FreeGoodNews.com (Series: "Christian Greed")

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2005-12-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

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Pastor Hagee's scandal and petition

2005-09-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Pastor John & Diane Hagee

James 3:1
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Update: The Open Letter was sent to Pastor Hagee, with over 100 signatures, in Sept. 2005. I expect him to ignore this, so I will continue to collect more signatures to let him know that more and more will know of this scandal, until he repents. I've also sent out hundreds of postcards to other ministers, esp. those in San Antonio near his base church (Cornerstone Church), to let them know of this scandal in their neighborhood.)

Hi All-

I reworked and revised the petition, due to many discussions and prayer. The big change: rather than go to the IRS, the goal is to perfectly align with our Lord Jesus' advice in Matthew 18. This is implemented by:

1. Explaining the problem.

2. Writing an open letter to Pastor Hagee, asking him to repent and make amends for this serious lifestyle of sin/greed in his life and mishandling donor money.

3. Asking for witnesses (you) to sign the letter (petition) and stand-up to Pastor Hagee as a fellow believer. If he refuses to repent, we are not to treat him as a fellow believer in fellowship, but regard him as an unbeliever, according to our Lord Jesus.

Please go to the petition, read it, and see if you can sign it, if you haven't yet. Here's the petition: http://raydehler.com/fgn/

It's very difficult to stand-up to a fellow believer that is sinning. It wasn't easy for Jesus to stand-up to the religious leaders of His day and clear the temple (Matt. 21:12-13), . It wasn't easy for the prophet Nathan to confront King David in his sin (2 Samuel 12:7). The choice: do you want to do what's easy, or do you want to obey God? It's bad enough that Pastor Hagee is a very visible minister, bringing shame upon the whole church (the body of Christ) by his greed. But he adds to that by condoning the sin by what is called "the prosperity gospel." Jesus said we can't serve two masters (God and money). Hagee says we can (as long as you give a minimum 10% to the church). What does God tell us? That we are to use ALL of our time, treasure, and talent as good stewards of God. We need to submit everything to God, not just 10% of our increase.

If you'd like to see a TV show I did on this topic, you can download it now to your computer and watch it, just click here. I have over 20 points regarding why Pastor Hagee should be exposed
and disciplined. Click here to see the MS PowerPoint slides.

To sign the petition, click here. The number of worldwide signers, I'm surprised, is VERY few.. Pastor Hagee must be laughing, saying "see, who cares?" However, much good is being brought by this, in that the news is going out. I firmly believe that it's impossible for this high-level sin to continue, and I think the crash will be mighty and loud when it happens... a mini-judgment day for him. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it ends up with some jail time for him. Speaking of jails and ministers, here's an article about the investigations with Benny Hinn (article) and Morris Cerrulo (article).

Some pastors have signed this, mostly friends of mine. Why won't more sign? Two reasons I've seen. One, they don't want to raise the issue, so people won't ask them how much THEY make... let's not go there... Two, some want to be positive-only. I consider this a compromise... I would call them "ear-ticklers" (see 2 Tim. 2:3, click here). They don't want to upset supporters or donors. Apparently, they fear man (or loss of income) more than God. Some fundraising experts say it costs about $20 to acquire a good email address, so they do what they can to protect these investments in donor acquisition!

Webcast Description:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247/Archives.asp

Greedy Pastors
Sunday, August 7, 2005

Some prominent Christian pastors have serious greed problems, and they are not being confronted by fellow Christians, by and large. Bernie lays out the case why, as Christians, we need to take a stand against
this cancer in the Church. Bernie answers over 20 of the most common objections against standing-up to this immorality of stealing from God's people. These preachers are experts on Malachi Ch. 3, but act
as if they've never read Malachi Ch. 2! This kind of action by ministers really incenses our Lord to anger, as evidenced by when He turned over the tables in the Temple area. Matthew 21:12-13 & Malachi 2:1-2

Malachi 2:1-2
"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.

By the way, I found out that his church compensation, as Senior Pastor, is also disclosed on the G.E.T. tax form. From both ministries combined, he is taking well over $1 million of donor's money, yearly... money that was intended to build the kingdom of God. What will his donors think when they learn of this? We'll soon see...

Please continue to send me feedback on the shows, webcasts, articles, etc. to:
feedback@FreeGoodNews.com .

...Bernie
Dir., FreeGoodNews.com

PS: Free Offers (click here):
1. Free book download about what tithing is, and why it isn't appropriate to
teach it as a Christian practice today.
2. Free Audio Bible on MP3
3. Free Bible Study Software, Bibles, and research tools
4. Previous webcasts, available for free download (click
here).

