Jimmy Swaggart Bio, Wiki
Jimmy Swaggart (full name: Jimmy Lee Swaggart) is a Pentecostal preacher, performer, and author from the United States. He is the current owner and operator of the SonLife Broadcasting Network. Furthermore, Swaggart began his TV ministry in 1971, and his TV shоw has been broadcast in over 104 countries. His weekly Jimmy Swaggart and A Study in the Word shows are broadcast on 78 channels and through the Internet throughout the United States. Swaggart’s show was broadcast to over 3,000 stations and cable networks each week at its peak in the 1980s.
Jimmy Swaggart Age
He was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, United States. Therefore, Swaggart is 86 years old as of 2021.
Jimmy Swaggart Height
He is a man of average stature. Swaggart stands at a height of 5 ft 6 in (Approx. 1.70 m).
Jimmy Swaggart Family
He was born іn Fеrrіdау, Lоuіѕіаnа, tо hіѕ раrеntѕ Wіllіе Lеоn Ѕwаggаrt аnd Міnnіе Веllе Ѕwаggаrt. Moreover, Swaggart іѕ thе nерhеw оf Аrіllа Ѕwаggаrt as well as thе соuѕіn оf Місkеу Gіllеу (rock’n’roll pioneer) аnd Јеrrу Lее Lеwіѕ (country music star) . He also had a sister, Jeanette Ensminger who died in 1999. Durіng hіѕ сhіldhооd, hе uѕеd tо аttеnd Fеrrіdау’ѕ Аѕѕеmblіеѕ оf Gоd сhurсh, а ѕmаll сhurсh wіth оnlу 25 mеmbеrѕ.
Jimmy Swaggart Wife
Swaggart married his wife Frances Anderson Swaggart in 1952 at the age of 17 whereas his wife was 15 years old. The couple met in church while he was playing music with his father. Together, they have a son named Donnie Swaggart. According to Swaggart’s autobiography, they lived in poverty during the 1950s. Additionally, he worked several part-time odd jobs to support his young family and also began singing Southern Gospel music at various churches. Moreover, Swaggart preached throughout rural Louisiana, struggling to survive on US$30 a week. Due to poverty, they could not own a home, therefore they lived in church basements, pastors’ homes, and small motels. He also has a grandson Gabriel Swaggart who hosts the weekly Sonlife Broadcasting Network show Generation of the Cross.
Jimmy Swaggart Career
Swaggart was preaching from a flatbed trailer donated to him. Moreover, in 1955 he began full-time evangelistic work. Swaggart developed a revival-meeting following throughout the American South. Subsequently, he began recording gospel music record albums and transmitting on Christian radio stations in 1960. In 1961, Assemblies of God ordained Swaggart and a year later he began his radio ministry. In the late 1960s, he founded a small church named the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fortunately, the church eventually became district-affiliated with the Assemblies of God.
In the late 1960s, Swaggart started conducting a weekly 30-minute telecast over various local television stations in Baton Rouge. In addition, he purchased a local AM radio station, WPFC. The station broadcast Christian feature stories, preaching and teaching to various fundamentalist and Pentecostal denominations, and playing music. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Swaggart sold many of his radio stations gradually. However, his Ministries are still operating in several radio stations that operate under the name Sonlife Radio.
By 1975, Swaggart’s television ministry had expanded to more stations around the U.S., and he started to use television as his primary preaching forum. In 1978, his weekly telecast was increased to an hour. In 1980, Swaggart started a daily weekday telecast featuring Bible study and music. In the early 1980s, his broadcasts expanded to major cities nationwide, and by 1983, more than 250 television stations broadcast Swaggart’s telecast.
Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
Swaggart Ministries mainly comprised of Family Worship Center, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, radio and television programs called A Study in the Word, SonLife Radio Network, a website JSM org, and a 24/7 cable and satellite television network, SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN).
Frances Swaggart’s wife hosts a television program, “Frances and Friends,” which airs daily on SBN. Moreover, Swaggart is the host of a daily Bible study program on SBN, The Message of the Cross. Donnie, on the other hand, preaches at Family Worship Center and in churches across America and abroad. Gabriel Donnie’s son is the ministry’s youth pastor who leads Crossfire, Family Worship Center’s youth ministry. In addition, SBN delivers live broadcasts of all of its weekly services at Family Worship Center, as well as live broadcasts of all of its camp meetings.
Jimmy Swaggart Songs
In 1960, Swaggart began recording gospel music albums and transmitted them on Christian radio stations. Some of his songs are :
- Let Your Living Water Flow
- He Washed My Eyes with Tears
- There is A River
- Jesus Use Me
- Mercy Rewrote My Life
Jimmy Swaggart Scandals
Unfortunately, Swaggart has faced two Sexual scandals with prostitutes. The first one happened in the late 1980s. As a result, the Assemblies of God defrocked him. On February 21, 1988, Swaggart gave his confession “I have sinned” speech. He spoke tearfully to his family, congregation, TV audience, and finally said “I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your Precious Blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God’s forgetfulness.”
The second scandal happened in the early 1990s. It was after being pulled over for a traffic violation in California with a prostitute. However, this time, instead of an emotional confession, Swaggart told his followers that Lord told him it was none of their business. As a result, his ministry became non-affiliated, nondenominational, and significantly smaller than it was in the ministry’s pre-scandal years.
Jimmy Swaggart Net Worth
His television ministry began in 1975 and continues to air throughout the United States and around the world. There is no doubt therefore, he has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Swaggart’s estimated net worth is $10 million.
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