The PTL Club , also known as The Jim and Tammy Show , was a Christian television program that was first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker , running from 1974 to 1989. The program was later known as PTL Today and as Heritage Today . During its final years, The PTL Club , which adopted a talk show format, was the flagship television program of the Bakkers' PTL Satellite Network .
99-504: Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker had been in the ministry with the Assemblies of God denomination since the early 1960s prior to joining Pat Robertson 's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), then based in Portsmouth , Virginia , in 1965. The Bakkers launched a children's show called Come On Over where the couple entertained viewers with songs, stories, and puppets. In 1966, Jim Bakker became
198-897: A Minneapolis Bible college affiliated with the Assemblies of God , where he met fellow student Tammy Faye LaValley in 1960. Bakker worked at a restaurant in the Young-Quinlan department store in Minneapolis; Tammy Faye worked at the Three Sisters, a nearby boutique. Despite already having a fiancee in Muskegon, Jim began courting Tammy Faye. The Bakkers married on April 1, 1961, and left college to become itinerant evangelists . They had two children, Tammy Sue "Sissy" Bakker Chapman (born March 2, 1970) and Jamie Charles "Jay" Bakker (born December 18, 1975). The couple divorced on March 13, 1992. On September 4, 1998, Bakker married Lori Beth Graham,
297-415: A historic site . To avoid the many visitors at Monticello , Thomas Jefferson in 1806 developed a plantation and house near Lynchburg, called Poplar Forest . He often visited the town, noting, "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be useful to the town of Lynchburg. I consider it as the most interesting spot in the state." In 1810, Jefferson wrote, "Lynchburg is perhaps the most rising place in
396-712: A panacea . In March 2020, the office of the Attorney General of New York ordered Bakker to cease making false medicinal claims about his supplements' alleged ability to cure the 2019–2020 strains of coronavirus , and the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration also sent a warning letter to Bakker about his claims regarding the supplements and coronavirus. Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt and Arkansas attorney general Leslie Rutledge filed lawsuits against Bakker for allegedly pushing
495-587: A 'hostile takeover' of the television ministry by people threatening to expose a sexual encounter he admitted to having seven years earlier with church secretary Jessica Hahn ." According to Hahn, on the afternoon of December 6, 1980, when she was a 21-year-old church secretary, Bakker and another preacher, John Wesley Fletcher drugged and raped her for "about 15 minutes". Hahn stated she overheard Bakker say afterward to another PTL staffer, "Did you get her too?" A federal grand jury indicted Bakker for diverting millions of dollars of church funds to personal use. Much of
594-460: A 16-month federal grand jury probe, Bakker was indicted in 1988 on eight counts of mail fraud , 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy . In 1989, after a five-week trial which began on August 28 in Charlotte, North Carolina , a jury found him guilty on all 24 counts. Judge Robert Daniel Potter sentenced Bakker to 45 years in federal prison and imposed a $ 500,000 fine. At
693-568: A day on the outlet, which Bakker accepted. Initially, his show in Charlotte was under the umbrella of Crouch's Trinity Broadcasting and also called Praise The Lord. This edition of the show was launched in a small studio at WRET-TV. The 700 Club moved to then- ABC affiliate WCCB in Charlotte. Soon after, 16 WGGS-TV in Greenville , South Carolina also picked up the show. In the fall of 1974, Bakker broke up with Trinity Broadcasting, secured usage of
792-606: A downtown area referred to as the "Buzzard's Roost." Methodist preacher and later bishop John Early became one of Lynchburg's civic leaders; unlike early Methodist preachers who had urged abolition of slavery during the Great Awakening ; Early was of a later generation that had accommodated to this institution in the slave societies of the South. On December 3, 1840, the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond reached Lynchburg. It
891-514: A few other stations. In 1975, they nationally debuted their own late night -style talk show, known as The PTL Club . Bakker founded the PTL Satellite Network in 1974, which aired The PTL Club and other religious television programs through local affiliates across the U.S. Throughout the 1970s, Bakker built a headquarters for PTL in the Carolinas called Heritage Village. Over time,
