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PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Evangelical Empire
In 1974 Jim and Tammy Bakker launched their television show, the PTL Club , from a former furniture store in Charlotte, N.C. with half a dozen friends. By 1987 they stood at the center of a ministry empire that included their own satellite network, a 2300-acre theme park visited by six million people a year, and millions of adoring fans. The Bakkers led a life of conspicuous consumption perfectly aligned with the prosperity gospel they preached. They bought vacation homes, traveled first-class with an entourage and proclaimed that God wanted everyone to be healthy and wealthy.
When it all fell apart, after revelations of a sex scandal and massive financial mismanagement, all of America watched more than two years of federal investigation and trial as Jim was eventually convicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. He would go on to serve five years in federal prison.
PTL is more than just the spectacular story of the rise and fall of the Bakkers, John Wigger traces their lives from humble beginnings to wealth, fame, and eventual disgrace. At its core, PTL is the story of a group of people committed to religious innovation, who pushed the boundaries of evangelical religion's engagement with American culture.
Drawing on trial transcripts, videotapes, newspaper articles, and interviews with key insiders, dissidents, and lawyers, Wigger reveals the power of religion to redirect American culture. This is the story of a grand vision gone wrong, of the power of big religion in American life and its limits.
When it all fell apart, after revelations of a sex scandal and massive financial mismanagement, all of America watched more than two years of federal investigation and trial as Jim was eventually convicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. He would go on to serve five years in federal prison.
PTL is more than just the spectacular story of the rise and fall of the Bakkers, John Wigger traces their lives from humble beginnings to wealth, fame, and eventual disgrace. At its core, PTL is the story of a group of people committed to religious innovation, who pushed the boundaries of evangelical religion's engagement with American culture.
Drawing on trial transcripts, videotapes, newspaper articles, and interviews with key insiders, dissidents, and lawyers, Wigger reveals the power of religion to redirect American culture. This is the story of a grand vision gone wrong, of the power of big religion in American life and its limits.
424 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2017
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927 people want to read
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July 24, 2017
PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire authored by religious historian, John Wigger. This is a shocking story of religious grandiosity, greed, corruption, extravagant spending and gross financial mismanagement. Once praised by President Ronald Regan and Reverend Jerry Falwell, Heritage USA was the Bakker’s exciting vision of a Christian Disneyland. In the 2,000 year history of the church, there hadn’t ever been anything like it. However, by 1986, PTL’s finances were in a downward spiral, spending over $1,500,000 dollars a month more than it was taking in. No one had ever thought to ask if PTL/Heritage USA was too good to be true.
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker began their PTL ministry in 1970, with a group of energetic, enthusiastic, young people willing to volunteer/work long hours for less pay. PTL joined the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) at just the right time, with the increased popularity of cable television (which had been around since the 1940’s). Cable TV began transmitting by commercial satellite systems (1972), and by 1974, PTL was transmitting programming 24 hours per day. Millions of viewers tuned in by the end of the decade, including 40 foreign nations that joined the culturally revolutionary televised style format.
PTL appealed to the Protestant and Catholic faiths, believers combined teachings of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement while remaining members of their local churches. Bakker’s message of the “abundant gospel” proclaimed that God wanted Christians to be prosperous with wealth and riches. The Bakker’s were pleased to lead by example. This powerful message combined with the therapeutic culture of self-help, self-fulfillment and motivation greatly appealed to the 1970’s “me decade” (Tom Wolfe). At best, Wigger pointed out, Bakker and his followers were inspired to risk and take chances, dream big, which translated into an alternate (fantasy) reality based on forms of denial and delusion. As the Bakker’s became enriched in tremendous wealth and celebrity they became more disconnected from mainstream Christian culture and the followers that supported their ministry.
On March 19, 1987, the scandal involving Jim Bakker and Jessica Haun was only a small part of the “religious Watergate” that flooded PTL with serious consequences. In addition to the mismanagement of PTL by the Bakker’s and their unqualified unprofessional board of directors, there were outside forces among Bakker’s Televangelist colleague’s that likely conspired to take control of PTL. The story was closely followed by the Charlotte Observer, that documented news involving PTL/Heritage USA, one headline featured: “Bakker Misled PTL Viewers, FCC Records Show”.
Much has already been written about the Bakker’s and PTL. Many chapters throughout the book focused largely on greed, spending, and acquisition by the Bakker’s and the governing board of directors in excessive privilege and wealth. Wigger presented an informative scholarly story and viewpoint of PTL, reminding us that although Bakker did oversell Heritage USA partnerships, he was certainly no Bernie Madoff type crook that robbed investors of their life savings/livelihoods. In comparison, with our current culture of “fake news” involving corrupt elected officials and other politicians, the scandal and fall of PTL seems like a huge historical church picnic.
*With thanks and appreciation to Oxford University Press via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker began their PTL ministry in 1970, with a group of energetic, enthusiastic, young people willing to volunteer/work long hours for less pay. PTL joined the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) at just the right time, with the increased popularity of cable television (which had been around since the 1940’s). Cable TV began transmitting by commercial satellite systems (1972), and by 1974, PTL was transmitting programming 24 hours per day. Millions of viewers tuned in by the end of the decade, including 40 foreign nations that joined the culturally revolutionary televised style format.
PTL appealed to the Protestant and Catholic faiths, believers combined teachings of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement while remaining members of their local churches. Bakker’s message of the “abundant gospel” proclaimed that God wanted Christians to be prosperous with wealth and riches. The Bakker’s were pleased to lead by example. This powerful message combined with the therapeutic culture of self-help, self-fulfillment and motivation greatly appealed to the 1970’s “me decade” (Tom Wolfe). At best, Wigger pointed out, Bakker and his followers were inspired to risk and take chances, dream big, which translated into an alternate (fantasy) reality based on forms of denial and delusion. As the Bakker’s became enriched in tremendous wealth and celebrity they became more disconnected from mainstream Christian culture and the followers that supported their ministry.
On March 19, 1987, the scandal involving Jim Bakker and Jessica Haun was only a small part of the “religious Watergate” that flooded PTL with serious consequences. In addition to the mismanagement of PTL by the Bakker’s and their unqualified unprofessional board of directors, there were outside forces among Bakker’s Televangelist colleague’s that likely conspired to take control of PTL. The story was closely followed by the Charlotte Observer, that documented news involving PTL/Heritage USA, one headline featured: “Bakker Misled PTL Viewers, FCC Records Show”.
