Kenneth Copeland
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist
. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive from God."
label, having one Billboard
Top 40 hit ("Pledge of Love", which charted in the Top 40 on April 20, 1957, stayed on the charts for eight weeks, and peaked at #12).
Following his religious conversion, Copeland turned the rest of his life over to the gospel and ministry work. In the 1960s, he was a pilot
and chauffeur
for Oral Roberts
. In the fall of 1967, he enrolled in Oral Roberts University
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
Kenneth is married to Gloria Copeland. His children are John Copeland, Kellie Copeland and Terri Pearsons.
He was a member of the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents until it was replaced in 2008 with a new board that promised to hold to higher standards of financial accountability. In October 2007 a lawsuit against the university was presented for financial and political wrong doing. Copeland's oldest daughter, Terri, is married to pastor George Pearsons
, who served until January 2008 as the ORU Board chairman.
, a 2008 Republican presidential primary
candidate, made six appearances on Copeland's daily television program Believer's Voice of Victory, discussing "Integrity of Character". Subsequently, in January 2008, the Huckabee campaign paid for use of Kenneth Copeland Ministries' facilities for a fundraiser. Copeland also claimed that he had had a phone call with Huckabee in which Huckabee allegedly vowed support despite a pending investigation by the U.S. Senate into Copeland's finances if he was elected. The fundraising at the church was criticized by the Trinity Foundation
.
In September 2010, the Ten Network in Australia dropped the Believer's Voice of Victory program from their capital city stations after the network claimed that the 2 June 2010 broadcast contained material relating to homosexuals that breached the Australian Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice.
Some of Kenneth Copeland’s prophecies can be read online.
is a private airport established by Kenneth Copeland Ministries to serve the area of Fort Worth, Texas
.
In 2007 Copeland was accused of using his $20 million Cessna Citation X
jet for personal vacations and friends. The Copelands' financial records are not publicly available, and a list of the Board of Directors is not accessible as these details are protected and known confidentially by the Internal Revenue Service. Responding to media questions, Copeland pointed to an accounting firm's declaration that all jet travel complies with federal tax laws.
In December 2008, Copeland's 1998 Cessna Bravo 550, his second jet, valued at $3.6 million, was denied tax exemption after Copeland refused to submit to disclosure laws for the state of Texas.
Chuck Grassley
, Republican of Iowa
, announced an investigation of Copeland's ministry by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
. The Associated Press reported that Grassley said the investigation was a response to complaints from the public and news media. Grassley stated, "The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces." IRS guidelines require that pastors' compensation be "reasonable" and net earnings may not benefit any private individual.
Grassley asked for the ministry to divulge financial information (Grassley's letter) to the committee to determine if Copeland made any personal profit from financial donations, and requested that Copeland's ministry make the information available by December 6, 2007. The Copelands responded with a "Financial report from Kenneth Copeland Ministries."
KCM created a website to help explain their side of the inquiry.
Televangelism
Televangelism is the use of television to communicate the Christian faith. The word is a portmanteau of television and evangelism and was coined by Time magazine. A “televangelist” is a Christian minister who devotes a large portion of his ministry to television broadcasting...
. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive from God."
Early life and education
Prior to his conversion to Christianity in November 1962, Copeland was a recording artist on the Imperial RecordsImperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
label, having one Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top 40 hit ("Pledge of Love", which charted in the Top 40 on April 20, 1957, stayed on the charts for eight weeks, and peaked at #12).
Following his religious conversion, Copeland turned the rest of his life over to the gospel and ministry work. In the 1960s, he was a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
for Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
. In the fall of 1967, he enrolled in Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
Kenneth is married to Gloria Copeland. His children are John Copeland, Kellie Copeland and Terri Pearsons.
He was a member of the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents until it was replaced in 2008 with a new board that promised to hold to higher standards of financial accountability. In October 2007 a lawsuit against the university was presented for financial and political wrong doing. Copeland's oldest daughter, Terri, is married to pastor George Pearsons
George Pearsons
http://rileystephenson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pastor_George.bmpGeorge Pearsons is a pastor at Eagle Mountain International Church, an arm of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, in Newark, Texas. Pearsons is married to Terri Pearsons who is Copeland's oldest daughter. He was the chairman of the...
, who served until January 2008 as the ORU Board chairman.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries, programming and theology
In late November 2007, Mike HuckabeeMike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, a 2008 Republican presidential primary
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
The 2008 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
candidate, made six appearances on Copeland's daily television program Believer's Voice of Victory, discussing "Integrity of Character". Subsequently, in January 2008, the Huckabee campaign paid for use of Kenneth Copeland Ministries' facilities for a fundraiser. Copeland also claimed that he had had a phone call with Huckabee in which Huckabee allegedly vowed support despite a pending investigation by the U.S. Senate into Copeland's finances if he was elected. The fundraising at the church was criticized by the Trinity Foundation
Trinity Foundation (Dallas)
The Trinity Foundation is a watchdog ministry founded by Ole Anthony in 1972 and based in Dallas, Texas .Trinity has primarily investigated televangelists such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Robert Tilton, W.V. Grant, pastor Edwin Barry Young, and the Trinity...