990-448: A former televangelist, fifty days after they met. In 2002, they adopted five children. In 1966, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker began working at Pat Robertson 's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in Portsmouth , Virginia , which had an audience in the low thousands at the time. The Bakkers contributed to the network's growth, hosting a children's variety show called Come On Over that employed comic routines with puppets . Due to
1089-558: A four-season humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with cool winters and hot, humid summers. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.9 °F (2.2 °C) in January to 76.0 °F (24.4 °C) in July. Nights tend to be significantly cooler than days throughout much of the year due in part to the moderate elevation. In a typical year, there are 27.4 days with a high temperature 90 °F (32 °C) or above, and 6.2 days with
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#17330862518381188-423: A high of 32 °F (0 °C) or below. Snowfall averages 11.6 inches (29 cm) per season but this amount varies highly with each winter; the snowiest winter is 1995–96 with 56.8 in (144 cm) of snow, but the following winter recorded only trace amounts, the least on record. The average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity. The plant hardiness zone
1287-419: A household in the city was $ 32,234, and the median income for a family was $ 40,844. Males had a median income of $ 31,390 versus $ 22,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,263. About 12.3% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over. Lynchburg ranks below the 2006 median annual household income for
1386-974: A letter-writing campaign to the parole board advocating leniency. Celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz acted as Bakker's parole attorney, having said that he "would guarantee that Mr. Bakker would never again engage in the blend of religion and commerce that led to his conviction." Bakker was released from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody on December 1, 1994, owing $ 6 million to the IRS. In 2003, Bakker began broadcasting The Jim Bakker Show daily at Studio City Café in Branson, Missouri , with his second wife Lori; it has been carried on CTN , Daystar , Folk TV, Grace Network (Canada), Daystar Television Canada , GEB America , Hope TV (Canada), Impact Network, WGN , WHT , TCT Network , The Word Network , UpliftTV, and ZLiving networks. Most of Bakker's audience receives his program on DirecTV and Dish Network . Bakker condemned
1485-686: A line in the Norfolk and Western Railway , and last as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway . The Orange and Alexandria Railroad stopped in Lynchburg. During the American Civil War , Lynchburg served as a Confederate transportation hub and supply depot. It had 30 hospitals, often placed in churches, hotels, and private homes. In June 1864, Union forces of General David Hunter approached within 1-mile (1.6 km) as they drove south from
1584-416: A luxury hotel at Heritage USA during that period. According to the prosecution at Bakker's fraud trial, tens of thousands of memberships were sold but only one 500-room hotel was ever finished. Bakker sold "exclusive partnerships" which exceeded capacity, raising more than twice the money needed to build the hotel. Much of the money paid Heritage USA's operating expenses, and Bakker kept $ 3.4 million. After
1683-407: A new entity known as Heritage Ministries to run the television program and associated ministry functions. As Heritage USA and PTL assets were now tied up in bankruptcy reorganization, the new ministry and the television program had to move from their longtime Heritage USA broadcast studios to newly bought property on Nations Ford Road in Charlotte that was named Heritage Place. The program remained on
1782-539: A new ministry for Bakker in Blue Eye, Missouri , named Morningside USA. Production for The Jim Bakker Show moved to Morningside in 2008. In 2013, Bakker wrote Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead about end-time events. Bakker has changed his views on prosperity theology . In his 1980 book Eight Keys to Success , he stated, "God wants you to be happy, God wants you to be rich, God wants you to prosper." In his 1996 book, I Was Wrong , he admitted that
1881-533: A religion are sick of being saps for money-grubbing preachers and priests", was evidence that the judge had injected his religious beliefs into Bakker's sentence. A sentence-reduction hearing was held on November 16, 1992, and Bakker's sentence was reduced to eight years. In August 1993, he was transferred to a minimum-security federal prison in Jesup, Georgia . Bakker was paroled in July 1994, after serving almost five years of his sentence. His son, Jay, spearheaded
