“TBN is now the world's largest Worldwide Religious Network” (The TBN web site used to call themselves a Christian television network) Across America and around the world TBN is carried by TV stations and cable systems to millions of homes. TBN reaches every major continent via 47 satellites and 12,460 TV and cable affiliates. (One page on the TBN site says they have 47 satellites while another mentions 33). Whichever may be true the numbers are enormous and continue to grow! (From the official TBN web site as of November 2005). Also See TBN’s Earthly Empire (Below)
Introduction 42 years ago the newlywed Paul and Jan Crouch called a small duplex in Springfield, Mo. home. Paul earned $50 a week in the film department at the Gospel Publishing House of the Assemblies of God, followed by a stint as assistant pastor at a church in Rapid City, where he also worked as a disc jockey at a 250-watt radio station and later as an announcer and director for a TV station. On Thanksgiving Day 1961 the Crouches, two young sons in tow, moved to Southern California for a job with the Assemblies of God film studios.
In March 1973, as the Crouches were headed home from an event in Hollywood, God supposedly told Paul it was all right to start his own TV ministry. He had what he calls a "classical vision" while praying. "All of a sudden it was as though the ceiling of my den literally became a giant television screen," he recalls in a TBN video, in which he describes seeing an outline of North America, with brilliant streams of connecting light. "God spoke as clearly to my spirit as I've ever heard him speak. One resounding, ringing word — satellite." From humble beginnings TBN has evolved into arguably the world’s largest religious broadcaster, with more than 1,200 outlets as of the end of 1999 and at various times has been described as "ranking at the top of mid-sized networks", "dominating the Christian airwaves" and as the "world's largest religious TV network". TBN allegedly owns 12 full-power television stations in the United States, including major broadcast facilities in Orange County, Texas and Tennessee, and hundreds of other TV and radio outlets from the Caribbean to Russia. Apparently TBN airs in 190 countries, and "TBN says it reaches more than half of the estimated 98 million U.S viewing households, and it is carried by 4,500 cable operators and three satellite systems". According to the Wall Street Journal, "TBN reaches 52 million cable and direct-broadcast satellite households, and another 30 million homes via local stations." According to year 2000 tax documents, Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, which oversees a network of Trinity Broadcasting organizations and overseas ventures, had $444 million in net assets. (Trinity Backs Out of Easter Service, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6, 2002). Crouch says he has rejected offers of up to $2 billion for the network. (The Orange County Register. May 31, 1998). Many top evangelists and celebrities have graced the TBN set — Robert Schuller, Pat Boone, Meadowlark Lemon, Rosey Grier, Della Reese, Jane Russell, Rick Joyner, Paul Cain, Mike Bickle [See Section on Dominion Theology], Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Hal Lindsey, John Arnott, Randy Clark, John Kilpatrick, Steve Hill, Rodney Howard-Browne [See Section on Counterfeit Revivals], Franklin Graham and others presenting their theology and new books. "Praise the Lord" airs live five times a week on TBN and is hosted by Crouch and his wife Jan. It features famous preachers and celebrities, praise music acts, prayer, Christian weight lifters, former sports figures, Bible readings, faith healing, biblical prophecy applied to current events etc. etc. See The Toronto Blessing and pages on Robert Schuller and Della Reese, “In highly individualistic, culturally pluralistic societies, such as we have in North America, there is a strong tendency to focus on personalities and to exalt leaders. There are few strong social groups that hold people together and no dominant set of shared ideas and values that unite people in their thinking. People are left to fend for themselves, and often they are attracted to a "big man" who claims to know the way” (Paul G. Hiebert. Healing and the Kingdom)
So in view of the fact that TBN can only be seen as a tremendous influence in the world of Christian public broadcasting, reaching an enormous audience both in the US and around the world, the question has to be asked… What do TBN and the Crouches stand for? What are they promoting? What doctrine do they espouse? What are their beliefs? Sadly these questions lead only to very murky waters. Apparently Paul and Jan Crouch do not know what they believe or they do not care. Their response to any guest (regardless of how fundamental or ‘way out’ the theology) who invokes the name of Jesus, is the same... unabashed approval. Consider the following quote by one of their regulars, Kenneth Copeland.. "God is the biggest failure in the Bible...the reason you've never thought that is because He never said He was one". " TBN, Praise-a-thon", 1988.
Cursing The ‘Enemy’ Paul Crouch has been known to react to critics of his and his guest’s theology… In fact Paul and Jan Crouch frequently join their guests, (TBN star Benny Hinn in particular) in verbally attacking those who call TBN to accountability.
(Click On Sound Icon To Hear Audio Clip, or TV Icon TO Watch Video Clip. In the bone chilling audio clip Hinn hisses and growls and finally calls down curses against his critics.)