PPS: Here's an interesting version of Matt. 18:

Mattew 18:15-17 (The Message)
¹⁵"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him--work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. ¹⁶If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. ¹⁷If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

PETITION TO INVESTIGATE PASTOR HAGEE

2005-07-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

(Click here to read/sign the petition on this money scandal)
(Your info will not go on any junk mail list;
totally confidential!)
(Goal: 1,000 worldwide signatures in 1 month, due by 9-1-05.)
(Please, tell your friends.)
NEW: Click here to see/download the TV program where Bernie makes the case for action against Pastor Hagee (To download to your computer, click on the link with your right mouse button and select "save target as")

Pastor John & Diane Hagee

Luke 16 (Jesus Christ speaking):
13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."

This petition is published by Bernie Dehler on 7-26-05, and will end on 9-1-05. You can reach Bernie be sending an email to Feedback@FreeGoodNews.com or by calling him at 503-317-0746 (please call him, Pastor Hagee). This petition is a volunteer operation by volunteers; no money is requested or needed to finance it.

Benny Hinn, your sins will catch-up to you!

2005-07-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Benny Hinn
wolf in sheep's clothing

It looks like justice may finally be coming to Benny Hinn. Finally, the IRS is looking into his scandalous operation, where he is reported to be taking around $1 million in compensation, per year, from the faitfhul donors to his ministry. See the article here.

Quote from the article:

Paul Nelson, head of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, said the Hinn ministry seems to have invited IRS scrutiny. "If I was their counsel, I would say that," he said. "I don't think anybody envisioned a $10 million parsonage. "That's absolutely grotesque."

I did a salary review of the most prominent media ministers with 501c3 (tax exempt) organizations. The analysis is here, and the actual data is here (MS Excel spreadsheet). As you can see, $150,000 or under is a good salary range for the top exec's. The scandalous people, like Benny Hinn, are making many multiples of this, which reveals their greed. By the way, Hinn doesn't release his salary and other info, hiding behind "church exempt rules." We all know his ministry is not a church, but a parachurch organization.

We all need to rise-up and be good stewards. We need to shun the greedy"ministers" like Benny Hinn, and reward those that are doing a great job, such as Focus on the Family and Coral Ridge Ministries. I urge you to contact the IRS and let them know that you are pleased that they are cleaning-up these abuses from the system.

...Bernie (Bernie@FreeGoodNews.com)
http://www.FreeGoodNews.com

Greed: deception #4: Spirit vs. the Flesh (Money War)

2005-06-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cognitive dissonance (click here for the dictionary definition)
Definition: Spirit vs. the flesh

There are people who don't know God. In this state, there is no problem between their actions and attitudes. When a person finds God, his mind is renewed(1), and he's open to godly things. However, a new battle emerges, called "The Spirit vs. the Flesh." Who will win? Usually, the flesh, because the spirit is weak(2). Is there victory? Yes(3), but it is by a secret.

The human tendency is to give in to one side, because the body can't take this tension for long. Either you need to sear your conscience to ignore it(4), or you need to have victory over the flesh. Psychologists call this warring condition "cognitive dissonance" (and this keeps them in business!).

The secret is to overcome the flesh by the Spirit, of God. If you fight the flesh, by the flesh, you will lose. The solution is to move from being self-centered to God-centered. This process takes our whole life, and it will never be accomplished while we are in the flesh, but we can get more mature and Christ-like with each passing day. The (secret) applicable verse is Galatians 2:20 (5).

Regarding money: yes, the flesh loves it, and wants all it can get. What does our flesh want to do with our money? Spend it on pleasure and comfort. What does God want us to do? He wants us to minister to others, even save them from basic problems, such as starvation. As James says(6), how can we say we love our brother if we'd rather have a dream house, dream car, dream vacation, dream "etc.," while our brothers/sisters in Christ starve to death? If you aren't aware of our brothers/sisters starving to death, please visit compassion.com .

This is why it is so evil for religious leaders to be preaching "give-to-get" and the "health and wealth" gospel, as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and other prosperity teachers do. The first step to fixing any problem is to first see the problem, so please search yourself and see if the love of money outstrips your love for God and man. If so, pray about how to overcome. I've heard that one of the best suggestions for fighting greediness is to be generous; it's an anti-dote to greediness.

