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T h e G R E E N Y w o r l d D o m i n a t i o n T a s k F o r c e
Presents:
"Bob Larson Part 5 & 6"
GwD, Incorporated is dedicated to the exposing of false prophets. We have found
one such "prophet" in Bob Larson of Bob Larson: Live and formerly of Talk-Back
with Bob Larson. A supposed Christian radio evangelist, Bob Larson is actually
only motivated by financial gain. These 14 articles by Kenneth L. Smith prove
this. From this point on, GwD is anti-Bob Larson.
PART 5
Date: Friday, 12 November 1993 2:37pm ET
To: Scott.Mikusko
From: Scott.Mikusko
Subject: Bob Larson: Sex and the Sinful Minister
Bob Larson: Sex and the Sinful Minister
Sooner or later, you knew it was bound to happen: When a ministry is out of
control, tales of sexual indiscretion invariably arise. And as it was with Jim
Bakker, so it is with Bob Larson.
The Bob Larson story has moved forward at a remarkably rapid pace in recent
weeks, and developments have not been kind to him. Jay Grelen has subtly
raised the issue of Larson's purportedly intimate relation ship with a former
lieutenant, Margo Hamilton. We determined where he was ordained, and lodged a
challenge as to his fitness to remain as a minister. His flagship affiliate,
Denver's KLTT, was sold to an organization which has inside knowledge concerning
his improprieties. His marriage to Laura, his new trophy wife, is said to be
failing. All in all, October of 1993 was not a good month to be Bob.
But on November 1st, he had a vision.
Bobby Does Damage Control
As a rule, the Christian community takes a remarkably blase attitude toward
financial scandals -- but the moment that sex is mentioned, all bets are off.
In its' September 13, 1993 edition, Christianity Today reported on Bob Canella's
claim that IBN director Pam Koczman sexually harassed him. CT reporter Timothy
Morgan seized that opportunity to make additional allusions concerning Bonnie
Bell's untimely departure, and Larson's reputation for abusing his employees.1
Whether for good or ill, when CT speaks, the evangelical community listens;
Larson was compelled to respond. But as evidenced from these excerpts from the
Ministry's press release, Larson was clearly playing a larger game:
"POSITION STATEMENT ON SEPTEMBER 13 CHRISTIANITY TODAY ARTICLE:
Bob Larson and the Board of Bob Larson Ministries (BLM) ada-
mantly deny the allegations set forth in the September 13th
edition of Christianity Today. The article is the latest in a
series of character assassination attempts against Mr. Larson
and the staff of BLM. It primarily centers around a complaint
by a disgruntled, discharged former employee.
5. Because of numerous threats (on file with authorities) on
Mr. Larson's life and property, access to the office of BLM
is highly restricted for the protection of both Mr. Larson
and members of the BLM staff."2
Larson would like his avid, check-writing fans to draw the inference that
witches, Satanists, neo-Fascists, and other assorted dregs of the galaxy are
constantly harassing him. Yet, in those rare3 instances where he even bothers
to report an incident to the police, Larson prefers instead to finger "past
disgruntled employees."
For instance, Talk-Back listeners might recall that, on his January 29
broadcast, Larson related one particularly "vicious" threat to his life and
property:
"The threats, Bonnie, as you and the other people that work
with me know, have gotten so vicious. They recently sent me
a large color photograph of several people who are a part of
this group. Standing on the front steps of my private property
on which they trespassed -- the front steps of my home -- hold-
ing a flaming Molotov cocktail, threatening to burn down the
house with obscene language printed on the photograph."4
So who did Larson identify as the prime suspects in this nefarious deed? The
Coven? The Horses of Illinois? Glen Benton? Evidently, that thought never
crossed his mind. Also noticeable by their absence is the Denver-Area Witches
Network, and the various sundry Satanic covens which Larson insists are active
in the Denver area. His mortal enemies would never harass him, but his former
employees -- fine, upstanding Christian citizens, all -- would?
[ No less than three former Ministry employees were mentioned
as possible suspects in the police report5: Muriel Olsen, Lori
Boespflug, and Connie Beavers. Larson even went so far as
to insinuate that the husband of his former office manager was
one of the people hiding under the robes.6
Of course, Larson tried to paint me as the mastermind of this
absurd plot to destroy him and his ministry -- but, then again,
Bob apparently blames me for virtually everything that has
gone wrong in his life ... including cancellation of "The Wonder
Years." ]
Bob Larson has good reason to fear ex-employees, not so much because they are
closet Satanists but rather, because they have sat behind the veil of that den
of iniquity. They've watched him in action, and have been shocked by the sheer
mendacity of the man. If Bob Larson is what constitutes "God's anointed,"
they'd just as soon reserve their condos on the River Styx.
Bound by their Christian consciences, they have taken this news to anyone who
would listen. However, fearing for their jobs -- and in my estimation,
justifiably so -- they remained anonymous. Unfortunately, they made the
colossal mistake of pleading their cases to station owners and managers who, for
the largest part, lent an unsympathetic ear. Good Calvinists that they were,
they worshipped frequently at the altar of the Bank of America -- and Larson
paid so handsomely that they were inclined to overlook his indiscretions.6a
And Bobby Does Margo?
Ever since Bob and Kathy Larson started having marital difficulties, rumors
concerning his alleged infidelity have run rampant. This comment is from "the
Salem letters," anonymous correspondence from a BLM staff member to Salem
Broadcasting president Ed Atsinger:
"Mr. Larson has had other traveling and bed companions such as
Mrs Boespflug, who most likely supposes as the others that she
is unique and something special. And she is for the moment.
Why not ask Ms Behrens who was his best friend' for four or
five years and traveling companion to many 5 star hotels in
such places as San Francisco, San Diego, San Francisco, Tucson
and Hawaii. You might want to ask her about her last sexual
encounter with Mr. Larson where she was overwhelmed with a
demonic presence [all sentences in context]."7
While these anonymous allegations -- especially the part of the 'demonic
presence' -- seem a bit questionable, it is clear that Larson has had a habit of
volutarily placing himself in the positions which lend themselves to a measure
of suspicion. A mere business trip to Orlando with his personal secretary would
not necessarily be seen as improper, but his November, 1990 visit to Disney
World -- with her and her three young girls, while his wife waited at home --
certainly would.8
[ According to Boespflug, Larson showered her with gifts
during late 1990 and early 1991, including a diamond frog
broach valued at $2,800, a dog she later named "Soks," and
$1,250 in cash to pay for furnace repairs. And if, as Larson
insists, she had nothing of consequence to do with "his"
writing of Dead Air, it only stands to reason that he was in fact
actively courting her affections. But let us not forget that he
was quite married at the time.]
For the most part, I have refrained from commenting on Larson's purported
sexual misadventures, on the grounds that charges of infidelity are virtually
impossible to prove. However, Jay Grelen's recent World article, "Bob Larson
Quits NRB," has brought it to the fore:
"Margo Hamilton, another long-time employee who often trav-
eled with Larson and spoke at BLM's seminars about satanism,
resigned in September 1992.
In a telephone conversation with World last week, she said
she could not discuss her time at BLM because she signed confi-
dentiality agreements with Larson. And her husband, in a con-
versation with World earlier this year, said he too had signed
an agreement. He has never worked for the ministry."9
Of course, the obvious question is why Margo's husband would need to sign such
an agreement. After all, since they didn't marry until several months after she
"resigned," and he had never worked for the ministry, he wasn't in a position to
reveal proprietary information. And if he did reveal what Margo told him, that
would have been a violation of her confidentiality agreement.
[It is instructive to note that Lori Boespflug's new husband
was not asked to sign an agreement, despite the fact that they
were engaged to be married at the time of her dismissal. Lori
knew as much about Ministry operations as anyone; if Larson had
any legitimate concern as to whether BLM's trade secrets would
be a probable subject of pillow talk', there is no evidence to
that effect.]
In summation, Margo's husband had to know something that Bob Larson didn't
want to be known ... and, had nothing to do with the Ministry's internal
operations.
That doesn't leave many options.
While it is admittedly circumstantial (and fairly scant), other pertinent
evidence supports the hypothesis that Bob and Margo did in fact get physical'.
