Published March 18, 2005 IN THEORY Televangelists' finances need more transparency Q: On March 6, NBC's "Dateline" aired a program that investigated the finances of popular televangelist and self-described faith healer Benny Hinn. The piece reported that Hinn's healings could not be documented and that the ministry -- which reportedly brings in millions of dollars -- lacks financial accountability. Should audited financial statements, salary information, fundraising appeals and board compositions of such ministries be made public -- at least to donors, who give millions? Further, do you believe in the "miracles" shown by Hinn and other televangelists? A: A ministry is accountable to God and to the people who support it. The final assessment is God's, while regular audits should be demanded by shareholders. After all, the faithful people who follow a ministry and subscribe to it have a vested interest in making sure ethical standards are upheld. If they don't, sadly, it's no one else's business. Certainly, we don't hear gasps when people blindly pump a slot machine or cash a paycheck on lottery tickets, despite the overwhelming odds against them. Likewise, if they want to dump their checks into some pie-in-the-sky idea, it's part of the freedom granted to them in this country. "Dateline" and the like have a bottom line: to sell copy. Lavish living and sticky fingers among the clergy have all the sensational elements that sell advertising space. That's why the killing of innocents on a battlefield in Iraq will find its place on page A20, while Benny Hinn's story is deemed front-page material. The standard for running an ethical Christian ministry is laid down by Jesus Christ. There was an accounting to his people. He had a few loaves and fishes, and he provided them with substance (Matthew 14). He spoke of treasures, which moth and rust could not consume (Matthew 6). As for miracles, he would demand that the healed individual be tested by the local board of skeptics, the priests (Matthew 8). Sounds like a pretty decent model for all Christian ministries. As for miracles, I certainly believe in them and find them in the simplest expressions: in the life around me, in the love that touches me. FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN St. Peter Armenian Church Youth Ministries' Center