Jan Crouch
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Jan Crouch (born Jan Bethany, 1937) is the co-founder, vice-president and director of programming of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, or TBN, the world's largest Christian television network. She is the daughter of an Assemblies of God pastor. She married her husband, Paul, in 1958.
Crouch claims God resurrected a pet chicken of hers when she was a child. Others have questioned her claim, arguing that "resurrecting" "dead" chickens is a well known party trick. This trick is done by stroking the chicken slowly and rhythmically along the back. This causes the chicken to play dead, probably an evolved trick to fool predators. After a few minutes, the chicken will seem to come back to life.
In 2003, Crouch underwent regular surgery, relying on Jesus to give the doctors medical wisdom in the proceedings. After the surgery, she believed her recovery to be a miracle from God.
In the course of a legal proceeding, Crouch in 2001 testified that she did not know she was a corporate officer and could not recall the last board meeting she attended. Although she stars with her husband in TBN programming, former employees of TBN allege she is essentially estranged from him and lives separately. Former employees also claim she has a penchant for expensive antiques.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2004 reported Crouch's annual personal income as $361,000. The network reports that during the first twenty years of the network's operation, she was paid roughly one-tenth her current income, with the amounts rising in the past ten years as she approached retirement. In September 2004 the Los Angeles Times characterized her lifestyle as a "life of luxury".
