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A Kenneth Copeland Ministry jet worth $3.6 million has been denied tax-exempt status by the Tarrant Appraisal District, setting the stage for a battle that could require the minister to reveal his salary if he wants the jet to be tax-free.
Jeffery D. Law, Tarrant chief appraiser, said the jet was denied tax exemption because the ministry failed to disclose salaries of directors as an application requires…
Compensation paid Copeland and other members of his family has been the source of a U.S. senator’s inquiry, but the televangelist has been unwilling to disclose the information publicly.
If the ministry gives the compensation information to the appraisal district, it would be open to public disclosure.
Religion appears to be doing as well as ever. No bail-out needed here.
Uh oh, this looks like another one of those Christian bashing stories. I guess he uses this as a little boy magnet.
What next sell his beach cottage or chalet ?
Oh what a poor life – ripping the masses of their hard earned cash
Guess its little different than the CEOs with their gigantic bonuses that they feel that the creator of the universe gave them and that they are entitled to
The nerve is that instead of quietly accepting the facts of life they draw attention to fight this judgment
Tax the hell (or god) of these scam artists.
In reality, it’s fine by me if people choose to give their earnings away to these clowns.
However, they should NOT be exempt from paying taxes.
#1 – Fine, no “Christian” bashing…I’ll let Jesus do it for me:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
These televangelists are all scum bag scam artists. NONE have taken a vow of poverty. They’re all very very rich and live in huge houses with many cars and jets. Scum bags.
# 4 What He Said said,
These televangelists are all scum bag scam artists. NONE have taken a vow of poverty.
Long ago, there was a wonderful cartoon where a ‘telepreacher’ admitted to having taken a ‘vow of opulence’.
J/P=?
TAX all religions.
# 4 said, “These televangelists are all scum bag scam artists. NONE have taken a vow of poverty.”
That’s what I like about the Pope. He’s taken a vow of poverty. Chastity, too. (Must have a ton of kids!)
#6 I agree. What makes them so special?
I think it was Lenny Bruce who said that anyone who claims to be a man of God and owns more than one pair of shoes is a huckster.
If God intended for televangelists to fly, he would have given them wings. Without those wings, they should simply follow a well-known example and ride a donkey to their destination.
I actually do work for KCM. I want to clear some things up.
1) Yes, he lives in a very large house. Very large. However, it is subdivided and the section he and his wife live in is quite small — less than 1000 sq ft. The rest is reserved for visitors who come to preach on his shows and at his church.
2) The jet is not his. It belongs to his ministry. Interestingly, it really isn’t his ministry either. He is the head pastor but he doesn’t own it. He is employed by it and there is a CEO (not him) and CFO (not him), etc. He is a simple employee. He does make a nice salary but he isn’t one of the super-rich people think he is. That being said, he does pretty much get his way around there.
3) The money he brings in. Do you realize that his ministry gives out $38,000 a DAY in charity? $38,000 a DAY! When Katrina hit, while our lovely government was trying to figure out where New Orleans was on the map, this ministry was shipping in blankets and clothes and food and water . . . the next day.
4) They have an entire building devoted to nothing but ensuring people who need things get them. They call it their prayer line. If someone calls up and says I need coats for their kids, an operator routes the request to a group who is responsible for sending out clothing. That night, there are coats on a plane to the requester. They get tens of thousands of requests each day for things like this. Call the government ask for coats. You’ll be lucky to see one within six months.
Say what you want about Mr. Copeland, but that jet is peanuts compared to amount of money this guy spends on charity work. You think the government is the only organization in the charity business? If you ask me, I think the only reason the government is so interested in him is professional jealousy.
Churches are the best business models ever. People give you money and you give them nothing in return. Even a bank has to pay out interest.
#11 – Contractor
>>That night, there are coats on a plane to the
>>requester.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to send them a prepaid gift card for Kohl’s or JC Penny? Even sending it Overnight Express Mail would only cost $16.50; that’s a lot less than sending the stuff by personal air mail.
#11 Contractor… Still, it would be nice to see a few of those numbers regarding INCOMING funds, and not just the outgoing amounts that serve the P.R. purposes. An important metric for any charity is its efficiency.
#13, I’m sure that’s how it probably works. I do know they have deals with different vendors around the country to get the items to the people who request it. Whether it’s done through gift cards or e-commerce, I’m sure they try to be efficient about it. A line I’ve heard a couple of times is, “A dollar saved is lunch for someone.”
#14, Why do you care? Are you an investor in KCM?
As far as PR, have you ever seen that number in print somewhere? No, and that’s because he doesn’t want or need the recognition. He does what he feels needs to be done and he’s happy with that.
Rev. Copeland is the godfather of the controversial “Word of Faith” or “Prosperity Theology” which asserts (among other things) that people of faith will be prosperous. It’s sort of a self justification.
#11 Wow have you bought in, that’s sad. For example, compare $37,000/day to the daily income of ministeries’ annual income $150,000,000 plus return on ~$1 billion of investments.
I’m not a Christian (no shit Sherlock) but I do give money to the Salvation Army and the Mustard Seed Church of Calgary. Those guys are the real thing and do great work.
#17, No, I’m not a member and I’ve not bought in. I only know what I see around there and what I don’t see. And what I don’t see is KC acting like some rich corporate type. And everybody who works there feels they are making a difference — as compared to my other customers who think of their job as just a job to pay the bills.
These guys/girls are nothing but scam artist making it rich off stupid people. Im glad they didnt get away with it.
Re: Salvation Army. Yes, they do good work. However, they have a whole platoon of lobbyists based out of their headquarters in Alexandria, VA (the hub of Lobbyist Central) to keep the government off their backs.
And their own church doctrine is a bit antiquated. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks.
http://tinyurl.com/6fw49l
#11, 15, 18, 20: Methinks Contractor doth protest too much. Is he Astroturfing?
17 is right. Copeland is on early morning TV in a number of cities. He’s a slimeball from the word go, and has no reason to have all those airplanes.
Floyd, methinks you’re right
Contractor wrote “#14, Why do you care? Are you an investor in KCM?”
Nope, I can’t say that I’m an investor. My only concern is that more efficient and more deserving charities get a smaller slice of the available pie when ministries like KCM have the additional leverage provided by religion.
I consider 100% of the amount spent to propagate their religious doctrine to be a complete waste, so you can imagine how much that drags down the overall efficiency of their operations when viewed merely as a charity. Add to that an expensive lifestyle that reduces efficiency further while setting a poor example for believers, and you can see why I have little respect for Reverend Kenny.
This woman could give a shit:
http://tinyurl.com/6yvaef
This isn’t a sign of religion (technically, Christ followers). Jesus would have been first in line to chew him out.
Stop painting with such a broad brush… since, in reality, these general statement are racism.
#25 – Racism? WTF?? I didn’t see anyone mention any maux fauxs in the comments?
The tax free ride these jokers get is an outrage.
What a sweetheart Copeland is,:
BTW, KCM is short for Kenneth Copeland Ministries. That he answers to a Board, CEO and CFO is just a little much to accept.
RE #28,
I forgot to give the source, sorry
Wikipedia
Keep in mind…
If you bring them under tax law, you have “made law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” and you have circumvented 501(c)3 incorporation.
Essentially, it’ll require mucking with both the first amendment and the 501(c)3 code.
Step lightly.