THE DEEP POCKETS OF REV. MOON

The political disposition and substantial financial reserves of Unification Church leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, have bought him a number of associations with noteworthy people. Former presidents George Bush and Gerald Ford, comedian Bill Cosby and singer Whitney Houston have appeared at Moon-sponsored events. Even some within the “Christian” camp, such as Beverly LaHaye, Ralph Reed, Pat Boone, Robert Schuller, and Jerry Falwell have been guest speakers at gatherings hosted by Moon or one of his front groups.

Recently, it was revealed that the Moon-Falwell relationship had deepened when the Korean church leader’s charity was accepted in a sizable way by Falwell. According to Cornerstone magazine, “In 1994, Jerry Falwell quietly accepted a $3.5 million donation from a Unification Church front group, the Women’s Federation for World Peace, to help bail out Falwell’s then-insolvent Liberty University.” The magazine also reported that Robert Parry, a journalist for I.F. Magazine and the Los Angeles Times, revealed that Moon had funneled the donation through the Christian Heritage Foundation (CHF), a nonprofit group that had bought the school’s debt, which at the time amounted to $73 million. The reporter had used an IRS tax form to track the donation’s source.

Rumors about the Unification Church-Liberty University relationship had circulated for months. Falwell’s group labeled the reports as “smoke and mirrors” and claimed that a wire service report in November 1997 contained “an unfounded statement that reported Liberty University had also accepted funds from the Unificationists.”

Falwell’s newspaper, National Liberty Journal, said it “wishes to set the record straight by assuring readers that Liberty University has never solicited or received funds, directly or indirectly, from the Unification Church.” Falwell himself, added: “If the Unificationists, the American Atheist Society, or Bill Clinton himself ever send an unrestricted gift to any of my ministries, be assured I will operate on evangelist Billy Sunday’s philosophy of: ‘The Devil’s had it long enough’ ... and quickly cash the check!”

—MKG

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