Jim Bakker has a long history of controversy, and COVID-19 misinformation is just the tip of the iceberg. After becoming one of the most infamous televangelists of the ‘80s, his life came crashing down after multiple scandals.
He was accused of raping and drugging a woman and then using his money from his followers to bribe her into silence. There were further accusations of using the same church funds for his own gain, as if that wasn’t apparent already from the lavish lifestyle he was living.
In 1989, Bakker was convicted of 24 counts of fraud and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. However, he was later paroled and served 5 years instead.
You would think that a wake-up call like this would help him to see the error of his ways. Perhaps it was a message from God and he would atone for his sins? But alas, nothing has changed. Bakker has continued to tout his brand of televangelism to scam people and build his own fortunes and platform.
And the COVID-19 pandemic was just another way for him to cash in on people’s beliefs. In the initial media frenzy and panic of the coronavirus, there were many unfounded claims and lies being told about it. Suddenly, everyone knew better than the professionals and gave their two cents on how to beat the virus. Bakker was no different.
He and his company, Morningside Church Productions, started selling their own snake oil to unsuspecting and panicked customers. The ‘Silver Solution’ (ironically named after the harmful colloidal silver used in it) would supposedly prevent and cure COVID-19, whilst simultaneously boosting the immune system.
Of course, none of it was true and it should go without saying that trusting a convicted fraudster selling an unapproved medicine is a bad decision. Thankfully, Bakker was successfully sued by the state of Missouri to stop him and his company from selling the bogus cure, and he was ordered to pay back all the costs to the people he had defrauded.
Although televangelism was in its heyday during the ‘80s, its format and concept still persist today in the US. And it seems to be as lucrative as ever.
Another popular televangelist, Kenneth Copeland, managed to build his wealth on the same business idea. With a net worth estimated somewhere between $300 million to $760 million and being the owner of three private jets, he seems to be doing well for himself.
When asked by investigative reporter Lisa Guerrero if all this was necessary for spreading the good word he said, “It takes a lot of money to do what we do.”