On November 7, 1997, Paul Crouch read a prophecy and then issued a death threat to the enemies of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Apparently part of the prophecy commanded Crouch to, "Take authority over the principalities and powers that dare to threaten this ministry." Paul Crouch went on to state, "God, we proclaim death to anything or anyone that will lift a hand against this network and this ministry that belongs to You, God. It is Your work, it is Your idea, it is Your property, it is Your airwaves, it is Your world, and we proclaim death to anything that would stand in the way of God's great voice of proclamation to the whole world. In the Name of Jesus, and all the people said Amen!" (Apparently these curses were of little effect. All the opponents of TBN seem to be doing just fine.. I know I am) On August 7 Benny Hinn told an audience at Melodyland Christian Center in Southern California. "Now I'm pointing my finger with the mighty power of God on me. ...You hear this. There are men and women in Southern California attacking me. I will tell you under the anointing now, you'll reap it in your children. You'll never win. ...And you children will suffer. You're attacking me on the radio every night; you'll pay, and your children will. Hear this from the lips of God's servant. You are in danger. Repent, or God Almighty will move his hand. ..." Doctrine? On a Praise The Lord telecast Paul Crouch shouted, "Let Him (God) sort out all this doctrinal doo-doo, I don’t care about it.". Perhaps Paul Crouch should read 1 Timothy 4:16.. “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee”. Also See Theology And Doctrine:
All too many Christians seem to be under the impression that "theology" and "doctrine" are of minimal importance. Perhaps the words "theology" and "doctrine" gets Christians on the defensive, because they have been taught to believe that their faith must be based in the heart, therefore all that is important will be "experienced". Or perhaps they want no challenges to their shallow 'easy Christianity', which requires no intellectual effort, and allows people to coast along, never being stretched, or using their God given brains. The fact is that both theology and doctrine are crucial to authentic Christian faith He apparently hates no one worse than those he calls "heresy hunters". On another occasion he spoke to his worldwide audience by stating, "Heretic hunters, those guys who spend their lives straightening us all out doctrinally, they are going to go straight to hell." (You could hear Jan laughing approvingly on the set.)” (The Confused World Of Paul And Jan Crouch by Joseph Chambers). In response to the Christian Research Institute’s week of radio programs exposing the errors of the word-faith movement, he has also gone on record as saying he ‘will shoot heresy hunters if God doesn't’. “….I say to hell with you! Oh hallelujah. Get out of God's way, quit blocking God's bridges or God's gonna shoot you if I don't! I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there. Don't even call me. If you want to argue doctrine, if you want to straighten out somebody over here, if you want to criticize Ken Copeland for his preaching on faith, or Dad Hagin. Get out of my life! I don't even want to talk to you or hear you. I don't want to see your ugly face! Get out of my face in Jesus’ name." (Praise-a-thon (TBN) 4/2/91).
Paul Crouch never bothers to explain why they believe what they believe and and why his critics are in error, all he ever does is attack people. Yet the Bible gives us clear instructions to “always be prepared with a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you”.
TBN: the Ark of God??? In a shocking display of spiritual arrogance, TBN founder Paul Crouch once claimed that he and his wife, Jan, and TBN are God's appointed Noah's Ark for the last days
They expect everyone to accept their authority and teachings without criticism or testing, using the Bible only if it suits their purposes but relying more on ‘Revelation Knowledge’. Making up a doctrine and then going in search of Scripture to back it up, however remotely and however out of context the verse may be, is a recipe for disaster. But what is truly catastrophic about this situation is that too many Christians do little better, showing little or no discernment when it comes to blatant heresies, forgetting that Christians are instructed to reject those who preach a false gospel because they are condemned by the Lord.. And those who follow false prophets will share in their judgment. 2 John 1:10 Contrary to popular beliefs.. the Bible makes some very straight forward statements about ‘judging’ See Section Judge Not? People are often deceived into thinking big TV evangelists are true believers because much is said ‘in the name of Jesus’, but even a cursory examination reveals that the biblical basis for what they say is very thin, if nonexistent, no matter how convincing they sound. There is very little, if any, preaching about the cross, sin, repentance and judgment. Their emphasis is not on what the Bible says, but on feelings, which are inherently subjective and relativistic. They think that it is more important to "feel" the truth instead of understand it and meditate on it. Too many of the evangelists today place revelation knowledge above Scripture, which is one reason why WF teachers not only often blatantly contradict Scripture, but often each other. Today’s Biblically unsound generation relies on things like experiences, manifestations, feelings, emotions, numbers of followers, numbers of people who claim to be saved, the size of a church or movement, signs and wonders, purported miracles (Whether real or false), subjective testimonies, hearsay and rumors, how successful and rich a teacher is, if a person speaks with authority and/or the atmosphere of a meeting. The ancient Israelites were often led into error because they were not sufficiently grounded in the knowledge of God (Hosea 4:1, 6) and many Christians today are equally being led into error because they are not testing what they hear by the standard of God's Word. According to the Bible we are to test all teaching for sound doctrine, and especially against the core doctrines of the Faith as laid down in the sixty-six books of the Bible. (See Section on The Christian and Knowledge) (Tommy Tenney, promoted by Charisma magazine & at the Pensacola Revival states in his best-selling book, The God Chasers, that: “A true God chaser is not happy with just past truth. He must have present truth. God chasers don’t want to just study from the moldy pages of what God has done; they’re anxious to see what God is doing.”)
