Trinity Foundation

As a result of the escalating drama and scandal at the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Christianity Today raises the question as to whether various ministries should seek reform for the network or simply withdraw their programming.  CT reports that the Trinity Foundation is publicly calling for legitimate ministries to withdraw from TBN (click here).  “It’s a spiritual and moral snake pit,” said Trinity founder Ole Anthony. “TBN uses these legitimate preachers to justify [its] existence.”

Ole Anthony, investigator for Brittany Koper, had more to say as an addition to CT’s article: “A federal Judge in California, Judge David Carter, soon will issue a ruling which we believe will combine all state and federal cases filed by TBN against Brittany Koper into one lawsuit.  Other actions are expected soon after that.”

Back in the fall of 1994, the Trinity Foundation sent one of its investigators undercover for months inside the Word of Faith Fellowship of Spindale, North Carolina for Inside Edition.  Now the church is accused of holding one of its members against his will and physically assaulting him.  Four church members who are also members of its security team have been charged with with false imprisonment and misdemeanor stalking and authorities are looking into a complaint filed in February by Michael Lowry that he was physically assaulted, knocked unconscious and then held for months against his will from August 1st through November 19th, 2011.  Asheville ABC affiliate television station WLOS first reported the accusations on Thursday, October 19th and the Charlotte Observer posted the story with some more details on Monday October 22nd (neither story is available any longer on their websites as  of March 2017).  See our more recent posting of an AP article in 2017.

Click below to watch an Inside Edition broadcast about the Word of Faith Fellowship from 17 years ago:

Federal Judge David Carter has put Trinity Broadcasting Network’s potential “vexatious litigant” label on hold for now–as long as the broadcaster can behave and observe a few other qualifications…  this, even after discovering a sixth lawsuit against the Crouch’s granddaughter that he didn’t yet know about.  Read the OC Register story.

The Orange County Register recently obtained a photo of Jan Crouch with her head thrown back in ecstasy, holding a letter from Paul Crouch Sr. on what some were thinking might have been his deathbed stating who would eventually run the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).  The letter makes a bold comparison between their family and the ancient patriarch Isaac and his two sons Esau and Jacob.  Just as the elder son Esau was subservient to the younger son Jacob, Matt Crouch would be the ultimate authority at TBN instead of his oldest son and namesake, Paul Crouch, Jr.  Read the entire story here.

Federal Judge David Carter overseeing a legal battle between the Trinity Broadcasting Network and Brittany Koper observed, “These cases appear to be duplicative…” and ordered TBN to explain in 10 pages or less.  Vexatious litigation is legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary (from Wikipedia)… .Read the story here.

New legal team goes up against phalanx of TBN attorneys (World Magazine, Warren Smith, 8/24/2012)–After a lengthy absence of legal counsel, Brittany Koper and her younger sister, Carra Crouch, now have a new set of lawyers. TBN’s in-house legal team and at least two outside law firms must now contend with lawyers from the Richardson, Richardson, Boudreaux, and Keesling law firm in Tulsa, OK. Trinity Foundation’s president, Ole Anthony, was a spokesperson for the two sisters until new legal counsel was obtained and the Foundation continues as investigators for these and upcoming lawsuits.

Just when we were starting to think that investigative reporting is dead in America, the Orange County Register began to report on this story of intimidation, bullying, lawsuits, counter lawsuits, and opulent lifestyles among the leadership of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Paul and Jan Crouch, who run the enterprise, hired their granddaughter, Brittany Koper, as CFO last year. When Brittany apparently began to try to clean up the finances of the organization she was soon given the boot along with her father, Paul Crouch Jr., who was being groomed to take over.

Among many incredible details of her own whistleblower-style lawsuit, Mrs. Koper alleges that her own uncle was tapping on a firearm while advising her to keep TBN finances and the Crouch family’s dirty laundry secret– or else.  A few days later, the same uncle -— Matt Crouch– and her grandfather Paul Crouch made similar threats on air during their daily broadcast, “Behind the Scenes.”

Granddaugther Carra Crouch alleges rape and coverup happened six years ago…

One of Paul and Jan Crouch’s granddaughter’s, Carra Crouch, filed suit against TBN on Monday 6/18/2012. She alleges she was raped six years ago at age 13 by a 30-year-old TBN employee and that the rape was covered up by her grandmother Jan Crouch and her 2nd cousin John Casoria–TBN’s in-house council. Carra is Brittany Koper’s younger sister.  Carra Crouch’s lawsuit can be found here.

 

Jesse Duplantis’ mansion may be the largest televangelist’s mansion in the US.  His trips to Hawai’i and other locations in his ministry’s corporate jet may be considered personal income by the IRS.  Find out more in this video…