Much has already been written about the Bakker’s and PTL. Many chapters throughout the book focused largely on greed, spending, and acquisition by the Bakker’s and the governing board of directors in excessive privilege and wealth. Wigger presented an informative scholarly story and viewpoint of PTL, reminding us that although Bakker did oversell Heritage USA partnerships, he was certainly no Bernie Madoff type crook that robbed investors of their life savings/livelihoods. In comparison, with our current culture of “fake news” involving corrupt elected officials and other politicians, the scandal and fall of PTL seems like a huge historical church picnic.
*With thanks and appreciation to Oxford University Press via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.
July 13, 2024
Review: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Bakker's Evangelical Empire by John Wigger
The sex and financial scandal of PTL creator and leader devolved into a battle between two versions of Christian evangelicalism: Pentecostal (represented by Jimmy Swaggert who wanted to bring down Bakker’s Empire) and A more standard for of evangelicalism represented by Jerry Falwell, who thought he could save and thus inherit everything. To his dismay, probably because he had not done due diligence, he discovered the situation was far more dire than he had imagined.
The creation of PTL and Heritage USA followed a well-established trajectory in American evangelicalism as it evolved from field preaching, to camp meetings, to big tent revivals, to radio and television and eventual financial scandal. Bakker began small in 1974 and soon exploded in popularity as Bakker early on recognized the power of TV at getting his message – and requests for funds – across to thousands of people around the world. They weren’t the first to use broadcast. Bakker’s genius was to create the Christian talk show – it didn’t look like a church service unlike broadcasts by Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, etc. With celebrity, however, came temptation and the desire for more.
Heritage USA was to become the Christian alternative to Disneyland. To be constructed on 2300 acres it would have hotels, water parks, restaurants, theme parks, and TV studios. It would also cost many millions to build. To finance it, Bakker came up with the idea of selling partnerships. Partners would be guaranteed that for a “gift” of $1000 they have lifetime access to a hotel room for 4-5 days and all the facilities each year. Problem was that these were very popular and as soon as the need for more funds grew, they had more partners than could ever be accommodated when they wanted in the hotels. So Baker wanted to build more hotels which needed more money which needed more partners, ad infinitum, especially as he kept adding more theme parks and attractions, none of which they could afford.
PTL’s board provided no oversight whatsoever and Dorcht and other Bakker lackeys kept giving the bakers (and themselves) more and more lavish bonuses (all with extra money so they were tax-free) that were off the books. They had millions coming in each month but it was nowhere near enough to keep everything afloat. (Prosperity gospel preached by Bakker and others paid no attention to debt and accounting. “The facts of accounting applied only to those who lacked faith. Second, it allowed ministries to aggressively raise funds, since by taking their followers’ money they were really doing them a favor. The more believers gave, the more God would give them in return.” If in doubt spend and buy, and if you give enough to the “church”, i.e. Bakker, Swaggart, etc., you will reap “tenfold.” Worked for a while for Bakker, although I’m pretty sure God had nothing to do with it. If he needed more money he would just have another telethon and the cash poured in. [Bakker} ““we knew the principle of giving, and those people that were watching the [PTL] satellite [network] have been fed on the word of God and God has prospered them. Oh, people, you can’t beat God giving, no matter how hard you try.” Accounting be damned.
By 1984, just 10 years after their start, financial cracks were becoming crevices. “The main concern…is whether PTL will be able to continue as ‘a going concern’ based on current assets of only 8.6 million against 28.5 million in current liabilities. Part of the problem… was that the lifetime partnership program had shifted how people gave to PTL. “More and more of our funds were coming from lifetime partnerships” while “monthly contributions dropped off drastically,” he later said.” Bakker’s response to this negative view was to turn “ to an old trick that he had used many times in the past: launch a new project and use the funds raised for the new project to pay old debts. It was like getting a new credit card to make payments on an old card that was maxed out. Though the Heritage Grand was still several months away from opening, in September 1984 Bakker announced a new lifetime partnership program for a second hotel, the Heritage Grand Towers. “When in doubt, build something more!”
Then the Jessica Hahn scandal hit. Bakker had had a tryst with Hahn, a church secretary. She claimed she was drugged and raped. She was paid off with PTL money to keep quiet. That information and persistent rumors that Bakker was indulging in gay sex with some PTL staff he had hired, finally led to his resignation as PTL began to circle the wagons to prevent a very hostile takeover by Jimmy Swaggart who didn’t like the Bakker form of evangelism.
Of course in typical Trumpian fashion, Bakker turned all blame away from himself. It was the Fault of the media, especially the Charlotte Observer that had written numerous stories detailing the financial house of cards he had built. The IRS had begin an investigation into the use of funds that had been allocated for specific purposes by donors but were bing used for personal bonuses and other projects. The IRS was Satan (always handy to be able to blame a nonentity.) “He portrayed the IRS audit as an attack of Satan. “The larger a ministry grows the more you become an enemy of Satan,” he declared on the air. Satan’s tool was “government agencies” that were “anti-Christ and anti-God,” Bakker said.”
Heritage USA is no more. It closed in 1989. Oral Roberts’ City of Faith, medical facility Roberts claimed to have been ordered by God to build following the death of his daughter in a plane crash, also closed in 1989. (You may remember Roberts said he would die if people didn’t send money to keep it going; instead, it just siphoned money from his TV ministry. Falwell’s son who took over after the death of Jerry became involved in his own sex and fiscal mismanagement crisis.***
The numerous scandals resulted in serious drops in giving; people were tired of giving money only to discover it was enriching the celebrities rather than helping or converting people around the world. Go online, though and you can still find lots of ways to buy prayer requests, etc. Hard to tack them to a church door, though.
***https://www.vox.com/2020/8/25/2139995...
The sex and financial scandal of PTL creator and leader devolved into a battle between two versions of Christian evangelicalism: Pentecostal (represented by Jimmy Swaggert who wanted to bring down Bakker’s Empire) and A more standard for of evangelicalism represented by Jerry Falwell, who thought he could save and thus inherit everything. To his dismay, probably because he had not done due diligence, he discovered the situation was far more dire than he had imagined.
The creation of PTL and Heritage USA followed a well-established trajectory in American evangelicalism as it evolved from field preaching, to camp meetings, to big tent revivals, to radio and television and eventual financial scandal. Bakker began small in 1974 and soon exploded in popularity as Bakker early on recognized the power of TV at getting his message – and requests for funds – across to thousands of people around the world. They weren’t the first to use broadcast. Bakker’s genius was to create the Christian talk show – it didn’t look like a church service unlike broadcasts by Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, etc. With celebrity, however, came temptation and the desire for more.
Heritage USA was to become the Christian alternative to Disneyland. To be constructed on 2300 acres it would have hotels, water parks, restaurants, theme parks, and TV studios. It would also cost many millions to build. To finance it, Bakker came up with the idea of selling partnerships. Partners would be guaranteed that for a “gift” of $1000 they have lifetime access to a hotel room for 4-5 days and all the facilities each year. Problem was that these were very popular and as soon as the need for more funds grew, they had more partners than could ever be accommodated when they wanted in the hotels. So Baker wanted to build more hotels which needed more money which needed more partners, ad infinitum, especially as he kept adding more theme parks and attractions, none of which they could afford.
PTL’s board provided no oversight whatsoever and Dorcht and other Bakker lackeys kept giving the bakers (and themselves) more and more lavish bonuses (all with extra money so they were tax-free) that were off the books. They had millions coming in each month but it was nowhere near enough to keep everything afloat. (Prosperity gospel preached by Bakker and others paid no attention to debt and accounting. “The facts of accounting applied only to those who lacked faith. Second, it allowed ministries to aggressively raise funds, since by taking their followers’ money they were really doing them a favor. The more believers gave, the more God would give them in return.” If in doubt spend and buy, and if you give enough to the “church”, i.e. Bakker, Swaggart, etc., you will reap “tenfold.” Worked for a while for Bakker, although I’m pretty sure God had nothing to do with it. If he needed more money he would just have another telethon and the cash poured in. [Bakker} ““we knew the principle of giving, and those people that were watching the [PTL] satellite [network] have been fed on the word of God and God has prospered them. Oh, people, you can’t beat God giving, no matter how hard you try.” Accounting be damned.
By 1984, just 10 years after their start, financial cracks were becoming crevices. “The main concern…is whether PTL will be able to continue as ‘a going concern’ based on current assets of only 8.6 million against 28.5 million in current liabilities. Part of the problem… was that the lifetime partnership program had shifted how people gave to PTL. “More and more of our funds were coming from lifetime partnerships” while “monthly contributions dropped off drastically,” he later said.” Bakker’s response to this negative view was to turn “ to an old trick that he had used many times in the past: launch a new project and use the funds raised for the new project to pay old debts. It was like getting a new credit card to make payments on an old card that was maxed out. Though the Heritage Grand was still several months away from opening, in September 1984 Bakker announced a new lifetime partnership program for a second hotel, the Heritage Grand Towers. “When in doubt, build something more!”
Then the Jessica Hahn scandal hit. Bakker had had a tryst with Hahn, a church secretary. She claimed she was drugged and raped. She was paid off with PTL money to keep quiet. That information and persistent rumors that Bakker was indulging in gay sex with some PTL staff he had hired, finally led to his resignation as PTL began to circle the wagons to prevent a very hostile takeover by Jimmy Swaggart who didn’t like the Bakker form of evangelism.
Of course in typical Trumpian fashion, Bakker turned all blame away from himself. It was the Fault of the media, especially the Charlotte Observer that had written numerous stories detailing the financial house of cards he had built. The IRS had begin an investigation into the use of funds that had been allocated for specific purposes by donors but were bing used for personal bonuses and other projects. The IRS was Satan (always handy to be able to blame a nonentity.) “He portrayed the IRS audit as an attack of Satan. “The larger a ministry grows the more you become an enemy of Satan,” he declared on the air. Satan’s tool was “government agencies” that were “anti-Christ and anti-God,” Bakker said.”
Heritage USA is no more. It closed in 1989. Oral Roberts’ City of Faith, medical facility Roberts claimed to have been ordered by God to build following the death of his daughter in a plane crash, also closed in 1989. (You may remember Roberts said he would die if people didn’t send money to keep it going; instead, it just siphoned money from his TV ministry. Falwell’s son who took over after the death of Jerry became involved in his own sex and fiscal mismanagement crisis.***
The numerous scandals resulted in serious drops in giving; people were tired of giving money only to discover it was enriching the celebrities rather than helping or converting people around the world. Go online, though and you can still find lots of ways to buy prayer requests, etc. Hard to tack them to a church door, though.
***https://www.vox.com/2020/8/25/2139995...
April 22, 2017
Being someone who lived in the area growing up and watched this play out not only at home but through the news and newspapers, this book expands on that and also gives a new perspective of the whole thing. I visited Heritage USA for their Christmas extravaganza and it was stunning. It's such a shame what happened to that place and this book gives us insight as to why even with all the visitors we saw couldn't keep it afloat. This is a well written book on what happened to PTL.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2021
3.5/5.
I am eagerly anticipating 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield which is set to be released this September and I read this book in preparation. Overall, as many other readers have remarked, John H. Wigger's book is meticulously researched but too long and filled with superfluous content (the eyes glaze over as Wigger details how much Jim Bakker and his crony executives spent money on houses, cars, jewelry, furs, shoes, and other luxury goods). Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker may have begun Praise the Lord (PTL) with good intentions but the allure of money and fame corrupted them and led to their downfall.
The Bakkers started off their careers in ministry on the road and using puppets to put on little skits but they eventually became pioneers of televangelism and cable networks; early in their careers they worked with Pat Robertson and Paul and Jan Crouch but Jim's ambition and need to control every detail led to a falling out with these other television preachers (45). The Bakkers set out on their own with a dedicated staff of employees. Wigger writes, “In Dec 1977 the FCC granted PTL its own private satellite network license, the first of its kind. From the start, PTL controlled its own uplink, a pattern other networks followed. ‘This stupid little Christian television satellite network blazed a whole new trail that everybody followed,’ remembers Flessing," one of PTL's longtime employees and producers. Jim wanted to emulate Jimmy Carson and their shows had a similar style (I've always thought a Christian talk show makes so much sense - hosts could interview pastors, theologians, ministry activists, celebrities, and have a CCM musical performance), with Jim exuding charm and spontaneity. The Bakkers tapped into the therapeutic culture of the era, with Jim ending each program with the motto "God loves you, He really does!" (66-67, 131-34). Bakker was more interested in therapeutic culture than in politics compared to Robertson and Jerry Falwell; "For Bakker, cultural relevance mattered more than political ideology” (148). Jim credited his knack for improvisation to the moving of the Holy Spirit and this spontaneity appealed to evangelicals who had come to reject the staid solemnity of preachers who read out sermons (52). They also promoted health living and did not shy away from discussing sex; “Tammy once did an episode with Dr. Marvin Brooks featuring a demonstration of the “newest type” of inflatable penile implants” (69-71). They also had (in)famous pornographer Larry Flynt on their show during his brief fling with Christianity; Wigger points out that while the Bakkers did enjoy the publicity, their spiritual counseling of Flynt also demonstrates their genuine desire to reach out to mainstream American culture and that other televangelists like Oral Roberts never would have had someone of Flynt's ilk on his program (71-76). The Bakkers garnered a wide and loyal audience because the Bakkers were on television all of the time. They would share their marital tensions and Tammy Faye's lack of social filter gave her a “Guileless honesty that was difficult to resist” (113). Audiences connected with the Bakkers - they felt as if they were being welcomed into the intimacies of their home.