1980-447: A role in the three government agencies taking no action against PTL despite the evidence against them, as members of the Reagan administration were not eager to go after television ministers whose evangelical followers made up their base. A $ 279,000 payoff for the silence of Jessica Hahn , who alleged that Bakker and former PTL Club co-host John Wesley Fletcher drugged and raped her,
2079-471: A sexual encounter with Hahn at a hotel room in Clearwater, Florida , he denied raping her. Bakker was also the subject of homosexual and bisexual allegations made by Fletcher and PTL director Jay Babcock, which Bakker denied under oath . Rival televangelist John Ankerberg appeared on Larry King Live and made several allegations of moral impropriety against Bakker, which both Bakkers denied. Bakker
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#17330862518382178-466: A stroke that his son Jay described as "minor". Lori stated that he would be taking a sabbatical from the program until he recovers. She blamed the stroke on Bakker's hard work on his show and wrote that he had described the criticism against him as "the most vicious attack that he has ever experienced". Bakker returned to his program for the first time following his stroke on July 8, 2020. On June 23, 2021, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced
2277-486: A tobacco trading, then commercial, and much later an industrial center. Eventually the state built a canal and towpath along the river to make transportation by the waterway easier, and especially to provide a water route around the falls at Richmond, which prevented through navigation by boat. By 1812, U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall , who lived in Richmond, reported on the navigation difficulties and construction problems on
2376-526: A train was continuously run up and down the tracks while drummers played and Lynchburg citizens cheered as if reinforcements were disembarking. Local prostitutes took part in the deception, misleading their Union clients about the large number of Confederate reinforcements. Narcissa Owen ( Cherokee ), wife of the president of the Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad , later wrote about her similar deception of Union spies. From April 6 to 10, 1865, Lynchburg served as
2475-573: A two-hour special, entitled Unfaithfully Yours , about the PTL scandal. In 1979, Bakker and PTL came under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for allegedly misusing funds raised on the air. The FCC report was finalized in 1982 and found that Bakker had raised $ 350,000 that he told viewers would go towards funding overseas missions but that was actually used to pay for part of Heritage USA. The report also found that
2574-437: Is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 5 °F (−15 °C). Temperature extremes range from 106 °F (41 °C), recorded on July 10, 1936, down to −11 °F (−24 °C), recorded on February 20, 2015 . However, several decades may pass between 100 and 0 °F (38 and −18 °C) readings, with the last such occurrences being July 8, 2012 and February 20, 2015, respectively. One of
2673-920: Is one of the country's largest institutions of higher education and the largest employer in the Lynchburg region. The university states that it generates over $ 1 billion in economic impact to the Lynchburg area annually. Lynchburg has ten recognized historic districts, four of them in the downtown residential area. Since 1971, 40 buildings have been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Downtown Lynchburg has undergone significant revitalization, with hundreds of new loft apartments created through adaptive reuse of historic warehouses and mills. Since 2000, downtown has attracted private investments of more than $ 110 million, and business activity increased by 205% from 2004 to 2014. In 2014, 75 new apartment units were added to downtown Lynchburg, with 155 further units under construction, increasing
2772-877: The Haudenosaunee , or Iroquois Confederacy based in New York, defeated them. The Seneca had ranged south while seeking new hunting grounds through the Shenandoah Valley to the West. At the Treaty of Albany in 1718, the Iroquois Five Nations ceded control of their land east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including Lynchburg, to the Colony of Virginia ; they confirmed this in 1721. First settled by Anglo-Americans in 1757, Lynchburg
2871-742: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) founded Lynchburg Christian College (later Lynchburg College ) in what had been the Westover Hotel resort, which went bankrupt in the Panic of 1901 . During the 2018–19 school year, the college's name was changed to the University of Lynchburg , reflecting its expansion of graduate-level programs and research. Lynchburg's first public library, the Jones Memorial Library , opened in 1907. During World War I,
2970-636: The Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch , the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census , making Lynchburg the 11th most populous city in Virginia . Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River , Lynchburg is known as the " City of Seven Hills " or the "Hill City". In the 1860s, Lynchburg
3069-696: The Federal Medical Center, Rochester in Rochester, Minnesota , he shared a cell with activist Lyndon LaRouche and skydiver Roger Nelson . The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Bakker's conviction on the fraud and conspiracy charges, voided Bakker's 45-year sentence and $ 500,000 fine and ordered a new sentencing hearing in February 1991. The court ruled that Potter's sentencing statement about Bakker, that "those of us who do have
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3168-446: The Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad . By the 1850s, Lynchburg (along with New Bedford, Massachusetts ) was among the richest towns per capita in the US. Tobacco (including the manufacture of plug tobacco in factories using rented slave labor), slave-trading, general commerce, and iron and steel manufacturing powered the economy. Railroads had become the wave of the future. Construction on
3267-704: The PTL acronym from the Crouches, and called his new show The PTL Club . The PTL Club continued being produced at WRET and in November 1974, the show expanded to a few other stations such as WHMB-TV in Indianapolis ; WHCT in Hartford , Connecticut ; and KHOF-TV in the Los Angeles area, among a few others. The show launched nationally in 1975, with two editions offered: one was
3366-527: The PTL Club . In the fall of 1981, the show was cut to an hour, at which length it remained until its cancellation. Due to his involvement in highly publicized financial and sexual scandals, Jim Bakker resigned on March 19, 1987. He turned all ministry assets over to Lynchburg, Virginia –based pastor and broadcaster Jerry Falwell , who became CEO of the parent organization, Heritage Village Church and Missionary Fellowship, Inc. and assumed control of Heritage USA,
3465-481: The PTL Television Network , broadcasting worldwide. In a Tonight Show -type format, the program featured many well-known ministers and Christian recording artists. In the beginning, Henry "Uncle Henry" Harrison, who had worked with Bakker at CBN, was Bakker's co-host and sidekick (much like Ed McMahon to Johnny Carson ), and when Tammy Faye took over as co-host, Harrison became the announcer. The program
3564-625: The September 11 attacks of 2001, stating that he "saw 9/11 in 1999 before New Year's Eve " and that there would "be terrorism" and bombings in New York City and Washington, D.C. " A few days after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting , he stated that "God came to [him] in a dream... and he was wearing camouflage, a hunting vest and had an AR-15 strapped to his back" and that God supported Trump's plan to arm teachers . Following
3663-525: The Shenandoah Valley . Confederate troops under General John McCausland harassed them. Meanwhile, the city's defenders hastily erected breastworks on Amherst Heights. Defenders were led by General John C. Breckinridge , who was an invalid from wounds received at the Battle of Cold Harbor . Union General Philip Sheridan appeared headed for Lynchburg on June 10, as he crossed the Chickahominy River and cut
3762-528: The South River Friends Meetinghouse . Quakers later abandoned the town because of their moral opposition to slave-holding. Presbyterians took over the grounds of the meetinghouse in 1899, and adapted it as a church, later building a new church adjacent to the site, and restoring the Quaker meetinghouse to the buildings historical appearance. The meeting house and burial ground are now preserved as
3861-787: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 49.6 square miles (128.5 km ), of which 49.2 square miles (127.4 km ) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km ) (1.0%) is water. The first neighborhoods of Lynchburg developed upon seven hills adjacent to the original ferry landing. These neighborhoods include: Other major neighborhoods, with more upside, include Tinbridge Hill, Boonsboro, Trents Ferry, Rivermont, Fairview Heights (Campbell Ave corridor), Jackson Heights, Federal Hill (Federal Street, Jackson Street, Harrison Street) Fort Hill, Forest Hill (Old Forest Rd. Area), Timberlake, Windsor Hills, Sandusky, Sheffield, Linkhorne, Cornerstone and Wyndhurst. Lynchburg has
