March 5, 2003
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Another televangelist scandal
Mike Murdock is the latest televangelist to be exposed by the secular press. After six months of research the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published a three-part series this week about the Denton, Texas-based evangelist.
Summary of the articles:
- Donations enrich Murdock and his family members. Little money is spent on charity.
- The board of directors is essentially useless by being comprised of family members and rarely meeting.
- Murdock preys upon women’s emotions.
- Murdock exaggerates his accomplishments.
- PROFIT in the pulpit: A Denton televangelist who says his mission is to rescue people from poverty is living lavishly, while the ministry he founded spends most of its money on overhead, an examination finds
- Ministry’s board had minimal role
- Blurring the Line: Denton televangelist Mike Murdock makes few distinctions between his resources and those of the ministry he founded
- Ministry gives money to Murdock’s relatives
- Behind the Hype: Mike Murdock exaggerates his accomplishments and cites dubious statistics. Critics say his goal is to keep donors from questioning his authority
- Murdock uses ‘love bonding’ to reach donors
For additional information, check out the Mike Murdock website. It makes some big claims. According to the “About Dr. Murdock” page, Murdock has spoken to more than 13,000 audiences, authored 115 books, and composed more than 5,000 songs. (Murdock would have to write one song each day for over 13 1/2 years to write that many songs.)
It looks like the Trinity Foundation in Dallas provided the Star-Telegram with information and leads. The organization’s president is quoted in several articles. This organization also helped Dateline NBC with their investigation of Benny Hinn. In January when I talked to Ole Anthony, the Trinity Foundation’s president, he mentioned that his organization was investigating about 6 or 7 televangelists but didn’t provide any additional names. (I think the Trinity Foundation and the Los Angeles Times are investigating TBN and base this conclusion on a Los Angeles Times article that provides some interesting statistics about TBN and someone had to do research to get them). Ole Anthony also stated then that he had spoken to a couple of Christian radio and television stations about the Hinn investigation but that the Christian press was essentially ignoring this story.
Dateline NBC’s investigation of Benny Hinn:
Christians in the media should take Ephesians 5:11-13 to heart. This chapter encourages Christians to expose evil and bring it into the light.
- Donations enrich Murdock and his family members. Little money is spent on charity.
Comments (1)
Their is a Testimony by Mary K. Baxter. She has a book & testimony on Youtube.com. On one of the youtube testimonies their is a story of where people go who Badmouth ministries in hell. She describes it as one of many tunnels that souls come through when they arrive in Hell. This one certain tunnel that I’m refering to describes it as souls dropping right into a caldron of lava. For all people who badmouthed ministries on Earth & did not become born of the spirit of God, Because when a person gets born of the spirit of God. or {Born again} That person the bible says has spititual wisdom now & can understand the deep meanings of the bible & this life. Not only can a person not get into to Heaven without getting the spirit before they die, But’ they will be making Judgements with their strictly human minds instead of more intelligent minds. which in this life we have the privilege of getting & enjoying for this life & beyond. It says in 1st corinthians 2.14 That a person who does not have the spirit of God does not except the things of God nor can he understand them for they are spiritually understood. check out John 3.5 You must be born of the spirit to get to Heaven.