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Wealth of the Cults of Christianity
Joyce Mayer10 - The building is decorated with religious paintings and sculptures, and quality furniture. Much of it, Meyer says, she selected herself. A The woodwork in the offices of Meyer and her husband cost the ministry $44,000. In all, assessor's records of the ministry's personal property show that nearly $5.7 million worth of furniture, artwork, glassware, and the latest equipment and machinery fill the 158,000-square-foot building. As of this summer, the ministry also owned a fleet of vehicles with an estimated value of $440,000. The Paul Crouch2, president of California-based Crouch’s private suite in TNT building. Visitors may stroll the manicured grounds, browse the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Gift Shop and relax in a state-of-the-art Virtual Reality Theater to watch high-definition videos of the life of Christ. But what most won't see at Trinity Broadcasting Network's new world headquarters is founder Paul Crouch's 8,000-square-foot executive suite, which occupies half of the top floor of the three-story building and is strictly off-limits to the public. Behind doors kept locked throughout construction are a wet bar and sauna, a personal gym, meticulously handcrafted black walnut woodwork and ornate velvet furniture. The third-floor quarters will serve as Crouch's executive suite. He broadcasts his "Praise the Lord" program from the second floor of the building, dubbed Trinity Christian City International. TBN officials described the quarters as "standard executive offices" and declined The Orange County Register's request to view them. Crouch does not grant interviews and would not comment. But others who have been inside or helped build the suite say it is more befitting a mansion than an office building. "This makes Adding substantially to the cost of Crouch's quarters were a variety of expensive, handcrafted woodwork items, including $825-apiece lions that flank the massive fireplace, and an array of columns priced at $1,500 each and up. All of the items were crafted from black walnut, said Stephen Enkeboll, president of Raymond Enkeboll Designs Architectural Woodcarvings in Joel Osteen's13 flourishing Osteen's best-seller, Your Best Life Now, has sold 2.5 million copies since its publication last fall.... In his book, Osteen talks about how his wife, Victoria, a striking blonde who dresses fashionably, wanted to buy a fancy house some years ago, before the money rolled in. He thought it wasn't possible. "But “John and Diana Hagee14 founded GETV 25 years ago, the organization has gone from a back-room operation broadcasting Sunday sermons to .... According to the 990 forms for GETV, the organization in 2001 netted $12.3 million from donations, $4.8 million in profit from the sales of books and tapes, and an additional $1.1 million from various other sources, including rental income. As the nonprofit organization's president, Hagee drew $540,000 in compensation, as well as an additional $302,005 in compensation for his position as president of The John Hagee Rabbi Trust includes a $2.1 million 7,969-acre ranch outside Brackettville, with five lodges, including a "main lodge" and a gun locker. It also includes a manager's house, a smokehouse, a skeet range and three barns. Taken together, his payment package, $842,005 in compensation and $414,485 in benefits, was one of the highest, if not the highest, pay package for a nonprofit director in the ”.. Hagee's compensation was among the highest pay packages for television evangelists in 2001, according to IRS 990 filings” In Addition Hagee’s wife “Diana Hagee received compensation of $67,907 as vice president of GETV and $58,813 as the special events director for Pat Robertson11 is a wealthy man... An extremely wealthy man. Some estimates put his net worth at 140 million. He lives on the top of a Diamonds are Robertson's best friend
By Ju-lan Kim