Avid Talk-Back followers may recall the "Breezy incident," where Bob was kicked
in the head by a horse; what is not generally known is that it was Margo's
horse, Lena, that kicked him.10 The larger question, of course, is how a mother
of three could afford such a bourgeois indulgence on her proletarian
$35,000/year11 salary. And one obvious answer is Bob Larson.
It was further reported that in March of 1992, Larson ran an invoice for
personal toiletries through his expense account ... including hair spray,
Trojans, and Semicid, a female contraceptive.12 Now of course, the hair spray
makes some sense, but it is quite difficult to envision Bob Larson handing out
condoms on the street corner to sexually-active teens (a la Jocelyn Elders).
Thus the question naturally arises as to what an unmarried minister would be
doing with contraceptives....
Standing alone, any one of these pieces of evidence can be explained
innocently. But taken together, they comprise a fairly strong circumstantial
ground for charges of sexual improprieties. The hypothetical reasonable wife',
when confronted by comparable evidence, would naturally start asking a few
questions. And she would demand answers.
To this self-confessed unbeliever, the issue of Larson's sex life is as
irrelevant as it is uninteresting; I don't see marriage as a sacrament, but
rather, as a partnership. Life is just too short for anyone to be trapped in a
miserable marriage. Yet, to my many Christian colleagues, who must by
definition let the Scriptures be their guide, the matter is one of grave
concern.
In his first letter to Timothy, the seminal text on Church administration,
Paul posed this incisive rhetorical question: "If anyone does not know how to
manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?"13 In so writing,
Paul established stringent standards of conduct for men aspiring to leadership
positions within the Church.14 And with good reason: The one common denominator
of the Bakker, Swaggart, Hargis, and now, Larson scandals is that, if a man is
fundamentally unfit to honor his 'calling' as a minister of the Gospel, that
fact seems invariably to manifest itself in his private life.
But Can He Do it With Impunity?
Until recently, Bob Larson reportedly believed that he could weather the media
firestorm.15 But two recent events have changed the landscape: his departure
from the NRB, and the sale of his Denver affiliate to Crawford Communications.
While the events themselves were somewhat innocuous, the collateral damage has
been staggering.
Our informants have advised us that Larson's publisher, Thomas Nelson, had to
find out from the press that he had withdrawn BLM's application to the ECFA.
Evidently, Nelson president Sam Moore wasn't particularly ecstatic with that
development; Nelson has endured criticism from other quarters in recent
months16, and Moore would like to avoid having another Mike Warnke scandal
explode in his face. Thus it would seem that his 'marriage' to Nelson is on
even shakier grounds than the to his young bride, Laura.
Along similar lines, the loss of Denver's KLTT has caused surprising damage to
the Ministry. Larson loses a number of affiliates to format and/or ownership
changes every year, and in most cases, he simply goes to the station down the
street. But in Denver, his failing reputation has preceded him; four of the
seven local Christian stations are owned by those who have 'inside knowledge'
with respect to the Larson situation
Salem president Ed Atsinger dropped Larson upon learning of his divorcing
former wife Kathy, and Don Crawford, Jr. had hired a certain talk-show host by
the name of John Stewart. Moreover, the other three have been "on notice" for
more than a year. Even Frank Trueblood, the station manager for KQXI (Larson's
new Denver affiliate), claimed in a telephone conversation that he was indeed
"fully aware" of the charges against Larson.17 But KQXI is one of Denver's less
prominent stations, and is said to be struggling; Larson pays quite well ... and
he pays on time.
The move to KQXI affected Larson's Denver market in two ways: tape-delayed
shows attract fewer listeners, and weaker stations reduce the size of his
audience. Whereas KLTT could be heard from Ft. Collins to Castle Rock, KQXI's
signal can at times be difficult to hear in Aurora or Boulder. And as his
faithful, check-writing listeners slowly abandon his ship, Denver is poised to
become irrelevant.
Under normal conditions, Bob Larson should be more than able to tolerate the
loss of any given market, with the obvious exception of Dallas. But all is not
well at BLM. The clearest evidence yet that Larson has fallen into a state of
sheer desperation comes from his November 1 show. Like Oral Roberts before him,
Bob told his radio audience that God gave him a vision:
"About two and one-half hours ago, I told my secretary just
to pull the blinds in my office; I want to close my eyes and
sit back and relax for a little bit, and just lay all of this
before the LORD.' And I did. And the LORD spoke to my heart
-- and I want to tell you, my staff -- until I walked in here
fifteen minutes before this show -- had no idea what I was
going to ask you to do today. None. [Long pause.]
And the LORD spoke to my heart very clearly, and gave me a
vision for reviving Christian radio in America. A vision.
The LORD told me what it was going to cost -- and I had my
chief financial officer run some numbers to double-check it --
$1.89 million...."18
It ought to go without saying that, when God gives you a vision, you don't
have to check His math....
God has this remarkable habit of talking to sinister ministers, and He always
seems to say precisely what they want to hear. Oral Roberts needed $8 million
to help out his medical school -- and God just happened to tell him how much to
ask for. At least, Bob Larson had the good sense not to lock himself in his
studio....
Larson's immediate aim is to buy a local radio station. I can't say which one
without jeopardizing my sources, nor can I offer an authoritative pronouncement
as to why he wants it. Still, I can make an educated guess.
The obvious reason is that Bob's ego and pocketbook both demand that he stay
on the air in Denver. In the best of times, his broadcasts on the former KLTT
added roughly $6,000/mo. to the gross margin (although the figure has declined
in recent months). Of course, that guess must presuppose that he expects
Talk-Back to remain viable. My informants, however, insist otherwise. They say
you can hear it in his voice, and see it in his countenance: Bob knows the end
of Talk-Back is nigh.
If the Ministry is, in the vernacular, heading south for the winter, Bob's
purpose in owning a radio station becomes even more obvious. In actual terms,
the net worth of the Ministry is a bit less than $3 million.19 it makes for a
pretty nice stash, and a radio station might be the perfect getaway car. Bob
wouldn't have to answer to anyone (aside from the FCC), and could lay colorable
claim to remaining in the ministry. But more to the point, he would have
access to the resources BLM has amassed in corporate solution, and continue to
pay himself a handsome salary until he decides to retire early in the next
century. And if BLM's handpicked Board of Directors remains true to form, they
should be little more than a minor inconvenience.
An Aside: Field of Dreams
At present, the Ministry can write a check large enough to cover the down
payment on just about any radio station in the Denver market. As such, the
return of Talk-Back to the Denver airwaves should be considered to be a foregone
conclusion. Still, the more intriguing question is whether Larson's proposed
radio network has any real chance of succeeding.
In many ways, Larson's plan is so obvious that one is forced to wonder why he
had to have a divine revelation to come up with it. He has slowly been moving
toward that goal for some time now (as evidenced by the hiring of former Denver
DJ Pat O'Shea), and he has the raw technical capacity to start programming
tomorrow. All he needs is some satellite time and a few dozen outlets, and he
could easily be on his way to becoming the Christian Casey Kasem....
Yet, if anything, Larson may have missed the boat by waiting so long to launch
this venture. In the days when he was reputable, as opposed to having a
reputation, he could have established himself as a 'Christian DJ'. What's more,
two years ago he had the luxury of farming out some of his Talk-Back duties to
Bonnie Bell; it had enough of a profit margin that even Bonnie's worst efforts
could have been tolerated. By stark contrast, in recent months Larson has been
forced to work for a living: this Monday will mark the eighth continuous week of
live Talk-Back broadcasts.
But if Bob builds his field of dreams, will the audience come? Considering
how little air play secular death-metal and techno-rock gets, it is hard to
conceive of how "The Christian Metal Hour" could attract a viable audience.
Still, in an environment where Christian radio has reached a saturation point
(e.g., more than 15% of Denver stations air Christian' formats), and economies
of scale are fast making the independent station an anachronism, there should be
a few station managers willing to join. Nonetheless, a few simply won't be
enough. Economies of scale also drive the other end of the equation. Satellite
time isn't cheap, and unless the cost can be spread over a sufficient number of
affiliates, this potentially-profitable venture could become an albatross around
Larson's neck. Ergo, he would stand a much better chance of making said venture
work if he can deliver a proven product. And that's where Denver comes in....
