In recent posts, I have been examining various real estate transactions and IRS filings involving Dove Charismatic Ministries, Inc. and Terry Jones, pastor of the affiliated Dove World Outreach Center. As the organizer of various hate campaigns promoting Islamophobia or homophobia, Jones has actively focused significant attention on himself and his church. In this post, I will provide the details from an extensive search of public records relating to several of the business entities involving Jones and Dove World, assembling all of the information into a timeline such as those for which Marcy Wheeler of Emptywheel is known.

The overall impression from the amassed data is that, at the very least, Jones and Dove World have been extremely sloppy in mixing the use of the Dove World site for the non-profit church activities and the for profit businesses. Jones has claimed that these businesses donate a portion of their proceeds back into the church to keep it operational. If keeping the church operational were the purpose of the private businesses, however, why aren’t those operations carried out under the non-profit structure of the church? If all of the properties had been purchased in the church’s name and all of the other business were also carried out by the church, with the cash flow clearly documented in up-to-date Form 990′s filed by Dove Charismatic Ministries, Inc., there would be no reason for suspicion. By mixing the church and private businesses, Jones has created an environment in which it appears that he and the other officers of the businesses can enrich themselves partly through the tax status and volunteer labor status conferred by the church.

A religious soap opera is unfolding before the world’s eyes. Dr. Terry Jones, the noxious pastor from Gainesville, Florida who had planned the festive International Burn-A-Koran Day for September 11th has called off the book burning event, according to news sources like USA Today. Imam Muhammed Musri apparently offered Dr. Jones a deal if he would back down.

An article in Thursday’s Gainesville Sun states that Terry Jones (who just cancelled his planned burning of the Quran) owns a number of properties in the Gainesville area, but the article did not have financing information on the properties. I have searched the public records in Alachua County and found mortgage records that are a close match to the information the Sun produced on purchase records. In addition, I found mortgage records on the Dove World Outreach church property itself that show a large mortgage being taken out on the church property just 27 days before the first residential property was mortgaged in Jones’ name. These records create the impression that Jones used the mortgage of church property to fuel the purchase of a large amount of residential property in his own name.

September 9th, 2010. Right Network launches, Sarah Palin condemns Koran burning Terry Jones and Mr. Obama goes to Cleveland.

The Gainesville Sun is reporting that the City of Gainesville intends to charge Dove World Outreach Center for the increased security costs relating to the church’s plans to burn copies of the Quran on church property on September 11.

Opposition is mounting to the “Burn a Koran Day” scheduled for September 11th in Florida. General David Petraeus said it could harm our troops, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it unrepresentative of Americans. Attorney General Eric Holder called it “idiotic and dangerous,” and the Vatican has called the planned demonstration “outrageous and grave.”

This service was held Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at noon in downtown Gainesville, Florida as a response to plans by Dove World Outreach Center to burn copies of the Quran on September 11.

President Barack Obama faces pressure from a number of different directions as September 11 and the planned burning of the Quran at Dove World Outreach Center draw closer. It can be assured that no matter what response he chooses, that response will face strong opposition. Because many of his previous actions can be interpreted in terms of which fear controlled the response, it is informative to look at the pressures he will be facing in this situation and how fear when facing those same pressures has controlled his past behavior.

Bring on the crazy! Ignorance towards Islam has reached a whole new level. Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center has set the bar to unbelievable heights with his “Qur’an Burning Party” proposal. A threat to National Security here and abroad.

Jewish poet Heinrich Heine wrote 190 years ago, “Them that begin by burning books, end by burning men.“

Has it come to this? Do we, as Christians and as a when-it’s-convenient Christian Nation, hate Islam and Muslims so deeply that we could tolerate, even for a moment, the burning of their most prized book?