The Bakkers already enjoyed a vast ministry empire, with an array of foreign versions of PTL that had "indigenous" hosts that connected to local cultures (the Bakkers' style would not have fit well all international audiences and Elmer Buono, the host of the Latin American version, successfully crafted a program that suited his audience better, 57-60). Even during this time there was dubious financial dealings going on, with money allocated for foreign ministries not making its way overseas (including filming equipment for Paul Yongii Cho's version of PTL) and employees being laid off (83-86, 94-95). But this success was not enough and Jim set his sights on building Heritage USA, a Christian Disneyland that would offer accommodations, a theme park, workshops, a studio, and a university (Jim wanted to compete with his rivals who had founded Liberty University, Oral Roberts University, and Regent University, but his school would quickly shut down, never attaining accreditation or numbers). Much of Wigger's narrative is about Jim's obsession with building Heritage USA.
Despite their success, the Bakkers harboured terrible secrets. The Bakkers' marriage was strained as Jim invested all of his energy into Heritage USA. He micromanaged every aspect of the park. Tammy Faye desperately wanted Jim to give her attention and turned her affections elsewhere when Jim ignored her (they would cohost 'The Jim and Tammy Show' as a way to be in each other's lives). Jim had been sexually abused by a man as a youth and he often made sexual advances towards male staff (162). PTL actually earned an unspoken reputation of being an evangelical ministry that had a greater openness towards gay people even while towing the standard evangelical party line on homosexuality as a sin (162-63). John Wesley Fletcher, a minister who himself had secret homosexual leanings (he allegedly claimed he and Jim had had sex) brought Jessica Hahn to Bakker and they had sex (in Hahn's telling, both Bakker and Fletcher raped her).
Bakker oversold "lifetime memberships" which guaranteed donors four days and three nights accommodation at Heritage USA but with crony executives like Richard Dortch and the Taggart brothers skimming thousands upon thousands of dollars from PTL, the ministry could never raise enough money to pay for its building projects. PTL would regularly host telethons where Bakker pleaded with audiences to give him money. It would be this scandal that would bring the Bakkers down.
This is a definitive, but bloated, history of the Bakkers and PTL (50-100 pages could have been cut). Wigger ends each chapter on a dramatic note and he does well to detail not only the lives of the Bakkers but includes the voices of faithful employees who saw PTL as an important ministry. He writes that “By 1985 PTL had become a place divided between a corrupt leadership isolated on the third floor of the World Outreach Center and thousands of employees diligently working to build the kingdom of God” (220).
I am eagerly anticipating 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield which is set to be released this September and I read this book in preparation. Overall, as many other readers have remarked, John H. Wigger's book is meticulously researched but too long and filled with superfluous content (the eyes glaze over as Wigger details how much Jim Bakker and his crony executives spent money on houses, cars, jewelry, furs, shoes, and other luxury goods). Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker may have begun Praise the Lord (PTL) with good intentions but the allure of money and fame corrupted them and led to their downfall.
The Bakkers started off their careers in ministry on the road and using puppets to put on little skits but they eventually became pioneers of televangelism and cable networks; early in their careers they worked with Pat Robertson and Paul and Jan Crouch but Jim's ambition and need to control every detail led to a falling out with these other television preachers (45). The Bakkers set out on their own with a dedicated staff of employees. Wigger writes, “In Dec 1977 the FCC granted PTL its own private satellite network license, the first of its kind. From the start, PTL controlled its own uplink, a pattern other networks followed. ‘This stupid little Christian television satellite network blazed a whole new trail that everybody followed,’ remembers Flessing," one of PTL's longtime employees and producers. Jim wanted to emulate Jimmy Carson and their shows had a similar style (I've always thought a Christian talk show makes so much sense - hosts could interview pastors, theologians, ministry activists, celebrities, and have a CCM musical performance), with Jim exuding charm and spontaneity. The Bakkers tapped into the therapeutic culture of the era, with Jim ending each program with the motto "God loves you, He really does!" (66-67, 131-34). Bakker was more interested in therapeutic culture than in politics compared to Robertson and Jerry Falwell; "For Bakker, cultural relevance mattered more than political ideology” (148). Jim credited his knack for improvisation to the moving of the Holy Spirit and this spontaneity appealed to evangelicals who had come to reject the staid solemnity of preachers who read out sermons (52). They also promoted health living and did not shy away from discussing sex; “Tammy once did an episode with Dr. Marvin Brooks featuring a demonstration of the “newest type” of inflatable penile implants” (69-71). They also had (in)famous pornographer Larry Flynt on their show during his brief fling with Christianity; Wigger points out that while the Bakkers did enjoy the publicity, their spiritual counseling of Flynt also demonstrates their genuine desire to reach out to mainstream American culture and that other televangelists like Oral Roberts never would have had someone of Flynt's ilk on his program (71-76). The Bakkers garnered a wide and loyal audience because the Bakkers were on television all of the time. They would share their marital tensions and Tammy Faye's lack of social filter gave her a “Guileless honesty that was difficult to resist” (113). Audiences connected with the Bakkers - they felt as if they were being welcomed into the intimacies of their home.
The Bakkers already enjoyed a vast ministry empire, with an array of foreign versions of PTL that had "indigenous" hosts that connected to local cultures (the Bakkers' style would not have fit well all international audiences and Elmer Buono, the host of the Latin American version, successfully crafted a program that suited his audience better, 57-60). Even during this time there was dubious financial dealings going on, with money allocated for foreign ministries not making its way overseas (including filming equipment for Paul Yongii Cho's version of PTL) and employees being laid off (83-86, 94-95). But this success was not enough and Jim set his sights on building Heritage USA, a Christian Disneyland that would offer accommodations, a theme park, workshops, a studio, and a university (Jim wanted to compete with his rivals who had founded Liberty University, Oral Roberts University, and Regent University, but his school would quickly shut down, never attaining accreditation or numbers). Much of Wigger's narrative is about Jim's obsession with building Heritage USA.
