Jimmy Swaggart (March 15, 1935 – July 1, 2025)
1 Kings 15 was part of my Bible reading the day Jimmy Swaggart, the Pentecostal preacher,was promoted to glory at 90. Speaking of Judah’s King Abijam, 1 Kings 15:5 summarises what God thought of King David allowing Abijam to reign in Jerusalem “because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commandedhim all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”
Perhaps the words of God regarding David are a lens we can use as we remember Jimmy Swaggart.
Here is a tribute from David Hall, Senior Pastor of Revival City Church, Adelaide.
“Jimmy Swaggart is home with Jesus.
“I first heard Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart preach when I was about 15 years old. The message was “Ezekiel’s River”—a powerful word on the Baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
“The moment I heard him, I knew I want to preach like that. What inspired me about him?
– He could preach foundational Pentecostal theology like no one else.
– He brought Pentecostalism into the mainstream.
– He shaped the sound and style of the modern church. -He taught me how to lead people into the Baptism in the Holy Ghost.
– He knew the power of praise and worship. -He modelled excellence. -He loved services alive with the fire and celebration of God.
– He was an incredible musician—selling over 20 million albums.
– He simply would not quit.
– He led tens of millions to Jesus.
“In my opinion, he was the greatest preacher in modern history. And he was always very kind to me personally. I have watched hundreds of his messages. He has inspired me to be truly Pentecostal. I will miss him. He was such an inspiration to me. Over the years, he had me preach many times and was always generous with his encouragement. I loved preaching for him! Thank you, Brother Swaggart. Thank you for not quitting! Well done!”
There weill be many Uriah remeberances as well.
Here is a nuanced appreaciation of Swaggart from Mark Tooley of the Institute for Religiona nad Democracy, a conservative thinktank in Washington.
“His global audience included hundreds of millions. Like a meteor, he brilliantly streaked across the sky until he crashed in scandal. But his fame, even if aborted, illustrated the rise of global Pentecostalism and the rumbling energy of American Christianity.
“Swaggart was described by CBS anchor Dan Rather as the country’s greatest speaker. He strode, marched, kicked and wept his way across the stage, Bible, and microphone in hand. His hair was melon blonde, and his voice was rich and emotive. Like his celebrity cousins, rock and roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country music star Mickey Gilley, Swaggart sang and played the piano beautifully. He attained the largest weekly Christian television audience by getting onto state broadcasting channels in even Muslim and communist countries…
Tooley tells the story of how Swaggart was recruited by a fellow evangelist, Pat Buchanan who had Presidential ambitions. to the political right movement that produced Reagan, and arguably Trump.
But then recounts the Uriah the Hittite parallel: “Swaggart’s empire, with receipts of over $150 million annually, fell suddenly in 1989 when he was found with a prostitute in a Baton Rouge motel, caught by a rival preacher whose adultery Swaggart had challenged. Swaggart’s denomination, the Assemblies of God, put him on a on disciplinary probation, which he initially accepted, admitting to decades of sexual struggles, but later rejected when it was prolonged. Instead, he effusively and tearfully on television admitted he had sinned, and then he resumed his ministry. But his church emptied, the dollars shrank, the television contracts ended. He was again discovered with a prostitute in 1991, after which he offered no public apologies.”
King David famously admitted his guilt. But there is a real parallel here, between king and preacher, which we can struggle with.
And a Shakesepeare quote comes to mind: “The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.” Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 2
And the last line of this wonderful speech in which Mark Anthony mocks Brutus, might serve David Hall and all who remember Swaggart with gratitude.
“My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.”
Image: Jimmy Swaggart at the piano. Image Credit: Jntracy75 / Wikimedia
Forgiving and forgetting.