Thirty-five years ago, Pat Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which laid the foundation for his financial empire. Using CBN resources, Robertson launched numerous other business ventures, including: the Family Channel, designed to distribute "The 700 Club," which became International Family Entertainment in 1990; Northstar Entertainment; Broadcast Equities; CBN Travel; American Sales Corporation; International Charter Jet; Kalo-Vita; and the Founders Inn and Conference Center. Under International Family Entertainment, a for-profit organization, Chairman Robertson and his son, Tim, received over $1.1 million in salaries and bonuses in 1993 alone. According to Robertson, his close relationship with God has given him the insider's scoop on successfully using what he calls "God's marvelous system of money management". With so many projects to run, Robertson seems to have his hands full (with cash, that is). Although the financial success of CBN is well-known, one of Robertson's lesser known organizations is his African Development Company (ADC). ADC is a private venture that invests in various land-based operations in Africa, such as mining and agriculture, with the stated goal of redirecting profits toward humanitarian projects. In Zaire, the ADC operates a diamond-mining project in the center of Zaire's prime diamond mines and forestry concessions. Zaire is a country with a population of approximately 43 million, most of whom live in poverty. At the same time, Zaire's head of government, Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator who has plundered the wealth of his nation for over thirty years, is able to live luxuriously surrounded by the comforts of vacation homes, yachts, and champagne. Corruption, health concerns, and human rights abuses in Zaire have long been an international concern, causing many countries, including the U.S., to turn a diplomatic cold shoulder toward Mobutu. U.S. intelligence agencies have reported that billions of dollars in aid given to Zaire during the Cold War now find a comfortable home in Mobutu's personal bank accounts. Human rights groups around the world have campaigned against the numerous atrocities committed against the Zairians during his thirty-year reign, including the deaths of tens of thousands of citizens. Mobutu has refused to implement any democratic reform that would lessen his power. President Mobutu continuously campaigns to distance himself from his appalling human-rights record, which has earned him more foes than friends. However, despite the innumerable strikes against him, it seems that Mobutu has attained a new trading partner, Pat Robertson. Mobutu's partnership with Robertson is another of Mobutu's attempts to build ties between his illegitimate regime and the U.S., as a way of gaining international acceptance. Robertson, the former U.S. presidential candidate, has shown that he is not the least bit uneasy with utilizing Mobutu's personal fleet of planes and yachts, which were purchased off the backs of Zaire's oppressed citizens. Dr. Makau Mutua, projects director of the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, in the February 27, 1995 issue of TIME magazine observed that "Robertson is Mobutu's biggest American catch." When presented with more of the facts surrounding ADC, one is forced question the nature of Robertson's relationship with such a dictator. Should a "good Christian" profit from diamonds and lumber mined by the functional equivalent of slave labor? While other Christian relief programs donate aid to Zaire via private organizations to avoid any connection with Mobutu's corrupt government, Robertson rushes forth with open arms towards Mobutu. On February 16, 1992, Zairian Protestants and Catholics held a demonstration asking for reform. Mobutu's troops opened fire on the demonstrators. Despite the bloody massacre that followed, coupled with criticism by the U.S. State Department, Pat Robertson was among the first in line to wine and dine with Mobutu in Zaire. Perhaps Robertson's financial gains are enough for him to ignore any humanitarian pleas for reform in Zaire. Not only does Robertson profit handsomely off of his tidy diamond-mining operation, but Mobutu also makes his own, more than satisfactory income, through his country's $300 million-a-year mineral trade. Although Robertson has supported a number of dubious causes, his relationship with a character like Mobutu is one that may lead to more questions than Robertson is willing to answer. The love (of money) relationship between Robertson and Mobutu may leave Robertson's associates feeling a bit more than uncomfortable. Ju-lan Kim, an IFAS intern, is a student at Simon's Rock College of Bard. Anonymous. "Zaire Trip Criticized." The Christian Century, April 15, 1992, 394. Lipez, Dick. "Friends of Pat." Freedom Writer, September 1995, 9. Lippman, Thomas W. "A Dictator With Friends in High Places." Washington Post national weekly edition, August 14-20, 1995, 20. Purvis, Andrew. "Jewels for Jesus." TIME, February 27, 1995, 30.
