Before they became the subject of a highly publicized scandal, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were the most famous televangelists in America. The Bakkers were well-known for their massive wealth and influence. However, a sex scandal led to a divorce and the dissolution of their evangelical empire. After a lengthy prison sentence, Jim Bakker reemerged with another high-profile ministry.
Jim and Tammy Faye rose to fame in the 70s on the back of their hit TV show. The PTL Club, which either stood for ‘Praise the Lord’ or ‘People that Love,’ had humble beginnings but grew into a massive enterprise. “What [Bakker] really wanted to do… was create a Christian version of ‘The Tonight Show,'” John Wigger, who wrote a book on The PTL Club, said. “Which was really the first of Bakker’s big innovations, the Christian talk show.”
The pastor had a unique business model. He was an early adopter of satellite TV and funded his program with donations instead of advertising. Former PTL security chief Don Hardister explained, “Instead of us running a commercial and being paid for that commercial, we just went directly to our viewers and said, ‘If you like what you see, help us.'” He also explained the massive scale of these donations, “We had a cash office, and at times, there was certainly more money… than… I could imagine.” He added, “People would send us mink coats, diamond rings, deeds. I mean, we got all sorts of donations.
The Bakkers used their profits to fund the construction of a Christian theme park. Problems arose when Jim Bakker decided to sell his audience $1,000 “lifetime partnerships,” which would entitle them to a yearly three-day stay at the Heritage Grand hotel, which was located near the theme park. “Problem is, there were way too many people giving $1,000, not nearly enough hotel rooms,” said local reporter Mark Becker. “He sold more than 66,000-lifetime partnerships in the Heritage Grand, which amounted to more than 100 percent occupancy in that hotel.”
The empire began to crumble when the Bakker family was rocked by a series of scandals. First, Tammy Faye was revealed to have been hiding a major drug problem. Just a few weeks later, reporters unearthed an illicit relationship between Jim and his secretary. To sidestep the PR crisis, Bakker turned over control of the PTL Club to equally famous minister Jerry Falwell.
Falwell discovered that the organization was “Leveraged to the point of collapse… they’re bleeding two million dollars a month,” according to Wigger. “The other thing that comes to light is that [Jim] Bakker allegedly had a number of same-sex relationships.” Falwell made a public announcement that Jim Bakker was no longer fit to lead the ministry.
The government pounced on the stricken pastor. Jim Bakker owned several homes, a private jet, and a fleet of luxury cars. HE earned a massive salary from the PTL club. When the investigation was finished, he was indicted on a raft of charges, including conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud. The pastor was initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, but after an appeal, this was reduced to 8 years.
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After being released from prison in the 1990s, Jim Bakker kept a low profile until he relaunched his ministry career. In 2003, he founded Morningside, a new ministry, and began producing a new TV program. The Jim Bakker Show, which features the disgraced minister and his new wife, Lori Bakker. He now makes his money by hawking freeze-dried food to prepare for the apocalypse.
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