TBN’s ‘Occasional’ Guest List has posed problems of it’s own. For example, at her appearance on TBN, Della Reese was showcased as a minister of the Gospel, thereby unleashing her on, who knows how many, thousands of viewers. Della Reese is not a Christian Minister. She is a ‘New Thought’ minister ordained in 1987 by Rev. Dr. Johnnie Coleman founder of Universal Foundation for Better Living. Reese founded the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles. The four quotes below will give you some idea of what Della Reese believes.
From the Upchurch Website in a section called “what we teach”. “Everything that exists, or ever will exist, is pressed out of the body of God (God substance) in different forms of manifestation. Since the nature of God is Absolute Good and everything is God substance, there can be no evil in reality”. “To the New Thought teacher and student, the Bible is the history of man - his generation, degeneration, and regeneration. It tells how man came out of God with a divine estate, forgot his origin, suffered limitation, even death, and how his divine memory is re-awakened and quickened so that he may regain his freedom and reclaim his divine birthright”.
From two separate interviews with Reese: Della Reese: That's what you are. This is just a body you're in. The real you is that spirit of God inside of you, and me, too. (Larry King Live, February 16, 2001). Della Reese: Well, the thing is, you don’t think enough about you. You see, most people don’t think they’re wonderful. You see, I’m made in the image and likeness of God. He said I’m the greatest thing He ever made. So, my attitude might be haughty to you, but it’s natural for me. (Praise the Lord, February 21, 2002).
TBN’s Stable of ‘Regulars’ However it is TBN’s stable of ‘regulars’ that has done the worst damage in scattering the seeds of heresy far and wide. This list includes Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey, T.D. Jakes, John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Jack Van Impe, Morris Cerrulo, Earl Paulk, Reinhard Bonnke, Tommy Tenney, Jesse Duplantis, Joyce Meyer, Mark Chironna, Juanita Bynum, Creflo Dollar and many others. Not forgetting the ‘rising star’ of the Word-Faith movement … Joel Osteen. See Osteen, Lake wood Church, and his 10 million dollar home... HERE. Also Joel Osteen - The Blind Leading The Blind Chapter IV of The Prosperity and Word of Faith Doctrines
The Anointing: The names listed above represent a wide spectrum of heresies foisted on a Biblically illiterate church. Please note that many of these ‘teachers’ espouse more than one false teaching, usually under the banner of being ‘Anointed’ (Which is perhaps one of the most overused and misunderstood terms used in Charismatic circles). From Marilyn’s Hickey’s ‘anointed’ oil, cornmeal, red thread, prayer cloths, and Christmas stars to Morris Cerullo’s apparent ability to transfer a ‘double portion’ of the unnamed and unexplained ‘anointing’ through a mantle he will send the faithful (After a double portion seed gift to Morris Cerullo?). What is The Anointing.. A Biblical Study Perhaps Rod Parsley takes the proverbial cake since he seems to believe (or hopes you will) that an item such as a cheap sword can be anointed with the Holy Spirit, to be passed on to anyone with $1000. His website once said “"...with the symbol of the cross of christ engraved in the blade and on the hilt this sword will be presented to you when you join me as an Armourbearer with your gift of $1000 or more. In addition, when you become my Armourbearer in 2004 . . . You’ll be my special guest at Dominion Camp Meeting and other ministry events, you’ll receive a direct line to leave your prayer requests, so I can stand in prayer for your greatest needs -- plus! You’ll be enrolled as my Breakthrough Covenant Partner and will receive the many special benefits of this partnership as well. But most importantly, this sword represents the anointing God has placed on my life – an anointing that will be imparted to you when I commission you as my 2004 Armourbearer and send you this stunning sword”. (Emphasis Added) This entire exercise of selling the anointing is noting more than a contemptible and disreputable way to make even more money. (See Merchandising the Gospel.. Christianity is BIG Business)
Jesse Duplantis states that material poverty is the result of not being anointed and Benny Hinn teaches that we have to be in the ‘right location’ and have the ‘right leadership’ to get the anointing. … The Holy Spirit has now become a commodity to be given away and can now be sent out of a person and into little bags of corn meal, or vials of oil. So, under this so-called anointing a wide variety of false doctrines are taught as Gospel truth. Most of TBN’s regulars espouse The ‘Faith’ Movement, which “believes that the human mind and tongue contain a supernatural ability or power. When a person speaks expressing his faith in supposedly divine laws, his positive thoughts and positive verbal expression allegedly produce a "divine force" that will heal, produce wealth, bring success, and in other ways influence the environment.... According to the "Faith" teachers, God automatically responds and accomplishes what