Trinity Foundation Inc.

Yesterday, the Jesse Duplantis Ministries jet flew to Las Vegas even though there were no scheduled ministry events. Jesse, are you paying the SIFL tax on these flights?

What Should Suzanne Hinn’s Forensic Accountant Look for During Divorce Case Against Benny Hinn?

In a divorce petition filed on July 26, 2024, in Florida, televangelist Benny Hinn’s wife Suzanne Hinn reported, “The marriage between the Wife and Husband is irretrievably broken.”

Suzanne requested spousal support and asked the court, “Require the Husband to contribute to the Wife’s attorney’s fees and costs, including forensic accountant fees, both temporarily and permanently …”

Because Florida is a no-fault divorce state, the forensic accountant would not be looking for financial fraud or other financial crimes.

The divorce petition provides a clue for what a forensic accountant would examine:

“Determine if the Husband has transferred away or disposed of assets within the two (2) year period prior to the filing of this case or during the pendency of this case and, if so, make appropriate adjustments in the equitable distribution scheme.”

The forensic accountant should start by identifying bank accounts and assets owned by the World Healing Center Church and consulting companies such as Family Altar of the Air and eMinistries Consulting, Inc., which are run by Benny’s top confederate Donald B. Price.

Bank accounts may have been opened in trade names registered to each of these legal entities.

To read more, follow the link.

What Should Suzanne Hinn’s Forensic Accountant Look for During Divorce Case Against Benny Hinn?   (Photo: Benny and Suzanne Hinn appearing together on TV following their 2013 remarriage.) In a divorce petition filed on July 26, 2024, in Florida, televangelist Benny Hinn’s wife Suzanne Hi…

Televangelist Keith Moore’s ministry Faith Life International has purchased a third jet following a fundraising campaign featuring a fundraising goal of $10 million.

The used Dassault Falcon 7X jet acquired by Moore’s ministry was listed for sale at $17.5 million on the website AircraftVx. A new model would have cost $60 million.

The Federal Aviation Administration disclosed the purchase when it certified the jet in May.

To read more, follow the link.

Televangelist Keith Moore Acquires Third Jet with List Price of $17.5 Million; Creflo Dollar’s New Jet Was Priced at $18.6 Million (Photo: April 21, 2024, rebroadcast of sermon Free from Idolatry on YouTube. We are not insinuating that the pictured 7X jet is Moore’s idol.) Televangelist Keith Moore’s ministry Faith Life Intern…

Last week Suzanne Hinn filed for divorce for the second time from televangelist husband Benny Hinn.

Suzanne and Benny first married on August 4, 1979. Thirty years later Suzanne filed for divorce in February 2010.

Three years later the couple remarried before a large audience at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando with the late pastor Jack Hayford officiating.

Following the re-marriage, Benny Hinn Ministries sold DVDs of the event for $25. Christian Post reported, “The evangelist is busy getting back to work following his marriage, and has announced plans for a ‘life-changing’ trip to Greece and Italy, where he says he will retrace the steps of the Apostle Paul, one of the most prominent writers of the later books in the Bible.”

The first Hinn divorce was filed in California, a no-fault divorce, community property state. The second divorce was filed in Florida, which is a no-fault divorce, equitable distribution state.

To read more, click on the article link.

Suzanne Hinn Files for Divorce Again from Televangelist Benny Hinn (Photo: Suzanne and Benny Hinn saying their wedding vows for a second time in 2013.) Last week Suzanne Hinn filed for divorce for the second time from televangelist husband Benny Hinn. Suzanne and …

The unsealing of court records is a powerful but infrequently used tool for bringing financial transparency to religious organizations. Trinity Foundation obtained financial records of Daystar and Paula White revealing compensation and housing allowances. Those secret numbers are revealed in this article.

trinityfi.org

"The accumulation of wealth by America’s religious leaders is an under-reported story because few religion reporters engage in data journalism." Trinity Foundation found 40 pastor beach houses/condos and waterfront homes worth combined $140 million.

