Chapter 1: Tongues of Fire
Chapter 2: From Puppets to Johnny Carson
Chapter 3: Facts Don't Count
Chapter 4: PTL Live
Chapter 5: Time Bomb
Chapter 6: Changing of the Guard
Chapter 7: Heritage USA
Chapter 8: Four Days, Three Nights
Chapter 9: Dream World
Chapter 10: Scandal
Chapter 11: The Collapse of PTL
Chapter 12: Trial of the Century
Chapter 13: Aftermath
Epilogue: What's Next
Notes
Bibliography
Index
John Wigger is Professor of History at the University of Missouri. His research focuses on American religious and cultural history. He is the author of American Saint (OUP 2009) and Taking Heaven by Storm (OUP 1998).
"Wigger explicates critically but fairly the story of Jim Bakker
and PTL ('Praise the Lord' or 'People That Love')
Recommended."--W.B. Bedford, CHOICE
"Taking on scandal as a subject of study is complicated. It is
tempting to dismiss PTL and the Bakkers as the worst exemplars of
Christian hypocrisy. The more productive venture is to explicate
the complexity of the Bakkers' motivations, to explain the gradual
escalation of their ambition, and to narrate the story of grace
found and lost. Wigger does this admirably and with good humor.
Several passages stand out as delightfully funny-a rare feature
in
historical writing. As Jim Bakker continues to sell his apocalyptic
gruel by exploiting Americans' fears, understanding the culture
that he helped create and in which he still operates has never been
more
important."--Suzanna Krivulskaya, Reading Religion
"Thorough and thoughtful, Wigger's book affords nuance to a story
that has often otherwise been relegated to tabloid fodder. PTL is a
fascinating study of the ignominious collapse of an evangelical
empire-an event that captured and scandalized a nation." - Foreword
Reviews
"Wigger succeeds in providing a three-dimensional view of the
one-dimensional figures of American television and a greater
understanding of the Bakkers and their followers." - Library
Journal
"Captivating...outstanding...Anyone interested in the theological
underpinnings of certain contemporary strains of right-wing
American politics, as well as those more particularly interested in
the Bakkers or televangelism, should find this book rewarding." -
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"RivetingELEngaging storylines and a wild cast of characters keep
the pages turningELIt is perhaps fitting that this definitive
history of the Bakkers and PTL is at once edifying and
entertaining-a tribute, in that sense, to what might have been." -
Christianity Today
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