Ask God to direct your giving, as you may not get the same answer if you ask your Pastor. (Unfortunately, many Pastors are quick to preach giving to their own church, but Jesus spoke more often of giving to the poor(7).) As you are led by God, you will feel the joy of giving.

Applied Scriptures:

(1) Romans 12:
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to GodÂthis is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will isÂhis good, pleasing and perfect will.

(2) Romans 7
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am!

(3) Romans 7
24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to GodÂthrough Jesus Christ our Lord!

(4) 1 Timothy 4
2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

(5) Galatians 2
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

(6) James 2
15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

(7) Luke 12
33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

Greed: Dr. Hagee, Christianity's Baddest Boy

2005-03-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Note: To verify info on Dr. Hagee, click here to see his organization's tax return for 2002 (the latest on guidestar.org as of the Jan. 2005 analysis).

After conducting the survey of executive pay for the top 27 media ministries, I was shocked to see how far out-of-line Dr. Hagee (Global Evangelism Television) is. According to the study (click here for the study, or here to download the spreadsheet), the average executive pay for this group of 27 ministries is $143,000 (which is reasonable). Here are the distressing facts about Dr. Hagee (a terrible show of lack of stewardship):

1. Dr. Hagee's compensation was over 6x the average (that's 600%)! That's $900,000 for 2002, working an average work week of 16 hrs ($1,081 per hour). This is an obvious IRS violation for excessive compensation, based on the average pay of his peers.

2. Diane Hagee, Dr. John Hagee's wife, is on the Board of Directors and makes $100,000 for 20 hrs of work per week ($96 per hour).

3. Matthew Hagee (John and Diane's son) made $14,650 for 5 hrs. per week ($56 per hour).

4. The Board of Directors consist of these three, plus one other person who was paid $0 for an average of 1 hr. per week. Obviously, this Board is controlled by Dr. Hagee and his family, an IRS violation. (Nonprofits are forbidden to operate for the personal gain of an individual or family; they are to operate for the public good. The IRS is well aware of scammers setting up operations for personal gain... it has been tried many times. Click here for the dictionary definition of nepotism, of which this is a classic shameful case.)

5. Dr. Hagee is also Pastor of Cornerstone Church (click here for details). He also receives an unknown salary from this Church. He may also get an unknown amount of money from royalties of publications. These are unknown, because he is not required to report it.

How much should he make? The average for his peers was about $140,000 per year. This would be quite generous for Dr. Hagee, because the revenue of his organization is substantially less than the average of his peers (generally a larger revenue commands more compensation).

It's my opinion that the IRS won't do anything unless there is a public outcry. They are very hesitant to get into relgious organizations, because of the ideals of the wall of seperation of state and religion in the USA. It's up to you to be a good steward. Dr. Hagee needs to publically repent (including making retribution for these outragous salaries), at best. At worst, he needs to be shut down.

You can help by exposing him. Send the link of this page to your Christian friends. Our Lord Jesus cleared the temple once (Matt. 21:12-13), that should be enough to teach us to clean our own house. We need to demand stewardship from our leaders... they should be role-models of good stewardship! (Thank God we have great role-models with organizations such as "Focus on the Family" & "Coral Ridge Ministries.")

Update 3/31/05: The organization's 2003 tax return (filed Aug. 2004) is now available on line. Click here to review it. Dr. Hagee's compensation grew... it is now $949,000! However, his wife and son have had major salary reductions. The family still has 3 of the 4 Board Member positions, an obvious IRS violation.

Update 4/18/05: It turns out Mr. Hagee's doctorate degree isn't earned; it's an honory degree from Oral Roberts University. In additional, it is also evident that Hagee is one of the promoters of the evil "prosperity" gospel. Click here for more info.

Greed: deception #3: Having great theology means you are OK

2005-03-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

by Bernie Dehler
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247

(Note: this article mentions some prominent ministers with financial"issues." While I list a few of the problems, there are also some positive role-models, such as Dr. Dobson of Focus on the Family. Click here to see how today's prominent ministers are being compensated. This is public information; 501(c)(3) para-church ministries are required to submit it by law. We, as donors, need to be good stewards and reward those ministries that demonstrate self-control.)

Which one looks more pleasing to God? Click here to find out.

When I say that certain ministers, who are well received in the Evangelical community, make too much money, there's a natural defense for them. Sure, the "Prosperity Gospel" preachers are messed-up theologically, so go after them. But how can Dr. John Hagee ($900,000), Billy Graham ($400,000), or Hank Hanegraaff ($400,000 together with his wife) have money issues or worldiness issues since they have correct theology?

