Family feud reveals luxuries at largest Christian TV network

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The prosperity gospel preached by Paul and Janice Bend down, who built a single station into the world’s largest Christian small screen network, has worked out well for them.

Mr. and Mrs. Crouch have his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community here, provided by the network using viewer donations and tax-pardon earnings. But Mrs. Crouch, 74, rarely sleeps in the $5.6 million domicile with tennis court and pool. She mostly lives in a large company contain near Orlando, Fla., where she runs a side business, the Holy Land Judgement theme park. Mr. Crouch, 78, has an adjacent home there too, but infrequently visits. Its occupant is often a security guard who doubles as Mrs. Crouch’s chauffeur.

The twin sets of extravagance homes only hint at the high living enjoyed by the Crouches, inspirational goggle-box personalities whose multitudes of stations and satellite signals reach millions of worshipers across the Terra. Almost since they started in the 1970s, the couple have been criticized for secrecy about their use of donations, which totaled $93 million in 2010.

Source: msnbc.com