November 13, 2007 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The investigation of six prominent television evangelists by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has stirred up
a firestorm among political, religious, and nonprofit commentators.
While most have focused on the issue of government oversight of church
finances, at least two blog writers are questioning the nonprofit
watchdog group that is assisting Mr. Grassley’s examination.
The Trinity Foundation, a Christian charity in Dallas that investigates television evangelists, has reportedly turned over reams of evidence to Mr. Grassley. The group has also helped several newspapers and other news media uncover questionable activities at megachurches.
But Glenna Whitely, a columnist for the Dallas Observer, a weekly
alternative newspaper, writes that the activities of the Trinity
Foundation itself raises concerns. On her blog, Unfair
Park,
she points to an article she wrote last year that looks at Trinity’s mission and leadership, which she describes as cult-like. (Trinity denied the charges in the article.)
On another blog, The Change
Revolution, Phil Cooke, a
marketing consultant to nonprofit and religious groups, has poked
holes in the most sensational fact, reportedly provided by the Trinity
Foundation, that Mr. Grassley has trumpeted as part of his investigation — a $23,000 commode installed in the ministry headquarters of the evangelist Joyce Meyer.
“Yes dear readers — I’ve seen Joyce’s commode. It was an antique
donated to her ministry specifically to sit in the lobby of her
office,” Mr. Cooke writes. “In the antiques world, a ‘commode’ isn’t a
toilet, it’s an antique chest of drawers.”
While there may be legitimate reasons to investigate the Christian
ministries, Mr. Cooke writes the commode confusion is an example of
“undocumented assertions” that will taint the examination.
What do you think about Mr. Grassley’s investigation? What questions
does it raise for the nonprofit world? Click on the comments link
below to share your thoughts.