Look in the Bible to see who else had correct theology: The rich young ruler. He claimed to obey all the commandments (Luke 18:19-21). I believe him; the Apostle Paul claimed the same thing about himself (Philippians 3:4-6), before he came to know Christ.

The experts in religion in that day were the Pharisees. But they also loved money (Luke 16:14-15). How could the religious experts be guilty? It's mind-boggling and ironic: the very people who speak for God and represent God... are lovers of money.

The simple answer is that it's not theology or knowledge that guides and saves us. Even the devil believes in Jesus... and shudders (James 2:19).

We must apply our beliefs to our lives. Without the fruit, people are just hypocrites (saying one thing but doing another). Ministers, above all others, are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). Be on guard for those who present a face of "false humility." We need to "clean the temple" (Matthew 21:12), so the Lord doesn't have to do it, or worse yet, non-believers (by pointing out hypocrisy in the Church).

Greed: deception #2: It's OK to have wealth

2005-01-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

Greed: Deception 2: It's ok to be wealthy.
By Bernie Dehler

Mammon: The God of Money
(Click here to find out what our Lord Jesus thinks of him.)

Is it ok to be wealthy? Well, actually, yes. Then why am I writing this, as if being wealthy is some kind of sin? Because I know lots of wealthy people, and none that I think understand the seriousness of this.

Most Christians are aware that money is not the problem; it's the love of money that is the problem (1 Timothy 6:10). Do they love money? Here's where the deception comes in. They tell themselves that they don't love money; that the material possessions mean nothing to them. I'm afraid they are deceived (remember, if you are deceived, you don't know it, or else you wouldn't allow yourself to be deceived). Because of the nature of deception, this is something you really have to open yourself to and ask God to search your heart.

Let me ask you something; how can you live in luxury when you have brothers and sisters in Christ dying from starvation? Where is the love of God (this is from Scripture, James 2:14-17 )? How is it that a high profile media minister, like CBN's Pat Robertson, can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a race horse and racing, simply because he think's it's a fun hobby? Can he explain that to his brothers/sisters in Christ when he meets them in heaven? (Click here for the full story.) (By the way, if you are a Christian and really claim to not know that there are dying kids from starvation or how to help them, just click here to fix that problem!)

Oh yes, there are plenty of good comebacks to rationalize why it's ok to be wealthy or to have fine things in life, but they are all based on American capitalism. (Yes, there are also examples from the Old Testament, but the New Testament is the "newer light" that we should be understanding.) "He worked hard for his money." So what? It was a gift from God, who gave the person the ability to make it (brains, health, opportunity, etc.). Can't this person who earned it be a good steward?

One time a very religious rich man came to our Lord Jesus, and asked what he should do to get eternal life (Mark 10:21). The Lord ultimately pushed him to the limit and told him to give all his money to the poor, and then follow Him. The rich young man couldn't do it. Could we? Oh, here is where almost every Evangelical preacher says "The Lord pushed this man because he knew that this guy had a love for money. He doesn't ask the same of us." Uh... actually our Lord did. Here's the verse where He speaks to everyone: Luke 12:33 . The early disciples all lived this way, sharing everything (Acts 2:44-45 & Acts 4:34).

There's even a story our Lord Jesus told about a "fool" who made a lot of money and saved it up to live an easy life in retirement (Luke 12:13-21). Can we see the "foolishness" in this; or if this man were in our church, would we envy him?

Am I suggesting that we start Christian communes? Not at all. But I am suggesting that we (in the USA) are almost all polluted and deceived by commercialism and capitalism, and we are deceived.

I hope that this "issue of wealth" is something that you'll think and pray about... you need to search your heart and ask God. Don't ask your Pastor, as he likely has the same problem. And yes, it doesn't help that the evil "prosperity Gospel" is being preached on TV by the likes of TBN, and continues to delude the masses (Christian and non-Christian) who watch it. Rather than proclaiming the truth, this form of "Christianity" is actually doing more harm than good to the cause of Christ.

To leave a comment here, click on the link at the very bottom that says "Post a Comment."

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Scriptures used:

1. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

2. James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

3. Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

4. Luke 12:33 (Jesus talking) "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

5. Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

6. Acts 4:34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales

7. Luke 12:13-21
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops."
18"Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.""
20"But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" 21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Greed: (Media Ministers) A Study of Nonprofit Exec. Pay

2005-01-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

(Study Conducted: 1-20-04)
by Bernie Dehler

Selected: Twenty-seven of the most popular involved in "media ministries."

