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Family Battle Offers Look Inside Lavish TV Ministry
The New York Times ^ | 5/4/12 | Erik Eckholm

Posted on 05/08/2012 5:52:21 AM PDT by marshmallow

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — For 39 years, the Trinity Broadcasting Network has urged viewers to give generously and reap the Lord’s bounty in return.

The prosperity gospel preached by Paul and Janice Crouch, who built a single station into the world’s largest Christian television network, has worked out well for them.

Mr. and Mrs. Crouch have his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community here, provided by the network using viewer donations and tax-free earnings. But Mrs. Crouch, 74, rarely sleeps in the $5.6 million house with tennis court and pool. She mostly lives in a large company house near Orlando, Fla., where she runs a side business, the Holy Land Experience theme park. Mr. Crouch, 78, has an adjacent home there too, but rarely visits. Its occupant is often a security guard who doubles as Mrs. Crouch’s chauffeur.

The twin sets of luxury homes only hint at the high living enjoyed by the Crouches, inspirational television personalities whose multitudes of stations and satellite signals reach millions of worshipers across the globe. Almost since they started in the 1970s, the couple have been criticized for secrecy about their use of donations, which totaled $93 million in 2010.

Now, after an upheaval with Shakespearean echoes, one son in this first family of televangelism has ousted the other to become the heir apparent. A granddaughter, who was in charge of TBN’s finances, has gone public with the most detailed allegations of financial improprieties yet, which TBN has denied, saying its practices were audited and legal.

The granddaughter, Brittany Koper, and her husband have been fired by the network, which accused them of stealing $1.3 million to buy real estate and cars and make family loans. “They’re just trying to divert attention from their own crimes,” said Colby May, a lawyer representing..........

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; Ministry/Outreach
KEYWORDS: crouch; jancrouch; paulcrouch; tbn; trinitybroadcasting
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1 posted on 05/08/2012 5:52:26 AM PDT by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

Private jets, 13 mansions and a $100,000 mobile home just for the dogs: Televangelists 'defrauded tens of million of dollars from Christian network'

2 posted on 05/08/2012 6:30:29 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: marshmallow

Why do they need all these lavish ‘things’ and why would one donate to TBN knowing the leaders are not good stewards?
No one expects them to live like gypsies but the high extravagant lifestyles are not a good witness for the cause of christianity.


3 posted on 05/08/2012 6:52:08 AM PDT by tflabo (Truth or tyranny)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

I wonder if Jan wears one, two or three sets of false eyelashes........anyone? Shame on them if this is true. Oprah tried to corner Joel Osteen about his lavish home in an upscale Houston neighborhood and how it was paid for. He said it was from the sales of his books, that he takes no salary from his mega church. I hope that’s so. Bad enough you can’t trust a politician as far as you can throw ‘em but now have to be suspect of television evangelists. God will take care of them in his own time if they’re not truly in it for His glory.


4 posted on 05/08/2012 6:52:27 AM PDT by Dawgreg (Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)
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To: marshmallow

There is a special section in Hell reserved for these charlatans.....for every soul they may have brought to Christ, they turned off thousands more.


5 posted on 05/08/2012 6:54:03 AM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: A.A. Cunningham; Alamo-Girl

I believe they have done a lot of good for millions of people

IN SPITE OF

their serious trashy flaws, sins and excesses.

Biblical greats were too often not greatly better in this or that moral area of their lives. I can’t think of a single Biblical great who had a reputation for raising wonderfully Godly sons, for example.

God warned some years ago through many prophetic voices that HE was going to expose such people and sins. He’s been doing it for some time now. He’s not stopping yet.

AND . . . the Scripture is clear . . . that though God would begin such disciplinary activities within the Body of Christ—the sinners outside the body of Christ would fare even worse.

Folks who are quick to judge Paul and Jan would do well to insure that what they are judging THEM on does not stain the saintly visage in their mirrors.


6 posted on 05/08/2012 6:57:05 AM PDT by Quix (Time is short: INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: marshmallow

I’ll never forget what I saw many years ago when I flipped the channel to their station.

SHE was hawking a “genuine description of Jesus” written at the time of Christ, IF you would send in so much money!

Anyone who knows art history could tell this was a fake written sometime around 1400 to 1500 AD to give artists a format to go on in their depictions of Jesus, yet she was hawking them as genuine.

Another time, Paul had his back turned to her while talking with a guest, she turned toward the camera and spent the next few minutes mugging for the camera. It was sickening to watch.


7 posted on 05/08/2012 7:37:28 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: marshmallow

So. What.

Their donors give of their own volition.

How about if the NY Times does an in-depth accounting on the seventeen vacations that Obama and his family have taken in just three years? Exactly how many jets (usually a half dozen) and cost per hour to fly them. Names of all guests who were comped, and how much it cost. Meal bills. Secret service cost and hotel bills.

The difference is I pay for that, and not willingly. I have no choice.

