Related articles and links |  1 of 4

IRS says "Dr. Dino" isn't paying his taxes
Kent Hovind is a creationist who is pretty well known among other creationists—he was the representative for the six-day literalist position in a widely circulated 2000 debate with Hugh Ross on the John Ankerberg Show—but he's not every creationist's favorite spokesman.

For example, Answers in Genesis, one of the leading creationist organizations, called him a "talented creationist speaker … with reasonably orthodox understandings of Genesis," but criticized his use of "material that is not sound scientifically." (This led to a bit of a dispute between Hovind and the group.)

He's also had trouble with the law, having been charged with assault, battery, and burglary (the charges were dropped), and faces other charges over his refusal to get building permits for his properties.

Now Hovind, who goes by the name "Dr. Dino" and runs Dino Adventure Land, Faith Baptist Church, and Creation Science Evangelism in Pensacola, Florida, is being investigated by the IRS for tax evasion.

IRS agent Scott Schneider said Hovind's businesses and church don't have either a business license or tax-exempt status as nonprofit enterprises.

"Since 1997, Hovind has engaged in financial transactions indicating sources of income and has made deposits to bank accounts well in excess of $1 million per year during some of these years, which would require the filing of federal income taxes," Schneider said, according to the Pensacola News-Journal.

Hovind says he's being persecuted, and his lawyer seems to be making the same case as Hovind did about those building permits: he doesn't need to follow the law since his religious enterprises are "entirely separate from secular authorities."

Abduction and murder at church:

• Abducted woman dies, child saved | A Sheraden woman was shot to death Sunday on a turnpike exit ramp after her ex-lover opened fire at a church service, abducted her and their infant daughter and led police on a 50-mile chase (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
  
  
• Sheraden woman slain after gunman abducts her and infant daughter from church services | Suspect led police on long chase; baby unharmed (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
  
  

The return of Jeffrey John:

• Gay cleric takes up senior post | The openly gay canon who felt compelled to withdraw his candidature as Bishop of Reading has been named the new Dean of St Albans (BBC)
  
  
• Hostility disappears as gay canon is appointed Dean of St Albans | Dr Jeffrey John, formerly in line to become Bishop of Reading, is given a senior posting (The Independent, London)
  
  
• Gay displaced from bishopric given deanery as consolation prize (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• No 10 drive to give gay priest top job | Tony Blair personally sanctioned the controversial appointment of a gay priest to one of the most important Church of England jobs as part of a Downing Street campaign to warn Anglican leaders that a person's sexuality should not bar them from senior positions (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Fury as Church appoints gay canon new dean of St Albans | The Church of England was accused of creating a "spiritual vacuum" in Britain last night after the disclosure that Jeffrey John, the gay canon forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading, is to be the next dean of St Albans (The Telegraph, London)
  
  

People:

• Pope John Paul II: Pointing the way to reconciliation | Part of the Time 100 series (Elie Wiesel, Time)
  
  
• Mel Gibson: Passionate art from the gut | Part of the Time 100 series (Jerry B. Jenkins, Time)
  
  
• Life after the report | The Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr talks about horseback riding, the Pledge of Allegiance and never making it onto the Supreme Court (The New York Times Magazine)
  
  

next page... |  1 of 4

April (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48