Trinity Broadcasting Network

==Controversies==

===Theology===
Trinity Broadcasting Network had previously come under heavy criticism for its promotion of the [[prosperity gospel]], teaching viewers that they will receive a reward if they donate or give offerings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Luke 6:38|url=http://bible.cc/luke/6-38.htm|work=Bible.cc|quote="Give, and it will be given to you. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap, because you will be evaluated by the same standard with which you evaluate others."}}</ref> In a 2004 interview with the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', [[Paul Crouch, Jr.]] expressed his disappointment that "the prosperity gospel is a lightning rod for the Body of Christ. It's not what drives TBN."<ref>{{cite news|title=TBN's Promise: Send Money and See Riches|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/20/local/me-tbn20|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 20, 2004}}</ref> Under leadership of Matt Crouch, TBN no longer adheres to or practices that theology, and programming changes such as removing Kenneth Copeland reflect that shift.<ref>{{cite news|title=TBN drops Kenneth Copeland from programming lineup amid upcoming changes|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/tbn-to-drop-kenneth-copeland-from-programming-lineup-amid-upcoming-changes.html|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=August 19, 2020}}</ref>

TBN has always broadcast programming featuring Protestant pastors who are not into the prosperity gospel, such as [[Charles Stanley]], [[Jack Graham (pastor)|Jack Graham]], [[Franklin Graham]], [[Billy Graham]], [[Michael Youssef]], [[David Jeremiah]] and [[Robert Jeffress (pastor)|Robert Jeffress]]. Senator [[Chuck Grassley]], the chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Finance]] has conducted investigations into whether [[Joyce Meyer]] and [[Benny Hinn]] mishandled their finances; neither  were found to have committed wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite news|title=Televangelists Living Like Kings?|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/cbsnews_investigates/main3462147.shtml|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=November 6, 2007|access-date=September 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Two Televangelists Making Reform|url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080709/two-televangelists-making-reforms-amid-financial-probe/index.html|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=July 9, 2008}}</ref>

===Wealth and transparency===
TBN is a [[501(c)(3)]] non-profit company. Full disclosure of TBN's financial statements have been evaluated by [[Charity Navigator]], the largest evaluator of charities and non-profit companies in the U.S. TBN has received a three out of four star rating for four consecutive years, and in 2009 earned a rating of two out of four stars due to a 2% increase in administrative costs in 2009; the report also revealed that for the fiscal year ending December 2009, TBN president Paul Crouch, Sr. earned $419,500; co-vice president Jan Crouch earned $361,000; and co-vice president Paul Crouch, Jr. earned $214,137. TBN is currently under Donor Advisory status with Charity Navigator.<ref name="charitynavigator.org">{{cite news|title=charitynavigator.org|url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4574|publisher=[[Charity Navigator]]}}</ref>

Another charity watchdog group, [[Ministry Watch]], gave TBN an "F" in 2011 for its failure to provide financial statements, lack of timeliness in responding to correspondence, and its lack of clarity in the provided information. As a result, TBN was placed on the group's alert list annually since 2009.<ref name=MinistryWatchTBN>{{cite web|title=Trinity Broadcasting Network|url=http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/trinity-broadcasting-network.aspx|work=Ministry Watch|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312220159/http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/Trinity-Broadcasting-Network.aspx|archive-date=March 12, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=30 Donor Alerts of 2011 |url=http://www.ministrywatch.com/pdf/donoralert2011.pdf |work=Ministry Watch |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306095206/http://ministrywatch.com/pdf/donoralert2011.pdf |archive-date=March 6, 2012 }}</ref>

TBN's annual financial information is monitored by the [[Chronicle of Philanthropy]], where it is ranked 243 out of the top 400 non-profit corporations in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trinity Broadcasting Network|url=http://philanthropy.com/premium/stats/philanthropy400/index.php?keyword=trinity+broadcasting&search=search|work=Philanthropy.com}} - dead link</ref> TBN is not a member of the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]].

In 2011, Paul Crouch, Jr. resigned from his position as co-vice president on TBN. On November 10 of that year, Crouch, Jr. joined [[The Word Network]] as its Director of Project Development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Crouch Jr. Joins The Word Network|url=http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/November/Paul-Crouch-JrJoins-The-Word-Network|publisher=[[Christian Broadcasting Network]]|date=November 10, 2011}}</ref>

