I’ve rewritten this posting several times, as this entire matter has been rather difficult for me to digest. I have been waiting to find out the full details of the indictment and it has been somewhat unsettling as it simply takes time to receive all the information that it is based upon. Although we have known that an investigation has been ongoing since mid 2008, it has all been rather difficult to understand why.
There really is no basis for this. This investigation that covers several years has been difficult to understand, especially in the light of the fact that we have never at any time received any civil notice from the IRS. There has never been a request for an audit of which we would have fully cooperated, as our desire has always been to do things correctly in filing our taxes. The Church has a great team of lawyers and an investigator who are vigorously working to defend the Church and myself.
As people tend to believe what they will, I’ve decided that a posting is not the forum to address the issues at hand, but to fully use our legal system and the courts to do so.
Laura and I understand that this is part of what we must face as part of the work we believe God has given us to do in this end-time. We will continue to do as we have ever since we became part of the ministry of God’s Church back in 1981. That makes over 30 years of serving in the ministry. Indeed, we have always sought to faithfully and zealously serve God and His Church. Our plans have not changed and we will continue as we do now by visiting the many congregations of the Church which are scattered throughout the U.S. and other countries.
It is true that the Church maintained funds in Switzerland for several years, yet it is also true that this was fully disclosed to the Church before that account was ever opened (www.cog-pkg.org, Audio section of Dec. 28, 2002, entitled “Planning Ahead”). As it was stated in that sermon, those funds were placed in my name, yet there was also another name on the account, as an additional representative (an evangelist) of the Church, who had full access and legal right to those Church funds at any time.
Consequently, because of our belief that 2008 was the beginning of trouble for this world and what would eventually lead to a complete global economic collapse, we began investing several hundred thousand dollars in advertising in order to warn people of what was coming and what was happening even then. Those Church funds were all brought back to the United States and all used in that advertising.
This posting also provides me with the opportunity to remind our readers of two important doctrines of the Church. One concerns tithing and government taxation, and the second concerns our teaching of what it means to be a “good citizen” in the country where one lives.
Concerning the first of those two doctrines I have referred, we adhere to a strong belief in tithing and giving of offerings as many other Christian churches and those in Judaism also believe. We deeply believe the instruction of Jesus Christ who said that we should pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s (taxation to be paid to government agencies) and to God what is God’s (tithes and offerings). Members are to be as zealous in being faithful to God in tithing as they are faithful to God in paying their taxes to whatever government is over them.
Concerning the second doctrine to which I have referred, you can read on the Church website what the Church teaches about being a “good citizen” in a country, especially as we draw nearer to the end of the final three and one-half years of this end-time. This is stated in the FAQ section under the “Topics” and is entitled, “Citizenship in a nation.”
As the Church continues to remain faithful to God, God is faithful to lead us and fight our battles for us. Indeed, we look to God and His Son Jesus Christ to guide our way and always deliver us.