Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
Rafael Martinez: The Message of the Cross Examined
A summary of what Jimmy Swaggart teaches about the cross of Jesus Christ is found in his article entitled, well, "The Message Of The Cross" on his website. It is this teaching article we will now look into, as well as other sources of his teaching on the subject that I will refer from which he has written. His basic positions on the cross which have become the focal point of his work are most clearly seen here. A casual review of copies of his Evangelist magazine are article length reiterations of this same position.
To read the rest of the eye opening article click HERE
Rafael Martinez: Why Jimmy Swaggart Still Needs to Repent
When thinking about the current state of the church when confronted with the moral failures of its leadership and the dire need for a legitimate response to it, one question continually comes up. It is piteously asked by many who look at the sad career of Pentecostal evangelist Jimmy Swaggart as an example of how the church has "shot our wounded" and generally been legalistic, unforgiving and unchristian. In their rush to define how Christian mercy has been withheld from the fallen, they overlook several important matters about Swaggart's life example and ministry that always seem to escape their notice, things this article will strive to underscore. These issues reveal that the subject is often riddled with emotional argumentation that often entirely obscures real consideration of the matter.
For the rest of Rafael Martinez' article click here
The Message of the Wallet - an allegory
By: Anonymous
For many years, a single dad and his five boys had longed for a basketball hoop of their own. The dad, though very hard working, could not afford to just go buy one at the store. It had to be the right hoop but one that he could afford. Finding the perfect combination seemed nothing short of a miracle, and over time the boys began to doubt if it would ever happen.
One Saturday, however, the dad took the boys for a Fall afternoon ride in their rickety family van. Just out of town, he spotted a sign for a garage sale – “Everything must go”. So he drove down the street to see what was there.
Interesting Things Come to Light in Old News Article.
I thought this article from the archives of the Advocate in Baton Rouge was worth reprinting here for a number of reasons. Interestingly enough, it discusses yet another sexual indiscretion. In 1987 the first incident occurred, (which according to Debra Murphree was only one of many encounters). In 1989 a stripper named Catherine Kampen claimed to have performed sex acts in her home for Jimmy Swaggart. She subsequently gave an interview for the February 1989 issue of Penthouse magazine. The ministry threatened to sue Penthouse and categorically denied the claims. No suit has ever been filed. To hear additional assertions Catherine Kampen made in her sworn testimony, you can peruse page 368 of Ann Rowe Seaman's book, The Unauthorized Biography of an American Evangelist CLICK HERE TO READ
Modest Two Bedroom Cottage, Ha Ha
The following was reprinted from the Advocate Archives. Jimmy Swaggart describes his house as a modest two bedroom cottage. Here is a link to view his modest cottage. LINK
JOHN MCMILLAN
A psychiatrist who teaches at Stanford University said a good laugh can double your heart rate. Boy, mine was racing the other night watching Jimmy Swaggart describe his house during reporter John "The Snake" Camp's special on him. The part I liked best was the footage taped by a station in California in which Swaggart downplayed the size of his Baton Rouge mansion, saying he only had a little bitty ol' two-bedroom house. It just looks big, he said, because it has a front porch. A sort of optical illusion house. I guess he meant the porch makes it look like it has more than 10,000 square feet. There's a valuable message here for homeowners: A porch can really add eye appeal to your cottage.
Ex-Employees Speak out on Swaggart
The article originally appeared in the Advocate. As I have said before, when it comes to JSM there truley is nothing new under the sun.
Author(s): ANGELA SIMONEAUX Date: April 12, 1988
Two former employees painted a grim picture Monday of the work atmosphere at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries -- a place where opinionated people must hide in empty rooms to talk, pass notes to each other and be on their guard not to open their mouths around the Swaggart family. "You don't ask questions. If you ask questions, you're going to be suspect," said Ron Calfee, a former employee of the ministries.
Swaggart's Moving Towards Cult Status?
I have copied this article from the archives of the Baton Rouge Advocate. It is a relevant today as it was when it was written. Shows that there is certainly nothing new under the sun when it comes to JSM.
Author(s): Greg Garland Date: January 30, 1992
Since Jimmy Swaggart's latest fall from grace, there have been three defining moments that seem to say a lot about the evangelist, his ministry and his problems. The first was when Swaggart went to the Family Worship Center to speak to his followers just days after he was stopped for a traffic violation in Indio, Calif., with a prostitute as his passenger.
Swaggart Ministries' link to 1983 murder re-examined
Associated Press
Tue 06/14/1988 Houston Chronicle, Section 1, Page 20, 2 STAR Edition WACO -
One or more associates of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries are targets of a reopened district attorney's investigation into the slaying of a woman who left most of her estate to the television evangelist's ministry.
Vic Feazell, McLennan County district attorney, said Sunday his office is re-examining Ida Lee Baugh's slaying. He said a reporter's new information could help him resolve "unanswered questions" about the December 1983 murder.
Feazell said the inquiry was not targeted at Swaggart but could involve "one or more individuals connected with the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries at that time."
Ex-Employee Sues Frances Swaggart
This article appeared in the Baton Rouge Advocate on October 13, 1988. I think it shows a history of abusive behaviour towards ministry employees. The judge threw out Frances accusations against the employee as baseless- not surprising.
Author(s): HOWARD HOFFMAN
A 3-year-old lawsuit alleging that the wife of evangelist Jimmy Swaggart falsely accused an employee of theft was settled out of court. According to the suit, Frances Swaggart fired Debra Allen Blankenship from her job in the accounting department of the ministry.
Jimmy Swaggart - John Camp Investigation
Award winning investigative journalist John Camp's investigates Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. This originally aired on CNN's Impact in the early 90's but is very relevant to today. This is not to be missed and well worth the 20 minutes to watch both parts.
Head of JSM School Tells about Dismissal
I pulled the following article from the Advocate's news archives. I think it is important to show that the abuse and intimidation of employees dates back a very long way.
It is curious to me why the ministry pressures some employees to attend services and not others. I was given an inordinate amount of pressure and threatened with dismissal, even though I was attending church elsewhere. I questioned Frances as to why I would receive this pressure when clearly there were many in the ministry who were non Christians and did not attend church at all. I was told that it was a different situation as they did not attend church anywhere.
Evangelist Swaggart Accused in Lawsuit of Plagiarism
This is a news article that I have pulled in its entirety and reprinted.I think it shows a history of dishonesty with this ministry which continues to this day.
Bloomberg News/June 6, 2001
Nashville - Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and his publisher are accused in a lawsuit of stealing a deceased minister's writings and passing them off as his work.
The heirs of the Rev. Finis Jennings Dake and Dake Publishing Inc. also are suing Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, other Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based religious groups associated with Swaggart, and Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers Inc. of Brentwood Tennessee. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Nashville, accuses the defendants of copyright infringement and plagiarism.
