TAMPA - The ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance has launched an investigative review of possible misuse of donations made to Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries, along with five other Christian organizations.

Read The Full Story

Do you think the government should require churches to answer financial questions or does that threaten separation of church and state?

Share your thoughts here.

I don’t believe that answering financial questions violates “the separation of church and state”. The government in this case is not telling the church what it can or can’t do, so religious freedom is not affected. Modern day churches are like businesses, and their putting their finances under a little scrutiny is probably a good thing.

As long as churches and ministries look to the government for “exempt” status, I suppose that gives the government a right to look into financial matters.

Perhaps that is one of the “sacred cows” that should be sacrificed in the last days in order for true ministry to take place - - The coveted 501c3 - - The New Testament church never needed it....

Besides, it’s obvious that most are more concerned over the separation of church and sin/apostasy than they are about the separation of church and state…

jarmur05 - 05 November 2007 02:59 PM

As long as churches and ministries look to the government for “exempt” status, I suppose that gives the government a right to look into financial matters.

Perhaps that is one of the “sacred cows” that should be sacrificed in the last days in order for true ministry to take place - - The coveted 501c3 - - The New Testament church never needed it....

I agree to that.  It’s obvious that too many ministries are led astray by the business aspect of things and playing in the wordld’s systerm and in the God’s system.

My personal opinion is this; If Christians are making their gifts to God then it is not the states business.

It is wrong for the church to ask the state to reward faithful stewards of Gods blessings with a refund.

As long as members expect a refund then the state has every right to question the churches finances.

I wonder how many holy people we would have left in the church if they did not get a tax refund?

Yes - I deduct my donations to my church.  I do not give so that a get a deduction.  I give because that is what the Bible instructs me to do.  I also give because by giving to my church I have a say so in how the money is used.  Please do not make comments that are so generalized.  Not all churches are in it to make money and not all Christians are looking for a free ride.

Christians don’t have a monopoly on financial monkeyshines in the name of religion. 

What about the Church of Scientology?  It has made a lot of money, using hard sell techniques and giving no informed consent.  And it never gives financial reports of any detail to its own parishioners.

What about that Super Power building downtown Clearwater that they’ve been raising funds forever to build?  They started building in 1998 and it’s STILL not done, but Scientology, Inc. has sure bought a lot of property around the world in the past decade.

What if Scientology had to pay taxes on the property it owns?  How much has Clearwater lost in property tax income since Scientology moved in under a false name in 1997?  And now Scientology is being investigated for criminal activity in Belgium. 

Doesn’t matter if it’s a religion or not, if it’s hurting people and abusing the law.
Why *shouldn’t* churches have to answer questions about finances from the entity that is allowing them to operate tax-free?

You Dang Right they need to answer every question and provide proof that contributions are used for the purposes they were solicited.  Enough of this crap!

1) Great article linked in the original post

someone who cares - 06 November 2007 09:07 AM

Yes - I deduct my donations to my church.  I do not give so that a get a deduction.  I give because that is what the Bible instructs me to do.  I also give because by giving to my church I have a say so in how the money is used.  Please do not make comments that are so generalized.  Not all churches are in it to make money and not all Christians are looking for a free ride.

2) How much would the national average of charitable donations go down if we no longer received that piece of paper at the end of the year?  Only then could we tell the true motive of giving…

3) I don’t think the instruction of giving in the Bible includes getting a say as to how its used.

In having a say so in how the money is used, I meant that as an active member of my church I can see how my donations are used.  If I don’t take the tax deduction, the government keeps the money and spends it on many things that are fruitless.  At least this way I can see how the donations are helping.

Because of a handful of deceptive “Christian Ministers”, the government will have to become more & more involved in the church’s business.

Beth Gaddis - 05 November 2007 01:24 PM

TAMPA - The ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance has launched an investigative review of possible misuse of donations made to Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries, along with five other Christian organizations.

Read The Full Story

Do you think the government should require churches to answer financial questions or does that threaten separation of church and state?

Share your thoughts here.

This new thread you threw out yesterday seemed a little odd to me and I wondered what the purpose of the sudden change of subject matter was leading to.  Now I see that you have edited your original message and must have known about the investigation already yesterday.  BTW, yes, I think government should require any NGO, including churches, to answer financial questions, since they (the gov.) are the ones who grant non-for-profit status, they should also monitor the situation as well.

"2) How much would the national average of charitable donations go down if we no longer received that piece of paper at the end of the year?  Only then could we tell the true motive of giving… “

Ans: Not much since the average Christian only gives about 2% of their income.

I Peter 3:13-18 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad.

As the Bible says, you are to be ready to give an answer for the way you’re living. So, yes!, churches and ministries should answer the governments questions about their financial dealings. Among the ministries in questions, I think we will find that some ministries will be guilty of fraud (a little muddy) and some will be innocent. Unfortunately, the fraudulent ministries will get more publicity than the innocent ministries and overshadow what these “good” ministries are doing.

The above story came out of a larger story HERE