Jim and Tammy Bakker

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were an American televangelist couple who were hosts of The 700 Club and The PTL Club, a television program which focused on evangelical Christianity ("Tammy Faye Messner"). Jim was a minister of what was the Assemblies of God, of the Pentecostal Christian denomination. During his ministry, Bakker was involved in a sex scandal with 21 year old church secretary Jessica Hahn. Hahn along with her representative Paul Roper, a self-styled enemy of spiritual charlatans (Rimer), demanded $10 million for her silence about their sexual encounter. The extortion demands paid to Hahn diminished to $350,000 by the time the negotiations ended (“Jim Bakker is Indicted on Federal Charges”). The Charlotte Observer newspaper had gotten wind of potential accounting irregularities related to Heritage USA, and its luxury hotel, where believers were solicited to invest in shares for lifetime memberships, allowing them to stay at the hotel three nights every year. When the Hahn payments were discovered, it led to additional scrutiny, and it was later determined that Bakker had maintained two sets of accounting books to cover the various accounting irregularities. Bakker went on trial and was convicted of fraud and conspiracy. He was sentenced to prison and later paroled (“Tammy Faye Messner”).

During the scandal, Bakker sought the help of fellow televangelist Jerry Falwell to assist him, by having Falwell temporarily take over The PTL Club until he was ready to return (AP). However, Falwell turned on his friend and made numerous allegations about him. When Bakker went to prison in 1989, he asked his longtime friend Roe Messner to help and take care of his wife Tammy. In 1991, Tammy Faye divorced the shamed televangelist and married Messner in 1992. 

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Early Years

Jim met Tammy Faye in 1960 when they were both students attending North Central University, an Assemblies of God bible college (“Tammy Faye Messner”). On April 1, 1961, the pair were married, and left college becoming evangelists. The couple had two children, Tammy Sue Bakker born in 1970 and Jamie Charles Bakker born five years later.

Jim and Tammy Faye got their first job after college working with Pat Robertson as his Christian Broadcasting Network, which had very limited viewership ("About Pastor Jim"). Their charismatic affect helped to build the network, including The 700 Club, a very successful televangelism TV show. The couple started The Jim and Tammy Show on the same network, which was a child oriented program. The pair decided to leave for California in the early 1970s, and joined up with their prior youth pastors, Paul and Jan Crouch. The couples created a new show called Praise the Lord, which appeared on Trinity Broadcasting Network, lasting just a year. Jim and Tammy Faye then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and started their own show, The PTL Club after being permitted to use the former shows initials. The show was a big success and was shown on almost one hundred stations, with a viewership of more than 12 million. The Bakkers then created a network of their own called The PTL Television Network ("About Pastor Jim"). They were open to all denominations and did not discriminate against people who were of a different race, sexual preference, creed or if they had a criminal record. Their network was on the air 24 hours a day and was viewed nationwide. It is estimated that they earned over $1 million per week. They used their earnings to further develop Heritage USA and other PTL missions ("About Pastor Jim"). In response to criticisms that they were using television for profit, they stated that if Jesus were here today, He would use TV as well. The Bakkers were known for their excesses and were often referred to as engaging in conspicuous consumption on steroids (Harris and Isikoff). They did not hold back on wearing and engaging in their success wherever they went. On May 6, 1987, Jim Bakker was relieved of his duties as an evangelical minister at the Assemblies of God.

Jim Bakker’s Indictment

 In 1988, Bakker was indicted on federal charges, including eight counts of mail fraud, fifteen counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud against the public (“Jim Bakker is Indicted on Federal Charges”). The indictment, scurrilous enough, exploded into a full blown scandal when it came out that Bakker had been involved with the young church secretary Jessica Hahn. In 1980, Bakker and Hahn had sex in a hotel room in a Florida suburb. Hahn stated that she was a virgin at the time and had been raped, and Bakker asserted that they had consensual sex (Berkman). Despite the two divergent perspectives, Bakker paid Hahn over $350,000, down from the original $10 million demand made by her representative ¬¬¬Paul Roper, to prevent her from filing a law suit and making the incident public. The money was paid in installments over time and receipts, detailing the payments were sent to Hahn, advising her that the money had been deposited in her account ("Jim Bakker"). Hahn received between $800 and $1,200 a month until the payments were halted in 1987 (Berkman). When the pair’s arrangement and relationship became public, the Bakker’s PTL ministry became unhinged. 