Creflo Dollar3 ministry's income is unavailable, but newspaper accounts say the ministry paid $18 million in cash for his new 8,000-seat World Changers Church International on the southern edge of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Creflo Dollar Jr. has unabashedly embraced his name by building a religious empire on the message that his brand of piety leads to prosperity. He drives a black Rolls-Royce, flies to speaking engagements across the nation and Juanita Bynum15 "million-dollar" wedding is extravagant. She is the well-known evangelist and author of the best-selling Matters of the Heart, to Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III featured a wedding party of 80, all friends and family, 1,000 guests, a 12-piece orchestra, and a 7.76-carat diamond ring. The black-tie wedding cost "more than a million," the bride said, and included flowers flown in from around the world. "My dress," she says, "took nine months to make. All of the crystals (Swarovski) on the gown were hand-sewn. The headpiece was sterling silver, hand-designed. (www.marriage-planner.com). Robert Schuller’s16 " Made almost entirely of glass (and a spiderweb framework of white steel), the star-shaped "cathedral" is something to behold: over 400 feet long and 200 feet across, rising some 12 stories above the ground, with an angular, mirror-like exterior, its transparent, sun-lit interior features a giant television screen, and an altar of rich marble (bearing a natural image that some think resembles Christ on the cross). The cathedral's pipe organ (with 16,000 pipes, it's among the five largest pipe organs in the world), the 100-plus voices of the Hour of Power Choir, or the electric fountain/stream that runs down the middle of the central aisle. The church seats almost 3,000 worshipers for Sunday services. But giant, sliding glass doors on the side of the church allow even more worshipers to watch the services from their cars in the parking lot. Boasting over 12,000 panes of glass, and a sparkling, contemporary bell tower, the "cathedral " is an Rodney Howard Browne5 and wife Adonica oversee their $16 million church, which they founded in 1996. The couple live in a six-bedroom, four-bath lakefront home on CoryLake in northwest (St.Louis Post-Dispatch. STLtoday.com “T. D. Jakes6, who drives a Mercedes, has moved with his wife and their five children to a luxurious seven-bedroom home with swimming pool in the “Flanked by a row of elegant cedars and surrounded by a tall iron gate, the $2.6 million pink brick house with fluted cream columns and a four-car garage is imposing even in this affluent neighborhood. Next door is the former mansion of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, once known as the richest man in the world The Dallas Observer magazine reports: “His conferences draw tens of thousands. His television show, broadcast on both the Trinity Broadcasting Network and Black Entertainment Television, reaches hundreds of thousands. He has spawned his own industry, T.D. Jakes Ministries, which sells his books — 10 in all, with five best-sellers — and videotapes, the income from which allowed him to spend nearly $1 million last year on a residence in his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia.”“He says he is not embarrassed by this, even though his extravagant lifestyle has caused controversy in his hometown that will likely follow him to The Benny Hinn4: “William Lobdell, a Times staff, wrote about target-rich environment: the unregulated industry of televangelism is estimated to generate at least $1 billion through its roughly 2,000 electronic preachers, including 80 nationally syndicated television pastors. He told of the founder of the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, Ole E Anthony, whose operatives struck dumpster pay dirt five years ago in south According to a June article in The Dallas Morning News, shortly after Hinn announced his move to Also about April 2000, Hinn's ministry began building a 58,000 square-foot office building in “Nor has Hinn publicly acknowledged his salary, though he told CNN in 1997 that his yearly income including book royalties was somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million. A spokesman has said Hinn generates about $60 million a year in donations”. (The Sun Herald. Posted on Fri, May. 17, 2002). However in a report dated “According to documents provided to the newspaper by a watchdog group, the inquiry into the ministry began a year ago and the IRS has asked for dozens of detailed answers. The Trinity Foundation has investigated Hinn for more than a decade. Hinn ministry responses to IRS questions and a purported salary list for ministry officials are among documents that Trinity members said they