Robert Tilton's 'Gospel of Greed' part #1 of 4

Video Transcript:

If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for the entire world. I'm not ashamed of the gospel and I'm not ashamed of putting it on display. And the more God gives me favor and partners, the more television time and the more newspaper time and the more we're going to print and publish the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we're not going to stop. I said we're not going to stop. I said we're not going to stop. I said we're not going to stop. A Robert Tilton is raping the most vulnerable segments of the world. A Robert Tilton is raping the most vulnerable segments of our society. The poor, the infirm, the elderly. He said, I've got the faith all you need to do is obey and sing the money. I would consider him, you know, a con man, a manipulator of people's emotions. We head on the air and say, send me your prayer request. But the checks go into a paging operation in a bag and get thrown in the dumpster in the back of the building. That's disgraceful. What he holds up as Christy Anity is totally false and totally opposite of what the Bible says. The Bible says, he'll tell you, put your hand on the TV screen. That he can feel you there. I'd make it to the TV. I'll put my hand there, but nothing happened. The public now knows by the verdict of this jury that's heard all this evidence that this man has been defrauding people for a long time. The public now knows by the verdict of this man. Pastor Tilton has a special message addressing the lies and twisted allegations the media recently has launched. Please don't edit it to pieces and make me look bad again. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come on, people. Give me a little break. Come on, people. Give me ten thousand dollars. All creatures are bad and some of them have made some serious mistakes. Now do anything to make up us including lines or stepping on people? Send your checks to us. Ten thousand dollars. Now do anything to make ten thousand dollars. Federal agents are at your house and have a warrant. Federal agents are at your house and have a warrant. Did God really say that? Federal agent, seeds, kiltons, house, and dry bus. They're basically all destiny. We owe two hundred thousand dollars worth of back taxes. That's how we are. What are we doing? What are we doing with the money? Well, obviously we're spending it. Now making payments on the boat and I'm making payments on the house. Two hundred thousand dollars. Not any man should some people tell me that they're not. Jesus makes nothing out of something. They all die out of it. Religious garbage out of your brain. Did God really say that? That's singing tongues for your littered folks out there. Stop giving this orange that you don't have. Let them use it. Please don't edit it to pieces and make me look bad again. Hallelujah. You thought he disappeared from the airwaves. I'm back. The untold story of how this Dallas demon chaser is getting a second chance to raise millions from your donations. Robert Tilton was once the most successful televangelist in America. But unflattering publicity about his fundraising techniques and some legal problems knocked him off the air five years ago. But now he's back on TV and Fox 4's Richard Gray joins us live from the newsroom now with the story Richard. Hi Ashley and Steve a lot of you thought you'd seen the last of Robert Tilton that he'd been driven off for good. But the untold story is that Bob beat the rap. He beat all the raps and he's back. I am a prophet, a prosperity, and I am not ashamed of it. Robert Tilton. Once he was the most visible TV evangelist in America preaching the health and wealth gospel. Make a vow. God will give you what you want. Send money to me. I look at you and I see money. And millions poured in every month. You don't act this stuff. You don't conjure it up, make it up. It bubbles up. But with visibility came scrutiny. A series of unflattering exposés followed by investigations and lawsuits. I'm not a dirty dog. I'm not a thief. I'm not a fraud. I'm not a flake. I'm a born again son of God. But by the end of 1993, Bob Tilton was also off the air. The old brother Bob was often over the top. The new version still approaches the peak. Success in life. With Robert Tilton, the devil carrying a horrible noise when you call. And he's fleeing. He's 80% back. You watch, on a given day, he'll start beating the table and chasing the demon. Tell you the truth. Get back, devil between the eyes. Perry Getzloff is a member of the Trinity Foundation in East Dallas Church that monitors TV evangelists. It's the same stuff. He's doing it again. I'm not talking about making money or God. I'm not talking about serving money. I'm talking about serving God with your money. This is where Bob Tilton does his broadcast now. A tiny studio on an almost unfindable back street in Miami Beach, Florida. The impression and dialysis that he's vanished from the face of the earth. In fact, he's alive and well and living in the land of second chances, South Florida. And rebuilding his empire. Spend some time with all of them. Sean Roe is a writer who spent weeks trying to track Tilton and wrote a cover story about it for a Fort Lauderdale newspaper. At times, I would follow him in his car and I would always lose him. He would lose me. He is trying to keep the lowest profile possible. He's almost invisible. I don't think anybody in the United States is church could have just whispered what that ministry whispered. Attorney J.C. Joyce says there's an untold story here. All of this moat never was any fire. Okay, what about that civil fraud judgment in federal court? $1.5 million in damages. Overturned by an appeals court. Throughout info. Not a dime was paid. What about all those investigations? The Texas Attorney General, the FBI, postal inspectors, the IRS. Clean bill of health, nothing wrong, not a dime misspin. There were two very messy divorces, the second one especially so. I had no idea when I married this man the extent of the abuse and alcoholism and the entertainment and the leisure living that he leads. Despite those allegations in the divorce case, Bob won there too. Lee didn't get a dime. In fact, she had to move out of the mansion and was ordered to reimburse Tilton's church some $280,000. There is one remaining lawsuit. First wife Marty is suing both Tilton and his attorney. The filing is revealing. In 1990 alone, it reads the word of faith ministry had a total gross income of almost $70 million. Pastor Tilton's annual salary was something on the order of one million. Even at a low point, Marty claims total gross income for 1992 was slightly in excess of $27 million. A year later, he was off the air but still the money poured in. How simple. Directly. The mailings didn't stop at all. They continued months after month after month. Television was just a cost of sales to him. Mr. Direct mail, he gets the money. And the totally Anthony and his Dallas-based Trinity Foundation attempt to be a watchdog on TV Evangelist. Other TV preachers says Anthony have learned from Robert Tilton's success and are now sending the same kind of letters with holy seeds, bracelets, candles. It's all of the gimmicks necessary to cause people who are in trouble to am to their wallets to give to Robert Tilton. People to worship him. Early last summer, Bob Tilton went back on the air, blaming the devil himself for the problems that had knocked him off. Those of you that know some of the stuff I've been through the last few years know that he gave it a good shot. He didn't do it. Hallelujah. You'll preach it in prophesy. Thank you, Lauren, for giving them the seed. Robert Tilton declined our request for an interview but clearly his word of faith ministry emerged with millions in assets left. He's now spending more than $50,000 a month to buy airtime. Five days a week on BET, Black Entertainment Television. Seeing coast to coast. A warning he delivered to his enemies in 1992. He may stand the test of time. I'll come after you. I got a lot of attorneys and we've missed church, got a lot of money. So don't mess with us. By