Disgraced Televangelist Jim Bakker Pleads With Viewers For $1 Million
Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker has pleaded for viewers to send him $1 million, saying his ministry will be shut down if he doesn’t get the funds.
Bakker, who was at the heart of a notorious religious financial scandal in the 1980s, said he needs cash now to keep running Praise the Lord (PTL) Network, and his program, “The Jim Bakker Show.”
Bakker was convicted in 1989 for eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. Through an appeal, he ended up serving just under five years in prison. In 2003, Bakker returned to ministry and launched his show.
On May 6, Bakker asked for at least 1,000 viewers to donate $1,000. Otherwise, “We are at the end,” he announced.
“If everyone that watches this program will give $1,000, we’ll be able to pay our bills and stay on the air,” he said. “Otherwise, we got about another, maybe a month.”
That episode has since been removed from Bakker’s website and YouTube page, but other media outlets have reposted the video.
“If they foreclose on this ministry, they will take my house too, so I’ll be on the street,” he said in the video. “But I don’t care. I mean, I’ve never been on the street, but I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed out begging for bread,” Bakker added, quoting from Psalm 37:25.
Joined by co-hosts Mondo De La Vega and his son Ricky Bakker, the senior Bakker said the show has a “big debt.” He added that an unnamed “they” have “taken millions of dollars from us.”
The 85-year-old televangelist claimed that for the past four decades, he has not made a salary from his ministry. Instead, he said he has lived off income from his second wife, Lori, or from Social Security.
“That’s why it’s important that you obey God. I need about a thousand people who will give right now,” he said. “Some may not be able to give $1,000, but you can give $100. That’s right, the seed. I want you to mail it in right now.”
He contended that those who give him money will reap other benefits.
“I guarantee you God’s going to do something,” he said. “God’s going to bless you as you give, because when you give, you’re going to receive.”
It is hard to prove or disprove Bakker’s assertions, as his organization operates under Morningside Church in Branson, Missouri. Churches do not need to declare their financials or file a 990 tax form.
Bakker has continued to re-emphasize his call for money in later videos.
Decades of scandals
Bakker was one of the most prominent televangelists of the 20th century. His $125 million media empire comprised the PTL Network, which he ran with his then-spouse Tammy Faye Bakker, and the Christian theme park Heritage USA.
The 2,200-acre Heritage USA was the third most-visited theme park in 1986 with 6 million visitors, according to the History TV network. It followed behind Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in terms of attendance.
His empire came crashing down amid a sex scandal and fraud convictions.
During his 1980s trial, government prosecutors argued that Bakker cheated followers of his PTL Network out of $150 million, according to The New York Times. He promised viewers lifetime vacations that he could not provide.
Officials also accused Bakker of diverting around $3.7 million to support his lavish lifestyle, which included an air-conditioned doghouse and a fleet of luxury vehicles.
Bakker and Tammy divorced in 1992. The couple’s rise and fall from stardom was captured in a 2021 blockbuster film starring Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain, called “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”
However, Bakker has continued to make headlines as he rebranded his show to focus on preparing for the end times and selling “prepper items” such as long-term food buckets.
Then in 2020, Bakker sold a health supplement dubbed “Silver Solution” that he said could supposedly cure COVID-19. A year later, the Missouri attorney general ordered Bakker to pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a false advertising lawsuit.
Bakker also asked viewers for money to avoid bankruptcy in 2020
Bakker has struggled with health issues, including a series of strokes five years ago and a hospitalization last year.
This article has been republished with permission from The Roys Report.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.