![]() ![]() Swaggart has since reestablished himself as a minister. Despite a tearful confession to his family and congregation, his immediate attempts to escape ridicule and rebuild the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries proved to be in vain. As sufficient evidence of Swaggart's numerous sexual liaisons surfaced, the Assemblies of God stripped him of his ministerial credentials. Swaggart's empire began to unravel in 1987, when the national spotlight fell on his adulterous affairs with various prostitutes. His ministry also owned a private jet for a time as well, according to the Los Angeles Times. With contributions from his loyal parishioners, Swaggart was able to finance a Bible college, printing plant, recording studio, television production center, and church sanctuary, as well as a $2.5 million estate that housed his fleet of expensive cars. The show reached and audience of two million, becoming the highest rated religious program in America.Īt the height of his popularity, Swaggart was a celebrity in the gospel circuit, with a lavish lifestyle to match. Featuring fiery rhetoric and extremist ideology, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast premiered on Jim and Tammy Bakker's fledgling PTL Network in the mid-1970s. Swaggart's success on radio inspired him to try his hand at the much more lucrative medium of television. By the late 1970s, The Camp Meeting Hour was broadcast on 650 radio stations while Swaggart continued to lead revivals with audiences estimated in the thousands. In 1968, Swaggart moved to Baton Rogue, where he launched a national radio program called The Camp Meeting Hour. With annual recordings that included the bestselling albums This Is Just What Heaven Means to Me and There Is a River, he continued to draw larger and more diverse audiences. Impressive record sales coupled with a growing congregation influenced Swaggart to form his own record label. In 1962, with the help of the now-famous Lewis, Swaggart recorded the gospel album God Took Away My Yesterdays. After joining a group of itinerant preachers, the couple spent the next few years traveling throughout the South. In 1952, he joined his father's newly formed ministry, where he met and married fellow parishioner Frances Anderson. Swaggart abandoned his pursuit of a musical career, deciding instead to dedicate his life to the church. Over the next few years, Swaggart struggled with the demands of his family's fundamentalist Pentecostal faith and his love for music. Throughout his teens, Swaggart and his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis rebelled from their religious environment by frequenting local rhythm and blues clubs, where they quickly gained reputations for their piano playing ability. ![]() Swaggart, who were fervent participants in the local Assemblies of God congregation. He was the first child born to sharecroppers Minnie and W.L. Pentecostal evangelist Jimmy Swaggert was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. His empire began to unravel in 1987, when his adulterous affairs were uncovered. The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast premiered in the mid-1970s. In 1968, he launched a national radio program called The Camp Meeting Hour. In 1962, he recorded the gospel album God Took Away My Yesterdays. In 1952, he joined his father's newly formed ministry. ![]() Jimmy Swaggart was born March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He also recorded best-selling gospel albums before his career unraveled due to a scandal. ![]() Jimmy Swaggart is a Pentecostal radio and television evangelist. ![]()
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