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Jimmy Lee Swaggart

Born March 15, 1935 (1935-03-15) (age 73)
Ferriday, Louisiana, USA
Occupation preacher, televangelist
Website
www.jsm.org

Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana) is a Pentecostal preacher and pioneer of televangelism who reached the height of his popularity in the 1980s. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ferriday is a Town in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ferriday is a Town in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana, United States. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Preacher is a term the for someone who preaches Sermons or gives homilies Televangelism is the use of Television to communicate the Christian faith The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Swaggart is first cousin to recording artists Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American Rock and roll and Country music Singer, Songwriter Mickey Gilley (b Mickey Leroy Gilley March 9, 1936) is an American Country music Singer and Musician. The sons of three sisters, all of them share the same middle name and play the piano. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers All were born within a year of one another.

Contents

Early life and Ministry

Jimmy Swaggart's parents, Sun and Minnie Belle, had been fundamentalist Baptists. His father was a deacon in their small fundamentalist church. They became Pentecostal in 1943 while Jimmy began to preach on street corners and lead congregations in singing at age nine. In 1952, at age seventeen, he married Frances Anderson. They have one son, Donnie, who has also become a minister.

In 1958, Swaggart became a full-time traveling preacher and began developing a substantial revival-meeting following throughout the south. He became a licensed minister in the Assemblies of God in 1959. The World Assemblies of God Fellowship, or Assemblies of God for short is the world's largest Pentecostal denomination with over 283413 churches and outstations In 1960, Swaggart began recording gospel music record albums while he was building another audience via Christian-themed radio stations. In 1961, after attending bible college, he was ordained with 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. The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area of the United States of America in which socially conservative Evangelical Protestantism is a He also founded a church called Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was also under the Assemblies of God. Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana. He also began airing a weekly 30 minute telecast over various local television stations in that city. He also purchased a local AM radio station. In September 1985, in a broadcast sermon Swaggart said

   "I believe Armageddon is coming, Armageddon is coming.  It is going to be fought in the valley of Megiddo.  
   It is coming.  They can sign all the peace treaties they want.  They won't do any good. . .  It is going to 
   get worse. . .  My Lord! I am happy. . .  I don't care who it bothers.  I don't care who it troubles.  It thrills my
   soul. "[1]

In 1986, Swaggart debated with Ahmed Deedat, a well known muslim scholar of the Bible on the topic Is The Bible the Word of God[2] which was witnessed by about 8,000 people. Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat ( July 1, 1918 – August 8, 2005) was a Muslim Author, Lecturer, and Orator A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Henry Hock Guan Teh, a well-known Christian writer described the debate in his article The Law of Evidence[3] as:

   The debate is on the reasonableness of their competing faiths which was held at Louisiana State University.  
   Great expectations were generated since both were experienced public speakers.  Sadly, Swaggart merely relied 
   on TV showmanship to influence the crowd.  When Deedat challenged him to prove the Bible as the Word of God, 
   Swaggart simply quoted John 3:16 and claimed that his life was changed by it.  Even such a claim was shattered to 
   pieces when Swaggart’s personal sexual weaknesses were later exposed in the press.  Although faith is necessary but 
   without being thoughtfully presented its witness would not seem to be credible.

Ordination and a new focus

In the 1970s, his radio ministry grew and he purchased a couple other stations. His television ministry gradually grew to more stations as well by 1975. 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 Unites 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 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. Upwards of 250 television stations broadcast his program; “The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast” was regularly watched by two-million households. Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, at this time headquartered 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, a printing and mailing production plant, a television production facility, a recording studio, and later a Bible college in 1984. Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The college had been formerly named Jimmy Swaggart Bible College ("JSBC"). Presently, it is 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, fellowshipping with mainline branches of Christianity (even Catholicism to some extent), Christian Psychology, and going to public motion pictures, Jimmy Swaggart shunned such practices. Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is At one point he even said 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 critical of Billy Graham because of his willingness to fellowship with Catholics. William Franklin Graham Jr KBE (born November 7 1918 better known as Billy Graham, is an evangelist and an Evangelical Christian While Jimmy Swaggart has great disdain for Roman Catholicism, he stops short of calling them a cult in league with the Mormons, for example. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon Musically, Jimmy Swaggart records and plays Southern Gospel music. Southern Gospel music (sometimes marketed as Quartet music) is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian He also embraces Black Gospel and Inspirational music. Urban contemporary Gospel (sometimes marketed as "Black Gospel") is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Swaggart also is opposed to the health and wealth gospel while still accepting signs and wonders.

Controversies and criticisms

Sex scandals

Exposed

In 1986, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who was 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 out of New Orleans and was adding stations throughout the southern region and was beginning to add stations on the west coast and 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 the Larry King Show, stating that Bakker was a "cancer in the body of Christ. James Orsen Bakker (born January 2, 1940, in Muskegon Michigan) is an American televangelist, a former Assemblies of God Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is an American television/radio host " He and similar-minded Baptist evangelist Jerry Falwell investigated Jim Bakker and eventually discovered his indiscretions. Jerry Lamon Falwell Sr ( August 11 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American evangelical Christian Pastor, In 1987, Jim Bakker's ministry was falling apart as a result.

Self

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. [4] 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. This fact was heavily satirized by musician Frank Zappa in his theme "Louisiana Hooker with Herpes". Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director

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. "[5] On a New Orleans morning news show four days later, Murphree stated that while Swaggart was a regular customer, they had never engaged in intercourse. [6]

Against the ruling of the governing body of the Assemblies of God, Swaggart returned to his television pulpit long before his three-month suspension expired. 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, removing his credentials and ministerial license.

