For as long as there has been man, there has also been religion. From the worship of the animals and of nature, to deities, and the belief in the one true God, religion has indeed taken on different forms throughout history. The diversities in faith have resulted to the proliferation of different religious organizations each offering their own beliefs to different people. The religious groups nowadays have not confined themselves in churches, mosques and other places of worship, but they have also branched out to the different types of media particularly in television, in the radio and in different publications.
The Kenneth Copeland Ministry is an international Christian organization aimed to preach the word of the Lord in whatever way possible whether in the radio, the television, magazines and even over the internet. It provides spiritual advice services for different areas of life ranging from finance, health and relationships. It is headed by Kenneth Copeland and Gloria Copeland.
Before organizing the ministry, Kenneth Copeland was a recording artist who even had a Billboard hit back in 1957. However sometime in 1962, he converted to Christianity and began devoting his life to Christian ministry work. He began working as a pilot and driver for Oral Roberts, a televangelist and a Christian charismatic, eventually studying at the Oral Roberts University in 1967. He also worked with the institution as a member of its board of regents until 2008.
The Ministry began developing through the 1970′s, its focal point being the airing of their television show Believer’s Voice of Victory in 1979. Its main headquarters is located in Newark, Texas. However, it has spread all over the world having offices in different countries particularly in Africa, Canada, Australia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The ministry is also actively involved in prison ministry in over 23 countries.
It has not escaped criticism mainly because of its teachings and its claims of faith healing. One particular incident which led it to be highly criticized is Copeland’s act of asking for donations with the promise that it will return to the donors a hundred times more in happiness and in wealth. Along with other televangelists and religious sects, it became the subject of a Senate Inquiry. The financial records were investigated upon and their tax-exempt status has been questioned. Accusations have also arisen from former business associates as to the unauthorized use of the Copeland spouses of the money from the business for personal use, thus resulting in thousands of dollars in debts.
The CBS network conducted an investigation which raised several questions as to the legitimacy of the ministry. It was discovered that Kenneth Copeland owns a large lakeside estate as well as several private planes complete with its own airport, all of which are paid out of the money collected by the ministry. The Copeland family has also been alleged to use these planes for personal and family vacations.
Despite all of these, it has never wavered in its objective of spreading the word of the Lord as well as the Bible to the whole world. It tries to teach people how to lead successful Christian lives and how to get the most out of their spiritual development. It also provides answers from the Bible for every challenge or dilemma.
The true believers of the Kenneth Copeland ministry will undoubtedly continue to support it without questioning the motives of its leaders. This can be a true indication of how much faith a person can have on his religion and consequently how one can be vulnerable to others who seek to profit from such faith.
Being a partner of Kenneth Copeland Ministries bring about true meaning of your life. You not only hear the Words of God and learn from it; you put your spiritual life rewarding.