40 Church and Ministry Leaders’ Beach Houses, Beach Condos and Waterfront Homes Identified; Their Total Net Worth Is $140 Million (Photo: Trinity Foundation investigator Pete Evans took a picture of Benny Hinn’s Dana Point, California, beach home while it was under construction. Evans spoke with Dave Busk, the builder, and wa…

Why Do We Investigate? …What’s up with Trinity Foundation … Hinn, the Teflon Televangelist Victims. Informants tell us scary stories; as victims, they have seen the worst side of religion. The prosperity gospel gives rich people a justification for their greed, and poor people a false ho…

Sometimes televangelists use their ministry jets for personal flights. The IRS requires a special tax be paid on these flights. Our latest investigation examines flights taken by Daystar Television Network's Gulfstream G-V jet from October 2022 to the present.

In 2020, Inside Edition investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero
questioned Marcus Lamb about the jet. Daystar purchased the jet shortly after being approved for a PPP loan and the Lamb family travelled on the jet for a couple of vacations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVosVDpBpwA

After Marcus died, Joni travelled on the jet to visit her fiance, now husband, in Colorado Springs. After her new marriage, Joni and Doug Weiss purchased a beach condo in Florida, which they would fly to visit on the ministry jet.

Guess how much these personal flights cost? An estimate is included in our article.

https://trinityfi.org/investigations/using-the-ministry-jet-for-romance-daystars-joni-lamb-visited-fiance-now-husband-and-new-condo-on-ministry-jet/

Using the Ministry Jet for Romance? Daystar’s Joni Lamb Visited Fiancé, Now Husband, and New Condo on Ministry Jet (Photo: Doug Weiss appearing on the Daystar TV program Joni Table Talk, Joni Lamb on the right) Since October 2022, Daystar Television Network’s ministry jet has made 24 round-trip flights from For…

Today is televangelist Jerry Savelle's memorial service. His ministry website is using the death for fundraising, soliciting donations via a memorial offering. Both of our investigators had a minister parent. We would never use their deaths for this kind of financial gain.

Note to televangelists with ✈️ jets: The IRS has updates its SIFL rates. When you fly to your vacation home or beach condo on your ministry jet, don't forget to pay the tax. We are watching you. 👀

Since 1998, evangelical ministries with combined assets of more than $700 million have stopped filing the Form 990 which discloses critical financial information for donors.

Media ministries are merging with churches or requesting the IRS reclassify themselves as churches or church integrated auxiliaries to avoid disclosing compensation of key leadership, legal expenses, and travel expenses because churches and similar organizations (synagogues and mosques) are exempt from filing.

In 2005, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson sent a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley claiming that because churches were not required to file an informational return, “we have little ability to monitor their operations against diversion of assets.”

The following spreadsheet features a list of 21 non-profits and trade names that are still operational along with the last fiscal year they filed a Form 990.

Follow the link to read the rest of article.

https://trinityfi.org/investigations/keeping-secrets-from-donors-investigating-the-trend-of-evangelical-ministries-hiding-financial-data/

Prophecy for Sale: “Prophets” Mimic Psychics, Charging up to $555 for Phone Call

2,700 years ago, the Prophet Micah warned that “prophets tell fortunes for money.” (Micah 3:11 NIV) The business of prophecy selling still continues in 2024.

Panganai Java, the flamboyant Zimbabwe-born but Maryland-based preacher, better known as Prophet Passion Java, finances his lavish lifestyle by preaching the prosperity gospel and charging his followers $555 for phone calls.

Passion Java is well known for wearing expensive designer clothing and driving high performance sports cars while attracting scrutiny from Prophets and Watches. His Instagram account has 7.9 million followers.

On his website Passion Java promotes one on one phone calls for $555 and discloses there are no refunds. Testimonials on the website sound similar to ads for psychics: “I had a one on one with Papa Prophet Passion in August. He prophesied that within 6 months you will have your visa. My VISA has been approved by Canadian authorities.”

To read about other pastors charging for phone calls, follow the link.

