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God willed them to be wealthy

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By Barb Ickes | Monday, November 12, 2007 11:56 PM CST | () comments

Raise your hand if you’d volunteer to read U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s mail for him?

In coming weeks, the senator from Iowa should be hearing back from six of the nation’s wealthiest evangelical ministers about some money questions.

As top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Grassley sent letters last week to leaders of these mega-churches, hoping to find out whether they’re abusing their tax-exempt status.

What business does a U.S. senator have poking around in the financial matters of churches?

Better question: Why has no one else bothered to poke?

Go, Chuck, go!

He is investigating the lavish lifestyles of these ministers, largely on behalf of the donors who have made them rich. But he’s also exercising his committee’s jurisdiction over the IRS and federal tax policy.

He’d like to know whether those policies provide for private jets, Rolls-Royces and millions of dollars in “love offerings” to preachers. The question he hopes to answer: Are some public charities that are benefiting from considerable tax breaks following IRS guidelines?

His list of disclosure requests includes credit card statements, clothing expenses, bank accounts and vehicle and aircraft inventories. He’s even asking for a disclosure of cosmetic surgeries, suggesting that even ministers are sometimes dissatisfied with the face God gave them.

Among those ministers are Bishop Eddie L. Long (Bishop Eddie?) of Lethonia, Ga. A couple of years ago, a church spokesman said Long doesn’t get a salary but instead receives a “love offering.” Grassley wants to know how much love’n he’s been gett’n.

The senator has asked Randy and Paula White of the Tampa-based Paula White Ministries to explain the “tax-exempt purpose” of the Bentley convertible they reportedly gave to a fellow preacher.

Creflo and Taffi Dollar (Is it blasphemous to point out how much that sounds like a stripper’s name?) are being asked to explain the half-million dollar “personal gift” they reportedly gave to another minister in celebration of an anniversary.

Oh. And Grassley is curious about the two Rolls-Royces the couple’s ministry bought for them.

Nosey, isn’t he?

It is entirely possible that some or most of these ministers will point out that they’re part of the so-called prosperity gospel, meaning they preach a relationship between material and spiritual success.

Others will say the fact they are not tied to a traditional church is part of the problem — no denominational oversight. But that’s not the only oversight that’s missing. How many billion-dollar industries enjoy this level of hands-off government?

The IRS requires that pastor compensation be “reasonable” and supposedly prevents them and church insiders from “excessive personal gain.”

And this is where Grassley comes in.

Maybe the man whose bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate included TV commercials that showed him mowing his own lawn is the perfect guy to look into a more lavish side of life.

But he’d better be ready for the backlash from those who see his questions as an assault on Christianity and churches everywhere.

Obviously, he’s just sore because God didn’t buy him a lawn service.

Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com.