Hahn, who had initially presented the wholesome, innocent image of a victim, became an overnight sensation ("Classics - Jessica Hahn"). Contrary to the image she originally presented, Hahn posed in the pages of Playboy magazine, became an author regarding her experience with Bakker, met Hugh Hefner and lived in the Playboy mansion for a time, became a music video vixen, became a radio announcer, and then a recurring guest star on the ubiquitous Howard Stern radio show. Prior to the Hahn sex scandal, Bakker and Tammy Faye were among the most successful televangelists in the world (“Jim Bakker is Indicted on Federal Charges”). They raised millions of dollars from believers and created a 2,200 acre vacation theme and water park resort, with a residential component in South Carolina, called Heritage USA. The resort was also a big money maker, earning over $126 million per year, with over six million visitors annually in its heyday (Dye). The resort was the third largest and most successful theme park. The resort had a 501 room Heritage Grand Hotel, timeshares, an indoor shopping area called Main Street Shoppes, there was a church, the Heritage Island water park, recreational facilities, conference rooms, campgrounds, a skating rink, an amphitheater, cable TV studios, staff housing, Bible school facilities, and counseling services ("Heritage USA"). Church member investors contributed $1,000 each to partake in shares of the Heritage USA luxury hotel time share. There were at least 165,000 individuals that made these payments, in exchange for a three day vacation stay, for the rest of their life. The lifetime partnerships involved 66,000 purchases which represented more partnerships than the facility could actually handle, if partners were to demand access within the annual time frame. However, once Bakker scandals became public, attendance at the resort began to decline, after which the area was hit by Hurricane Hugo, severely damaging many of its buildings. The resort closed not too long after the hurricane (“Heritage USA”).

The Heritage USA hotel time share scheme became the subject of accounting irregularities engaged in by Jim Bakker, said the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) (Preston). The DOJ sought 40 years of incarceration for the humiliated minister. The Department of Justice said, 

Mr. Bakker told his viewers half-truths, lies and concealed the truth from them to induce them to send PTL money. He relished the lifestyle and the power his position afforded him. He would not give it up and he did whatever was necessary -- including fraud -- to maintain it” (Preston).  

In the end, Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison and received a half million dollar fine. Federal District Judge Robert Potter spoke to Bakker and rebuked his actions, ''Those of us who do have a religion are sick of being saps for money-grubbing preachers and priests,'' (Applebome). Bakker was escorted from the courthouse in handcuffs and shackles to a brown Chevrolet Impala for a half day drive to the Federal Correctional Institute in Talladega, Alabama. The 45 year sentence was later reduced on appeal to 8 years (“Jim Bakker is Indicted on Federal Charges”). Bakker’s lawyers pointed to the judge’s comments as the foundation of their appellate argument that Judge Potter was biased by his own religious opinions.    

Jimmy Swaggart’s Condemnation of Bakker

Jimmy Swaggart, another televangelist, was very vocal in his condemnation of Bakker’s actions (AP2). In 1988, Swaggart was defrocked for having sex with a prostitute, and lost his Assemblies of God accreditation (Mental Floss). He gave an infamous speech, in which he tearfully addressed his congregants and television audience in which he proclaimed, "I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your Precious Blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgetfulness, not to be remembered against me anymore"(Huffman). The speech was repeated continuously on news and other television programs, in the newspapers and tabloids for months, and has become the subject of Internet memes since that time. Swaggart later had another rendezvous with a prostitute in 1991, and thereafter started the non-affiliated, non-denominational Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, which was substantially smaller than prior to his scandal. He decided not to confess to his congregation this time, stating, "The Lord told me it's flat none of your business” (McNeill) although later, Swaggart’s son did announce that he was stepping down to undergo some counseling. 

Jerry Falwell’s Betrayal of Bakker

After Bakker’s fall from grace and incarceration, Jerry Falwell, another evangelical televangelist took over PTL ("Tammy Bakker "). Amidst declining donations due to Bakker’s missteps, Falwell tried to raise money to keep the Heritage USA resort and theme park open. Falwell was able to raise $20 million in part because of his begging and because he promised to slide off the park’s waterslide in his suit. To Bakker’s surprise, Falwell betrayed him calling him among other things “the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity . . .” (Randolph). Bakker had placed Falwell at the helm of PTL temporarily, while he planned his appeals and eventual return to the ministry. He says that the minister advised him to turn PTL over to him, not because he cared about Bakker, but because he wanted to takeover and keep the mega operation. 

