Jimmy Swaggart, America's longest-running televangelist, dies at 90
"For over seven decades, brother Swaggart poured out his life preaching the gospel, singing songs of the faith, and pointing millions to the saving power of Jesus Christ and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. His voice echoed through nations, his music softened hearts, and his message never changed: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was not just a preacher—he was a worshiper, a warrior, and a witness to the grace and mercy of God. He was a man whose faith was steadfast and always entered whatever door the Lord opened. And the Lord honored that faith," said his family.
Born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Swaggart began his ministry in the 1950s. His charismatic preaching style and passionate delivery quickly garnered a following, leading to the launch of 'The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast' in 1975, which reached millions of viewers worldwide.
At the peak of his career, Swaggart's broadcasts were seen in over 100 countries, making him a household name and a potent force in the world of religious media. His influence extended beyond the pulpit, shaping the televangelism landscape and inspiring a new generation of ministers and church leaders.
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TimesLIVE
18 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Is the new generation falling into moral decay?
When I'm in the presence of the elderly, conversations that spark are often about the disrespectful generation nowadays, the Gen-Zs. I researched their observations and discovered that gender socialisation and culture play a pivotal role in the production of this behaviour among the so-called 'Ama 2000'. Gender socialisation begins at home; in sociology, this is a primary institution of socialisation. It is important for the family and school to work together in teaching values to children. When you walk through any township, village, suburb, street, in corridors or a schoolyard, you will notice something our elders could not have imagined could transpire under the sun. Teens hold hands and kiss in public, wear hats inside the house and won't give a seat to the elderly on public transport when it's fully loaded. Socrates would have said an unexamined behaviour is not worth giving blessings if he were of African descent. Moral degeneration is a global crisis that affects all societies in many ways. What has been a fundamental factor for me is that Gen-Zs are unwilling to follow values. The big notion I want to delve into is gender socialisation that results in a value dilemma among the younger generation. Gender socialisation is a simple concept: it's when boys and girls are taught about how society expects them to behave based on their gender. For example, when a boy gets hurt, maybe by falling, they are encouraged to be tough; in the case of girls, they are told that it is OK to cry. But boys and girls live up to these social expectations throughout their human lifespan, and when boys grow up, thinking that they must be cool, they learn how to make love by watching TikTok, Facebook or Instagram; that's where the twist of fate lies. There's a notion that art imitates life and vice versa. The youth are continually exposed to violence in the media. Secularisation also has an impact on the loss of a value system among the youth. Take my word for it; I've seen teens kissing in public as elders walk past. This way of behaving was not tolerated in the old days, 'so the elders say, and we listen to the wisdom of those ahead of us'. The elders call it disrespect; Gen-Z call it 'true love'. I call it ill-mannered, not that I'm against kissing. Cultures, whether we are talking of non-material or material culture, are different; we need to be conscious of that as diverse people in different regions of the world. What do we do when our children bring drugs, alcohol or weapons to school? Who do we blame when 14-year-old boys are stabbed to death in schools, like the one who died outside Tsolo High School in the Eastern Cape? In some African traditions, like the Thonga culture, kissing is taboo; it's seen as unhygienic and repulsive because of the saliva shared. But nowadays, the youths of tomorrow learn differently from what our elders learnt. The family no longer interrupts; values can be individually made or milked from friends. For example, when a Gen-Z befriends a person who goes home late, they gradually inherit that behaviour. Instagram and Netflix have been an impetus in the creation of this behaviour among 'Ama-2000'. The shift in behaviour is not only about kissing; it is about the death of values. Back in the times when a child would not walk in a house with a hat on, now Gen-Zs must always be reminded when they visit homes that keep that culture. The burial culture is changing too. Back then, children buried their parents; now parents bury their children — an unpredicted reversal of events . Respect is a two-way street. Today it's a one-way tunnel of assumptions. If you have been in a public transport, you must have noticed that Gen-Zs hardly offer a seat to elders unless the person is visibly disabled. The poverty trap, particularly in education, doesn't just destroy values and the future of children, it also destroys standards. Education takes place at school and at home, and different values are instilled in children. The primary objective of education is to develop a certain number of physical, intellectual and moral states in a child. The education system has produced pupils who are heartless, greedy, dishonest and disrespectful. The question is whether this is due to the poor formal training of South African educators, especially in the public sector. The issue of moral decay in education has its roots in apartheid; back then, violence erupted due to the poor education children were receiving. Today's education system continues to breed violent youths, but the reasons for the moral decay are now a bit different to those of apartheid. Juvenile delinquency is at its highest peak in South African society as discipline and respect decrease due to the disintegration of the family and poor education. The way the youth behave shows the principles they will adhere to when they become adults. If we want a society of well-mannered children, we should stop preaching values as adults and act ethically ourselves. If one of us stumbles along this journey, they should be held accountable for their responsibilities so that the upcoming ones can learn from us. The moral terrain should be unhampered territory. As people form families and families form societies, we must know the kind of society we are building.
