Tax Exemption Under Review (Benny Hinn...

Star-Telegram ^ | Aug 13, 2005 | Darren Barbee

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

The tax-exempt status of faith healer Benny Hinn's $6.5 million world headquarters in Grapevine is being examined by the Tarrant Appraisal District after a televangelist watchdog group this week questioned whether the property should be considered a church.

The review of the property at 3400 William D. Tate Ave., triggered by a requset of the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, is considered somewhat unusual, appraisal district officials said. But any requset for a review is investigated as a matter of policy.

...Trinity contends that the ministry hides its spending from donors and uses donations to provide Hinn with a multimillion-dollar California parsonage and a seven-figure salary.

...[Trinity president] [Ole] Anthony asked chief appraiser John Marshall to re-evualate the gated property, in part because no public worship services are held there and only those with access cards or permission are allowed entry.

..."Designating this organization as a church would be tantamount to naming Interstate Batteries, General Motors, the Dallas Cowboys and other for-profit corporations as churches because they hold periodic Bible studies on their premises," Anthony wrote.

By law, a religious property-tax exemption may be granted if a property is regularly used a a place of worship, she [Vinita Tribble, the district's support services director] said. That can mean anything from individual meditation to a group ceremony to religious education.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

But wouldn't allowing access to only those with access cards scuttle Hinn's headquarters as being a place of public worship, and thereby its tax-exempt status?

[Revolting cat!]

Here come the pitchers. Lemme be the first!

[Revolting cat!]

Halleluyah!

[DumpsterDiver]

Here come the pitchers. Lemme be the first!

I'm next.

[NonValueAdded]

It is a tough call ... one could easily say that the card holders are there for worship purposes (primarily the worship of geld) and who is to say that a religion is not allowed to qualify their membership, i.e. not be required to accept all comers but rather provide identification to their members that happens to also work the access gates. Do you have a key to your church?

IMHO, BH is a fraud as are many like him but he does have the support of his "worshipers" who continue to flood him with money. I think in the long run we need to suffer fools like him and leave it to his followers if they want to believe his message or not. It's a Slippery Slope argument for sure but unfortunately warranted in this case.

[DeweyCA]

This guy, like Robert Tilton and Jim Bakker, gives Christianity a bad name. It would be fine with me if they nail him.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Here is some additional stuff one may want to look at:

"Preachers who live in big homes and drive big cars ought to re-examine their cxalling." (Benny Hinn, speaking at his church in Florida)

Perhaps Benny should practice what he preaches?

http://www.myfortress.org/BennyHinn.html

AUDIO CLIPS:

"Don't tell me you have Jesus. You ARE everything He was, and everything He is and shall be." Benny Hinn, TBN

http://op.50megs.com/tell!.wav

"Theres a groups here in California that thinks they are the judgement seat of Christ. Dear God in heaven. I wish I just could just...they call it a ministry, my foot. You know I've looked for one verse in the Bible. I just can't seem to find it. One verse that said, "If you don't like 'em kill 'em" I really wish I could find it.

http://op.50megs.com/hinn3.rm

"You see, frankly, That's the way I think about it. I'm sorry, I'm not exactly the normal kind of guy, you know. I'm from Israel. Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun, I'd blow your head off."

http://op.50megs.com/hinn4.rm

[Rocketman]

More and more of these tele evangelists are going to come under scrutiny -- few people have any idea what their assets or property holdings are. Senior citizens donate lands and properties to these ministries and instead of being sold for the "Church" they end up many times in the preacher's portfolio under the names of the deceased, under the names of relatives of under the names of dummy corporations. These men and women are hirelings -- instead of selling all to follow christ they fleece the flock of God.

I am in strong support of their holdings being scrutinized -- and when found having hidden assets for them to be fined the the Nth of the Law.

We could probably add 100 names to a list of these people that need so seriously be audited.

Rodney Howard Brown

Oral Roberts

Kenneth Hagan Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

[skip_intro]

I miss this guy.

A true con man, and he let everyone know it.

The funny thing is, even though he's dead, his web site says you can still contact him.

What a showman!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yep, that's just what I was thinking. My uncle has a bunch of Benny Hill videos and they're hilarious!

[martin_fierro]

Obligatory Farting Televangelist video link

[Disambiguator]

Television corrupts.

Televangelism corrupts absolutely.

[Mark was here]

Last I heard the "Bible Answer Man" Hank something or other, was being investigated for mail fraud. He told his flock the Post Office lost their mail, delivered it to the wrong address, and to mail in another contribution, to avoid calamity.

First off if anyone got a whole sack of mail addressed somewhere else, someone would be there in microseconds to retrieve it. I'm sure folks at the Post Office don't take to kindly to anyone suggesting they would deliver a big stack of mail to the wrong place, and not care about it.

[PAR35]

But wouldn't allowing access to only those with access cards scuttle Hinn's headquarters as being a place of public worship, and thereby its tax-exempt status?

LDS temples have restricted access. Not even all Mormons qualify for a temple recommend.

[Liberty Valance]

Hinn needs to be deported.