If Larson stays true to form -- an assumption I'd be willing to take to the
bank -- he will retain a profits interest in this highly speculative venture,
while investing no more than a token amount of his own money. Hence, if it
fails, the Ministry will feel the pain, but if it succeeds, Bob will be able to
laugh his way into a resplendent retirement.
Even if Larson eventually decides that his new network isn't viable, he has
laid the foundation for his return to markets like Los Angeles, San Diego, and
Chicago. If the price is right, Christian station owners can be bought ... and
if Larson can offer a sufficiently-lucrative profit-sharing arrangement,
Talk-Back will be back in Baltimore.
Maybe He Can....
For all practical intents and purposes, Bob Larson has become a law unto
himself. He has carefully constructed his empire in such a manner as to ensure
that he is not accountable to anyone: board members, radio station owners, or
denominational bodies. The press is kept at arms-length ... and his publisher,
in the dark. He is the captain of his ship, the master of his fate....
And when accountability is absent, the conscience is certain to follow.
Nestled in the Appalachian hills, some 30 miles northeast of Chattanooga, lies
the spiritual equivalent of the No-Tell Motel: Dave Ford's Evangelistic
Messengers Association. Fill out your application, send in your fifty dollars,
and you can be ordained -- almost by nightfall. Just fill out the three-page
application and get two ministers to sign it, and you're on your way! No
education? No problem! You don't even need a high-school diploma to attend
their More Than Conquerors School of Theology.20 In only 420 hours' class time,
you can earn your bachelor's degree in theology -- by mail.21 And they are
fully accredited by the American Accrediting Association of Theological
Institutions,22 whoever they are. When I called the organization which
accredits our local Denver (Conservative Baptist) Seminary, The Association of
Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the lady answering my
inquiry laughed and said, "Who are they?"23
But twenty-some years ago, when the young Bob Larson approached them with a
fire in his belly and a full head of hair, the application process was even more
arduous: The road to the ministry was purely one of apprenticeship. After a
scant one-year apprenticeship, you were ready to 'fly solo' ... if you were
still confused by the difference between hermeneutics and Herman Munster, it
really didn't matter. And if some time later, you fell into a life of grievous
sin, it didn't matter ... EMA made no attempt to monitor their more than 1,000
active ministers, and had no formal procedure for disciplining wayward ones. EMA
president J. David Ford, who knew Bob Larson since 1971, was not even aware that
he had divorced former wife Kathy, more than two years after the fact.24
I would love to tell you more about EMA, but Dr. Ford has refused to talk to
me. He cited the following letter as the basis for his decision:
CERTIFIED MAIL
October 7, 1993
But truth does matter.
- Bob Larson
Dr. J. David Ford, President
Evangelistic Messengers Assn.
P.O. Box 4018
Cleveland, TN 37320
Re Bob Larson
Dear Dr. Ford:
I realize the greatest sermon I will ever minister will not
be behind the pulpit, but in everyday circumstances. I will
conduct my personal relationships and financial affairs in
such a way as to not bring reproach upon the ministry or
most of all, my Lord and Saviour whom I love...."
In the E.M.A.F. Pledge, you have set standards of honor and
integrity which are clear and uncompromising. Your vaunted
words convey an unequivocal message: a calling from God is not
a license to steal.
It is our understanding that -- quite possibly in direct
response to our activity -- Bob Larson has scheduled a public
appearance in Cleveland at the end of the month. It would not
be extravagant to presume that he has scheduled a meeting with
you to discuss the numerous allegations made against him. And
if such a meeting is to occur, it seems appropriate that his
accusers ought to be present.
To that end, we'd like to make you aware of our willingness
to make ourselves available for such a conference, and provide
you with appropriate assistance to enable you to properly pre-
pare for it. One of my associates will even travel to Cleve-
land to present the 'case' against Larson if you so desire.
For his part, Bob Larson has acted like someone who has an
awful lot to hide. Several months after his divorce was final,
he had the court seal his files. Last year, he refused inter
view requests by Christian reporters Joe Maxwell and Jay Gre
len. He has gone to court to enforce "confidentiality agree-
ments" which have no legitimate business purpose -- serving
only to dissuade former employees from revealing the embarrass-
ing truth. Both publicly and privately, he has accused me of
contriving false financial statements -- despite the fact that
the Ministry's general counsel admitted that the documents we
worked from were accurate. When I confronted him on a Ft. Lau-
derdale, FL talk show, he hung up. And when the Evangelical
Council on Financial Accountability raised questions of their
own, Bob withdrew the Ministry's membership in the National
Religious Broadcasters. For a minister of the Gospel, who is
to 'walk in the light as He is in the light,' Bob Larson has an
unusual aversion to scrutiny.
Although Bob Larson may have difficulty believing it, we do
not seek the destruction of his ministry. Quite the contrary;
we have received invaluable assistance from those who work
inside the walls of BLM and would prefer to see it become a
legitimate outreach to troubled teens. Even though the ultimate
mission of Bob Larson Ministries is to minister to the extrava-
gant financial needs of Bob Larson, the concept is a sound one.
We'd like it to be all that it can be ... WHAT IT OUGHT TO BE.
Unfortunately, that end may no longer be attainable. Bob
Larson has placed the demands of his hyperactive ego before the
needs of those he would serve. He has 'laid up his treasures'
where rust and moths doth corrupt, and visited great shame upon
the ministry.
All we are asking of Bob Larson is that he recant, repent,
and reimburse those he has injured in his self-righteous ram
pages. By recant, we mean that he must candidly and publicly
confess his sins, and admit the attempts he made to cover them
up, thereby 'compounding' them. By repent, we intend that he
is to consciously and deliberately walk away from those sins;
if the Ministry is to survive this scandal, adequate safeguards
(e.g., a hostile board of directors) must be put into place to
ensure that the conditions that facilitated his transgressions
are not allowed to recur. By reimburse, we insist that he must
offer fair and equitable compensation to those people he has
injured in his quest to emulate the likes of Robert Tilton and
J.D. Rockefeller.
We thank you for your assistance in this matter, and look for
ward to hearing from you.25
On the very day Larson visited Cleveland, TN, I called Ford with the intent of
gathering background information for this article. He quite angrily told me
that the aforementioned letter was proof that I "had a vendetta" against Larson.26 Res
ipsa loquitur.
It is often said that all that evil needs to thrive is for good men to do
nothing, and that has pretty much been the tale of the tape' in the Larson
affair. Scores of loyal Christian soldiers, fearing their masters' wrath, have
stayed inside their comfortable bunkers and studiously ignored the battle, but
former KLTT station manager Brian Taylor deserves the grand prize for servility.
Despite the fact that he has been aware of the Larson affair for more than a
year, he continued performing his oral ministrations until the very last minute
[on Talk-Back, 29 October 1993]:
Taylor: "Ah, sure I am the station manager at KLTT in Denver."
Larson: "And that is the station that we have been on"
Taylor: "Yes, the station you have been on for a number of
years as a matter of fact."
Larson: "Long time. Why did, why did you call Brian?"
Taylor: "Well, I just called to encourage you, brother. I know
that uh, today is our last day for a live broadcast for 'Talk-
Back' in Denver. And we have had tremendous response--people
looking to know where you are going to go and we are not able
to get you cleared live in the city anymore, but I'm believing
for it and I just wanted to call and encourage you. Y'know a
lot of people, and Jim in particular who just called, I feel
bad for people like that because they-they look at it and they
just look at totally the, the money or things like that and
y'know, I have the luxury of working here and knowing a little
bit more about your ministry, and seeing the fruits and knowing
that there are some things there that people don't recognize
and don't know that you do. Having worked in youth ministry in
the city and some of the other folks here at the station too,
we know we can call you with a referral anytime and you will
tell us exactly where we can get help, how we can take care of
the kids that have great need. And that kind of research takes
a lot of money. And I'm sure that could happen in any city. So
we give you a lot of praise and, uh well, give God the praise
but we give a lot of appreciation for the work and the effort
you put into your ministry...."27
Taylor's doctorate evidently appears to be in hypocrisy. In a letter to me,
dated Feb. 3, 1993, he apologized for acceding to Bob Larson's demand that I be
prevented from calling in on a local broadcast to challenge a litany of
slanderous remarks Larson made concerning me:
"I also want to offer my apology for not allowing you an
opportunity to call in and speak with Bob during the program.
