Jim Bakker and the Birth of a Sunbelt Pentecostalism
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--History History 2012 CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH: JIM BAKKER AND THE BIRTH OF A SUNBELT PENTECOSTALISM Eric G. Weinberg University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Weinberg, Eric G., "CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH: JIM BAKKER AND THE BIRTH OF A SUNBELT PENTECOSTALISM" (2012). Theses and Dissertations--History. 7. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/7 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--History by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. 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Weinberg, Student Dr. David Hamilton, Major Professor Dr. David Hamilton, Director of Graduate Studies CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH: JIM BAKKER AND THE BIRTH OF A SUNBELT PENTECOSTALISM ____________________________________________ DISSERTATION _____________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Eric Weinberg Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. David Hamilton, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 1995 Copyright © Eric Gordon Weinberg 2012 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH: JIM BAKKER AND THE BIRTH OF A SUNBELT PENTECOSTALISM This dissertation traces the rise of Jim and Tammy Bakker and analyzes the birth and growth of prosperity theology in the United States of America. It highlights how Jim and Tammy created a form of Pentecostalism that grew alongside and because of the growth of the Sunbelt. It blossomed in the new suburban enclaves of this region. Jim Bakker's religious ideas had their roots in an increasingly powerful anti-New Deal coalition that was led by the conservative business community. Positive thinking and the prosperity gospel reinforced their beliefs in unfettered markets and their opposition to activist government. Bakker combined these ideas with an emphasis on the family, creating a power new kind of religion. It became a form of cultural conservatism that increasingly shaped American society in the 1970s and 1980s, helping transform political issues into moral and religious questions. KEYWORDS: Jim Bakker, Sunbelt, Religious Right, Conservatism, Tammy Bakker. Eric Weinberg Tuesday, September 04, 2012 CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH: JIM BAKKER AND THE BIRTH OF A SUNBELT PENTECOSTALISM By Eric Gordon Weinberg Dr. David Hamilton Director of Dissertation Dr. David Hamilton Director of Graduate Studies ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation chair Dr. David Hamilton, who offered support and guidance throughout this process. Time and again, he pushed me to assess the broader implications of my discoveries. I would also like to show appreciation for my committee members whose insights and support were invaluable. On a personal note, I would like to thank my wife Therese who encouraged and supported me throughout this process. I am also grateful to family and all my fellow graduate students whose friendship and support have been integral. In addition to this support, I would also like to thank the countless people who aided my research and helped me find sources and information. Specifically, I wish to thank the interviewees whose stories became an integral part of my study. Their honesty and stories were vital to this larger study. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………..………………………….……………………………1 Chapter 2: Worlds Apart …...…………………………………………………………………..…………………...11 Chapter 2: From Tents to Hotel Lobbies……………………………………………………………………….26 Chapter 4: ‘Should I be Good or Should I be a Hood’…………………………………………………….51 Chapter 5: Jim Bakker the Televangelist and the Birth of Prosperity Theology………….....69 Chapter 6: Jim Bakker and the Rise of PTL Ministries………………….….…….……………………..89 Chapter 7: The Politics of Limits.…………………………………..……………………………………………113 Chapter 8: Heritage USA……………………………………………………..……………………………………..135 Chapter 9: A Worldly Embrace ………..……………………………………..…………………………………153 Chapter 10: Falling from Grace …………………...………………………..………………………………….176 Chapter 11:Conclusion …………….….……………….……………………………………………………………191 Appendix…….………………………….……………………………………..……………..202 Bibliography…… …………….….……………….…………………………………………………….…………….…244 Vita…………………………... …………….….……………….……………………………………………………………278 iv Chapter 1 Introduction On August 14, 1986, the husband-and-wife televangelist team of Jim and Tammy Bakker launched their Enough is Enough telethon to raise funds for their sprawling ministry. The telethon opened with a joyous chorus singing “Enough is Enough” while images of the Bakkers’ ostentatious Christian resort, teeming with visitors, flashed across the screen. Viewers saw images of the park’s miniature train ride, shopping mall, and four-hundred-room hotel. Meanwhile, the chorus sang, "I will have what's rightfully mine, my health, my joy, my peace of mind. Watch out Satan, I’m calling your bluff. Enough is enough is enough!” When the video ended, a stage appeared in front of tiered rows of volunteers who were sitting at pastel blue-and-white decorated tables, ready to receive pledges of donations. Draped behind them was a bright pastel pink curtain that, when combined with the tables, brought a Disney-like quality to the stage. The camera panned to Tammy Faye who promptly told her viewers that they "have the authority to take over the problems in their life." If they felt sick, they "could say I'm not going to be sick." Or as Jim Bakker later declared, “God Promises that when you trust and delight in Him, He’ll give you the desires of your heart.” Jim then declared that with a positive mental attitude, those with faith would be able to acquire wealth. He gave examples of people whose faith, in combination with giving to the Lord, had allowed them to prosper. Holding up a bumper sticker that read "Enough is Enough," he proclaimed that positive thinking would tell the devil that Christians would not let him bring doubt into their lives. Almost immediately, the more than one hundred phones on the stage began to ring.1 The Bakkers were Pentecostal preachers affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Pentecostalism2 was a dynamic and fervent religious movement that arose in the early twentieth century in hopes of restoring American Christianity. They lamented the backsliding of mainline Protestants, and hoped to create a pure—and highly 1 emotional—form of Christianity.3 The Bakkers, of course, were no ordinary preachers. They were televangelists whose show The PTL Club—PTL stood for Praise the Lord — was carried by over 1,300 cable stations. They had built Heritage USA, a massive Christian theme park that had become the nation’s third largest theme park in the country behind Disneyland and Disneyworld. But they were more than just Pentecostal ministers or televangelists or Christian entrepreneurs. They had become by the 1980s a cultural sensation. Along with Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, and Jimmy Swaggert, they were among America’s most-watched and revered evangelical ministers. In the tradition of Aimee Semple McPherson, they mixed religion with entertainment and personality. This success helped make Pentecostalism a dynamic and rapidly growing evangelical religious movement.4 Jim and Tammy's meteoric rise began when Pat Robertson hired them to produce a children's show for his Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) in 1966. Within a year, the Bakkers were creating new shows, building an audience, and dramatically improving CBN’s finances. They moved to southern California in 1973, where they created another religious television network. In a partnership with their friends and fellow Pentecostal ministers, Jan and Paul Crouch, they converted an old airplane hangar into a studio