Today’s author is Debbie Jorgens. Debbie is Prince of Peace’s Director of Visitation and Congregational Care.
In Revelation 17, John warns his readers to be cognizant of the evil that is always underfoot. Sometimes we can easily identify it. But often, evil is insidious, creeping into our lives and masking itself as benign, enticing us in ways that make it difficult to resist. And once we start following its path, it can be a very slippery slope, indeed.
You may never have been a fan of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, but if you’re of a certain age, you most likely know of them. Back in the late 1980’s their photos were plastered on newspapers all across the country. And it had all started out so innocently….
Tammy Faye (LaValley) Bakker was born in International Falls, Minnesota, and by all accounts had a humble upbringing by Pentecostal parents. She attended North Central Bible College in downtown Minneapolis where she met Jim Bakker, a self-described visionary and dreamer from Muskegon, Michigan.
They dropped out of college a year later as newlyweds to follow their shared dream of creating a ministry. With Jim’s gift of preaching, Tammy Faye’s gift of music, and their combined energy, passion, and creativity, they crossed the country as traveling evangelists. In 1965, their puppet show ministry for children was picked up by Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
After reportedly convincing Robertson to give him an opportunity to create a late-night Christian talk show, Jim Bakker sat in the host’s chair just a year later when CBN debuted The 700 Club (which remains a flagship program for the network). The Bakker’s success continued to rise. Within the next decade, Jim founded the PTL (Praise the Lord) Satellite Network followed by the debut of The PTL Club.
“As hosts, the Bakkers helped popularize the ‘prosperity gospel,’ where Christian faith is often equated with financial and material success. To viewers of The PTL Club, Jim and Tammy Faye were the embodiment of God rewarding strong faith with financial blessings. The Bakkers encouraged viewers to send money in return for prayers, blessings and the possibility of achieving a lifestyle akin to their own. The show’s ratings soon vaulted higher and higher and yielded even greater financial returns” (Colin Bertram, biography.com).
By the mid-80’s, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker were at the helm of a multi-million dollar evangelical empire, and their lavish lifestyle reflected it. But everything was about to come tumbling down.
In 1987 it was revealed that Jim had used $300,000 of PTL funds for a hush money payment to a woman with whom he had had a sexual relationship several years earlier. Then an investigation on the PTL Network’s finances showed that he had mismanaged funds to the point of financial collapse. Less than two years later, Jim Bakker was convicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. (The sentence was eventually reduced to eight years). Jim Bakker’s fall from grace had been swift, and by association, so had Tammy Faye’s.
I highly recommend the 2021 film, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a compelling depiction of the rise and fall of the televangelists. (Jessica Chastain won the Academy Award for her performance.) As one critic said, “It’s not clear in the film how much Tammy Faye knew or when she knew it. But after a poor upbringing, she loved the life of excess she and Jim built. She’s aware that things aren’t exactly on the up and up but is so locked into its trappings that she turns a blind eye” (Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic).
Loving God, Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. Amen.