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VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE: Mr Roberts boarding a plane for New York to appear on the Larry King Live Show last week to answer allegations against him in a lawsuit. His ministry is one of those under investigation. -- PHOTO: AP
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ATLANTA - TELEVANGELIST leaders at several mega-churches in the United States have come under scrutiny following accusations that they have used donations illegally to fund opulent lifestyles.
A Senate committee is investigating leaders from six ministries, including Mr Creflo Dollar, the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, who preaches that God will reward the faithful with material riches.
It is a gospel that has won him a 25,000-strong congregation - and a Rolls Royce, a mansion and a private Gulfstream jet.
In a separate case, Mr Richard Roberts, president of the evangelical Oral Roberts University (ORU), is facing similar accusations of living lavishly on misspent university funds.
In a controversial move, which some contend could violate the separation of church and state, Senator Charles Grassley, a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent letters to the six mega-churches.
Mr Grassley asked the ministers to hand over records of salaries, expense accounts, credit cards, cars and planes.
'Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey,' Mr Grassley said. 'Do these ministers really need Bentleys and Rolls Royces to spread the gospel?'
He has some specific concerns. For example, he wants Ms Joyce Meyer, who runs Joyce Meyer Ministries in Missouri, to explain the tax-exempt purpose of a US$23,000 (S$33,000) 'commode with marble top'.
Some of the ministers, who are not legally required to respond, have agreed to submit their tax records by Dec 6.
Mr Grassley, a Christian, said the inquiry is not motivated by his personal beliefs. Rather, it is part of a broader concern about non-profit groups' transparency.
Observers say US tax rules have not caught up with the fact that many ministries now operate as corporations.
Mega-church pastors run multi-million-dollar enterprises, selling not just Bibles, DVDs and paintings, but banquet facilities, gym memberships and nutrition classes. Some refer to themselves not just as pastors, but as CEOs.
Those targeted by the inquiry include three members of the ORU's Board of Regents.
Late on Tuesday, Mr Roberts received a vote of no confidence by the tenured faculty. The accusations against him were detailed in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by three former ORU professors on Oct 2.
The suit contains allegations of a US$39,000 shopping bill at one store for Mr Roberts' wife, a US$29,411 Bahamas senior trip on the university jet for one of his daughters and a stable of horses for the Roberts children.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, LOS ANGELES TIMES
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