num_pages: 652
description: The Man: the puzzle of Jim Bakker, the enigmatic youngest son of a machinist – he rose from college dropout to the enthusiastic host of the "700 Club" for Pat Robertson, and finally to president of the ill-fated PTL ministry.The Money: Bakker's "Lifetime Partnerships" became a $160 million engine that propelled his ministry into national prominence. Simultaneously, his moral and management failures veered PTL toward financial collapse, setting the stage for indictment and criminal trial.The Faithful: Hundreds of thousands of trusting, charismatic, and Pentecostal Christians found in Bakker, PTL, and Heritage USA a hero fo their own, a church in their living room, and a loving community of like-minded believers.Bakker's Lieutenants: The Pentecostal bishop for whom the ends justified the means; the effeminate one-time piano player who wielded Bakker's proxy; and the succession of idealists who tried to keep Bakker's ministry on a righteous course.The Press: The Charlotte Observer's exclusive behind-the-scenes pursuit of the Jessica Hahn payoff and PTL's efforts to keep its cover-up from unraveling.
language: English
title: Forgiven: The Rise and Fall of Jim Bakker and the PTL Ministry
titlecomplete: Forgiven: The Rise and Fall of Jim Bakker and the PTL Ministry
genres: Crime, History, Biography, Religion, Spirituality, Journalism, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 34
publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (NYC)