Conservative Christian activists question investigation of 'prosperity' televangelists

Published Saturday May 10th, 2008

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - Nearly two dozen conservative Christian leaders have signed a letter to the Senate Finance Committee questioning an investigation into six large ministries that preach a gospel of prosperity.

The letter argues that the six-month-old inquiry sets a dangerous precedent. It also suggests that the ministries were targeted for sharing "the same branch of evangelicalism" and promoting "socially conservative public policy positions such as support for the traditional definition of marriage."

Although the ministries under scrutiny are conservative theologically, they are not at the forefront of the culture wars issues championed by the leaders who are now rallying to their side.

The most prominent figures who signed the letter are Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich, American Family Association chairman Don Wildmon and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

"The ministries have been asked to produce financial records and internal documents in what appears to be an exercise in disproving their alleged guilt," the letter states.

The group repeats an argument by some of the targeted ministries - that the investigation falls short of the high bar the Internal Revenue Service has for justifying a church investigation.

Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, sent letters to the six ministries in November seeking answers about spending on private planes, oceanside mansions and board oversight. The committee's Democratic chairman, Senator Max Baucus, joined Grassley in asking for answers.

The six ministries in question - led respectively by Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer and Paula and Randy White - have denied wrongdoing. Some have pledged full co-operation and others have either refused or provided limited information.

Jill Kozeny, a spokeswoman for Grassley, said the investigation is not concerned with church doctrine but with the adequacy of tax-exempt laws that have not been substantially changed since 1968.

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Isn’t it odd that Grassley is now claiming to use those six ministries to “test” the nonprofit laws? Why is he targeting only Pentecostal ministries? Why didn’t he check out a Baptist ministry or Catholic or Muslim or any one of a thousand other denominations or faiths? I don’t think this is about tax laws at all. I think this is about a disagreement with religious doctrine. And, as such, this makes these investigations constitutionally wrong. Harry Truman stood up to a similar kind of hysteria in the 1950’s. “Real Americanism means fair play,” he said. “It means that people are not to be penalized and persecuted for exercising their constitutional liberties.”