Despite their success, the Bakkers harboured terrible secrets. The Bakkers' marriage was strained as Jim invested all of his energy into Heritage USA. He micromanaged every aspect of the park. Tammy Faye desperately wanted Jim to give her attention and turned her affections elsewhere when Jim ignored her (they would cohost 'The Jim and Tammy Show' as a way to be in each other's lives). Jim had been sexually abused by a man as a youth and he often made sexual advances towards male staff (162). PTL actually earned an unspoken reputation of being an evangelical ministry that had a greater openness towards gay people even while towing the standard evangelical party line on homosexuality as a sin (162-63). John Wesley Fletcher, a minister who himself had secret homosexual leanings (he allegedly claimed he and Jim had had sex) brought Jessica Hahn to Bakker and they had sex (in Hahn's telling, both Bakker and Fletcher raped her).
Bakker oversold "lifetime memberships" which guaranteed donors four days and three nights accommodation at Heritage USA but with crony executives like Richard Dortch and the Taggart brothers skimming thousands upon thousands of dollars from PTL, the ministry could never raise enough money to pay for its building projects. PTL would regularly host telethons where Bakker pleaded with audiences to give him money. It would be this scandal that would bring the Bakkers down.
This is a definitive, but bloated, history of the Bakkers and PTL (50-100 pages could have been cut). Wigger ends each chapter on a dramatic note and he does well to detail not only the lives of the Bakkers but includes the voices of faithful employees who saw PTL as an important ministry. He writes that “By 1985 PTL had become a place divided between a corrupt leadership isolated on the third floor of the World Outreach Center and thousands of employees diligently working to build the kingdom of God” (220).
December 28, 2017
One of the most captivating ... and disturbing book that I ever read.
October 29, 2017
Wow! All I knew about Jim and Tammy Faye Baker prior to reading this book was that he was a TV evangelist and she inspired a t-shirt that said "I ran into Tammy Faye at the mall". (Which you can still buy, I looked it up on the internet, lol.
I had never heard of Heritage Park or any of the things he had done. I did know he went to jail and Tammy Faye cried a lot.
This was a very comprehensive and informative read for me. I learned a LOT! And I found it to be a very interesting read. The author spent a lot of time researching which is evident if you read the book.
Thanks to Oxford University Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I had never heard of Heritage Park or any of the things he had done. I did know he went to jail and Tammy Faye cried a lot.
This was a very comprehensive and informative read for me. I learned a LOT! And I found it to be a very interesting read. The author spent a lot of time researching which is evident if you read the book.
Thanks to Oxford University Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
April 9, 2020
I thought this was a fascinating deep dive into the PTL story. The outlines of the saga were familiar to me--the peak of their influence was during my childhood; I remember watching their show at my grandmother's house, and I think one of my aunts even sent them money! I knew they were charlatans, of course, but I didn't realize the depth of their grifting until I read this book.
It's hard not to feel for Tammy Faye, who mostly seems childlike and desperate. She went on to become a gay icon (who would've guessed that?) and died fairly young. On the other hand, Bakker learned nothing from his disgrace and never changed--most recently he has been trying to sell magical cures for coronavirus--so it's much more difficult to work up sympathy for him.
It's hard not to feel for Tammy Faye, who mostly seems childlike and desperate. She went on to become a gay icon (who would've guessed that?) and died fairly young. On the other hand, Bakker learned nothing from his disgrace and never changed--most recently he has been trying to sell magical cures for coronavirus--so it's much more difficult to work up sympathy for him.
February 13, 2022
The level of second-hand anxiety I got from reading about the wanton fiscal irresponsibility of Jim Bakker and his cohorts is unreal.
Also, having gotten most of my information about the Bakkers from the 'Eyes of Tammy Faye' documentary and recent docu-drama, it was quite interesting to read a perspective that didn't gloss over her bad behavior or shortcomings the way they did/
My only criticism is that there was quite a bit of fat in here that could have stood to be trimmed. I don't need the life story of every person involved in his scandal, especially the smaller players with limited roles.
Also, having gotten most of my information about the Bakkers from the 'Eyes of Tammy Faye' documentary and recent docu-drama, it was quite interesting to read a perspective that didn't gloss over her bad behavior or shortcomings the way they did/
My only criticism is that there was quite a bit of fat in here that could have stood to be trimmed. I don't need the life story of every person involved in his scandal, especially the smaller players with limited roles.
July 3, 2022
This was fine; admittedly, I got it after watching The Eyes of Tammy Faye on a flight. I was interested in learning more about the rise and fall of the Bakkers, but this book felt like more of a history of evangelicalism than it did about the two of them. It was interesting but more academic than what I expected.
September 22, 2022
I had forgotten so much about the scandalous demise of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. I appreciated that the author presented the facts in an unbiased and compelling way.
July 28, 2017
I have been interested in the PTL because I live near the CUT and my interest has expanded to the wider religious field. This book was interesting but would have been better served by being cut down by about 100 pages. At least 50. There was a LOT of extraneous information that felt like filler. There were several times where I thought, "Oh, it's coming to an end" and, when I looked, there were still a hundred pages left. Other than that, this was a nice book with a lot of behind-the-scenes.
April 4, 2024
REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK: APRIL 3M, 2024
Narrator: L.J. Ganser
5 stars for amount of material covered.
0 stars for enjoyment.
I became a Christian in 1979 and was raised in a Pentecostal church. Though I wasn't American (my pastors were) and I lived in Singapore I knew of the Bakkers and the whole PTL thing. As most Pentecostals will tell you, charismatic gifts triumph doctrine any given day so we rarely questioned what was going on in the world of televangelists and itinerant preachers.
But I did and finally, in 1995, after reading John MacArthur's Charismatic Chaos I broke away from Pentecostal & Charismatic theology.
This book by John Wigger is a little over 17 hours long but felt twice that. It could have been shortened if the item by item purchases by Bakker and his cronies were omitted but then isn't that purpose of this book? To show the extent of the greed.
At no time did anyone, Jim or Tammy, question if the road they were travelling was a Godly one, not once was the Gospel even hinted at as in did they ever think that the purpose of the Church is the preach the Gospel and they, as leaders, live Godly lives? Nada.
I was horrified and disgusted and couldn't wait to be done with the book.
Narrator: L.J. Ganser
5 stars for amount of material covered. 0 stars for enjoyment.I became a Christian in 1979 and was raised in a Pentecostal church. Though I wasn't American (my pastors were) and I lived in Singapore I knew of the Bakkers and the whole PTL thing. As most Pentecostals will tell you, charismatic gifts triumph doctrine any given day so we rarely questioned what was going on in the world of televangelists and itinerant preachers.
But I did and finally, in 1995, after reading John MacArthur's Charismatic Chaos I broke away from Pentecostal & Charismatic theology.