we command when we positively confess our needs and desires in faith…” (Ankerberg and Weldon, 1993, p.6) Word of Faith: The "force" of faith, is the foundation of Word of Faith theology. Proponents believe they can use words to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health, wealth, etc.). Laws supposedly governing the faith-force are said to operate independently of God's sovereign will -- God Himself being subject to the "laws" of faith. Frederick Price says, "Yes! You are in control! So, if man has control, who no longer has it?.. God" ("Prayer: Do You Know What Prayer Is...and How to Pray?," The Word Study Bible, 1990. p.1178). See The Prosperity and Word Of Faith Doctrines Slain in the Spirit: Many Charismatics claim that apart from the anointing, falling down backward is also a phenomenon, which brings both physical and emotional healing. They believe that it is a blessing of the spiritual gifts that God gives. However, the most agreed upon explanation or purpose for this act is that it is that of the anointing of the Spirit for the service to God. However a search of the Scriptures reveals that any and all 'falling down backward' is invariably in the context of God's Judgments upon man. Never in the context of believers receiving the Holy Spirit, or of any blessing or benefit. [See Slain by What Spirit?] Physical Healing: Commonly taught today is that the sick should be healed each and every time they are prayed for. If there was no healing, either the sick person had insufficient faith, or perhaps the person who prayed for them lacked faith. However, this results from twisting and misusing the pivotal text of Isaiah 53. Have you ever wondered about preachers who claim to heal all infirmities, yet wear eyeglasses? Additionally some believe they can teach you how to heal the sick. The "Happy Hunters" have been holding How to Heal the Sick Seminars for many years. [See Section on Healing] Man As God: The Word-Faith and Kingdom Now movements openly, and in so many words, teach that men are gods.... "You don't have a god in you, you are one." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Force Of Love" tape # 02-0028). See The Deification of Man The Toronto Blessing: Also has roots that can be traced back to TBN’s favourite son.. Benny Hinn. Another "key figure in the Airport Vineyard Renewal" received his anointing through Rodney Howard-Browne at Kenneth Hagin's "Rhema" church. It is clear from the quoted testimony of Benny Hinn who claims "like a jolt of electricity, my whole body began to vibrate all over..." and of Rodney Howard-Browne who says he tapped "heaven's electric supply" (see Chapter 4), that these men perceive the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit which they received and which they in turn pass on to others has the characteristics of electricity. Very worryingly, that is precisely how Randy Clark, describes his own understanding of God's "Blessing". (The "Toronto Blessing" By Stephen Sizer).See The Toronto Blessing and The Alpha Course
False Prophecy: A couple of examples of the many false prophecies that have emanated from TBN’s gaudy stage.
Los Angeles pastor John J. Hinkle told of a vision from the Lord saying that on June 9, 1994, God would “rip the evil out of this world ... And at that time something cataclysmic of glory and the power of God is going to come upon the earth. ... When that glory comes, and come it will, there isn’t anyone who won’t be on his knees and on his face before the Lord.” June 9, 1994, passed and the “glory and power of God” that was to “come upon the earth” did not come. Instead of being rebuked and held responsible by Crouch for misleading the TBN audience with his false prophecy, Hinkle was allowed to “spiritualize” his utterance. “The veil, was it ripped?” he asked. “Yes, but it was at first a spiritual veil.” (How to get the TBN boot. Personal Freedom Outreach). In the late 1990s, Rick Joyner jumped onto the Y2K bandwagon as he claimed that the Lord “finally did begin to speak” about the issue. According to Joyner, God supposedly revealed that, “The most severe difficulties will come from the panic generated by the situation” and “The Lord told me to observe the problems that Y2K will cause in the natural world as a reflection of the problems we have in the body of Christ.” (A Prophetic Vision for the 21st Century, pp. 49,52).
The turn of the century has come and gone and if there was a panic or problems in the natural world caused by Y2K.. I guess we missed it.
So How Does TBN Stay in Business? The answer is simple. From the contributions of hundreds of thousands of TBN fans, well-wishers and ordinary people who have been suckered into the idea of ‘planting a seed’, which will be re-paid 100 fold by the Lord. Which brings us to the cornerstone of the TBN’s ministry, the one that keeps the machine well oiled… The Prosperity Doctrine.. Does God Really Want Us to Be Rich?
The Prosperity Doctrine: Prosperity & financial advancement are two of the greatest selling points of the ‘evangelical’ ministers today. "Well, you need to hear about money, because you ain't gonna have no love and joy and peace until you get some money!" (Creflo Dollar, Praise the Lord, July 20, 1999).