On October 11, 1991, Swaggart was found in the company of another prostitute, Rosemary Garcia,[7] when he was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol in Indio, California, for driving on the wrong side of the street. 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. "[8][9]Rather than confessing to his congregation, Swaggart told his flock this time that "The Lord told me it's flat none of your business. "[10][11] [12]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. "

The Ozzy Osbourne Conflict

Prior to the prostitute controversy, Jimmy Swaggart was a heavy opponent to heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, who released the infamous song "Suicide Solution" in 1980. John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3 1948) is a British singer " Suicide Solution " is a song by Ozzy Osbourne. It is track five on the album Blizzard of Ozz released in 1980 Castigating Osbourne vehemently, Swaggart christened Osbourne as a satanist who ordered teenagers to accept Lucifer as their savior and/or to commit suicide. Following Jimmy's newfound dilemmas, Ozzy decided to retaliate. On October 22nd, 1988 Ozzy Osbourne released the album No Rest for the Wicked. No Rest for the Wicked is the fifth studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. The first song and single from the album is entitled "Miracle Man" (see the music video here. ) "Miracle Man" was nothing short of a slap-in-the-face to Jimmy's tarnished image. The music video was shot in a cross between a church and a pig sty while Ozzy opens the video wearing a "Jimmy Swaggart" mask, mocking his public plea for forgiveness. The lyrics hint to real anecdotes in the fiasco: Jimmy "got busted" "with his pants down" and after, he went "on TV cryin'" confessing to his sins. The song, which refers to Jimmy throughout as "Jimmy Sinner," ends with the repetitious line, "Miracle Man got busted," a fitting conclusion to the perceived hypocrisy that was Jimmy Swaggart's life.

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. Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of Rock music played by bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes The book criticized the scene for using heavy metal music to preach the gospel of Christianity, calling rock music the music of the devil. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Devil is the Ironically, it was Swaggart that helped convert Michael Sweet and Robert Sweet, two of the founding members of the band Stryper. Michael Sweet (programmer Michael Harrison Sweet (born 4 July, 1963) is a Christian rock singer from the United States. Robert Sweet may refer to Robert Sweet (botanist, English botanist horticulturist and ornithologist Robert Sweet (musician, American drummer Stryper is a Grammy Award nominated Christian metal band from Orange County California, USA. [13][14] Also criticized by Swaggart is Larry Norman (the "father of Christian rock"), Petra, and other notable Christian rock and metal bands. Larry David Norman ( April 8 1947 &ndash February 24 2008) was an American musician singer songwriter and producer Petra was a prominent Christian rock band regarded by many as a pioneer of the Christian rock and of the Contemporary Christian music genres Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of Rock music played by bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes [15]

In 1986, Swaggart called rock music "the new pornography. Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of Sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer "[16] That comment has been cited as the inspiration for the naming of the Canadian indie-rock band the New Pornographers, but frontman Carl Newman claims not to have heard the quote until after having named the band[17]. The New Pornographers is a Canadian Indie rock supergroup formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Allan Carl Newman (born April 14 1968 is a Canadian musician and songwriter

Print and recorded media

Swaggart is the on-record 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 has also sold over 15 million Gospel albums. Southern Gospel music (sometimes marketed as Quartet music) is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian

Current ministry

A world-wide multi-million-dollar ministry, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries today mainly comprises The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast,[18] radio and television programs called A Study in the Word, (SonLife Radio Network),[19], and a website, JSM. org. Jimmy's wife, Frances (very much behind the scene); and son, Donnie, control the ministry's preaching and leadership. Jimmy's grandson, Gabriel, is a preacher, and leads the Family Worship Center youth ministry, "Crossfire". Sonlife radio is heard in 22 states[20]

In popular culture

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, ironically, in 1988, the year his first sex scandal broke. In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music. Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian Electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=406&C=144
  2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdDi-1CPmwE&feature=related
  3. ^ http://www.phc.edu/GlobalJournal/5-1/4_TheLawofEvidence.htm
  4. ^ "On this day: 21st February 1988 TV evangelist quits over sex scandal", BBC World News. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate  
  5. ^ Swaggart, Jimmy. Reverend Jimmy Swaggart: Apology Sermon. americanrhetoric. com. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate
  6. ^ http://everything2.com/title/Jimmy%2520Swaggart
  7. ^ "Swaggart Plans to Step Down", The New York Times, October 15, 1991. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate  
  8. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DA1E3BF936A25753C1A967958260
  9. ^ http://www.ntskeptics.org/1991/1991november/november1991.htm
  10. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974120,00.html
  11. ^ http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/datelinedc/s_558619.html
  12. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/21/newsid_2565000/2565197.stm
  13. ^ History of Christian Rock/Metal part 1 (Portuguese). Rock for the King. Ope Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.
  14. ^ History of Christian Rock/Metal part 2 (Portuguese). Rock for the King. Ope Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.
  15. ^ A Guide to Petra: Petra Retirement Tribute Page - post your thoughts on Petra's retirement announcement
  16. ^ Rap, Rock, and Censorship by Mathieu Deflem
  17. ^ The New Pornographers | Trouser Press
  18. ^ Jimmy Swaggart Ministries - TV Programming. Retrieved on 2007-01-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted
  19. ^ Jimmy Swaggart Ministries - SonLife Radio. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne
  20. ^ SonLife station list.

External links

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