Jim Bakker is Back, the Question Is-Where is He Going THIS Time?
I now live close to the Branson, MO. area, home to all those great country music and variety shows, and it is also home to “The New Jim Bakker Show,” which is filmed live daily at the Studio City Cafe. I must say, there seems to be very little that is new about it, other than his wife Lori Fae, I mean, Lori Graham (no relation to Billy Graham), who is possibly even more annoying than former wife Tammy Fae.
The show has been ongoing since 2003, and I was working in Branson at the time it was announced of Bakker’s arrival. I recall very little hype about the former PTL host coming to Branson to make a new life, despite his incredibly scandal-tarnished past. I remember thinking, this guy has guts, and I wondered if some group might possibly get together and run him out of town on a rail. This idea would not have upset me, and I think it even made me smile. If I had been Bakker, I would have permanently retreated in my shame to somewhere like Brazil. But nevertheless, he came to this small, yet very lucrative tourist town, gained acceptance, and I’m sorry, but I just can’t help but question this man’s sincerity.
Maybe he has changed. It is possible that he has mended his greedy ways and gotten back on a path of righteousness, just like he maintains. No one is perfect, and it isn’t right to judge others. I know it also isn’t right to condemn someone for their past mistakes, nevertheless, to be honest, right or wrong, I just don’t believe in this man after all he has done.
I know my opinion means little to Bakker or the people who believe in him, and watch his show, but I am still entitled to my opinion. And my goal is to provide a list of the facts of this man’s past, in case anyone possibly could not be aware of all the crimes Bakker committed while he controlled the PTL Organization, then you can decide for yourself whether or not to question him is reasonable. I am not damning him, I am merely posing the question: Could he be laying the groundwork to steal money again through his ministry as he did back in his PTL days? One thing is certain-only God knows knows for sure.
Bakker’s story started in the early sixties-he fell in love with college sweetheart Tammy Fae. They married and soon began working with Pat Robertson at Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network, which at the time barely drew flies, let alone an audience. The Bakkers began to add variety with puppets, singing, and the like, and their appeal increased. With the Bakker’s help, the 700 Club would become one of the most successful Televangelism Shows in history.
In the mid-70s the Bakkers moved to California, and created the “Praise the Lord” Show with help from friends Paul and Jan Crouch, who owned the Trinity Broadcasting Network. For whatever reason, the friendship between the two couples only lasted about a year, but the Bakkers retained the rights to use the initials PTL. They then moved east to Charlotte and invented a new show: The PTL Club, and the Bakkers had full control this time.
The show’s success grew rapidly. Soon they had as many as over twelve million viewers. By now, the Bakkers had their own network the PTL Network. Their success continued to grow and, in 1980, the Bakkers built the 3rd largest theme park in the country, Heritage USA in Fort Mill, south of Charlotte. I feel it was proably sometime around here that the corruption set it, but who’s to say it wasn’t sooner?
Business was certainly booming for the Bakkers. By this time, “a satellite system distributed their network across the country 24ours a day, and the annual contributions requested from viewers were estimated to exceed $1,000,000 a week, with proceeds to go to expanding the theme park and mission of PTL. Eventually, Jerry Falwell with the backing of a $20,000,000 drive took control of the PTL.” (Wikipedia)
The Bakkers annual salary was a whopping $200,000 each, but that still wasn’t enough, so Jimbo awarded himself more than $4,000,000 in bonuses. But then, I can imagine Tammy Fae’s make-up allowance must have been staggering. The Bakkers’ assets included:a $600,000 house in Palm Springs, four condominiums in California, and a Rolls Royce.
“In their success, the Bakkers took conspicuous consumption to an unusual level for a non-profit organization. PTL once spent $100,000 for a private jet to fly the Bakkers’ clothing across the country. It also once spent $100 for cinnamon rolls because the Bakkers wanted the smell of them in their hotel room. According to Frances FitzGerald in an April 1987 New Yorker article, “They epitomized the excesses of the 1980s; the greed, the love of glitz, and the shamelessness; which in their case was so pure as to almost amount to a kind of innocence.” (Wikipedia)
I think it is simply sick that these lying greedmongers posed as Christians lived the life of Riley while some elderly people mortgaged their homes in order to send money to this man for his “honest Ministry of God.” We all sin, but I feel there is nothing worse in this world than someone who pretends to be what they’re not, particularly when someone completely immoral and dishonest pretends to be a Man of God. But wait, we haven’t even gotten to the scandalous goodies yet, and sex scandals at that.
