Word: swaggart
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...whose most resonant names--and recognizable faces--are the televangelists, the stars of the electronic church, the pastors of "Pray TV." And at one session after another, cheered on by such honored elders of the field as Billy Graham and Oral Roberts, these powerhouse preachers strutted their stuff. Jimmy Swaggart roared that the Supreme Court is "an institution damned by God Almighty" for allowing abortions. Jerry Falwell argued that "theologically, any Christian has to support Israel, simply because Jesus said to." Even White House Communications Director Patrick Buchanan drew audience cries of "Amen!" and "Praise the Lord!" when he exhorted...
...Jimmy Swaggart, 50, is a brash, rafter-ringing Pentecostal preacher and Gospel singer (his albums have sold 13 million copies) who preserves the old tent revival style at his striking 7,000-seat Family Worship Center outside Baton Rouge, La. In his weekly one-hour broadcasts, he prowls the stage, sometimes breaking into excited jig steps, as he revs up perorations assailing Communism, Catholicism and "secular humanism," the last of which he blames for abortion, pornography, AIDS and assorted social ills. He takes in $140 million a year. The money pays for his weekly show (aired in 197 markets...
...theatrical performer, presides over the vast, glittery Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. Finished in 1980 at a cost of $18 million (paid largely by viewer donations), the structure serves as a dazzling stage set for Schuller's weekly Hour of Power. The show, seen in 169 cities, beats Swaggart in some audience listings. Schuller's TV budget is $37 million a year, and the 10,000-member cathedral spends an additional $5.7 million on non-TV operations. The author of several inspirational best sellers, Schuller shook 10,000 hands in a weeklong January tour promoting his latest volume...
...sunburst cheer about the nation, however, Reagan's campaign brought up some darker American forces. He had met with right-wing Fundamentalists like the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, and the glow of presidential approval reflected off them to the religious fringe, on what might be called the Christian certitudinarians, the ones with a hard light of fanaticism in their eyes. These are the people who know they are right. One always wishes to press a copy of the Sermon on the Mount into the hands of a militant Reaganite Christian. Reagan also identified himself with...
Although I disagree with the fundamentalists and evangelical preachers on almost everything, I welcome their participation in the larger political discourse. It is healthy that they are there. If Walter Mondale wants to disagree with Jerry Falwell or Jimmy Swaggart, that's fine. He has a right to do that, and when they begin making political statements they open themselves to that kind of criticism. It is very precarious for religious leaders to back a particular candidate, because their credibility as religious leaders is at a somewhat more basic level, formulating moral principles. But that is a matter...