American televangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies at age 90
As a boy, Swaggart was surrounded by the fire and brimstone Pentecostal version of Christianity he would later take to the airwaves. His father, a grocer and tough disciplinarian, preached from time to time and Swaggart was nine when he claimed he was 'called' to the ministry.
'You will preach my gospel all over the world. You will even take it to Africa,' was the command Swaggart said God gave him.
Swaggart dropped out of school, chopped cotton and hauled gravel for a living. At the age of 17 he married 15-year-old Frances Anderson after a three-month courtship.
He watched as preachers such as Oral Roberts scooped up souls and cash with huge revival meetings in tents.
A tall, muscular man with chiselled features, Swaggart was an imposing figure as he began his career preaching on street corners and at rural Pentecostal meetings, filled with singing, hand-waving and speaking in tongues.
By 1969 he started 'The Camp Hour Meeting', a radio broadcast, and his star rose higher when he took his sermons to TV in 1973.
An arch-conservative who sometimes criticised Catholics and Jews, Swaggart became a force in the early days of the US religious right in the 1980s, a movement seeking to redraw public policy along biblical lines.
He took his preaching to Africa and Latin America, becoming a celebrity in unlikely places such as Soweto.
The New York Times said Swaggart's relationship with a sex worker in New Orleans was revealed by Marvin Gorman, a rival preacher who provided incriminating photographs and said Swaggart had unjustly accused him of adulterous affairs.
In February 1988, a weeping Swaggart stood before the congregation at his Baton Rouge Family Worship Centre and begged for forgiveness.
Swaggart was defrocked by the Assemblies of God national organisation for refusing to accept its punishment of suspension.
In 1991 he was stopped for a traffic violation by police in Indio, California, with a sex worker n his car. He said he would step down from his ministry but changed his mind and told his congregation 'the Lord told me it's flat none of your business'.
Before his downfall, Swaggart frequently lashed out at pornography and behaviour he portrayed as sexual immorality. He was heavily criticised in 2004 after saying on his TV show if a gay man made a sexual advance on him, 'I'm going to kill him and tell God he died', a comment he later said was a joke.
Swaggart's influence waned considerably after the scandals. His ministry survived in a much diminished form, but he appeared on cable television from time to time.
Swaggart and Frances, who stuck with him through his scandals, had one child, Donnie, who took a key role in the ministry.
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Swaggart, born on March 15 1935, grew up in the rough and tumble and racially segregated Louisiana backwater of Ferriday with two cousins who also would become famous, rock n ' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley. As a boy, Swaggart was surrounded by the fire and brimstone Pentecostal version of Christianity he would later take to the airwaves. His father, a grocer and tough disciplinarian, preached from time to time and Swaggart was nine when he claimed he was 'called' to the ministry. 'You will preach my gospel all over the world. You will even take it to Africa,' was the command Swaggart said God gave him. Swaggart dropped out of school, chopped cotton and hauled gravel for a living. At the age of 17 he married 15-year-old Frances Anderson after a three-month courtship. He watched as preachers such as Oral Roberts scooped up souls and cash with huge revival meetings in tents. A tall, muscular man with chiselled features, Swaggart was an imposing figure as he began his career preaching on street corners and at rural Pentecostal meetings, filled with singing, hand-waving and speaking in tongues. By 1969 he started 'The Camp Hour Meeting', a radio broadcast, and his star rose higher when he took his sermons to TV in 1973. An arch-conservative who sometimes criticised Catholics and Jews, Swaggart became a force in the early days of the US religious right in the 1980s, a movement seeking to redraw public policy along biblical lines. He took his preaching to Africa and Latin America, becoming a celebrity in unlikely places such as Soweto. The New York Times said Swaggart's relationship with a sex worker in New Orleans was revealed by Marvin Gorman, a rival preacher who provided incriminating photographs and said Swaggart had unjustly accused him of adulterous affairs. In February 1988, a weeping Swaggart stood before the congregation at his Baton Rouge Family Worship Centre and begged for forgiveness. Swaggart was defrocked by the Assemblies of God national organisation for refusing to accept its punishment of suspension. In 1991 he was stopped for a traffic violation by police in Indio, California, with a sex worker n his car. He said he would step down from his ministry but changed his mind and told his congregation 'the Lord told me it's flat none of your business'. Before his downfall, Swaggart frequently lashed out at pornography and behaviour he portrayed as sexual immorality. He was heavily criticised in 2004 after saying on his TV show if a gay man made a sexual advance on him, 'I'm going to kill him and tell God he died', a comment he later said was a joke. Swaggart's influence waned considerably after the scandals. His ministry survived in a much diminished form, but he appeared on cable television from time to time. Swaggart and Frances, who stuck with him through his scandals, had one child, Donnie, who took a key role in the ministry.
