The history of American televangelism is incomplete without the Bakker family, hosts of the popular television show the PTL Club. From their humble beginnings to becoming leaders of a ministry empire that included their own satellite network, a theme park, and millions of adoring fans. Then they saw it all come falling down amidst a federal investigation into financial mishandling, charges of fraud, and a sex scandal with a church worker. In the timeline below, created from PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire by John Wigger, are the chronicles of these fixtures of not only Christian television but American pop culture.
Featured Image: Televangelism by Josh McAllister. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.
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