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Kenneth Copeland

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Kenneth Copeland
Born
Kenneth Copeland

(1936-12-06) December 6, 1936 (age 88) [citation needed]
United States
OccupationTelevangelist
SpouseGloria Copeland
ChildrenTerri Pearsons, Kellie Copeland-Kutz, John Copeland
Websitewww.kcm.org

Kenneth Copeland (born December 6, 1936 [citation needed] in Lubbock, Texas) is a prominent and controversial Word of Faith television evangelist and the founder of a Christian religious organization called Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

Early life and education

Prior to his conversion to Christianity in November, 1962, Copeland was a Jewish recording artist, having one Billboard Top 40 hit ("Pledge of Love", which stayed in the Top 40 for eight weeks and peaked at #12)[1].

Following his religious conversion, Copeland turned the rest of his life over to Christian ministry work.[2] In the 1960s, he was a pilot and chauffeur for Oral Roberts. When Copeland was thirty years old he enrolled in Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma in fall 1967.[3] Later he studied under Kenneth E. Hagin, founder of RHEMA Bible Training Center and RHEMA Bible Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.[citation needed]

He was a member of the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents[4] until it was replaced in 2008 with a new board that promised to hold to higher standards of financial accountability.[5] In October 2007 a lawsuit against the university was presented for financial and political wrong doing.[6] Copeland's oldest daughter, Terri, is married to pastor George Pearsons,[7] who served until January 2008 as the ORU Board chairman.[8]

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ grew through the 1970s and in 1979, "Believer's Voice of Victory" first appeared on television. Headquartered in Newark, Texas, it has international offices in Australia, Africa, Canada, Europe and the Ukraine. According to Kenneth Copeland Ministries, it is also actively involved in ministry to prison inmates in 23 countries.[9]

Kenneth and his wife, Gloria Copeland, travel regularly, speaking at churches and conventions, including their own annual "Believers’ Conventions." This includes the Southwest Believers’ Convention, the West Coast Believers’ Convention, and the Great Lakes Believers' Convention. The couple have been married since 1963, and they have three children.

Contributions

The Copelands have given away 24 airplanes to other ministries, as well as automobiles and motorcycles.[citation needed] KCM also sends out a monthly magazine to all that ask without cost or obligation. Kenneth Copeland Ministries poured large sums of money and aid into New Orleans after Katrina, including a large amount of funding to birth and launch Angel Flight (an airplane and crew specifically assigned to send in supplies to New Orleans when the roads were closed, and is still in operation today, standing ready to bring aid for any other catastrophic events).[10]

Controversies

Copeland has received criticism for his teaching about wealth in the "Word Faith Movement"[11][12], his claims about faith healing,[13] and his claim that Bible believers would receive the hundredfold return on their seed. [14].

Jet and business controversy

Kenneth and Gloria were accused by former business associates of leaving tens of thousands of dollars of debt in their failed Affordable Homes Limited business partnership while spending money on other projects. However, the Copelands were limited partners of this company and as such, were not obliged to pay its debts or explain the withdrawal of their financing.[15] In 2007 Copeland was accused of using his $20 million Cessna Citation jet for personal vacations and friends, however, these allegations have not been proven.[16] In January John Copeland, son of Kenneth, published a video on the KCM website in which he stated the Citation X jet owned by the ministry was used for personal travel ten percent of the time in 2007. The Copeland's financial records are not publicly available and a list of the Board of Directors is not accessible. Responding to media questions, Copeland pointed to an accounting firm's declaration that all jet travel complies with federal tax laws.[17]

Mike Huckabee

On Copeland's daily television program Believer's Voice of Victory, 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made six appearances on the program from Sunday November 25, 2007 through Friday November 30, 2007, discussing "Integrity of Character".[18][19][20][21][22]

In January 2008, the Huckabee campaign paid for use of Kenneth Copeland Ministries' facilities for a fundraiser. However, as political analyst and commentator Mike Eberhart notes that Democrats also use tax exempt organizations such as churches to make speeches and promote their campaigns. [1] Copeland also claimed that he had had a phone call with Huckabee in which Huckabee allegedly vowed to support Kenneth despite a pending investigation by the U.S. Senate (see below) into Copeland's finances if he was elected.