The IRS Revocation of Non-Profit Status

The IRS revoked the PTL ministry’s nonprofit status, which was rolled back to the time of its creation in the 1980s (Klott). Messner stated that the original amount due was only $500,000, but with time and additional penalties and interest, has mushroomed into a substantial amount. Notices indicate that Jim and Tammy Faye owe approximately $6 million in tax liens, upon which Bakker still makes payment to this day. Since leaving prison, Bakker has renounced his prosperity theology ("The Re-education of Jim Bakker"). He indicated that while he was in prison, he read the entire bible through and determined that he had misconstrued certain passages and taken them out of context. He wrote a book declaring that his former teachings were wrong and that he apologized for leading so many of his followers astray.

In 1998, Bakker married Lori Beth Graham, who at one time was a televangelist ("About Pastor Jim"). The pair have a show that they both host called the Jim Bakker Show. Bakker’s daughter often appears as a singer on the show. Bakker’s son, whose relationship with his father Jim has travelled a circuitous path at times, is a minister at the Revolution Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Works Cited

"About Pastor Jim." The Jim Bakker Show. n. d. Web. 14 September 2016. <https://jimbakkershow.com/about-us/about-jim/>.

AP. "Tammy Faye Adds a Chapter to PTL Saga." Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. 12 October 1996. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://articles.latimes.com/1996-10-12/local/me-53225_1_tammy-faye>.

AP2. "Church Leaders Condemn Jim Bakker at Convention." Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing.  8 August 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-08/news/mn-511_1_assemblies-of-god-minister>.

Applebome, Peter. "Bakker Sentenced to 45 Years For Fraud in His TV Ministry." The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 25 October 1989. Web. 14 September 2016.

<http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/25/us/bakker-sentenced-to-45-years-for-fraud-in-his-tv-ministry.html>.

Berkman, Leslie. "Payments to Hanhn in Bakker Case Halted." Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. 9 April 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://articles.latimes.com/1987-04-09/news/mn-421_1_jim-bakker>.  

"Classics - Jessica Hahn." Playboy. n. d. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.playboy.com/galleries/classics-jessice-hahn/slide-1>.

Dye, Eric. "Jim Bakker’s Amusement Park & Christian Media." Church Mag. <https://churchm.ag/heritage-usa/>.

Harris, Art and Isikoff, Michael. "The Good Life at PTL a Litany of Excess." The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. 22 May 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/05/22/the-good-life-at-ptl-a-litany-of-excess/b694ac2f-516c-42ad-ba52-9998763670b0/>.

"Heritage USA." Place and See. n. d. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://placeandsee.com/wiki/heritage-usa>.

Huffman, Shea. "10 Ironic Downfalls of Televangelists and Mega-Church Leaders." All Day. n. d. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://allday.com/post/2802-10-ironic-downfalls-of-televangelists-and-mega-church-leaders/>.

"Jim Bakker." Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals. Investigation Discovery. ID, Silver Spring, 30 Oct. 2015.

“Jim Bakker is Indicted on Federal Charges.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. n. d. Web.15 September 2016. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jim-bakker-is-indicted-on-federal-charges>.

Klott, Gary. "Tax Watch; The Key Issues In PTL Case." The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 16 June 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/16/business/tax-watch-the-key-issues-in-ptl-case.html>.

McNeill, Maggie. "None of Your Business." Maggie McNeill. 11 October 2011. Web. 14 September 2016. <https://maggiemcneill.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/none-of-your-business/>.

Mental Floss. "5 Virtuous Figures Caught Pants Down." CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. 24 June 2009. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/06/24/mf.virtuous.figures.cheat/>.

Preston, June. "The Justice Department, saying Jim Bakker did 'whatever was…" UPI. United Press International, Inc. 24 October 1989. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/10/24/The-Justice-Department-saying-Jim-Bakker-did-whatever-was/7617625204800/>.

Randolph, John, H. "Jerry Falwell Leaves PTL." Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing.  19 October 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://articles.latimes.com/1987-10-19/local/me-10254_1_jerry-falwell-leaves-ptl-greatest-scab-and-cancer-christianity>.

Rimer, Sarah. "Aftertaste of a Scandal is Bitter for Jessica Hahn." The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 13 June 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/13/us/aftertaste-of-a-scandal-is-bitter-for-jessica-hahn.html>.

"Tammy Bakker Accuses Falwell of Betrayal." " The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. 25 May 1987. Web. 14 September 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/05/25/tammy-bakker-accuses-falwell-of-betrayal/b40f8ca6-af05-418c-b006-099c5e0008e4/>.

"Tammy Faye Messner." Biography. A&E Television Networks, LLC. n. d. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/tammy-faye-messner-9542346>.

"The Re-education of Jim Bakker." Christianity Today. 7 December 1998. Web. 14 September 2016. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1998/december7/8te062.html>.