Two ministries refuse to comply with investigation

WASHINGTON — Two of the six ministries with finances under investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, have been unwilling to cooperate, citing privacy rights and questioning Grassley’s focus on groups that preach the “prosperity gospel.”
“This has nothing to do with church doctrine,” said Grassley, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. “It’s only about tax-exempt policy.” Two Atlanta-area ministries, Creflo Dollar Ministries in College Park, Ga., and Bishop Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, have refused to submit the financial records first requested by Grassley last November.
Just two of the six ministries, Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Newark, Texas, and Joyce Meyer Ministries in Fenton, Mo., have provided materials that are being reviewed by Senate staff, Grassley said. Two other ministries — Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., and Benny Hinn Ministries in Grapevine, Ga., have sent mixed signals.