Could this be a NY Times attempt at oh, I don’t know, DEFLECTION? In an election year? Hmmm...


8 posted on 05/08/2012 7:38:22 AM PDT by Blue Ink
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To: marshmallow

Thieving heretical snakes, they are.


9 posted on 05/08/2012 7:57:32 AM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
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To: Dawgreg

Joel Osteen is another heretical snake.


10 posted on 05/08/2012 7:58:38 AM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
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To: marshmallow

Wolves

11 posted on 05/08/2012 8:00:08 AM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
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To: Quix

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;


12 posted on 05/08/2012 8:10:28 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: fishtank

I dunno about that fishtank. You may be right, I may be crazy but it just may be a lunatic you’re lookin’ for......uh-oh, I digress. I like the guy but the one problem I have with his type of ministry is he doesn’t preach the salvation aspect, IMHO. He seems to give pep talks on how to be happy and make the most of your life. That’s the way I look at it anyhoo. :)


13 posted on 05/08/2012 8:25:00 AM PDT by Dawgreg (Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)
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To: marshmallow

All if this “TBN” and the like stuff WILL be burned up in the Lambs Judgement and people like Benny Hinn, The Crouches, and the like will be left with VERY little throughout eternaty.


14 posted on 05/08/2012 8:38:47 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

Wow. She could hide a million in small bills in that hair!


15 posted on 05/08/2012 8:49:56 AM PDT by KosmicKitty (WARNING: Hormonally crazed woman ahead!!)
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To: Quix; A.A. Cunningham
I do not have a problem with ministries being different from one another.

Christ, after all, chose twelve very different apostles. Peter was not like John who was not like Paul who was not like James who was not like Thomas.

For instance, some of us focus more on God in large congregations gathered in elegant cathedrals while others do so alone on a mountaintop. Some praise God when they see an infant, others when they see an elderly person struggling to walk.

And our differences can indeed evoke strong reactions from other Christians as they did among the apostles (e.g. Acts.)

Some embrace traditions as holy, some eschew traditions altogether. Some embrace additional writings as holy, some are appalled at such things. Some keep an open ear to modern prophets while others believe there will be no more prophecy.

And, as in this case, some may be offended by the appearance/behavior of these while others may be offended by the appearance/behavior of conventional religious authorities.

I say, God knows exactly what He is doing.

His Name is I AM.

16 posted on 05/08/2012 9:16:22 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: smokingfrog

TRUE.

However, TBN has propagated a LOT of sound doctrine to hundreds of millions of individuals.

And, there HAS BEEN some good fruit of all that.

Some spit out the bones better than others.

And, King David did not live in a hovel. Paul and Jan have edified millions more than King David did in his local context and time.

Nevertheless, excesses, sins, errors need confronted, confessed, repented of and made as right as workable.

At the very least such excesses do not appear to be the sort of Christianity that say Franklin Graham and Charles Colson exemplified.


17 posted on 05/08/2012 9:48:44 AM PDT by Quix (Time is short: INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Alamo-Girl
To: Quix; A.A. Cunningham
I do not have a problem with ministries being different from one another.

Christ, after all, chose twelve very different apostles. Peter was not like John who was not like Paul who was not like James who was not like Thomas.

For instance, some of us focus more on God in large congregations gathered in elegant cathedrals while others do so alone on a mountaintop. Some praise God when they see an infant, others when they see an elderly person struggling to walk.

And our differences can indeed evoke strong reactions from other Christians as they did among the apostles (e.g. Acts.)

Some embrace traditions as holy, some eschew traditions altogether. Some embrace additional writings as holy, some are appalled at such things. Some keep an open ear to modern prophets while others believe there will be no more prophecy.

And, as in this case, some may be offended by the appearance/behavior of these while others may be offended by the appearance/behavior of conventional religious authorities.

I say, God knows exactly what He is doing.

His Name is I AM.

16 posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 10:16:22 AM by Alamo-Girl

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

!ABSOLUTELY INDEED!


18 posted on 05/08/2012 9:49:48 AM PDT by Quix (Time is short: INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: marshmallow

I watched them years ago a few times and could see right off they were phoneys, and they will pay a terrible price for it.

But if people wants to listen to those type of frauds they are welcome to it, there are frauds of all kinds in religion and one kind is just as bad as another.

The good news is that any one who accepts Jesus as savior can be saved but only God knows who they are.


19 posted on 05/08/2012 1:55:48 PM PDT by ravenwolf (reIf you believe that Nero was the anti-Christ, and among othJust a bit of the long list of proofsre)
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To: Quix

Folks who are quick to judge Paul and Jan would do well to insure that what they are judging THEM on does not stain the saintly visage in their mirrors.


I agree, we can,t judge them any more than we can judge the Mormons but i just thought this was just to give the Mormons a little rest.


20 posted on 05/08/2012 2:04:11 PM PDT by ravenwolf (reIf you believe that Nero was the anti-Christ, and among othJust a bit of the long list of proofsre)
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