Author: Barry Bowen

False Prophecy as a Path to Riches, Part 2: Targeting Wealthy Donors

Barry Bowen

 

(Screenshot: Benny Hinn appearing in a Trinity Broadcasting Network telethon.)

It rarely gets media attention, but for decades so-called prophets have targeted wealthy individuals with personalized prophecies for the purpose of obtaining lucrative donations.

We’ve collected several examples below.

This corrupt practice was discussed in Bible teacher Mike Winger’s recent exposé of Shawn Bolz.

Mike Winger: “I’m going to call them Bob and Sally…Bob and Sally were a couple that was very well off, and they had the beginnings of this business that was skyrocketing, like you know, crazy, crazy money. That was the direction that it was heading. That is very attractive to the prophet crowd… those guys that they love, the rich big money bags guys that they can prophesy to, sincere Christians who love Jesus and just happen to have a load of cash. All of a sudden, you get special words of knowledge for those people.”

Winger reports that Mike Bickle, Shawn Bolz and Stacy Campbell, all leaders in America’s prophetic movement, attempted to recruit Bob and Sally.

You can view the exposé here.

False Prophet William Branham’s Wealth and Jet

When evangelist William Branham died in 1965, he left behind properties, stock and a large amount of cash.

In 1989, Branham’s daughter Sarah Branham De Corado revealed in a letter, “Just recently a noted lawyer in New York looked into the matter and showed me different bank statements which are still in my possession. One shows the amount in cash of 3,113,676 plus stocks 130,645 plus other things. This money was left untouched since the departure of my father. According to the notary document it is fixed for 25 years. I am asking myself what will be done with the large sum of money accumulated by now after the 26th of October, 1990.”

Continue reading “False Prophecy as a Path to Riches, Part 2: Targeting Wealthy Donors”

Prophetess Kathleen Woods Klein, Accomplice of Televangelist David E. Taylor, Indicted

Barry Bowen

 

(Photo: Kathleen Woods Klein preaching at Kingdom of God Global Church on January 18, 2026.)

This week a grand jury indicted Prophetess Kathleen Woods Klein, a leader in televangelist David E. Taylor’s Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC),  charging her with Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor. The Justice Department disclosed the indictment in press release published Thursday.

Klein is the third church leader to be indicted, following last year’s indictment of Taylor and Michelle Brannon. In addition to allegations of money laundering, the KOGGC leaders are accused of forcing church members to work without compensation in call centers operating from church parsonages.

Following the August 27, 2025, arrests of Taylor and Brannon, prophetess Klein (she rarely uses the last name Klein in church events, opting to use her maiden name Kathleen Woods), preached at KOGGC claiming that Taylor would be vindicated by God.

KOGGC is often described as a cult because of the authoritarian manner in which the organization operated. According to the indictment, “Taylor, Brannon and Klein told victims that, if they leave KOGGC, they will be met with divine judgment in the form of physical harm and eternal damnation.”

The superseding indictment includes examples of threatening text messages Taylor, Brannon and Klein sent to call center workers.

 

(Screenshot: Sample of text messages Klein sent to call center workers. Appears on page 12 of indictment.)

The indictment also  reports, “Taylor frequently requested and received sexually explicit photographs and videos from female KOGGC/JMMI victims and, in some instances, victims were fearful of disobeying Taylor and sent Taylor what he demanded.” (The predecessor organization to KOGGC was Joshua Media Ministries International known by the acronym JMMI.)

Klein appears to be discouraging Taylor’s female victims from going public with complaints. While preaching last year, Klein said, “Look at around the world and just see how many women are Me Too movement … I want to tell my story. I got to tell my story. And I’m not saying you don’t have a story to tell, but if it doesn’t line up with the love of God, if it doesn’t line up to accomplish the purposes of God, it is satanic and demonic.”

Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 1: When Churches Allegedly Operate Like Organized Crime

Barry Bowen

Last year was a ground-breaking year for the prosecution of church crimes and criminals as prosecutors announced indictments of cult leaders for political, sexual and financial crimes.

Court testimony in 2026 will disclose deeds done in secret: Evidence of money laundering, sexual abuse and other crimes of religious leaders will be made public. Prosecutors will explain how crimes are committed and how cover ups take place.

When Churches Operate Like Organized Crime

La Luz del Mundo / Naasón Joaquín García

(Photo: Naasón García was originally arrested by the United States in 2019.)