salvaged from trash bins outside Hinn-related offices. The salary document lists Hinn as CEO and his annual earnings as $1.325 million.” “Since February of 2001, the Hinn Web site has been soliciting donations for a new orphanage to be built in this little town outside “He lives with his wife and three children in a multimillion-dollar oceanfront mansion near the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Many of Hinn's financial practices go against those set forth by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an organization that gained popularity after the televangelist scandals of the 1980s as Christian groups sought legitimacy in the eyes of donors. The council's standards include maintaining an independent board of directors with at least five members and allowing the public to view its finances” (Extracted from the Randy and Paula White8: The Tampa Tribune in an article by Michelle Bearden titled Expensive Walls recently reported: The Whites, who came to Tampa 13 years ago, say they sometimes worried they wouldn't have rent money after they started their church in 1991. Last year, they claimed a combined income of $600,000. Of that, $179,000 is Randy White's annual salary from Without Walls, a church that claims 15,000 members and brings in $10 million yearly in revenues. Co-pastor Paula White, who is gaining international acclaim as a televangelist and speaker, is paid $120,000. They also receive an $80,000 housing allowance from the church. Their ministry owns a jet airplane, a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes-Benz sedan. The Whites did not reveal whether they had borrowed funds from their ministry to purchase their home. (Comparing Financial Accountability Among Evangelists. Cephas Ministries) "Oral Roberts'17 two "Oral's homes in "Here is a portrait of the real Oral Roberts, the man not too many of his admirers know. He dresses in Brioni suits that cost $500 to $1000; walks in $100 shoes; lives in a $250,000 house in Tulsa and has a million dollar home in Palm Springs; wears diamond rings and solid gold bracelets employees `airbrush' out of his publicity photos; drives $25,000 automobiles which are replaced every 6 months; flies around the country in a $2 million fanjet falcon; has membership, as does his son Richard, in `the most prestigious and elite country club in Tulsa,' the Southern Hills (the membership fee alone was $18,000 for each, with $130 monthly dues) and in `the ultra-posh Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California' (both father and son joined when memberships were $20,000 each--they are now $25,000); and plays games of financial hanky-panky that have made him and his family members independently wealthy (millionaires) for life. (When his daughter and son-in-law were killed, they left a $10 million estate!)" (Evangelist R.L. Sumner's review of Give Me that Prime- time Religion by Jerry Sholes) "In addition to his healthy income, derived mostly from book royalties, Oral continued to enjoy generous expense accounts: `The Robertses wear expensive clothes and jewelry and travel in a company-owned eight-passenger fanjet.' Oral Roberts: An American Life", by David Edwin Harrell, Jr., Jim and Tammy Bakkers9 bought mansions and luxury cars and the doghouse was air-conditioned. (The New Straits Times, 6th October 1989 The New Paper,6th October 1989). “Jim Bakker, who was convicted of wire fraud and served five years in prison, said he plans to start another TV ministry, this time in (Knight Ridder Newspapers, Mike Murdock18, the president and director of the Mike Murdock Evangelistic Association, has had several luxury vehicles at his disposal. Some belong to him, and some are owned by the ministry. The BMW, work at least $69,000, was a gift, Murdock says, while the ministry bought the Jaguar. He says he got an idea that allowed him to buy the Cessna Citation 500, worth $300,000 to $500,000. Federal Aviation Administration documents show that the jet belongs to the ministry. Murdock likes to describe himself as a "Wal-Mart guy." But a $25,000 Rolex adorns his wrist. And he can shoot hoops on the "NBA-style" basketball court at his estate or take notes with a $4,500 fountain pen. Details of Murdock's lifestyle were pieced together from documents obtained by the Trinity Foundation, a televangelist watchdog group in Murdock says he drives a BMW 745, which typically sells for $69,000 to $75,000. He used to prefer driving a Porsche to the ministry. He has had at his disposal a ministry Corvette, Jaguar and Mercedes, Lincoln Continentals and, since August, a corporate jet valued at $300,000 to $500,000. Murdock lives in a Spanish-style, 3,177-square-foot adobe house that he calls Hacienda de Paz – or "House of Peace." He, not the