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Received the following mailing from Saint Matthew's Churches the other day telling me all about the miraculous power of their "prayer rug." A poster, included in the mailing, that has brought physical healing and financial blessings to the thousands who have used it. If you believe that, there's a friend my mine I'd like you to meet. He's a Nigerian prince and he's having some trouble securing his inheritance.
Saint Mathews does not operate churches (plural) or even a church (singular). It's direct mail operation founded by James Eugene "Gene" Ewing. In the 1980s, Ewing's former church-by-mail enterprise was ruled as a "for profit" organization by IRS and there's evidence that Ewing routed millions from evangelical activities to purchase real estate in Beverly Hills. Saint Matthews has managed to retain it's tax exempt status, despite using the same tactics and providing no accounting of how funds are used.
The mailing utilizes all the cheesy direct mail devices -- fake underling, handwritten fonts, testimonials from past donors that would be impossible to verify. This mailing serves as phase one of the Saint Mathews fund-raising strategy. Individuals who reply to this mailing receive follow-up letters indicating the specific monetary donations required to see their "prayers" answered. I'm tempted to mail it in, just to behold the craziness of phase two and learn how much salvation is going to cost.
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