Televangelist: Grassley inquiry threatens division of church, state

Washington, D.C. — Televangelist Kenneth Copeland, in a letter to his supporters, is accusing Sen. Charles Grassley of attempting to tear down the wall between church and state as the Iowa Republican pursues an investigation of Copeland’s ministry.

“The enemy is not going to steal what the Lord has won through this ministry, and he is not going to use this attack to bring harm to the rest of the churches and ministries in America,” Copeland warns in the letter dated this month.

Aides to Grassley said about three dozen supporters of Copeland, who has a television-based ministry, have called Grassley’s office to complain, though none appear to have been Iowans.

The letter is the latest chapter in the escalating war between Grassley and televangelists unhappy he is questioning spending practices in their tax-exempt churches.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries, based in Newark, Texas, is one of six that in November received letters from Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

Grassley has asked Copeland for information about his and wife Gloria’s compensation from the ministries, loans, gifts, use of private jets, housing allowances and costs, credit cards, vehicles, ownership of a ranch and more.

Grassley, who has investigated other nonprofits in recent years, has said he is focused on tax issues and not religious doctrine. “Senator Grassley is asking questions as a leader on the Senate tax policy committee,” said Jill Kozeny, a spokeswoman for Grassley.

Kozeny said the investigation centers on three areas of concern when it comes to the media churches: the personal use of assets owned by the tax-exempt entities; the way in which money is accounted for between for-profit and nonprofit entities; and parsonage allowances.

But Copeland told his followers that Grassley is after churches that preach what’s known as the “prosperity gospel,” which says adherents will succeed financially.

Grassley was an author of a 1983 law designed to protect churches from the Internal Revenue Service, Copeland pointed out.

Copeland said Thomas Jefferson used the phrase “building a wall of separation between church and state” to prevent the state from interfering with churches.

“Senator Grassley’s letter seeks to do that very thing - interfere with the church - by demanding to see private church documents and information,” wrote Copeland.

He said the ministry responded to Grassley by a Dec. 6 deadline “in good faith and as completely and accurately as we could without compromising the constitutionally based privacy, confidentiality and other rights of churches that apply to (Kenneth Copeland Ministries) and all others.”

The response included a three-page letter from the Copelands’ lawyer, a 23-page question-by-question response and 291 pages of exhibits, Copeland said.

Kozeny said that the submission was not viewed as answering the questions that were asked and that a follow-up letter will be sent by Grassley to Copeland as well as to three other ministries that have not responded at all.

“Investigators are continuing to keep the lines of communication open” with Copeland’s lawyers, she said.

Another minister written by Grassley, Benny Hinn, recently provided “a significant amount of material” that is under review, Kozeny said. The sixth, Joyce Meyer Ministries, complied with Grassley’s requests, Kozeny said.

Grassley has said he is not yet sure whether he will attempt to issue subpoenas to pry information out of the ministers, or have congressional hearings.

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