In February 2012, [[Brittany Koper]], TBN's former Director of Finance (and the daughter of Paul Crouch Jr.), filed a lawsuit against her former attorneys, Davert & Loe. The three counts of the complaint were for breach of fiduciary duties, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and professional negligence. In this lawsuit, Koper alleged that TBN unlawfully distributed over $50 million to the ministry's directors. Koper filed the suit following the termination of her employment with TBN. Davert & Loe, who also represented TBN, denied her claims. Koper's suit against Davert & Loe is pending; no official judicial ruling has been made in this matter.<ref name="KoperSuit">{{cite news|title=Family Battle Offers Look Inside Lavish TV Ministry|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/us/tbn-fight-offers-glimpse-inside-lavish-tv-ministry.html?_r=1&smid=fb-share|author=Erik Eckholm|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Suit: TBN board diverted millions from 'charitable assets'|url=http://www.ocregister.com/taxdollars/strong-478558-koper-tbn.html|author=Teri Sforza|newspaper=[[Orange County Register]] (OC Watchdog)|date=February 9, 2013}}</ref> In a May 2012 interview with ''[[The New York Times]]'', Koper claimed, "My job as finance director was to find ways to label extravagant personal spending as ministry expenses." Koper alleged that the network had herself and [[chauffeur]]s and [[sound engineer]]s ordained as ministers in order to avoid paying [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] taxes on their salaries.<ref name="KoperSuit"/>

===Lawsuits===
In September 2004, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that Paul Crouch had paid former TBN employee Enoch Lonnie Ford a $425,000 formal settlement to end a [[wrongful termination]] lawsuit in 1998.<ref name="1996scandal">{{cite magazine|title=Former TBN Employee Alleges Gay Tryst With Paul Crouch|url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/septemberweb-only/9-13-11.0.html|author=Ted Olsen|magazine=[[Christianity Today]]|date=September 1, 2004|access-date=December 25, 2006|archive-date=February 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207200817/http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/septemberweb-only/9-13-11.0.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ford alleged that he and Crouch had a homosexual tryst during his employment with the ministry.<ref>{{cite web|title=TBN's Crouch Rebuts Sexual Harassment Story|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/79701-TBN_s_Crouch_Rebuts_Sexual_Harassment_Story.php|work=Multichannel News}}</ref> TBN officials acknowledged the settlement but contested Ford's credibility, noting that he had previously been convicted for [[child molestation]] and drug abuse. In 1996, Ford was fired by TBN after he was arrested for drug-related offenses and returned to prison for a year. Ford allegedly threatened to sue TBN for wrongful termination and [[sexual harassment]] after the network refused to hire him following his release, resulting in his claims against Crouch. TBN officials stated that the settlement was made in order to avoid a lengthy and expensive lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bad faith, blackmail and a troubled TV evangelist |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article32197.ece |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=September 14, 2004 |access-date=September 17, 2007 }}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In late 2003, Ford attempted to [[extort]] Crouch, threatening to release an autobiographical [[manuscript]] of their alleged affair if TBN did not purchase the document for $10 million. In October 2004, Judge Robert J. O'Neill awarded Crouch $136,000 in legal fees to be paid by Ford for his violation of the terms of the settlement agreement, specifically the prohibition of discussing the details of the settlement. On March 15, 2005, Ford appeared on the [[Ion Television|PAX TV]] reality series ''[[Lie Detector (TV series)|Lie Detector]]'' to be given a [[polygraph test]]; the results of the test were never broadcast or made public.<ref>{{cite news|title=Born again: Evangelist sex scandal|author=Lloyd Grove|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]]|date=March 31, 2005}}</ref>

In June 2012, the ''[[Orange County Register]]'' reported that Carra Crouch, a granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch, alleged in a lawsuit that she had been [[rape]]d by a TBN employee when she was 13 years old.<ref>{{cite web|title=Suit alleges TBN covered up rape of 13-year-old|url=http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/06/21/suit-alleges-tbn-covered-up-rape-of-13-year-old/157357/|newspaper=Orange County Register|date=June 21, 2012}}</ref> Carra claimed to have been [[sexual abuse|sexually abused]] while staying at an [[Atlanta]] hotel during TBN's "Spring Praise-a-Thon" in 2006. She also claimed that Jan Crouch and TBN attorney John Casoria blamed her for the incident, yet agreed not to turn the fired employee in to authorities if he did not file for [[unemployment]], [[worker's compensation|worker's comp]] or [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission|EEOC]] benefits. TBN attorney Colby May "vehemently denied" Carra's claims.<ref>{{cite web|title=Granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch Alleges Cover-up of Rape by TBN Employee When She Was 13|url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2012/06/granddaughter_of_paul_and_jan-crouch_alleges_cover-up.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625224118/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2012/06/granddaughter_of_paul_and_jan-crouch_alleges_cover-up.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 2012|newspaper=[[Orange County Weekly]]|date=June 25, 2012}}</ref> In 2017, a year after Jan Crouch's death, a jury awarded Carra $2 million in damages for "mental suffering", but found that Jan had not been acting as a "Trinity Clergy Member" and therefore wasn't legally required to report the assault.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stevens|first=Matt|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/us/trinity-broadcasting-verdict.html|title=Jury Finds Televangelist Jan Crouch Shunned Granddaughter's Report of Rape|work=The New York Times|date=June 7, 2017|access-date=September 26, 2017}}</ref>

