Kenneth Copeland Ministries is continuing its protest of the investigation of six ministries – itself included – by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
Copeland, pastor of Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, has argued that responding to Grassley’s questions would infringe on the religious rights of his ministries.
“… The church respectfully disagrees with Senator Grassley’s position that churches are no different from any other tax-exempt organization,” the ministries said in a Monday statement. “Any such use of the information provided interferes with, and ultimately threatens, the religious liberties of this church, the thousands of other Pentecostal and charismatic churches who preach the “Word of Faith” message, and all other churches – irrespective of their particular doctrine or faith.”
Grassley’s staff said in a July 7 update that “since Kenneth Copeland has declared publicly that he will not submit responses even if a subpoena is issued, staff also is consulting with Senate attorneys about next steps.” A spokeswoman told RNS last week that the senator continues to hope to avoid subpoenas.
