Growing Fraud Sucks Billions From Churches Annually

The Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East Palo California. In 2004, the organization changed its name to Born Again Christian Center- Photo taken July 22, 2014

If members of the Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East Palo Alto, California, hadn’t fought back, their one-time Pastor, Andre Harris, and his wife, Rhona Edgerton-Harris, would have fleeced them of their church building and a home valued at more than $1 million.

Church members explained that when they arrived for services one day in early May 2014, they found a real estate sign on the parsonage next door where the Christian leader and his family had been allowed to live rent free.

A curious church member did some sleuthing at the county recorder’s office and discovered that the deed to the home had been strangely transferred to the pastor and his wife. A for-sale sign also soon appeared on the church property which led alarmed members to demand an explanation from their pastor about a month later.

They protested the sale of the properties which the church’s bylaws prohibit without their consent. The original story can be read here

Pastor Harris, who had renamed the church Born Again Christian Center when he took over leadership of the congregation, responded by handing the protesting members notices of ex-communication — barring them from the church in the name of Jesus.

“Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Born Again Christian Center is informing you because of your inconsistent attendance over the months or years, we have therefore removed you as a member,” Harris wrote in the notice. “You therefore no longer have any rights or privileges to conduct any matter at the said Church. … We are informing you of your removal and permanent ban of membership at Born Again Christian Center.”

The members replied to Harris with a lawsuit alleging several crimes, including attempts to defraud the church. About 10 months later, the church prevailed.

Harris returned the properties to them in a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed. But Harris and his wife almost got away with it. Zion Missionary Baptist Church members called themselves “blessed” because most perpetrators of fraud in churches are usually never reported.

Research cited by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, the second largest U.S. provider of property and casualty insurance to Christian churches and related ministries, says reported cases of church financial fraud has been rising by about 6 percent annually and is expected to reach the $60 billion mark by 2025.

The level of reported fraud in churches is dwarfed, however, by the 80 percent of church fraud cases that are estimated to go unreported.

John Montague, a corporate and nonprofit tax law expert and senior associate at leading global international law firm Hogan Lovells, explained in a recent interview with The Christian Post why he believes the best way to abate church fraud is to remove the IRS Form 990 exemption churches currently enjoy. Evidence suggests churches cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, he said.

Montague, who is a practicing Christian, also made his case several years ago when he penned a research paper for the Cardozo Law Review, titled The Law and Financial Transparency in Churches: Reconsidering the Form 990.

                                                   What is the IRS Form 990?

The IRS Form 990 is the reporting form that many federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS each year. It allows the IRS and the general public to evaluate a nonprofit’s operations, including information on the nonprofit’s mission, programs, and finances. Depending on the filing year and the gross receipts of the organization, a nonprofit might be required to file Forms 990, 990-EZ or 990-N.

In his general assessment of what he is hearing from average churchgoers today, Montague said people are frustrated by not having access to the kind of transparency in churches that a Form 990 can give.

If, for example, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability were a church, members could easily learn from its 2015 Form 990 disclosure, the latest 990 the organization makes available on their website, that it works to enhance trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries.

The public could also learn financial details such as how much ECFA President Dan Busby got paid from the organization that year — $193,218 in reported compensation and $42,032 in other income totaling just over $235,000.

“Nearly every conversation I’ve had with members of the laity, people have been interested in the concept of transparency, and frustrated by the general lack of transparency,” explained Montague, who served as a law clerk to The Honorable Thomas B. Wells of the U.S. Tax Court prior to joining Hogan Lovells.

“In churches, I’ve encouraged people to ask questions about the finances of their churches, but I’m not aware of any church that has actually made a move to voluntarily file a 990 or to provide the level of transparency that would result from having to file a 990,” Montague said.

He also explained that among the reasons why Christians aren’t pushing to hold churches more accountable and showing more concern about financial accountability through the IRS Form 990 is a lack of awareness.

“I don’t think most people are aware of the 990. … And even if they are aware of the 990, they are not aware of the exemption that churches have. I’m sure that 99 percent of Christians are totally unaware of that exemption,” Montague said.

“I think there are people, [who might say] ‘look, my responsibility is to give money to the Church and then I leave it up to God as to what happens to it after.’ I think there are those people. I would imagine that they’re probably in the minority but I have no idea.”

 

In January 2011, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, released a report after a three-year investigation targeting six popular televangelists, including Paula White, Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland. 

The report raised questions about their personal use of things such as church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards. It also expressed concern about the lack of oversight of finances by boards often filled by the televangelists’ relatives and friends.

Grassley, citing the concerns raised by the report, asked Busby in his role as leader of the ECFA to come up with a solution using legislation as a last resort.

“As you consider the issues my staff raised, please remember our discussion in my office when you visited me with other members of ECFA board on March 12, 2009. I stated then that I believe that legislation should be the last resort. However, ideas for reform often inspire informed and thoughtful discussions which, in turn, lead to self-correction and eliminate the need for legislation,” he wrote.

 A house owned by Benny Hinn

In 1977, after similar concerns were raised about financial impropriety among certain televangelists at the time, then Republican Senator Mark Hatfield, who died in August 2011, warned that Congress would enact legislation if evangelical leaders could not develop a proposal to regulate themselves, according to Montague in The Law and Financial Transparency in Churches: Reconsidering the Form 990.