now some of you are probably asking why South Florida and what happened to the church here in Farmers Branch. Tilton's home church word of faith in Farmers Branch still holds services on Sunday morning. But where thousands once came crowds now number about a hundred. Brother Bob is rarely there. Starts when you call. Bob Tilton and long time assistants including this man who has to be identified simply as Michael spend most of their time in South Florida. Their cars still have Texas plates. Why has Tilton moved his operation here? Well, he once had a home and a yacht in nearby Fort Lauderdale. It's long been one of his favorite places. But more importantly by all accounts his detractors in Dallas made it very uncomfortable for Bob Tilton to live there. Draw them out to a place where he can be anonymous. Tilton's messy and very public divorce from second wife Lee may have been the crowning blow. Lee says that Bob always carried a kit with fake moustaches and wigs that he wore a disguise about half the time. To avoid the kind of public trashing he'd begun to attract in Texas. That's true. That's true. That's true. I've been there with him and you know you're in a restaurant and people come up and start cussing you. You're at a mall with your children and people do the same thing. I know what it is to be broken, lied about, set up, framed by the best. I know what it is to have every feeling like everybody or at least half the people in the world want to kill me. In Bob Tilton's mind one man is to blame for most of his troubles. The spiritual leader of a small church in East Dallas. Ring of Fourth Red. Holy Anthony. By God's grace we've lost the ability to act. A crusader out to expose TV ministries. It's very difficult to prove these different charges in a religious manner because rightly so the First Amendment protects a lot of things. But I don't think the First Amendment ever protected fraud. And I believe in my opinion many of these ministries are committing fraud. He said out to destroy this ministry and has all but done it. Tilton's attorney began our interview by handing me a stack of legal papers. Evidence he says that Holy Anthony is not a reliable source. Joyce has sued Anthony numerous times to no avail. Holy Anthony doesn't have any money. He is a deliberate pauper but good to do me sue Holy Anthony. Nothing but if you quote him and he's not a credible source then you do have a deep pocket. And that's all I want. But you are. You're threatened to sue me if I quote him. Oh absolutely. Well I'll sue anybody that quotes Holy Anthony as a credible source. Ascoly Anthony about JC Joyce and you get this response. He's very very good at what he does. He has kept Robert Tilton out of trouble and he's done it very well. JC Joyce has made a fortune. A lot of it off me even if the truth were known. And that is the flip side of his story. Holy Anthony and that Trinity Foundation still making life miserable for TV preachers like Bob Tilton. Diane saw herself said that they went undercover and they lied. Well when did they still let's show that video footage of this so called minister being a minister. He's nothing. He's less than nothing. His whole thing is built on what he can do to tear me down. His whole world is around tearing me down. He said that years here in Dallas. Okay roll it out. Good evening. I'm Emily Quinn. Welcome to this special edition of Steels and Deals. Tonight we take a look at how trust can lead you down the wrong path. We begin with religion. Should believing in God cost you? I want to lay my hand on your vow. Tell my prayer minister you want to make a vow of faith and I want you to make it for a thousand dollars. Because I know that takes faith. And unless I can get you into faith, not much happens. Harry Getzloff wanted it all to happen for him. Already a successful corporate executive. He had an exclusive Dallas condo, fancy cars, and a sophisticated lifestyle. But despite his successes, he was on shaky ground, both financially and spiritually. He turned to Robert Tilden's health and wealth gospel to solve his problems. Getzloff began going to Robert Tilden's word of faith church. And through Tilden's urging made a five thousand dollar vow. Robert Tilden became his spiritual financial advisor. A financial consultant told me that if I invested in his whatever, that I would get back at least ten times my investment. Perhaps a hundred times my investment. And maybe as much as a thousand times my investment. He didn't. Despite the five thousand dollar donation, his problems didn't disappear. They grew. He ended up five hundred thousand dollars in debt. He lost the penthouse. His marriage, everything. Harry was soon homeless. These days he lives and works here at the Trinity Foundation. A Dallas religious watchdog group. He makes eighty dollars a week as the group's media coordinator. Getzloff is still fifty thousand dollars in debt. In part he says because of Robert Tilden. I saw him in the kitchen. I saw somebody who had an inside line to what was going on in the power. And I could tap into it. He told me that if I would show you on the authority of his word how to make a vow to him that he would provide, he would pay that vow himself because he gives the seed to sow. He would show you where some money is that you've forgotten. It was my greed that allowed Tilden to build me out of five thousand dollars. It was my fear. It was my greed. It was my ego. He didn't really do anything to me. He's a pitchman. He's a conman. He's no different than the guy who's on TV tonight telling me how to make a million dollars selling real estate. Somebody is selling something everywhere you look. Reverend Robert Tilden is a leader in this latest televanjalous trend. Experts claim oral Roberts began perfecting this seed faith fundraising approach in 1987. When he pleaded for eight million dollars saying he'd be taken from the world if he failed. We had three months. I'm asking you to help you to help extend my life. Roberts got his money and survived. And the airwaves continue to be crowded with others like Sun Richard Roberts, Faith Yeller, WV Grant, and popular husband and wife team Ken and Gloria Copeland. But no one makes such a blatant prosperity promise as Robert Hilden. By faith, by faith, by faith, it reduces God to a bellhawk who goes and does the bidding of the person who pays enough money. Michael Horton is an Episcopal minister in Anaheim, California. He recently edited a book called The Agony of DeSite, which attacks prosperity preachers like Tilden. When you associate money with salvation, you really are distorting the gospel at the most carnal and ugly level. Problems, bills, I ban you and I cast your into the sea. Tilden's ministry like other churches is a nonprofit organization. That means it doesn't have to disclose the majority of its financial investments and holdings. Well, that anchors people like Televangelis Critic, Ole Anthony, who wants TV ministers on a tighter leash. If we were talking about a food and drug act, a food and drug administration, and somebody came along with a product that claimed that it tasted good and it would solve all your problems and everything would be wonderful. Well, they would have to meet those standards for the public in order to continue buying. Tilden's organization refused our request for an interview as well as for information on its fundraising activities. The Council for Financial Accountability set standard for religious organizations like word of faith. Neither Tilden nor his ministry are members. The Council President Arthur Borden disagrees with the closed book attitude of Tilden's church and says it's important for nonprofit groups to uphold high standards. We've had a series of scandals that all of your viewers are familiar with. And also the donor needs to be recognized as an investor, as a stockholder, as a consumer, and the donor has certain rights. Robert Hilton wouldn't comment on this, but his lawyer, JC Joyce, had this to say, quote, word of faith is like your local church. Its financial information is nobody's business. It's the easiest thing in the world to criticize someone