In 1987, Bakker resigned from PTL following threats from former secretary Jessica Hahn. Staff members stated after the scandal was uncovered that Bakker had been so bold as to even make refrences to his affair with Hahn on the air during his shows as an “inside joke,” knowing the public knew nothing of its hidden meaning. How’s that for spitting in the face of the people who put him in a life of luxury? Hahn threatened to forecast the fact that Bakker’s staff members had paid her $265,000 to keep secret her sexual services to Bakker. Following Bakker’s resignation, the fierce battle for control of PTL was on. Jerry Falwell eventually won control, and fired Bakker’s entire staff. Yet, in a short time under Falwell’s control, PTL and the 2,500 acre theme Park Heritage USA was plunged into bankruptcy and was liquidated at a deep discount.
Yes, there is still more. Bakker, who made all financial decisions for PTL kept two sets of books to conceal his accounting irregularities. Between 1984 and 1987, Bakker had sold “lifetime memberships” for $1000 “or more that entitled buyers to a three-night stay annually at a luxury hotel at Heritage USA. According to the prosecution at Bakker’s later fraud trial, tens of thousands of memberships had been sold, but only one 500-room hotel was ever completed. Bakker sold more “exclusive” partnerships than could be accommodated, while raising more than twice the money needed to build the actual hotel. A good deal of the money went into Heritage USA’s operating expenses, and Bakker kept $3,700,000 for himself.” (Wikipedia)
Reporters from the newspaper The Charlotte Observer, uncovered and exposed the financial wrongdoings. And, yes, he was indicted on federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering. In 1989, he was convicted of fraud and conspiracy to committ fraud and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. His senior VP of PTL, Richard Dortch also went to prison. Shortly afterward, his wife Tammy Fae divorced him. One of Bakkers attorneys defended him saying, “If a man raises over $150 million for a business that competed with Disney and the major networks and kept $3 million for himself, he may be guilty of mismanagement, naÃ?¯vetÃ?©, even stupidity, but should it be a crime? Do you think Falwell lives in a five-room house?” (Wikipedia) This statement is certainly no excuse for what Bakker did.
While in prison, Bakker wrote a tell-all book, entitled, I Was Wrong, and I have to agree with him there! Tammy wrote books too, telling of their fall, and the royalties from all of this added up to more than $8,000,000, which were given back to PTL, although legally the Bakkers could have kept it all for themselves. You have to admire them for that, I suppose, but the skeptic in me still feels that Bakker isn’t so sorry for what he did, he’s just damn sorry as he got caught. In 1993, after serving almost 5 years, Bakker was released on good behavior.
Today, the new and improved Jim “denounces his past teachings on prosperity, saying they were wrong.” What else can he say? ” In I Was Wrong, he reveals that the first time he read the Bible all the way through was in prison, and that it made him realize he had taken certain passages out of context – passages which he had used as “proof texts” to back up his prosperity theology teachings.” (Wikipedia) I find it just a little troubling that a man who “preached” all those years had never read the Bible all the way through. Oh, sure, there are many who haven’t, but how many of them do you see preaching and hosting a televangelist show?
I caught a little of the “New Jim Bakker Show” the other day, which was what inspired me to write this article. I must admit, he read some verses, and even held my attention for a while, as he quoted Bible verses with much sincerity. I must admit I did agree with many of the points he made, such as “….be sure your sins will find you out.” I guess he should know. Just as I began to wonder if maybe he had truly redeemed himself and if he is sincere in his ministry THIS time, they cut to a break, selling these cheap, lousy short wave radios for a “love offering of merely $50.” Hmmmm….
As I said once, God is the only one who knows what is in anyone’s heart, and it isn’t for me or anyone else to judge the man. After all, everyone deserves a second chance, and I hope he learned from his mistakes and comes out okay this time. But Jim, if you, by chance read this, and if you’re considering anything sneaky again, remember the words you’ve preached to your viewers…..Be sure your sins will find you out.