IOL News
21 hours ago
- IOL News
The aircon broke at an animal shelter. People lined up to foster pets
Sandy Cheeks, left, Sponge Bob, back, and Gary spent a few days at Katie Boord's Rockville, Maryland, home. Image: Katie Boord Kyle Melnick Katie Boord was scrolling through Facebook on Monday evening, enjoying the aroma of the chicken macaroni and cheese her husband was cooking, when a post appeared on her phone that made her panic. An animal shelter in Derwood, Maryland, wrote: 'URGENT: Short-Term Fosters Needed for Shelter Animals.' The shelter's air conditioning was broken, the shelter said, putting hundreds of animals at risk of heat exhaustion. 'I have to do something,' Boord recalled telling her husband, Sean Clayton. 'Go ahead,' Boord recalled Clayton replying. 'I'll keep dinner warm.' Boord rushed to the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center from her Rockville, Maryland, home, joining dozens of others who came on short notice to foster animals after seeing the shelter's message. Boord left with three cats named Sponge Bob, Sandy Cheeks and Gary. The trio was among the roughly 70 animals who were fostered from the shelter this week as Montgomery County employees worked to fix the air conditioning amid a heat dome - a heat-trapping lid of strong high pressure - that brought extreme humidity and temperatures around 100 degrees to the D.C. area. Maria Anselmo, the shelter's community relations manager, said employees didn't expect such a large outpouring of help. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Long lines formed at the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center in Derwood, Maryland, after the shelter asked for foster volunteers. Image: Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center 'Half of us probably cried at some point over the past couple days [from joy],' Anselmo told The Washington Post. When employees reported to the shelter Monday morning, Anselmo said, the air conditioning wasn't working. They called the county's Department of General Services, which found a broken air-conditioning motor that could be fixed in about 24 hours. Shelter employees set up fans and cooling mats throughout their building. They froze Kong dog toys and limited their animals' time outdoors. Employees emailed former foster volunteers for help. But they realized that wasn't enough people, Anselmo said, so they posted on social media in the late afternoon Monday. 'We're urgently seeking short-term foster homes for dogs and cats,' the shelter wrote, adding: 'Even a weekend foster makes a difference. You'll give a shelter pet a much-needed break from the heat and help us free up space during this critical time.' As hundreds of Montgomery County residents and Maryland animal lovers shared the post, people began showing up at the shelter within minutes. The shelter's phones wouldn't stop ringing. Soon, a line formed outside the front door. Princess Daisy, a roughly 1-year-old terrier mix, rests at Debbie Lauer's Mount Airy, Maryland, home. Image: Debbie Lauer While the shelter usually asks foster volunteers to complete an application and schedule an appointment to meet employees and animals, the staff simply asked Monday for each volunteer's ID, address, phone number and email. 'We had so many people just show up who were ready to jump in and help that we weren't going to turn those people away,' said Anselmo, 37. After Boord arrived that evening, she said, she waited about an hour for employees to give her three cats who had come to the shelter from the same home - Sponge Bob and Sandy Cheeks, both of whom are around 2 years old, and Gary, about 10 months old. Boord and Clayton already had an 8-year-old cat, Fillion, at home. While Boord was at the shelter, Clayton set up their guest room for the foster cats with cat food, a litter box, water bowls, toys and a cat bed. While the cats were initially scared, they began playing with a spring toy the next day, and