December (Web-only) 2003

ARTICLE TOOLS

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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)