Friday, June 2, 2023

SCAM ALERT - Deception at ATRI (Cha-ching)

--SCAM ALERT--
 For the love of money is the root of all evil...
1 Timothy 6:10
 
"In the fall of 2022, the former Director of Donor Relations at the
Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (ATRI), Andrew Jaeger, filed a whistleblowing complaint against The John Ankerberg Show. Alleging that Ankerberg raised nearly $16 million in donations on the promise they’d be used to fund audio Bible distribution but instead spent the money on private jets and other ministry expenses
 
Specifically, Jaeger says that over 18 months, the ministry spent $1 million on private chartered jets, including one flight to a destination that was only 100 miles away. He alleges they took one flight in 2021 to attend meetings that could have been done by Zoom, which he estimates cost nearly $60,000 there and back. Lastly, he said their private jet wasn’t listed on their Form 990 in 2021.

After Ministry Watch broke the story and reached out for comment, the Ankerbergs offered a defense. They disputed his numbers, saying they never raised $16 million, but $20 million, and challenged Jaeger’s claim that they only gave 15%, insisting it was more like 20%.
 
Darlene Ankerberg said the failure to disclose the use of charter aircraft was an “administrative mistake” which would be rectified." 
Protestia
 
Then there is this---one has to wonder that the whole National Religious Broadcasters organization is corrupt or of low ethical / moral standards to do something so tone deaf as this....
"The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) are meeting this week
in Orlando, Fla., and on Monday (May 22)
announced that John Ankerberg has been elected to its board of directors
---Just weeks ago Ankerberg’s organization, the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (ATRI) was suspended from membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability." 
MinistryWatch