Gary, who initially wouldn't come out from his light blue blanket, cuddled with Boord, 34, a special-education teacher. At the shelter, employees worked until around 10 p.m. Monday. One of the many calls they received came from Debbie Lauer, who saw the shelter lost air conditioning while watching the evening news as she ate a chicken skewers dinner. Lauer had wanted to foster a dog since she retired last month from the National Security Agency. Teton became comfortable quickly at Ilya Albert's Rockville, Maryland, home. Image: Jessica DePrest On Tuesday, Lauer's 67th birthday, she drove about 16 miles south from her Mount Airy, Maryland, home to pick up Princess Daisy, a roughly 1-year-old terrier mix with a white and brindle coat. 'It's just feeling like you're doing something good,' Lauer said. 'I'm glad I did it. I will continue to do it.' The county fixed the shelter's air conditioning Tuesday, and the shelter emailed fosters that afternoon to say they could return the animals. But Ilya Albert, who began fostering Teton, an 11-month-old brown cat, on Monday, didn't want to say goodbye. Albert and his wife, Jessica DePrest, had considered adopting a cat since their longtime cat, Jones, died last month. At their Rockville home, Teton cuddled with DePrest, jumped atop their cat trees and purred when they picked him up. When Albert's 6-month-old daughter, June, pulled Teton's whiskers, Teton seemed unbothered. 'He felt like he was already a family member,' said Albert, 37, who works in marketing. Albert told the shelter Wednesday he and DePrest wanted to adopt Teton. They renamed him Jake - based on the cat from the 1978 movie 'The Cat From Outer Space.' Boord returned her cats Thursday, and Lauer is seeking an adopter for Princess Daisy. About 40 dogs, 20 cats and 10 small animals - rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and a chinchilla - were fostered this week, Anselmo said. The shelter thanked the volunteers in a statement Wednesday. 'This response has left us speechless,' the shelter wrote. 'How do we even begin to express our gratitude for each and every one of you?' To Anselmo, that starts by responding to every email and social media message the shelter received this week - a task she expects to take a few days. 'In the meantime: All animals are safe, cared for, and cool… thanks to YOU,' the shelter wrote.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Jimmy Swaggart, America's longest-running televangelist, dies at 90
Jimmy Swaggart, one of the most influential figures in American televangelism, has passed away at the age of 90, following a cardiac arrest last month. His family announced the news via a heartfelt post on Swaggart's official Facebook account on Tuesday. "For over seven decades, brother Swaggart poured out his life preaching the gospel, singing songs of the faith, and pointing millions to the saving power of Jesus Christ and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. His voice echoed through nations, his music softened hearts, and his message never changed: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was not just a preacher—he was a worshiper, a warrior, and a witness to the grace and mercy of God. He was a man whose faith was steadfast and always entered whatever door the Lord opened. And the Lord honored that faith," said his family. Born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Swaggart began his ministry in the 1950s. His charismatic preaching style and passionate delivery quickly garnered a following, leading to the launch of 'The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast' in 1975, which reached millions of viewers worldwide. At the peak of his career, Swaggart's broadcasts were seen in over 100 countries, making him a household name and a potent force in the world of religious media. His influence extended beyond the pulpit, shaping the televangelism landscape and inspiring a new generation of ministers and church leaders.
