Word: bakker
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Many a Protestant parson caught up in scandal has quietly been found guilty by an ecclesiastical panel and has then slipped from view. But last week a double defrocking was proclaimed to the world by the national head of the ministers' denomination. The ousted preachers are Jim Bakker, who confessed to adultery last March and then gave up his multimillion-dollar PTL television network and theme park at Fort Mill, S.C., and his former top executive, Richard Dortch, who was accused of orchestrating a cover-up of Bakker's lapse...
...Assemblies expelled Bakker not only for committing adultery with Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary from West Babylon, N.Y., but also for "alleged misconduct involving bisexual activity." Two weeks ago, at his residence in Palm Springs, Calif., Bakker declared to reporters, "I'm not a homosexual." However, sources familiar with the Assemblies investigation of PTL (for Praise the Lord or People That Love) reported that incriminating testimony came from witnesses who claimed to have participated in such sexual activity with Bakker...
Those declarations were made only three days after fellow TV Preacher Jerry Falwell made sure that Bakker would never minister again at his former domain in Fort Mill, S.C. Bakker had relinquished control of PTL (for Praise the Lord or People That Love) to Falwell, a Fundamentalist Baptist, after confessing that he had paid $265,000 in hush money to cover up his adultery. But prior to last week's board meeting at PTL, Bakker had wired Falwell that it seemed time for a comeback...
With some of Bakker's followers clamoring for his return, Falwell talked openly of walking away from the troublesome mess. After some soul-searching, the Lynchburg, Va., preacher took decisive command, declaring that Bakker's "ministry here has ceased" and ordering a thorough housecleaning. The PTL board ended further pay to the Bakkers, who reportedly had drawn an astounding $4.6 million in compensation since 1984. A royalty arrangement on the books and records that Tammy and Jim produced at PTL will be negotiated. In addition, the board ousted Bakker's former top aide, Richard Dortch, who had succeeded Bakker...
Falwell and the board launched an investigation into the new sexual charges against Bakker that had been leveled, without public documentation, by Baptist Televangelist John Ankerberg of Chattanooga, Tenn. Falwell disclosed last week that part of Bakker's hush-money payment was made by PTL and that the remainder was provided by a major PTL contractor, Roe Messner of Wichita. At Dortch's request, Messner then billed PTL for the sum, but Falwell described that as a mere "error in judgment...