6 Televangelists, Properly Probed

From CBS:

CBS News has learned Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct.
...
According to Grassley's office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.

The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar - also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.

It's about time.

How long does it take to watch thousand-dollar suits wearing thousand-dollar jewelry driving absurdly expensive cars to say "Hey, while these people may be occasionally helping others in the name of Christ and 'their church,' where do we draw the line when they directly benefit from the money their followers generate?"

WWJD?

Jesus wouldn't purchase lavish homes (that's plural), lavish cars, jewelry, and outfits. "At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:20) apparently does not apply to the messenger, just the listener, so that more can be turned into the fold, that more can donate almost everything they own, and more megachurches can be built to generate more income. Rinse and repeat.

And while there are those that give hope appropriately (like Joel Olsteen who doesn't take a salary from his parish but has a very successful book following), there are those, like Benny Hinn, who finds his prey by lack of hope and gives them nothing more than his version of mass-delusional, "witch doctor" healing. Benny Hinn needs to be figuratively crucified (by the government). Here's some crazy to back that up:

Benny Hinn, for real:
(Note: "Suicide Nerve" is not a valid reference.)



Benny Hinn, Let the Bodies Hit the Floor:

(Note: all the video of this "healing man" is real. But the music gives it perspective.)



I'm a very big believer in the power of the human mind to monitor and fix what's ailing you, but this man is a psychological-religious predator, and he is shredding the actual message and healing power of Jesus in what is little more than a glorified (and subsidized by the government) freak show.

Want to go crazy? This man is either feeding on the mass psychological group dynamic or he's channeling some source of electromagnetic shutdown that makes people drop by interference of their brainwave patterns. Like I said: crazy.

And he eats money like the devil eats souls.

Jesus wept.