In the middle of a legal fight over allegedly making false claims about a health supplement, televangelist Jim Bakker has suffered a stroke.
According to his wife, the work hours he has been keeping, along with the stress he has been under, has had an affect on his health.
The 80 year-old preacher’s lawyers filed court papers last Monday stating Bakker’s religious freedoms have been violated and urging a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the well-known minister and his ministry.
The lawsuit, filed in March by Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt, alleges Bakker made false claims about a “Silver Solution” health supplement on an episode of The Jim Bakker Show in February. The complaint alleges Bakker and Morningside Church Productions made “false promises” that the Silver Solution — offered by the ministry — could cure COVID-19. Bakker and Morningside strongly deny the allegations.
“Jim Bakker is being unfairly targeted by those who want to crush his ministry and force his Christian television program off the air,” said Jay Nixon, Bakker’s attorney and former Governor and Attorney General of Missouri.
Now, Bakker faces another challenge: that of his own health. In a letter released to supporters, his wife, Lori, stated:
“As a family and staff, we continue to fight the good fight of faith and take a stand against the evil forces and hatred that has come against our ministry.
“In Jim’s words, this has been the most vicious attack that he has ever experienced.
“For many years now, Jim has been working non-stop, working hard to bring incredible prophets and guests to our show, discovering and developing new products to share, building at Morningside, and bringing forth the message for the days that we are living in. All of these projects, and the vigorous warfare that we have experienced in the last several weeks, have taken a huge toll on Jim’s health.
“I wanted to share with you, our loving and caring partners, that Jim recently experienced a stroke. We are thankful that Jim is okay, and that he is now at home with our family. Under the guidance of medical professionals and our Board of Directors, Jim will be taking a sabbatical from the show. Jim will be back! He is still dreaming and hearing from the Lord, and he already has a powerful word to deliver when he returns to the air.
“In the meantime, the show will continue. Jim is a Watchman on the Wall, and we as a family are committed to carrying his mantle by bringing more prophets, news, updates, and more in the coming weeks on The Jim Bakker Show.
“We ask that you continue to pray for Jim, and pray for our ministry, during these challenging times. As Jim always says, God loves you, He really does! And so do we! Love, Lori.”
Bakker is a long-standing TV preacher. While he is best known for his scandals back in the 80’s, it’s fair to say we all deserve both forgiveness and a second chance. If one thing is sure, he has the courage after all the headlines to still front up and put his face on TV.
Image courtesy Facebook
Danielle Jarvis
Soul Purpose
Matthias Browning
