madness is ending in a not-so-pretty fashion. Jesus dealt with the moneychangers then and is dealing with them now.
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