The Revelation Will Be Televised 

"Now it is required for those that have been given a trust must prove faithful." -- 1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV

"Facing a mountain in your life? Nowhere else to turn? Do you need a miracle? David Cerullo's powerful new book reveals the keys you need to unlock your miracle! Call now to sow a seed and receive this powerful book that teaches you step by step to receive the breakthroughs you need in your life! Call now! Sow your seed of $40. Operators are standing by."

The above statement is an appeal from David Cerullo, chairman and CEO of Inspiration Networks, a Charlotte-based cable network that's available in 22 million U.S. households. The self-help message could be an appeal from some Oprah-approved self-help guru or a Tony Robbins knockoff; instead it's coming from a casually mannered, amiable man who discusses the Biblical story of King Jehoshaphat as the message crawls across the bottom of the TV screen.

This message, that one who gives to God shall receive and that miracles can be obtained merely through faith, is an echo of "prosperity theology" -- an odd, if not sacrilegious, philosophy for many Christians, including local prosperity critic the Rev. Mike Macdonald. "Christ didn't die on the cross so that we could be financially prosperous," says Macdonald, pastor of Broad Street United Methodist Church.

But it's theology as usual for Morris and David Cerullo, father and son Christian leaders who have been treated as everything from shameless huckster (Morris) to Christian visionary (David).

Inspiration is one of the largest Christian media networks in the country, rivaled only by Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network and Paul and (the pink-bouffanted) Jan Crouch's Trinity Broadcasting Network. Yet many Charlotteans don't even know Inspiration exists. Within its studios, tucked in nondescript office buildings off Arrowood Road and elsewhere around Charlotte, the network produces and broadcasts Christian-themed reality shows, children's programming and the ministries of numerous Christian heavyweights.

Some ministries, such as the one by Charlotte's own the Rev. Claude Alexander of University Park Baptist Church, represent mainline denominations. Many denominations and theologies are represented, including Catholicism, Judaism, mainline Protestantism and so-called prosperity preachers, whose ministries are of the name-it-and-claim-it school. That is, God will bless believers with what they seek as long as they have faith -- whether that is a healed body, an end to crushing debt or even a new Mercedes.

It's these latter ministries where controversy begins.

Charlotte is certainly no stranger to high-profile evangelists. The Rev. Billy Graham was born near here, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association maintains its headquarters off the parkway named for him. While not without critics, Graham is widely considered an esteemed, above-board elder statesman of evangelism.

Charlotte's other famous man of God remains another story. When Jim Bakker was led in 1989 from a courtroom in handcuffs, the moment encapsulated tumultuous years of debate over the former Assemblies of God minister's operations. PTL ministries, personified by Bakker's boyish charisma and wife Tammy Faye Bakker's ostentatious fashion sense, had been among the most popular in the country.

Nearly two decades later, Bakker lives in relative obscurity years after his release from prison, wife Tammy battles cancer, and son Jay Bakker leads a punkified Christian ministry that meets in various U.S. nightclubs, including the Milestone here in Charlotte.

When PTL went belly up, Morris Cerullo, already an internationally known evangelist based in San Diego, bought the remnants of the network in bankruptcy court after fending off rivals' legal challenges. Ordained as an Assemblies of God minister, like Bakker, Cerullo boasts of an extraordinary life: He has written, for instance, that a heavenly messenger led him from the Jewish orphanage in which he was raised and that he has had personal audience with God.

After Cerullo purchased the network, he made his son David its leader. For several years, however, even as the organization drew a clear distinction between Inspiration and Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, the elder Cerullo ran operations from behind the scenes, claims Pete Evans of the Trinity Foundation, a Texas-based Christian watchdog group that's probably best known for its damning exposé of prosperity preacher Robert Tilton.

Nearly two decades later, the remnants of the PTL infrastructure -- its buildings and studios, not to mention Heritage USA -- have been transformed into a quiet ministry that is preparing for great things.

The organization is moving forth on a $98-million, 93-acre Christian mega-campus just across the South Carolina state line, off U.S. 521 in northern Lancaster County about five miles south of Ballantyne.