The United States Justice Department rarely charges religious leaders and their organizations with racketeering and conspiracy, but that could be changing.

Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in 1970 to give federal law enforcement better tools to prosecute the leaders of organized crime. The RICO Act also included provisions for American citizens to file civil RICO cases against companies, non-profits and individuals committing racketeering.

In September 2025, Naasón Joaquín García, head of the Mexico-based cult La Luz del Mundo (LLDM, Spanish for “Light of the World”), was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking conspiracy and other offenses.

Continue reading “Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 1: When Churches Allegedly Operate Like Organized Crime”

Daystar Co-Host Doug Weiss Threatens Trinity Foundation with Cease-and-Desist; Kanakuk Ministries Threatens Podcaster Shawn Ryan with Legal Action

Barry Bowen

(Screenshot: Psychologist Doug Weiss speaks frequently on the topic of sexual intimacy and operates Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Weiss also appears regularly on the Daystar Television Network TV program MinistryNow with his wife, Joni Lamb, president of Daystar.)

Over the weekend Daystar Television Co-Host Doug Weiss called Trinity Foundation, leaving a voicemail threatening to send a cease-and-desist letter if an article wasn’t taken down that Weiss claims is false.  However, Trinity Foundation stands by its reporting.

The article Daystar Television Co-Host Doug Weiss Filed Questionable 990, Runs Association for Sex Therapists as a Personal Business was published in December 2024.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for libel is one year. Therefore, Weiss doesn’t have legal standing to sue. Also, the facts are not on the side of Weiss.

Weiss runs the non-profit Healing Time Ministries which filed postcard 990s with the IRS for 2022 and 2023, indicating the ministry generated $50,000 or less in revenue both years.

(Screenshot: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search reports that Healing Time Ministries filed postcard 990s for 2022 and 2023.)

However, the ministry’s revenue for those two years was significantly higher.

Veteran TV news producer Jene Nelson discovered and first reported that Carl H and Edyth B Lindner Foundation gave a $400,000 grant to Healing Time Ministries in 2022 and a $150,000 grant in 2023. Therefore, Healing Time Ministries under-reported at least $450,000 in revenue. Where did this money go?

Continue reading “Daystar Co-Host Doug Weiss Threatens Trinity Foundation with Cease-and-Desist; Kanakuk Ministries Threatens Podcaster Shawn Ryan with Legal Action”

Ministry Flights to Cabo, Hawaii and Las Vegas Raise Questions: Are Preachers Using Ministry Aircraft for Vacation Flights?

Barry Bowen

Lots of questions arise from tracking church and ministry aircraft.

On January 23rd, the day before a winter storm reached Texas, televangelist James Robison’s ministry jet flew to the Mexican resort city of Cabo San Lucas. After snow and sleet fell and temperatures finally started rising, the jet returned to Texas on January 27th.

(Screenshot: Flight tracking website ADSB Exchange shows Robison’s Cessna 560XL jet (tail number N562DD) flight to Cabo San Lucas on January 23rd.)

Did James Robison, a family member or other ministry employees travel to Mexico to escape the winter weather?

Why the question matters: James Robison’s jet is owned by Zoe Aviation, a subsidiary of LIFE Outreach International. For tax purposes, personal flights taken on employer-owned aircraft are treated as taxable fringe benefits.

Twice a year the IRS publishes an updated tax rate for personal flights taken on privately owned aircraft. The tax, known as Standard Industry Fare level, includes a terminal charge and rate for miles traveled. The last update was published in the October 6, 2025, issue of the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

LIFE Outreach International claims church status to avoid filing the IRS Form 990. This financial disclosure document sometimes includes information about a ministry’s travel policies, disclosing if a tax is paid on personal flights.

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False Prophecy as a Path to Riches, Part 1: Data Harvesting False Prophets

Barry Bowen

(Screenshot: Mike Winger exposes Shawn Bolz with cell phone in hand delivering a false prophecy on stage with Bethel Redding pastor Bill Johnson.)

“A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.” – Proverbs 21:6 NIV

False prophecy is a gateway to fleeting riches. Three of the techniques of prophecy merchants were revealed in YouTube Bible teacher Mike Winger’s recent exposé of false prophet Shawn Bolz: the creation of false prophecies from data harvesting, targeting of high-net-worth individuals for financial support and building a church community with lies.

These techniques deserve further investigation.