However, as I stated, that was the condition I understood from
Bob when I invited him to be a guest on the station. In hind
sight, it would have been better to allow you the same opportu-
nity to call in as other listeners were provided, so as not to
give you (or anyone else) the impression that we were trying to
conceal anything. As I consider that decision in retrospect, I
can appreciate your displeasure."28
His pious closing -- "Walk In Truth"29 -- spoke volumes. If you are incapable
of walking the walk, you have no business talking the talk.
And Then Again, Maybe He Can't:
As long as the Evangelical community remains infested with slavering
sycophants like Ford and Taylor, it has little hope of obtaining even a
semblance of credibility among the unchurched and unsaved. If there is one
salient lesson to be learned from the Larson affair, it is that nothing of
substance has been learned from the Bakker scandal. Yet, the wheels of justice
continue to turn, albeit slowly. And the wheels at Bob Larson Ministries are
beginning to fall off.
______________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES
1 Timothy Morgan, "Personnel Woes Persist at Larson Ministries,"
Christianity Today, 13 Sept. 1993, p. 62.
2 Bob Larson Ministries, "Position Statement on September 13 Chris-
tianity Today Article" (unsigned press release), undated, p. 1 (origin-
inal sent to Doug Trauten of the Evangelical Press; cover letter not
available).
3 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992 (Boespflug stated that "Lar
son never took these death threats seriously"; Lakewood P.D. sources
unofficially noted that "only a few" incident reports were on file.)
4 Bob Larson, "Talk-Back with Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 29 Jan. 1993.
5 Offense Report (misdemeanor harassment), Lakewood (CO) Police Dept.
(Officer Ponczek reporting), Case Report #92-105773, 3 Nov. 1992, pp.
2-6 (other named "suspects" included California-based Christian talk-
show host John Stewart).
6 Ibid., p. 3.
6a There have been a few stray exceptions to this rule. A few brave
souls evidently have challenged Larson -- without any measure of suc-
cess. For example, this intriguing letter allegedly was faxed to the
Ministry by former WVEL station manager Brian Cooper:
"Your station is supporting a liar. Bob Larson is not saving
our kids from satanism, he's promoting it. He's not traveling
every weekend to help the hurting but to promote himself so:
(1) by 'pressing flesh' your listeners will think he's so
important that when they find he's divorcing his wife they will
not condemn him and continue to send in money (2) to build his
mailing list for (a) direct solicitation (b) selling his latest
novel (3) promotion of his new novel which will launch his new
career, his panacea into the secular world where he won't have
to answer to Christian moral standards.
Mr. Larson carefully planned and forced his wife, Kathy, who
was an integral part of the ministry, out against her will. He
had everything that made reference to her taken off all promo-
tional materials and stopped all reference to her. The purpose
was, in time people would forget about Kathy and he could mani-
pulate his way out of the marriage without it affecting his
status. It's been a slow but persistent process.
For many years now Bob & Kathy Larson have not traveled toge-
ther except at Christmas and one fundraising trip to Dallas and
that was to placate the Thomases who helped get him started and
own the Dallas station, his biggest money maker. Bob Larson has
taken many trips over this time leaving his wife home alone,
who under normal circumstances should have been with him, under
the guise of getting away to rest or write a book. But he was
not alone, he was sharing his first class resort, sunshine,
golf courses, etc. with one of his lady friends....
Mr. Larson is an adulterer. He has had several liaisons. He
lies to you and your listening constituency daily. He is past
feeling. He is insensible, callas and has an appetite for sex,
money, success, pleasure and status." [sentences in context]
As is obvious from the text, Cooper did not write the letter, but he
did take the critical steps of believing the author, and making inqui
ries of his own. The following memo is a post-mortem of one conversa
tion between Cooper and IBN secretary Chris Rohling:
"TO: PAM, BOB, BONNIE, LORI, MARGO, AND LISA
FROM: CHRIS
DATE: AUGUST 14, 1991
RE: BRIAN COOPER - WVEL
As Pam already knows, I had a long discussion last night with
Brian Cooper at WVEL, Peoria, IL.
He started the conversation off by saying that he wanted to be
taken off of Compassion Connection's referrals. He received an
anonymous letter a few months back saying that Bob was divor
cing and also having an affair with a staff member. He said he
then received Bob's letter in reference to the first letter. He
doesn't want to be a part of something that he's sure will turn
into another Swaggart/Baker scandal.
He wanted to know if it was Margo that Bob was having the
affair with. I said that it was true Bob was divorcing but he
was not having an affair. He wanted to know why Bob was divor
cing for no reason (his words). I let him know that Bob and
Kathy have tried for a few years now to salvage their marriage
and it wasn't possible. He said he had a conversation with Bob
in which Bob denied even being separated. I told him I had no
knowledge of the conversation and I couldn't give him an
answer.
He said he has had people from our ministry (currently) who
have contacted him telling him of Bob's affair. He also said
he talked with someone from our ministry yesterday, he wouldn't
tell me who or which line he called them on, but he said this
person said they were 100% sure Bob was having an affair but
they were afraid to confront Bob about it for fear of losing
their job. In both situations he didn't ask for names nor were
they given....
He wanted to know Bob's reasons for getting divorced. I said
I didn't know, and that it wasn't mine or the staff's business.
He said it was and we should be holding Bob accountable for his
actions. I told him one day we will all be held accountable and
it wasn't my place to stand and accuse someone else of some
thing that I had no proof of. He wanted to know if Kathy had
an affair and that was the cause of the divorce. Again, I said
I didn't know.
He said he wasn't going to be the one to let the people know
what's going on at our ministry but he said people will find
out sooner or later. He doesn't want to go down with the min
istry because Bob had his hands in the cookie jar."
According to Lori Boespflug [who furnished both memos, and has proven
to be an highly credible source in other matters], that call ended up
costing Brian Cooper his job; I contacted WVEL in an effort to locate
Cooper, but management would not give a forwarding number.
7 Anonymous, Letter (to Edward Atsinger, President of Salem Communica
tions), 1991. (The authenticity of the letter was confirmed by former
Salem employee John Stewart; Boespflug denied having sexual relations
with Larson, but related the story of how he "tried to insinuate him
self into her life" in the June 16 interview. [Some of Larson's more
entertaining attempts to 'court Ms. Boespflug were chronicled in my
open letter to David Neff
of Christianity Today ("CT on the Block," published in the __/__/93 issue of
the CPR)].) 8 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992 (According to Boespflug,
the trip was to "make it up to the girls" for the time she spent writing
Dead Air; ergo, either she was writing "his" book, or Bob was having
an affair with her).
9 Jay Grelen, "Bob Larson Quits NRB," World, Vol. 20, No. 8 (9 Oct.
1993), p. 24.
10 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992.
11 Compassion Connection, 1990 Form 990, Schedule D (copy courtesy of
the Internal Revenue Services).
12 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992 (confirmed by other sources
-- when I confronted Larson on this, he conceded knowledge of it.)
13 I Tim. 3:6.
14 See generally, I Tim. 3.
15 The bulk of this information comes from confidential BLM sources --
who have proven to be extremely reliable in the past.
16 E.g., William Watkins, "Market-Driven Theology," Cornerstone,
17 Frank Trueblood, Telephone interview, 26 Oct. 1993.
18 Bob Larson, "Talk-Back with Bob Larson," 1 Nov. 1993 (broadcast in
Denver on one-day tape delay).
19 BLM's 1992 audited financial statements show an accumulated surplus
of slightly more than $2 million. Nonetheless, the Ministry's office
building is seriously undervalued on the books, and the balance sheet
doesn't account for assets held by International Broadcasting Network
or BLM's Canadian affiliate.
20 1993-94 Student Manual, More Than Conquerors Bible Institute, p.
10.