else's religion. No person who belongs to his church has complained. Thank God that in this country we've got the First Amendment, and everybody has the right to practice their own religion. But Ole Anthony says the prosperity gospel isn't a First Amendment issue. It's a consumer fraud issue. If we could only use the same consumer techniques that we use for detergent or over-the-counter medicine for religion, we would see some changes. The Council of Better Business Bureau's reports Tilden's church does not meet the Bureau's charitable organization standards. Cowards is what they are. Cowards, hand behind the religious cloak. It's not a brains. See how they fuzzed all that stuff up and just put all those little adjectives in there? On our inside story Monday, television's new star evangelist, he's making millions and he's making controversy. He just says, send me your money. Give me your money, and then you'll get a whole bunch of money in return. So it's purely the gospel of greed. Robert Tilden, TV's new high roller, the inside story Monday on Entertainment Tonight. I take something I pray. I have to make myself, but I pray for those who persecute me. They don't know what they're taming with because of purestuptivity. They're letting the devil use them. Some of them are the devil. Some of them are just letting the devil use them. I saw a man the other night on television attacking me, sitting in a chair. See the scornful. A scornful person is the one who is disrespectful and talks openly, disrespectively toward someone that is respectful. Scornful. Look at that person. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Those that don't know what they're talking about. Are sits in the sea of the scornful. You want to sit in the sea of the scornful? You want to sit with them? You want to sit in the sea. Any time you agree with what they're saying and listening to all that, the seatfulness and lies, you're sitting in that seat. You want to sit in that seat? Anybody here want to sit in that seat? Next time somebody starts talking about your Jesus. Starts talking about the gospel in the Word. Don't you sit in that seat with them. Don't you sit in that seat with them? That devil is trying to get you to sit in that seat. Listen to this. Listen to this garbage. Listen to this junk. Listen to these lies. Listen to these lies. Listen to this. Listen to these lies. Listen to this. Listen to this. Listen to this. Listen to this. Listen to this. Give back your soul to the devil. and it only for the money. TV's new money minister, today's Inside Story reported by Garrett Glazer. I say in Jesus' name, you're going to be healed when we pray. See, Reverend Robert Tilton has been called the country's fastest growing force in TV evangelism. Money! Some preachers are afraid to say that word, money! Tilton's ministry is headquartered here at the Word of Faith Church in Dallas, Texas. It's under renovation right now. The property is carefully guarded by a security staff. And when we telephone with questions about Tilton's fundraising activities and alleged healing powers, Tilton declined our request for an interview. In fact, while outside Tilton's church, we were asked to leave by one of Tilton's uniform security officers. Would you remove your vehicle? Would you get off the property, sir? We've had a lot of negative publicity, so he's trying to avoid you people. Tilton tells viewers that if they give him money, they'll be blessed with good fortune and more money in return. He follows up with mailings which offer ropes to bind Satan, holy water from the river Jordan, and even a quote, life size poster of me, end quote. This woman declined to be identified out of embarrassment to her family. She says her young son thought his poor eyesight was cured by Tilton at a healing service, and he put away his eye glasses. His eyesight was so bad that when he went to school, the next day, the school called me. He was bumping into the walls. Another man critical of Tilton is Oli Anthony, a homeless advocate, and watchdog of television ministries. Does Tilton offer these people any explanation of how it's supposed to work? He just says, send me your money. Give me your money, and then you'll get a whole bunch of money in return. So it's purely the gospel of greed. You got to get up and do something. What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? Despite having his detractors, Tilton continues to do what he does best, getting his word out while bringing his viewers money in. From Dallas, Scarock, Laser, entertainment tonight. The rising star of television evangelism, Dallas minister Bob Tilton, a legitimate faith healing conduit to God, or is he a bogus glutton of greed? Oli is this guy a fraud? He's a joke. He's a fraud. He's a snake oil salesman. Then why can't we take him to court? On what face of fraud? Because here's what he does. He's a smart fraud. What he does, he doesn't do what Jim and Tammy did, where they send me your money and we'll do this. He just says send me your money. There's no act that says you can't send somebody your money. So he says, just send me the money. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do. I'm not going to tell you what he says. In fact, he says it's none of your business what I'm going to do with it. Pretty nice business. And he gets a million bucks a week. Televangelism is a joke. The idea that you can have an electric church that you could take someone that was in dire need and say except Jesus and then leave him alone out there and send him a little book and tell him to put his hand on the cathode right tube. It's an obscenity and a blasphemy against God. Being a member of this stupid television church or electronic church is like being married to a rubber dolly. It's spiritual masturbation. It's sick. But then Nehemiah had some enemies that didn't like what he was doing. He had three men that began to mock him. He had some men that began to try to get into stop what he was doing. They began to lie about him. They even infiltrated his army to try to stir up strife in the midst of his army to stop him from going forward and rebuilding the walls. Listen to me. In these last days there will be some infiltrators. They tried to stop Nehemiah. They mocked him. They slandered him. They lied about him. They tried to get him to come down off the wall and talk. The time is talking is over. We're too busy to come down and stop what we're doing. Old Tilton, come and give us an interview. Talk to us. I already made that mistake once and I'm not going to make it again. I'm too busy rebuilding broken lines. I'm too busy restoring the brokenhearted. I'm too busy preaching their gospel to the poor. I'm too busy healing the sick. I'm too busy getting people safe. No, I'm not going to stop. I've got a dream. You don't like Robert Tilton. I think Robert Tilton is a snake-walled salesman. I think he has nothing to do with the God that I believe in. And from what I understand, he thinks you're Satan. He called me Satan on his national television show. OK, so I mean, I wish we could get together. That would maybe subtle it for the minds of the people. Some great brotherly love. Gruddly love. Can I read something? Sure. One paragraph. The director of the North Dallas Assistance Group remembers when a woman came into his office looking for help. She had given her last $19,000 to Dallas-based televanjalous Robert Tilton's ministry and moved here from the East Coast to live and work with the organization to which she had devoted her life and her life's earnings. When she got here, she went to the church and they told her, no, you don't have a job here. No, we are not going to help you. You're on your own. She ended up homeless. OK, so what? That's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people like this. So what's the, you know, the available people out there. So what? Galability is an easy stop to say, that's why we shouldn't be concerned with them. But is it gullible if we were dealing with 5 million people in America who were dying of starvation? And we had some idiot feeding them cotton candy and charging them their life savings