Prophecy for Sale: “Prophets” Mimic Psychics, Charging up to $555 for Phone Call (Photo: Prophet Passion Java preaching in Atlanta) 2,700 years ago, the Prophet Micah warned that “prophets tell fortunes for money.” (Micah 3:11 NIV) The business of prophecy selling still continu…

Only 5 days left to register for our Brazos River Ranch Raffle... I've been there often and enjoy it immensely! (Pete Evans)

Your Donation Enters You in Our Brazos River Getaway Raffle   photo from top floor of fire tower overlooking the “Brazos de Dios” (arms of God) River The drawing will be held on March 31st. Corruption in the church continues to worsen, and …

Corruption in the church continues to worsen, and we need your help to fight it. Our role in bringing to light Daystar’s new Gulfstream jet resulted in them returning $3.9 million dollars in PPP money.

We publish explanatory journalism at https://trinityfi.org . Our detailed reports about religious organizations go to the IRS regularly. Victims of religious fraud reach out to us. A new investigator will increase our effectiveness, combatting religious fraud and excess.

A one-time gift of $100 enters your name in a March 31st 100-ticket limit drawing to receive a free 3-day / 3-night stay for up to five people at a Texas ranch on the Brazos River about an hour west of Fort Worth, plus $250 to the winner to help pay for food. Enjoy stunning views in a four-floor fire lookout on a cliff above the scenic and historic Brazos. https://trinityfi.org/investigations/your-donation-enters-you-in-our-brazos-river-getaway-raffle/

Estimate: Christian Religious Leaders to Embezzle $86 Billion in 2024

The January issue of the International Bulletin of Mission Research (IBMR) reports that Christian religious leaders are estimated to embezzle $86 billion in 2024.

The disturbing statistic, which is easy to overlook, appears in Table 5 of the article “World Christianity 2024: Fragmentation and Unity” under the description “Ecclesiastical Crime.”

This estimate was compiled by data scientists Dr. Gina Zurlo, Dr. Todd Johnson, and Peter Crossing at the Center for the Study of
Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

IBMR has been publishing the annual estimate of ecclesiastical crime for decades. The statistic was born from the pioneering research of the late David Barrett, an editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia.

In 1983, Barrett authored the journal article “Silver and Gold Have I None: Church of the Poor or Church of the Rich?” which explored the financial state of Christian missions giving.

To read more

Estimate: Christian Religious Leaders to Embezzle $86 Billion in 2024 The January issue of the International Bulletin of Mission Research (IBMR) reports that Christian religious leaders are estimated to embezzle $86 billion in 2024. The disturbing statistic, which is…

If you missed it, please check out the Inside Edition investigation into televangelist parsonages. The drone footage is impressive. Investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero attempted to interview Jesse Duplantis who didn't want to talk.

According to the Motley Fool, "The median home size in the United States is 2,014 square feet." Televangelist Jesse Duplantis' property tax-exempt parsonage is over 17 times larger!!

Flex Financial Services reported, "The average size of a newly built apartment in the United States, as of 2018, is 882 square feet." Jesse Duplantis' parsonage is almost 40 times larger.

Guess how much Duplantis would pay in property taxes if his house wasn't parsonage and then read our article for the answer.

Investigating the Parsonage Exemption: What Would Televangelists Pay if Houses Weren’t Tax Exempt? (Photo: Inside Edition shows the outside of televangelist Ron Carpenter’s luxurious Fremont, California-parsonage.) Background Inside Edition recently investigated the topic of tax-exempt parsonage…

We are attempting to raise money to hire a new investigator. You may participate in a raffle that we are holding this month for a 3-day stay for up to 5 people in a Brazos River ranch. https://trinityfi.org/investigations/your-donation-enters-you-in-our-brazos-river-getaway-raffle/

Brief summary:

In fifteen years, two non-profits Jay Sekulow is associated with have paid over $103 million to for-profit companies owned by him and his sister-in-law. The article includes a spreadsheet of the payments.

