Why Paul and Jan Crouch Can't Escape Accountability

I was scheduled to be at TBN in Dallas Friday for an exclusive interview with Paul and Jan Crouch about the Trinity Broadcasting Network's 40th anniversary in May. But it won't happen because Jan Crouch canceled at the last minute.

We don't usually cover ministry anniversaries, but TBN is marking the milestone with a big celebration, and they approached me about running an article in Charisma. I agreed only after they agreed to an exclusive interview with Paul and Jan. Their younger son, Matt, the heir apparent, would have been there. Marcus Yoars, editor of Charisma, and I would have tag-teamed with the questions.

I have known Paul and Jan for many years. I respect what they built, and I recognize its value to the Body of Christ. I can identify with them. We have a common Assemblies of God heritage. They began with very little-just as I did-about the same time. I know they love Jesus and are committed to spreading the gospel.

Garden of God

"And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land." —Isaiah 6:13

Rebecca Rupp, author of children’s and young adults’ books, recently wrote, “When our kids first started gardening, they wanted to grow doughnuts and bluebirds. If only we could, I thought.”

For young children – and maybe even for grizzled adults – gardening represents the potential for good in our world; it represents the hopes and dreams of people from all walks of life. This wonderful observation may shed light on Isaiah’s comparison, in this passage, between the Jewish people and a tree in the garden of God.

In his day, Isaiah spoke to a Jewish people threatened by an Assyrian empire at the height of its power. The Assyrian forces had conquered far and wide and had successfully exerted its power over much of the Middle East. It seemed then that Assyrian control over their world would never end.