Results: See this webpage for all the data (tables and chart for the exec. pay of 27 media ministries.)

Summary:

Nonprofit ministries, by definition, are formed to benefit the public. When they claim to be "Christian" organizations, they aim to build God's kingdom and glorify Christ in word and deed. They are not meant to be a profit means for individuals.

Some of these ministries are well managed by good stewards, and they should be rewarded (such as Focus on the Family and Coral Ridge Ministries). Other ministries show gross love for money, by paying themselves outrageous salaries (such as Dr. Hagee, Peter Popoff, Billy Graham, & Paul Crouch). See the tables and charts for yourself (here).

Dr. Hagee, come on... $900K??? What are you thinking? Paul and Jan Crouch, why do you two get over $700K combined, yet pay everyone else in your organization so poorly? Did you not think that this information would get out, even though it is public information and required to be made public by law???

Billy Graham, don't you know that you have a sterling reputation and that your brothers and sisters in Christ are proud of you for your evangelism efforts? Why would you blow your reputation like this? Over $400K? Please don't tell us you are not aware of your compensation, or that you have no control over it. We expect more of a mature and visible brother in Christ. By the way, talk to your son Franklin, too (getting paid $300K to feed the poor is also a scandal).

Greed: Case Study in Bad: CRI

2005-01-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

by Bernie Dehler, 11-11-04

1-21-05 Update: Click here to see this LA Times article for another scandal with CRI (click here for the same story topic from ChristianityToday magazine). An Analysis of the Financial Integrity of the Christian Research Institute (CRI, Hank & Kathy Hanagraaff)

1 Timothy 3:1-3
"Here is a trustworthy saying:
If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he
desires a noble task. Now the overseer must
be above reproach, ... , not a lover of money."

Summary: I very much like the ministry products and services of CRI, especially the interviews with leading authors with Hank on "The Bible Answer Man Show." I am disappointed that there is, in my opinion, a definite case of excessive executive pay and nepotism in the organization. There is also a serious issues as to how book royalties are paid, and to whom. To see the salary info mentioned below (from the actual tax return), click here.

Details:

1. I personally think that around $150K is a top limit for a minister to make (more on this later). If Hank Hanegraaff (President) wants to present CRI as a "ministry" to the public, then I think he's a minister. This is especially the case since he ministers on the daily radio show called "The Bible Answer Man." According to the tax return, he is paid $280K per year (almost twice what I would call reasonable). Hank is an ordained minister by Calvary Chapel (a very fine organization), and he receives a minister's "housing allowance" by CRI.

2. It's ok to hire friends and family, as long as they are qualified and paid a salary that is reasonable for the job and their experience. Hank's wife Kathy is the third highest paid employee (Hank is the first), at over $130K per year.

3. The tax form states that both Hank & Kathy work over 50 hrs per week, on average. If you know them, you'll know also that they have a family of eight (1), with some quite young still. Does it add up that Kathy would like to have a large family, and also want to work 50 hours per week at the ministry? Who's raising the kids? I think that Hank would say that she works primarily from home. If so, is this distracted kind of work really worth counting as 50 hours per week? I wonder if she gets a performance review, since her boss is her husband. (I know about large families; I'm #10 of 12!)

4. How does Kathy's work and experience line-up with the other employees? The top researcher and editor only make $52K and $60K, respectively. I would imagine that they are highly trained, maybe even seminary graduates. Kathy makes twice their pay! This would seem very unfair to their employees. How would you like to work at a place like that? One of the workers, Thaddeus Williams, did try to work positively for change, but all he got was fired. Here's the story.

5. Only three employees have an expense account, and Hank and Kathy are two of them. The third person has an expense account 1/5 of Kathy's, and 1/70th of Hanks. (The expense account figures are part of their salary, in my above calculations.) Most other ministries don't even have an "expense account." It's a perk that used to be more common-place, but most companies have dropped. It's not true that it's needed for travel-- other ministries do extensive travel with no such account.