But it gets worse…. On the Wed, 03-Nov-1999 Praise-A-Thon R.W. Shambach prophesied that if people make the 2000-dollar faith pledge to TBN, not only will God give them the 2000 dollars before the year 2000 but he will also make them totally debt free AND their WHOLE family will be saved before the year 2000. He even told people if they don't have the money to take out a loan or borrow the tithe on the $2000 and give him $200 to start with. “... to be saved just send in (via cash, personal check, money order, Visa or MasterCard) only $2000. That's right, for a low, low $2000. you and your whole family can be debt free and enjoy the benefits of salvation before the year 2000. All this without ever having to go through a messy, tearful admission that you are a sinner, and without even having to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just put your faith in your faith and in TBN. They'll do all the work for you. They'll interpret the Bible for you, pray for you, have faith for you, speak God's Word to you directly (actually, no need to interpret Scripture at all anymore, come to think of it!) and spread the gospel for you….” (Sandy Simpson. Deceptioninthechurch.org).
While there is little doubt that any Christian organization has to have a certain amount of funds to operate, what people do not see, or choose not to, is that the constant begging for money, the massive fund-raisers, the barrage of direct mailing (the crucial, invisible keys to American televangelism) and advertising campaigns does little but allow them to live their lavish life styles. Welcome To The Mile Wide And Inch Deep Flashy Mega-Churches - Very Expensive Entertainment, Wealthy Celebrity Pastors With Deep Pockets And Self Serving Shallow Theology. [See Lifestyles of the Tele-Evangelists ] What is really scary is that they would have people believe that God blessed them with this prosperity for merely living in the faith, and that the average common man is guaranteed this kind of life by the Bible. Only those with ‘insufficient faith’ are living in poverty and only those who are willing to go the extra mile, by throwing their last dollar onto the already huge ‘love offering’ pile, will be blessed by God and find the prosperity they seek. The individual believer, misled by the glamour and emotional appeal of religious TV personalities, misdirects the Lord's money to areas that will be virtually non-productive for Jesus Christ. Conclusion:
In the words of Richard J. Vincent.. "Do those who occasionally view televangelistic programming know that evangelical Christianity offers an intelligent interpretation of and hope for human existence? Does the average unbeliever come away from an ordinary telecast with a better grasp of the substance of the Christian faith?” … “It's time to use our minds again. It's time to quit being so emotional, mystical, and man-centered in our doctrine. It's time that Christians took some in-depth journeys into the wonder of the Holy Scriptures to find out about truth and reality. Christianity is truth, and as Art Lindsley has rightly stated, "There is nothing that produces emotion like the truth". Do you want a vibrant growing faith? Search the Scriptures. Do you seek truth, real truth? The kind of truth that infiltrates every area of your life with purpose and meaning and joy! You won't find it on a TV station. You won't even find it in a church service. You'll find it when you spend time alone in an attitude of worship and prayer with an open Bible and the very God of the Universe teaching you and loving you through His blessed Holy Spirit applying His most Holy word directly to your life. Theology is not always entertaining but it is always enriching. It is a lot easier to turn on that TV and turn off your mind but you'll be at a loss because of it, and you will miss out on one of the most wonderful blessings of life: communion with the Living Lord.”
What the Bible Says About Doctrine
1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
1Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 1Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 1Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. {RETURN TO PLACE IN TEXT}
Paul and Jan Crouch and TBN' Earthly Empire
Founded in 1973, by Paul and Jan Crouch, TBN is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, but also has studio facilities located in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New York City.
TBN is said to be the third largest over-the-air Station Group in the United States, with CBS, FOX, and NBC holding the 4th, 5th and 6th place, according to TV News Check's annual listing of the Top 30 Station Groups. network. They certainly are ... "... the world's largest Christian television. Across America and around the world TBN is carried by TV stations and cable systems to millions of homes. As a matter of fact, TBN is featured on over 5,000 television stations, 33 satellites, the Internet and thousands of cable systems around the world. And the number continues to grow! [1]
And they aren't kidding.. TBN is currently carried on 33 international satellites. The following is a partial list of their satellite network...[All Emphasis Added] Europe and the Middle East are being reached through Eutelsat Hotbird 6 and Intelsat 906; Eutelsat W4 covers Central Africa with direct-to-home service; the Express 6A satellite is providing Russian language programming to the Russian continent; Spain and Portugal are being reached by Hispasat; Intelsat 701broadcasts to Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific islands and Southeast Asia; Intelsat 702 covers Taiwan; Palapa C-2 reaches India, Indonesia and Southeast Asia; TBN broadcasts Portuguese language programs to Brazil on Brazilsat B-2; and PanAmSat 9 blankets all of Latin America and Spain. [1]
TBN's Annual IncomeOn August 6th, 2008 the Orange County register reported that according to Trinity's actual tax returns published onguidestar.org, an organization that gathers and publicizes information about nonprofit organizations, [2], In 2006, the most recent year reported, TBN
Which pushed TBN's net assets close to the $1 billion mark, ($839 million in 2006, according to tax returns), including $327 million in mortgage-backed securities. [3] In other words, TBN has 327 million to buy speculative investments, yet daily goes on the air to beg for even more money. And where does a large part of that income go? Salaries
1998: In 1998, the Crouches showed a combined income of nearly $600,000... He was paid $159,500 a year as president, while she got $165,100 as vice president, IRS records show. "Crouch's earnings went from $159,500 in 1997 to $262,915 the following year. Jan, the organization's vice president, also received a big raise. Her earnings more than doubled, going from $159,500 to $321,375 during the same time period". [4].