3960-661: The United States Supreme Court in Buck v. Bell . She was classified as "feeble-minded" and sterilized while a patient at the Virginia State Colony. Sterilizations were carried out for 35 years until 1972, when the operations were halted. Later in the late 1970s, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of Virginia on behalf of the sterilization victims. In
4059-542: The Virginia Central Railroad . However, Confederate cavalry under General Wade Hampton , including the 2nd Virginia Cavalry from Lynchburg under General Thomas T. Munford , defeated his forces at the two-day Battle of Trevilian Station in Louisa County, and they withdrew. This permitted fast-marching troops under Confederate General Jubal Early to reach within four miles of Lynchburg on June 16 and tear up
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4158-522: The prosperity theology in which he took part earlier in his career, and has embraced apocalypticism . His show has a millennial , survivalist focus and sells buckets of freeze-dried food, such as beans on toast, to his audience in preparation for the end of days . Elspeth Reeve wrote in The Atlantic that Bakker's "doomsday survival gear" is overpriced. A man named Jerry Crawford, who credits Bakker with saving his marriage, invested $ 25 million in
4257-564: The Bakkers departed CBN in 1973 and relocated to Southern California for a brief period, where they assisted Paul and Jan Crouch in launching Trinity Broadcasting Network and the show Praise the Lord before eventually starting their own television ministry in North Carolina. When WRET-TV dropped The 700 Club in 1973, the station's then-owner Ted Turner approached Bakker about buying two hours
4356-618: The Bakkers expanded the ministry to include the Heritage USA theme park in Fort Mill , South Carolina , which became the third most successful theme park in the U.S. at the time. Viewer contributions were estimated to exceed $ 1 million a week, with proceeds to expand the theme park and The PTL Club 's mission. Bakker responded to inquiries about his use of mass media by saying: "I believe that if Jesus were alive today, he would be on TV". Two scandals brought down PTL in 1987: Bakker
4455-511: The Bakkers to eventually leave the new network. While under TBN, the Bakkers moved to Charlotte , North Carolina , where in May of 1973 they launched an east coast version of Praise The Lord under TBN's umbrella. Less than a year later the Bakkers formed their own non profit organization, registered the PTL trademark, left the umbrella of TBN and the Crouches, and continued their show on 36 WRET Charlotte, 16 WGGS Greenville, South Carolina , and
4554-439: The Bakkers used PTL funds for personal expenses. FCC commissioners voted four to three to drop the investigation, after which they allowed Bakker to sell the only TV station that he owned, therefore bypassing future FCC oversight. The FCC forwarded its report to the U.S. Department of Justice , which declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence. Bakker used the controversy to raise more funds from his audience, branding
4653-560: The PTL ministry. He currently hosts The Jim Bakker Show , which focuses on the end times and the Second Coming of Christ while promoting emergency survival products. Bakker has written several books, including I Was Wrong and Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead . James Orsen Bakker was born in Muskegon , Michigan , the son of Raleigh Bakker and Furnia Lynette "Furn" Irwin. Bakker attended North Central University ,
4752-462: The U.S. as a whole, which was $ 48,200, according to the US Census Bureau. In 2009, almost 27% of Lynchburg children lived in poverty. The state average that year was 14%. Of Virginia's larger metro areas, Forbes Magazine ranked Lynchburg the 5th best place in Virginia for business in 2006, with Virginia being the best state in the country for business. In the same survey, Lynchburg achieved
4851-411: The U.S.... It ranks now next to Richmond in importance...." Early Lynchburg residents were not known for their religious enthusiasm. The established Church of England supposedly built a log church in 1765. In 1804, evangelist Lorenzo Dow wrote: "...where I spoke in the open air in what I conceived to be the seat of Satan's Kingdom. Lynchburg was a deadly place for the worship of God'." That referred to
4950-488: The United States. In 1880, Lynchburg resident James Albert Bonsack invented the first cigarette-rolling machine. Shortly thereafter Dr. Charles Browne Fleet , a physician and pharmacological tinkerer, introduced the first micro-enema to be mass marketed over the counter. By the city's centennial in 1886, banking activity had increased sixfold over the 1860 level, which some attributed to slavery's demise. The Lynchburg Cotton Mill and Craddock-Terry Shoe Co. (which would become
