Religious Institutions
How religious institutions have priced, controlled and financed access to the sacred, and what their own records show about money, abuse and accountability. The subject is institutions, never belief.
- 01
The Price of Salvation
How the sale of indulgences worked, what it funded, and what the reformers objected to, from the documents of 1515 to 1517 and the Church's answer.
- 02
Direct Access
What happened to those who put scripture within reach of ordinary people, and how reform movements rebuilt intermediaries and tithes.
- 03
What Was Known
What grand jury reports, church-commissioned investigations and royal commissions show institutions knew about abuse, and what they did, across denominations.
- 04
Untaxed and Unaudited
The disclosure rules religious institutions escape, and what came to light when regulators looked.
- 05
Ministry as Business
What congressional inquiries, court orders and financial records show about media ministries, prosperity-gospel financing and public money.
Mechanisms documented in this report
The middleman
9 findingsThe filtered record
3 findingsKnown inside, disclosed late
9 findingsThe liability shield
1 finding
Further reading
Report 1 of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (interim, redacted)
10 claims checked:5 supported · 4 partly supported · 0 contradicted · 1 not in the record
Final Report, Volume 16, Religious institutions (Books 1 and 2)
10 claims checked:8 supported · 2 partly supported · 0 contradicted · 0 not in the record
Review of Media-Based Ministries: memorandum to Senator Grassley (6 January 2011), with minority staff overviews of Copeland, Dollar, Long and White
10 claims checked:8 supported · 1 partly supported · 0 contradicted · 1 not in the record