A Short History of Data Harvesting False Prophets

False prophecy in the church has been normalized, with many preachers delivering weekly “words of knowledge” coming from their vain imagination, not God.

“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.” – Jeremiah 23:21 NIV

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Greg Locke Defends “Persecuted” South Korean Cult That Teaches Jesus Christ Was a Failure

Barry Bowen

(Photo: Pastor Greg Locke visiting the Korean Demilitarized Zone while on a fact-finding trip regarding alleged religious persecution.  Source: @pastorlocke)

Greg Locke, the incendiary pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, and Mark Burns, pastor of Harvest Praise & Worship Center in Easley, South Carolina, recently traveled to South Korea, meeting with church leaders and politicians to defend Unification Church cult leader Hak Ja Han and other religious leaders they contend are being persecuted. Burns and Locke refers to these meetings as “spiritual diplomacy.”

Hak Ja Han, better known in the United States as Mrs. Moon, is on trial for allegedly bribing Kim Keon Hee, the former First Lady of South Korea.

According to a Reuters news report, prosecutors informed the court that Han attempted to bribe Hee with a diamond necklace, wild ginseng and two Chanel bags.

On December 15, 2025, South Korean police raided Cheon Jeong Gung, Han’s elaborate residence. After visiting the building, oriental scholar Cho Yong-hyeon, wrote, “I believe it might be the most luxurious building in the country.”

Continue reading “Greg Locke Defends “Persecuted” South Korean Cult That Teaches Jesus Christ Was a Failure”

Tax Code Loophole: Churches Not Required to Apply for Tax Exemption

Barry Bowen

(Photo: Greg Locke preaching about praise and thankfulness.)

Last week The Roys Report reported that pastor Greg Locke’s church doesn’t show up in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. So let’s explore this exemption in the tax code.

To become a non-profit in America, most organizations are required to file the Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Tax-Exemption. However, churches, synagogues and mosques–organizations that operate as places of worship–are exempt.

Following the Jim Bakker scandal, in 1987 Congress held a hearing to discuss oversight of religious organizations.

O. Donaldson Chapoton, Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy, told the oversight committee, “Exempting churches from reporting requirements and placing restrictions on IRS audit activities reduce the ability of the IRS to administer and enforce the law.”

Congressman Charles Rangel later commented, “From what I understand from the testimony of this panel, any person or organization could declare themselves a church, enjoy tax exemption, and you would have no way of knowing.”

Chapoton responded, “That is correct.”

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Religious Non-Profit Operates in Financial Secrecy While Connecting Preachers and Politicians for Networking in Washington, D.C.

Barry Bowen

(Photo: Pastor Paula White prays with Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Secretary of Health and Human Services during National Faith Advisory Board Leadership Summit.)

Washington, D.C. operates like a magnet drawing people to the allure of political power.

This week American pastors met with White House staff during meetings coordinated by the National Faith Advisory Board (NFAB) as part of the organization’s Leadership Summit.

Also, this week pastors attended the Israel Allies Foundation Gala Awards Dinner to honor President Donald Trump.

Both events were coordinated with the White House Faith Office.

Attendees such as Jentezen Franklin, pastor of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, Greg Locke, pastor of Global Vision Bible Church, in Lebanon, Tennessee, and Mark Driscoll, pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, shared photos taken during the events.

By mixing religion and politics, religious leaders run the risk of moral compromise and being associated with causes and politicians opposed by a large number of voters. As a result, voters with differing political views are less likely to attend such churches.

Continue reading “Religious Non-Profit Operates in Financial Secrecy While Connecting Preachers and Politicians for Networking in Washington, D.C.”

Hear Televangelist David E. Taylor’s Not Guilty Plea; Judge Approves Detainment of Taylor

Barry Bowen

On October 17, 2025, televangelist David E. Taylor appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Stafford in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan.

Judge Stafford reviewed the charges and penalties Taylor faces if convicted before asking, “Mr. Taylor, do you understand what you have been charged with in this indictment and the maximum penalties you could face?” Taylor answers, “Yes, your Honor.”

Judge Stafford asks Taylor’s attorney, “Counsel, are you ready to enter a plea?”  Attorney Scott Rosenblum informed the judge that Taylor is pleading not guilty to each count.

During the detainment hearing, held after the arraignment, Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Resnick Cohen argued before the court that due to Taylor being a threat to the community, bond should be denied and Taylor should be detained until the trial is complete.

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