http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:01:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25571/tax-exempt-ministries-avoid-new-regulation http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25571/tax-exempt-ministries-avoid-new-regulation#comments Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:58:32 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25571 A three-year investigation into financial improprieties at six Christian ministries whose television preaching bankrolled leaders’ lavish lifestyles has concluded with the formation of an independent commission to look into the lack of accountability by tax-exempt religious groups.

The investigation report issued this week details the ministries’ luxury homes and cars, trips on private jets and expensive gifts, including two Rolls Royces that a third party reported was given to the Dollars as a gift from the church.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25571/tax-exempt-ministries-avoid-new-regulation/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24434/inside-rhema-the-most-powerful-church-in-south-africa http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24434/inside-rhema-the-most-powerful-church-in-south-africa#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:19:14 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24434 To its supporters, who include some of the country's most powerful people, Rhema is a welcome coming together of two of South Africa's favourite pastimes, conspicuous consumption and Christianity.

To its critics it's a prosperity cult.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24434/inside-rhema-the-most-powerful-church-in-south-africa/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24360/jesse-duplantis-ministry-is-big-business http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24360/jesse-duplantis-ministry-is-big-business#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 11:28:59 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24360 Trinity Foundation, an evangelical watchdog led by Ole Anthony has been investigating evangelist Jesse Duplantis.

Investigator Pete Evans says 'Donors expect the money they donate to the church to go to the poor and needy. Not to build mansions for the pastor." Duplantis is building a mansion, owned by the ministry, that has 35-thousand square feet of covered space.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24360/jesse-duplantis-ministry-is-big-business/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23934/prosperity-gospel-faces-challenge-frugal-savers http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23934/prosperity-gospel-faces-challenge-frugal-savers#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:50:50 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23934 Despite the economic downturn, the prosperity gospel remains alive and well. Pastors like Cowan or televangelists like the Rev. Creflo Dollar and the Rev. Kenneth Copeland continue to promise that financial blessings will follow donations to their ministries.

But it faces a challenge from a new austerity gospel, which says God blesses those who work hard, save their money and pay off their debts.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23934/prosperity-gospel-faces-challenge-frugal-savers/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23900/did-christianity-prosperity-gospelcause-the-crash http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23900/did-christianity-prosperity-gospelcause-the-crash#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:40:10 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23900 America’s mainstream religious denominations used to teach the faithful that they would be rewarded in the afterlife. But over the past generation, a different strain of Christian faith has proliferated—one that promises to make believers rich in the here and now.

Known as the prosperity gospel, and claiming tens of millions of adherents, it fosters risk-taking and intense material optimism. It pumped air into the housing bubble. And one year into the worst downturn since the Depression, it’s still going strong.

• In the same issue of The Atlantic: Lead us not into debt: Finance guru Dave Ramsey wins followers with a simple message: find God and lose your credit cards.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23900/did-christianity-prosperity-gospelcause-the-crash/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23557/kenneth-copeland-prosperity-teaching http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23557/kenneth-copeland-prosperity-teaching#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:13:24 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23557 Even in an economic downturn, preachers in the “prosperity gospel” movement are drawing sizable, adoring audiences.

Their message — that if you have sufficient faith in God and the Bible and donate generously, God will multiply your offerings a hundredfold — is reassuring to many in hard times.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23557/kenneth-copeland-prosperity-teaching/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22642/prosperity-gospel-6 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22642/prosperity-gospel-6#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:39:09 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22642 Has the so-called Prosperity gospel turned its followers into some of the most willing participants — and hence, victims — of the current financial crisis?

While researching a book on black televangelism, says Jonathan Walton, a religion professor at the University of California at Riverside, he realized that Prosperity's central promise — that God will "make a way" for poor people to enjoy the better things in life — had developed an additional, dangerous expression during the subprime-lending boom. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22642/prosperity-gospel-6/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22238/benny-hinn-prosperity-gospel-scam http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22238/benny-hinn-prosperity-gospel-scam#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:57:00 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22238 Benny Hinn preaches a version of the prosperity gospel, which holds that God wants his followers to have financial wealth. To become prosperous, one must give money to God, who returns it multiplied.

If this scam worked as advertised, Benny Hinn and others like him would be giving you money...]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22238/benny-hinn-prosperity-gospel-scam/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22184/mac-hammond%e2%80%99s-living-word-christian-center-facing-irs-investigation http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22184/mac-hammond%e2%80%99s-living-word-christian-center-facing-irs-investigation#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:08:51 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22184 The Internal Revenue Service is investigating whether Living Word Christian Center violated the law for favorable compensation and loan dealings it gave to church founder and pastor Mac Hammond.

The church has resisted demands by the IRS to open its books for an audit, and the agency filed a petition in United States District Court ordering the church to comply.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22184/mac-hammond%e2%80%99s-living-word-christian-center-facing-irs-investigation/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21771/kenneth-copeland-5 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21771/kenneth-copeland-5#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:50:51 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=21771 Popular televangelist Kenneth Copeland is considered by many Christians to be a heretic. A key promoter of the so-called Word-Faith movement, which teaches that you can speak things into existence, and if you are sick it is because you don't have enough faith.

Such faith is preferably expressed by sending money to teachers like Copeland. But Copeland does not have enough faith to allow a full investigation of his financial dealings.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21771/kenneth-copeland-5/feed 0