5049-712: The air as late as September 1988, when Johnson faced problems with the IRS. In 1989, evangelist Morris Cerullo purchased the network out of bankruptcy. As of 2012, it operates as INSP from broadcast facilities in Charlotte, with headquarters in nearby Indian Land , South Carolina. On August 23, 1991, after the second and final day of his re-sentencing hearing, the court reduced Bakker's original 45-year sentence to 18 years, five of which he actually served before being released. In February 2009, Atlanta , Georgia investment-banker Ben Dyer announced his intention to auction off over 15,000 hours of videotaped episodes of The PTL Club on March 27, 2009. A friend of Jim Bakker's purchased
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#17330862518385148-705: The area for over 10,000 years, driving the Virginia Algonquians eastward to the coastal areas. Explorer John Lederer visited one of the Siouan villages ( Saponi ) in 1670, on the Staunton River at Otter Creek, southwest of the present-day city, as did the Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam expedition in 1671. Siouan peoples occupied this area until about 1702; they had become weakened because of high mortality from infectious diseases. The Seneca people , who were part of
5247-424: The area. Lynchburg lost its bid to gain access to an interstate highway. In the late 1950s, interested citizens, including Virginia Senator Mosby G. Perrow, Jr. , asked the federal government to change its long-planned route for the interstate highway, now known as I-64, between Clifton Forge and Richmond. Since the 1940s, maps of the federal interstate highway system showed a proposed northern route, bypassing
5346-782: The body of Christ". In February 1988, Swaggart became involved in a sex scandal of his own after being caught visiting prostitutes in New Orleans . The Bakker and Swaggart scandals had a profound effect on the world of televangelism, causing greater media scrutiny of TV ministers and their finances. Falwell said that the scandals had "strengthened broadcast evangelism and made Christianity stronger, more mature and more committed." The PTL Club ' s fundraising activities between 1984 and 1987 were reported by The Charlotte Observer , eventually leading to criminal charges against Bakker. Bakker and his PTL associates sold $ 1,000 "lifetime memberships", entitling buyers to an annual three-night stay at
5445-463: The boosters who wanted Lynchburg to become the junction of that valley line and what became the Norfolk and Western Railroad , so the junction was moved to Big Lick. This later developed as the City of Roanoke . In the latter 19th century, Lynchburg embraced manufacturing (the city being sometimes referred to as the "Pittsburgh of the South"). On a per capita basis, it became one of the wealthiest cities in
5544-631: The cable network, and of its flagship program. Falwell's involvement was deemed newsworthy, as the PTL ministries were a part of the Assemblies of God denomination and Falwell was a Southern Baptist . Ministry supporters questioned Falwell's intentions and attributed his interest solely to maintaining control of the lucrative cable-television empire owned by PTL to broadcast his own ministry programming. One commentator noted that "Bakker arranged for Falwell to take over PTL in March in an effort to avoid what he called
5643-463: The canal and towpath. The General Assembly recognized the settlement's growth by incorporating Lynchburg as a town in 1805; it was not incorporated as a city until 1852. In between, Lynch built Lynchburg's first bridge across the James River, a toll structure that replaced his ferry in 1812. A toll turnpike to Salem, Virginia was begun in 1817. Lynch died in 1820 and was buried in the burial ground of
5742-684: The capital of Virginia after the Confederate government fled from Richmond. Governor William Smith and the Commonwealth's executive and legislative branches escaped to Lynchburg as Richmond surrendered on April 3. Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse , roughly 20-mile (32 km) east of Lynchburg, ending the Civil War. Lynchburg surrendered on April 12, to Union General Ranald S. Mackenzie . Ten days later, Confederate Brigadier General James Dearing died. He
5841-563: The city was 63.0% White , 29.3% African American , 0.2% Native American , 2.5% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.63% from other races , and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 25,477 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who