to have the cotton candy? That's what Tilton is doing. I don't think it's, we can't just excuse the fact that this exists by saying it's just gullibility and they deserve what they get. These people are desperate through no circumstance, no fault of their own. And we have these guys praying on them. Dan, you got a question? Got a little comment. I am a graduate of Robert Tilton's Bible School. And I'm still in contact with a lot of his ex-peritoners, quote unquote. And it's very disappointing for all of us the way he's gone. At one time, he was a pretty good guy. Can I come in? Sure. And I really appreciate that because I didn't have the opportunity to say I'm sure that he started out sincere. It wasn't a change. Come when you get the television. When he started satellite programs, my wife used to be in the counting room where the money would come in. After every day, he would walk in in the morning. His wife would walk in and say, how do you girls do? Are there any problems? Can I help you with anything? The Bible would walk in and first thing out of his mouth was how much money came in. Two men. I want to encourage you to make a vow right now that thousand times. Two churches. Is it jelperies, a snake oil salesman, and then they're not a god? Locked in a holy water. I'm here to bring prosperity to you. That's the same reason that people go to Las Vegas. It's the gospel of freedom. Can the preacher of poverty bring down the Texas Televangilist who speaks the gospel proof? A Dallas-based TV preacher has the fastest growing satellite ministry in America. Many publications accuse him of praying on the poor and desperate. He's been called the next Jim Baker and worse. Knight Beats Richard Ray joins us now with that story. Rich has the first of two reports that pose the question, who holds the gospel truth? Richard? Nothing inflames passions like religious debate. John and none burns hotter now than the controversy surrounding Robert Tilton. Lately, the heat's been turned up. Tonight a closer look at how and why. Let's say we like King. Let's say we like King. This is a tale of two churches. One is huge and wealthy. Poor our god, King of Universe. The other small and poor. In a moment, our guys are going to put your picture on the screen. There you go. One is fueled by space age technology and the awesome power of television. The other patterns itself after the early Christian Church of the 12 Apostles. In one savior, they have found two very different gospels. Hallelujah. Just make a thousand dollar valet. I don't care how much money you have, how much you don't have. I just know what faithful to Robert Tilton is now considered the brightest star in the satellite world of televangelis. His TV show and ministry take in millions of dollars a month. He makes no apologies for his lavish lifestyle. His mansions in Las Calenas and San Diego. He preaches the prosperity gospel and he lives it. If he's preaching the gospel, then it's not the gospel. I know anything about. It's a perversion. It's a sick perversion of greed. Only Anthony, one time Republican political leader and briefly a TV evangelist himself, he's founder of the Trinity Foundation. It's a small church based in a neighborhood reclaimed from an East Dallas slum that are prayers are free, the service is free, God's salvation is free. Father, I know there's something divine of that money. Bob Tilton teaches the God who rewards the faithful giver with material prosperity here and now. Trinity finds a very different message in the teachings of Jesus. Here they take in homeless people. There's a small school, a communal kitchen, and an ongoing crusade to bring down Robert Tilton. There is a snake oil salesman in the name of God. Only Anthony is far from the first to criticize Robert Tilton and the other so-called health and wealth ministers. And at first glance, this would appear to be a clear mismatch. But of late Anthony and his little church have enlisted the aid of some very powerful allies. The Trinity Foundation's efforts have resulted in dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, television exposés, radio talk shows, most of them unflattering in their portrait of Tilton and his ministry. This David of a church has hit Goliath between the eyes. Any tongue that rises up against me and judgment, I can do it. But this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and not righteousness of the God. I'm not a dirty dog. I'm not a thief. I'm not a fraud. I'm not a flake. I'm a born again son of God. Tilton no longer does interviews, but last Sunday sermon was laced with responses to his critics. Outside, we were trying to offer his congregation a chance to respond. How about like, right behind this brown car? Well, I don't even know that you can park there. A security guard told us we'd have to stay off the property. And a church official, a Mr. Lang, told us we were wasting our time. But we want to give you every opportunity to respond to all this national publicity that lately seems to have been focused on Pastor Tilton. There's no response. None whatsoever. But there was plenty of it. I think that's just the media period. You can't believe everything that the media says. I had three tumors. I had cancer. And I was healed. And we love Bob. And we love Jesus. We're sad. Anytime he comes into attack, especially the blatant attacks, hideous that they are, scandalous the way they have to hide to get things. Which brings us to the ambush interview, a regrettable remark about Jews and the growing flap over what was meant to be a tilton apology. Tremendous pressure was upon me. And I said something. I shouldn't have said. Stay tuned. Now, Tilton's problems with Jewish groups began with a remark he made to a reporter from Inside Edition. That's a nationally syndicated program that airs on Channel 5. KXAF TV, Channel 5. Hilton is living like a king running America's fastest growing television minister. He knows how to milk people for money. A million bucks a week is what he's taking in. He asked for money in the name of God. But you don't make your checks out to God. Put your hand on top of mine. The healing power will begin to happen. Inside Edition, welcome to you. I'm Bill O'Reilly. We're glad you're with us today. There was big money in preaching the word of God on television, Jim Baker, Jimmy Swaggerd, and others have proved that. Right now, the hottest TV preacher has passed a Robert Tilton. People are sending him millions of dollars. But should they? Here's Steve Wilson's investigation. He was started the foot of our bed. It was like a blanket of his anointing would come up and cover us up. After he and his wife became Christians, Robert Tilton says they could actually feel Jesus tucked him into bed in that. I love to accept the Lord, don't you? There's schools that they can go to and actually learn how to cry. Don't tell you either make their words sound more truthful. No, you don't make this kind of tear up. It just comes from somebody that knows somebody real special, but why are so many of Tilton's former followers like Buddy Barnes not just leaving the flock, but coming to conclusions like this? I personally wouldn't trust a man no further than I could pick this house up and throw it. From what I've seen, I would consider him a con man from a manipulator of people's emotions. America's fastest growing television ministry and its preacher Robert Tilton are involved in a number of humanitarian efforts around the world. But they're under fire now because of the way Tilton raises money for the ministry. Very few men understand me, but I am anointed with the hand of God upon me uniquely. Especially anointed, he says, to preach the Lord's promises of prosperity, promises that only come true to believers who prove their faith by vowing to send money to Robert Tilton. Ask me, decree a thing, make a vow, pay it, and you can decree a thing into the established unto you. You don't have to stay in that stinkin' mess that old Duffy part of town you've been in for years. God does miracles, but it doesn't cost you anything. He implies that it costs you 1,000 bucks to get a miracle, which is