Dr. Dollar Letter to Senators

3/27/2008

Members of the Committee on Finance
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators:

As you know, our Church, World Changers Church International, has recently become the subject of an investigation by Senator Grassley. While our attorneys have provided you with a discussion of our legal arguments, I am writing to explain to you the theological concerns that the letters raise. Specifically, I would like to describe our religious beliefs regarding the structure and operation of our Church and how Senator Grassley’s inquires probe into our faith as surely as if he questioned which version of the Bible we use.

As a preliminary matter, I would like to assure you that we believe that, like every other citizen, each Christian has a religious duty to pay taxes and comply with the law. Three of the four gospels specifically emphasize Jesus’ teaching to his disciples: that we are to render unto Caesar what is due to Caesar, and to render unto God what is due to God. Matthew 22:21 - "They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Mark 12:17 - "And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him." Luke 20:23-25 - "But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." We at World Changers Church believe that all of God’s people are required to pay taxes and that our Church has a scriptural mandate to comply with the tax laws. We can assure you that our Church makes every effort to comply with the requirements of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. If the Committee on Finance has any information to the contrary, we would certainly request that you provide it to us, so that we may take appropriate action to resolve the problem immediately.

We also believe that the tithe, or 10% of our income, belongs to God, not to the government. Leviticus 27:30 - "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord." Because the tithe does not belong to the government, we have serious concerns when the Senate Finance Committee, or any agency of the government for that matter, evaluates whether the way we use or implement the tithe is valid. The tithe is a gift from each member of our Church to the Kingdom of God and should not be the subject of review and criticism by members of the Senate. Asking this of us is no different from asking any other church in America for an itemized list of who put what amount into the collection plate at last week’s regular Sunday service.

Furthermore, our faith teaches us that our giving should be in secret in order for God to reward us openly. Matthew 6:1-4 - "Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” The Bible is very clear on this—when we give in private, our Father rewards us openly, and His favor is evident to all of those around us. In conjunction with this, our Church has a duty in accordance with Jesus’ proclamation to protect the privacy rights of our friends and members and the confidences they have placed in us. Our ability to sustain this religious obligation is seriously jeopardized by an open-ended public governmental investigation like Senator Grassley’s. We believe that is no more appropriate than asking particular parishioners the substance of their prayers or confessions.

We also believe that we should give of our materials to our teacher because of his spiritual teaching. 1 Corinthians 9:11 - "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?” Galatians 6:6 - "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things." The Bible teaches us that we should reward our spiritual leaders, and we have been blessed, both within our Church and in our partner churches, with truly gifted leaders. Like the members of many other religions, we feel as a congregation that we have a duty to honor our teachers.

Finally, we know that God wants us to be rich spiritually, physically and financially. 3 John 2 - “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Psalms 112:3 - "Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever." Proverbs 10:22 - "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." Deuteronomy 8:18 - "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." Genesis 13:2 - "And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." 1 Timothy 6:17 - "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." God wants us to succeed—not to want—after all, we are His children. Being spiritually, physically and financially healthy is an outward sign of God’s favor, and we celebrate that blessing.

Like any other church in America, World Changers has deeply held religious beliefs, and we must protest any kind of evaluation of those beliefs by a member of the United States Senate. As much as we would like to provide information to the Senator, we simply must do everything within our power to protect our Church and its members from public scrutiny and a Congressional evaluation of the validity of our beliefs. We have no choice, therefore, but to decline to provide Senator Grassley with a response to his inquiries. We are confident that you will agree that this inquiry speaks to the very heart of our First Amendment rights and will concur that compelling a response would certainly violate the Separation of Church and State.

May God bless you and keep you,

Faithfully,

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar