Wednesday, February 28, 2001
|
Wednesday, February 28, 2001 |
| Son
Of A Preacher Man' Jay Bakker to sign copies of his book Thursday By MICHAEL
BOYLAN The story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker is well-known. Jim Bakker was the founder of Praise The Lord Ministries, which was formed in the late 1970s and grew into a multimillion-dollar business. Bakker and his family then founded Heritage, USA, a 2,300-acre Christian resort in North Carolina. In 1989, Bakker was convicted of defrauding his followers of $158 million and was sentenced to prison. Previous to his conviction, an extramarital affair with Jessica Hahn also became news. Though these events took place over 13 years ago, they are still familiar. The story of Jim and Tammy Faye's son, Jay, is not. Jay was born Dec. 18, 1975, and grew up in the PTL ministry, moving from California to Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. When his family fell apart during the scandals of the late 1980s, Jay fell apart as well. The story of his descent and rise is chronicled in his new book, "Son Of A Preacher Man." With his father in prison and his name forever linked to a national scandal, Bakker's life became unglued. His father was sentenced to 45 years in prison, which was later reduced to 18 years and eventually appealed completely. His mother divorced his father and married a family friend, and Bakker began to take drugs and alcohol to deal with his family's turmoil. The book also discusses the disillusionment that he felt as many other members of the Christian right and television ministries rejected his pleas to help his father. Bakker was eventually saved from his destructive life-style by Donnie Earl Paulk, an Atlantan who is a descendant from 10 generations of preachers. At the time when Bakker met Paulk, he felt that his life-style had angered God and that God hated him. Paulk's message was that he wasn't going to hell and that God still wanted a relationship with him. That is the message that Jay Bakker now spreads himself. He and his wife, Amanda, have formed a ministry called Revolution, which is part of the Safehouse Outreach ministry. The ministry is based out of Atlanta, where Bakker and his wife reside. The two have also established ministries in California and Arizona. Their targets are the kids on the street who feel lonely, rejected and often guilty about their life-styles. Bakker advocates God's love for everyone, regardless of past sins, and through that message he has found his way back to faith and also forgiveness. Jay Bakker will be signing copies of his book at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1 at the Barnes and Noble in Fayetteville.
|