21 Ibid., p. 5 ("Each course of study will consist of ten hours of
classroom instruction, on either videos or audio cassettes..."). Each
three-hour class presumably constitutes a
course of study'; a bache lor's degree is granted when 126 semester hours --
42 classes, or 420 class hours -- are completed. This roughly one quarter of
the time a student spends attending class in a secular university.
22 The AAATI was not listed in Gale's Directory of Associations as of
1991.
23 Call placed 29 Oct. 1993.
24 J. David Ford, Telephone interview, September 1993.
25 Ken Smith, Letter (to J. David Ford), 7 Oct. 1993, pp. 1-2.
26 J. David Ford, Telephone interview, 29 Oct. 1993.
27 Brian Taylor, "Talk-Back with Bob Larson," 1 Nov. 1993.
28 Brian Taylor, Letter (to Ken Smith), 3 Feb. 1993.
29 Ibid., ibid.
______________________________________________________________________
PART 6
Bob Larson: The Cowering Inferno
Just when Bob Larson was sure it couldn't get any worse ... it did.
While October of 1993 witnessed a flurry of telling blows to Larson's
fading prestige, most of the subsequent damage was self-inflicted.
The Bob Larson School of Public Relations...
January 7, 1994: Hardly a day which will live in infamy. Bob Lar-
son is on live remote, closing out his vacation in "Toledo," when he
is confronted on the air by a startling call:
Caller: "Hey, Bob, listen to this. I just got a plane ticket
to come looking for your butt. You know your little dog? I'm
going to kill it!"
BL: "You what?"
Caller: "Yeah, you heard me. And if the dog don't stop the
show, then I'm comin' looking for you! And if you don't stop,
the demons of hell will come and get you. But I will find you.
As for my [unintelligible], he ordered me to kill myself. And
you can mark it down in your little black book, Bob. You're
gonna die!"
BL: "Sir--"
Caller: "Yeah, I couldn't find you New Year's. I got your
number right here, and I got what you look like right here.
You got red hair, you got freckles, you're short [dead air].
Area code three-oh [caller cut off]...."1
Ho-hum. Another day, another death threat. Larson has seen it all
in the last eleven years -- and has learned to take it all in stride.
In fact, he even wanted to let the man back on the air! Larson shows
no fear.
And then, along came Dan from Atlanta....
BL: "Dan, what's on your mind?"
Dan: "Yeah, hey, Bob, how're you doing today? I was just won-
dering -- I read something recently that I wanted to ask about.
Uh, I read that your ministry is no longer with the Evangelical
Council for Fin-- [dead air]...."2
Psychopathic killers don't even faze Larson, but the minute anyone
asks about the Ministry's financial affairs, all hell breaks loose.
And Larson's explanation [interspersed with my observations] for the
rude treatment Dan received is particularly intriguing:
BL: "Well, the gentleman has asked a question that I am more
than happy to answer. But the problem is that there are some
people out there -- and Dan, you may be very sincere in asking
your question. If you are, then I want somebody to get his
phone number, and you'll get a personal call from someone on
our staff responding to that question."
[Of course, we are left to wonder why Larson couldn't answer Dan's
question on the air. After all, if he could offer him an answer that
was not either blatantly libelous, patently ludicrous, or a little of
both, that ought to be the end of the matter. It's hard to embarrass
someone who has nothing to be embarrassed about....]
BL: "There are some people out there who are doing their best
to try and hurt this ministry, and the viciousness of it, and
the conspiratorial nature of it, is -- it is so ugly. IT IS SO
UGLY you can't even begin to comprehend it. And I'm just not
going to deal with it."
[It's hard to conceive of anything that could top Dead Air in terms
of sheer ugliness. Scenes from that book include a child performing
fellatio on members of the 'Order of the Dark Raven' and a minister's
heart being sacramentally eaten by cult members. And Larson's narra-
tive was, if nothing else, graphic:
"There's nothing so evil they won't do it. I saw cult mem-
bers tied down and their genitals mutilated. Men were cas-
trated. One young girl was forced to perform oral sex on ani-
mals to bring out the penises so cult members could cut them
off and feed them to their victims. Do you understand what I'm
saying?"3
Actually, we do, Bob -- it's downright repulsive. And that's what
managed to make it past Thomas Nelson's censors....]
BL: "I'm not going to turn this program into someone else's
format who wants to tear down the work of God. So understand
that. And we have been consistently set up by fake, phony call-
ers. Dan may or may not be one of those people. And if he has
a sincere question, it will be sincerely answered. But we have
had to adopt a policy -- there are so many people who have lied
to us and tried to set us up and put us in very difficult situ-
ations, simply to try to tear down the work of God, that I'm
just not going to stand for it."
[As numerous Internet readers have reported, when people call Talk-
Back and honestly raise questions, most are harangued by Bob's call-
screeners. And the few who get through, whether by hook or by crook,
are greeted with dead air. One reader related the following tale:
"Recently I called in to the radio show and, when Bob finally
came on, I asked him if he had really put a private eye on Ken
Smith. Usually when Bob gets a crank caller on the air, he'll
make a few wise cracks before he hangs up on them. This time,
he hung up on me immediately. It was like he knew something."4
Bob continued his sickly-sweet soliloquy with an ad misericordiam
appeal, and then, tried to wrap himself in the Cross:]
BL: "This audience who listens to this program has sat there
for nearly two hours. They have heard my life threatened by a
man who has called this program before and has threatened to
kill me -- and he's used different names, and that's why we had
him on the air today; we had no idea who it was and what he was
going to say. [Evidently, the man called several weeks ago and
used the same name: Clint from Dallas.] We have had his call
verified by somebody else who claims he's wanted for murder and
is a psychopath. And on top of all of that, I have spent a
great deal of time doing the work of this ministry and God to
reach out and nationwide share the plan of salvation...."5
Bob meandered on, vilifying his opponents with almost McCarthyesque
aplomb. But the damage had been done: Hanging up on what was, in all
probability, a sincere caller and likely Internet reader, is bad form
at best. Yet, it is just another in a venerable line of public rela-
tions blunders committed by the kind and generous folks at Bob Larson
Ministries.
---------------------------
One of our people called BLM to get their official explanation for
all the negative press Bob has received in recent months. According
to BLM Director of Communications Patrick O'Shea (Pat seems infatu-
ated with that title, don't you think?), yours truly supposedly
'doctored' Bob's divorce transcripts, to make it appear as if Larson was
raping and looting his ministry.6
As is the case with most of Larson's lies, this one is capable of
quick and simple refutation. First off, before I obtained a copy of
the transcripts, I was made aware that copies were in the possession
of at least three other parties (including Westword and Christianity
Today). If I had tried to pull a stunt like that, I would have been
nailed to the wall.
Second, as Westword's Michael Roberts noted, Larson has tried that
excuse before -- and the Ministry's general counsel called him on it:
"'Anybody who has been through divorce proceedings knows that
there are a lot of things that are entered into a divorce
transcript that are just there -- they're just fluff,' Larson
continues.
I'm saying the figures are not totally accurate
and I'm saying that many figures in there do not relate to what
this ministry pays me.'
Those figures came from a legal document that includes Lar
son's signature beneath a declaration that, under penalty of
perjury, the affidavit and statements contained therein were
true to the best of his knowledge. Chris Johnson, the minis
try's general counsel, subsequently clarified Larson's comment
about the document's accuracy.
'None [of the figures] to our knowledge are off more than a very
tiny percentage of the full amount,' Johnson says.
'Some of the numbers were a few dollars off, but I think that's
totally immaterial'."7
Finally, Larson's abrupt withdrawal of the Ministry's application
to the ECFA constitutes a tacit admission that our allegations have
merit. After all, if we had created these figures from whole cloth,
that could have been demonstrated in a matter of minutes -- and he
wouldn't have had to withdraw the application.
Only a man with the rigorously-trained intellect of a University of
Nebraska drop-out would rest his defense on such a lame charge. Bob
fizzled as a rock star, flopped in college, failed in his marriage --
and he's not even a competent liar. That's really too bad, for it is
the one thing he does best.
