Well, yes, I know they actually do, that’s been proved often enough [insert gratuitous fundy sex scandal link here]
It’s getting shafted in the political sense the fundies don’t like, especially when it’s from someone supposed to be on their own side.
6 TV preachers’ finances are under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee, led by a Republican Senator :
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.
Hilariously, the preachers are now rallying their fellow fundies and dominionists to aid them in claiming the constitutional protection of the separation of church and state:
But traditional Christians aren’t universally celebrating the inquiry. Some are wondering whether the investigation led by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is the right way to end any wrongdoing, especially if the result is more government oversight of all ministries.
“We’re not representing any of the parties involved, but when I see a senator charging into organizations, wielding this kind of budget ax and laying bare religious figures and expenditures, huge constitutional questions are being raised,” said Garry McCaleb, senior counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty legal group founded by James Dobson of Focus on the Family and other influential evangelicals.
Even if you loathe evangelical hypocrites, and I surely do, you’ve got to admire their ability to turn on a dime.
