Jimmy Swaggart (Braggart)
Recently my Mother started listening to Sonlife Radio, which is a Jimmy Swaggart run organization. He preaches, and his wife and son, grandsons, granddaughter in laws and so on...all have different parts on the air. The main thrust of their ministry is 'debunking' other false ministries, usually they spend most of their time speaking out against various people/materials, The Purpose Driven Life, Word-Faith movement, Benny Hinn, and so on.
And to make it clear I very much disagree with these organizations/people myself, and most of the time if you check into it yourself, and compare it with what the word says, you will find that Jimmy Swaggart and his crew are usually right on, in the reasons they have for being against them.
Now Jimmy Swaggart was a very famous (you've heard of him I'm sure) grossly rich televangelist, was caught with a prostitute by a private investigator (who was hired by another minister Jimmy had helped drum out of the AOG for similar reasons)
The scandal it caused was huge, and when the AOG [Assembly of God] stepped in Jimmy refused discipline, and instead went his own way. They wanted him to step down as head of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, and get rehabilitation. But Jimmy, whom I seriously suspect has Narccistic Personality Disorder, could not face the fact (or perhaps the decrease in income) that he needed to step down. When one is in such a position of authority as Jimmy Swaggart was, you have to be accountable. To rudely and selfishly thrust aside all attempts at control is foolish. This is why most of his key supporters pulled out. As proven a few years down the road he was caught yet in again in 1990 with another prostitute.
All the tearful vague apologies in the world, can't help you when you've fallen into a sin like that.
Jimmy obeyed his pride, and did not do what we are clearly supposed to do as Christians. Submit to the one in authority over you.
This is part of the reason I have a problem with him today. He uses his little ministry as a soapbox on which he can holler his political and world opinions. His magazine The Evangelist, has page after page of ads for his old recordings and books, and in the back a little column entitled From Me To You, this is primarily where he spins his happy tales about everything from his relatives, to how he feels about Iraq.
What plays on his radio is primarily reused sermons and song recordings, and his wife will complain about the Problem of the Day ministry they disagree with, and while some of the time this is fine, this is the main thing they do. They don't even really give you good information against these people (which is available) they only encite you to fear 'They sky is falling!' I don't really see very much reaching out, or building up of people, believers and unbelievers alike.
Another suspicious thing is that his son Donny, (what grown man is called Donny?) is basically in control, and he puts the rest of the relatives on the air too, maybe the reasoning being; because they are related to Jimmy Swaggart they have a ministry?
However the whole thing makes me wary of him, I do not trust him. I think he had the possibility of regaining what he had lost and redeeming himself in the eyes of the public if he had done what was needed, instead of withdrawing and telling people that is was 'flat out none of your business' (a direct quote)
I pray that he will have his eyes opened, but the reality of that happening it slim. I truly wish him no harm. But I do not support him.
And to make it clear I very much disagree with these organizations/people myself, and most of the time if you check into it yourself, and compare it with what the word says, you will find that Jimmy Swaggart and his crew are usually right on, in the reasons they have for being against them.
Now Jimmy Swaggart was a very famous (you've heard of him I'm sure) grossly rich televangelist, was caught with a prostitute by a private investigator (who was hired by another minister Jimmy had helped drum out of the AOG for similar reasons)
The scandal it caused was huge, and when the AOG [Assembly of God] stepped in Jimmy refused discipline, and instead went his own way. They wanted him to step down as head of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, and get rehabilitation. But Jimmy, whom I seriously suspect has Narccistic Personality Disorder, could not face the fact (or perhaps the decrease in income) that he needed to step down. When one is in such a position of authority as Jimmy Swaggart was, you have to be accountable. To rudely and selfishly thrust aside all attempts at control is foolish. This is why most of his key supporters pulled out. As proven a few years down the road he was caught yet in again in 1990 with another prostitute.
All the tearful vague apologies in the world, can't help you when you've fallen into a sin like that.
Jimmy obeyed his pride, and did not do what we are clearly supposed to do as Christians. Submit to the one in authority over you.
This is part of the reason I have a problem with him today. He uses his little ministry as a soapbox on which he can holler his political and world opinions. His magazine The Evangelist, has page after page of ads for his old recordings and books, and in the back a little column entitled From Me To You, this is primarily where he spins his happy tales about everything from his relatives, to how he feels about Iraq.
What plays on his radio is primarily reused sermons and song recordings, and his wife will complain about the Problem of the Day ministry they disagree with, and while some of the time this is fine, this is the main thing they do. They don't even really give you good information against these people (which is available) they only encite you to fear 'They sky is falling!' I don't really see very much reaching out, or building up of people, believers and unbelievers alike.
Another suspicious thing is that his son Donny, (what grown man is called Donny?) is basically in control, and he puts the rest of the relatives on the air too, maybe the reasoning being; because they are related to Jimmy Swaggart they have a ministry?
However the whole thing makes me wary of him, I do not trust him. I think he had the possibility of regaining what he had lost and redeeming himself in the eyes of the public if he had done what was needed, instead of withdrawing and telling people that is was 'flat out none of your business' (a direct quote)
I pray that he will have his eyes opened, but the reality of that happening it slim. I truly wish him no harm. But I do not support him.
6 Comments:
I agree, pompous self serving blowhards like him should not be supported.
I'm glad Jimmy Swaggart is a man of God and showing us scriptully about the word of faith teachings and how wrong they are.God Bless Jimmy Swaggart
Faith in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the cross, this is what this man of God is preaching and teaching, Jesus said "He who has no sin, cast the first stone" I advise all true christians to look at the website jsm.org and to listen to sonlife radio either through internet or via radio and the holy spirit will touch your hearts and you will hear and learn the word of God, God bless all my fellow believers who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have listend to Jimmy Swaggart a long time and I do agree with most of what he says he is a blunt preacher and sometimes people need to hear bluntness. I think what happend to him was God cleaning out and telling christians to believe in the Lord and not preachers. Lastly, even though what he did was wrong, the message of salvation that he preaches is not deminished and God is still God no matter what. Sadly, we mere humans are flesh and bone and we fail but God is perfect so the vessel may be flawed but the living water (God's word)is always life giving. Thanks,
My dad, along long time physically abusive alcoholic was saved in October of 1981 as a result of hearing the Gospel preached via Jimmy Swaggart. The same night, as a result of seeing his daddy get saved, my little brother, (then only 6), recieved Christ as well;Eventually my older brother and I would be saved too ,which means all my family is now saved: God uses flawed "earthen vessiles" to convey His Gospel message: The central most verse in the Bible says, "it is better to put trust in God than confidence in man..."-Ps.118:8--- Salvation is not in the name of "Jimmy", it's in the Name of "Jesus"---but honestly, I believed Jimmy Swaggart is like a modern day king David, "a man after God's own heart"---remember, David commited adultry, and had Uriah murdered. The consequences were terrible for him, but because he took his sin to the Lord, all was forgiven in God's mercy --- such is the case with Jimmy Swaggart who proclaims the truth that "we all like sheep have gone astray, each to his own way" (I.E. sin ) and the answer to this sin problem is one's faith in the finished work of the cross... www.jsm.org
There's a couple of websites that document what's wrong with Swaggart's theology. Swaggart claims he received a divine revelation which "sheds more light on that which was originally given to Paul" (his words)...that alone should tell us to beware of his teaching!
See:
http://www.geocities.com/cobblestoneministries
/JimmySwaggart_theCross.html
http://www.spiritwatch.org/fireswag1.htm
Post a Comment
<< Home