In this article Trinity Foundation suggests Sekulow's business with his non-profits should be treated as excess benefit transactions.

Sekulow's non-profit Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism generates millions of dollars annually from aggressive direct mail solicitation.

In filings with the IRS, Sekulow's non-profit organizations inaccurately claim they have no related organizations. Then the non-profits fail to disclose Sekulow's total compensation, which is critical information for donors concerned with excessive compensation.

How Two Non-Profits Paid Over $103 Million to Companies Owned by Jay Sekulow and Sister-in-Law (Photo: Jay Sekulow interviewed in ACLJ Chief Counsel Biography) Attorney Jay Sekulow, who represented former President Donald Trump during his 2020 impeachment hearing and has argued religious lib…

The Cost of Traveling by Private Jet: Televangelist Jet Circles the Globe

Joyce Meyer Ministries’ Gulfstream G4 jet flew to Nepal in January for a mission trip celebrating the grand opening of a church building in Attarkhel, Nepal which was funded by its donors.

Hand of Hope, the disaster relief organization and mission outreach of Joyce Meyer Ministries, also funded the drilling of a water well and provided a health clinic for the community.

Hand of Hope operates as an integrated auxiliary of Joyce Meyer Ministries, and for this reason, is not required to file a Form 990 which would disclose salaries and financial information that religious watchdog organizations are interested in reviewing.

During the mission trip the ministry jet accumulated approximately 35.5 flight hours as it circled the globe.

The jet departed on January 14th from Spirit of Saint Louis Airport and landed in Manchester, England. The first leg of the trip to Nepal took 7 hours and 50 minutes.

To read more, follow the link.

The Cost of Traveling by Private Jet: Televangelist Jet Circles the Globe – Trinity Foundation The Cost of Traveling by Private Jet: Televangelist Jet Circles the Globe January 30, 2024January 31, 2024 Barry Bowen (Photo: Pixabay) Joyce Meyer Ministries’ Gulfstream G4 jet flew to Nepal in January for a mission trip celebrating the grand opening of a church building in Attarkhel, Nepal which...

Biblical restitution for crimes required criminals to repay their victims. Pastors that steal from their congregation should repay the people they defrauded.

“God Told Me” to Pocket Cryptocurrency Invested Funds—a New Twist on Religious Affinity Fraud

January 16th, 2024–Colorado State’s Attorney General charged Pastor Eligio Regalado, whose surname ironically can mean ‘Gifted’ or ‘Given’, his wife Kaitlyn (also goes by the name Kathy), and their companies INDXCOIN, LLC, KINGDOM WEALTH EXCHANGE INC, KINGDOM WEALTH EXCHANGE LLC, GRACE LED MARKETERS, LLC, etc. on (also goes by the name Kathy) with civil fraud for creating, marketing, and selling a cryptocurrency called INDXcoin and then spending over a third of the invested funds ($1.3 million) on themselves.

Regalado, who pastors the online only Victorious Grace Church, announced his plan last April and soon sold the crypto coins to his and other Christian communities in the Denver under the moniker “Kingdom Wealth Exchange, LLC”. The project launched in June and then shut down in November.

We hope believers will take note and beware of religious affinity fraud. Affinity fraud leverages and exploits inherent trust within a group. For example, a fraudster may target a specific religious congregation. Oftentimes, the person will try to enlist the help of the leader of the group to market the investment scheme. In which case, the leader becomes an unwitting pawn in the fraudulent scheme. In this case, however, the pastor was the perpetrator.

One well-known example is Bernard Madoff who targeted Jewish communities. It’s not just a cliché when we say there is more money stolen in the name of God than any other way.

Ms. Tung Chan, Securities Commissioner for Colorado, said “We allege that Mr. Regalado took advantage of the trust and faith of his own Christian community and that he peddled outlandish promises of wealth to them when he sold them essentially worthless cryptocurrencies.”

