Ep. 429: Morningstar Dispute Settled, Bill Hwang Sentenced, and T.D. Jakes Updates

On today’s program, MorningStar Fellowship Church in South Carolina reaches a settlement with York County after a decade-long dispute over Heritage Tower—a building originally owned by Jim Bakker’s Praise the Lord Ministries. We’ll have details. And, Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang was sentenced for a $10 billion fraud. We’ll take a look. Plus, another Christian college is on the ropes. Saint Augustine’s University in North Carolina slashes its workforce by 50% in its fight to retain accreditation. But first, a week after suffering a dangerous health incident during a Sunday morning church service, Bishop T.D. Jakes updated his congregation via live video. “Many of you don’t realize that you’re looking at a miracle,” Bishop T.D. Jakes said in a live video message to the congregation on Sunday (Dec. 1). “I faced a life-threatening calamity, was rushed to the ICU unit. I had emergency surgery. Survived this surgery” He said.  The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Adelle Banks, Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Tony Mator, Paul Clolery, and Brittany Smith. A special thanks to The NonProfit Times for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT   FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I'm Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. And we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, MorningStar Fellowship Church in South Carolina reaches a settlement with York County after a decade-long dispute over Heritage Tower—a building originally owned by Jim Bakker’s Praise the Lord Ministries. We’ll have details. And, Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang was sentenced for a $10 BILLION fraud. We’ll take a look. Plus, Saint Augustine’s University in North Carolina slashes its workforce by 50% in its fight to retain accreditation. Natasha: But first, a week after suffering a dangerous health incident during a Sunday morning church service, Bishop T.D. Jakes updated his congregation via live video. Warren: “Many of you don’t realize that you’re looking at a miracle,” Bishop T.D. Jakes said in a live video message to the congregation on Sunday (Dec. 1). “I faced a life-threatening calamity, was rushed to the ICU unit. I had emergency surgery. Survived this surgery” He said. Natasha: What happened? Warren: Jakes, 67, an evangelist, author and business executive, suffered what his church initially called “a slight health incident” during the Nov. 24 worship service at The Potter’s House. At that time, about a dozen people rushed to his side after he lowered his microphone and was shaking in his seat. In the seven-minute video he said he would be following doctor’s orders to rest. Jakes, whose remarks were also posted on his Instagram page, said he was not in pain and is in good spirits. “I didn’t want you to be worried about me,” he told his congregation, expressing thanks for their prayers and support. “I’m trying to be obedient to what the doctor said [to] do, in terms of just taking a few weeks to just heal and recover and relax and just reflect.” Natasha: And he has a lot to reflect on these days. Warren: Yes. Lawyers for Jakes filed a defamation lawsuit the day after the medical incident, saying another minister, Duane Youngblood, had falsely accused him of attempted sexual assault. The suit linked the accusations to Jakes’ health. “Youngblood’s intentional and malicious lies have taken a substantial emotional and physical toll on Bishop Jakes,” reads the suit. Natasha: Who is Youngblood? Warren: Duane Youngblood, 57, a Pennsylvania man who Jakes’ suit notes is on parole after felony convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors, made the allegations in two recent appearances on the “Larry Reid Live” YouTube talk show. “The Abused Become the Abuser” episodes featuring Youngblood’s claims have gone viral. The suit says a lawyer claiming to represent Youngblood sent Jakes a Nov. 15 letter demanding $6 million from Jakes after the episodes aired. The suit includes denials by Jakes’ legal team of Youngblood’s accusations that Jakes tried to groom and sexually abuse him. Natasha: Jakes’ lawsuit also makes a direct link between Jakes’ medical state and Youngblood’s allegations. Warren: Jakes seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 and also seeks economic damages “in an amount to be specifically determined at trial.” Natasha: Next is an update from MorningStar. Warren: A decade-long dispute between MorningStar Fellowship Church and a South Carolina county over a building formerly owned by the now-bankrupt PTL Ministries is possibly over. MorningStar and York County have finalized a settlement resolving all legal disputes over the unfinished Heritage Tower. The tower was part of Heritage USA, a Christian theme park founded by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker of Praise The Lord Ministries (PTL). In 2004, MorningStar purchased part of the property, including the unfinished 21-story tower, which led to ongoing disputes with York County. In 2012, MorningStar sued the county over repair disagreements, followed by a 2018 lawsuit alleging religious discrimination. Although the parties reached a mutual agreement to dismiss disputes in 2020, York County filed another lawsuit in 2021 after MorningStar announced plans to renovate the tower. Natasha: So where does that leave us today? Warren: The settlement agreement, signed in October 2024 by Rick Joyner (MorningStar president) and Allison Love (York County Council co-chair), states that MorningStar will dismiss all lawsuits and withdraw related FOIA requests while York County agrees to end its counterclaims. MorningStar has 18 months to apply for a building permit to complete the tower. If they fail to obtain a license within that time frame, MorningStar must demolish the tower within nine months. Permits will be valid for 180 days, with the option for five extensions, but if they expire without action, the church must tear the tower down. Natasha: Let’s look at one more story before our break, what do you have? Warren: Two historic New Jersey churches won a preliminary injunction in federal court that blocks a policy excluding them from a funding program for historic buildings. In May 2023, Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley and Mendham Methodist Church, represented by religious liberty public interest law firm First Liberty Institute, filed a lawsuit claiming the Morris County historic preservation board discriminated against them in its distribution of funds because of their religious function. First Liberty’s Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys said in a press statement. “Time and again, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that all forms of religious discrimination by the government are unconstitutional, including the denial of historic preservation grants to historic churches,” Natasha: How old are these churches? Warren: Mendham Methodist Church, dating back to 1893, is a small congregation that hosts community events such as music lessons, a jazz concert, and a thrift shop. It’s seeking funds to paint and reshingle its bell tower. Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley was built in German Valley in 1832, and the Gothic Revival-style building has been expanded over the years to fit the needs of the congregation, which currently numbers about 100. Zion Lutheran sought a grant to repair stained glass windows in its sanctuary. Natasha: Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang is sentenced to 18 years in prison for $10 billion fraud. I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.   BREAK   SECOND SEGMENT Natasha: Welcome back.  I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Next, the story we promised before the break. Warren: Archegos founder Bill Hwang, formerly one of the wealthiest Evangelical philanthropists, will spend 18 years in prison for business practices that led to more than $10 billion in losses to Wall Street banks in March 2021. In what he called a case with “no precedent,” Manhattan U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein announced the prison sentence Wednesday, November 20. The judge also added 3 years of supervised release and scheduled a December hearing to consider forfeiture and restitution payments to victims. Natasha: Can you remind us of the background here? Warren: Hwang, 60, was convicted in July of wire fraud, securities fraud, racketeering and market manipulation. Prosecutors alleged he and his former chief financial officer, Patrick Halligan, had lied to banks to secure loans they used to inflate stock prices, which then plummeted in value after Archegos defaulted on highly leveraged margin calls. About $100 billion vanished from the stock market in a week. Banks that had given loans to Archegos lost $10 billion, while Archegos itself lost $36 billion. While the 10-count conviction carried a maximum 200-year sentence, prosecutors only asked for 21 years due to Hwang’s “age and good works in his life.” Natasha: A lot of people came forward to his defense. Warren: The defense presented 500 pages of testimonies from character witnesses, including Grace & Mercy employees as well as dozens of Christian ministry leaders, many of whom have received funding from Hwang. Some notable contributors were Kevin Palau, head of the Luis Palau Association; Mark Labberton, retired president of Fuller Theological Seminary;