The groundbreaking for the City of Light on Nov. 5 attracted big names, including South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and religious leaders such as Jerry Falwell, John Hagee, Benny Hinn and Pat Robertson.

The company says the City of Light will allow Inspiration Networks to meet growing demands of its cable TV, new media and ministry outreach ventures. The organization's employee roster has grown to about 350 people. But the City of Light could accommodate as many as 1,500 workers, making Inspiration Networks one of the county's largest employers. Keith Tunnell, president of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp., says the City of Light campus will "put Lancaster County on the map."

Inspiration Networks include the Inspiration Network, La Familia Cosmovision, Inspiration Life Television and Inspiration Network International. The Inspiration Network is carried on more than 2,500 U.S. cable systems. And its international station goes to 50 million households in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, according to the network.

The organization has grown into a $50-million a year venture. Its nonprofit ministries brought in $17 in donations in 2005, the most recent year data was available. With operations scattered across 9 campuses, it produces both religious and secular programming. Its CEO, David Cerullo, was paid $1.1 million, according to federal tax documents.

The Inspiration Networks' signature station broadcasts a lengthy lineup of well-known religious leaders: The Rev. Charles Stanley, a sober-tongued United Methodist Church minister out of Atlanta; John Hagee, the firebrand Texan known for staunchly pro-Israel preaching; Jerry Falwell; and Jay Sekulow, senior counsel for the American Center for Law & Justice, a sort of religious right counterpoint to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Then there's Joyce Meyer, a frequent target of prosperity gospel critics; the Rev. James Robison, founder of a worldwide relief organization; Bishop T.D. Jakes, the phenomenally popular nondenominational pastor of The Potter's House, a megachurch in Texas; and Mac Hammond, the high-rolling Minnesotan who's been accused by the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics of violating federal tax guidelines for nonprofits.

The ministries that Inspiration broadcasts, obviously, represent a multitude of Christian voices (a few shows do address Judaism). Many of these ministers do an amazing amount of good works. But some, such as Morris Cerullo, promulgate a theology that critics say is, at the very least, easily misused and, at the most, blatant hucksterism that preys upon the faith of the vulnerable.

Consider Benny Hinn.

Most channel surfers have a passing familiarity with the melodramatic, Nehru-jacketed Hinn, who can knock believers down merely by blowing on them. An undeniably controversial figure, Hinn has attracted the scrutiny of secular skeptics, who label him a charlatan, and Christian critics, who see his message as not just fraudulent but blasphemous.

Wall Watchers, a Matthews-based evangelical watchdog group with employees scattered around the United States, gives Hinn's ministry a grade of "F" for transparency and recommends donors give money elsewhere, possibly to "one of the many Biblically based ministries that are not only more transparent in their dealings with the public but also treat donor's funds as a sacred trust dedicated exclusively for the Lord's work."

Hinn, according to a Wall Watchers report that cites its own research as well as a 2005 report from the TV newsmagazine Dateline, "lives a lavish lifestyle with funds intended for charitable purposes; preaches a self-serving prosperity theology message; manipulates individuals at 'healing crusades' for personal gain; makes unsubstantiated claims of healings; is nontransparent and lacks independent board oversight."

The Bible includes abundant accounts of God rewarding people for obedience. Luke 6:38 states, "Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." But messages of anti-materialism also abound. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth ... but lay up for yourself treasures in heaven."

Macdonald, pastor of Broad Street United Methodist Church in Mooresville, says prosperity gospel is "directly contrary" to the teachings of Jesus. Macdonald began writing religion columns during the heyday of Jim Bakker, mostly for the Gaston Gazette and the now-defunct Iredell Neighbors section of the Charlotte Observer. His purpose, he says, is to "make sure that if people reject the Gospel, that it's the real Gospel they're rejecting and not a false Gospel."

Prosperity gospels give non-believers the wrong idea about Christianity, Macdonald says. "I think it gives them the idea that Christianity is trivial and unimportant," he says. "They're rejecting a perverted interpretation of the Gospel."

Of course, one doesn't have to shun wealth to be a good Christian. "But that's not the goal in life," Macdonald says.