ludicrous. I gave 1,000 dollars to God and expected a miracle, and I got it. There is faith right now for a new car. If you'll see today for that new car, the long will go through, you will get that car. Oli Anthony, a former TV preacher himself, says Tilton is taking in a bundle for millions of Americans desperate enough to believe almost anything. He knows how to melt people for money. That's what he's doing, right? A million bucks a week is what he's taking in. This car is more like a... His church looks more like a studio than a sanctuary, and with a full-life orchestra, the service is quite a show. But rich and poor, young and old, black and white. There's a crowd here every Sunday. But to Pesca Bob, as he likes to be called, to Pesca Bob in his far-flung ministry, who shows up here is not nearly as important as what goes up right over there. You might call this Salvation by Satellites. If you need some money, I wouldn't change that now. Success in life, America's personal growth and achievement program. Thanks to modern technology, you don't even have to live near Pesca Bob to be blessed, even healed. Just watch his daily show, Scene Coast to Coast. Are you ready? Put your hand on top of mine as your point of contact. And the power of God, believe it or not, will flow through my arm and through my hand and the ears and the healing power will begin to happen. No matter how serious your reflection, all you need is a TV to touch, when Bob raises his hand and starts screaming at the devil. I rebuke you, I'll bind you, and I command you to come out of that body, experience an infirmity pain, come out of that body in the name of Jesus. Tilton claims he can heal anything this way. Here's a fella he says was cured of AIDS, just by touching his TV when Pastor Bob was on. I knew the Lord had touched my body, and we had healed him. Nearly $200,000 a month is what Tilton reportedly spends just mailing material to his flock. Much of it designed to encourage further contributions. We have here a prayer cloth where if you send in a thousand, it's no good now because it's right off the mail. But if you send a thousand dollar vow with the prayer cloth, Brother Bob will wipe the sweat of his brow and send it back to you, then it will be anointed with his sweat and you can get your miracles answered. You just put it in whatever place God tells you to put it. Maybe in your pocket book, maybe on a business door, our car, a house, I believe this. See, this is not natural reasoning. This is operating scripturally in God's word. Everything that I've said about so, not not coming out, but about so, yeah. Eric Getzloff figured he'd be really blessed by paying a $5,000 vow to Pastor Bob, but he never saw any miracles while he'd reigned his bank account to zero, his business failed and his wife left him. So why did he keep paying until he was flat, broken homeless? Because Pastor Bob says, if you don't obey to that, it says the Lord will then move over and bear witness with someone else and they will end up with your blessing. 15 million people, if they miss the next paycheck, they're on the street. Those are the people that are responding. God sent me to preach the gospel to the poor. I'm not talking to the rich cats. Those are the people that are sending him money. The people that can't pay the rent, that can't feed the kids. Anybody can give God something when they have it, but to give God something when you don't have it, that's called faith. There are 4,000 people who don't even have a home here in Dallas. Kilton sends a bus to bring homeless people to church on Sundays, and Marshall Brooks says he and some others went once because they were promised food and clothes. But when Pastor Bob pointed out the homeless visitors to the other worshipers, Marshall and his friends felt used. They started passing the mold out two or three times at the foot of the old nation itself. That's the reason why he broke the homeless people to the trade system to get more money. He says none of the homeless got a thing that Sunday. No food, no clothes. A few of the homeless at Father Jerry Hill shelter did get some clothes once at Tilton's church. But that light of that evening, when they were still with them, they brought them back down here in front of the shelter, took the clothes back and put them off the bus. Took the clothes back? Yes, took the clothes back that they had given them, and given their old clothes back, and then put them off the bus. You see those on Sunday mornings, we bring in 50 to 60 people every Sunday morning from the Salvation Army. If you've ever seen them from the Salvation Army over there, you're seeing them looks like a smoke, a fire going on outside with cigarettes smoking. I mean, they know they're going to be in here for two hours and a roll when they get off that. They got two going. I mean, they're strange, because they're so frustrated in life. And it's a real ministry. About as many as we bring in, we have to have that many guards watching them, you know? LAUGHTER One went to the bathroom 50 times last Sunday. Did you see him? Did you see it, guy? So what do you suppose happens to the millions that flow into this ministry? Well, in addition to stating big crusades around the world, Tilton says he supports printing plants and schools and hospitals in the third world. We visited this one in Mexico and found it to be everything he claims it is. Praise God. You know why I'm so happy. Well, could it be because he's collecting a salary big enough for him and his wife to buy and drive his and her Mercedes, to live in a $6,000 a month, mansion in Dallas, or even a bigger one in California, or maybe he's just so happy to be flying first class everywhere he goes. And I'm French Cross-Barrot. I live cross-barot. I've done it denying it. I'm not a hypocrite. Pastor Bob refuses all requests for news interviews. When he said no to us, I decided to buy a ticket and see if he would chat about his church during one of his regular trips between Dallas and San Diego. Why won't he ever talk with reporters? Well, I don't have to explain what I do to anybody. I do it. And I'm real prone not to it because I found the war right on it. Do it. You don't cast your pearls in one of slime. Now, I suppose he did think it was a little strange when I asked him to watch a tape. Is it a video? Yeah, it's video. It sure is. It's a video tape of many of the people you've been watching in this report. Who is the preacher? He doesn't know yet that Marshall Brooks is talking about him using the homeless to help fill the collection plate and listen carefully now to what Tilton thinks of a preacher who would do that. And this is sprawled right here. It's behind us. And he makes sprawled over and behind. And this preacher took up the money, worked as he told them, but that's what he was going to do with it. It's $131. That is sprawled, and that's the outside. And that is totally legal, and he should go to jail for it. And what appeared on the screen next was a big surprise. Pastor Tilton, these people are talking about you and your ministry. Well, you got a great interview. Where you are? Huh? Where you are? I have that back, please. No? Who are you? My name is Steve Wilson. And who you are first? I learned for inside edition. The state you got a great job. He later told me I'd burn an everlasting hell for bringing you this story. And listen why this man of God thinks we even did this report. Well, as you know, then I'm on brainstorming ratings, you sell some commercials, and make some money for your Jews in New York. Quite a revelation. Reverend Tilton's programs are seen on 90 television stations across the country. Remember the deal on the airplane? Where inside edition sneaked on the airplane? When Marna were going to California at our own expense and tickets, and I showed him the tickets after I found out who he was, that we had bought those tickets personally ourselves and upgraded them with our advantages, miles. He didn't say none of that. What did they do? They got a hidden camera on the airplane, and he came and posed to me that he says, excuse me, are you Robert Tilton? And I said, yes. He