11/09/07
CALVIN S. SCRIBNER
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Rev. Cleflo A. Dollar Jr.

WASHINGTON--Two Black preachers are included in the six televangelist ministries being investigated by a senator who appears to be concerned about their high lifestyles and the spending of monies. Three of the televangelists being investigated by U.S. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Rep., Iowa) are regents of the embattled Oral Roberts University of Tulsa. Rev. Creflo A. Dollar Jr. and Bishop Eddie L. Long are the two Blacks on the senator’s list. (Mr. Long calls himself “Bishop Long” even though he is pastor of a Baptist congregation. Baptist denominations do not have bishops.) Mr. Dollar is on the board of regents of Oral Roberts University. The other two regent board members being investigated are Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Sen. Grassley said on Tuesday that he sent letters to six so-called Christian ministries on Monday requesting documents to answer a long list of questions. The questions are about the ministries’ compensation, housing allowances, che

Bishop Eddie L. Long

cking and savings accounts, cars, airplanes and overseas trips. They have until Dec. 6 to respond. Altogether, the six ministries being investigated by Sen. Grassley (the ranking Republican on the Senate finance committee) are: Rev. Creflo Dollar and his wife, Taffi Dollar, of the World Changers International Church, based in College Park, Ga. Rev. and Mrs. Dollar are popular prosperity preachers with churches and homes in New York, N.Y., and Georgia. Randy and Paula White, a dynamic young couple who started the Without Walls International Church, as well as Paula White Ministries in Tampa, Fla. The two are now divorcing. Sen. Grassley wants them to document clothing expenses and any cosmetic surgery from 2004 to the present. Benny Hinn of the World Healing Center Church, a showy faith-healer based in Grapevine, Texas. That televangelist holds large crusades around the world. He is being asked how he handles cash collected on his overseas crusades, and how much he spent on hotels and food for himself and his staffmembers during layovers on his trips from 2001 to the present. Joyce Meyer, who, with her husband, David Meyer, runs Joyce Meyer Ministries from Fenton, Mo. Mrs. Meyer is popular especially with women for her no-nonsense brand of self-help. The senator from Iowa wants her to explain the “tax-exempt purpose” of purchases, including a “commode with marble top” bought for $23,000 for her headquarters. Bishop Eddie L. Long, pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., a megachurch in the Atlanta suburbs with an active media ministry. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas. Mr. Copeland’s son-in-law, George Pearsons, chairman of the board of regents at Oral Roberts University, leads one of the organizations (the Eagle Mountain International Church) that is targeted by Sen. Grassley. Sen. Grassley said he wants to determine whether the six ministries have illegally used donations to finance opulent lifestyles. “I’m following up on complaints from the public and news coverage regarding certain practices at six ministries,” Sen. Grassley said. “The allegations involve governing boards that are not independent, and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities, such as private jets and Rolls-Royces.” The senator has a history of investigating whether tax-exempt organizations remain accountable to donors and follow tax laws. “I don’t want to conclude that there’s a problem,” he said, “but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more.” “A public discussion of these issues is very appropriate for the benefit of the many donors who support churches,” a statement issued by Mr. Dollar said, “and for the communities served by churches.” “The questions at hand are much bigger than World Changers, as it could affect the privacy of every community church in America.” Sen. Grassley’s questions about the six televangelist ministries are similar to allegations aired last month about Richard Roberts, president of Oral Roberts University, and his wife, Lindsay Roberts. The Robertses were accused of misusing university money and resources, including a leased jet. The accusations were in a report attached to a lawsuit filed against the university and its leaders by three former professors. The professors allege that they lost their jobs after they gave the report to the regents. Richard Roberts has said the report was at least partially compiled by his sister-in-law, Stephanie Cantees, and consisted of false rumors. Her job is to inform Richard Roberts of rumors and happenings in Tulsa and in government. Mr. Roberts, who has taken a “voluntary paid leave of absence” as president of the school, has said he paid his family’s personal expenses, and denied any wrongdoing. The university regents are investigating the allegations. Oral Roberts, the 89 year-old founder of the university, who is retired and had been living in California, moved back to Tulsa a few weeks ago, and announced he will be serving as co-interim president of the school along with another minister. The six ministries being investigated by Sen. Grassley, although far larger and more diversified than the average church, are classified by the Internal Revenue Service as churches. The ministries do not have to file IRS Forms 990 required for other nonprofit organizations. Sen. Grassley’s letter said that, since the six ministries are tax-exempt, contributions to them must be used for the “tax-exempt purposes of the organizations.” If donations were diverted for personal use, that could violate the tax code. The senator said that he and finance committee staffmembers focused on the six ministries because they were “intrigued” by investigative reports about some of them in local newspapers and on television. They also received tips from watchdog groups like the Trinity Foundation in Dallas and ministrywatch.com. “It centered on these six ministries,” Sen. Grassley said, “but I wouldn’t want to say there’s something magic about these six.” “It could be seven or eight,” he stated. “Who knows. After we get these answers back, we might decide we have to look at others.”