The biggest preacher in modern history died a number of days ago – at the very least in line with one Australian pastor who wrote effusively, “In my opinion, he was the best preacher in modern history. And he was at all times very kind to me personally. I even have watched a whole bunch of his messages. He has inspired me to be truly Pentecostal. I’ll miss him. He was such an inspiration to me.”
He was speaking of Jimmy Swaggart, one among the best-known televangelists – and never simply because he was a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis. In the mid-Eighties, Jimmy Swaggart Worldwide Ministries had a television presence in greater than 140 countries and took in as much as half 1,000,000 dollars a day from donations and sales of Bible courses, gospel music and merchandise.
He was widely considered to be one among the nice speakers of the age – in any format. ‘Hypnotic’ was the outline of 1 secular journalist.
But all was not well. In February 1988, in a rare piece of television, Swaggart made his public confession in front of some 7,000 followers at his World Faith Centre in Baton Rouge. He confessed to his wife after which went on to weepingly confess: “I even have sinned against you, my Lord, and I’d ask that your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain.”
There are those that argue that this is identical as King David confessing after being confronted by the prophet Nathan after which writing Psalm 51. One is at all times reluctant to talk in poor health of the dead, but on this instance such hyperbole isn’t only nonsensical but dangerous. Mr Swaggart stands for example to us, not of a repentant sinner returning to the Lord, but of the risks that cash, fame and power bring to any Christian ministry.
The trouble is that the story is much worse than the simplistic narrative I even have provided above. Just months before he himself was caught, Swaggart had denounced Jim Bakker, one other Assemblies of God minister and leader of the PTL television ministry, as “a cancer that needed to be excised from the body of Christ”. Mr Bakker had also committed sexual indiscretion.
Then Mr Swaggart accused one other Assemblies evangelist, Marvin Gorman of New Orleans, of being a serial adulterer. Gorman admitted one immoral act with a girl but denied the opposite accusations and was awarded $10 million in damages. He got his revenge through hiring a non-public detective, who followed Mr Swaggart and took the compromising photographs which resulted within the tearful public confession.
Swaggart was then suspended from preaching for a 12 months by the Assemblies of God. It was hardly an awesome punishment, but nonetheless it was one he refused to obey. He took to the pulpit again after three months and was then defrocked. Why did he do that? No doubt because to have stayed silent for one 12 months would have ruined his TV ministry, and that may have meant no donations coming in.
Three years later Swaggart was pulled over by police in California with a prostitute in his automobile. She testified that he had develop into alarmed when he saw a police vehicle behind him. In attempting to hide pornographic magazines under his seat, he swerved and this caused the police to stop him.
Rather than a tearful repentance this time, he told his congregation in Baton Rouge, “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your corporation.” His son later said he could be searching for spiritual and medical help.
Later on in life Swaggart never specifically confessed to his earlier sins, nor repented of his disobedience to his denomination. While some supporters argue that his continued work in preaching the Gospel was evidence enough of repentance, others indicate that the continued work could just as easily be seen as a method of monetary enrichment. He had a sprawling house in Baton Rouge, a non-public jet and ‘his and hers’ luxury cars for himself and his wife. Clearly he saw ‘godliness as a method to financial gain’ (see 1 Timothy 6:5-10).
The absence of any later confession or specific repentance is critical, as true repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:10-11) involves acknowledging specific wrongs, searching for forgiveness, and demonstrating modified behaviour.
I remember speaking with a person who when in ministry had committed a far lesser sin than Swaggart’s. When I asked him what he felt about returning to public ministry within the church, he said he never would. He felt that though he had been forgiven and was at peace, yet he had destroyed his ministry, and folks would never know whether or not they could really trust him or not. He was right – and smart.
Jimmy Swaggart is an example, but not of a godly preacher who fell, confessed and was restored. Instead, he’ll go down in history for example of a Christianity which lost its way and have become immersed within the unholy trinity of cash, sex and power. Swaggart was good at denouncing everyone from Catholics to Calvinists, as sending people to Hell. Sadly, it’s the hypocrisy of those that preach the Gospel, but don’t live it, who do much more to pave the road to Hell.
Rather than rejoice Jimmy Swaggart, we must always mourn that the name of God was undoubtedly blasphemed due to him (Romans 2:24). And those of us who’re preachers should take special care lest we also fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). The Church within the West has already had enough scandals this century. We don’t need any more. Repentance, humility and a return to the methodology, theology and ecclesiology of the Bible may help us in that goal.