Do the Cerullos subscribe to this theology? The record seems to indicate yes. Recent broadcasts of David Cerullo's show certainly include appeals for money, with intimations that "sowing a seed" will reap financial or personal rewards. A spokesman for Inspiration Networks, senior vice president for communications John E. Roos, says, "The Bible is filled with verses expressing God's desire to bless people financially ... This is not the same as the 'prosperity Gospel.'" (For more of Roos' comments, see sidebar).

In November, David Cerullo told the Associated Press this: "Political or not, every one of our lives ought to be an open book because secrets can't be kept." He was referring to Ted Haggard, the high-profile Colorado minister who resigned following allegations that he'd visited a male prostitute and used crystal meth. But his words would be useful advice for some of the ministries, including his father's, that Inspiration broadcasts.

Rodney Pitzer, managing director for research for Wall Watchers, says the watchdog group hasn't investigated Inspiration Networks yet but plans to when it gets the money. Pitzer says he would classify them as a Word of Faith organization, and such organizations raise red flags. Word of Faith theology is based on the idea that health and prosperity are promised to Christians who have enough faith. "We do occasionally get some e-mails from individuals asking us look into and investigate different things," says Pitzer, who is based in Tampa, Fla. Pitzer contacted those individuals; none wanted to talk to Creative Loafing.

Morris Cerullo has drawn attention for faith healing worldwide, building a following through large crusades, but he has also been accused of financial improprieties. In July 2005, the elder Cerullo was indicted for federal tax fraud in California, where his ministry is based. The indictment alleges Cerullo filed a fraudulent federal tax return in 1998, omitting at least $290,000 of personal income; he also allegedly omitted $110,000 in 1999 and at least $150,000 in his 2000 tax filing. Most of this income came from speaking fees, according to U.S. Attorney's court filings. Each count could result in a three-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine.

Morris Cerullo World Evangelism has been marked by "a pattern of complaints" that he uses "his ministry to benefit himself personally," says Rick Ross, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Ross Institute, based in New Jersey. "Some people seem to feel that (Morris) Cerullo runs the ministry like a family business and takes money and uses money as he deems fit," Ross says. "And because there's no meaningful financial transparency or accountability through an elected board, he can do that with impunity."

Ayla Hightower, a disenchanted former devotee of Morris Cerullo, sold her cosmetics line at Morris Cerullo events, giving the ministry a hefty portion of the proceeds. As time passed, she realized that other vendors weren't pressured as much for money, even when she told Morris Cerullo ministry officials how tight her finances were. She tells of extravagant shopping habits, fancy cars and luxurious homes. "It's a big money-making business," says Hightower, of Alamogordo, N.M. "It's unbelievable."

Can Inspiration Networks, with David Cerullo in charge, be associated closely with Morris Cerullo Worldwide Evangelism, and should federal charges against his father taint Inspiration? According to Roos, Morris Cerullo, whom 2004 tax forms indicate was then a board member, is no longer on the board of directors and "has no formal ties to The Inspiration Networks."

The younger Cerullo and his wife, Barbara, own an 8,200-square-foot home in south Charlotte that's valued at $1.7 million, according to tax records. That's not too impressive for many secular network presidents, but none-too-shabby for the leader of a nonprofit organization that's mostly tax exempt.

For all her disenchantment with the elder Cerullo, Hightower has nothing but good things to say about his son. "He's a very compassionate man," she says. "You can feel that from him."

After Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Inspiration Networks worked with the nonprofit Convoy of Hope to donate about 460,000 pounds of food, water, toiletries and other items that went to about 920,000 people. Inspiration also preempted network programming to air a live relief concert that raised more than $130,000 for these efforts, Roos wrote in an e-mail.

Spokeswomen for secretaries of state in North Carolina and South Carolina say Inspiration Networks has had no complaints filed against them. David Cerullo is listed as a 2007 member of the National Religious Broadcasters' board of directors, which requires its membership to subscribe to a code of ethics. Members that receive more than $500,000 in donations are required to be members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, according to the NRB Web site.

