Jimmy_Swaggart

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jimmy Swaggart Jimmy Swaggart Jimmy Lee Swaggart Born Occupation Website www.jsm.org March 15, 1935 (1935-03-15) Ferriday, Louisiana, USA preacher, televangelist, singer, musician, writer Early life and ministry Jimmy Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana to Willie Leon and Minnie Belle (Herron) Swaggart. At the age of four, he lost an infant brother named Donnie who died of pneumonia. Swaggart and his parents family attended a small, 25-member Assemblies of God congregation in Ferriday. At the age of nine, Jimmy began to preach on street corners and led congregations in singing. On October 10, 1952, he married Frances Anderson. Their son Donnie was born in 1954. Swaggart and his young family lived in poverty during the early 1950s as he preached throughout rural Louisiana. According to Swaggart’s biography, they lived in church basements, pastor’s houses and small hotels. Sam Phillips, the record producer who discovered Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich, wanted Jimmy Swaggart to start a gospel line for Sun Records and sign him as their first gospel artist. However, Swaggart turned him down stating that he was called to preach the gospel.[1] In 1955, Swaggart began full-time evangelistic work, preaching from a flatbed trailer. He began developing a substantial revival-meeting following throughout the South. He became a licensed minister in the Assemblies of God in 1959. In 1960, Swaggart began recording gospel music record albums while he was building up another audience via Christian radio stations. In 1961, after attending Bible college, he was ordained by the Assemblies of God. By 1969, his radio program, “The Camp Meeting Hour,” was being aired over numerous radio stations throughout the American Bible Belt. He also founded a church called Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also affiliated with the Assemblies of God. He began airing a weekly 30 minute telecast over various local television stations in that city and also purchased a local AM radio station. Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana) is a Pentecostal preacher and pioneer of televangelism. In the 1980s Jimmy Swaggart’s television programming was extremely popular. Transmitted to over 3,000 stations and innumerable cable systems each week, Swaggart’s telecasts were seen by more than 8 million people in the United States and by more than 500 million people world wide, making it the most widespread mass communication of the Gospel in history. Today, the Jimmy Swaggart weekly telecast, and "A Study in the Word" is in the U.S. and abroad on 78 channels in 104 countries, and live over the internet. Rev. Swaggart began full time evangelistic work in 1955 in Ferriday, LA and eventually preached stadium crusades all over the world. Jimmy Swaggart is married to Frances Swaggart and has one son Donnie, three grandchildren, Jennifer, Gabriel and Mathew, and two great grandchildren, Samantha and Ryder. Rev. Swaggart is the Pastor of Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and also the President of the SonLife Radio Network with 78 stations scattered across America. Swaggart has recorded over 85 Gospel albums, with approximately 15 million recordings sold around the world. He is the author of the "Expositor’s Study Bible and has also authored 30 Bible Commentaries and 13 Study Guides. Rev. Swaggart first started his television ministry in 1975 and it continues today 33 years later, airing nationally and internationally to a potential viewing audience of over 80 million. Rev. Swaggart is the cousin of recording artists Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jimmy Swaggart critical of Billy Graham because of his willingness to spiritually associate with Catholics. While Jimmy Swaggart has held great disdain for Roman Catholicism, he stops short of calling Catholicism a cult in line with Mormons, for example. Jimmy Swaggart records and plays Southern Gospel music. He also embraces Black Gospel and Inspirational music. Swaggart also is opposed to the prosperity gospel (also known as "the healthand-wealth gospel") while still accepting signs and wonders. Ordination and a new focus In the 1970s, his radio ministry grew and he purchased several more stations. By 1975, his television ministry had expanded to even more stations. It was at this time that Swaggart decided to use television as his primary preaching medium. He also began to preach to large audiences by traveling around the Southern region of the United States. In 1978, his weekly telecast was expanded to an hour. In 1980, he began a daily weekday telecast. His weekday telecast featured Bible study and some music. His weekend hour long telecast was either a sermon from the Family Worship Center or from a traveling crusade. In the early 1980s, he expanded his crusades nationwide, visiting major cities. By 1983, he had become the most popular television preacher in the United States. More than 250 television stations broadcast his program; “The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast” was regularly watched by two million households. Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, at that time based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, grew from a small local congregation of 100 people in the 1970s at the Family Worship Center to more than four thousand members; it had a printing and mailing production plant, a television production facility, a recording studio, and later a Bible college (established in 1984). The college had been formerly named Jimmy Swaggart Bible College ("JSBC") located directly across the street from the Family Worship Center. The two college dorms housed male and female students separately. Today, the dorms are called Bluebonnet Towers. It has since been renamed as the World Evangelism Bible College & Seminary. The Seminary opened in the fall of 1983. While the Assemblies of God is conservative, Jimmy Swaggart was by far one of their most conservative ministers. While the church endorsed (and still does) Contemporary Christian music, sharing fellowship with mainline branches of Christianity (even Catholicism to some extent), Christian Psychology, and attending publicly-shown motion pictures, Jimmy Swaggart shunned such practices. At one point he even said that his own sometimes turned against him. On more than a few occasions he even stated that there were some Assembly Of God Churches that he would never send anyone to. He was Jimmy Swaggart’s Music Ministry The heartbeat of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries was, and still is, his many recorded albums, CD’s and tapes. Jimmy made his first album "Some Golden Daybreak" primarily to have a record he could give people at his early revivals. Frances Swaggart began encouraging Jimmy to contact radio stations. As Jimmy Swaggart’s songs began to be aired on radio, the public response was overwhelming. Disc Jockey Chuck Cossin is credited with playing the first Jimmy Swaggart recording on WMUZ in Detroit. In 1974 Jimmy Swaggart was voted Favorite Gospel Music Artist for "Singing News". In 1977 "Record World" Magazine honored him as Male Vocalist of the Year. In that same year Jimmy was a Dove Award finalist in three categories: Male Vocalist of the Year, TV Program of the Year, and Instrumentalist of the Year. Again in 1978 Jimmy Swaggart became a Dove Finalist as Instrumentalist of the Year. And in 1980 a Dove Award finalist in four Categories: Children’s Album of the Year for "Color Me a Story," Instrumentalist of the Year, Year’s best Traditional Album for "Homeward Bound," and Best Gospel Album of the Year for "Worship," The Prestigious Grammy Awards nominated Jimmy’s "Live from Nashville" for Best Album in 1976. And again in 1980, Jimmy’s "Worship" album became a Grammy finalist. In the Spring of 1958 Sam Phillips (the producer who discovered Elvis Presley) had sent for the small town piano-playing preacher to come to Nashville. He wanted to sign Jimmy as the first Gospel artist on the Sun Record Label. However, with a heart to minister the Gospel, the young Swaggart turned him down. Jimmy Swaggart has sold over 15 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia million albums during the lifetime of the ministry. Jimmy Swaggart Print Swaggart is the author of several Christian works offered through his ministry, as well as an autobiography To Cross a River and a personal account of the 1988 scandal The Cup Which My Father Hath Given Me: A Biblical Revelation of Personal Spiritual Warfare. He is the author of the "Expositor’s Study Bible," 13 Study Guides and 30 Commentaries on the Bible. Jimmy Swaggart’s Television Ministry In 1973 Jimmy began thinking about a television program which would include a fairly large music segment, a short sermon, and time for sharing with the viewers about current ministry projects. After two faltering attempts to tape the program in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, Jimmy Swaggart went to producers in Nashville with his proposal. They accepted and within weeks the Jimmy Swaggart Telecast was beaming into television markets country-wide. In 1979 the program was converted into an hour long program and the telecast was taken directly from Swaggart’s area-wide crusades, using segments videotaped in services all over the world. In 1981 Jimmy Swaggart began a daily television program entitled "A Study in the Word." This 30 minute program was designed meet individuals on a personal level on a daily basis. In the 1980s the program was aired on over 160 channels throughout the U.S., Canada and abroad. and is still seen today on over 78 stations in 104 countries. Swaggart’s television and radio division, STARCOM (Swaggart Television and Radio Communications), was spearheaded and run by Shirley Cooke. Shirley and her daughter, Deborah Keller, were early followers and supporters of Swaggart’s crusades and ministry. Current ministry A worldwide multi-million-dollar ministry, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries today mainly comprises The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast,[2] radio and television programs called A Study in the Word, (SonLife Radio Network),[3], and a website, JSM.org. Jimmy’s wife, Frances has a radio program called "Frances and Friends" heard daily on the SonLife Radio Network.