Jim Bakker is an American televangelist who previously served as a minister for the ninth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, the Assemblies of God. In the 1960s and 1970s, he co-hosted numerous television programs, including ‘The 700 Club’ and ‘Praise the Lord Club,’ with his then-wife Tammy Faye Bakker. Bakker is also known for constructing the Christian theme park Heritage USA. Moreover, he is the author of multiple publications, including “Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead.” The couple’s popularity declined after it was discovered that Jim Bakker was having an affair with his church secretary, which led to the discovery of numerous other affairs. In later years, he was also convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Bakker has been harshly criticized by some of his fellow evangelists, including Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart. Falwell has described Bakker as a fraud, embezzler, sexual deviant, and cancer on the face of Christianity.
Jim Bakker’s Career
In 1966, Jim Bakker began his career by joining his wife at Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network. The couple’s successful programs, including ‘The 700 Club,’ ‘The PTL Show,’ and ‘The Jim and Tammy Show,’ contributed to the expansion of the network. Heritage USA was also constructed by the Bakkers in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
At the time, it was the third most lucrative amusement park in the country. Additionally, they constructed a satellite system to disseminate their network across the nation 24 hours a day. Bakker is a writer as well. His works include “I Was Wrong,” “Eight Keys to Success,” and “Prosperity and the Impending Apocalypse.”
Decline from Honor
When it was disclosed that Jim Bakker was having an affair with his secretary Jessica Hahn, he fell from grace. According to Hahn, Bakker, and Pastor John Wesley also violated her. In addition, she claimed that she was compensated nearly $300,000 for her silence. Bakker was expelled from the Assemblies of God in May 1987.
Bakker was charged with eight counts of mail fraud, fifteen counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy in 1988.
In 1989, after a five-week trial, the jury found him convicted on all counts. He was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison and fined $500,000 by Judge Daniel Potter. His sentence was eventually reduced to eight years.
In July 1994, after serving nearly five years of his sentence, he was granted parole.
His son spearheaded a pro-leniency letter-writing campaign to the parole board. Bakker was ultimately released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in December 1994. Other evangelists, including Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart, have criticized Jim Bakker.
Jim’s Personal Life
Jim Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan on 2 January 1940 as James Orsen Bakker to Raleigh Bakker and Furnia Lynette Irwin. At North Central University, where he was a student, he met his future wife, Tammy Fays LaValley. He previously worked at a restaurant, while she was employed at a nearby boutique.
They were wedded on April 1, 1961. Following graduation, the couple became evangelists. Born on 2 March 1970, their first child was a daughter named Tammy Sue Bakker Chapman. Born in 1975, their second child was a son named Jamie Charles Bakker. The divorce was finalized on March 13, 1992. Bakker married Lori Beth Graham in 1998. She was once an evangelist.
Estimated Net Worth
Jim Bakker has a net worth of $500,000 as an American televangelist, minister, and television personality. Jim Bakker is well-known for hosting the Christian television program “The PTL Club” alongside his ex-wife, Tammy Faye Bakker.