A broadcasting empire built on faith
Jim Bakker, who constructed a multimillion-dollar media ministry before a fraud conviction and a sex scandal brought him down, has died at the age of 86. His second wife, Lori Bakker, announced the death on Monday and remembered him as a pioneer of Christian television. She did not state what caused his death. Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, launched a Christian television programme called The PTL Club in 1974, and at its height it drew 13 million viewers each day.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
The program's initials could stand for either "Praise the Lord" or "People That Love," and it was through this show that Bakker rose to prominence with his first wife, Tammy Faye. The pair grew the ministry into a venture employing 2,000 people, along with a 2,300-acre theme park called Heritage USA located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Their lifestyle drew attention for its extravagance, encompassing a private plane, multiple residences, high-end automobiles, jewellery, and a dog house with air conditioning.[S1]
Scandal, conviction and prison
In 1987 Bakker stepped down from the PTL ministry after it emerged that he had had a sexual encounter in 1980 with a former church secretary, Jessica Hahn. It later came to light that Hahn had received a $265,000 payoff from ministry funds, and Bakker was stripped of his ministerial credentials and his right to perform religious duties. Hahn also accused him of sexual assault, an allegation he denied, maintaining that the encounter had been consensual.[S1]
In 1989, two years afterward, Bakker faced conviction on 24 counts of mail and wire fraud plus conspiracy, all connected to the Christian theme park venture. His prison term exceeded four years. Tammy Faye stood by him during the trial, yet the marriage ended in divorce in 1992 while he was behind bars; she passed away from cancer in 2007. Following his 1994 release, Bakker published a book titled I Was Wrong and wed Lori in 1998.[S1]
A second act on television
In 2003, Bakker and Lori together launched a fresh television ministry, and by 2008 they were recording The Jim Bakker Show. Lori Bakker remembered her late husband as her closest friend, saying she felt privileged to have walked at his side through numerous periods of life and ministry.[S1]
