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Preaching for profit!

By Alan Matheson - posted Wednesday, 5 December 2007


According to a former general secretary of the Assemblies of God, Philip Powell, in the same business report, "many of these ministers have made themselves multimillionaires. They are no more than business magnates who benefit from the tax-free status of corporations ... and who have cashed in on a loophole in the ... tax system".

In 2005 the USA Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began an inquiry into Hinn's finances, and donors were advised by Ministry Watch to consider withholding their contributions. At the time, Hinn's salary was reported to be upwards of a million dollars; he was getting around in a $100,000 Mercedes, and living in a $10 million seaside mansion.

With Australia’s Channel 10 running Hinns’ programs, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) was informed both of the IRS investigation and that Hinn was not a registered fundraiser. CAV responded saying that "in fact Benny Hinn Ministries did not appear to be exempt from the requirements to register". In 2007 Hinn Ministries appears to be still missing from CAV's registered fundraising list.

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Australia's premier religious broadcaster, the Australian Christian Channel, continues to program Copeland, Hinn and Meyer, seemingly without any concerns.

Grassley's Committee is demanding accountability and transparency. There is no such demand being made on churches and Para church organisations in Australia.

In the meantime for much of the religious right, preaching continues to be a profitable pastime.

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About the Author

Alan Matheson is a retired Churches of Christ minister who worked in a migration centre in Melbourne, then the human rights program of the World Council of Churches, before returning to take responsibility for the international program of the ACTU.

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