2008: But it gets worse.. According to Charity Navigator's latest CEO salary report which was released in the fall of 2008, and shows how much nonprofit leaders are making. Paul F. Crouch Sr. as President and Director makes $419,500 a year. Janice W. Crouch, as Vice President and Director makes $361,000 a year. Paul F. Crouch Jr., as Vice President and Director makes $214,137 a year.
(Data from the 2010 study is based on the financial data provided on the FYE 2008 Forms 990 and includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts) [5] John Casoria, son of Dorothy Bethany Casoria, Trinity’s station manager and Jan Crouch's sister is spokesperson for TBN. His law office, at $164,200 a year, is one of TBN's highest-paid independent contractors. According to Casoria... "TBN stands out and is different from other non profits in that we're a broadcasting entity,” .... “Though we consider ourselves a church, we're a 501 c-3 and have been so for the last 35 years. Clearly we work in a different arena than most other charitable organizations. "TBN is the 8th largest owner-operator of TV stations in the world,” he continued. "The salaries of these three individuals pales in comparison with people in the secular world doing similar work. This has not been not a job for them, but a life endeavor, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "So when you compare us to other non profits out there feeding children and doing disaster relief, it's basically apples and oranges. It's still fruit, it's still a nonprofit, but it's a completely different charitable model.” [3]
Ummmm! Perhaps someone needs to tell Casoria that comparing Paul and Jan Crouch's salaries and other substantial perks to "people in the secular world doing similar work" is little but a red herring. A so called Christian organization has the obligation to conduct itself, not according to the business or secular world, or even other so called Christian organizations, but to Jesus and the apostles.
The Crouch’s Homes
Televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch of the Costa Mesa-based Trinity Broadcasting Network have purchased a Newport Beach house, in a gated community overlooking the Pacific,for close to $5 million, Orange County Realtors say. The home was described as [Emphasis Added]
"a palatial estate with ocean and city views." The Crouches had been living in a smaller house in the same neighborhood. The house they bought has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a billiard room, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a sweeping staircase and a crystal chandelier. The three-story, nearly 9,500-square-foot house, which has an elevator, also has a six-car garage, a tennis court and a pool with a fountain. The house is on slightly more than an acre. Jan Crouch had been wanting a bigger yard for her dogs, sources said. [6].
"A real estate advertisement said it featured "11,000 square feet of opulent European luxury with regulation tennis courts and a rambling terraced hillside orchard with view of the blue Pacific." [7] Yet, the Times article goes on to say the Crouches present themselves as "thrifty and budget-conscious". During one telethon, Paul said his personal $50,000 donation to TBN had wiped out the family checking account. He often says that he and his wife live in the same Newport Beach tract house they bought 33 years ago for $38,500. [7]
However Neither of the Crouches uses that home much. Whether in Southern California or on the road, they live in a variety of other TBN-owned homes. In all, the network owns 30 residences in California, Texas, Tennessee and Ohio — all paid for in cash, property records show. [7]
Apart from the two Newport Beach mansions, [All Emphasis Added] In Costa Mesa, the ministry owns 11 homes in a gated development adjacent to Trinity Christian City International. In Sky Forest, a resort community in the San Bernardino National Forest, the network owns a four-bedroom, five-bath home. TBN officials say the real estate purchases were consistent with the network's charitable mission, because the homes serve as venues for broadcasts and provide lodging for the Crouches and fellow televangelists as they travel across the country. The properties have also been good investments, they said. In Colleyville, Texas, near the network's International Production Center, TBN owns nine homes on 66 acres along a country road, a spread called Shiloh Ranch. Six horses graze in a pasture; TBN officials say they were gifts from admirers. [7]
According to the Orange County Register. Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana – the nonprofit that runs Trinity Broadcasting Network – owns about $54 million of property in Orange County – and some $44 million of it is exempt from property taxes, according to public documents.. "The most expensive single-family home Trinity owns is on San Sebastian in Newport Beach - 10 rooms, 4.5 bathrooms, pool, 4,583 square feet, valued at $2.5 million on county property records. [8]
The TBN Building
A June 2, 1998 article by Kim Christensen and Carol McGraw in The Orange County Register was entitled
