Gorman won $1.85 million from Swaggart in a defamation suit. Ten years later, that speech continues to haunt him. Swaggart apologized, famously: "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, never to be remembered against me." Swaggart received as much money from that single broadcast as he did in three months. After pronouncing divine judgment on televangelists Jim Bakker and Marvin Gorman for their sexual indiscretions, Swaggart was investigated by Gorman, who discovered Swaggart's weakness for prostitutes. "There are men who can't stand prosperity. His 1984 autobiography proclaimed, "There are no skeletons in the Swaggart closet," but recounted a warning from a longtime friend. He mailed 7 million fund-raising letters a day, raised $135 million annually in contributions, and used the money to build schools, churches and his own Bible college, while providing a lavish lifestyle for his family. The Lord instructed him to begin a TV ministry in 1973.īy 1986, his TV shows reached 510 million people in 145 countries, and his complex in Baton Rouge made him one of the city's largest employers. God, he says, has spoken repeatedly to him since he was 8 years old. Jimmy Lee Swaggart, born poor near the Mississippi River in Ferriday, La., started preaching on the revival circuit in 1958 with his wife, Frances, and a beat-up Plymouth. At least, Swaggart adds, he has the ability to survive.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |