Televangelists Being Probed By Senate Committee

In a recent Senate committee investigation, being headed by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley which began last fall, the government has been seeking "voluntary" replies to letters requesting credit card receipts and numbers to off shore bank accounts as a response to recent news reports regarding misappropriations of funds made by various religious organizations. The televangelists singled out are six of the most well known ministries that are part of an evangelical culture known as the Prosperity Gospel. They include Rev. Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White.
During the probe, which was undertaken in part to review the tax exempt status of these organizations, the extent of the wealth of these televangelists was more closely scrutinized. For instance, The two mansions and Rolles-Royces owned by Creflo Dollar, The private jet owned by Joyce Meyers, in addition to the reported $23,000 worth of furnishings in her commode. It is estimated that Meyer's ministry alone takes in over 120 million dollars annually at this point.
The churches all enjoy tax exempt status but part of the deal for that privledge with the government is that they are expected to take their revenues and put them back into the public welfare and not into private planes, trips to Hawaii, expensive automobiles, and lavish furnishings for their bathrooms.