[4] Rev. Swaggart’s son, Donnie, preaches at Family Worship Center and also preaches in churches across the US and abroad.[5] Jimmy’s grandson, Gabriel, is a preacher, and leads the Family Worship Center youth ministry, Crossfire.[6] Sonlife radio is heard in 22 states[7] Controversies and criticisms In 1986, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who had been accused of having an affair with another pastor’s wife, who was at the time undergoing counseling with Pastor Gorman. Some said this was done out of fear that Gorman was taking away from Swaggart’s audience and donations. Gorman was based in New Orleans and was adding stations throughout the Southern region and was beginning to add stations on the West Coast and in the Northeast. Gorman was also in the planning stages for a weekday telecast. Once exposed, Gorman was defrocked from the Assemblies of God and his ministry all but ended. The following year, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies Of God televangelist Jim Bakker’s sexual indiscretions and appeared on Larry King Live, stating that Bakker was a "cancer in the body of Christ." Jim Bakker and the late Tammy Bakker, were at the height of the Praise the Lord Network. He World Evangelism Bible College In the fall of 1984, WEBC opened its doors. The Bible College began as a means of preparing young men and women for in-depth ministry and is still considered a vital extension of Jimmy Swaggart’s World Wide Ministry. WEBC offers three types of academic programs designed to meet a variety of needs: (1) Intensive short term programs, (2) Associative of Arts programs, and (3) the full four year Baccalaureate Degree. 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and similarly-minded Baptist evangelist Jerry Falwell investigated Jim Bakker and eventually uncovered his indiscretions. In 1987, Jim Bakker’s ministry was falling apart as a result. Heritage USA was bought by Morningstar Ministries in 2004 and a portion of the property has been refurbished. As a retaliatory move, Marvin Gorman hired a private detective to follow Swaggart. The detective found Swaggart in a Louisiana motel on Airline Highway with a prostitute, Debra Murphree, and took pictures of the tryst.[8] Gorman presented Swaggart with the photos in a blackmail attempt to force Swaggart to come clean, but Swaggart refused. Gorman then presented the pictures to the presbytery leadership of the Assemblies of God, which decided that Swaggart should be suspended from broadcasting his television program for three months. The incident was heavily satirized by musician Frank Zappa in a three-song medley referred to by band members as the "Texas Motel Medley", consisting of three songs by the Beatles with the lyrics changed to reflect the events. While the Texas Motel Medley itself was never released due to copyright concerns, several references to the incident can be heard on the live albums The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life and Broadway the Hard Way. On February 21, 1988, without giving the details of his transgressions, Swaggart tearfully spoke to his family, congregation and audience, saying, "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 forgiveness."[9] On a New Orleans morning news show four days later, Murphree stated that while Swaggart was a regular customer, they had never engaged in sexual intercourse.[10] The Louisiana Assemblies of God initially suspended Jimmy Swaggart from the ministry for three months. The national Assemblies of God soon extended it to their standard yearlong suspension for scandalous sexual immorality. Against the ruling of the national governing body of the Assemblies of God, Swaggart returned to his television pulpit after only three months. He stated, "If I do not return to the pulpit this weekend, millions of people will go to hell." Believing that Swaggart was not genuinely repentant in not submitting to their authority, the Assemblies of God immediately defrocked Swaggart, Jimmy Swaggart removing his credentials and ministerial license. On October 11, 1991, Swaggart was found, for the second time, in the company of another prostitute, Rosemary Garcia,[11] when he was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol in Indio, California, for driving on the wrong side of the road. According to Garcia, Swaggart stopped to proposition her on the side of the road. When the patrolman asked Garcia why she was with Swaggart, she replied, "He asked me for sex. I mean, that’s why he stopped me. That’s what I do. I’m a prostitute."[12][13]Rather than confessing to his congregation, Swaggart told those at Family Worship Center that "The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business."