===Pre-emption of programs due to criticism of other religions===
[[Bible prophecy]] scholar [[Hal Lindsey]]'s program ''International Intelligence Briefing'', which occasionally aired commentary segments criticizing [[Muslim]]s and [[Islam]], aired on TBN from 1994 to 2005. In December 2005, TBN pre-empted the program for the entire month. Lindsey accused the network of [[censorship]], saying, "some at the network apparently feel that my message is too pro-[[Israel]] and too anti-Muslim."<ref>{{cite web|title=International Intelligence Briefing |url=http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=12130 |work=Hal Lindsey Oracle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211103318/http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=12130 |archive-date=December 11, 2006 }}</ref> Paul Crouch issued a press release stating that the show was only pre-empted for [[Christmas]] programming,<ref>{{cite web|title=TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network<!-- Bot generated title -->|url=http://www.tbn.org/index.php/7.html?nid=87|publisher=Trinity Broadcasting Network|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=June 15, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615162413/http://www.tbn.org/index.php/7.html?nid=87|url-status=dead}}</ref> but eventually admitted that TBN management was concerned that Lindsey "placed [[Arab]]s in a negative light." Lindsey resigned from TBN on January 1, 2006, effectively canceling ''International Intelligence Briefing''. However, one year later, Crouch and Lindsey reconciled and a new program, ''[[The Hal Lindsey Report]]'', premiered on the network.<ref>{{cite web |title=TBN Welcomes Popular Christian Author Hal Lindsey with New Weekly Program |url=http://www.tbnnetworks.org/affiliate/prArticle.php?ID=100 |work=TBN Networks |date=January 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315015715/http://www.tbnnetworks.org/affiliate/prArticle.php?ID=100 |archive-date=March 15, 2009 }}</ref>

In June 2011, TBN refused to rebroadcast an episode of [[Jack Van Impe]]'s weekly program ''Jack Van Impe Presents'', in which the evangelist criticized pastors [[Rick Warren]] and [[Robert Schuller]] for participating in [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] conferences alongside Muslim leaders. Both Warren and Schuller denied the accusations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pastors' Answer: Does Rick Warren Endorse Chrislam?|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastors-answer-does-rick-warren-endorse-chrislam-52833/|work=Christian Post}}</ref> Paul Crouch defended TBN's decision, stating that it was against network policy for personalities to attack each other on-air<ref>{{cite web|title=JVI NEW RESPONSE|url=http://www.tbn.org/announcements/files/JVI%20NEW%20RESPONSE%206-24-11b.pdf|publisher=Trinity Broadcasting Network}}</ref> (Schuller had a regular show on TBN).  As a result, Jack Van Impe Ministries announced that it would no longer air Van Impe's program on TBN.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jack Van Impe off TBN after criticizing two pastors|url=http://www.detnews.com/article/20110621/METRO/106210436/1361/Jack-Van-Impe-off-TBN-after-criticizing-two-pastors|newspaper=[[The Detroit News]]|date=June 21, 2011}} {{dead link|date=January 2013}}</ref>

===''Travel the Road'' in Afghanistan===
TBN produces and airs the Christian [[reality television|reality]] show ''[[Travel the Road]]'', which features missionaries Tim Scott and Will Decker in remote and often war-torn locations. In December 2008, the program attracted criticism from the [[Military Religious Freedom Foundation]] (MRFF), a watchdog group that looks for [[religious discrimination]] in the [[United States military]], which claimed that Scott and Decker were embedded with U.S. troops stationed in [[Afghanistan]]. According to MRFF president Mikey Weinstein, the military exercises a "complete prohibition of the proselytizing of any religion, faith, or practice...You see [Scott and Decker] wearing American helmets. It is obvious they were completely embedded." When [[ABC News]] contacted the [[U.S. Army]] in Afghanistan about Scott and Decker's alleged embed, which had taken place four years previously, they said that they no longer had the documentation of the missionaries' status with the troops.<ref name="abcnews.go.com">{{cite web|title=Missionaries Face Death, Criticism to Preach|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaithMatters/Story?id=6786701&page=3|work=[[ABC News]]|date=February 2, 2009}}</ref>

Scott defended the trip to Afghanistan, telling ABC, "It wasn't like we were hiding in the back saying we're going to preach. [The military] knew what we were doing. We told them that we were born again Christians, we're here doing ministry, we shoot for this TV station and we want to embed and see what it was like. We were interviewing the chaplains and we talked to them. We spoke at the services and things like that. So we did do our mission being over there as far as being able to document what the soldiers go through, what it's like in Afghanistan. So I could say that we were on a secular mission as well as far as documenting. I would say we were news reporters as well, we were delivering news of what was actually happening there, but we were also there to document the Christian side." Scott argued that since the pair were acting as Christian journalists, they had the same right to cover the war in Afghanistan as secular networks.<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/>