6. Hank has written many books. These books have royalties. Who get's the money? I talked to CRI management, and learned that all royalties from books sold by the ministry go to the ministry, but all books sold outside the ministry (such as by Amazon.com) go directly to Hank. How much does Hank get for these royalties? Unknown. They won't report it. I think that is a scandal, because Hank is paid a salary to produce these materials, and he gets free advertising for them by the ministry, yet he personally pockets the royalties. He should have to disclose this, but he doesn't because "he doesn't have to" (legally). If he wanted to be beyond reproach, he would, but he'd like to hide this source of income from the ministry. I think this is obviously why he is now into writing a fictional series, in order to make the kind of money that the "Left Behind" series did.CRI says that they are following the rules, by ECFA. It's what other ministries also do, and that ministries not in ECFA even do much worse (author's get royalties from books even sold directly by the ministry). In summary, their defense is that they are not breaking the "letter of the law" and that other ministries are much worse. Hardly an attempt at being "beyond reproach."

7. Is Hank a lover of money and the "finer things in life?" In July 2002, CRI paid $66,000 for a Lexus company car for Hank. Is that a reasonable use of funds? Did his donors know this when he told them that CRI needs money for meeting their shortfall, that very same year (including layoffs)? Here's the story. (CRI's response is that this story is false; the car was donated, and it was just an "appearance" problem.)

8. Hank took over the ministry after Dr. Martin, the Founder, abruptly died. What does Dr. Martin's family think about this? It's NOT positive (click here to read the article).

Questions:

1. Why do I refer to CRI also as "Hank and Kathy Hanegraaff?" Because they seem to be making a family living off of the ministry.

2. What do I want to see happen? I'd suggest that Hank get a serious Board of Directors. I suggest Kathy get paid a reasonable amount for the work that she does (it is out of line to pay her twice what the educated and specialized research staff recieves). I suggest Hank lower his salary to something reasonable, $150K per year max (that's $75 per hour). I know Hank says he works 50 hours per week, and he also talks alot about golf, so I guess he does a lot of "work" on the golf course (2) (on the radio he mentions talking about work with his co-author on the golf course regarding the new fiction book series he is developing).

3. Are financial scandal problems at CRI being fixed? It would take a miracle for Hank to repent. He doesn't seem to be learning, since both his and Kathy's salary continue to rise.

Notes:
(1) "Prayer of Jesus" pg. 19
(2) "Prayer of Jesus" pg. 89

Greed: (Good Works) A Study of Nonprofit Exec. Pay

2005-01-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

(Study Conducted: 1-6-04)
by Bernie Dehler

Selected: Fifty-nine of the most popular involved in "good works."

Results: See this webpage for all the data (tables and chart for the exec. pay of 59 nonprofit organizations involved in "good works.") Note: The chart was updated on 1-10-05 to show an average line.

Summary:

Nonprofit companies, by definition, are formed to benefit the public. They are not meant to be a profit means for individuals. This is why, for example, the Board of Directors usually serve at no charge (unless they are on the executive staff, as paid employees), and why nonprofits can't offer stock for investors. It's my concern that some nonprofits are headed by greedy people who are more there for the money rather than the service. On the flip side, some organizations are run excellently, as role-models. Examples of excellence, regarding reasonable executive compensation, are "Habitat for Humanity," "Feed the Children," "AmeriCares," and Compassion International."

Personally, I feel that $150K should be a top salary. I think it's sad that the "American Red Cross," for one example of many, pays $621K to their top executive (4x what I consider appropriate). Some people justify this because of their large revenue, but there's various reasons why that doesn't hold true:

1. All executives work approximately the same hours.
2. They all have hierarchy (staff) to do any additional work, such as VP's, directors, etc.
3. United Way, for example, may be just as big, but they don't roll-up all their money into a central place like American Red Cross-- each division handles their own operation.
4. I'd hate to imagine the politics in getting this position, and keeping it.
5. There is no shortage of qualified executives who would do the job for $150K.

Bernie's picks for Tsunami disaster relief: NW Medical Teams, Doctor's without Borders, Mercy Corps, & Mercy Ships.

Greed: Deception 1: Get Rich To Bless Others

2005-01-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

By Bernie Dehler

The Bible tells us not to be deceived by wealth. In the parable of the sower that our Lord taught (Matt. 13:1-22, click here for the story), one of the seed grew up amongst the thorns and weeds. The thorns choked out the good crop. The thorns represented the worries of this world, and the deceitfulness of wealth. Let's not let the "deceitfulness of wealth" choke us out of our Christian faith.

There are a number of faulty thoughts that lead one into the "deceitfulness of wealth." The first I would like to address is this. Have you thought this, or heard another Christian say this?:

"I want to make a lot of money so I can give away a lot of money to needy ministries."

The idea is that we can be a great influence for good if we could give more money for great programs. Using human wisdom, this is very easy to see.