This resulted in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Christian relief organization World Vision partnering to found the ECFA in 1979 with 115 members. Only one televangelist was listed among that number.

In a March 1979 Washington Post report on the launch of the ECFA, organizers said more than 1,100 evangelical charitable organizations with a combined annual income approaching $1 billion would subscribe to the principles laid down by the organization.

Information from the ECFA’s 2015 990 shows that it currently reviews the data of more than 2,000 Christian charities and churches with more than $23 billion in annual revenue.

Grassley, in his letter to Busby, reminded him of the origin of the ECFA and its role as an alternative to legislated financial oversight for churches.

 Creflo Dollar with one of his many elaborate cars and aircraft 

“ECFA was founded because of a challenge then-Senator Hatfield made in 1977 to Christian groups to be more accountable. He apparently was responding to a scandal in the religious community at that time. The size and diversity of the religious community in the United States has grown tremendously since the ECFA was created. I hope that a discussion of the issues raised by my staff will similarly result in increased accountability while acknowledging this growth and diversity,” Grassley wrote to Busby.

This request led to the creation of the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, which operated under the authority of the ECFA board of directors.

In a report released in December 2012, the commission, which is now inactive, encouraged churches and their leaders to act honorably and asked members of the public who donate money or their time to them to research religious organizations before investing in them.

“Churches and their leaders should not engage in abusive financial activities, nor should they improperly exploit the exemption from filing Form 990, because doing so undermines the credibility of their organizations and the religious community as a whole,” the commission advised.

The commission also recommended that Congress “never pass legislation requiring churches to file Form 990 or any similar information return or form with the federal government.”

“To require such a filing would not only place a substantial and unnecessary burden on churches and the government, it would also raise significant constitutional concerns. New churches should not have registration or notification requirements beyond those that already exist,” the commission said.

 Kenneth Copeland thanking his church for buying him a multi-million dollar private jet. 

 

                     Church transparency and the New Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In May, however, the IRS appeared to take a step toward bucking that advice when it released guidance on the increased scope of what should be taxed as unrelated business income under the newly instituted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

While churches have long been subject to file IRS Form 990-T as long as they generated unrelated business income, the new law, the ECFA says, will now require many more churches and tax exempt organizations to file the form because the federal income tax is now applied to parking benefits.

“Because of this new tax, many tax‐exempt employers, including churches, hospitals, charities, and schools will be required to file federal Form 990‐T, and in many cases, state corporate income returns, every year regardless of whether they actually engage in any unrelated business activity. This new tax was purportedly added to the law to put tax‐exempt employers on the same footing as taxable employers with respect to employer‐provided parking,” the ECFA explained in a statement to CP.

While church and financial transparency experts agree that the 990-T would only add minimally to the broader push toward church transparency and accountability, Busby argued that it’s also likely to create various administrative and financial costs for many churches that do not have the means to meet them.

“Working in the church world most of my career, my guess is that prior to this provision, there’s probably only 1 [percent] or 2 percent of churches in America that file form 990-T so we’re really talking about two issues,” Busby said in a June interview with CP.

“We’re talking about a financial issue. We’re gonna have to pay a tax on providing employee parking and two, which may be more important, is the administrative piece of this — to file a return with which they are not familiar. If you can imagine, small churches across America have to file a form 990-T that they’ve never even heard of. And probably they’re gonna need to secure professional advice and pay a professional to file the return, even though the money may not be a significant amount, it’s just a ridiculous provision that was put in the law,” he said.

In July, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention issued a policy brief in support of repealing the new parking tax and earlier this month, bills were introduced in both the House and Senate echoing that recommendation.

“In addition to the new federal requirements, many nonprofits will then be required to file state returns and possibly pay state income tax,” the ERLC stated. “The new regulations create tax liability and increase operations costs for these nonprofits, all because they simply have a parking lot. … 

“Taxing nonprofits on basic costs of operating an institution defeats the purpose of nonprofit status, an American tradition for over 100 years.” 

                                    The case for IRS oversight of churches

Pete Evans, lead investigator at the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, which has been tracking religious fraud and helping victims of religious fraud for almost 30 years, told CP that the new requirement is a step in the right direction toward transparency and is a small price to pay compared to the billions being lost in church fraud annually.

“Even if it affects our own church, I would vote yes [to the 990-T provision],” Evans said.    You have all these churches now and ministries that are wealthy beyond wealth and some of which have thousands and thousands of acres in the counties that are not on the tax rolls because of various exemptions and they are living like Arabian princes,” Evans noted.

Evans also questioned Busby’s apparent concern for smaller churches in his criticism of the ECFA.

“If you look at the majority of people that ECFA represents, they represent the larger churches because ECFA charges so much money that small churches can’t afford to be members of ECFA. And so I think there is hypocrisy there that on one hand they’re getting a lot of money from the larger ministries, churches and now all of a sudden they are defending the little churches?” he said.

In response to recent questions about the organization’s membership, a spokesperson for the ECFA revealed that only a minority of its currently registered members, 225, are churches.

That’s less than 1 percent of the 250,000 churches registered with the IRS’ Select Check program, according to Holly Ivel, director of Guidestar’s data services. Under this program, the IRS provides official recognition of an organization’s tax-exempt status which assures donors that their contributions are tax deductible.