ministry, owns it. Also on the grounds is a 1,660-square-foot building whose use is unclear. The 6.8-acre estate, east of Argyle, was valued at $482,027 by the Denton Central Appraisal District in 2002, documents show. Few get a good view of the estate. It is protected by a black wrought-iron fence. The gates are monogrammed with two M's – his initials. On the well-kept grounds, a path winds near a tennis court and two of at least four gazebos on the property. At various times, Murdock has had a camel, an antelope, a donkey, ducks, geese, a lion and dogs. Near one edge of his property, he once kept llamas in a paddock. He has also had koi and catfish at the estate. He had 24 speakers wired in trees so he could hear gospel music everywhere on the grounds, he said during a 1998 broadcast. Inside his home, Murdock has had several fish tanks, including a large saltwater aquarium. In the gym, Murdock can work out with his personal trainer. He can relax in front of his home theater or in a Jacuzzi. And he can enjoy the fountains in his pool and living room. Murdock once kept coin and jewelry collections valued at $125,000. He reported the information to the Denton County Sheriff's Department after a theft. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Patton said investigators dropped the case because Murdock would not list what had been stolen. Murdock has a second Rolex watch, besides the $25,000 one he often wears, he said during an appearance Oct. 19 in Grapevine. He didn't state its value. Murdock has said he was given the watches, expensive suits, several Chevrolet Corvettes, the BMW and a rare Vetta Ventura sports car – one of 19 made. From 1993 to 2000, IRS records show his compensation package averaged $241,685 a year, or about 9 percent of the $21,040,299 the ministry took in during that period. James Eugene Ewing19 built a direct-mail empire from his mansion in The approach reaped Ewing and his organization a gross income of more than $100 million since 1993, including $26 million in 1999, the last year Saint Matthew's made its tax records public. And while much of the money is spent on postage and salaries, Though "He capitalizes on the isolation of the loneliest and poorest members of our society, promising them magical answers to their fears and needs if only they will demonstrate their faith by sending him money," Anthony said. (Ole Anthony, founder of the Trinity Foundation. a nonprofit religious watchdog group) "He is, quite literally, the father of the modern-day 'seed-faith' concept that fuels the multibillion-dollar Christian industry known as the 'health-and-wealth gospel.' "The only ones becoming rich are the men like The Trinity Foundation, which obtained copies of the identical letters, has dubbed "We had nine different televangelists essentially sending out the same letter," Anthony said. "He ( A similar letter from Tilton also contained a "sackcloth billfold" but encouraged recipients to return a "seed of faith" of at least $709.00. Joyce said 1997: St. Matthew Publishing Inc., incorporated at Joyce's 1999: St. Matthew Publishing Inc. reports $26.8 million in revenue. Of that, the organization spent $4 million on salaries, $989,140 on legal fees, $817,000 for housing and rent and $649,000 on travel. (From the One of (http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/1997-11-06/feature2.html/page1.html) Robert Tilton7: “At his peak he purchased 5,000 hours of air time per month and appeared in all 235 Tilton gleaned the donations by pitching a narrow, well-oiled version of the Pentecostal "prosperity gospel." In exchange for $1,000 "vows" from followers, Tilton promised to lobby God for miraculous improvements in their health and finances. According to one survey, he spent 68 percent of his air time asking for money. "If Jesus Christ were alive today and walking around, he wouldn't want his people driving Volkswagens and living in apartments," explained Tilton, who favored a Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz and lived a lavish private life in mansions in Then came The segment on Tilton was by far the most damning. At its heart was the accusation that Tilton never saw the vast majority of prayer requests and personal correspondence sent to him by faithful viewers. On the air, Tilton promised to pray over each miracle-request. But on the ground, ABC said it found thousands of those requests and viewers' letters dumped in garbage bins in Lawsuits from outraged followers quickly followed, along with further media exposes concerning dumped prayer requests. (Tilton claimed the trashed prayer requests were part of a plot against the church.) State Attorney General Dan Morales launched a fraud investigation of Tilton's ministry, and the FBI and U.S. Postal Service