Bakker, Bakker, Bakker's Man

You remember Jim Bakker. You remember PTL. You remember Heritage USA. You remember Tammy Faye.

You remember how it all went bad back in the 1980s. You remember the women (and men). You remember how Bakker got it on with Jessica Hahn. You remember how Praise the Lord ministry collapsed, and how all those people who paid $1,000 for "lifetime partnerships" giving them free lodging at Heritage USA lost it all.

You remember how Bakker spent almost five years in jail for mail and wire fraud and "for diverting millions of dollars in partner fees for his personal use and promising more free lodging that the PTL ever could have provided."

PTL (aka Pass the Loot) may be long gone, but Bakker is back. Out of jail, remarried, and hanging in Branson, Missouri. He's got a TV show called, naturally, the Jim Bakker Show, and he's busy building hisself a mega-church called Morningside.

The stupid and the gullible are showing up just like in the old days. Many of the faithful think Bakker was set up, railroaded, falsely-accused, whatever. He's their man, he's their way to God. Many of these lost money with the old Bakker, but they're gonna try it again with the new Bakker. They have forgiven him.

Now Bakker says he did wrong. He even wrote a book about it. He says he's had a change of heart. Morningside Church is called "A Place of Refuge." It consists of a Christian retreat center and retirement community and is being built on 600 acres of land owned by Jerry Crawford who overflows with gratitude for Bakker because he believes Bakker helped put his failing marriage back together.

There is a large main building which Bakker plans to use as the home of his Jim Bakker Show and other operations. But some things never change. The Jim Bakker Show provides Bible study and/or discussion with his wife, Lori. But at the end of the program, Bakker begins the con: Please send a $1,000 "Builder's Club" donation to help with the down payment on Grace Chapel. Fools that send $1,000 will receive a "Builder's Bible" as a "love gift."

If you send $5,000, you'll get a "donor's name placed on an 'Amazing Grace' plaque." And, don't forget, the ministry needs donations in order to stay on the air.

Steven Reynolds from The All Spin Zone says that on April 10, Bakker told his audience "We need to preach the Gospel now. These are the times of the Bible."

The times of the Bible? Which times? The times of Moses? The times of David? The times of Jeremiah? The times of Jesus? The times of Paul? Which times?

Yep, Bakker's back! Back with the same old crap. And yes, he was wrong before and he's wrong now and a lot of folks are gonna feel the pain in their hearts and their pocketbooks when it all comes tumbling down, again!