http://www.msnbc.com/local/wncn/m19771.asp
Graham's ministry accused of evangelizing with U.S. funds
CHARLOTTE, March 6 - A federal agency is investigating whether evangelist
Franklin Graham's ministry used government money to seek converts among
disaster victims in El Salvador.
Samaritan's Purse of Boone has received $225,000 from the U.S. government to
build prefabricated housing and distribute essential supplies after two
recent earthquakes.
The U.S. Agency for International Development will try to determine
whether the group used some of that money to evangelize, spokesperson Kim
Walz said Monday. Officials will also investigate whether Samaritan's Purse
offered aid only to those who accepted conversion efforts.
"An organization can't say, `You can't have this unless you convert,'''
Walz said.
Walz declined to say whether Samaritan's Purse is at risk of losing
future funding. The ministry is in line to receive another $200,000 for El
Salvador relief.
Through a spokesman, the son of evangelist Billy Graham denied that his
ministry used the money to proselytize villagers in the Central American
nation.
But spokesman Mark DeMoss also said Franklin Graham would sever his
government ties before agreeing to stop preaching gospel around the world.
``If the U.S. AID or anybody else has a problem with the Christian
nature or mission of Samaritan's Purse, he would forgo the money. It's not
that big a deal. He's not dependent on it,'' he said.
The Agency for International Development provided $3.9 million of the
$134 million budget that Samaritan's Purse reported last year. The ministry
draws primarily on private contributors to offer relief and evangelism in
more than 100 countries.
The New York Times reported Monday that residents of the predominantly
Roman Catholic country said the Protestant ministry asked them to accept
Jesus Christ.
Villagers said ministry volunteers held half-hour prayer meetings
before showing them how to build temporary homes provided by the U.S.
government, the Times reported.
In addition to its federally funded efforts, Samaritan's Purse has used
private resources to distribute Christian tracts and urge individuals to
accept Christ.
The issue of mixing state aid with church outreach is especially
sensitive as federal agencies try to adapt to President Bush's plan to
provide government aid to religious groups involved in social services.
Graham states his priorities in the Samaritan's Purse Web site:
``This gives them hope. That's the main thing -- to come into a
community like this and give hope to the people that they can rebuild and get
their lives back together. Most important, we want to give them eternal hope,
and that's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.''