“Based on how these organizations are coded there’s almost a quarter of a million churches that have chosen to do that (Select Check),” explained Ivel of the program. “So they’ve voluntarily registered, which is great.”

While Ivel, like the ECFA, does not recommend requiring churches to file a Form 990, she did notice from the data in their system that just over 2 percent of the 250,000 churches registered for the Select Check program also filed some variation of the form 990, even though they aren’t required to file it.

“They are not required to file a return but even though they are not required to, about 5,300 have filed an annual return — either an EZ, which is kind of the short form, or a 990. And that’s between 2014 and 2017,” Ivel said.

Some of these filings could be easily searched and viewed on a database available on the IRS website as recently as late June. An update to that page on July 6 now only allows the public to determine deductibility of their contributions. It is unclear why this change was made.

Evans, who agrees with Montague that the evidence against churches show they cannot be trusted with self-regulation, argued that the 990 would be a more powerful safeguard against abuse because of the detailed information it requires. Many churches, he argued, as seen in the number of churches that file Form 990 even though they are not required, would be able to adhere to IRS oversight if there was a requirement to do so.

“Especially for the larger ministries and churches, there needs to be some transparency because they’re not going to do it on their own. Churches, if they are not required to, are typically not going to be transparent on their own and I think a lot of churches would be willing if there was a requirement,” Evans said.

“ECFA does not reveal salary information of their clients and that’s one of the key aspects of transparency that they’re hiding their own clients. They give everybody a seal of approval, this organization is good and above board and yet don’t reveal salary information? What’s up with that?” he asked.

In response, Busby noted in a statement to CP: “There has never been a legal requirement for churches to disclose their salaries. ECFA’s standards start with legal requirements, and in some cases, go beyond the law.”

In 2013, shortly after the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations recommended that Congress not require churches to file Form 990, Montague argued against the advice in The Law and Financial Transparency in Churches: Reconsidering the Form 990.

“… Because of their opacity and the unique nature of religious authority, churches are more likely to foster and shelter malfeasance. Churchgoers are unlikely to challenge leaders because doing so can endanger their position in the religious community, making it imperative that transparency be mandated by outside authorities,” Montague argued.

“Ironically, increased transparency may actually be good for churches because, as studies suggest, it is likely to increase donations and because, by minimizing opportunities for financial improprieties, it may preserve the religious experience of churchgoers. In addition, transparency is consistent with the teaching of many Christian leaders and with the expressed preferences of a large portion of churchgoers.”

Montague said he sent copies of his research to Busby and Grassley.

In a response from Busby to Montague shared with CP, Busby noted in a 2013 letter: “ECFA’s position with respect to Form 990 coincides with the recommendations in the Commission report, i.e., that requiring such a form for churches would constitute unnecessary and constitutionally prohibited excessive entanglement by the government in the affairs of the church.”

                                     The Excessive Entanglement Problem

Some see potential religious freedom issues in additional filing requirements being placed upon churches.

In The Internal Revenue Service as a Monitor of Church Institutions: The Excessive Entanglement Problem, published in the Fordham Law Review in 1977, Sharon L. Worthing concluded that requiring church-related organizations to file IRS information returns was one example of excessive government entanglement with religion.

“Although the entanglement created by having church-related institutions file information returns does not seem terribly great, the requirement can be seen as a first step whose ultimate end is full government surveillance of religious institutions. The excessive entanglement test serves as a ‘warning signal’ regarding programs which may appear harmless, but whose ultimate expression would result in a clearly unconstitutional relationship between church and state,” Worthington wrote.In discussing the excessive entanglement concerns, Montague pointed in his study to a well-publicized congressional hearing in 1987 hearing with witnesses from the IRS and the Treasury, as well as notable televangelists including Jerry Falwell and Oral Roberts.

Then Congressman J.J. Pickle, chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Ways and Means Committee who convened the hearing, noted how Congress and the executive “historically have been reluctant to look very closely at tax issues involving religious organizations” because of their political sensitivity.

Roberts argued that the ECFA, which had been formed as an alternative to legislation, lacked teeth and that it would be better for all organizations to file the Form 990 and submit to external audits.

Gordon Loux, then chairman of the board of the ECFA, also noted that there are “inherent difficulties in self-regulation” as it is limited to those who consent to be regulated. He agreed that the Form 990 is a “minimal requirement that ought to be met by those that are operating in the public service.”

Then Commissioner of the IRS Lawrence Gibbs, who had previously agreed that churches had not been subject to the requirements of filing information returns because of concern about government intrusion into religion, was challenged during the hearing by former Congressman from New York Charles Rangel. An excerpt of their exchange is highlighted below:

Mr. Rangel: Do you see where filing an annual report by churches would be in violation of the constitutional right of separation of church and state?

Mr. Gibbs: I have assumed, perhaps erroneously, that that was the reason—or certainly one of the prominent reasons—for specifically excluding them by statute in 1969.

Mr. Rangel: Well, why did you reach that assumption? You know, it is only a congressional decision. Has any court said that you cannot put limitations on the privilege of tax exemption? We do it in unrelated taxes. We do it in lobbying. We do it in political affairs. We do it in FCC control. What in God’s name could be even remotely considered a violation of the constitutional rights of churches to say that they should file an annual report as to how much money they got and what they did with it?

