Advocates of our KennethCopelandBlog.com redemptive project have been wondering with us why Kenneth Copeland has not yet appeared publicly to comment regarding this entire “Angel Flight 44 ministry” fiasco (AF44). Furthermore, we have all noticed that Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) seems to be going to great lengths to avoid even using the name “Angel Flight 44″ within their public statements. In this short post, I want to analyze these two facts briefly to bring these to everyone’s attention.
.
.
Where’s Copeland?
.
It would appear at this time that Kenneth Copeland is avoiding making any further public statements regarding these matters. He is ONLY “talking publicly” about Angel Flight 44 here on KennethCopelandBlog.com within the abundant videos, BVOV magazine articles, and other citations we have provided for public scrutiny. MOREOVER: Within KCM’s public behavior and statements, KCM seems to be trying to distance Kenneth Copelandpersonally from these issues.
In KCM’s January, 26, 2010 public statement, James Tito, the Executive Director of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, did all the “talking” on behalf of both KCM and the Copeland family. I have never personally met James Tito (to my knowledge). I am also fairly certain that he had little to nothing to do with the original AF44 missions, or the Angel Flight 44 book project, or the public promises Kenneth Copeland made repeatedly concerning the new AF44 ministry that he proclaimed “is born” and “is here to stay.” Thus, Mr. Tito would seem to be a strange choice for making KCM’s public statements in any effort to “correct” the “misleading” information they claimed was being “spread in the media.” (Of course, we dissect their public statement, including KCM’s notable errors and glaring omissions, in the above linked article.)
In Christian Today’s article Televangelist Kenneth Copeland blasted for ‘unfulfilled promises’ posted February 2, 2010 on their website, reporter Lillian Kwon of the Christian Post quotes Stephen Swisher as KCM’s spokesman. Again, Mr. Swisher was not even around KCM during the events I mentioned above; he is a rather new addition to the Copeland family and ministry staff. Since he has no firsthand knowledge of these things, it seems similarly strange to pick him as a spokesperson. (We examine this excellent Christian Today article and dissect KCM’s public statements therein here in this previous KennethCopelandBlog.com post.)
So we have two different spokespersons, neither of which seem to have had any firsthand knowledge of these events and issues. However, there has been NO public comment—or any attempt at a rebuttal of our allegations—by Kenneth Copeland himself.
.
.
Where’s Mention of AF44?
.
Then there is this interesting fact than within none of KCM’s statements to date do they EVER mention the name “Angel Flight 44″ specifically. In fact, they seem to go out of their way to avoid using that name entirely. As I also elaborated further within our newly-updated post AF44′s Status in 2010 and the aforementioned two articles above, KCM’s omission of any specific reference to AF44 by name is VERY revealing:
.
It reveals that KCM and the Copeland family all seem to know that the AF44 issue is one in which they are extremely culpable for their previous lack of performance regarding Copeland’s AF44 promises.
It reveals that KCM is very wary of drawing attention to the writer of the book, Angel Flight 44 (i.e. Rich Vermillion) and what I might have to say about these issues (and others concerning them).
It reveals that KCM is very wary of drawing any further attention to KennethCopelandBlog.com as well, and the many issues that we are clearly documenting here.
It reveals that KCM’s sudden public reversal on some issues is NOT sign of true repentance, as their behavior to date in the light of the following Scripture makes clear:
.
The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved. But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him]. (Jesus speaking, as recorded in John 3:19-21, AMP, emphasis added)
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (The apostle Paul speaking, as recorded in Acts 26:20, NIV, emphasis added)
.
It would appear by the facts at hand—and in the light of Scripture—that we can ONLY conclude that KCM’s actions and statements to date are evidence of vehement “damage control.” They are backpedaling on various issues and dancing around our allegations as they try to form some sort of public relations countermeasure against the well-documented allegations here on KennethCopelandBlog.com.
Nevertheless, from the very launch of this website, we have clearly stated and demonstrated that we are calling on Kenneth Copeland, his family, and his ministry…to simply repent. So unless they ALL come to a place of “godly sorrow that leads to repentance” as I mentioned in our previous post, then KennethCopelandBlog.com will have to remain an ongoing redemptive project.
In closing, my family and I would like to express once again our heartfelt gratitude to the growing multitude of our advocates: You all share our concerns for the Copelands and for those they influence…as well as our biblical vision for calling the Copeland family and KCM to repentance. Thank you for your Christian friendship and encouragement. You are all such a blessing to us.