TBN’s headquarters built on grand scale. It said in part... [All Emphasis Added] “Trinity Christian City International is a dazzling 65,000-square-foot building that houses a new studio, bookstore and theater, and a richly appointed suite of offices for TBN founder Paul Crouch. It is an office building, but its TV studios are designed to look like the inside of a Gothic cathedral, complete with stained-glass windows and padded pews for the audience. The building was designed and decorated at the direction of the Crouches, from the main lobby's baroque marble staircase and 15-foot-high, molded polymer statue of Michael the Archangel, to the velvet settees in the executive suite. When TBN purchased the building for $6 million, it was a drab, brown stucco-and-glass box, the former home of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International, and the Crouches planned only minor changes. A new $1 million face was put on the building using an "exterior foam insulation system," Hubble (whose Fort Worth, Texas, construction company put a new facade on the building) said. Balustrades, columns and other architectural features were made from styrofoam, then covered with fiberglass mesh, coated with plaster and painted. The main fountain in front of the building is used for full-immersion baptisms and is patterned after one in New York's Central Park. It is fed by a small aqueduct the Crouches call "the River of Life." Hubble said it cost about $1 million, and landscaping the property tacked on about $400,000. Much of the interior features gleaming marble floors and intricately detailed ceilings. The lobby ceiling is covered with 217 hand-painted cherubs, many depicting the faces of TBN employees' children. The cherubs on the lobby ceiling were done by portrait artist Jane Garrison, who spent 10 months on it. She worked atop a scissors lift, a week at a time, eight to 10 hours a day, and then went home to Arkansas to rest before resuming. "By the end of the week, I kept thinking, 'If I have to climb this ladder and do one more cherub ...,' " she said. "But then I'd get down and think, 'Yes, I'd like to do another.' "
Garrison, who charges $3,000 apiece for full-length portraits at her Fayetteville studio, would not say how much she was paid for her work at TBN. She also has been commissioned to do other work at the new building, including seven original paintings. Three are “food-related biblical paintings” for the dining room in the private executive suite, and a Garrison original dominates the center ceiling of the main lobby. “Jan wanted cherubs and ribbons, and flowers. But Paul wanted more,” she said. “So we agreed on the Second Coming of Christ. He’s on a white horse. And three warrior angels are with him in the middle.”
The exterior features elaborate Corinthian columns, colonial balustrades, French wrought iron and Greek colonnades with dental molding and egg-and-dart detailing. The faux brass ceilings in the bookstore and bathrooms are polished to a mirror finish. Austrian-style drapes plunge three stories from ceiling to floor. Everywhere are hand-painted gold mouldings, beveled glass and portraits of cherubs. The building also features the "Via Dolorosa," where visitors can stroll a movie set-like replica of the Jerusalem street over which Christ carried his cross to Calvary, complete with thunder and lightning effects. A trio of water-spewing lion heads near the main entrance are fashioned after those at William K. Vanderbilt's Marble House in Newport, R.I. Frank McGervey, a Trabuco Canyon painting contractor who worked on other TBN projects, said the new headquarters was one "to die for." He noted that a laborious technique was used to apply several coats of paint to interior walls, giving them a richness much like fine furniture. [9]. [TOP OF PAGE]
TBN’s Private Suites.
A second article (Kim Christensen and Carol McGraw) in The Orange County Register was entitled Private suite Is A Sight To Behold, Carpenters Say... [All Emphasis Added]
Visitors may stroll the manicured grounds, browse the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Gift Shop and relax in a state-of-the-art Virtual Reality Theater to watch high-definition videos of the life of Christ. But what most won't see at Trinity Broadcasting Network's new world headquarters is founder Paul Crouch's 8,000-square-foot executive suite, which occupies half of the top floor of the three-story building and is strictly off-limits to the public. Behind doors kept locked throughout construction are a wet bar and sauna, a personal gym, meticulously handcrafted black walnut woodwork and ornate velvet furniture. The third-floor quarters will serve as Crouch's executive suite. He broadcasts his "Praise the Lord" program from the second floor of the building, dubbed Trinity Christian City International. TBN officials described the quarters as "standard executive offices" and declined The Orange County Register's request to view them. Crouch does not grant interviews and would not comment. But others who have been inside or helped build the suite say it is more befitting a mansion than an office building. "This makes Hearst Castle look like a doghouse," said Steve Oliver, a master journeyman carpenter. While scores of hired hands worked on the exterior and other public areas of the building, Oliver and others in a crew of highly skilled carpenters spent several months last year on Crouch's private third-floor quarters. The finished product is "really rich looking," said Willa Bouwens-Killeen, a Costa Mesa senior planner. "The wood is the very best quality, and they used the best craftsmen," she said. "It looks like something you'd expect in a mansion type of house rather than offices."
