The evangelists who hoard for the Lord, and refuse to render unto Caesar

Kenneth Copeland, one of America’s most influential charismatic evangelists, is gearing up for a protracted war with the US authorities over tax.

"It is not yours, it is God's, and you are not going to get it." So says Kenneth Copeland, one of America's most influential charismatic evangelists, girding his loins for a protracted war with the US authorities over tax.

Copeland is one of six "televangelists" facing investigation for alleged financial wrongdoing, says The Times. But not all of them share his claim that God and money are intimately linked. Copeland preaches the doctrine of "prosperity theology": the faithful, he says, will be rewarded with financial as well as spiritual rewards especially if they dig deep for the Church. "You are not created for poverty," he booms to his congregation, encouraging them to deposit cash in a donation envelope, across which is written: "I am sowing $___ and believing for a hundredfold return."

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