Hank Hanegraaff/CRI
It has almost come to the point where Bob Larson is playing Russian
roulette with his callers. Every call is a potential land-mine, and
every time he reaches for his "panic button," it raises questions in
the minds of his audience. Even when Bob is convinced he is on solid
ground, it is liable to give way at any time. Consider the following
exchange between Bob and a caller from Seattle:
Travis: "I want to wish you ill, Bob. I don't think you have
any right calling anybody a coward, and I can prove that you're
a coward in the five seconds we have left here. I challenge you
to get somebody from the Christian Research Institute on your
program, because I've heard them say things about you that I
think your listening audience needs to hear."
BL: "Like what?"
Travis: "Like, your theology is all screwed up."
BL: "Like what?"
Travis: "I didn't talk to them personally, so I don't want to
try to quote any of them, but I think you know what I mean [BL
tries to interrupt here], and I think you're too much of a cow-
ard to talk to them on the air."
BL: "Sir, I suggest that you be real careful. Because, let
me tell you something: While there may be people in the Chris
tian Research Institute, some of whom do not agree with every
thing this ministry does, Mr. Hank Hanegraaff is the president
of that organization, and he has been a dear friend of me and
this ministry. The late Dr. Walter Martin has been a dear
friend of me and this ministry. And I know of no time, ever --
under any circumstances -- Mr. Hanegraaff or Dr. Martin ever
has said one word about the theological inaccurateness [sic] of
this ministry."
Travis: "Wrong. It's your program and it's your word against
mine, but I have heard it."
BL: "Well, Sir, I don't care what you've heard, and I suggest
you write Hank Hanegraaff personally."
Travis: "I suggest you get them on the air and let them tell
their side of the story [BL interrupts, and talks over him] to
the people of America."
BL: "Sir.... Patrick, just dump this guy. Mr. Hanegraaff has
been personally in our offices, personally in our studios, and
personally on the air with me, live from our studios. And they
have a fine ministry, and whether they agree with everything I
do or not, as far as the doctrinal accuracy and historic ortho-
doxy of this ministry is concerned, that is without question."8
It wouldn't be all that extravagant to say that Travis has made his
final appearance on Talk-Back. Yet, while the chances of Larson com
plying with Travis' request are virtually nonexistent, I can tell you
what Hank Hanegraaff would have said. In fact, I asked him that very
afternoon.
Hanegraaff did appear on Larson's program -- but according to Hank,
there was more to the story than Bob was willing to tell. Hanegraaff
visited BLM's offices ... but only to examine Larson's call-screening
technology. And technically, he was Larson's "guest" ... but he only
made a cameo appearance. It was not, as Larson seems to be implying,
an endorsement of his ministry.9
Lori Boespflug, World's star whistle-blower, told me the same story
some months ago -- with a couple of twists. First off, BLM employees
were under strict orders not to talk to Hanegraaff about the workings
of the Ministry. Second, Larson made sure that Hanegraaff didn't see
everything they had.10 Quite a friendship....
It is equally true that Hanegraaff has not made a public pronounce
ment as to whether Larson's ministry falls within the ambit of ortho-
doxy. And to hear Hank tell it, there is yet again more to the story
than meets the eye:
"I've never really listened to Bob Larson. I used to listen
to him in Atlanta, but I could never listen for more than five
minutes because he was so abrasive and sensationalistic."11
The gap in his knowledge has since been filled: In mid-December, I
sent Hanegraaff a compilation of Larson's radio appearances, includ-
ing salient portions of the infamous WFTL interview (wherein Bob hung
up in the middle of a two-hour interview, rather than face me on the
airwaves).12 His response was instructive:
"I was shocked to hear what he [Larson] said.... I've played
enough quotes of enough faith-teachers' to know; regardless of
what anyone else said, or any other circumstances, what he said
himself was indicting."13
Hanegraaff has been absent from the airwaves for several weeks, and
as such, he has not made any public pronouncements concerning Larson.
Nonetheless, he was not overjoyed with the fact that Larson was using
him as a professional character reference.14 I rather doubt that CRI
will be giving Bob Larson any kind of endorsement within the foresee
able future....
Lt. Col. Oliver North
On December 1, Larson managed to score a coup -- or, so he thought
-- in having Oliver North appear on Talk-Back. By his own admission,
Bob spent nearly $4,000 to rent Denver's spacious Calvary Temple for
the occasion.15 But that cavernous cathedral, which seats nearly two
thousand souls on an average Sunday, was packed by a throng of fifty
people -- one of our associates was able to do an actual head count.
By comparison, North drew nearly three hundred for a book-signing at
a local Hatch's Book Store.16 Colonel North was visibly annoyed by
the poor turnout, and understandably so.
Our BLM informants told us that their next staff meeting definitely
was worth the price of admission. Suffice it to say that Bob was not
thrilled; BLM Director of Communications Pat O'Shea was called on the
carpet as only Bob can do it. O'Shea was so concerned by the threat
that, given enough time, I might find a way to embarrass Bob in front
of Col. North, that he didn't begin advertising the appearance until
two days before it happened. What O'Shea didn't know -- and probably
should have surmised -- is that our associates are on his local mail-
ing list. Even Bob was swift enough to figure that one out.
Larson's unbridled paranoia has always been one of our most impor-
tant resources, and it has continued to yield handsome dividends. An
organization bears the imprint of its leadership; if you work under a
climate of distrust and fear, you develop paranoid tendencies easily.
O'Shea appears to have acclimated himself to BLM's corporate culture,
and as a result, made a painfully obvious mistake. And Bob's violent
reaction only further fanned the flames....
Thomas Nelson
The Christian 'ministry-industrial complex' appears to operate on a
kind of herd instinct: They are eager to circle their wagons around a
wounded colleague ... but the moment they sense that those wounds are
fatal, they abandon him. And ever since his trumpeted departure from
the National Religious Broadcasters, Larson has been losing allies at
a prodigious pace.
Larson's assaults upon Christian media moguls like Salem Broadcast-
ing's Ed Atsinger have not gone unnoticed, and his antics have caused
many long-time friends to scurry for cover. However, the most stag-
gering 'defection' to date would appear to be Thomas Nelson. It came
to our attention several months ago from unofficial sources that Lar
son had been dropped by Nelson (or would be, when Abaddon lost its'
commercial viability). But we recently have learned from an unlikely
source that Larson has been shopping for a new publisher, and has in
fact contacted Huntington House editor Mark Anthony.17 As a practical
matter, leaving the largest religious publisher in the known universe
for a tiny outfit like Huntington House isn't exactly the smartest of
'career moves' for the typical author. Suffice it to say that Larson
wasn't acting on his own volition....
Thomas Nelson's only gospel is the bottom line -- they didn't share
Hanegraaff's concern that Larson had fallen into apostasy. But scan-
dals are matters to be avoided, and while it wouldn't be necessary to
break their existing contracts with Larson, they have a vested inter
est in terminating their relationship. Quietly.
Even if we presume that the Nelson-Larson divorce is not yet final,
at a minimum, it can be said that all is not well in their relation
ship. Back in early November, I took the liberty of sending Nelson a
query for my book on Larson, Grand Lar$ony. On information that Book
Division vice-president Bruce Barbour had been canned in the wake of
the Benny Hinn scandal, I sent the proposal to his attention, just to
see how they would react. While I wasn't surprised to find that the
query was rejected (Given Nelson's complicity in this affair, should
we really have been surprised?), I was intrigued by the fact that it
took them three business days to reject it. As anyone who has tried
to get a publishing contract knows, that is almost unheard of in the
industry; you're lucky if they get back to you in three months!
I sent copies of my four Larson articles, along with documentation,
to show that there was enough information for a book. Barbour's suc-
cessor returned my originals -- once again, an unusual practice -- in
remarkably poor condition. They had been copied repeatedly, and read
extensively. Nelson's executives displayed more than a casual inter
est....
The Evangelical leadership moves with all the swiftness and certi-
tude of a federal agency, but move it does. And more often than not,
the target of allegations 'prods it along' with his antics. Like so
many others before him, Bob Larson has become his own worst enemy.
And the Robert Tilton School of Finance:
While Bob Larson's recent spate of public relations gaffes could be
attributed to ineptitude, his fund-raising methods have migrated from
the deceptive to the bizarre.