Several pastors contacted by CP to discuss this story because their churches filed 990 returns referred questions to their treasurer or the individual who prepared them. None of these individuals responded to interview requests.

Montague suggested that some of the churches may have filed the returns in error, not realizing they are exempt from filing.

(Originally written by Leonardo Blair/ Edited by Babylon Today)

 

 

 

 

Jessie Duplantis Passes The Offering Plate To Buy Another Private Jet

Jesse Duplantis, 68, a Christian minister based in Destrehan, about 25 miles east of New Orleans, says his “ministry” [aka his blind followers] has paid cash for three private jets.

“You know I’ve owned three different jets in my life and used them and used them and just burning them up for the Lord,” Duplantis says in a video posted to his ministries’ website.  Duplantis is now reportedly asking his followers to give him the funds for a Dassault Falcon 7X, worth $54 million.

The problem with the previous jets, he says, is that they require multiple stops to refuel. But flying the Falcon 7X, Duplantis says, will allow him to save money and not pay “those exorbitant prices with jet fuel all over the world.” When will “the church” realize that these church scams benefit only ONE PERSON, THE PASTOR! I hope that his supporters don’t expect him to give them a ride in his new jet because that’s not going to happen! When he rents out his jets for other preachers to use, where do you think that rental income is going- it’s goes in Duplantis’ pocket! 

“I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the earth today, he wouldn’t be riding a donkey,” Duplantis says in the video, “He’d be in an airplane preaching the gospel all over the world.”

 

Duplantis’ video comes after another televangelist, Kenneth Copeland Acquires New Gulf-stream V Jet, Paid For By “Donations” From His Followers/Church and Seeks $19.5M for Upgrades and Maintenance .

Both televangelists defended their use of private jets during a joint appearance on Copeland’s program, saying that commercial airlines are filled with “a bunch of demons” that get in the way of their busy schedules. Why is it that these religious scammers always blame “Jesus” for their shameful behavior?

Televangelist Jim Bakker Says Christians Can Survive End of World by Buying His Condos and $150 Water Bottles!

Televangelist Jim Jones Bakker has claimed that the Missouri town in which he is building a Christian community is equipped to survive the end of the world, and is selling survival gear, such as packs of bottles that cost $150.

 Jim Bakker’s End Time “Christian Community”

Bakker said on his program “The Jim Bakker Show” earlier this week that various prophets have predicted that if there is a major world disaster and humankind faces the end of the world, people in large cities are not going to be able to survive.

That is why for 15 years Bakker has been building his Morningside community in Blue Eye, Missouri, which will come with an amphitheater, houses for the residents, and a chapel that can be used for weddings.

He also is advertising survival gear, such as a pack of six “extreme survival” water bottles being sold for $150. His website claims that the bottles are “designed using a combination of both Advanced and Radiological filters.”

“You all are going to know soon why God brought us here,” Bakker said on Tuesday’s show. “Do you know the people from the government, from NASA, the research from so many of them, they have said in their research that the safest place to live in troubled times is right here. That’s why God brought us here,” he added.

The televangelist further said that he is looking for “people on fire for God” to live in the community, stating that “there is nowhere on earth you could live with more of God’s generals.”

Bakker did not clarify what he was referring to when he claimed that NASA deems Missouri safer than other locations, however.

“Friendly Atheist” blogger Hemant Mehta wrote Thursday that he researched Bakker’s NASA claim but could find no such research. 

“Bakker is just trying to sell property using the same fictional scare tactics he uses to sell buckets of disgusting glop,” he concluded.

Throughout the rest of the show, Bakker advertised various survival meal packages, and spoke with community pastors about the importance of trusting in God’s plan in the wake of apocalyptic fears.

 “I’m determined to let you know what we have here what’s going on and what God is doing,” he told the audience.

The Daily Mail, which visited the Morningside location in August 2017, noted that the community “looks similar to a theme park, featuring a brightly painted indoor town square dominated by a 15ft tall Jesus statue.”

Back in 2015, Bakker even warned that viewers who fail to buy his food products may find themselves forced to eat human flesh in nightmarish end-times scenarios.

“The Bible says they’re going to eat their arms, the Bible says they’re going to eat their babies, then it says they’re going to eat their children. That’s what people do when they get hungry,” Bakker warned.

“When you’re huddled in a corner with your grand-baby and they’re screaming and crying and there’s no food — I don’t want that blood on my hands.”

 Bakker rose to fame in the 1970s with his nationally renowned Praise The Lord Ministries, but he ended up in prison for financial wrongdoing and alleged rape that cost him his ministry.

Wait a minute… Isn’t this the SAME Jim Bakker who waned the world that The Great Tribulation would begin in March of 2016????

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Mathew 24-36. 

Jim Bakker is stuffing his pockets with his end times scare tactics, wonder what he will come up with next! I also wonder if his faithful monetary supporters [many who have supported him for years] have a reserved spot in his Morningside Christian community?

This is truly the mockery of Christianity. 

 

South Korean Megachurch Pastor Accused of Raping 5 Women After ‘Order From God’

Pastor Lee Jae-Rock of the 133,000-member Manmin Central Church in Seoul, South Korea, has reportedly been banned from leaving the country after five women accused him of rape.