This book by John Wigger is a little over 17 hours long but felt twice that. It could have been shortened if the item by item purchases by Bakker and his cronies were omitted but then isn't that purpose of this book? To show the extent of the greed.
At no time did anyone, Jim or Tammy, question if the road they were travelling was a Godly one, not once was the Gospel even hinted at as in did they ever think that the purpose of the Church is the preach the Gospel and they, as leaders, live Godly lives? Nada.
I was horrified and disgusted and couldn't wait to be done with the book.
March 24, 2018
Let me clarify my missing star -- it got tired of words, words, words, and just disappeared. But up until then, the stars say that this is a humdinger of a book! I stepped into religious circles starting in 1964 in mainline evangelical churches but in 1971 I was drawn into the charismatic realm under the ministry of Chuck Smith in a big tent in south Orange County (Southern California). It was not the PTL variety, but actually a ministry to young folk who really weren't wanted in the mainline churches because they were "hippies." This was the time period of the growth of PTL, and in the book I recognized lots of names of people I was aware of. By 1975 I was moving on toward what I considered a healthy agnostic position, and lost track of what was happening in PTL circles. With this background I felt I understood a lot of this book, and I found it very, very interesting. I appreciated that the author didn't write it as a diatribe against either the Pentacostal/charismatic side or the fundamental/evangelical side. He simply let the facts show it for what it was. I did feel some of the parts could have been telescoped into one good substantial paragraph, or page, or maybe even chapter. I found myself less interested at the end than I thought I would be. Nevertheless, the author answered all my questions, for sure. It will be a good reference book for lots of libraries and for Christians who sometimes are afraid to see that things like this can exist close to home.
June 27, 2018
This book was fascinating. I worked at Heritage USA in the early 1980s, up through the time J&T 'fell from grace'. I'd heard a lot of stories - but this book shed so much more light on the things that were going on behind the scenes that most people never knew about. I knew there were some financial misappropriations - and that as soon as Richard Dortch (from the assemblies of god HQ in Illinois) was brought onto the board, things started spiraling out of control. Jim went from driving a Buick Park Avenue, to a Cadillac Fleetwood, and then one day a whole fleet of Mercedes-Benz sedans and coupes were dropped off. That signaled the beginning of the end to me - and sure enough, it came. But I always defended the good that came out of this place - they helped a lot of people - and I mean a lot - but they also hurt quite a few. And I had no clue as to the level of avarice and greed and the tens of millions of dollars that were given out as bonuses - basically stolen, but nominated and approved by Dortch and the rest of the board - to J&T. And then to find out that Jim's assistants and senior staff, basically had access to Amex cards that amounted to blank checks - with no checks and balances in place to control what was bought. It is disgusting. But the book is well worth the read. There's a lot of background info in it that I found extraneous - much of it repeated several times, but I honestly could not put this book down. I plan to finish it tonight - I'm to the epilogue. Well worth the read!
January 29, 2018
'The apostle Paul considered himself the “chief of sinners,” but then again, he never met Jim Bakker" this from Christianity Today. This book covers all of this mans sins including greed, fraud, sexual exploitation of at least 6 male employees in a homosexual relationship, the well known Jessica Hahn covered up possible rape, power and abuse of his celebrity status, and the prosperity gospel.
In the prosperity gospel, churches and evangelicals remain locked in pursuit of wealth and material riches. To his credit, Bakker later denounced this as biblical heresy. If Christ said “Woe to you who are rich,”, prosperity gospel churches and evangelicals ignore it in favor of secular culture. This was the Bakkers thinking and attitude as they and others in control stole millions of dollars every year to lavish themselves with houses, cars, jewelry, vacations, etc.
His greed and misappropriation of funds for personal use were excused by his most ardent followers who have been compared to Jim Jones followers by the judge who presided over his trial and sentenced him to jail for many years. What they could not apparently forgive was his many homosexual affairs while married to Tammy.
Now that his incarceration is over, he appears to have picked up right where he left off. Instead of the prosperity gospel, he is now preaching the end times and selling survival food and cheaply made gear and camping supplies at overpriced amounts.
In the prosperity gospel, churches and evangelicals remain locked in pursuit of wealth and material riches. To his credit, Bakker later denounced this as biblical heresy. If Christ said “Woe to you who are rich,”, prosperity gospel churches and evangelicals ignore it in favor of secular culture. This was the Bakkers thinking and attitude as they and others in control stole millions of dollars every year to lavish themselves with houses, cars, jewelry, vacations, etc.
His greed and misappropriation of funds for personal use were excused by his most ardent followers who have been compared to Jim Jones followers by the judge who presided over his trial and sentenced him to jail for many years. What they could not apparently forgive was his many homosexual affairs while married to Tammy.
Now that his incarceration is over, he appears to have picked up right where he left off. Instead of the prosperity gospel, he is now preaching the end times and selling survival food and cheaply made gear and camping supplies at overpriced amounts.
March 20, 2025
3 stars, rounding up. This book is exhaustively researched and it shows, but unfortunately the research has manifested in an endless parade of names and numbers during what should have been a deeply compelling story. Paragraphs and paragraphs detail figure after figure ($100,000 here, $1.4 million there), but Wigger doesn't do any addition for you- I had to do my own math. He also don't do any conversions for inflation, although the book was written in 2017- more math for me! The book is arranged chronologically, but we're also regularly jumping from date to date within the same page.
In general, Wigger's prose is pretty dry, and he intentionally shies away from drawing any larger conclusions until the very end of the epilogue. Even then his conclusions are quite mild- but what's interesting about PTL and the Bakkers is what they meant to people then and today, and what that says about American atitudes about faith, grift, and money. I wish this book had had a thesis statement beyond "this happened, and here's how."
I finished it, and the underlying material is really sound- in particular Wigger's interviews with employees and people who knew the Bakkers in their early days. His material on the religious background of the Assemblies of God churches was also fascinating (maybe because he's a religious historian, and not an investigative journalist.) I just wish the story as a whole had been assembled better!
In general, Wigger's prose is pretty dry, and he intentionally shies away from drawing any larger conclusions until the very end of the epilogue. Even then his conclusions are quite mild- but what's interesting about PTL and the Bakkers is what they meant to people then and today, and what that says about American atitudes about faith, grift, and money. I wish this book had had a thesis statement beyond "this happened, and here's how."
I finished it, and the underlying material is really sound- in particular Wigger's interviews with employees and people who knew the Bakkers in their early days. His material on the religious background of the Assemblies of God churches was also fascinating (maybe because he's a religious historian, and not an investigative journalist.) I just wish the story as a whole had been assembled better!