It is no longer enough for Larson to ask his listening audience for
the money to cover the Ministry's day-to-day operational costs. Now,
there has to be a crisis -- and there's a new one every week. First,
he started off by saying that God gave him a vision to 'revive Christian
radio'. And while Bob said that he needed $1.89 million to make
this vision a reality, he only asked for $189,000 as a 'faith venture
tithe'. But even though God 'assured' him that the money would come,
his audience didn't heed God's call. After three weeks, Bob gave up,
and suddenly discovered' another disaster: Compassion Connection was
almost $100,000 in the hole. But his attempts to fill that hole fell
on even deafer ears ... until God purportedly 'bailed him out' in the
most amazing way:
"I made a phone call to a very special gentleman who wishes
to remain anonymous -- in fact, it doesn't make much differ-
ence; he can't hear the show, anyway....
This man shared with me a story. It is truly remarkable. He
said 'Bob, I don't even hear your show.... And even though I
can't hear you, this week God spoke to my heart, and He said,
'Put a check in the mail to Bob Larson for $20,000'.' He said,
'I'll be frank with you, Bob -- the company that I operate, at
that point in time, was so far in the red, when I told the sec-
retary to draw the check, she said, 'Don't you know that
account is $31,000 in arrears? There is no money in it'.' And
he said to her, 'Write the check to Bob Larson Ministries for
$20,000 and mail it -- God told me to.'
'Bob,' he said, with tears in his eyes and a choked voice,
'the day after I mailed that check [dramatic pause], my busi-
ness received an order for $250,000'."18
Only a man with Bob Larson's morals can find a moral to that story:
"If one man can step forward by faith and do what he did, you
can. And I'm asking you to take a step of faith, and I'm ask
ing you to dig deep, and I'm asking you to do what you should
have done and now need to do.
Well -- you say, 'Bob, I don't have it.' Write the check!
'Bob, I don't know if I can afford it.' Write the check!!!
Because what God did for that man, God will do for you."19
Of course, the obvious question is why Larson would exhort his fol-
lowers to bounce checks just to meet the Ministry's ongoing financial
needs. Yet, the more important question is, "Where did all the money
go?" As anyone who has suffered through an introductory accounting
class can plainly see, as of the beginning of 1993, Bob Larson Minis
tries was virtually swimming in cash:
BOB LARSON MINISTRIES
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 1992
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and marketable securities $ 1,698,027
Other current assets 326,621
---------
Total current assets 2,024,648
Fixed assets (net of depreciation) 882,561
Other assets 49,439
---------
Total assets $ 2,956,648
=========
LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCE
Current liabilities $ 366,595
Long-term debt 490,323
---------
Total liabilities 856,918
Fund balance 2,099,730
---------
Total liabilities and fund balance $ 2,956,64820
=========
Despite the fact that Larson was sitting on a multi-million dollar
war chest at the beginning of 1993, he came to his audience on Decem-
ber 22 of that year with a plea for funds to get back on the air in
Cincinnati:
"We've got to raise $60,
000 this week. That includes our
immediate budget plus the responsibilities of committing our
selves to this contract. Because keep in mind, when we go back
to Cincinnati, we haven't been there in two and one-half years;
we're starting all over again. Brand new audience. From
scratch. We've got to get that audience back, and to get their
support. And before we do that, we've got to have the advance
start-up costs. Now, folks, we do not have that money...."21
Either Bob Larson Ministries is suffering a financial hemorrhage of
truly Biblical proportion, or Bob's doing his now-famous Bill Clinton
imitation.... Still, Larson's 'Cincinnati caper' pales in comparison
to his post-Christmas fund-raising campaign to get Talk-Back back on
the air live in Denver:
"We're days away from one of the most important opportunities
that has ever faced the ministry. Next Monday, we can be live
here in Denver -- if I've got the assurance from you our budget
this week is met, and we've raised a seed of the start-up costs
to get going in Denver.
Now look, folks: I've got to have the first couple of months
covered, or we can't commit ourselves. That's all there is to
it. The money isn't there."22
Of course, those minor details didn't deter Bob from announcing his
triumphant return to the Denver airwaves -- on December 21st, fully a
week before he aired that poignant plea:
"Hi. This is Bob Larson. I have some exciting news for our
Denver listeners. God has opened the door in '94 Talk-Back
will be live again from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M. daily, right here on
[Denver radio station] KQXI 1550 AM."23
And as it turned out, the money wasn't there -- or at least, that's
what he told his listening audience on January 3, 1994:
"I've got $95,000 staring me in the face over the next week
or so, and here's the reason why....
We fell $30,000 short of what we needed to raise that week
[to get on the air in Cincinnati: $60,000]. I thank God we
raised what we would have raised [sic], or we wouldn't be on
the air live in Cincinnati, so you gave us enough to get going
but not enough to stay there....
And for those who are listening to us live in Denver.... We
had an incredible goal last week [$47,000]. We almost reached
it; we fell $10,000 short. And while I'm at it, two crucial
stations [Salt Lake City and Washington D.C.] ... are in seri-
ous jeopardy...."24
By Bob's own admission, the money wasn't there. They didn't even
meet budget [$40,000 per week, or $80,000], raising only $67,000 for
the two weeks in question. Cincinnati should be silent. And Denver
should be dead. But Bob Larson is more than a mere mortal; he is a
best-selling author and commentator. Evidently, the Ninth Command
ment doesn't apply to such deities....
And the hits just keep on coming. Here's a sample of Bob's latest
release (January 11, 1994):
"The first week of this year has been the most abysmal start
to any year I have ever seen in the history of this ministry.
And I don't know what you're doing, but you're not standing by
this ministry to support it.
And I'm gonna tell you: Within 24 hours, I'm going to have to
announce the most drastic measures I've ever had to announce in
the history of this organization if you don't do something real
fast. Do you know that last week we had a $46,000 shortfall
that I have been faced with having to raise this week and yes-
terday, only $4,000 in pledges received to do anything about
that?"25
Never mind that the shortfall was larger than Larson's weekly bud
get. Never mind that, in all probability, he had a pretty good week
($95,000 asked for less $46,000 in shortfall equals $49,000 in income
for the week). Things are bad. Things are desperate. You've got to
open your checkbook right now....
Let's go back to the good old days. 1990 certainly was the best of
times for Bob Larson Ministries: In that year, the Ministry made more
than $500,000 in profits.26 We don't have tapes going back that far,
but we do have appeal letters. And even while Bob was rockin' along,
he loved to sing the blues:
Bob Larson's Greatest Hit$ - 1990:
July 11: "the last two months were a financial disaster."27
Sept. 6: "The possibility of losing TALK-BACK in your area is
very real. August has been an agonizing month of continuous
financial shortfalls."28
Oct. 9: "Recent weeks have been the most devastating in the
history of this ministry. Every week was worse than the week
before. Things have gotten so bad, I'm left with only two
choices.
I will have to cancel the second hour of TALK-BACK, or close
down the Compassion Connection and the HOPE line."29
Dec. 7: "By December 31, I must erase a $185,000 deficit in
paying for our air time. If I can't, we could lose so many
stations it would be difficult to continue TALK-BACK."30
Amidst Bob's incessant cries of poverty, an unconfirmed report sur-
faced which indicates that Christmas came early for Bob Larson Minis
tries. It seems that a Southern California-based toolmaker sent Lar
son a contribution of about $100,000 -- in small, unmarked bills. It
almost goes without saying that most folks aren't in a habit of keep
ing that kind of petty cash lying around the house, but we can assume
that the gift was legitimate, and the donor, almost as gullible as he
is eccentric.
Of course, this windfall never got applied to Bob's goals of saving
Compassion Connection, paying for his confrontation with death-metal
musicians in New York, or getting seed money for his campaigns to get
on the air in Denver and Cincinnati. In fact, in all the time I have
listened to Talk-Back, I cannot recall when Larson has ever announced
on the air that he has reached any financial goal ... until some time
after the fact. While the truth can set you free, it tends to have a
deleterious effect upon donations....
