Some Question Senate Scrutiny of Evangelical Churches

After six large evangelical Christian ministries came under investigation this week by the Senate Finance Committee regarding spending and the compensation of their leaders, some people have expressed discomfort with the Senate’s meddling in religion and tax matters, reports the Associated Press.

The ministries all preach a “prosperity gospel” that says that God rewards the faithful with material gain, according to the article. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, asked for information about compensation, board oversight, and perks at the six organizations. He raised allegations of excessive personal spending with tax-exempt church donations. Church officials have denied improper conduct.

“If this attention makes these ministries more accountable to donors, it’s probably a positive step forward,” says Scott Thumma, an expert on mega-churches at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. “At the same time, it does pose challenges about what is the role of government in how a church spends its money and who is accountable.”

“We’re going to let these ministries speak for themselves,” says Senator Grassley. “Hopefully, it comes back everything’s OK, but the allegations we’ve heard about raise questions.” He says that he understands worries about the separation of church and state but that religious charities are subject to rules just as secular organizations are, reports the AP.

Some of the ministers involved in the probe question the Senate’s authority to investigate their work. Creflo Dollar — of World Changers Church International, in College Park, Ga. — told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his lawyers were looking into the matter. “Are we saying the First Amendment is null and void by allowing this to happen,” he asked.

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