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February, 2008
Dear Partner,
As you know, on November 6, Eagle Mountain International Church (Kenneth Copeland Ministries or "KCM"), along with five other large church ministries, received a letter from Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, requesting certain information. The time deadline imposed by the senator for KCM to respond to his letter was December 6, 2007.
The one thing all six of the churches who received a letter have in common is that we all preach the Word of Faith message.
When Gloria and I first read the letter to KCM, we were surprised on many levels. We were surprised that there wasn't a call placed to us first from the senator's office. We were surprised that the letter was initially sent by fax and not in the U.S. mail. We were surprised to have received a call from the press prior to even receiving the letter. We were surprised that the senator published the letter on his Web site and that press conferences were being held without any attempt to talk to us first. We were surprised by the senator's demands for private church documents and information. Most of all, we were surprised by the implications of the letter for KCM and all other churches because its demands strike at the very heart of our personal and KCM's religious beliefs and practices.
Gloria and I don't believe we have ever met Senator Grassley in person.After receiving his letter, we were reminded that the senator had written Gloriacongratulating her for being named Christian Woman of the Year in 1994.Other than that, neither of us recalls ever interacting with the senator. (Click
here to read a copy of the senator's letter to Gloria so you can see it for yourself.)Interestingly, we preached the same message of faith in 1994 as we do todayand have uncompromisingly believed and taught the biblical message ofprosperity for the past 41 years.
The reason I am writing you is so you will know directly from me what isgoing on, what it all means, how this ministry responded to Senator Grassleyand why.
To start with, the media coverage about whether or not KCM respondedto the senator's letter, and if it did so in a timely fashion, has been confusing.So as to that question let me clear it up: Did KCM respond to the senator byhis December 6 deadline? We certainly did.
Now, as to how KCM went about responding...
After reading the senator's letter and considering how to respond, asyou can imagine, I was immediately reminded of what the Lord Jesus Himselftold us to do in such matters:
And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things whichbe Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. (Luke 20:25)
This same command can also be found in Matthew 22:21 and Mark 12:17.
I have instructed everyone working on behalf of KCM that we will followwhat that scripture commands us to do: Give those things which are rightfullythe government's to the government and to the governmental agency to whichit belongs-in this case the Internal Revenue Service. But, as to those thingswhich be God's, they shall be God's and no one else's, so help me God! I gavemy solemn oath to the Lord Jesus 41 years ago that I would never, under anycircumstance, give anyone the names of my Partners or the name of anyoneelse who has given an offering of any kind to this ministry. If it were to cometo it, I would go to jail before I would break my word on this.
The enemy is not going to steal what the Lord has won through thisministry, and he is not going to use this attack to bring harm to the rest ofthe churches and ministries in America!
You may be surprised as I was to learn that Senator Grassley once believedthe same way we do about the importance of protecting God's Church fromattacks by the government. In fact, in 1983 Senator Grassley helped sponsor,and the Congress later passed as law, the Church Audit Procedures Act. This actprovides for privacy and other protections when the federal government, throughthe IRS, is applying federal tax laws to churches. Through that, Congress hasacknowledged that government inquiries into the business affairs of churchesraise serious constitutional issues. This is a great example of our government'ssystem of "checks and balances."
Here is what Senator Grassley said to Congress back in 1983:
"Among all our cherished first amendment freedoms, freedom ofreligion is one of the most zealously protected. Our republic wasfounded by individuals who fled religious persecution and riskedtheir lives in a new and untamed land to freely practice religiousbeliefs. So there is no question of the historical basis for concernabout religious freedom." (Statement of Senator Charles Grassley,S. Hrg. 481, 98th Cong., 1st Sess. 11 (1983)).
More than a few of our Partners have personally fled religious persecutionand risked their lives to come to America. Many of us have ancestors whocame to America for that very reason-so that they could freely practice theirreligious beliefs without governmental intrusion or interference.
We should all be concerned in times like this when a member of Congressattempts to take back powers assigned to another branch of government.
As to the historical basis for concern about protecting religious freedom,there are many. In 1802, Thomas Jefferson first used the phrase building awall of separation between church and state. Jefferson's wall was not designedto prevent the church from interfering with the state, but to prevent the statefrom interfering with the church.
Senator Grassley's letter seeks to do that very thing-interfere with thechurch-by demanding to see private church documents and information.He disregards longstanding principles such as the wall of separation betweenchurch and state and Supreme Court rulings that the government may notinquire into the very nature of a church's religious beliefs.
Why did he change his position? We can only guess based upon statementshe has made in the press. It seems the senator selected KCM and the otherfive churches because he disagrees with the Word of Faith message. In onepress conference, the senator even questioned the use of private aircraft bypastors of global ministries because "Jesus rode into town on a donkey!"
Of course, as you know, that specific act by Jesus was the fulfillmentof prophecy. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, it was a symbolicgesture to demonstrate that Jesus was the returned Messiah prophesied inthe Old Testament (i.e., Zechariah 9:9). Our worldwide ministry, reaching thefour corners of the world, would be impossible without us taking full advantageof today's technology and the latest means of transportation.
We have always operated this ministry with integrity and according tothe laws of the land as applied to churches. For example, KCM is diligentto comply with all applicable federal income tax laws and IRS regulations.KCM is careful in maintaining financial accountability and has in placelongstanding policies and procedures to make sure it maintains financialintegrity, including an annual certified independent audit.
From day one of our calling to ministry, Gloria and I have been verydiligent in protecting the privacy of our Partners and Friends. We operate thechurch in privacy, but not in secrecy. Privacy is, however, an important andconstitutionally protected right. It is much like a person's medical records. Theyare private to the individual and their physician, but not necessarily secret.This is the exact type of privacy that our Constitution and our courts haveguaranteed with respect to most of the documents sought by Senator Grassley.
Senator Grassley's letter provides none of the protections or guaranteesof privacy provided to churches and individuals by federal law. Nevertheless,KCM responded to the senator's requests in good faith and as completely andaccurately as we could without compromising the constitutionally based privacy,confidentiality, and other rights of churches that apply to KCM and all others.We rendered unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's.
Here is what KCM's response consisted of:
-
3-page cover letter from our counsel
- 23-page question-by-question
response
- 291 pages of exhibits
KCM's response contained detailed information about non-church relatedquestions but did not provide certain private information about the ministry andoperation of the church. We assured the senator that KCM fully complies with allof its legal obligations. We also pointed out that anything KCM declined to provideSenator Grassley could easily be obtained by the IRS in a church inquiry whereconfidentiality and privacy would be maintained. Again, KCM is not trying to keepanything secret, but like every other church in America, KCM has the right tokeep certain things private.
Now, to those of you who are fellow pastors, Gloria and I realize how KCMresponds to this effort by the senator to wear away the protections which areours by law could ultimately have as much an impact on you as it does onKCM. If KCM fails to defend its legal rights, then we are deeply concerned thatyou and your church, or your neighbor's church, will be next. And because ofthat, I give you my word that we will not waver, but will stay strong for you, forus, for this church, and for the whole Body of Christ.
Gloria and I want to thank you again for being our Partner and takingsuch a strong stand with us in all of this. I know you've heard me say thisbefore, but I say it again:
With the Lord as my witness, I commit to Him and to you
to keep this ministrypure and to never compromise His
Word:
- To keep it pure on the
Word of God
- To keep it pure sexually
- To
keep it pure financially
- As always, our prayer
for you is that you remain strong in the Lord andin
the power of His might-spirit, soul
and financially.
We love you very much.
JESUS IS LORD!
Sincerely,
John Copeland
Chief Executive Officer
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
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