Jimmy Swaggart

Jimmy Lee Swaggart
Born	(1935-03-15) March 15, 1935 Ferriday, Louisiana, USA
Occupation(s)	preacher, televangelist, singer, musician, writer
Website	www.jsm.org

Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana) is a Pentecostal preacher and televangelist. Popular in the 1980's, his telecasts were viewed by an audience of more than 8 million people weekly on over 3,000 stations worldwide, making it one of the most watched televangelist broadcasts in history.

In February 1988, Swaggart stirred controversy after a private investigation found he had solicited a prostitute for sex. Initially Swaggart denied the accusations, but as a media investigation proceeded he acknowledged that some allegations were true. He later apologized for the acts in a televised broadcast.

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, at only 17 years of age, he married Frances Anderson. Their son Donnie was born in 1954. Jimmy Swaggart worked several part-time odd jobs in order to survive in the 1950s. He also began singing southern gospel music at various Baptist and Pentecostal churches.

Swaggart and his young family lived in poverty during the 1950s as he preached throughout rural Louisiana. According to Swaggart's biography, they struggled to survive on thirty dollars a week, and often went to bed hungry. Being too poor to own a home, 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 to sign Swaggart as their first gospel artist. His cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, who had previously signed with Sun Records, was now reportedly making twenty thousand per week. Although the offer meant significant income for his struggling family, Swaggart turned him down stating that he was called to preach the gospel.

In 1955, Swaggart began full-time evangelistic work, preaching from a flatbed trailer donated to him. He began developing a substantial revival-meeting following throughout the South. Jimmy Swaggart also began attending Bible college in 1957. 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 graduating Bible college, he was ordained by the Assemblies of God. In 1962, he began his radio ministry. By 1969, his radio program, “The Camp Meeting Hour,” was being aired over numerous radio stations throughout the American Bible Belt. In the late 1960s, he also founded a then-very small church called Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was district-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 in Baton Rouge. That station was known as WLUX (now WPFC) and ran Christian features, preaching and teaching from various fundamentalist and Pentecostal denominations. The station played a blend of black gospel, southern gospel, and inspirational music. As contemporary Christian music became more prevalent, the station avoided it. He sold his radio stations gradually in the 1980s and early 1990s. WLUX was sold in 1995 to another Christian broadcaster and is known as WPFC today. He then started Sonlife Radio on the non-commercial area of the FM band. Unlike his previous stations, this would be commercial free and would not sell time to outside ministries. The preaching and teaching would all be produced in house. The music would also be inspirational and southern gospel.

His Family Worship Center grew from barely 40 members in 1970 to over 500 by 1975 and over 1000 by 1980. During the 1970s it grew from a tiny one room church to a huge modern state of the art building with new additions being built every couple years.

Ordination and a new focus

In the 1950s, 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 critical of Billy Graham because of his willingness to spiritually associate with Catholics. Jimmy Swaggart has held great disdain for Roman Catholicism, as indicated in his booklet titled "A letter to my Catholic Friends". He stated that the Catholic religion is tainted with many false teachings. He also says this about the Seventh Day Adventists. While he holds disdain for these two religions, he does acknowledge that there are Christians within these two religions, unlike Mormonism,Christian Science, and the Jehovah's Witnesses. 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 health-and-wealth gospel") while still accepting signs and wonders.

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 Memphis. 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 million albums during the lifetime of the ministry.

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 titled 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. The main cable channels it aired was on CBN Cable (now ABC Family), TBN, and PTL (now Inspiration Network.

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.

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.

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.

Current ministry

A worldwide multi-million-dollar ministry, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries today mainly comprises The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, radio and television programs called A Study in the Word, (SonLife Radio Network),, and a website, JSM.org. Jimmy's wife, Frances has a radio program called "Frances and Friends" heard daily on the SonLife Radio Network. Rev. Swaggart's son, Donnie, preaches at Family Worship Center and also preaches in churches across the US and abroad. Jimmy's grandson, Gabriel, is a preacher, and leads the Family Worship Center youth ministry, Crossfire. Sonlife radio is heard in 22 states

Controversies and criticisms

In 1986, Swaggart exposed New Orleans based, fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who had been accused of having several affairs Once exposed, Gorman was defrocked from the Assemblies of God and his ministry all but ended