Manmin has denied the accusations, according The Korea Herald, arguing that former members are starting “false rumors” against Lee out of jealousy.

The 74-year-old pastor is facing legal complaints from five women who say that he sexually assaulted them from the late 1990s to 2015, local broadcaster JTBC reported.

The women, who weren’t named, say that they were in their 20s at the time of the alleged rapes. The victims say that Lee forced himself on them several times, telling them that he was carrying out an “order from God.”

In its denial, Manmin (which means “all creation”) stressed that Lee has long been “stressing the importance of sexual ethics.”

The megachurch, which held its first service in 1982, claims on its website to have 133,000 members with some 10,000 “branch and associative churches” around the world. 

“Manmin has experienced such an astounding and rapid growth only in 30 years because, amidst God’s abundant blessings, there are always the messages of life proclaimed by Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee, marvelous manifestations of the fiery works of the Holy Spirit, and the unceasing prayer of its members,” the website states.

Lee, founder of Manmin, has also been ordained as pastor at Annual Assembly of Jesus’ Sungkyul Church of Korea. He has led pastors conferences and Gospel crusades around the world, including events in New York, Los Angeles, Japan, Israel, Argentina, Germany, Tanzania, and India.

There are numerous allegations that “Lee Jae Rock sounds like a great spiritual healing evangelist and does preach biblical sermons at his large public crusades, but underneath the surface is in reality a heretical teacher. Unfortunately, information about the heresy and highly questionable character of Lee Jae-Rock is rare in English (though a number of books and websites in Korean do expose him.)

He was excommunicated as a cult leader from his own denomination (Church of Holiness) in May 1990 and from the Korean Christian Association (Han Ki Chong) on 30th of April 1999 because of his unbiblical teachings.

Lee Jae-Rock (also known as Jaerock Lee) claims to have received revelation just like the Apostle John. He claims his body has sinless blood (due to a blood transfusion in 1992). He meets with the prophets, apostles and patriarchs. His spirit is at the left side of God’s throne. He will be the judge on the last day and all the angels submit to him. And he has made many more such claims.

In Korea a documentary video was aired exposing Lee Jae-Rock’s bizarre claims and gambling activities. A number of his followers stormed the TV facility to prevent the broadcast. At least 600 South Korean riot police were called out to end the occupation. The Manmin church had earlier reportedly obtained a court order preventing MBC from screening a story about Lee Jae-Rock’s sex life”.

This article tells of Lee Jae-Rock’s visit to Israel with promises of performing “signs and wonders” and ridding the country of the swine flu. Could it be that this man Lee Jae-Rock has had an encounter with T.B. Joshua who spends a significant amount of time in South Korea? Perhaps T.B. Joshua has “fortified” him with a demon.

 

Pastor Ronnie Gorton Now Suicidal After Rape Allegations

In statements to local news outlets, authorities revealed that Ronnie Gorton, lead pastor of The Awakening Church in Atoka, Tennessee, has been taken into custody for a psychiatric evaluation after allegedly becoming suicidal and threatening to take his life after recent allegation that he raped two underage boys.

Tipton County investigators told WMCActionNews5 that an anonymous 17-year-old boy made statements last week alleging that Gorton, 39, sexually assaulted, molested, and raped him on several occasions. The Atoka Police Department reported receiving a similar complaint from a 20-year-old man who alleged that Gorton sexually assaulted him when he was a minor.

Billy Daugherty, Tipton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy, told The Leader that the latest instance of alleged assault by Gorton took place on Jan. 31 and that the case is a multijurisdictional investigation.

“There’s an allegation in the county and an allegation in Atoka,” Daugherty said, adding that there was “nothing to indicate” any of the incidents occurred within the church.

Daugherty further explained that no criminal charges have been filed against the pastor. He was, however, taken into custody after meeting with detectives last Wednesday when a friend of Gorton’s reported that he was armed with a handgun and had threatened to commit suicide.

Daugherty also noted the natural reaction of members of the church and community to be alarmed by the allegations: “Anytime there’s an allegation of sexual misconduct it’s alarming. Again, especially when it’s someone in a position of authority, people that we trust.”

• Psalms 118:8- It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 
• Micah 7:5- Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that, lieth in they bosom. 
• Jeremiah 17:5- Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 
• Galatians 6:3- For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 

Pastor Tim Omotoso Accused of Rape and Other Charges of Sexual Misconduct

Former Idols SA contestants Neliswa and Anele Mxakaza have finally spoken out against their former pastor, Timothy Omotoso.  Last year the Nigerian-born pastor made headlines after he was charged for human trafficking and rape and later discovered to be in South Africa illegally due to fraudulent papers The senior pastor of the Jesus Dominion International Church was accused of keeping young female congregants of his church in a house in Umhlanga in Durban and sexually assaulting them.

 Pastor Timothy Omotoso

During his court case early last year, Neliswa and Anele – who were members of his church and lived with him – came out in his defense and even claimed they loved him.  Now the twins have issued a statement and revealed they always knew about the abuse that went on in the house in Umhlanga.

“We have lived in his house in Umhlanga for about a year, it was the worst experience ever,” they said. “We were actually pushed to please the man, we were told that God will punish us if we ever say anything against [Pastor] Omotoso. We lived a life full of threats and fear.”