Advocates of our KennethCopelandBlog.com redemptive project will be thrilled to know (as we are) that we are making tremendous progress in holding the Copeland family and ministry to a biblical standard of conduct and financial integrity. Here is the latest…
KCM’s public statement did NOT address the issues we raised within our post Angel Flight 44, The Money, regarding the FACT that their many AF44-ministry announcements were tied to offerings and donor (“partner”) recruitment, and that their Angel Flight 44 book give away project netted them a financial return several times larger than their “gift” expenditures. Thus, they do NOT in any way address the KCM’s general fund financial windfalls that resulted from Copeland’s AF44 promises (which could be upwards of $1.24 million, and probably much more).
KCM finally gave an answer as to what they did with the designated money. Two more notes:
KCM did NOT specify “which” plane those funds were directed towards for repairs. Was it an Angel Flight 44 designated aircraft, or one of KCM’s own fleet, or some other airplane? If the money was NOT applied to repairs for an AF44-designated aircraft, then that would qualify as a misappropriation of donor funds.
Again, KCM’s explanation is not only very questionable but also cannot be independently verified. Nevertheless, KCM’s public statement is very significant considering their nearly four-year silence regarding those funds since the 2006 SWBC AF44 announcements.
Stephen Swisher, KCM’s spokesperson, spoke a “quarter-truth” in the article (at best) when he is quoted as saying, “This was not a specific promise with a time line attached.” That is very misleading.
There was no “time line attached” because Kenneth Copeland said in both 2006 and 2007 that the ministry had already been “birthed” and was “growing.” Swisher’s comment seems to imply that nobody said “when” they would START the ministry, as if to say, “So we’re a bit late…Hey, nobody promised anything specific!” Swisher’s statement is either a deliberate deception, a misquote, or evidence that Swisher (who is new to KCM) is not qualified to address these issues.
Further, there really WERE very specific promises given by Kenneth Copeland (and which are also documented on this website by multiple videos, BVOV magazine downloads, & etc.) that included very specific characteristics: A new aviation hangar, acquisition of new airplanes and helicopters (including even amphibious aircraft), an expanded mechanics team, stored water and foodstuffs, (& etc). Apart from the remote possibility of a misquote, for this excellent article to quote Mr. Swisher as even suggesting that no “specific promise” was given is for the reporter to also document for our benefit one or more of the following:
A deliberate KCM deception,
or again, that Mr. Swisher is not qualified to address these issues due to his demonstrable ignorance of the facts involved.
An additional fact: KCM did NOT even maintain the original capabilities of Angel Flight 44. They allowed Glen Hyde’s Douglas Super-DC3 to become inoperable once gain (due to inadequate maintenance and resulting FAA regulatory disqualifications); and they allowed the previously airworthy Beechcraft-18 (mentioned below) to also become inoperable due to unrepaired “structural issues” (which Swisher’s own statement in the article admits). Thus, after numerous hurricanes and natural disasters struck, wreaking havoc upon their victims—there were NO Angel Flight 44 airplanes flyingas Copeland had promised to relieve their misery.
KCM seemed to mention the Beechcraft-18 aircraft they accidentally ended up with, after an effort to give it to an African missionary went sour. Note their statement, “KCM has purchased an aircraft but it ‘currently has structural issues’ and is still ‘not in airworthy condition.’” They give the impression, however, that this aircraft was purchased specifically for AF44 which—if it is the Beech-18 I show below—would not really be the case. Note pilot Glen Hyde standing on the right side of the men posing for the picture, which I took prior to its delivery to KCM:
.
(Click to enlarge within a new browser window)
KCM’s Beechcraft-18 airplane, with pilot Glen Hyde standing on the far right.
.
KCM now says that they are once again wanting to get back into the humanitarian aviation ministry. Note Swisher’s comment, “…it is our desire to have an aircraft to fly assistance during disaster relief efforts… We are believing God for the finances to have a fleet of aircraft to use during such instances.” Compare that stated position with KCM’s from January 26th when they seemed to imply a complete abandonment of the project: “[KCM] investigated the possibility of providing such assistance for future disasters. The ministry decided that the best use of resources would be to start a disaster relief fund, and to determine the best course of action on a case by case basis.” (i.e. Were they lying then…or now…or both?)
