Before this scandal, Bakker was living a lavish lifestyle with his wife, they had several homes, a Mercedes Benz, a private jet, expensive clothes and more; their cable show had become one of the highest-rated religious shows in the country. Millions of people visited their resort and were drawn in by his family and his humility in his talk shows. He would advertise and tell his viewers that their money was no different than buying products from TV. However, when Bakker asked his fans to pay 1,000 dollars which would grant them a stay at their Grand Heritage Hotel for three nights, too many people started giving up their money and there were too few hotel rooms. As a result, many people were upset because they had lost their money. After this event, rumors got out that Bakker's wife, Tammy, had a drug problem which only hurt their reputations even more.
After these chaotic events, the secretary spoke up and Bakker was forced to resign from PTL (Praise the Lord ministry). After facing federal charges due to mail fraud, wire fraud, and one account of conspiracy, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison and required to pay a 500,000$ fine. Because he argued that 45 years was too long of a sentence for his crimes, he filed an appeal and was able to get it down to 8 years.
While he was in prison, Tammy filed for divorce. Today, Jim Bakker is remarried and hosts The Jim Bakker Talk Show which focuses on the Second Coming of Christ.
Jim and his wife, Tammy
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/scandals-brought-bakkers-uss-famous-televangelists/story?id=60389342
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jim-bakker-is-indicted-on-federal-charges
Written by Ragan Krames, p4
I find it disturbing that someone of this type of Christian faith would have sexual relations with a woman who is not his wife. Nonetheless, Bakker was a businessman, at least that is how he saw it, and I doubt he ever thought that his secret plans would come out. It is interesting to me that he is back on television because I do not see him as a trusted host, but apparently some people do.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a really informative post. I was interested by the fact that Jim Bakker is still on air and has his own show. I searched it up just out of curiosity and came across an article that stated he is getting sued by the State of Missouri for selling/promoting a fake coronavirus cure on his show. I think that this shows his true character and how his main concern is making money and not helping people.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814550474/missouri-sues-televangelist-jim-bakker-for-selling-fake-coronavirus-cure