Sexual comments

It is not clear whether these twins were sexually violated or not because according to DRUM they asserted that they were not sexually violated and that he only made sexual comments directed at them. 

“He would make comments about certain parts of our bodies in front of all the other girls. He would also ask us personal questions about whether we’re having sex with our boyfriends.”

She added that this made them very uncomfortable, which is why they eventually decided to leave the house because they feared they would eventually be assaulted.

“We were made to believe Omotoso is the closest person to God and we can never have a relationship with God but only through Omotoso,” the statement further read.They added that they believe their spirits were controlled by the pastor and they could see all the wrongs, but were never bold enough to speak out.“We were even asked to go do newspaper interviews to protect Omotoso,” they said in the statement.

Speaking about the abuse they faced in the pastor’s house, the twins said they saw everything that happened to all those women who’ve spoken out against the alleged rapist. There have since been 18 additional charges of sexual misconduct brought against Omotoso.

Pastor Tim Omotoso

 

Rape allegations

“The rape allegations were not new to us when Omotoso was arrested – it’s something we knew long before he got arrested.

“The girls would talk immediately after it happened in the house and when one was called to the upper room we knew what was going to happen to them, we were made to keep quiet and never say anything.

“Even when we had left the church we were still not free to talk, we were afraid something bad will happen to us or our families,” they said.

Attorney comment

Omotoso’s newly appointed attorney Peter Daubermann said that he is unsure how these allegations by the twins will affect the case at this point.

“We have not heard anything about these new allegations yet, so it is too soon to tell how it will affect our  moving forward,” he told DRUM.

NPA communications manager Tsepo Ndwalaza was not immediately available for comment. The twins were contestants on season 9 of Idols SA.

According to News24, Omotoso and one of his co-accused appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The case was postponed to March 7 because a third accused wasn’t present.

 Tim Omotoso in police custody in South Africa

The pastor is accused of trafficking more than 30 girls and women who were from various branches of his church, and as of today remains incarcerated awaiting trial.

Omotoso’s website is still active and can be found here.

 Blind worshipors of Timothy Omotoso

Who Is “Prophet” Passion Java ?

Meet False Prophet/Magician Passion Java who is one of Zimbabwe‘s popular prophets who claimed fame by using black magic/ ju ju to perform “miracles”. Passion Java was born on 28 October 1988. He married Lily Tsegaye  in February 2016 (who now calls herself “prophetess” since her marriage to Passion) and was formerly married to “prophetess” Yasmin with whom he had a son named Uebert Java named after Passion Java’s “spiritual father”  Uebert Angel^[1].

 

He divorced his first wife Yasmin in late 2015 and his immediate marriage to his current wife Lilly caused lots of controversy in his country of Zimbabwe, with rumors circulating that he and Lilly were having extramarital affairs which caused the marital turbulence between him and his former wife, there were also speculations of an opportunity to live in the United States by dumping his ex-wife and marrying his current wife. There were also allegations of domestic abuse in where one church member made an eyewitness statement of Java striking his former wife in the face after a church service. He is the founder of Passion Java Ministries,   that was originally established together with his former wife Yasmin, but was renamed to “Java Ministries” just before the finalization of his divorce. Magician Passion has also been described as a prosperity preacher roping him into the league comprising of others like him such as Emmanuel Makandiwa and Uebert Angel,  and Shepherd Bushiri who are also practitioners of  dark magic. 

 

Magician/prophet Passion Java has introduced African Ju-Ju and Indian magic to the members of  Bishop Noel Jones’ church in California, under the guise of “the prophetic.” Most Americans know very little if anything at all about African dark magic, ju-ju, or Indian magic to be able to recognize it when they see it.  Passion Java refers to bishop Noel Jones as his new “spiritual father” after having a fall out with his previous “spiritual father” Uebert Angel, Bishop Noel’s congregation HAS NO IDEA that they are being entertained BY DEMONS!  This clown is online PRETENDING TO BE A REAL PROPHET by TALKING AGAINST FALSE PROPHETS! Java has been in the news not only for his magic, but his flamboyant lifestyle which has led many in his own country to question the source of his wealth as well as fuel speculation about his credibility as a bona fide prophet. He was alleged to have spent over $500,000 in one shopping spree where he bought two Range Rovers and a Jaguar. The vehicles procured by Java were said to be for his senior pastors who also accompanied him on the shopping spree. Americans are cautioned to be mindful entertaining and embracing African magic practitioners! Many are also occultists who go to great lengths to hide the secrets of their great wealth and fame. Java and the few in his circle reached fame seemingly overnight! The use of occultism and dark magic to acquire fame and money may seem strange in the United States, but it’s not strange in Africa! In fact, Passion was questioned in his own country regarding the real source of his “power,” of course he denied it being from dark magic- who then would follow him?  Americans Beware! African Magic is nothing to play with, receiving money and gifts from him could be a vital mistake as well as allowing him to “lay hands” on you or put oil on your body! For ANY PASTOR to invite this man to his/her church would be putting their flock in harms way!  I would caution anyone to STAY AWAY from his “prophetic class,” his anointing oil and everything else, unless you enjoy being entertained by demons. If you go to this monster with one problem, your problems will INCREASE shortly thereafter because he employs DEMONS to work for him. Americans should learn very quickly about spiritual wickedness so that you can recognize it when you see it! This man is a charlatan! A wolf in sheep’s clothing! He is a real con artist who is only interested in YOUR MONEY and YOU, KEEPING HIM FAMOUS! 