KCM suddenly announces that Glen Hyde is gearing up for Haiti flight missions—about a month AFTER the earthquake hit. The article states that KCM informed the reporter that “Glenn [sic] Hyde, who is preparing an ‘imminent flight to Haiti.’ They also have plans to help fly medical supplies and food into Haiti, but ‘it is difficult with the current backlog of flights at this time.’ Let me make four additional notes:
If the AF44 ministry had been at least maintained at the level of readiness it possessed at the end of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita missions, they would have likely been able to have AF44 relief flights in process in as little as 24-hours after the earthquake struck (and certainly within a few days).
If the AF44 ministry had been developed as Kenneth Copeland had promised, there would have also been an amphibious aircraft capable of providing humanitarian aid along the ocean front, and they would not have been restricted to the limitations of Haiti’s heavily damaged airport.
There was absolutely NO MENTION of any aviation relief efforts to be made by Glen Hyde or KCM until after our KennethCopelandBlog.com project brought this issue out so strongly into the public forum.
KCM seems to be trying to avoid mentioning the name “Angel Flight 44″ in all their public statements to date, showing obvious preference for simply generic terms only. A very interesting behavior, which I discuss more fully in my new post, Analysis: Where is Kenneth Copeland?, here on this website.
.
Thus, unfortunately, we cannot say with confidence that these statements and reversals by KCM are yet evidence of true biblical repentance on their part. Given the errors and omissions within their January 26 statement, and their seemingly reluctant public reversals on several key points, it would seem that their efforts are geared mainly toward counteracting their public embarrassment regarding these issues. Until today’s Christian Today article, the overwhelming evidence presented here on KennethCopelandBlog.com—and even that which was coming out of KCM—indicated that they had done NOTHING regarding Copeland’s promised Angel Flight 44 ministry.
Nevertheless, we are excited that we are having an effect on KCM’s behavior.If nothing else, they seem to be taking these issues seriously now rather than simply ignoring our many pleas, as we have made to them over nearly three years.
Keep in mind also:If Kenneth Copeland and Glen Hyde—or at least a representative of KCM’s executive team—had taken the time to work with us to clear these matters up back years ago, we would NOT have had to launch this public “loving rebuke” effort with regard to these particular allegations. Even today, they have never made any attempt to contact us, though we have stated many times on this site and elsewhere that we would alter this site’s content to reflect any verifiable information that they could provide that showed KCM in a better light.
Thus, we and our advocates have concluded what the evidence here on KennethCopelandBlog.com already clearly indicates…that Copeland, his family, and KCM, actually WERE being fraudulent in some way. If they were not, would they not have tried to quickly clear this matter up with us before now? (As you can probably tell from this website, we would have insisted on receiving documentable explanations, and not mere appeasement. It would seem that our previous 31-page document that they received in early 2008 gave them that impression of us already…)
However, the AF44 issue is certainly one of the most clear examples of the Copeland family’s and ministry’s blatant arrogance and dearth of biblical integrity that can be easily documented before the public (though certainly not the most glaring example of their doctrinal errors). Thus, we are thrilled that our redemptive project has already caused the Copelands to re-evaluate their conduct on at least a few issues; we yet remain hopeful that this biblical shame and public embarrassment will eventually result in the godly sorrow that “leads to repentance”:
.
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. (2 Corinthians 7:9-11, NKJV)
.
If it eventually does (and KCM’s willingness to talk with us about our concerns would certainly help toward that objective) then we will be able to alter KennethCopelandBlog.com to become a testimony of God’s grace as manifested through their proven repentance. Thus, my family and I, and our growing numbers of advocates in this redemptive cause, are still calling on Kenneth Copeland, his family, and his ministry…to simply repent.
Note: This blog does not allow comments. Please review our Commentary Policy page for more information.
.
.
.
.
RSS Subscription Powered by Feedburner:
New Content Notifications by Email:
Google's free Feedburner service can provide you automated email updates whenever new content is added to this web site. (Updates to existing posts will NOT trigger notification.) If no new content has been added, you will NOT receive an email. You can also unsubscribe at any time.
An Important Note: The Feedburner service will send you a confirmation email after signing up. You will need to respond to that email for your subscription to be activated. So please check your SPAM filter if you do not receive the confirmation email within a few minutes after signing up.
