WJ this morning: Should there be oversight of TV ministries

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/06/AR2007110602079.html?nav=rss_print/asection

<snip>
Some of the nation's biggest televangelists -- including faith healer Benny Hinn and best-selling Christian book author Joyce Meyer -- are targets of an investigation by Iowa Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

After receiving reports of lavish spending at the ministries, Grassley said yesterday that he has requested detailed documents on the finances of the organizations, which bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in donations annually.


All of the ministries have been the target of complaints for years by watchdog organizations, which have alleged that the groups' charismatic leaders dip deeply into donations to fund extravagant lifestyles.

The Grassley investigation is "well-deserved and well-overdue," said Rusty Leonard, who runs MinistryWatch.com, which examines how nonprofit Christian organizations spend donations.

I recall in the wake of the Swaggart/Bakker scandals of the late 80's, religious broadcasters formed the EFCA...the "Evangelical Financial Council on Accountability" that was supposed to "self-regulate" the fundraising of religious stations and preachers. Guess that sure worked.

Money is just one of the big problems with religious broadcasting. The fact they get special preference in attaining broadcast frequencies and cable channels is another issue. Religious broadcasting is a stealth network that has become a multi-million dollar industry between the tele-preachers and rock stars of Christian Contemporary. The lines between religious, non-profit and commercial are very, very shady.

many of their OTHER rights?

"The hypocrites who love to stand on the street corners, that they may be seen of men..."