Senate Investigation

On November 6, 2007, United States senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, announced an investigation of Copeland's ministry by the United States Senate Committee on Finance. The Associated Press reported that Grassley said the investigation was a response to complaints from the public and news media. Grassley stated, "The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces." [23] IRS guidelines require that pastors' compensation be "reasonable" and net earnings may not benefit any private individual. [24] Grassley asked for the ministry to divulge financial information [25] (Grassley's letter)[26] to the committee to determine if Copeland made any personal profit from financial donations, and requested that Copeland's ministry make the information available by December 6, 2007. The Copelands responded with a "Financial report from Kenneth Copeland Ministries."[27] Senator Grassley's office issued a statement which said Copeland's response has fallen "far short," and that while lines of communications are open, "additional steps in the congressional review" also would be considered". However, at this point, the Copelands have stated that Sen. Grassley has failed to reveal or identify any violation of IRS non-compliance whatsoever. The investigation also scrutinized five other televangelists: Benny Hinn, Paula White, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, and Creflo Dollar.

The inquiry has stirred considerable controversy in many Christian circles, as several groups that would normally not be considered in agreement with the Copelands and the other televangelists listed have questioned whether Senator Grassley used proper protocol. Also, KCM created a website, www.believersstandunited.com[28] to help explain their side of the inquiry.

See also

References

  1. ^ The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Joel Whitburn, 7th edition.
  2. ^ Kenneth Copeland, "The Word in My life...," Kenneth Copeland Ministries Catalog (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, n.d.), 3.
  3. ^ ORU Excellence
  4. ^ http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/oru-lawsuit/ORU_pdf_p10.pdf
  5. ^ Strickler, Laura (2008-01-29). "Televangelists: Who's Accountable?". CBS News.
  6. ^ "University president's wife 'sickened' by allegations". CNN. October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Our Pastors: Terri and George". Eagle Mountain International Church. October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  8. ^ http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/oru-lawsuit/ORU_pdf_p10.pdf
  9. ^ Kenneth Copeland Ministries Europe - INTRODUCTION
  10. ^ Glen Hyde and Rich Vermillion, http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Flight-Dedicated-60-Year-Old-Hurricane/dp/product-description/1933141026
  11. ^ "Christianity, Cults and Mind Control Converge at Conference." The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 24, 1994
  12. ^ "Uganda: Money And the Church," Africa News August 21, 2005
  13. ^ "Churches want faith-healer's claims tested," Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), June 9, 2004
  14. ^ "Hard Questions For "Prosperity Gospel"". CBS News. 2008-01-29.
  15. ^ "Televangelist couple at center of debt controversy". WFAA-TV. May 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  16. ^ "Jet flight records spur Copeland ministry questions". WFAA-TV. February 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  17. ^ "Jet flight records spur Copeland ministry questions". WFAA-TV. February 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  18. ^ Webcast dated Nov 26, 2007
  19. ^ Webcast dated Nov 27, 2007
  20. ^ Webcast dated Nov 28, 2007
  21. ^ Webcast dated Nov 29, 2007
  22. ^ Webcast dated Nov 30, 2007
  23. ^ "Sen. Grassley probes televangelists' finances". The Associated Press. November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-7-7. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ {{cite IRS | url=http://www.irs.gov/charities/churches/index.html
  25. ^ "Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances by Kathy Lohr". npr.org. December 04, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Read Grassley's Letters" (PDF). npr.org. December 04, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ kcm.org :: Financial Accountability
  28. ^ "Believers Stand United". Retrieved 2008-05-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |authorlink= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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