Jim Bakker (2 January 1940-) was an American televangelist and Assemblies of God minister who, along with his wife Tammy Faye, hosted The PTL Club from 1974 to 1989. He was imprisoned from 1989 to 1994 for fraud, but he went on to host The Jim Bakker Show and continue his career.
Biography[]
James Orsen Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1940, and, while attending an Assemblies of God bible college in 1960, he met Tammy Faye, whom he went on to marry. The two left college to become evangelists, and they created The PTL Club television program in 1974. He and his wife ran their ministry and television program for over a decade, but scandal arose in 1987 when Bakker's secretary Jessica Hahn accused him of rape, and when The Charlotte Observer accused the PTL of defrauding their flock of donations for the Heritage USA Christian theme park; the Bakkers pocketed the excess funds for themselves. Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and served only 5, but Faye divorced him while he was incarcerated. Bakker went on to continue his career after his release, hosting The Jim Bakker Show.