Audrey Reynolds suffered from epilepsy all her life. A congenital brain abnormality meant she would suffer seizures if she did not take three tablets a day. It proved a constant frustration that nothing could be done to cure her, but the devout Christian lived in hope that one day her condition would improve.Controversial American evangelist Morris Cerullo returns to Britain for one final 'crusade' - Americas - World - The Independent
In the summer of 1992 a poster advertising the imminent arrival in London of American TV evangelist Morris Cerullo caught the 25-year-old’s eye. “Some will see miracles for the first time” it claimed.
Audrey was intrigued and joined 80,000 people who went to Cerullo’s eight-day "crusade" at the Earls Court exhibition centre. Having queued patiently for her chance to meet Cerullo, Audrey took the stage telling the preacher she believed his message of healing power had cured her. Six days later she had an epileptic fit and drowned in her bath.
The inquest into Audrey’s death heard that only 2.2mg per litre of the lifesaving drug she needed was found in her body - the dose should have been 7.2mg. Recording a verdict of accidental death, Southwark coroner Sir Montague Levine said: “It is a tragedy that she went to this meeting and thought she was cured of everything. Sadly, it led to her death.”
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With Curello’s wealth estimated at £30m, a businessman he is. When televangelist Jim Bakker became embroiled in sex and financial scandals in the late 1980s, Cerullo paid $7m for his Christian TV channel and renamed it The Inspiration Networks. It relied on advertising revenues in the 1990s but began soliciting donations from the public in 1999. Gifts that year came to $200,000 – by 2008 annual donations reached $40m. Its flagship channel, INSP, reaches 120 million people worldwide and promises a mix of ministry programming with “wholesome family classics” such as The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. Most recent annual records show that the company had total revenues of $94m in 2012, of which almost $40m came from donations. It spent $91m on “expenses”.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Controversial American evangelist Morris Cerullo returns to Britain for one final 'crusade' - Americas - World - The Independent
A blast from the past, yes my past (hiding head in shame),,,
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I didn't know anything about Cerullo until recently when Stuart Watson asked me about him.
ReplyDeleteStuart is the investigative reporter in Charlotte, NC that did a series of reports on the million dollar ministers operating in the Charlotte area.
Cerullo has operations there and his operations, and real estate holdings, were featured in at least one of Stuart's reports.
I thought it also interesting that Cerullo was able to beat a tax fraud charge on a technicality. I don't know what ever became of that. I assume he worked out a deal with the feds to dispose of it without further litigation.
Of course, I wouldn't even know that much if it wasn't for Dave Foda who is located in Charlotte and with whom I struck up a FaceBook connection in the long ago and our paths have crossed a number of times since. It was a posting by one of his FaceBook friends that got me all wrapped up in Stuart Watson's reporting on ministers and their housing allowance perks.
I clued Stuart in on the FFRF litigation and he struck up a relationship with Annie and Dan and featured them in one of his reports. Stuart then went on to be awarded a Freethought in the Media award at the FFRF regional convention in Raleigh earlier this year. I heard that Stuart mentioned me in his speech there, but I have yet to find any on-line recording to verify it.
Many moons ago I was an avid follower so to speak (in tongues even). I didn't realize till you posted about him that he was "still" active in his fraudistry. How he has avoided prosecution is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read what Wilson has written if you have links please post if you are willing (if you already have and I have missed them I do apologize.)