May 24, 2017
The first thing to say about this book is that it is loooooooong. That said, the final 15% of the book on Kindle was references and bibliography but even so, this is a weighty book. This is no bad thing though as it is has been thoroughly researched and is a full chronology of the Bakkers rise and fall from grace.
I was impressed throughout that Wigger remained completely impartial and if he ever did apply any bias, it was stated. All 'evidence' and any conversations he referred to were treated with respect and allowed to stand for themselves, including the Hahn incident which is one that most people can't bear to not have a strong opinion on in terms of villain and victim.
Having grown up in the USA in the 80's I was totally aware of Tv evangelism and found it normal, if perplexing(Most children would be worried by grown men crying, wringing their hands and shouting about the devil!).
This book is fascinating on many levels; as an inside look at the life of the Bakkers, a Birdseye view of Tv evangelism and a historical portrait of 70's and 80's America. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in 20th century history as well as those interested in religion and religious broadcasting. And those after a bit of salacious gossip about a sex crazed preacher!
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before publication in exchange for this review.
I was impressed throughout that Wigger remained completely impartial and if he ever did apply any bias, it was stated. All 'evidence' and any conversations he referred to were treated with respect and allowed to stand for themselves, including the Hahn incident which is one that most people can't bear to not have a strong opinion on in terms of villain and victim.
Having grown up in the USA in the 80's I was totally aware of Tv evangelism and found it normal, if perplexing(Most children would be worried by grown men crying, wringing their hands and shouting about the devil!).
This book is fascinating on many levels; as an inside look at the life of the Bakkers, a Birdseye view of Tv evangelism and a historical portrait of 70's and 80's America. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in 20th century history as well as those interested in religion and religious broadcasting. And those after a bit of salacious gossip about a sex crazed preacher!
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before publication in exchange for this review.
February 3, 2018
I don't think I've ever used the adjective "juicy" to describe an academic history, but this book fits the bill (no PTL pun intended)! It is engrossing and tough to put down, especially if, like myself, you grew up in the evangelical world of the late '70s/1980's. Wigger does a great job of telling the Bakker story against a backdrop of culturally-ascending Pentecostalism, and how an "abundant life" theology both prospered and ultimately ruined Jim and Tammy Faye. The book is a nice corrective to the Graham/Falwell-heavy histories of late 20th century evangelicalism, although, of course, the slithery Falwell does show up in this story. One thing I wish Wigger would have pursued just a little more: Who is the "typical" Bakker supporter? Who are the people purchasing lifetime memberships in Heritage USA or responding to the seemingly endless wave of telethons? I would love to see that support base broken down by age, educational background, and denominational affiliation. Wigger frequently stresses the Pentecostal-fundamentalist divide, but it seems to me that many fundamentalists would have been attracted to the idea of a Heritage USA, a Disney World without the "worldliness." If you have any interest at all in late-20th century American religious history, don't miss this book!
January 29, 2019
Jim and Tammy Bakker's PTL scandal hit the headlines when I was a senior in high school, and before reading this book, my best recollection was the it centered on the minister's extramarital affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn. After reading "PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Evangelical Empire," it's obvious that the Jessica Hahn saga was one of the more insignificant events that led to the Bakkers' downfall. Gross financial mismanagement, an on-going ponzi scheme that duped PTL supporters into donating their hard-earned dollars, drug abuse, rampant gay and straight affairs on the grounds of a Pentecostal retreat, and unbashed greed and mammon were the ingredients of the recipe that led to PTL's destruction, and it is all documented in detail in Wigger's book. After reading this book, one is dumbfounded as to how Bakker has been able to re-invent and re-sell himself to a new set of donors and supports via his MorningStar Ministry and Armageddon predictions. If I have one critique of this book, it's the fact that portions include a bit too much detail and tend to bog down the narrative. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in pop culture, the 1980s, or the history of the evangelical movement.
September 22, 2021
This is a remarkably well-researched and well-written account of the rise of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and the subsequent collapse of their PTL empire. WIgger uses both existing reporting as well as in-depth interviews with more than 50 people to create this account.
Biographies of almost all important people working for PTL are included, without interrupting the narrative.
I'd give this book 4.5 stars, if I could. I think the only drawback is the way Wigger never actually discusses what Bakker was saying on the air. Wigger focuses almost exclusively on fundraising, pledge drives, and the sale of "memberships" in Heritage USA. What was said day-to-day on The PTL Club by its hosts and guests goes almost unsaid, except insofar as it relates to money.
There are broad generalizations about the "prosperity gospel", and a few claims about how Bakker steered away from social issues. The problem is that such claims are not nearly as well documented or researched as the rest of the book. That's a shame, since it would have been extremely informative to see how Bakker's preaching and theology shifted as his needs for money did, and as the Religious Right as a whole became much more involved with moralism.
Biographies of almost all important people working for PTL are included, without interrupting the narrative.
I'd give this book 4.5 stars, if I could. I think the only drawback is the way Wigger never actually discusses what Bakker was saying on the air. Wigger focuses almost exclusively on fundraising, pledge drives, and the sale of "memberships" in Heritage USA. What was said day-to-day on The PTL Club by its hosts and guests goes almost unsaid, except insofar as it relates to money.
There are broad generalizations about the "prosperity gospel", and a few claims about how Bakker steered away from social issues. The problem is that such claims are not nearly as well documented or researched as the rest of the book. That's a shame, since it would have been extremely informative to see how Bakker's preaching and theology shifted as his needs for money did, and as the Religious Right as a whole became much more involved with moralism.
February 13, 2022
A very, very, very comprehensive look at the PTL club and all that went wrong. If you had asked me before this why PTL failed, I would have said because of Bakker's sex scandal and because they oversold the lifetime partnerships. While both of those were true, the deep financial corruption and institutional failures went deeper than those.
Because of that, you must be warned that this is a book FULL of numbers. I listened to the audiobook and there were whole chapters where it felt like the narrator was just reading off lists of numbers over and over and over again! The beginning of the book has a lot more of a background of religious history and the sort of theological underpinnings of the Bakkers, the end of the book is all about money. It is fitting, of course, because that mimics the trajectory of the ministry.
I enjoyed this one, mainly because spiritual abuse and religious movements are a big area of interest for me - but be aware, this is a LONG and thorough book.
Because of that, you must be warned that this is a book FULL of numbers. I listened to the audiobook and there were whole chapters where it felt like the narrator was just reading off lists of numbers over and over and over again! The beginning of the book has a lot more of a background of religious history and the sort of theological underpinnings of the Bakkers, the end of the book is all about money. It is fitting, of course, because that mimics the trajectory of the ministry.