subpoenaed the church's records the day after the ABC broadcast” …. “The problem is that mailing lists grow stale when the TV screen stays dark too long. Now, though, it's bright once more. Tilton's toll-free prayer line is up and running, and his What hasn't changed is Tilton's repetitious message. He quotes a bit of Scripture and speaks in tongues, but mostly he pushes emotional buttons: Cancer. Emphysema. Alcoholism. Credit card addiction. Job layoffs. These ailments can be cured through faith. But faith requires proof, a "vow." To make a vow, preferably $1,000, call the 800 number on the screen. (When a reporter called the hotline to seek solace regarding credit card addiction, a telemarketer took less than a minute recording his name, phone number, address, date of birth, and type of ailment, promising to pass on the information to Pastor Bob.) Corporate records show that Tilton registered his nonprofit Word of Faith World Outreach Center Church Inc. in Federal records show that Tilton bought a 50-foot Carver motor yacht last year in Cross examination of Leigh Valentine, "Bob's mail ministry is a lie and a total deception. He does not write those letters. He did not even proofread them during our marriage. He makes it sound like [he's] writing to you right now, this is what God spoke to me for your life, Jesus will appear to you tonight; if you sleep with this little red cord under your pillow, you will prosper. He doesn't even know what's going out to those people, and he doesn't care, as long as they send their money in. One time he said in one of the letters that was sent, I will be taking these to the East Coast to pray for you by the ocean where Jesus prayed for his people. So we flew to (http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/1997-11-06/feature2.html/page1.html) Morris Cerullo12 lives in plush comfort in a multi-million dollar mansion behind two security gates on a luxurious estate in the exclusive Ranch Sante Fe neighbourhood, purported to be the richest neighbourhood in the country. MCWE owns and controls numerous business properties, several luxury automobiles and a gold-plated private jet. He is reported to have personally estimated his net worth at 100 million dollars. Does this sound like the lifestyle of a minister of the gospel?" asks Lundy.
Fund-raising Without Shame By Lewis Willis Arkon, Folks, it is evident that much of our society has lost or willfully abandoned the ability to be ashamed. It appears that people will do almost anything these days and never perceive that such is a shame to themselves. Who among us has not been repulsed at the flaunting by gays and lesbians of their shameful godlessness? We cringe in horror when some terrorist organization "takes credit" for a car bomb that kills several people and injures dozens more. We find it incomprehensible that a movie or television star will perform in some of the filth that is offered to the public as entertainment. Thirty years ago these things were a disgrace to all who were involved and we wonder how public attitudes could change so quickly. Instead of being ashamed, these people seem to rejoice in these deeds. It should not surprise us that religion has been affected by this same shamelessness. Nor should it surprise us that such is not new in religious life. When Paul wrote to the Philippians he said, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things" (Phil. 3:18-19). In Paul's day there were those who found delight as they did things of which they should have been ashamed. They did not know when to blush because of sins they had committed! Well, folks, time has not changed this situation. Religionists still do shameful things but they rejoice over them instead of being ashamed. There is no better illustration of this than the brazen, shameless, unabashed fund raising techniques of the modern-day television preachers. The purpose of this article is to chronicle some of the schemes these men are using to raise money in hopes that the information might be useful to the reader. "Crisis Management" Due to the crunch of these economic times, almost all owners and managers of business have become familiar with the expression "Crisis Management." Basically, this signifies managing a business in the midst of a crisis due to declining sales, while production and labor costs remain high. It is the business of surviving until times get better. The modern television preacher has learned "Crisis Management" but in reverse. It seems they always "Manage To Have A Crisis!" They have learned that contributions come in better if they are beating the airwaves with emotional appeals about how the Devil is trying to destroy them and the "Work of God." This just cannot be allowed to happen and the money must