ILS1
11-11-2007, 09:54 PM
Check out the Reverend's last name??
ATLANTA -- An Atlanta minister has released his church's finances in response to a Senate investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing that targets him and five other well-known televangelists.
The Rev. Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church International took in $69 million in 2006, according to a financial statement released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dollar said his salary comes personal investments, including businesses and real estate ventures. But he said the church gave him a Rolls Royce, which he uses largely for special occasions.
"Without a doubt, my life is not average," he said. "But I'd like to say, just because it is excessive doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong."
Dollar said while he understands the senator's worries, he questioned the investigation's focus on religious groups.
He is among the religious leaders who preach the "prosperity gospel," the teaching that God will shower faithful followers with material riches. But he said he uses only his personal finances to pay for his luxuries.
"When I want a nice car, I use my own money to get the nice car and not the money of the church," Dollar said. "My lifestyle does not come out of the church's bank account."
Story Link (www.cbs46.com/news/14565577/detail.html)
ATLANTA -- An Atlanta minister has released his church's finances in response to a Senate investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing that targets him and five other well-known televangelists.
The Rev. Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church International took in $69 million in 2006, according to a financial statement released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dollar said his salary comes personal investments, including businesses and real estate ventures. But he said the church gave him a Rolls Royce, which he uses largely for special occasions.
"Without a doubt, my life is not average," he said. "But I'd like to say, just because it is excessive doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong."
Dollar said while he understands the senator's worries, he questioned the investigation's focus on religious groups.
He is among the religious leaders who preach the "prosperity gospel," the teaching that God will shower faithful followers with material riches. But he said he uses only his personal finances to pay for his luxuries.
"When I want a nice car, I use my own money to get the nice car and not the money of the church," Dollar said. "My lifestyle does not come out of the church's bank account."
Story Link (www.cbs46.com/news/14565577/detail.html)