Comments on: Members of punk ministry You Can Run claiming tax break for clergy housing

By: You Can Run But You Cannot Hide | Andy Kopsa

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide | Andy Kopsa — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:55:18 +0000

[...] a former drug addict, is a minister of dubious ordination playing out a hard rock God fantasy with his band Junkyard Prophets from their home base near [...]

By: Bradlee Dean, BFF of Michele Bachmann, anti-gay bigot is living off you dear taxpayer | Andy Kopsa

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:34:22 +0000

[...] IRS Problems: Read all about it here, here and [...]

By: Minnesota's "You Can Run Ministry" Can't Hide from IRS

Minnesota's "You Can Run Ministry" Can't Hide from IRS — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:07:22 +0000

[...] whole mess is not the limit of the YCR’s tax problems. As the Minnesota Independent reports, The Minnesota Independent examined some of Smith’s financial dealings in 2009 when new IRS 990 forms showed that he and his band [...]

By: Media Lies

Media Lies — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:26:08 +0000

Your reporting is Crap. Try telling the truth if you know what that is..

By: Zellah

Zellah — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:14:53 +0000

What what a poorly written, or intentionally misleading headline! This headline lead me to believe that the band Ministry was involved in this story.

By: Someone Who Knows Too Much

Someone Who Knows Too Much — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:40:38 +0000

Crazy is as crazy does. To anyone who has been taken in by the charisma and drive of Bradlee Dean; don’t believe his lies.

By: Robert Baty

Robert Baty — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:03:06 +0000

I’m still wondering if there is any evidence that Dean’s Old Paths Church, Inc. is a legitimate, functioning church.

Does anyone know?

By: Robert Baty

Robert Baty — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:20:31 +0000

If Annie Gaylor’s (FFRF) lawsuit, referenced in the above article, is successful, the use of the ministerial income tax free allowance will be eliminated from the tax code.

If the suit fails, it may be that, in the alternative, there will be increased public awareness of the provision’s various abuses and such outrage that will result in compelling Congress and the President to so act as to eliminate what most folks would consider abuses of the provision (e.g., Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, “basketball ministers”, “punk music ministers”, “double-dipping”, etc.).

By: Robert Baty

Robert Baty — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:04:01 +0000

George Pepperdine was quoted about 60 years ago as saying about his school:

> As I stated many times, I did not
> want and still do not want this
> college to be an adjunct of the church.

Similarly, until recently, Pepperdine had the following claim on its website:

> It does not profess to be a church
> or religious body…

Thanks to Bush and Burleson, however, the IRS was pressured into recognizing schools like Pepperdine as being “integral agencies” of the church so that their employees (e.g., basketball coaches, math teachers, music teachers, office managers, etc.) could register as ministers and claim income tax free housing and also opt out of paying Social Security taxes.

So, it may well be the case that, utilizing the same reasoning (i.e., organizations run by church folk are “integral agencies” of their churches), Bradlee Dean can claim “integral agency” status for his YCRBYCH organizations and grant income tax free housing allowances to those who work for the organizations and who are willing to be “ordained”.

For lack of better information, it may also well be the case that Bradlee Dean has a stronger case for the YCRBYCH organizations granting housing allowances than does Pepperdine; he just may not have a secret deal with the IRS…….yet!

By: Lazercat

Lazercat — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:51:24 +0000

Waste of taxpayer funds.