said, my mother is a fan of yours or a partner. And could I talk to you a few moments? I said, sure. I spent an hour talking to that guy about the Lord, about Bible prosperity. Then he pulls a videotape out on me. And says, would you look at this as well? Don't really want to look at this. And shows some woman screaming, hollering, mad at some preacher that she had given a donation to. And he didn't do what he said he was going to do with it. Then he turns the tape off and he says, what do you think about that, Reverend Tilton? I said, a preacher raised his money for a particular thing. That's what he's supposed to spend the money for. And if he doesn't spend the money for that, that would be fraud and a criminal offense. And he'd probably go to jail. He turns the tape back on. Then he looks at me on all of a sudden, he's on the tape. See, I don't know what's going on. He's on the tape and he says, you're that man, Reverend Tilton? Don't you know that you're supposed to have... You're supposed to tell a person if a camera's on? You know, how do you like somebody to follow you around, try to... You know what the... I'll tell you, I'm not going to say it because they just quote me on this. But I was going to tell you what it feels like to have people do what those people do. But I'm not going to tell you what it feels like. MUSIC We have more to tell you about our investigation into Robert Tilton, a TV evangelist whose success in life ministry is quickly growing in popularity. Mr. Tilton said some very controversial things in our investigation last week. And now he has issued a public apology. Here's Steve Wilson with a follow-up. Let's welcome this morning, our beloved pastor, Robert Tilton. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. He was back in the pulpit Sunday morning with a strong rebuke for some of his critics who appeared in our report a few days ago. Only Anthony told us last week that Tilton often seeks $1,000 contributions for pieces of cloth he anoints with the healing power of God when the preacher wipes his brow with him. But Tilton insisted on Sunday that his critics are wrong. We send out probably $15,000 free prayer calls some month and nobody has to pay a dime for him. And I'll tell you something else, I never wipe one ounce of sweat off my brow just in a prayer call or sell it for $1,000. That's lies of the devil. You offered his proof a videotape story of this woman in Chicago. She claimed she had a cancerous tumor in her mouth until the mailman came one day. I got a prayer call about a maverick lady. I got prayer call. Alice immediately took the cloth, placed it in her mouth, and asked God to heal her. By the time she woke up the next morning, Tilton claimed she was entirely healed. This woman that was healed of cancer, document by the doctors. Take that, devil. Tilton consistently refuses to allow anyone to independently verify such stories. But he had this to say Sunday to anyone who's skeptical. I'm not a dirty dog, I'm not a thief, I'm not a fraud, I'm not a flake, I'm a born again son of God, child of God, filled with the Holy Ghost. I'm the righteousness of God in Christ. My hands are anointed, my words are anointed, my eyes are anointed, that God's touched me, he's blessed me, he's healed me, he's delivered me, he's prospering me, but his tone was quite contrite, just before he closed the broadcast. A few days ago I was caught in a very terrible position. Tremendous pressure was upon me, and I said something I shouldn't have said. He's talking now about what he said to me on an airplane. Even when he knew I was a reporter recording his words, he said he knew why inside edition was investigating his ministry, which reportedly rakes in a million a week. Well, as you know, and I'm on-branding some writings, some commercials, and make some money for your Jews in New York. I have lots of Jewish friends that I love dearly, and we buy a lot of television time from some Jewish people. And I don't think there's an anti-Semitic bone in my body, but evidently there was. I don't know. I know about two-thirds of our television is controlled by Jewish people. And thank God for that. They're good people, I love them. They're God's chosen people. OK, I love the Jewish people, but I made a slight statement that could be taken to drogatorally and to all of you that are the Jewish descendant this time. I apologize to you publicly. I asked you to forgive me for saying the little comment that I made. Tilton Spokesman and Dallas says this week, Pastor Bob is unavailable for any further comment and has apparently not changed his mind about refusing all requests for further interviews. Well, after hearing that apology, a spokesman for the anti-defamation league said he believes Robert Tilton still has a long way to go. That's right. Let your hand on the screen. America's hottest TV preacher has run into some problems over what he meant to be an apology. I'm Richard Ray, and when Nightbeard continues, I'll tell you why. I'm the Chiefs of Setspan. It's been hard to miss Robert Tilton lately, USA Today, entertainment tonight. The tabloids all have run unflattering stories about the best known of the so-called health and wealth TV preachers. Nightbeats Richard Ray joined us now from our Dallas newsroom with part two of a series that poses the question. Who holds the gospel truth? Rich? Chris, if you've seen those stories lately, you may have also noticed that the prime accuser in each case was another Dallas minister. But if you send a vow of $1,000, then brother Bob will fill this with water that he allegedly is taken from the Jordan River, then you can dump it on yourself and get baptized. For Oli Anthony, the health and wealth ministry of Robert Tilton, its marketing of miracles is something to despise. It's commercial fraud in God's name. Anthony heads up the Trinity Foundation, a very different church from Tilton. It's a small congregation of Christians who meet, and in many cases live, in this renovated East Dallas neighborhood. It's at Anthony's urging that a number of national publications have recently printed and aired Tilton attacks. One in particular is causing the powerful Texas-based evangelist some serious problems. It aired last week on a nationally syndicated program called Inside Edition. The report included a hidden camera and bush interview on an airplane. When he realized what had happened Tilton told the reporter, he knew why he was doing the interview. Quote, you know that I'm going to bring some ratings and sell more commercials for your Jews in New York. And to all of you that are the Jewish descent, at this time, I apologize to you publicly. I asked you to forgive me for saying the little comment that I made. During last Sunday, Sermon Tilton attempted to apologize, but succeeded only in further offending with another comment. I know about two-thirds of our television is controlled by a Jewish people. And thank God for that. The anti-defamation league has since written Tilton, asking for a meeting to discuss what it feels are dangerous and stereotypical remarks. It really allows the bigots and the anti-Semites and the hate mongers to come out of the woodwork. And we're growing by leaps and bounds. One of the biggest crowds we've had in years right now in this auditorium, and it keeps growing Sunday after Sunday. Robert Tilton preaches the prosperity gospel, and he lives it with lavish homes and lifestyle. Donations to his ministry total millions every month. