NEWARK, Texas (AP) _ The teachings of televangelist Kenneth Copeland and his family are under scrutiny after a measles outbreak linked to their North Texas church revealed that many of their congregants had not been vaccinated for the highly contagious virus.
Officials at the 1,500-member church were quick to act after the outbreak was discovered, including hosting four vaccination clinics where 220 people received immunization shots.
But people familiar with the ministry say there’s a pervasive culture of a reliance on God, not modern medicine, to keep one well.
The outbreak includes 21 cases of measles and was started when a person who contracted the virus overseas visited Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, located north of Fort Worth on the vast grounds of Kenneth Copeland Ministries.