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CREFLO DOLLAR DEFENDS HIS MINISTRIES' MONEY MANAGEMENT: Pastor responds to probe on CBS' The Early Show
Creflo Dollar responded to allegations of mishandling church funds on CBS' Early Show.
One of 6 mega ministers named in a financial investigation launched by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Dollar is the pastor of World Changers Ministries in College Park, GA.
Sen. Grassley, head of the Senate Finance Committee, questioned the non-profit status of the mega ministries in a letter sent on Tuesday requesting a public financial audit.
A cooperative Dollar submitted to the probe, but did not understand why a senator was doing the work of the IRS.
During the interview pastor Dollar raised a valid question: " ... is it appropriate for [them] to become a tax examiner and to get involved in the information of private, non-profit organizations when the IRS has already been assigned that responsibility?"
The audit is aimed at determining how the millions of dollars these ministries takes in is used. Grassley released a statement saying he was acting on complaints from the public and news coverage of the organizations.
Dollar easily justified claims the letter asserts when interviewer Julie Chen asked him several specific questions about his possessions and "excessive spending."
When asked about the fancy cars he supposedly has, he said he and his wife do not own two Rolls Royces.
"The one Rolls-Royce that was purchased was purchased by the donors, or the members of the church, and it was a surprise to me. I had no idea they were doing it," Dollar clarified.
Purchasing vehicles and other substantial gifts or offering large monetary gifts to church leaders is a longstanding tradition in many African American churches. (Apparently, at some churches the Rolls Royce is the new Cadillac, which in the past was the vehicle of choice for many pastors.)
As for the alleged one million dollar anniversary gift to fellow preacher Kenneth Copeland, that too was untrue he told Chen.
"We didn't give Kenneth $500,000, and we didn't take it from our church. We sent letters to different ministers around the country inviting them to share in honoring Kenneth Copeland's 40th anniversary. It's an opportunity for people to do what they believe, and unless we completely got rid of the First Amendment, that's our opportunity to believe that we can sow into a man of God's life, be a blessing to him and celebrate his 40 years of service in the ministry."
When asked if he believes some pastors abuse ministry money, Pastor Dollar maintained there are some "bad apples" out there, but his ministry is not one of them and everyone should not be lumped into the same barrel.
Dollar is prominent in the Word of Faith Movement (sometimes referred to as "name it and claim it gospel") which emphasizes prosperity and abundance as the inheritance of obedient Christians.
This news comes a month after another major religious non-profit faces a lawsuit. Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts (son of he school's founder, Oral Roberts) allegedly remodeled their home 11 times in 14 years, used the university jet for personal trips, and forced members of the university to play an active role in a political campaign, something that is banned for non-profits such as the university, according to a CBS report
View the entire interview here.
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