Jesse Duplantis

Evangelical career

Duplantis preached his first sermon in 1976. He was introduced by John Hagee "The Apostle of Joy" on TBN, a phrase that became his professional PR slogan. He has been a full-time evangelistic minister since 1978, using his music and comic talent in his work. In the book "Close Encounters of the God Kind" Duplantis writes about his daily relationship with God, the reality of eternity, perspectives on Heaven and the depth of the compassion, forgiveness and love God has for humankind.

He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which maintains an international headquarters in America and branches in the United Kingdom and Australia. In 1997, he and his wife, Cathy Duplantis, founded Covenant Church, a local outreach of JDM on the International Headquarters property in Destrehan, Louisiana. The JDM official website states: "Jesse Duplantis Ministries is an evangelistic ministry dedicated to reaching people and changing lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our vision is world evangelism and our desire is to see God bless everyone in every way." Duplantis' books have been translated into thirteen languages, including Braille, and are distributed worldwide. Duplantis appears on the internet via webcasts, a variety of Christian television stations such as the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar, and LeSEA, in addition to secular networks inclusive of the ABC, NBC and CBS.

Covenant Compassion Center (CCC)

In the fall of 2005, Covenant Compassion Center was opened at the JDM International Headquarters in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. JDM and the Covenant Compassion Center provided shelter for hundreds of relief workers, rented homes for displaced Katrina victims, provided finances for displaced people and churches in addition to distributing a spectrum of necessities inclusive of food, water, clothing, hygiene and household items.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI)

In early 2006, Duplantis was invited to become the first Louisiana Director of Christians United For Israel. He states, "CUFI has asked me to be the Louisiana Director, and it’s an offer I’ve accepted. I believe that Christians like us should stand for Israel and the Jewish people." A diverse group of Christian leaders met in San Antonio February 7–8, 2006 to form the organization, which is chaired by John Hagee.

Awards

In recognition of his "many years of effectively sharing God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the world," Jesse Duplantis was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in 1999.

Criticism--Finances and Tax Issues

Duplantis's estimated $40 million net worth and lavish lifestyle come under harsh criticism from those outside the "prosperity gospel" fold. He has himself said, "My God is a sugardaddy."

The Trinity Foundation, a religious watchdog organization, has been monitoring Duplantis for over 10 years. Trinity Foundation President Ole Anthony said that because DuPlantis is avoiding taxes, members of Duplantis’ congregation are not the only ones paying for his $3 million, 35,000-square-foot house in St. Charles Parish, LA. According to Anthony, every person in St. Charles Parish (a "parish" in Louisiana is a county) is helping to pay for Duplantis’ extravagant lifestyle.

Retired Tax Assessor Clyde Gisclair of that parish said that whereas most homeowners qualify for a tax exemption, Duplantis has placed the house in the ministry's name, though it is for his own use, and will not be paying taxes at all. Therefore taxpayers will be footing the bill. “When somebody’s exempt, somebody has to pay the bill,” Gisclair said. He said that instances like this can cause the area’s millage, or property tax, to go up.

Anthony said that the Trinity Foundation’s main investigation into Duplantis has been going on for the past five years. “We’ve been furnishing information (about Jesse Duplantis Ministries) to the Senate Finance Committee on two issues of the tax code,” Anthony said. Anthony said that the foundation has been investigating Duplantis on issues of conversion, when donor funds are used to benefit for-profit entities, and inurement, or excessive compensation and lifestyle.

Legally, the ministry’s revenues should only be used to fund what they are getting their tax exempt status for, not for personal use by Duplantis. “If the IRS finds that he in fact is abusing the tax code with regard to those two issues (conversion and inurement), then they could conceivably revoke his ability to give tax receipts for donations - he could lose his tax exempt status,” Anthony said. Besides the house, Jesse Duplantis Ministries also owns a huge private jet, which appears to be being used partly for private purposes. One Hawaii trip recently cost the ministry $40,000, said Fox News in New Orleans.

Duplantis's congregation does not have a problem with his lifestyle or large purchases, but Anthony said that other parish residents should. “If I were in your parish, I would rise up and say I didn’t want to buy that house for him and I don’t want to buy that airplane for him,” Anthony said.

Criticism--Racist and Homophobic Statements

He has also made controversial remarks about African-Americans that many consider racist, though possibly well-meaning. ("[African Americans,] you will stop hating each other and killing each other if you just do as your ancestors did and keep singing 'Amazing Grace' and give God glory." ) His homophobic remarks are much stronger, and spark real rage among LGBT listeners .

Books

Filmography