Commissioner Chan’s civil complaint against the Regalado couple claims that from June 2022 to April 2023, the ill-fated crypto exchange raised more than $3.2 million from over 300 investors and that the couple’s sales pitches were filled with “prayer and quotes from the Bible, encouraging investors to have faith that their investment … would lead to ‘abundance’ and ‘blessings.’”

INDX Coin began trading its cryptocurrency on June 22, 2023. In its launch video that same day, “Pastor” Regalado said, “So this is the Kingdom Way, the Kingdom Way is to distribute even when you don’t have enough, trusting that God is going to multiply what you give thanks for.”

NOTE: This wishful thinking is one of the basic lies of the so-called “prosperity gospel.”

During INDXcoin’s launch video on Twitter/X, Regalado read Jesus’ miracle of feeding thousands of people with just a few loaves and fishes and applying this spectacular miracle to his Kingdom Wealth Exchange’s cryptocurrency.

Eli Regalado actually admitted to the theft in a video a few days after the charges were filed, saying, “The charges are that Kaitlyn and I pocketed 1.3 million dollars, and I just want to come out and say that those charges are true,” he said, adding, “A few hundred thousand dollars went to a home remodel that the Lord told us to do.”

Eli Regalado also said, “It’s not like we had $1 million sitting there and decided to go crazy with it”. You judge. Commissioner Chan’s legal complaint states that investment proceeds went directly to defendants Eli and Kaitlyn, or was used for their own personal benefit, including jewelry, handbags and lavish vacations and other expenses.

The Regalado couple owns a house and a condo in Lakewood Colorado. The real estate website Redfin says the home is a “2,088 square foot house on a 3.24 acre lot with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms” and that “This home is currently off market. Based on Redfin’s Lakewood data, we estimate the home’s value is $1,126,521.” Redfin estimates the two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 837 square feet condo is worth $363,985.

Eligio Regalado incorporated the online church in 2020 and is its registered agent. The articles of incorporation for the church say that “No part of the earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to any private individual or person; provided, however, that the corporation may pay reasonable compensation …” These good intentions lasted less than two years.

Note that according to Commissioner Chan’s civil fraud complaint, Victorious Grace Church has only two employees (Defendants Eli and Kaitlyn) and operates from the Regalado’s house, their recreational vehicle, or from the Regalado’s vacation destinations.

Earlier this month, we published a video about red flags to look out for and here are some we covered plus another one that time didn’t allow us to address:

Beware if a person claims to hear from God about what others should do.
Beware if a person believes he or she claims they have God’s favor to perform miracles.
Beware if a person comes up with a way to raise money for others and then spends it on themselves.
Beware if a person tells others they will become wealthy if they give or invest in a certain organization supposedly ordained of God.
Beware of online only, TV only, or mail-order-only churches with no actual membership who can, as it happens, literally meet in person.

Many major news outlets reported on the story.

People Magazine: Denver Pastor Says ‘the Lord Told Him’ to Steal $1.3 M from Christians to Remodel Home

CNN: A Colorado pastor says God told him to launch a crypto venture. He’s now accused of pocketing $1.3 million from his followers

BBC: Colorado pastor accused of multimillion dollar crypto scheme

LAW&CRIME: ‘The lord told us to’: Online pastor says God told him to ‘pocket’ $1.3M after charges filed in alleged cryptocurrency scam

We ask our readers a question? Do you think the Regalados should sell their expensive house and move into their two-bedroom condo and distribute the proceeds of the sale to the defrauded investors?

The answer is obvious.

“God Told Me” to Pocket Cryptocurrency Invested Funds—a New Twist on Religious Affinity Fraud – Trinity Foundation “God Told Me” to Pocket Cryptocurrency Invested Funds—a New Twist on Religious Affinity Fraud January 30, 2024 Pete Evans (Photo: Pastor Eligio Regalado) January 16th, 2024–Colorado State’s Attorney General charged Pastor Eligio Regalado, whose surname ironically can mean ‘Gifted’ or ....