As a retaliatory move, Marvin Gorman hired his son Randy Gorman, and his son in law Garland Biblo, to stake out the Travel Inn on Airline Hiway in New Orleans. A camera with a telephoto lens was placed in the window of room 12 and was draped with a black cloth. When Swaggart arrived, he reportedly went into room 7. Randy Gorman and Garland Bilbo let the air out of Swaggart's tires and called Marvin Gorman whose church was located nearby. The two had taken photos of Swaggart outside of room 7 with Debra Murphree, a known prostitute. Gorman showed up at the Travel Inn a short while later and asked Swaggart what he was doing there. According to, "Swaggart: The Unauthorized Biography of an American Evangelist" by Ann Rowe Seaman, Gorman secured a promise from Swaggart that he would publically apologize to Gorman and start the process of Gorman's reinstatement to the Assemblies of God. Gorman offered to remain silent if Jimmy would state publically that he lied about Gorman's affairs. Gorman waited almost a year, then hand delivered a note to Jimmy Swaggart informing him his time was up. Swaggart did not repond. On Tuesday February 16, 1988, Gorman contacted James Hamil one of the 13 man Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God. Hamill in turn called Raymond Carlson, the Assemblies Superintendent. He summoned Hamill and Gorman to fly to Springfield and arranged for an emergency meeting of the presbyters. Carlson was shown photos of several men coming in and going out of room 7 at the Travel Inn Motel in New Orleans. This was done in order to establish the fact that the room was being used for prostitution. One of the men seen leaving room 7 was Jimmy Swaggart The presbytery leadership of the Assemblies of God, decided that Swaggart should be suspended from broadcasting his television program for three months.

According to the Associated Press as reported in the Saturday February 27th, 1988 edition of the Ocala Star-Banner, the prostitute that claimed to have posed nude for Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart failed a lie detector test administered by an expert with 15 years experience with the New York City Police Department. The expert concluded that Murphree had failed to tell the truth on all key questions concerning her statement. The test was administered after Murphree offered to sell the story to the National Enquirer for 100,000. Paul Levy, the Senior Editor for the National Enquirer said that the polygraph examiner had concluded that Murphree was not truthful on six key questions including one in which she was reportedly asked if she had fabricated the story. Levy stated that the Enquirer decieded not to print her story due to the test results, her drug use, and the fact that she had arrest warrents in three States. The February 27, 1988 edition of the Toronto Star reported that Debra Murphree, 28, failed questions about whether she was paid or promised money to "set up" Swaggart, and whether she made up the story in order to make money from it. Both times she answered no, and this was determined by the polygraph examiner to be a lie.

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." 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.

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 two year suspension for sexual immorality. His return to the pulpit coincided with the end of a three-month suspension originally ordered by the Assemblies of God. 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. Jimmy Swaggart then decided that he would be an independent, non-denominational Pentecostal minister and Family Worship would become non-denominational.

On October 11, 1991, Swaggart was found, for the second time, in the company of a prostitute, Rosemary Garcia, 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." 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." 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 titled 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 who helped convert Michael Sweet and Robert Sweet, two of the founding members of the band Stryper. 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.

In 1986, Swaggart called rock music "the new pornography."

In popular culture

• The Swaggart sex scandal 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 the American sitcom Married... with Children, Swaggart was 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, 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, Louisiana.

• 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 is mentioned in the Lou Reed song "Strawman", on the album New York.

• Swaggart is referenced in the Cinderella song "Shelter Me". In the video for the song, Swaggart is depicted bursting out of a closet surrounded by skeletons, and also sobbing behind a flaming pulpit.

• Swaggart was parodied by Jim Carrey on In Living Color.

• Ozzy Osbourne's song "Miracle Man", on the 1988 album No Rest For The Wicked, is about the 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.

See also

• List of Christian evangelist scandals

External links

• Jimmy Swaggart in Who2
• Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
• Frances Swaggart's Website
• Donnie Swaggart's Website
• Jimmy Swaggart's A Letter To My Catholic Friends
• Listen live to SonLife Radio
• Jimmy Swaggart Podcast Information
• Jimmy Swaggart at IMDb
• Jimmy Swaggart Quotes