Work on the third floor was kept "under lock and key," said Oliver, whose account was verified by others involved in the project. He said as many as 40 carpenters worked on the project at any one time, while Richard Hubble, who owns a Fort Worth construction company that put a new facade on the building, put the number at about two dozen. In either scenario, it required a lengthy and expensive process to install and finish top-quality black walnut columns and Corinthian columns, mantels, egg-and-dart moldings, lion's head inlays and other accouterments. "There were probably 25 carpenters on that floor for six months," Hubble said. "When you figure 25 carpenters for six months at the California rate of 30 bucks or so an hour, it costs a bunch."
Adding substantially to the cost of Crouch's quarters were a variety of expensive, handcrafted woodwork items, including $825-apiece lions that flank the massive fireplace, and an array of columns priced at $1,500 each and up. All of the items were crafted from black walnut, said Stephen Enkeboll, president of Raymond Enkeboll Designs Architectural Woodcarvings in Carson, which caters to upscale clients. "It is what is called veneer quality, the highest type of wood," he said, declining to disclose how much TBN spent on his company's products. Money seemed of little concern, Oliver and others said.
Doors were custom-made at a carpentry shop set up at the site. Walls were straight-lined with sophisticated laser equipment, and woodwork was installed in a painstaking fashion that eliminated visible joints or nail holes. A separate crew of furniture finishers spent about two months staining and polishing the woodwork, Hubble said. Throughout the project, Oliver said, if anything was deemed to be less than perfect, it was ripped out and discarded. After he spent three weeks meticulously straight-lining the walls of a the executive suite dining room, Oliver said, TBN officials walked in one day and told him to start over. "They came in, changed their minds and moved everything over a half an inch," he said. "They threw all that work away. There's probably 10 grand in that, and they threw it all away." The Crouches personally inspected the work, Oliver and others said. Jan, in particular, was quick to change or discard anything she didn't like, Oliver said.
"She came through once and was terrorizing everybody," he said. " 'Throw this out, throw that out.' You could see the smoke coming out of her." TBN officials defended the renovation project and disputed Oliver's contention that it is a monument to excess. "I wouldn't say they are lavish," art director Doug Marsh said. TBN Vice President Terrence Hickey agreed. "We have stayed to the vision God has given us," Hickey said. "We are careful with every penny." He said the woodwork and other appointments are in keeping with the building's overall design theme. Inexpensive, ultramodern furnishings would be out of place, he said. "You don't go to IKEA and throw it in there," he said. [10].
Conclusion:
There is little doubt that TBN is one of Satan’s immensely successful plans. TBN boasts of how many people they are ‘reaching’ all over the world. I shudder to think how many thousands of people are being led astray by their lies. Christians today are largely too lazy to test what they are being taught against Scripture, but swallow anything that comes from the pulpit, especially if the preacher has charisma, a large following and tells them what they want to hear. It doesn’t seem to matter whether what they are hearing is in accordance with Biblical truths or not.
End Notes
Unless otherwise specified, all links were accessed April 12th 2011.
[01] About Us. The TBN Story. http://www.tbn.org/about-us/the-tbn-story [02] http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2006/952/844/2006-952844062-03b75d90-9.pdf [03] Teri Sforza, Register staff writer. God's quid pro quo? Orange County Register Communications.
http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2008/08/06/jesus-says-send-me-money/ [04] Mike Oppenheimer. Let Us Reason Ministries. Does TBN represent Jesus?
http://www.letusreason.org/pent49.htm [05] Charity Navigator 2010 CEO Compensation Study. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=studies.ceo [06] TBN Televangelists Buy $5,000,000 Home Los Angeles Times, Nov 4th. 2001. LA Times no longer carries the story but it can be read on other sites.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/crouchhome.html OR http://sharingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/paul-and-jan-crouch-of-tbn/ [07] Pastor's Empire Built on Acts of Faith, and Cash. Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times September 19, 2004. By William Lobdell.
Times Staff Writer. http://www.trinityfi.org/press/latimes04.html [08] Teri Sforza, Register staff writer. Earthly kingdom: Trinity's $167 million in real estate. August 15th, 2008,
http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2008/08/15/earthly-kingdom-trinitys-167-million-in-real-estate/ [09] Kim Christensen and Carol McGraw. TBN's headquarters built on grand scale. The Orange County Register. June 2, 1998. The original article is not longer available, but can be read at http://www.religionnewsblog.com/8784/tbns-headquarters-built-on-grand-scale [10] Kim Christensen and Carol McGraw. Private suite Is A Sight To Behold, Carpenters Say The Orange County Register. June 2, 1998 | 