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on. At Trinity, they take in the homeless who have no money, all the Anthony and others who minister here, draw a salary of $80 a week. Two men, two churches, reading one Bible and finding very different gods. Boy, face of love. Some of you, this church too hot for you, you need to get out of here and go on down the street. That's right, some of you don't belong here. I heard of a couple that used to come here, but it wasn't socially acceptable any longer in their circles, and they begin to draw back, and draw back, and they found a place where nothing was happening, where they could be socially acceptable. One was telling Marty last night in the apartment store, she says, I don't know how people talk about you like they do, we love you so much, and it just infuriates my husband. She said, you know, in some social circles, y'all are really disrespected in. I won't give you an example the way the Dallas Times hero, the way CNN, channel eight, ABC, NBC, all of them that played this, you know what they did, they ran spots all day long, here in Dallas, and you know what the teasers on the news was about every 15 minutes, Tilton's House seized by federal drug agents more at six-clock news. The headlines on the front page of the morning news, federal agencies, Tilton's House in drug bust. Now everybody thinks now that I'm a drug dealer, you know what was so amazing? Murray Knight and us, the partners, we had just given $10,000 to the police force here in Farmer's, Branch, Texas, North Dallas for a nationwide seminar conference for undercover drug dealers. The Knight is part of a major drug investigation in California, federal agencies, and expensive house at Las Calinas in Irving. The house is being leased by well-known television evangelist Robert Tilton. Reverend Tilton is in no way implicated or suspected of being involved in anything illegal, but his family was shot late today when US marshals and drug agents came and seized the house in Irving that they've been leasing. Channel eight's Bill Brown says the California man who owns the mansion has confessed to trafficking in drugs and has gone to prison. Coming to you from Dallas, Texas, it's his lesson life with Robert Tilton. Turn on a television set almost anywhere and you're likely to see Robert Tilton, a colorful evangelist who runs the popular word of faith ministry and has a church with 8,000 members in Farmer's branch. On cable and broadcast stations, the Reverend reaches up to 20 million viewers. Whatever was torn, whatever was doosed up there in that automobile accident, blessed God is gone in Jesus name. Reverend Tilton did live in Southern California but moved back to Texas and is building a new home in the exclusive bentry area of North Dallas. Lately, he and his family have been living in this $700,000 house at Las Calinas in Irving. He leases the home for $6,000 a month. As it turns out, he leases it from a convicted drug dealer, Californian Patrick Johnson. In Los Angeles, Johnson confessed to trafficking in PCP, Angel Dust and cocaine and has been sent to prison for 30 years. The evangelist is out of town now, but his son, John Tilton, talked tonight with reporter Vince Patton. The owner is the pre-owners of this house. The floor of the steel owners, I guess the owner is more in there in jail or something. We're like innocent third party here, so. So they're not arrested, you're in there. Not at all. We do not do anything wrong. The head of the DEA office in Dallas confirms that Reverend Tilton and his family were in no way involved in the drug ring. No, we have nothing to indicate that the Reverend is implicated in any way, shape, or form. The federal agents are still investigating and they could seize more property in Texas, owned by Johnson, the convicted drug dealer. The federal government is now the landlord here and the tilt lose will be allowed to stay if they wish. Bill Brown, Channel 8 News, Irving. He is the chief of police of farmer's branch, Texas. He has a very special award to give to our pastors today. So let's welcome, Jim. Thank you. Thank you. I'm very pleased to be here this morning representing two organizations, my department and the National Drug and Farsament Officers Association. We went out to our community to ask them for some assistance. And we came to our good friends here at the word of faith family church. And your generosity and your gift was very, very special to us. We were the recipients of $10,000, which more than put us over our needs. One more thing. Something really ironico happened while they were having their program. That was when there was a situation on our rental home. And right while they were having their convention with these drug enforcement undercover agents from all over America, our house was being seized by the federal agents. But they said, let's go cash that check in a hurry. Yeah. Of course, they told me later that they realized that the media had just taken advantage of a situation and just once again discouraged me a little bit. But of course, as always, I always come out landing on my feet and smelling like a rose, hallelujah. And you can't keep a good man down. And more than I do our best to live a quiet, squeaky, clean life. But when you preach the gospel of Jesus, they have a tendency of trying to make up things or twist things, or exaggerate things, or just I don't know. When I was in high school, I worked for a man. And I had a fruit stand. And me and four or five other guys, we stole that guy blind. We used to get on top of the freeways, drop watermelon's off. We'd go through a case of eggs on a Friday night. Parents, please forgive me for putting ideas in your kids' heads. I better not hear any watermelon dropped off any freeways. You can kill somebody like that. At least go out there and check it out and spy a little bit. Go check it out and spy. See what all that noise is about. There might be a spy sitting next to you this morning. Could be a reporter next to you right now. Turn to the person you're riding left and say, it is true. Good things are happening. Give them an interview. Let me remember last Sunday when I said turn to the person you're riding left, you may be some media person there. You know, there was no reason for me to say that. Just out of the blue, I said those words. And no one had told me that who was here, and who knows who, only the Lord knows who's here right now. But there was a person that come possibly, which I feel like for sure, it comes to discredit me a little bit. But I just believe they got their socks blessed off last Sunday when they were here. And I also know you're watching right now in videotaping everything I say so that it can be used for me and not against me. But right over here in this section, let's see, which section was it? Where was that person? What? But next to the Usher's room, there was a person dressed in a real plain white blouse and a cotton dress and a blouse and real just indiscreet, and that was Diane Sawyer sitting right back there checking it all out. And they got to enjoy a full blown pentacostle church service last Sunday. She got in the prayer line, but didn't get prayed for her. You know, she stepped out too quick. This year, if you have noticed on Primetime Live, there are more and more investigations with the hidden cameras where I think you really get to see what's going on. There are times when you, when there's no other way to see. And that's when you use them. Sure, it's very identifiable. How do you, how do you do that? Well, I often don't show up if it's going to, if it's going to destroy the work of everybody else. And we have a brilliant producer on this story, Robbie Gordon, and a great team of people. You'll see some of them tonight on camera. So, tonight we're talking about television evangelists. We are. It started because one time I was traveling and I was flipping the channels and I saw one of them on the air. Robert Tilton and I became intrigued and we started asking questions and we were led to yet another and yet another. And people came to us and said, there's more you should know. And so tonight we have three of them on the air. I want to say because I know you all know this. Everyone, particularly people when you get near the subject of religion, people don't trust reporters on this. And they think that somehow we're out to question faith or belief and it is not true. I mean, this is something very close to a lot of people. What we set out to do was ask the question, is what is being set on the air true? Can we just ever come? Can we just ever come? We want to know if there's hypocrisy, if it's an impression that isn't correct, there are lots of variations that you're going to see tonight. Well, we have some excerpts from tonight's show. We