Inspiration Networks is not a current ECFA member. The ECFA, which grew out of calls in the late 1970s for more scrutiny of both secular and religious nonprofits, has more than 2,000 member organizations representing more than $15 billion in donations. The accreditation agency's members, including large and prominent groups such as Focus on the Family and the National Association of Evangelicals, must agree to high standards of financial disclosure and accountability, says Ken Behr, ECFA president. Most members are nonprofit religious charities, though some members are churches, such as Forest Hill Church on Park Road, which joined recently.

Most questions about organizations involve groups that aren't members, Behr says. Asked why, he says he's not sure. ECFA doesn't advertise or actively seek new members, "so in many ways we have to assume that some organizations that aren't members haven't considered membership; they just haven't been asked.

"It could just be that simple," Behr says. "I'd rather think it's that simple than subscribe some kind of sinister motive ... I don't think churches have decided that 'we don't want to be accountable.' ... I think we just haven't gone out and asked the churches."

Behr says the Bible includes ethical mandates for financial transparency. "The Bible's replete with information in Proverbs as well as the Old Testament and the New Testament on why stewardship and doing the right things, treating people ethically [matter]," he says.

Inspirations Networks' City of Light does stand to treat Lancaster County well. Keith Tunnell, president of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp., estimates the City of Light project will net about 500 jobs for the county. Inspiration already has started hiring local people, Tunnell says.

The organization is working with local public schools as well as York Technical College to start co-op programs so students can take advantage of Inspiration's broadcasting equipment. "It's kind of a win-win for us and Inspiration," Tunnell says. "These young people will get experience on high-tech equipment and Inspiration will hopefully get potential employees out of our high schools and tech schools."

Inspiration will be one of Lancaster County's top 10 largest employers. "With them bringing a $100-million headquarters, having that many people there, and also having live entertainment programming, kind of puts Lancaster County on the map," Tunnell says. "And that kind of high-end development will only draw more high-end development to the area."

The nonprofit side of Inspiration won't pay property taxes, but the company's for-profit ventures will. The county also has approved Inspiration to build 550 condos, Tunnell says, and Inspiration gave the county $500,000 on each condo to be built.

Prosperity gospel can have an insidious effect on the people it claims to help, says Ross. "What happens very often is that people don't get what they name and claim, and then the way that the prosperity gospel preachers operate, they seem to be saying, 'well, if you don't get what you name and claim, there must be something wrong with you and your faith.' So what happens is that people who are sick, who want good health, and they've named it and they've claimed it, or people who are poor and they're looking for financial security and they name it and they claim it, they end up even worse off than they started -- that is, they started off wanting something to heal their lives, and having a faith in God and some hope.

"But in the end," continues Ross, "when the prosperity gospel teachings fail, they seem to lose even their sense of faith and their hope, which can be very demoralizing and cause severe depression. And so a lot of people have really been hurt by the prosperity gospel."

Though Jim Bakker and other purveyors have been disgraced, and some, like Bakker, have served prison time, other preachers come along in their place. How does this continue? "In a market-driven religion, that's the message that sells -- that if you love God he'll make you rich, so you get to be religious and rich," says Macdonald. "It's about what you get, not what you give."

"This is an illustration about the way in which American capitalism and American materialism find its way into a movement that says upfront it's anti-worldly (and that) it's not going to be taken by the powers of this world," Dr. Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest University Divinity School, says. "But it does get taken in [with this idea] that somehow the Christian gospel can be turned into a get-rich-quick scheme. And in that sense, it has the potential for serious misuse of faith."

The Charismatic movement grew through the support of people living on society's margins. "It's very practical in that sense. But what's happened is, as many Pentecostals have moved up the economic ladder they've bought into and theologized about good old-fashioned American materialism, and given permission for people, who said they were not going to be captivated by this world, to be worldly," Leonard says, citing as examples the extravagant, gaudy makeup and dress of Tammy Faye Bakker and Jan Crouch of TBN.

"So what they've discovered in many ways in the link between their view of Christianity and a kind of back-door materialism," says Leonard. "And that's the great irony to me."