I enjoyed this one, mainly because spiritual abuse and religious movements are a big area of interest for me - but be aware, this is a LONG and thorough book.
July 20, 2017
Very concise and detailed book on Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker rise to the top and their ultimate downfall with a very in-depth look at the PTL organization, the Bakkers and those that believed in them and their ministry. It takes the reader from the initial meeting of Jim and Tammy, building of the ministry, their life and the demise of the PTL. This book held my interest and I could not wait to pick up reading from where I left off. The book details many of the mis-deeds that transpired and it also gives y a good look at the people that were associated with Jim Bakker and PTL and how they dealt with him, and tried to do the best they could for the PTL organization. When I finished up with this book, that old saying came to my mind: "Pride goeth before the fall".Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
September 16, 2017
I only have vague memories of the fall of the Bakker "empire". As I recall, I was in college at the time in Baton Rouge, and it was about at the same time as Jimmy Swaggart's fall from grace. In any case, my family tended to be more mainstream Evangelical, but everyone in the Evangelical/Charismatic/Pentecostal world heard of the scandal and was affected in some way. I'm glad I read this book, though, because it humanized the Bakkers again for me. It reminded me that they were real people who did love Jesus, no matter how badly off track they got (and I'm not trying to excuse any of their misdeeds). The book is well-written and easy to read. The author does a good job of placing the PTL ministry in the context of the wider Christian world and trying to understand how they got so off track. It's worth the read.
June 6, 2018
I read this book in a week. It was long but worth the read. Good grief. Had NO IDEA about the corruption of this group. Not just Jim and Tammy but these two brothers and some Richard guy. I think Jim Bakker wanted to do a good thing and was a visionary but greed took over. All the bonuses! That was just shocking, I mean, just randomly it seemed J and T got bonuses, as did others. What was sad too is that there were many earnest supporters of Heritage USA and then all the people that bought the Life Time partnership. Does anyone trust Televangelists any more? Sad too about Jim Bakker and his sexual identity. ugh. What a mess but as I had read in Christianity Today, it's a story of warning. And I sure don't blame people for being cynical about "Christians" seeing this kind of behavior.
August 18, 2019
Growing up, I remember watching television preachers on television with my mother on those Sundays when we couldn't get to church; usually because one of us was sick. I also remember hearing the names of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and I knew that they had done something wrong. As a child, however, I wouldn't have been able to relate to anyone what the fuss was all about. It wasn't until I got a bit older that I found out there was an extramarital affair involved in their downfall, and that there was some money mismanagement. Until I read this book, though, I was not aware of the full story. Money mismanagement is an understatement, as is an extramarital affair. Embezzlement, rape, homosexuality (in a time and place that made it VERY taboo), fraud... all of these things collided to bring down the largest evangelical empire in American history. A must read!
August 18, 2021
Extremely well documented
Like most American citizens, I was somewhat familiar with the PTL, Jim & Tammy Bakker, and televangelists in general. This book is an intimate examination of the Bakker’s life, ministry, success, and fall from grace. The author has provided a candid insight into most, if not all, of the manipulation of facts, sexual immorality, gross mismanagement, apparent disregard for personal spending improprieties, and the breakdown of the Bakker’s family life and marriage. I was utterly stunned by some of the revelations and disgusted by others. Well documented and extensively researched over many years, this book is a prime example of an article detailing some irregularities that mushroomed into an unbiased book about a little man who becomes lost in the grandiosity of his own mind. A dangerous obsession that continues unabated.
Like most American citizens, I was somewhat familiar with the PTL, Jim & Tammy Bakker, and televangelists in general. This book is an intimate examination of the Bakker’s life, ministry, success, and fall from grace. The author has provided a candid insight into most, if not all, of the manipulation of facts, sexual immorality, gross mismanagement, apparent disregard for personal spending improprieties, and the breakdown of the Bakker’s family life and marriage. I was utterly stunned by some of the revelations and disgusted by others. Well documented and extensively researched over many years, this book is a prime example of an article detailing some irregularities that mushroomed into an unbiased book about a little man who becomes lost in the grandiosity of his own mind. A dangerous obsession that continues unabated.
January 7, 2018
Fascinating and very detailed look into the unbridled corruption that plagued the PTL ministry and its leaders. Although the world remembers more failings and downfall of Jim Bakker, several leaders in the ministry were also very corrupt. They had nearly unlimited access to ministry funds, with nearly zero checks and balances in place. It was a dynasty built on straw or, as the author relates, a "house of cards." From blatant fraud and misappropriations to adultery and homosexuality, PTL was destined to crumble. A well researched book that, despite its 400 pages with strict attention to details, I found hard to put down. Highly recommended for both those who want to be introduced to the scandal and those who wish to be re-introduced to it.
July 21, 2017
This is a Goodreads win review. This author did a great job explaining the rise and Fall of the PTL Group. I learned quite a bit. I do not in any way like the concept the the Bakker,s and many other preachers started. They feel the more money you give the higher place in eternal life and heaven you will be. That is complete hogwash and is not what Jesus preaches. Also Jim and Tammy were deeply flawed people. I never heard of buying lifetime memberships to go to heaven. The church I go to does not even take an offering and we meet at a coffee house. Tammy Faye moved to the desert a couple of towns away from me. They should not. be a model on how to have a pure church.
December 2, 2017
The rise/fall of PTL and the Bakkers is a great story about American religiosity, the rise of television and the intersection between the two. It's clear the author did an incredible amount of research in writing this. Unfortunately the book was stuffed with (what I'd call) excess information. I felt like it could've used a lot more editing for concision and clarity.
The author only starts to really contextualize with some creative license in the last thirty or so pages. Would've been nice to have even a little bit more of that.
I'd still recommend this for anyone interested in PTL, The Bakkers, or Religion from an academic and/or sociological perspective.
The author only starts to really contextualize with some creative license in the last thirty or so pages. Would've been nice to have even a little bit more of that.
I'd still recommend this for anyone interested in PTL, The Bakkers, or Religion from an academic and/or sociological perspective.
February 13, 2022
The rise and fall of Jim Bakker is old news to be sure. What was interesting to me about the story was the large number of persons around Jim and Tammy that aided and abetted the whole process. We can complain about toxic leaders all we want, and we should, but they don't operate in a vacuum. Somebody, another ordained minister, arranged the hotel rendezvous that blew up on PTL. Other ministry partners, not Jim and Tammy, used PTL funds for houses, vacations and cars (matching Jaguars). And you almost have to admire (operative word here is almost) the sheer hypocrisy of the players in this little tragedy.
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