But what, the uninitiated might ask, does this have to do with Rob-
ert Tilton? To Trinity Foundation president Ole Anthony, who played
a pivotal role in engineering PrimeTime Live's exposE of Tilton, Lar-
son's modus operandi should be hauntingly familiar:
"I was -- and still am -- quite familiar with Robert Tilton
and his ministry. I knew, for example, that the ministry was
quite secretive about its operations and that the ministry had
declined numerous requests by the National Religious Broadcas-
ters' Association, the Better Business Bureau and the Evangeli-
cal Council for Financial Accountability to participate in
voluntary release of financial data and other business informa-
tion.
On a more personal note, I became involved in the investiga-
tion with PrimeTime Live because our Foundation routinely takes
in the homeless, the hurting, the drug offenders, the proba-
tioners ... not to some shelter or faceless program, but into
our homes and lives. Not as a client or number or name on a
computer printout, but as a member of a loving community who
just happens to be in need. Several of these people had given
their last dollar to Robert Tilton and other T.V. evangelists
out of desperation betting on the spiritual roll of the dice.
Then when they had lost everything and went to them for help,
they were told to go to a social service agency. This kind of
callousness was beyond my comprehension."31
I won't pretend to know enough about the Robert Tilton situation to
make authoritative remarks, but I submit that the easiest way to tell
the difference between a good ministry and a bad ministry is in their
respective attitudes toward finances. A good ministry will never try
to raise more money than it needs (see, e.g., "Focus on the Family's
Guidelines for Fund-Raising," #932), while a bad ministry will accum-
ulate relatively large cash reserves. A good ministry doesn't object
to outside scrutiny of its financial affairs, while a bad ministry is
averse to inquiries (e.g., both Tilton and Larson have elected not to
join the ECFA). A good ministry understands that service is its' own
reward, while a bad ministry invariably appeals to your sense of ava-
rice ("You say, 'Bob, I don't have it.' Write the check! ... Because
what God did for that man, God will do for you!"33).
If anything has astounded me during this odyssey, it is the Chris
tian community's almost limitless tolerance for the legions of snake-
oil salesmen like Bob Larson -- spiritual profiteers who extract vast
fortunes from your brethren in the name of the LORD. While it can be
-- and often is -- argued that this is not my concern, clearly, it is
part of yours. After all, as Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with
anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or
greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.
With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the
church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge
those outside.
'Expel the wicked man from your number'."34
And Baby Makes Three:
On a more personal note, there is both good news and bad news ema-
nating from the Larson household. First, a little one is forecast to
be running around the family mansion. That's right: Word around the
office is that Laura is pregnant! Evidently, Bob made the announce
ment on the rabbit's death bed ... Laura reportedly is due in August.
Let's wish mother and baby-to-be all the best, even if Daddy ends up
spending the bulk of his or her wonder years in 'Club Fed'.
The bad news is that, after Bob asked his devout followers to "give
like they've never given before," he made the ultimate sacrifice, and
vacationed in Maui for two weeks this year, instead of his usual one.
And while he was out boogie-boarding, Satan assaulted him with a ten-
foot wave -- at least, that's what he told staffers. By the time the
story makes it into an appeal letter, it ought to be twenty-five feet
at least....
_____________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
1"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 7 Jan. 1994, tape on
file.
2Ibid., ibid.
3Bob Larson(???), Dead Air (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), p. 230.
4J.M. Appleby, Letter (to Ken Smith), undated (Nov. 1993), p. 1.
5"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 7 Jan. 1994, tape on
file (interspersed with editorial comments).
6Patrick O'Shea, Telephone interview (with an anonymous associate),
23 Dec. 1993.
7Michael Roberts, "The Evil that Men Do," Westword, May 27-Jun 2,
1992, p. 12.
8"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 3 Jan. 1994, tape on
file.
9Hank Hanegraaff, Telephone interview, 3 Jan. 1994.
10Lori Boespflug, Interview, June, 1992. Lori and I had a number of
detailed discussions regarding the internal workings of the Ministry
during the week after her firing; I can't recall the precise date on
which this specific incident was discussed.
11Hank Hanegraaff, Telephone interview, 3 Jan. 1994.
12"Hot Talk with Al Rantell," Radio broadcast, 15 Jul. 1993 (see, Ken
Smith, "Bob Larson (Sort-of) Talks-Back," first published by the
Christian Press Report in August, 1993, for a transcript of key por-
tions of the exchange), tape on file.
13Hank Hanegraaff, Telephone interview, 3 Jan. 1994.
14Ibid., ibid.
15Reported by a key contributor to the Larson investigation, one of
the few individuals in attendance. Larson admitted on his broadcast
("Talk-Back With Bob Larson," 1 Dec. 1993, aired in Denver on 2 Dec.
1993) that "a small audience" attended.
16Estimate of a clerk at Hatch's Book Store in the University Hills
section of Denver, obtained on 3 Dec. 1993.
17James R. Spencer, Telephone interview (with an associate), 29 Dec.
1993 (confirming testimony given by confidential sources).
18"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 6 Dec. 1993 (aired in
Denver on 7 Dec. 1993), tape on file.
19Ibid., ibid.
20Bob Larson Ministries, 1992 Consolidated Balance Sheet (abridged
for brevity), p. 2 (obtained from Bob Larson Ministries on or about
27 Aug. 1993; a complete copy of the statements, including a cover
letter on BLM letterhead signed by BLM (now-Senior) Vice President
Angelo Diasparra, is enclosed with the accompanying documentation).
It should further be noted that the fair market value of cash and
marketable securities held by BLM at year-end was in excess of $1.75
million (see Note 2 on p. 7 of the Statements).
21"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 22 Dec. 1993 (aired
in Denver on 23 Dec. 1993), tape on file.
22Ibid., 30 Dec. 1993 (courtesy of a correspondent; (due to record-
keeping problems, the date the program was aired has not been ascer-
tained; it doesn't matter much anyway, insofar as all of Bob's shows
that week were pre-recorded).
23Bob Larson, KQXI commercial, aired 21 Dec. 1993, tape on file.
24"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 3 Jan. 1994, tape on
file.
25"Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 11 Jan. 1994, tape on
file (as fully expected, the "drastic measures" were not announced).
26Bob Larson Ministries, 1990 Stewardship Report, inside of flier;
1990 revenues were $5,613,445, while expenses were $5,103,648; leav
ing the Ministry with a profit -- technically, called a surplus' --
of $509,797.
27Bob Larson, "Emergency" (appeal letter), 11 Jul. 1990, p. 1.
28Bob Larson, Appeal letter, 6 Sept. 1990, p. 1.
29Bob Larson, "Keep the Vision Alive" (appeal letter), 9 Oct. 1990,
pp. 1-2.
30Bob Larson, Appeal letter, 7 Dec. 1990, p. 1.
31Affidavit of Ole Anthony at 3-3, Tilton v. Capital Cities/ABC, No.
92-C-1032B (N.D.Okla. 1992; status of case unknown), courtesy Ole
Anthony (I don't care as much about the Tilton case per se as I do
the fact that Anthony made that statement under oath).
32 Focus on the Family, Guidelines for Fund-Raising (a copy is on my
door; I don't have an actual cite).
33 See note 19, supra.
34I Cor. 5:11-13 (NIV).
_____________________________________________________________________
Part 5 Copyright 1993/Part 6 Copyright 1994 Kenneth L. Smith. All
rights reserved; reproduction permitted for non-commercial uses only.
Please direct your questions to the author at P.O. Box 280305,
Lakewood, CO 80228.
Copies of all unpublished documents cited or quoted in this article
have been provided to the Christian Press Report (and others who have
reproduced it in other media), except where the dissemination of such
information would create the risk of exposing confidential sources to
recrimination. These individuals have been instructed not to provide
copies to others without my express approval.
Since so much of this article is based upon transcribed show tapes,
I have made a compilation tape available to authorized republishers,
indicating the context in which Larson's statements were made. How
ever, as much as I may want to make this tape available to anyone who
asks, wholesale publication would in all likelihood be a violation of
federal copyright law. (Of course, if Bob Larson publicly accuses me
of making these quotes up, he will effectively forfeit the Ministry's
copyrights, and the kid gloves can come off.)
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Published by GwD, Inc. in September 1995 :FIGHT THE POWER:
GREENY world Domination Task Force copyright (c) 1993 by Lobo : GwD :
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