[Rocketman]

I just went on your link to his website and found this quote:

"Adam was a super-being when God created him. I don't know whether people know this, but he was the first superman that really ever lived. First of all, the Scriptures declare clearly that he had dominion over the fowls of the air, the fish of the sea--which means he used to fly. Of course, how can he have dominion over the birds and not be able to do what they do? The word 'dominion' in the Hebrew clearly declares that if you have dominion over a subject, that you do everything that subject does. In other words, that subject, if it does something you cannot do, you don't have dominion over it. I'll prove it further. Adam not only flew, he flew to space. He was--with one thought he would be on the moon." (Benny Hinn"Praise the Lord" program on TBN, 26 December 1991. "Many Faces Of Benny Hinn DVD")

This is so wrong it is pathetic. Paul the Apostles tells us that Adam was "the first Adam." And he tells us that Christ was the second Adam -- Adam was no more a super man than Jesus Christ -- If Christ had by virtue of his God given powers come down to earth the face down the sin and the devil -- the devil would have cried: "Foul. You did it with divine power. So Christ put off his God hood and put on flesh and became the second Adam and in the flesh he defeated sin and the devil.

According to the Law of Moses which was written based on things in heaven to make an earthly pattern -- the lamb could not have any defect of blemish it could not be a giant (Read that as super lamb) or a dwarf -- Christ the lamb of God in order to be an offering for atonement's needed to be a lamb regular fleshly lamb.

So what is the Adam part -- Adam when he was created knew no sin but after the fall in the blood of the human race runs sin and death -- So God via the Holy Ghost overshadowing Mary conceived Christ . scripture says Adam was the son of God and likewise Christ was also the scone of God not being of the blood of his father.

[PAR35]

A true con man, and he let everyone know it.

The smartest of the bunch. He used to make it very clear that contributions to him weren't tax deductable.

[AlbertWang]

..[Trinity president] [Ole] Anthony

Anthony is an interesting person, I'm not sure if he is a crackpot or one of the most enlightened people I've read about. Joe Bob Briggs (John Bloom) is a fringe member of his group, and he is now the publisher of The Door . The Trinity Foundation was named after the Bomb, not the God Head.

[Ma3lst0rm]

Doc was refreshing. As for a con-man, I've not seen any of it, con men tend to keep you in the dark in order to manipulate you. Doc simply laid it out, you like what I'm saying keep the money coming and people did. I personally liked his no holds bar approach, loved his straight talk and his teaching was without compare for those who couldn't get past the cigars and his occasionally colorful expression well maybe they should read a little Jeremiah.
The idea that Christ is for losers and idiots is something Doc assailed with vigor and I think he succeeded and what I find that most dislike about him is that he didn't fit their mold and he spoke with authority with a voice that didn't sound like soft velvet and smell of funerary roses. I doubt the apostle Paul could find a place in today’s Christian world. As for the fraud Benny Hinn, I have little to say he is an example of the worst of Christian evangelicals but I'm sure he doesn't a better job spending the money he gets than the real elected thieves in the federal and state governments.

[Ma3lst0rm]

Some interesting links:

http://www.internetmonk.com/cgi-bin/mt-comm.cgi?entry_id=19863

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/dr-gene-scott/

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/05/25/news-stacy.php

http://www.drgenescott.org

http://member.newsguy.com/~sjames/home.htm

One has to love his admonition of the bureaucratic monkey band.

Never saw a preacher beat his monkey before this. ;-)

[Diverdogz]

Robert Tilton is still scamming folks, too.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Robert Tilton is still scamming folks, too.***

And Peter Popff is popping off again after the Amazing Randi proved him to be a fake.
add to the list a few other deceased scamm artists..
O.L. Jagger ("That's J-A-G-G-E-R").
and the late and unlamented AA ALLEN, (the man who should have gone to AAA meetings).

There are lots more but who keeps count?

[thelastvirgil]

Probably a futile exercise, but it would be nice if Hinn were cuffed and stripped of his ability to milk money from little old ladies.
He'll blame the devil for this latest kerfuffle, and his coffers will swell yet again. Disgusting POS with a magic comb-over.

[Rocketman]

AA Allen I know miles of stuff about about Him from people that went to his meetings.

Katheryn Kulmann I attended a meeting of hers when I was young It was bizarre

Oral Roberts I know a fair amount about how he started and what all he did.

I have also known healing and faith evangelists who gave up everything to follow christ and died paupers -- I have high regards for those who don't traffic on the Gospel.

[balch3]

Remember this is a MSM report. Benny Hinn has been on John Hagee's show many times. Pastor Hagee is a well respected and very influential conservative evangelist.

[Rocketman]

Birds of the same feather flock together,

10,000 people would have sworn the same thing about Jimmy Swaggart before he was exposed.

Truly ou don't know this Guy -- What pat Robertson does on TV is all an act -- the man is nothing like what you see on TV I lived in Virginia Beach Been to His collage and HQ went to bible school with people that worked with him -- and the things that they said . . .

You can tell a lot about a man by knowing who his friends are.

[Revolting cat!]

This here is another saintly duo!

[Revolting cat!]