.
In September 2010, the Ten Network in Australia dropped the Believer's Voice of Victory program from their capital city stations after the network claimed that the 2 June 2010 broadcast contained material relating to homosexuals that breached the Australian Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice.
Some of Kenneth Copeland’s prophecies can be read online.
Airport and ministry jets
The Kenneth Copeland AirportKenneth Copeland Airport
Kenneth Copeland Airport is a private airport located eighteen miles northwest of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, USA....
is a private airport established by Kenneth Copeland Ministries to serve the area of Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
In 2007 Copeland was accused of using his $20 million Cessna Citation X
Cessna Citation X
The Cessna Citation X is a long-range medium business jet aircraft. The Citation X is powered by two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines and is built by the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. It is the fastest production civilian jet in the world. The Citation brand of business jets encompasses...
jet for personal vacations and friends. The Copelands' financial records are not publicly available, and a list of the Board of Directors is not accessible as these details are protected and known confidentially by the Internal Revenue Service. Responding to media questions, Copeland pointed to an accounting firm's declaration that all jet travel complies with federal tax laws.
In December 2008, Copeland's 1998 Cessna Bravo 550, his second jet, valued at $3.6 million, was denied tax exemption after Copeland refused to submit to disclosure laws for the state of Texas.
Senate investigation
On November 6, 2007, United States SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Chuck Grassley
Chuck Grassley
Charles Ernest "Chuck" Grassley is the senior United States Senator from Iowa . A member of Republican Party, he previously served in the served in the United States House of Representatives and the Iowa state legislature...
, Republican of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, announced an investigation of Copeland's ministry by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
United States Senate Committee on Finance
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
. The Associated Press reported that Grassley said the investigation was a response to complaints from the public and news media. Grassley stated, "The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces." IRS guidelines require that pastors' compensation be "reasonable" and net earnings may not benefit any private individual.
Grassley asked for the ministry to divulge financial information (Grassley's letter) to the committee to determine if Copeland made any personal profit from financial donations, and requested that Copeland's ministry make the information available by December 6, 2007. The Copelands responded with a "Financial report from Kenneth Copeland Ministries."
KCM created a website to help explain their side of the inquiry.
Publications
- Load Up Pocket Devotional: 31 Devotions to Revolutionize Your Future (Harrison House, July 2004) ISBN 1577943996 ISBN 978-1577943990
- You Are Healed (Kenneth Copeland Publications, July 1999) ISBN 0881147338 ISBN 978-0881147339
- A Ceremony of Marriage (Kenneth Copeland Publications, December 1996) ISBN 0938458159 ISBN 978-0938458159
- Prayer: Your Foundation for Success (Kenneth Copeland Publications, June 1999) ISBN 1577941551 ISBN 978-1577941552
- Kenneth Copeland Reference Bible – Leather Bound (Kenneth Copeland Publications, December 1996) ISBN 0881142964 ISBN 978-0881142969
- Becoming Subject to the Authority of Jesus (Kenneth Copeland Publications, 2001) ISBN 0881149721 ISBN 978-0881149722
- How to Discipline Your Flesh (Kenneth Copeland Publications, June 1999) ISBN 1575621169 ISBN 978-1575621166
- From Faith to Faith: A Daily Guide to Victory (Harrison House, May 2000) ISBN 1577942256 ISBN 978-1577942252
- Pursuit of His Presence: Daily Devotional (Harrison House, September 1998) ISBN 1577941373 ISBN 978-1577941378
- The Wake-up Call (Kenneth Copeland Publications, 2002) ISBN 1575627922 ISBN 978-1575627922
- Classic Redemption (Kenneth Copeland Publications, 2001) ISBN 0938458582 ISBN 978-0938458586
- The Laws of Prosperity (Kenneth Copeland Publications, December 1995) ISBN 0881149527 ISBN 978-0881149524
- Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours (Kenneth Copeland Publications, June 1992) ISBN 0881147281 ISBN 978-0881147285
- Healing Promises (Kenneth Copeland Publications, August 1994) ISBN 0881149497 ISBN 978-0881149494
- Over the Edge: Youth Devotional (Harrison House, September 1998) ISBN 1577941381 ISBN 978-1577941385
- Big Band Gospel (KCP Records, 2003) ASIN B000A7WLEQ
See also
- GlossolaliaGlossolaliaGlossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
- PentecostalismPentecostalismPentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
- Charismatic movementCharismatic movementThe term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
- Word of FaithWord of FaithWord of Faith is a family of Christian churches as well as a label applied by some observers to a teaching movement kindred to many Pentecostal and charismatic churches and individuals worldwide. The basic doctrine preached is that of salvation through Jesus Christ and what that salvation entails...
- Prosperity Gospel
External links
- Kenneth Copeland Ministries USA
- Eagle Mountain International Church AKA Kenneth Copeland Ministries
- Believer's Voice of Victory Live Stream and On Demand website
- Believers Stand United for Religious Freedom in America
- Trinity Foundation (Opposing Viewpoint)
- Rich Vermillion (Opposing Viewpoint)
- MinistryWatch.com's Kenneth Copeland Ministries Profile