Are Prosperity Preachers Invincible? Sen. Charles E. Grassley 2007 Probe Of Rich Pastors Actually Made Them Richer

Online, October 18, 2010 (Newswire.com) - In 2007 Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa announcement that he was going to look into the spending of some of the nation's wealthiest Pastors grew cheers and applause from all over the country, but the actual probe could have added to the invincible status of Prosperity Preachers. Not since the days of Al Capone has one segment seemed as untouchable as the Preachers of the modern day Mega Church Ministries.

The investigation into the ministries' private planes, ocean side mansions, board oversight and involvement in for-profit businesses has divided the broader evangelical community, with some worrying about the potential for stricter regulations on all religious nonprofits. Others praise it as an overdue check on a corner of the movement that preys on the vulnerable and thrives despite years of negative publicity.

The Preacher Bureau of Investigations located at www.PimpPreacher.com is asking Senator Grassley to finish what he started and hold these preachers accountable.

"Talk about a worthless waste of time, Sen. Charles E. Grassley's so-called investigation into wealthy Pastors may have resulted to nothing more than a waste of taxpayers' money" say a spokesperson for the Preachers Bureau of Investigation.

"Sure the results of the probe may have turned up a few juicy tiblets of information about the lavish lifestyles of the nation's wealthiest Pastors like Joyce Meyer, and Bishop Eddie Long, but other than that not one trial resulted from the investigation."

Joyce Meyer, according to the probe spent $23,000 on a toilet with a marble top, $30,000 for a conference table, and $11,219 to purchase a French clock, all from donations that were exempt under the minister's 501(c) (3) Status, but it appears even the toilet was a legal purchase.

A $23,000 toilet is right up there with Queen Marie Antoinette's "Let Them Eat Cake" but the tragic part of it all is even Joyce Meyers's Toilet was 100% legal. Other than exposing that Randy and Paula White bought a Bentley convertible for Bishop T.D. Jakes, and that Creflo Dollars Rolls-Royce was purchased by the donors, not one prosecutable offense was unearthed by the hyped up investigation.

After Sen. Charles Grassley demanded that wealthy Pastors turnover documentation of how they use funds send in by donors many reformers hoped to see the same sort of Senate Scolding that made Akio Toyoda (the President of Toyota remorsefully emotional) but it never happened. Instead, Sen. Grassley's investigation may have made added to the cash flow of already tithe indulged Pastors.

Prosperity Preachers simply flipped the script and recruited justification scriptures such as Isaiah 54:17 (No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn) to rally support from their congregations. The free publicity the ministers received from Sen. Grassley was priceless as many of the Pastors took to the airwaves of media giants like CNN and MSNBC, in an attempt to appear as victims of an overzealous prosecutor.

Part of the invincibility of Prosperity Preacher was hand delivered to them by President Bush and his Faith Based Initiatives which created streams of Federal Funds to religious organization as a part of community outreach. In exchange for all the cold cash the Conservative Pastors in turned preached the Gospel According to George Bush which made him a two term President.

In the evolution of Prosperity Preachers none have fallen from grace at the rate of speed of Jim & Tammy Baker

The current fraternal order of Prosperity Preachers may have in fact learned from the downfall of the legendary Jim Baker ( Pastor with now infamous gold toilet ) who was sent to Federal Prison for misappropriating $158 million in ministry funds. The lesson current preachers have learned from the Bakers is that the Pastor must first dismantle the Board of Directors and replace them with his own handpicked staff members. As the boards become impotent in its ability to regulate the Pastor, so does any attempt to regulate their out of control spending.

All of the Pastors included in Sen. Grassley probes all serve as the CEO of their ministries which is a 90 degree turn from the coup that erupted between Jim Baker & The PTL Club.

Looking back at Sen. Grassley investigation it appeared that many of the Pastors in question already knew that the investigation posed no threat to their lifestyles of Rich & Fabulous which is probably why several of them didn't even bother to comply with the demands of Sen. Grassley.

"Any organization that refuses to openly share their financial information lacks the kind of financial transparency that many donors are likely to expect," said Kenneth Behr, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Ultimately the only challenge to the invincible status of wealthy Prosperity Preachers may in fact come from the pews of their own congregations inspired by a watchdog group call the Preacher Bureau of Investigations. This group is on a quest to redirect the donations made to superstar preachers like Bishop Eddie Long and Benny Hinn and redirect them back to the communities.

The Preacher Bureau of Investigations is also asking members to support pastors who still maintain a real job in the private sector. A spokes person for the group says that many of these preachers are simply using God to get rich at the expense and hopes of their improvised congregations.

Hopefully congress will actually get serious and re-examine the tax exempt salaries of wealthy preachers and bring them in line with every other business owner that falls under the jurisdiction the IRS Tax Code. After all there is no such thing as a free lunch.