Now let's look at it from the spiritual side. Our Lord Jesus said that a poor widow, who put in a fraction of a penny for a collection, gave more than the wealthy people (click here for the story, Mk 12:41-44).

Do you see how God could care less about the money that you give, in actual dollars, compared to how much it means to you? If a widow gave out of her poverty, and you want to be rich to give away a lot of money, you would have to give away all your wealth in order to give away as much as she did!

Another part of the problem is seeing by the human side about what you can accomplish with your money. God seems to be more concerned about us using what resources we have (time, treasure, talents) than what impact we make (parable of the talents, click here to see Matt. 25:14-30). In other words, there's nothing better about a millionaire giving away millions of dollars as there is for a poor person to give a few dollars, although the world will recognize and reward the rich. In this case, our motives really need to be evaluated.

In summary, rather than trying to make a lot of money to bless others some day in the future, live everyday of your life now as a blessing to others, using the resources that God has given you. Don't compare yourself to others; God doesn't. He'll judge us individually (Luke 12:5).

Greed: Case Study in Good: NW Medical Teams

2004-11-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

by Bernie Dehler

Philippians 3:17-18 (Apostle Paul writing:)
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Summary: NW Medical Teams is a role-model for other Christian ministries in two ways: serving others as our Lord taught us, and financial accountability as a nonprofit corporation.

Paul was an example worth following. Look at how he lived his life. But who can we observe as a role-model for Christian nonprofit corporations/ministries? I think I found one: NW Medical Teams.

Personally, I'm motivated to preach and defend the Gospel (I'm an "apologist" at heart), so I have a tendency to do what looks like "arguing" to some people. I've often thought, is this what God wants me to do? On a mission trip with Compassion International, I had an epiphany: more important than talking, our Lord wants us to do good works. This came as a result of also reflecting on Matt. 5:14-16, where Jesus told us to let our light shine, doing our good works among men so that they may praise our Father in heaven. While I still feel compelled to do the work of an Evangelist or Apologist, I also want to be involved with the "hands-on doing good works in the name of God" stuff.

This is where NW Medical Teams comes in. That's exactly what they do, according to their published mission:

"Northwest Medical Teams is a non-profit, humanitarian aid relief/development organization whose mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ to people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty. We do this by sending volunteer response teams, distributing humanitarian aid and by providing community development. "

It sounds to me like the famous words from Francis of Assisi: " "Preach the Gospel at all times, and use words if necessary."

When it comes to executive compensation, this organization really looks like a role-model. I've stated elsewhere that I think a top salary should be about $150K. This organization pays under that, around $119K for the top. This is very good news. (I would have guessed it would be much more because this organization deals with medical professionals who are usually highly paid.)

I have never donated to NW Medical Teams. After conducting these reviews, I plan on dropping some of the ministries I have supported and pick up them up. I don't know everything about this organization, but from what I've seen, they are going real good, even obeying the Scripture command to be "beyond reproach" (1 Tim. 3:2). I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of this organization, as it grows in prosperity due to it's righteous approach in serving "the least of these" (Matt. 25:40) and being accountable to the public.

Note: I have no relationship with NW Medical Teams at all. No one paid me to say this, or even knows that I'm writing this. Most of my knowledge of them comes from word-of-mouth from others who have worked with them (regarding their good works), and from their form 990 tax return.

Greed: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2004-11-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

By Bernie Dehler

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Matthew 25:21 (Jesus Talking)

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'"

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OVERVIEW

The Bible is clear that we are to be good stewards of our resources (time, treasure, and talent). In a parable (Mt. 25:14-30), our Lord Jesus taught us about how God has given each of us various degrees of resources. We will be held accountable for what we do with them.

Regarding our money, we have choices to spend it on pleasure, profit, or for the Kingdom of God. If we spend it for the purpose of Kingdom building, then we also have the responsibility to know that the organization that we are supporting is living up to its mission, and is behaving responsibly. It turns out that nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporations are required by law to make their form 990 tax returns available to the public (however, Churches, denominations, and religious orders are exempt from filing a tax return).

I looked into a few that claim to be Christian Ministries. In my opinion, here is a summary of some of the "good, the bad, and the ugly." For this article, I will be looking just at the aspect of executive compensation, as this in itself may be a reason to disqualify some "ministries." I will also be mentioning only some of the larger well-know organizations.

The best place to find the tax returns for any nonprofit is at http://www.guidestar.org/, if you know the nonprofit name exactly or have their Federal EIN number. This is a free service.