And, as you can see, everyone of these scam artists has its diehard fans: "X may be a con man, but my guy tells it like it is, and why, he was on Z's highly respected conservative Tee-Vee extravaganza!"

[balch3]

So now you're slamming John Hagee, one of the most influential Evangelicals in America, and a faithful supporter of the President. Unbelievable.

[Rocketman]

I said "You can learn a lot about a man by his friends." true of False?

I said,"Birds of a feather flock together." true or false

And I said "many people probably tens of thousands swore up and down that Jimmy Swaggart was above board, and a great man of God until the day his sin was publicly exposed." Is that true or false.

Finally I said and it was a guess and now you confirmed it that you personally do not know the man -- you only know his TV persona you know him by his repuation.

I did not slam the man -- that was a knee jerk reation on your part.

What kills me is you have one set of criteria for Judging democrats and a completely different set for Judging an EVANGELICAL -- of great reputation.

Now if a dem does something -- we at FR say follow the money. That is a fair test. If the man accepts bribe and gratuities if he gets favors done -- we call that corruption. If an Evangelical of Great reputation does the same thing we call it ------------ spiritual ministry

I know I won't change your mind but early on in this thread someone initimated Benny Hinn was not living the life of Christ -- their meaning was that Christ and his disciples gave up houses and lands to follow and serve the Lord.

I went to bible collage in the 1970's and I met a young methodist preacher who just started in hisfirst Parish in Millerton Pa. We had a discussion on careers and seminary. He told me he wanted to make a lot of money so he wanted to be a Doctor -- and found it was near impossible to get into an ivy league medical school as a white male. So he decided to be a lawyer but the prognosis of that profession in those days was slow growth -- he looked over his options and found that he could be a minister rake in 100,000 a year (Back in 1976)work twenty years in a backwoods parish and retire with a full array of benefits. -- the man was a hireling.

I live in fairbanks we have an presbyterian church here its relatively samll yet the korean woman that does the accounting for that Church and another one gets paid 100,000 a year. I have no idea whatthe pastor gets, but I'm sure it is a princely sum.

I have personally been in church rectories with butler maids and other servants.

This what paul calls trafficing on the Gospel -- and that is not a compliment.

100 years ago 200 years ago all the preachers in these denominations lived by faith -- the phrase during those days was "As poor as a church mouse." Well brother when the church mice can ride around in golf carts, the pastor droives a loaded lincoln and has a prvate leer jet when do we make a call that this is not a church but a business?

One last comment when I was in bible school I learned that our esteemed president had taken for himself not one but five houses that had been given to the bible collage as part of a deceased person's estate -- I had to take a deep breath and look at the words of Christ and compare them with what I saw and heard. the problem with most libs is they can't make the call against their party and seperate themselves from it because they feel they would take a personal hit for soing so. This is the identical thing for many beleivers they see sin, they hear sin and what do they do they stop up their ears and ignor it and hope it ain't or hope it will somehow go away. The problem is when we attend thse meetings nad give offerings to these corrpt people we become theri enablers -- and in the bible we are told to do so and not cry out against the sin = our becoming partakers of their sin. So what do we do we do what FR does we try to acertain the truth we try to first see if ther is a money trail we can view their tax records its public info. If you find your beleived teacher makes relatively little money and does not have a lot of perks -- you can feel a bit better but if the man has become via the ministry a multi-millionaire with his perks and financeces tagled up in doezens of dummy accounts and corporations what is the differece between him and Hinn?

We live in a day that the church blindly worships the godess of success. And people have associated big church big ministries with the power of God -- that is not the testimony of Christ and the apostles

Jesus said if a man come in his own name him ye will hear. Jesus said If I bear witness of myself it is not true. Jesus said I can not accept the witness of men but seek the witness of the father in signs wonders and diverse miracles. In this day ministers come in theri own name and give witness to each other and how right on they are is that the same thing as what Christ was talking about in John Chapter 5?

Nuff Said

[FreedomCalls]

We could probably add 100 names to a list of these people that need so seriously be audited.

Rodney Howard Brown

Oral Roberts

Kenneth Hagan Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

And The Rev. Jesse Jackson

The Rev. Al Sharpton

Minister Louis Farrakhan

[Rocketman]

your additions show that you understand that there is no defense between Jessse Jackson doing and action and Kenneth Hagan doing the Identical action. Of Calypso Louey and and Jimmy Swaggart.

being con men and scam artists fleecing God's blind blind sheep is the lowest acts of theft on the scale.

Jesus accused the Pharisees of devouring widows houses -- did they eat the brick and mortar? No they said God the king of the universe had a problem he's broke and unless some how we can finance our proselyte mission ministry God will have to shut its doors forever. God power is weak in this day as not many people truly believe like you -- and we can help you with your tithes and offerings see we work with Manny and Moe's loan sharking agency they are understanding people and will loan you what you need against that house so we can keeps the missions going. so they give one year two years five years and their house is devoured bit by bit and one day Manny and Moe show up and say pay up now or we will cease the property and band another widows house is eaten while the pharisees were living high on the hog like they do in our day.