Thoughts from my Visit to JSM

Musings of the SciFiPastor
Thoughts from my Visit to JSM
During my recent trip to Baton Rouge and Healing Place Church, I stopped by the headquarters of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. In the eighties, Jimmy Swaggart was the most popular televangelist on the airwaves, with ministry reaching literally around the world. Then, in early 1988, it came to light that he had utilized the services of a prostitute, and much of the ministry came crashing down.

Brother Swaggart was very influential in my journey to accepting Christ in 1986. For that, I will always owe him a debt of gratitude. On the flip side of that, I also made him an idol in my early Christian walk. The pedestal on which I had placed him quickly crumbled when the scandal hit, but fortunately my faith, though shaken in the fall, remained strong.

The truth is, as horrible as the spectacle became, I am thankful that my eyes were taken off of a man. I learned from the experience that even our Christian heroes can (and will) let us down, so our faith cannot be placed in them alone. Even Paul wrote “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), implying that we should NOT imitate him when his actions do not reflect Christ’s character.

Our human heroes are just that: human.

That being the case, I wonder what it must be like for Brother Swaggart to drive up to his headquarters each day. Right across the highway from his administration building and church sits this sight:





This is a dorm building that was under construction in 1988 when the Swaggart scandal hit the fan. It has sat here uncompleted for over twenty years. TWENTY YEARS!

Moreover, in October 1987, more than three months before Swaggart’s sin became known, David Wilkerson stood in Brother Swaggart’s pulpit and prophesied that God was not pleased with the television ministry and that if things did not change, they would see birds fly in and out of this building and take roost.

As you can imagine, the students of Jimmy Swaggart Bible College all but labeled Wilkerson a heretic. They pulled his books from their shelves and denounced him.

Imagine how that prophecy echoed in their ears when Jimmy Swaggart stood in his pulpit on February 21, 1988 and confessed, “I have sinned.”







So, again, what would it be like to drive by this half-completed dorm building almost every day for twenty years and be reminded of your failure?

Here’s the kicker: What towers are you constructing in your own life?

What are you doing right now that could leave a lasting consequence? Even after you repent, God forgives you, and you move on with your life, you still may have to deal with the consequences of your decisions.

Some sins are easily forgiven, but not so easily forgotten.

I took more pictures of this half-finished tower than anything else on my trip. I want to remember what is at stake when I don’t imitate Christ.