do. I'll tell you about this one. This is just a tiny fraction of what you're going to see tonight from the three men. And I'll tell you something else. Those that match with me, they're messing with the apple of God's eye. Robert Tilton has the fastest growing ministry on television today. Yeah, well, I'm going to beat you up. You don't want to cut your pieces. I'm going to even chase us. Prime time obtained documents indicating Robert Tilton's followers are sending him, at least $80 million a year. It's tax-free. More about his money tonight. And I want you to make a thousand dollar ballot date. Well, I know you probably don't have a thousand dollars, but ballot. See, that's the other thing. A number of the people who send in money are people who are sick, people who are desperate. Absolutely. People who are in need. And hoping for a miracle in their life. Yes, and again, I mean, we're not here to dispute miracles. So who? We're just here to question whether or not what is said on the air. Well, they sent in the money, but the real problem is what he does with the money. And what does he do with the money? Well, as you're going to see tonight, I'm not going to give it all the way. No, I'm not saying. No, I'm just saying. But one of the things he says that he gives a huge amount to missions or implies that he does, they're very careful about this. He implies he gives a lot of money to mission. We track down a whole series of missions in his magazine. And I think we figured out that he spends about what he spends on billboards for himself in Dallas, is what he spends on the missions. And this is a man whose followers are sending in this huge amount of money. And we'll show you where he lives as well tonight. Sounds like a fascinating topic. Well, tonight sounds like a great show. It's just like the end-sided edition getting me on the airplane. Cheap shot, totally yellow journalism. It's just an anti-Jesus real Jesus. The old-elite religious people get along, Moshe on down the road. Do you let somebody start shaking, rattling and rolling for Jesus? They get all upset. Besides, that's ratings month. They wouldn't be doing this sensationalism if it wasn't ratings month. I mean, an interrupting Kathy and Regis, what a cheap shot. You know what they were doing? They sent out promos to all the newspapers, got on all their stuff, so to bill their ratings, so that they would have the highest ratings on their own in the prime time, so that they could sell commercials for a higher cost to all of the commercial buyers. And I wonder how much Dianne Sawyer makes to slander men of God. I mean, I wonder how much she makes. I wonder what kind of moral ethics she has. I wonder who she associates with and where she goes and what she does. I wonder if she could stand the magnifying glass. November 21st, 1991. It's a something harder than devil kicks it in either. Harder, I'm gonna kick back at him. God can get glory out of it. I understand that pain. Tonight, an undercover investigation of televangelists. You've never met anyone quite like Robert Tilton before. He heads today's fastest growing TV minister. He takes in millions of tax-free dollars. As those are met with me, they're messing with the apple of God's eye. He says he has divine inspiration about what viewers need and how much they should give him. Can you need to make a $5,000 about it? But an old buddy of Tilton's remembers how in college, it was all a big joke. Old beard God, come into this young woman's life, Hill tonight. Tonight, we take hidden cameras into Tilton's ministry from his offices to the marketing company he uses to his luxurious homes. You'll see how the businessman deposits followers money directly into the bank that has a shocking place for their prayers and dreams. From ABC News, with anchors Diane Soyer, Sam Donaldson, this is Prime Time. Prime Time, from New York, Diane Soyer. Good evening, Sam is off tonight. As we all know, the United States was founded on a principle of religious liberty and the laws give wide latitude to religious institutions here. Take television ministries. Even though they use public airwaves to raise tax-free funds, there is very little monitoring of what they broadcast. Members of Congress acknowledge that most of them are afraid of going near these sensitive political issues. So Prime Time decided to look around. The following is the result of a four-month investigation. We called through bank transactions property records databases, and the bank's capital has traveled from the churches of Dallas to the banks in Oklahoma to Poland and Haiti. We want to say right from the start that we are in no way questioning faith or religious belief of any kind. In fact, many of the people who helped in this investigation are devoted members of religious organizations, but believe it's important to know the facts. You are now going to be a man who takes in more money than the income we figure of Madonna and Michael Jackson combined. As we said before, it takes a lot of money to keep one of these TV ministries on the air. But we have been told that making money and marketing are what this man does best. People said his organization is a state-of-the-art factory for donations, all for the operations and bank accounts of the Robert Tilton Ministry. And I'll tell you something else. Those that mess with me, they're messing with the apple of God's eye. This is Robert Tilton. He has the fastest growing ministry on television today. Viewers are riveted by his melodrama, his quirky style. I love you. And he parles all of it into a high-tech church in Dallas, and more airtime than almost any other televangelist. I'll say yes, Lord. Tilton takes in so much money he makes other TV ministers look like amateurs. And I want you to make a thousand dollar dollar faith. Well, I know you probably don't have a thousand dollars, but valid. Try to find out how much money Tilton makes and you discover the ministry is shrouded in secrecy. The pastor has bodyguards. His offices are sealed off with armed security and surveillance cameras. But prime time obtains some of Tilton's financial documents. These are daily deposits. And based on these, Tilton's followers sent his ministry conservatively, $80 million a year. Tax-free. Good morning and welcome to World of Faith Family Church. Tilton's televised service is an expensive multimedia variety hour. But for all his flashy style, Tilton insists he's still a simple preacher who cares about the sickness and suffering of his followers. Just bones go together. Now move it around. Start moving around. Start thanking God. Who else in severe pain? He also tells followers he'll pray for their miracles. So they should send him money. Today is a miracle day. In this fundraising campaign two months ago, Tilton told followers he was making a pilgrimage to the mountains just for them. Separated myself from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Just as Jesus withdrew himself and went to the mountainside to pray. Like Jesus, the Bible says Jesus went to fast and separate himself from worldly things. Pastor Bob flew first class to a posh ski resort in Colorado. Three suitcases for five days. A room with a fireplace. He even brought his own television along, while asking followers to send in money. So we decided to take in cameras to see what we could learn about Robert Tilton's fundraising. It led us first to the nerve center of his ministry, a company that organizes his direct mail. It's called response media. The office is, he's telling us probably better than anyone knows. Jim Moore is president of response media. He handles not only Tilton, but a number of big corporate accounts. We told Moore that we were media consultants for this man, Dallas minister Oli Anthony. We asked him to show us how to start a big money ministry like Tilton's. Give him something free. We're on a menu, let us copy your Vax and give the name and address. New names is the key. How can you name it? Just something. New names. We learned that once people give you their names, it's easy to keep them on the hook. You mail them something with a gimmick in it. First of all, send