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January 29, 2008

Minister Pledges to Fight Senator's Request

In rousing style, the televangelist Kenneth Copeland has pledged to fight efforts by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to make his Christian ministry’s finances public, reports Roll Call, a Washington political newspaper.

In November, Mr. Grassley, who is the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, sent letters to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, in Newark, Texas, and five other television ministries to obtain their financial information.

During a closed-circuit broadcast last week to about 1,000 ministers and other guests, Roll Call reports that Mr. Copeland said he would vigorously resist the request.

“You render unto the government what belongs to the government. And you render unto God what belongs to God,” he said, according to the newspaper. “You can go get a subpoena, and I won’t give it to you,” Mr. Copeland continues. “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.”

Mr. Grassley’s aides told the newspaper that Mr. Copeland had supplied some information, but that it fell short of what the Senator wanted. They said he plans to send another request to get more information.

A subscription is required to view the Roll Call article.

— Ian Wilhelm

Tuesday January 29, 2008 | Permalink

Comments

1. looks to me that the learned church minister is merely boasting, remember Jim Bakker of PTL memory!
   alagba

   — Gabriel Adepoju    Jan 30, 04:05 PM    #

2. Seems to me that this televangelist thinks he is god. He is a millionaire, and it is no secret were all that money comes from; it is rendered unto god by the poor, ignorant faithful. God in this sense is, of course, Mr. Copeland.

   — Russell    Jan 30, 08:16 PM    #

3. • Why would religious leaders of Pentecostal “family run and owned” ministries, such as Benny Hinn, Rodney Howard Browne, Kenneth Copeland, Peter Marshall, John Arnott, Richard Roberts, Jim Paul, etc. who are not only arrogant and proud think they are accountable only to God not others when their own bible tells us Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities?

   • What gives these religious leaders the right to practice lawlessness?

   • Why do these religious leaders think that God only speaks to them and not to others?

   • Why do these religious leaders think that others cannot speak on behalf of God but only them?

   • Why do these religious leaders think they have the right to hide their total compensation and those of their family and friends from their donors or the public when their nonprofit status is given by the public and the total compensation of the Prime Minister of Canada or the President of United States is not hidden from anyone?

   • Why do these religious leaders think they can have a board of directors composed of family, friends and paid staff instead of a board of independent people full of integrity?

   — walter    Feb 1, 05:35 AM    #

4. I think Christians need to cheer on Sen. Grassley… we need televangelist reform.

   I just released a salary survey for Christian execs, see it here:
   http://www.freegoodnews.com/2008/01/2008-salary-rev.html

   ...Bernie

   — Bernie of FreeGoodNews.com    Feb 1, 11:04 PM    #

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