Assets of Ministry’s Holding Company Increase by $501 Million, CEO and Family Paid Over $11 Million

The Inspirational Network’s latest Form 990 Information Return is filled with bombshells for anyone interested in following the money of religious and secular TV broadcasting. Two bombshells stand out: Extravagant compensation for executives and massive assets buried in fine print.

David Cerullo, CEO of The Inspirational Network which operates the western-themed INSP cable TV channel (religious programming airs in the middle of the night), is ranked as one of America’s highest paid religious non-profit CEOs.

In 2022, Cerullo received $9 million in compensation, doubling the income he received in 2021.

In 15 years, from 2008 through 2022, David Cerullo received $59 million in compensation from The Inspirational Network and related organizations.

For the full article, go to the following link.

Assets of Ministry’s Holding Company Increase by $501 Million, CEO and Family Paid Over $11 Million – Trinity Foundation Assets of Ministry’s Holding Company Increase by $501 Million, CEO and Family Paid Over $11 Million January 27, 2024January 27, 2024 Barry Bowen (Photo: David Cerullo, president of The Inspirational Network) The Inspirational Network’s latest Form 990 Information Return is filled with bombshells...

Today filmmaker Nathan Apffel interviewed us for the documentary The Business of Church. The documentary series should premiere this summer. Apffel found an interesting prop: a humble communion table.

False Prophets: Televangelists Red Flags to See and Avoid

At the heart of this new almost ten-minute video is our late founder of Trinity Foundation calling for transparency and accountability. We hope you’ll share it with others. It deals with red flags to watch out for when encountering charities and non-profits—especially churches or church-related organizations.

We believe you can share this with anyone who is concerned about these snakes in the grass who keep asking for more money and spending huge quantities of it on themselves.

When a church or ministry collapses from scandal, followers often pick up on missed clues. Some of these clues or red flags to watch out for include high pressure to donate right away, ministry leaders describing their own wealth and/or God’s promised wealth to individuals, false prophesies, and twisted scriptures trying to prove that God needs your money—care of their ministry of course.

Do you ever wonder why televangelists never suggest that you to pick up your cross or be content with the things you have? These messages are never popular with the masses and come in direct conflict with the American Dream—with mankind’s own inherent greed.

Television programming time slots are quite expensive but also quite lucrative. It’s Darwinian in nature. Only the most successful con-artists who can raise the most money from their audiences can maintain their presence on TV. These include pastors with the best entertainment value, the best music, or the most outrageous actors.

Instead of the true gospel, it has become a kind of anti-gospel which is not really a gospel at all. It’s little more than a caricature of the truth to tickle one’s ears attempting to maintain a person’s interest. Please share this video with anyone who cares about the victims of these scammers or with the victims themselves if they are open to watch it.

At the end of the video comes a dream about the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—Christ himself.

Article link: https://trinityfi.org/investigations/false-prophets-televangelists-red-flags-to-see-and-avoid/

YouTube video link : https://youtu.be/dWYhHdytJ6M

False Prophets: Televangelists Red Flags to See and Avoid At the heart of this new almost ten-minute video is our late founder of Trinity Foundation calling for transparency and accountability. We hope you’ll share...

$1.7 Million Missing: Is This Embezzlement of Funds or Terrible Accounting?

More than $1.7 million in financial surpluses have mysteriously disappeared from two religious non-profits led by prophetess Juanita Bynum.

Annual financial surpluses generated by the organizations were not reported as assets. This failure to report total assets should serve as a red flag to potential donors.

Juanita Bynum International Inc.’s 2021 Form 990 shows a surplus of $592,324 in 2021 and $336,926 in 2020 on line 19. None of these funds were listed in Total Assets on line 20.

The following spreadsheet reveals $1,764,427 in surpluses (net income) not reported as assets from 2016 to 2021. Juanita Bynum International Inc. converted from a for-profit company to a non-profit entity in 2020, which explains why the organization did not file a 990 prior to 2020. In other words, when an organization takes in over half a million dollars in one year and spends less than $40,000 WHERE DID THE MONEY GO if there are no assets.

The 2022 Form 990s for both organizations report that founder Bynum received zero compensation and that neither non-profit had any employees.

Note that the two organizations did begin reporting surpluses as assets in 2022, but with no corrections or reporting of the missing funds from prior years.

Juanita Bynum International reported only donation revenue in 2022. However, during that year Bynum spoke at various venues and her ministry may have collected speaking honorariums. Also, Bynum offered a $1,499.99 prayer course which received critical media attention, raising the possibility that additional revenue was not reported.

Where did the money go?

The IRS has statutory authority to audit the two non-profit ministries. If the IRS classifies the ministries as churches, the IRS could audit for up to three fiscal years due to restrictions imposed by the Church Audit Procedures Act.

If the IRS were to discover that funds were embezzled by a ministry officer or employee, tax evasion charges could be filed as the money was apparently not reported as income.

If ministry accountants made “honest” accounting errors, then a revised Form 990 should be submitted to the IRS revealing an accurate record of total assets.

When Trinity Foundation produced an investigative report for the IRS in 2022, recommending an audit for New Juanita Bynum II Ministry Inc., the IRS had a large backlog of unprocessed Form 990s not available for public review.

After upgrading its processing facility with new equipment, the IRS has eliminated the backlog.

History of Lavish Spending

In 2002, Bynum married Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III in an extravagant production. According to Essence Magazine, Bynum’s wedding dress “took nine months to make, cost $65,000 and her wedding ceremony cost $1.2 million.”

Religion News Blog reports, “The ‘million-dollar’ wedding of Dr. Juanita Bynum, well-known evangelist and author of the best-selling Matters of the Heart, to Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III featured a wedding party of 80, all friends and family, 1,000 guests, a 12-piece orchestra, and a 7.76-carat diamond ring.”

Bynum filed for divorce in 2007. The law firm Kessler & Solomiany which represented Weeks during the divorce reported, “Bynum requested some antiques she had collected and agreed to pay $40,000 in attorney fees for Weeks. Their bank accounts were divided, and each party will retain ownership of the debt and assets they had before marriage.”

BOYCOTT

Trinity Foundation recommends that donors financially boycott Bynum’s ministries at this time.

When Was Jesus Born?

by Barry Bowen and Pete Evans

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” – Proverbs 25:2

Prophecies in the Bible have provided important clues for understanding the purposes of God. However, some of these clues are easily overlooked.

Trinity Foundation’s late founder Ole Anthony was fascinated by the question, “When (what time of year) was Jesus born?”

After studying the Bible and major events in Jesus’ life occurring on Jewish feast days, as well as the writings of biblical scholars and first century AD Jewish historian Josephus, Ole concluded that Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Ole believed that God created the biblical holidays as a liturgical calendar to reveal God’s redemption plan for humanity.

The Bible provides a clue in the Book of Luke regarding when Jesus was born. An angel appeared to Mary, informing her that she was pregnant with Jesus and that her relative Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Therefore, Jesus would have been born about six months after his cousin John the Baptist.

The time of John’s conception can be estimated because his birth was prophesied during the time his father Zechariah the priest was serving in the Temple.

“Assuming John was conceived within the week after Zechariah returned from his temple service, that would yield a date for the conception of Jesus six months later in mid-December (on or close to Hannukah), with his birth in the fall, around mid-September (Rosh Hashanah).” – Community on Columbia Bible study
https://www.communityoncolumbia.org/pdf/Readings_Notes/When_Jesus_Born.pdf

Christian researchers have also searched for the Star of Bethlehem believing it could provide a clue for the birth of Jesus.

The Book of Matthew in the Bible tells of a group of astronomers searching for the baby Jesus after seeing a star that announced Jesus’ birth.

Scholars and researchers have reached conflicting conclusions about the Star of Bethlehem with some believing it was a star that went supernova in the constellation Coma representing a woman with a baby in her lap, others that it a was a shooting star (comet), and still others believing the Magi observed an alignment of planets.

While the accounts of Jesus birth in Matthew and Luke focus on creating a historical record, the Book of John provides a theological foundation for understanding this key event:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14