What Tammy Faye Bakker Taught Me About God
Christian television rarely makes me do anything other than shake my head in disbelief, but this week, while looking at its meager beginnings, I was caught by surprise and actually captivated. I spent 78 minutes watching the documentary “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” and instead of shaking my head, I nodded in agreement.
For those caught unaware, Tammy Faye Bakker was the wife of prominent televangelist Jim Bakker, whose stardom peaked in the 1980’s. This film examines their biography, detailing their marriage and careers, which saw them launch two Christian television stations still ruling the airwaves today: CBN and TBN. Jim and Tammy Faye left these stations after startup to begin their own network, PTL (Praise the Lord).
Soon enough, PTL became one of the first television stations, religious or not, to launch a satellite and offer programming 24 hours a day. Because of the popularity of the network, the Bakkers built a Christian resort and amusement park, which in its prime was ranked third in the number of annual visitors behind Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The total budget of PTL and its entities was $500,000 a day.
But the success came crashing down. Scandals brought headlines, and Jim’s affair and Tammy’s drug abuse drew more viewers than helpful programming. In order to save face and the network, the Bakkers relied, perhaps too heavily, on Jerry Falwell. Bakker was forced out again, becoming nothing short of an exile. Allegations of tax evasion surfaced, Jim served time in prison, the two divorced and the word televangelist gave people the creeps.
The story from this point, however, turns to the notion of redemption. Tammy is seen at her strongest as her second husband is jailed and released and as she tries to develop a new career. In the end, Tammy Faye is seen not as a scandalous figurehead of the electronic church, but as she sees herself: someone simply trying to be her best in response to the grace given her by the God she knows as Father.
Not only do we get a redemptive portrait of Tammy through her own eyes, but we see what Christianity can be when people are genuine with themselves and God. Tammy Faye shocked many when she intentionally invited a gay pastor suffering from AIDS to be a guest on her show in the early 1980’s. Such an occurrence was legendary, not because it was Christian TV, but because at the time America was somewhere between fear and denial concerning the AIDS epidemic. Yet Tammy interviewed the gentlemen because he was one who needed love and acceptance. The clip included in the documentary shows Tammy pleading with Christians, asking them to love all others as Christ did.
The problem with stereotypes and prejudices is that they are based on ignorance and are therefore typically incorrect. And we harbor stereotypes when we simply refuse to see differently. Tammy Faye asked Christians in the 1980’s to abandon their stereotypes and look differently at gay males suffering from AIDS – to see them as people in need of and worthy of the love of Christ. As a result, I saw her differently, as a person in need of and worthy of the love of Christ.
While the documentary does not redeem the circus that is Christian media today, it does show how one individual can go through peaks and valleys both with the help of and at the expense of other Christians. The idea is not that everything turns out okay, but that by seeing things differently, all people become remarkable individuals worthy of our time, attention, and notice. These are the eyes of love through which God looks.
This film will first have you reconsidering what you think about Tammy Faye and then what you think about Christianity. I had to abandon my stereotype of seeing Christian personalities as static, selfish individuals. I had to let God be big enough to redeem those I thought unredeemable. “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” made me see past my ignorant prejudices in order to refocus and see clearly once they were gone.
We learn the most when we least expect it. Our parents teach us that. At thirteen we can barely stand to have them around, but then at twenty we can’t believe how much we learned in seven years. Let us remember that the truth of the God-potential around us will appear out of nowhere and captivate us when we least expect it. While the documentary gives history and biography, it demonstrates the importance and the benefit of a new perspective, a lesson only the eyes of Tammy Faye can teach.
For those caught unaware, Tammy Faye Bakker was the wife of prominent televangelist Jim Bakker, whose stardom peaked in the 1980’s. This film examines their biography, detailing their marriage and careers, which saw them launch two Christian television stations still ruling the airwaves today: CBN and TBN. Jim and Tammy Faye left these stations after startup to begin their own network, PTL (Praise the Lord).
Soon enough, PTL became one of the first television stations, religious or not, to launch a satellite and offer programming 24 hours a day. Because of the popularity of the network, the Bakkers built a Christian resort and amusement park, which in its prime was ranked third in the number of annual visitors behind Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The total budget of PTL and its entities was $500,000 a day.
But the success came crashing down. Scandals brought headlines, and Jim’s affair and Tammy’s drug abuse drew more viewers than helpful programming. In order to save face and the network, the Bakkers relied, perhaps too heavily, on Jerry Falwell. Bakker was forced out again, becoming nothing short of an exile. Allegations of tax evasion surfaced, Jim served time in prison, the two divorced and the word televangelist gave people the creeps.
The story from this point, however, turns to the notion of redemption. Tammy is seen at her strongest as her second husband is jailed and released and as she tries to develop a new career. In the end, Tammy Faye is seen not as a scandalous figurehead of the electronic church, but as she sees herself: someone simply trying to be her best in response to the grace given her by the God she knows as Father.
Not only do we get a redemptive portrait of Tammy through her own eyes, but we see what Christianity can be when people are genuine with themselves and God. Tammy Faye shocked many when she intentionally invited a gay pastor suffering from AIDS to be a guest on her show in the early 1980’s. Such an occurrence was legendary, not because it was Christian TV, but because at the time America was somewhere between fear and denial concerning the AIDS epidemic. Yet Tammy interviewed the gentlemen because he was one who needed love and acceptance. The clip included in the documentary shows Tammy pleading with Christians, asking them to love all others as Christ did.
The problem with stereotypes and prejudices is that they are based on ignorance and are therefore typically incorrect. And we harbor stereotypes when we simply refuse to see differently. Tammy Faye asked Christians in the 1980’s to abandon their stereotypes and look differently at gay males suffering from AIDS – to see them as people in need of and worthy of the love of Christ. As a result, I saw her differently, as a person in need of and worthy of the love of Christ.
While the documentary does not redeem the circus that is Christian media today, it does show how one individual can go through peaks and valleys both with the help of and at the expense of other Christians. The idea is not that everything turns out okay, but that by seeing things differently, all people become remarkable individuals worthy of our time, attention, and notice. These are the eyes of love through which God looks.
This film will first have you reconsidering what you think about Tammy Faye and then what you think about Christianity. I had to abandon my stereotype of seeing Christian personalities as static, selfish individuals. I had to let God be big enough to redeem those I thought unredeemable. “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” made me see past my ignorant prejudices in order to refocus and see clearly once they were gone.
We learn the most when we least expect it. Our parents teach us that. At thirteen we can barely stand to have them around, but then at twenty we can’t believe how much we learned in seven years. Let us remember that the truth of the God-potential around us will appear out of nowhere and captivate us when we least expect it. While the documentary gives history and biography, it demonstrates the importance and the benefit of a new perspective, a lesson only the eyes of Tammy Faye can teach.
Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" is available through Lions Gate Home Entertainment.
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