Jim Bakker

Jim Bakker
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Name	Jim Bakker
Caption	Bakker in 1974
Birth name	James Orsen Bakker
Birth date	2 January 1940
Birth place	Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Televangelist, former host of The PTL Club
Spouse	Tammy Faye LaValley (m. 1961; died 2007), Lori Graham (m. 2021)

Jim Bakker. James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist whose career has been defined by monumental success, profound scandal, and persistent controversy. He first gained national prominence as the co-host, with his then-wife Tammy Faye Bakker, of the popular Christian television program The PTL Club. His subsequent fraud conviction and imprisonment became one of the most sensational stories of the late 1980s, emblematic of broader scandals involving figures like Jimmy Swaggart. Bakker later resumed his ministry, facing new legal challenges and criticism for selling controversial survival products.

Early life and ministry

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, he was raised in the Assemblies of God denomination. He attended North Central University in Minneapolis, a Bible college affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA, but did not graduate. His early ministry work included traveling as an evangelist and a brief stint working for Pat Robertson at the Christian television station WYAH-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia. In 1965, he and Tammy Faye began hosting a children's puppet show called Come on Over! on WFLF-TV in Santa Ana, California, which evolved into the talk-show format that would make them famous.

The PTL Club and Heritage USA

In 1974, the Bakkers launched The PTL Club, an acronym for "Praise The Lord" or "People That Love," which became a flagship program of the burgeoning Christian broadcasting industry. Broadcast from their studio headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, the show mixed religious teaching, entertainment, and fundraising appeals. Its massive success funded the construction of Heritage USA, a sprawling Christian theme park and retreat complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina. This ambitious project, which included a hotel, water park, and shopping mall, was promoted as a "Christian vacation destination" and attracted millions of visitors, rivaling the attendance of major parks like Walt Disney World.

Scandal and imprisonment

The ministry's financial empire began to unravel in 1987 following revelations of a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and the subsequent cover-up, which involved payments from ministry funds. This triggered investigations by the Charlotte Observer and federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Communications Commission. The central criminal case involved the fraudulent sale of lifetime partnerships for Heritage USA hotel accommodations, which vastly oversold the available lodging. In 1989, he was convicted in United States district court on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. The trial, prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Jerry W. Miller, was a media circus. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison by Judge Robert D. Potter, a term later reduced on appeal.

Post-prison career and controversies

After serving approximately five years in federal prisons, including a facility in Rochester, Minnesota, he was paroled in 1994. He eventually returned to television ministry, launching The Jim Bakker Show from a studio in Branson, Missouri. His later career has been marked by controversial sales tactics, most notably promoting expensive survival food buckets and other supplies in anticipation of apocalyptic disasters. These activities drew new legal scrutiny; in 2020, the Missouri Attorney General's office secured a settlement over alleged false claims regarding the efficacy of a "Silver Solution" product against viruses like SARS-CoV-2. His current program is broadcast from Blue Eye, Missouri.

Personal life

His marriage to Tammy Faye LaValley in 1961 was a central part of their public persona during the height of their fame; they had two children, Tammy Sue and Jamie Charles. The couple's divorce was finalized in 1992, during his imprisonment. Tammy Faye later married Roe Messner, the former builder of Heritage USA, and died from cancer in 2007. In 2021, he married former production assistant Lori Graham. He has maintained a complex relationship with the Assemblies of God, which defrocked him in 1987, and other evangelical circles, with some figures like John Hagee having appeared on his post-prison program.

Category:American televangelists Category:People convicted of fraud Category:American prisoners and detainees