[14][15] [16]His son Donnie then announced to the stunned audience that his father would be temporarily stepping down as head of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries for "a time of healing and counseling." Criticism of Christian rock and metal Swaggart wrote a book criticizing the Christian rock and metal movements entitled Religious Rock n’ Roll – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing in 1987. The book criticized the scene for using heavy metal music to preach the gospel of Christianity, calling rock music the music of the devil. Ironically, it was Swaggart that helped convert Michael Sweet and Robert Sweet, two of the founding members of the band Stryper.[17][18] Also criticized by Swaggart were Larry Norman (the "father of Christian rock"), Petra, Mylon LeFevre, Steve Taylor and other notable Christian rock and metal bands.[19] In 1986, Swaggart called rock music "the new pornography."[20] In popular culture Jimmy Swaggart is parodied by Rev. Al Bundy, and his sham Church of NO MA’AM, when he was exposed to his misogynistic congregation that he had a loving relationship with his wife Peg Bundy. Al addresses the crowd with an "I have sinned against you". One of the most famous samples in industrial music is Swaggart thundering "No sex until marriage!", as heard on the Front 242 track "Welcome to Paradise" -- released, 4 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ironically, in 1988, the year his first sex scandal broke. Swaggart was played by actor Alec Baldwin in the 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire!. Swaggart, along with cousins Gilley and Lewis, is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday. Swaggart is referenced in The Tractors song "Baby Likes to Rock It". Swaggart is referenced as "Jimmy Reptile" in the Iron Maiden song "Holy Smoke". Swaggart was parodied by Jim Carrey on In Living Color. On Ozzy Osbourne’s 1988 album No Rest For The Wicked. The song "Miracle Man" is about the Reverend Jimmy Swaggart’s 1988 prostitution scandal and the general hypocrisy, in Osbourne’s eyes, of "televangelists". In the video for the song, Zakk Wylde wears a mask with the likeness of Swaggart and Ozzy cavorts with swine, his pants around his ankles, carrying around a large staff decorated with a dollar sign. Within the song, Jimmy Swaggart is referred as "our Jimmy Sinner" many times by Ozzy. Jimmy Swaggart See also • List of Christian evangelist scandals References [1] Jimmy Swaggart, To Cross a River, Logos International, 1977 [2] "Jimmy Swaggart Ministries - TV Programming". http://www.jsm.org/ explore.cfm/tvprogramming/ cablesatellites. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. [3] "Jimmy Swaggart Ministries - SonLife Radio". http://www.jsm.org/explore.cfm/ sonliferadio/programminglog. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. [4] Frances and Friends [5] Donnie Swaggart [6] CrossFire [7] "SonLife station list". http://www.jsm.org/explore.cfm/ sonliferadio/stationlist. [8] "On this day: February 21, 1988 TV evangelist quits over sex scandal". BBC World News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/ onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/21/ newsid_2565000/2565197.stm. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. [9] Swaggart, Jimmy. "Reverend Jimmy Swaggart: Apology Sermon". americanrhetoric.com. http://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ jswaggartapologysermon.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. [10] Jimmy Swaggart@Everything2.com [11] "Swaggart Plans to Step Down". The New York Times. October 15, 1991. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/ fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DA1E3BF936A25753C1A Retrieved on 2007-01-25. [12] Swaggart Plans to Step Down - New York Times [13] The Newsletter of The North Texas Skeptics [14] American Notes Scandals - TIME [15] The arrogance of power - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [16] BBC ON THIS DAY | 21 | 1988: TV evangelist quits over sex scandal [17] "History of Christian Rock/Metal part 1" (in Portuguese). Rock for the King. Ope Publishing. http://www.metalfortheking.kit.net/ thocrm.htm. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. [18] "History of Christian Rock/Metal part 2" (in Portuguese). Rock for the King. Ope Publishing. http://www.metalfortheking.kit.net/ thocrm02.htm. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. [19] A Guide to Petra: Petra Retirement Tribute Page - post your thoughts on Petra’s retirement announcement [20] Rap, Rock, and Censorship by Mathieu Deflem External links Jimmy Swaggart in Who2 Jimmy Swaggart Ministries Frances Swaggart’s Website Donnie Swaggart’s Website Listen live to SonLife Radio [1] Jimmy Swaggart Podcast Information Jimmy Swaggart at the Internet Movie Database • Jimmy Swaggart Quotes • • • • • • • Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Swaggart" 5 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jimmy Swaggart Categories: Living people, American Pentecostals, American television evangelists, Religious scandals, Sex scandals, People from Ferriday, Louisiana, 1935 births, Assemblies of God clergy, Pentecostal clergy, American Christian clergy, Criticism of Islam, Anti-Catholicism in the United States This page was last modified on 21 May 2009, at 19:33 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. 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