Well, not really, but today, December 6th is when the 6 evangelical ministries were to send their requested financial information to Senator Chuck Grassley.  Back in early November, Senator Grassley sent letters requesting information from these tax-exempt organizations regarding expenses, executive compensation and perks.  You can read my earlier post on this here.  Their responses were due today.  Here’s an accounting of what has been received by the Senator as of 5:30pm.

1. Paula White – contact from their attorneys, no other information
2. Joyce Meyer – received a package of written material that is being reviewed
3. Creflo Dollar – sent a letter stating they do not intend to comply voluntarily
4. Eddie Long – nothing received as of yet
5. Kenneth Copeland – received a package of written materials
6. Benny Hinn – the senator’s staff are to meet with the ministry’s lawyers tomorrow

All in all, not encouraging.  The senator stated in his press release that “they have to realize that ministries are no different from any other non-profit organization.  They have to abide by the tax laws just like any tax-exempt group.”  He went on to state he will be accommodating and give them some more time as long as they are cooperating.  He also stated that he has looked into numerous non-profits over the years and none had ever refused to cooperate.

A month should be more than sufficient time for these organizations to get their information together, why the foot dragging?  One would think there should be nothing to hide, but the evangelical world seems divided between those who think the government is unfairly singling out these ministries and those who understand the oversight needed to insure there is no impropriety.

We’ll have to continue to wait to see if they finally provide the requested information which could lead to their eventual judgment day.