Related articles and links |  1 of 6

With major religion pieces this week in major metropolitan daily newspapers like Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe, and religion cover stories over at Newsweek and U.S. News, it's clear that any effort to compile comprehensive links to religion news stories around the world is going to have a bit of trouble. Add to that the four-day weekend, during which the stories piled up, and you can see why Weblog has been a little short on its "more stories" feature this week—there were just too many stories to reap.

No longer. We've found hundreds of religion stories this week, and now we're busy putting them into easily digestible categories. It's going to take us a bit longer to finish, but here's a load to keep you busy until our next posting this afternoon.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch series on Joyce Meyer:

• Money pitch is a hit with followers | This kind of hard-edged audacity that has made Meyer one of the biggest names in big-name TV evangelism and has endeared the Fenton grandmother to millions of faithful supporters worldwide. In St. Louis last month, Meyer asked for a $7 million check. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• From Fenton to fortune in the name of God | The way Joyce Meyer spends her ministry's money on herself and her family may violate federal law, legal and tax experts say. That law bars leaders of non-profits—religious groups and other charities—from privately benefiting from the tax-free money they raise. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Meyer traces her fervor to early abuse, alcohol | They are stories of a bullied and emotionally starved young woman victimized by an abusive father, a weak mother and a manipulative first husband. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• IRS requires pay, perks for evangelists to be "reasonable" | Federal law bars religious groups and charities from spending excessively on insiders — those who form and control the organization. Some tax experts say Joyce Meyer may be violating that law. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Jefferson County, Meyer joust over tax exemption | Atop a hill in Jefferson County sits the $20 million headquarters of Joyce Meyer Ministries. The 52-acre complex is the focal point of county Assessor Randy Holman's toughest tax battle. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• After 9 years of giving, man has no Chrysler, no wife, no wealth | Bob Schneller gave to Joyce Meyer until it hurt. Nine years later, he says, it still aches. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Women offer testimonials on how Meyer's preaching has helped them | Testimonials to Meyer and her ministry are everywhere in the pages of Meyer's corporate magazine, on her Web site, in the letters and phone calls that pour into her offices around the world, and inside the convention halls and the arenas where she speaks. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Meyer's charity work begins at home | Recent figures compiled by the ministry report that it donates more than $650,000 a month — nearly $8 million a year — to charitable groups. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  
• Homeless ministry's parish is in the streets | Warren was among dozens of homeless men and women who came to the Joyce Meyer Ministries' Dream Center this year, lured by the promise of doughnuts and a free haircut, and a simple message: "Jesus loves you." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  

St. Louis Post-Dispatch on televangelists:

• TV evangelists call signals from the same playbook | TV's salvation shows are still here, bigger and flashier than ever, thanks to the proliferation of the Internet and the continued spread of satellite and cable TV. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  

next page... |  1 of 6

December (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47