flow in or the listeners will be letting God down. For instance, according to a report in the Akron Beacon Journal ( Apparently, there is no shame left in the hearts of these men. They will use any means they can get by with to promote their enterprises. One of their favorites is to tell their audiences I that God told me" to proceed in this way to fund the work "that He told me to do." The preacher who is flying high these days is Jimmy Swaggart. Newsweek magazine has dubbed him the "King of Honky-Tonk Heaven" ( Merchandising The Audience In an attempt to "help the listener" so that he does not disobey God, these men tell exactly how the audience can do what God wants them to do. It is not uncommon for 25-50 percent of their air time to be used in raising funds. Some might use the entire broadcast for fund raising. Also, when they have manufactured some special crisis, they frequently have telethons which are fashioned after the Jerry Lewis telethons. These often go on for- days. They form "clubs" of their contributors (such as the 700 Club, PTL Club, Ninety and Nine Club) and these are usually for their top contributors. Frequently the names of these club members are prominently inscribed at some special place in their headquarters. There is "pressure" imposed on the audience to be a part of this elite group. These ministries are almost always selling something (Bibles, tapes of special lectures, albums, books by the evangelist, etc.) Robert I. Ableman and Kimberly A. Neuendorf, Professors at All the while, they remind people of how terrible it is to refuse to obey God by not giving as God wants them to. They also promise great and wonderful blessings, spiritual and financial, will come to those who do God's Will and give. Usually, they have some guest tell how he reluctantly gave on some occasion and God doubled or tripled the amount of his contribution in a direct, miraculous and wonderful way. I heard Kenneth Copeland on an Oral Roberts broadcast tell how he had surprised his wife by announcing he had committed to make a "seed offering" to Oral's ministry at a time when they were unable to live with comfort. Copeland pointed out that shortly after making the commitment, to his surprise, someone gave him twice the amount that he had offered to give. It was something like $10.00 a month and he received $20.00. His faith must not have been very strong at that time or he might have offered to give $1 million to Oral and God would have given him $2 million! That is the implication of this tactic these men use. Almost all have had some Bible publishing company produce some special memorial or ministry edition which they "give" to their contributors "free of charge." Jimmy Swaggart is currently promoting "the genuine Jimmy Swaggart Study Bible" (The Evangelist, The Voice Of The Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, Vol. 19, No. 2). The Bible is sent after 46 your fifth monthly pledge of $20.00 or any payments made towards your World Outreach Partner Pledge totaling $100.00." The Professors mentioned above discovered that "the average cost of a Bible sold by television evangelists is $192.00." They sell albums of the songs they've recorded for $25.00 or so each. These can be bought at a record store for $5.00 or $6.00 and a profit is made on them at that price by all who are involved in the enterprise. Outlandish Promotions And Claims Sometime ago Jim Bakker built a "world-class" hotel at Heritage Probably the most dramatic fund raiser is Oral Roberts. If the audience is to believe him, God is constantly talking to him. He has seen visions of all kinds of things which have been revealed to him, "by the Lord" of course. One of his better known visions was a 900 foot Jesus standing over his City of Faith Medical Center back in 1980. In 1983 he had a 7-hour talk with Jesus in which the Lord assured him that he was the one selected to find the cure for cancer,. and his followers were to send in money to pay for this undertaking. In 1986 he was told by God to raise $8 million dollars to send medical missionaries from his hospital into needy nations. If he failed to raise the money by March, 1987, he said God would "call him home." Well, he played this successfully and raised the money. After the $8 million was raised, with several days left in March, he ascended his " He had said he confidently expected "a miracle from God" which would enable him to live longer. I am certain you have heard that he was able to go over his target amount when Jerry Collins, who owns two greyhound racing tracks, gave him a check for $1.3 million. I must have missed something somewhere. If this was a miracle from God, I guess God has gone into the gambling business I Interestingly, while Oral was under his death threat from God, his son, Richard, moved into "a new 7,091-square-foot house" (Akron Beacon Journal, 3-14-87). This was done before the money had been raised! If I am ever under such a death threat from God, I hope my son will hold off buying his new house until at least I have my hands on the money! With these types of fund raising techniques Oral has amassed a religious empire in
Getting Rich At Audience Expense The shameless part of all of this unending clamor for money by the TV preachers is the way in which they have become rich at the expense of their audiences. Keep in mind that most of their contributors send in gifts of $5, $10 or $15. During the time that Rex Humbard's ministry was in such desperate circumstances, he and his sons were amassing a fortune in real estate. County tax records indicate that Rex owned a house worth $450,000 and his son owned one that cost $350,000. An Akron Beacon Journal article (2-8-83) stated, "While Humbard's Worldwide Outreach Ministry has solicited money from the public to solve financial problems, Humbard and his two sons, Rex, Jr., 39, and Donald, 35, have purchased $1. 4 million in property in the exclusive Quail Ridge Country Club community, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer ( It seems that Oral Roberts has had more success in shielding his extravagance from the press than have some of his counterparts. Even so, the Akron Beacon Journal ( Jerry Falwell has recently agreed to take over Jim Bakker's operation. In 1986, Falwell brought in $73.5 million for his religious empire (Newsweek, 4-&87, p. 19). 1 have not seen anything on Ins personal extravagance, but he ought to do quite well if he succeeds in combining these two organizations. One of the most,highly regarded of the TV preachers is Jimmy Swaggart. A If space permitted, more and more information could be presented about these preachers and their shameless escapades. Especially is this true as the media mess is unfolding daily before us. I suspect you are like me - sick and tired of hearing about the whole business. Swaggart was right when he identified this scandal as "soap opera" material. The Apostle Peter warned of false prophets "by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you" (2 Pet. 2:2-3). Paul spoke of those 44 who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake" (Tit. And What About Us? All of this is in vivid contrast to the simple way that the Lord intends money to be raised for the support and proclamation of the truth. The church is taught, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him" (1 Cor. 16:2). Paul also wrote, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). Following these directives, the church can and must provide the money necessary to discharge the mission God assigned to the church. Let me say a few words about the passive way in which most congregations deal with this matter. We act as though we are ashamed to tell God's people to give as God has taught. Frequently we seem apologetic when it is necessary to remind them about giving. Perhaps we are afraid some will think we are applying "pressure" like that which is applied by television preachers. I doubt that any of us comes close to applying pressure like they do. But, it appears to me that we are a bit nonchalant regarding giving. Few faithful churches, made up of middle-class members, have contributions that begin to compare with those of the denominations about us. They are endlessly in pursuit of money, while we, with seeming indifference, just get along with whatever the contribution happens to be. We need to apply more "pressure" to the matter of our giving and get our contributions up to where they ought to be. If we will apply the same pressure to giving that we apply to getting people to be baptized, or to attend the worship, we will not be exceeding the use of a prudent amount of pressure. Let us never be guilty of excess in this matter. Let us never be weak about the God-appointed duty to give as we have been prospered. There are many lost souls who could be reached with more effort and more money. Brethren, we will not be guiltless if we do not use our best abilities to reach them with the Gospel. This can be done without sinking to the shameless tactics of television evangelists. Guardian of Truth XXXI: 12, pp. 383-386 This page speaks for itself, that these TV preachers are interested only with your money. They are not concerned about your soul since they are preaching distorted and fraud Gospel that cannot save. They are preaching the gospel from hell, manifested by their greed for paper bills. They love, worship, and serve the god called mammon. Conclusion:
J. R. Cherreguine Bible doctrine Ministries
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