GOOD

First the Good. These are a pleasure to report. I would like to offer three. Click on their name to view their actual form 990 tax return.
-- Focus on the Family. Various Christian topics and Christian education. Dr. Dobson receives $0 in salary (evidently, he lives off of the royalties of many of his books). He is the Chairman of the Board and works full-time for the ministry.
-- NW Medical Teams. Doing good works (especially medical assistance) in the name of Christ. A great role-model for very reasonable executive salaries. I think this is the best role-model I've seen from the very large nonprofit Christian organizations.
-- Compassion International. Relieving children that live in poverty. They even post their form 990 tax return on their website.

BAD

This is disappointing for me to report. These ministries do great work, but the executives seem to take advantage of their organization by getting paid too much.
-- BGEA (Billy Graham, $445K per year)
-- Samaritan's Purse ( Franklin Graham, $358K per year)
-- Christian Research Institute (Hank Hanegraaff $280K per year, not including unknown (very large) income from royalties paid directly to him from ministry-produced and ministry-advertised materials. His wife, Kathy, also is the 3rd highest paid emploiyee, at $130K, which is twice as much as their seminary-educated staff members.)

UGLY

While the BAD get too much in executive pay, the following ones are outrageous.
-- Global Evangelism Television (John Hagee, $900K per year; that's $430 per hour!)
-- Trinity broadcasting Network (TBN- Paul ($403K) & Jan ($361K) Crouch)
-- World Church (Benny Hinn). His pay is unknown since he is employed by a "church," but estimates range from $500-$1 million per year (story). Personally I think it's a scandal for his operation to be organized as a "church." I think it should be regarded as a parachurch organization (not church) since his contributors don't "attend" his church (if he were a parachurch organization, he would be required by law to report his form 990 tax return).

SUMMARY

It's good to find out as much information as possible about the ministries that you support with your time, treasure, and talent. Most likely, what you will find will both disgust and encourage you. The end result is knowing the ministries, that you partner with, better. By checking, you will encourage these ministries to be more accountable for their actions. Gone are the days when you could just "trust" those who claimed to be working for God (if those days ever existed).

For a parting positive note: the more I look at these tax returns, the more I am impressed with NW Medical Teams (mentioned above). They really stand out as a beautiful role-model, financially and in their work of serving others:

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Matthew 5:16 (Jesus Talking)
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Should Christians "tithe" today? No! Give? Yes!

2004-10-31T13:51:00.000-08:00

Overview:

In today's Evangelical Christian Church, we are (sometimes) told that we should tithe, at a minimum. This means give 10% of our income to the Church. Should we do this as Evangelical Christians? I say no. Should we give money to the Church and other needy ministries? Yes, and please be generous! What do you think?

What do I recommend for giving?:

1. Realize that you are a STEWARD of your money, possessions, etc. (it all belongs to God, and is a gift from God, and you will be held accountable).

2. Don't focus on percentage. In the Old Testament, it wasn't a straight 10% anyway, there were multiple tithes, per the Faussett Bible Dictionary. Sometimes there were up to 3 tithes (approaching 30%). However, only agriculture and livestock owners were tithed, not other workers, such as artisans.

3. Pray to God for guidance in how much to give. It's only between God and you. The tithe is part of the OT law, like circumcision and the sabbath, which are no longer requirements for Christians. But do push yourself to be generous, from the love of Christ for the poor and other needy.

4. The money should support your local church (what you feel is reasonable), and also to help others who need it (whether it is tax-deductable or not). I don't recommend giving it all to the local church... there are many needy ministries doing great work! Just give the local church their share, what you feel is appropriate.

Reason why we should not tithe:

1. If you can't or don't give 10%, you'll feel guilty. If you do give it because of demands, you may be resentful. The Scriptural rule is to be generous, and to be a cheerful giver.

2. If you give 10%, you may feel satisfied. Give 20%, and you may feel that you are twice as good as others. However, maybe you make a lot of money and should give away 90%? It's much easier for a millionaire to give 90% than it is for a poor man to give 10%. Watch out for false pride and religiousity coming from a dedicated tithe-- after all, God wants your heart, and doesn't really need your money!

3. Make sure you take care of yourself, so you are self-sufficient and not a drag on society (needing government help, etc.). God wants your devotion, not your money, although where you spend your money is a sign of where your devotion lies.

More on tithing, from scholars:
Article by Steven Gregg (click on "articles," then "tithing")
Article by TruthOrTradition