Passion Java in Bishop Noel Jones’ church using MAGIC to make the people fall- but they think it’s “the anointing”!  

Kenneth Copeland Acquires New Gulf-stream V Jet, Paid For By “Donations” From His Followers/Church and Seeks $19.5M for Upgrades and Maintenance

Thanks to the support of his deep-pocketed partners, Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries has acquired a new multi-million dollar Gulfstream V jet that he says will help him do the Lord’s work and help him avoid having to contend with “demons” that travel on commercial airlines. 

Copeland’s ministry announced last Friday the acquisition of the “debt free” jet, which hit the market with a $36 million price tag in 1998. The ultra-long-range business jet can accommodate up to four crew members and 14 passengers in an executive configuration, according to Gulfstream. It is unclear how much Copeland’s ministry paid for the jet but AV Buyer says they currently have the lowest priced Gulf-stream V on the market priced at just under $6 million.

“Father we thank you so and I’m asking you now sir, according to your word, bless our partners beyond measure. Yes, in the name of Jesus. For you said in 2002, ‘I’m sending you new partners who are very strong financially and they will obey me. And I will increase your longtime partners and they will obey me,” Copeland, 81, said in a prayer of thanksgiving for the new jet.”And you will not come short. And you will not fail. And you will not lack. And you will not come behind and you will not be diminished. Praise God,” he said of his donors.

On the December 29, 2015, television broadcast of “Believers Voice of Victory,” hosted by Copeland and Jesse Duplantis, the ministers explained that private jets were important to their business to help them, among other things, pray in privacy as the Lord leads and avoid unnecessary demons.

 

“We’ve got to have this! The mess that the airlines are in today. I would have to stop — I’m being very conservative — at least, 75-80, more like 90 percent of what we are doing. Because we can’t get there! That’s why we are on that airplane. We can talk to God!” Copeland said.

“Now, Oral [Roberts] used to fly airlines. But even back then it got to the place where it was agitating his spiritual. People coming up to him, he had become famous, and they wanting him to pray for them and all that,” Copeland explained. “You can’t, you can’t manage that today. This dope-filled world, and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons. And it’s deadly.

“I wanted to make that clear so the devil can’t lie to you and say, ‘See them there preachers spending all that money, just fat cats riding around.’ No, we’re not; we’re in business,” Copeland said.

According to Charlie Bollinger, Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ partner and volunteer, “the Holy Spirit confirmed to Brother Copeland that the Gulfstream V was the plane the Lord had set aside for KCM.” The ministry identified the seller of the jet as filmmaker Tyler Perry. The jet was purchased and “paid in full” during Thanksgiving week.

While the newly acquired Gulfstream V jet “is in outstanding condition and is an exceptional value,” Bollinger said it will need $2.5 million in upgrades to meet new FAA standards.

“So, as Elite CX Team members, we need to set our faith NOW on receiving that additional seed so that we can sow it within the next three to four months, as the upgrades are completed,” Bollinger urged Copeland’s donors.

He further noted that an additional $17 million was necessary to help maintain the new aircraft and urged donors to prepare to give that amount as well.

Kenneth Copeland isn’t the first mega minister to ask his flock to pay for a private plane. 

In 2015 Creflo Dollars followers gave “donations” to buy him a $70 million G650.  At first his request for a $300 donation from each follower was met with outrage.  Later the church decided that the plane was necessary for Dollars “ministry work”. 

 

And in 2016, Copeland and fellow televangelist Jesse Duplantis defended their use of private planes on Copeland’s TV show ‘Believer’s Voice of Victory’. On that show Copeland called flying commercial getting in ‘a long tube with a bunch of demons’. 

“Beyond the purchase of the Gulfstream V and its upgrades, remember that the overall Mission 3 goal is $17 million. By sowing the balance of those funds as the CX Team, we will be sowing toward: the construction of a new hangar, upgrading the existing runway, and purchasing special GV maintenance equipment,” he said.

Pastor and wife FOUND GUILTY of defrauding friends and church members of $1,200,000

The Alexandria, Va., pastor told his parishioners they could benefit themselves while doing good if they invested in his Christian-based company lending small amounts of money to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

 Pastor Terry Wayne Millender and his wife Brenda Millender

Instead, a jury in Alexandria  federal court agreed that Terry Millender and his wife Brenda Millender, who together ran Victorious Life Church, defrauded their friends and flock out of millions of dollars.

Terry Millender told investors they would make their money back with profit, all while fueling growth in developing countries. But that never happened.

At trial, the pastor argued that he was guilty only of financial mismanagement, not fraud.

He said he acted “stupidly, not criminally — not from my heart.”

He blamed the failure of his companies on the 2008 financial collapse and a banking crisis in Ukraine, among other events he said were unforeseeable.

Prosecutors said the couple had no experience in micro-lending and did not tell investors they planned to generate profit though risky currency trading. Their friends’ money was used to lure in new investors, according to court documents, and to make payments on a $1.75 million home in Springfield, Va.

