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Church & Ministry
Jim Bakker
Televangelism
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“Bakker, the pioneering televangelist and head of Praise the Lord Ministry, who was later imprisoned for financial misconduct, died Monday evening at the age of 86.” - CPost

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Discussion

Thu, 10/08/26

The Scheme (Lifetime Partnerships)

  • The Pitch: Between 1984 and 1987, Bakker sold over 159,000 fraudulent "lifetime partnerships" (costing around $1,000 each) to contributors.
  • The Promise: Buyers were told their $1,000 purchase gave them a right to a free annual stay at a luxury hotel at the Heritage USA resort.
  • The Fraud: Bakker promised to limit these partnerships to 25,000 (a number the resort could actually accommodate), but instead oversold them nearly seven times over to raise more than $158–$400 million.
  • Luxury Spending: Instead of using the funds to build and maintain the promised lodgings, Bakker and his inner circle diverted the money to fund an opulent lifestyle—including six-figure salaries, luxury cars, a private jet, and gold-plated fixture

My memory: con man and false teacher

https://www.uspis.gov/history-spotlight/heritage-usa-fraud

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