PUBLISHED SUNDAY APRIL 5, 1998
Copyright 1998 The Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved
Kilpatrick's claims cast doubt, leave questions unanswered

By John W. Allman 
News Journal staff writer 

PENSACOLA -Pastor John Kilpatrick says the News Journal's five-day investigative series on the Pensacola Brownsville Revival has changed the way he and his nonprofit corporation, Feast of Fire Ministries Inc., do business. 

He also names two famous politicians among the 130,000 souls he says the revival now has saved. Spokesmen for those two politicians dispute that. 

A News Journal investigation during the last month also found little documentation of change in Kilpatrick's way of doing business. 

Kilpatrick told a journalist covering his March 24 appearance in Mesa, Ariz., that in the four months since the News Journal investigative series ran, he and his ministry have: 

n Paid sales tax to the Florida Department of Revenue on merchandise sold by his ministry at the revival. 

Kilpatrick's lawyer phoned the News Journal with a list of figures for the Florida taxes that he said Kilpatrick's ministry has paid, but he did not provide official documentation. 

n Begun researching sales tax laws in other states where his ministry plans to appear and sell merchandise. 

Arizona Department of Revenue officials said they could not find a record that Kilpatrick's corporation applied for the necessary tax license. 

But if the application was mailed in after, or just prior to, Kilpatrick's visit to Arizona, the state would still be processing it, the officials said. 

Kilpatrick also told the journalist covering his appearance in Arizona that Alabama Gov. Fob James was saved at the Brownsville Revival and that the governor is a regular revival attendee. James' office says otherwise. 

David Azbell, spokesman for James, said the governor is an Episcopalian and has never attended the revival. 

Kilpatrick also said in Arizona that U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Pensacola, was saved at the revival. 

A spokesman for Scarborough, who is a Southern Baptist, said the congressman attended only two Brownsville Revival services. 

News Journal correspondent Garin Groff contributed to this report.