After $1.4 million in micro-lending money was squandered and the company failed, the couple started another firm focused on the Nigerian oil industry. Investors in the micro-lending business were told that through the new venture they would be repaid. That company too collapsed, and their investors lost over $600,000. Again, prosecutors said much of the money went to pay the couple’s personal expenses, including golf games and rent.

Grenetta Wells, who was chief operating officer of the micro-lending company, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and testified against the Millenders.

While Terry Millender was found guilty for all 31 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, false-tax-return filing and obstruction, his wife was found guilty only for seven.

“I’m pleased that the jury’s verdict at least acknowledges a vast difference between Mr. and Mrs. Millender’s respective involvement,” Brenda Millender’s lawyer, Lana Manitta, said. “However, our position is and will remain that Brenda Millender wasn’t involved at any level that triggers criminal culpability.”

A lawyer for Terry Millender did not immediately return a request for comment.

 Terry Millender argued on the stand that if he and his wife were really stealing from their investors, they would not have been evicted from their Springfield home or declared bankruptcy in 2010. Millender contended he had hoped to “make a difference in the lives of people” in Africa and South America and to see his friends rewarded by God for helping. The pastor told jurors he could have made plenty of money, having run a successful restaurant recommendation business, but he was called to lead a church and a Christian-focused investment firm. To truly make a difference, he said, he needed to not just give what he could to charity but make enough money to give significantly.

“You can’t do good and be poor at the same time,” he testified. “You can’t help the poor and be poor, it makes no sense.”

The Millenders, who were convicted Monday, both face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced in March.

Benny Hinn’s Nephew says that Prosperity Teaching Is ‘Twisted’

The nephew of Benny Hinn Costi Hinn, who is a pastor in Southern California criticizes his uncle’s prosperity theology and teaching, explaining how it cost him personally as a member of the Hinn family. The theology his uncle espouses is “twisted,” he said.

In an HLN exclusive interview with Carol Costello, Costi Hinn described growing up in the Hinn family as a hybrid of being a “royal family” (lavish riches) and the “mafia” (strict enforcement of the mafia). 

“You keep to your own, you defend your own. You never, ever, regardless of what the truth might be, do anything to harm or expose at the expense of family. It’s just a tight-knit, tight-lipped community,” Hinn explained.

He recounted that the first time he ever said anything publicly about his family — as people had been asking — he got a phone call from a family member who told him “you need to pipe down, don’t talk about family.”

Hinn further explained that the luxurious way of life that he had was “living the dream,” with flights on a G4 or G5 private gulfstream airliners, layovers in Monte Carlo, and stays in a fancy hotel suites that cost $25,000 per night.

Costello asked Hinn how they justified preaching the message of Jesus, who was not a wealthy man, with such a lavish lifestyle.

The theology they used was “twisted,” he replied.  

 Costi Hinn

“If you take the Bible and you take what Jesus taught and you take some of the promises of heaven and the riches of heaven and the wonderful glories of heaven and you make them a now thing, then you really have a model for your best life now.”

“That’s really not the heartbeat of Christianity,” he continued, “the heartbeat of Christianity is, if you have wealth, you want to be generous and rich in good works. If God has blessed you with a lot, you have a great responsibility.”

Conversely, if one is poor, he added, God still loves you and has a purpose for your life, and in your poverty He is still with you; and the hope of Heaven is much greater than worldly riches and temporary earthly pleasures.

The heart of prosperity preaching is a formulaic prescription, that if you do certain things you will become wealthy and that is what God wants, he explained. This approach to Christianity fails poor people in impoverished nations who are doing all the steps to become rich and show up and give the last of their money to prosperity preachers in hopes that they will receive material blessings.  

“You put a guy on a platform in a real nice suit in a very beautiful auditorium and he’ll tell a whole bunch of Americans, ‘if you do this, and do this, and do this, you’ll get this.’ And God is like your magic genie,” Hinn said.

“If you rub Him right and do all the right things, your bank’s going to grow, you’re going to get that promotion, you’re going to get that woman that you want to marry, that perfect man, your life is going to be perfect, because that’s what God wants for you.”

But when that does not happen for people, people get hurt, he said.

“Real pastors and real churches have to stand up and say ‘No, that is not Christianity. That’s not what the Bible teaches.'”

Hinn told Costello he is “disgusted” with his former self, but thankfully the power of the Gospel became real, and the Gospel includes the good news of hope and the bad news of the reality of sin.

“Our job as preachers and pastors is to give the whole story,” Hinn said.

“It’s bad news. I was greedy. I was very ambitious for all the wrong things. We were teaching things that were wrong. We were taking advantage of [people], exploiting the poor, using our greed, squeezing every last dollar out of people so we could live the way they could never,” while using Jesus to do that, he explained.

But the Gospel is also good news, he would come to find out.

“Jesus died to forgive my sins. He loves me just the way I am in all my mess and all my greed. And if I commit to a change He’ll meet me right where I am. And He did. He changed my heart and I just had no taste for it anymore. I did not want that life.”

Benny Hinn is reportedly not happy with him, and their relationship is limited, he said. But he hopes that he gets a call from his uncle one day and will spend the next 10 years of his life showing people what the grace of God really is.

Costi Hinn is now an executive pastor at The Mission Bible Church in Orange County, California.

written by By Brandon Showalter