5940-509: The city's factories supported the war effort, and the area also supplied troops. The city powered through the Roaring Twenties and survived the Great Depression . Its first radio station, WLVA, began in 1930, and its airport opened in 1931. In 1938, the former fairgrounds were redeveloped as side-by-side baseball and football stadiums. Lynchburg's factories again worked 24 hours daily during World War II . In 1955, both General Electric and Babcock & Wilcox built high technology factories in
6039-588: The death of Billy Graham on February 21, 2018, Bakker attended Graham's funeral and paid his respects, stating that Graham was the greatest preacher since Jesus , and also remarking that Graham had visited him in prison. On the Stand in the Gap Today radio program, Pennsylvania Pastors Network president Sam Rohrer criticized Bakker's civil-war prediction. Christian Today criticized Bakker's show for preying on "the most vulnerable kinds of people" and claimed that it had "no place on our TV screens." Bakker sold colloidal silver supplements that he advertised as
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#17330862518386138-495: The first time he actually read the Bible all the way through was in prison. Bakker also wrote that he realized that he had taken passages out of context and used them as prooftexts to support his prosperity theology . Bakker's revived show features a number of ministers who bill themselves as "prophets". He now says that "PTL" stands for "Prophets Talking Loud". In an October 2017 video, Bakker said that "God will punish those" who ridicule him; he has said that Hurricane Harvey
6237-423: The full two-hour edition, which tended to air on Christian stations and smaller independent stations, and the other was a one-hour edition which tended to air on stronger independent stations, as well as network affiliates. By 1976, the Bakkers moved their studio to the site of a former furniture store in Charlotte. With The PTL Club program as its centerpiece, the Bakkers and their staff built what became known as
6336-441: The host of The 700 Club , a religious talk program that evolved from a telethon . The 700 Club would become the flagship program of CBN, which expanded from its original Hampton Roads station to include outlets in Atlanta and Dallas–Fort Worth by 1973. Beginning in 1972, the Bakker-hosted 700 Club was launched in a dozen test markets, including then-independent station WRET-TV in Charlotte , North Carolina . However,
6435-497: The investigation a " witch-hunt " and asking viewers to "give the Devil a black eye". A confidential 1985 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) report found that $ 1.3 million in ministry funds was used for the Bakkers' personal benefit from 1980 to 1983. The report recommended that PTL be stripped of its tax-exempt status, but no action was taken until after the Jessica Hahn scandal broke in 1987. Art Harris and Michael Isikoff wrote in The Washington Post that politics may have played
6534-434: The lack of churches, which was corrected the following year. Itinerant Methodist Francis Asbury visited the town; Methodists built its first church in 1805. Lynchburg hosted the last Virginia Methodist Conference that bishop Asbury attended (February 20, 1815). As Lynchburg grew, prostitution and other "rowdy" activities became part of the urban mix of the river town. They were often ignored, if not accepted, particularly in
6633-582: The largest shoe manufacturer in the South) were founded in 1888. The Reusens hydroelectric dam began operating in 1903 and soon delivered more power. In 1886, Virginia Baptists founded a training school, the Lynchburg Baptist Seminary. It began to offer a college-level program to African-American students in 1900. Now named the Virginia University of Lynchburg , it is the city's oldest institution of higher learning. Not far outside town, Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Sweet Briar College were founded as women's colleges in 1893 and 1901, respectively. In 1903,
6732-537: The manufacturing centers at Lynchburg and Roanoke. But federal officials assured Virginia that the state would decide the route. Although initially favoring that northern route, Virginia's State Highway Commission eventually supported a southern route from Richmond via US-360 and US-460, which connected Lynchburg and Roanoke via US-220 from Roanoke to Clifton Forge, then continued west following US-60 into West Virginia. However, in July 1961, Governor J. Lindsay Almond and US Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges announced that
6831-404: The mentally retarded for the purpose of eugenics . The operations were carried out at the institution. An estimated 8,300 Virginians were relocated to Lynchburg and sterilized there, making the city a "dumping ground" of sorts for the feeble-minded, poor, blind, epileptic, and those otherwise seen as genetically "unfit". Carrie Buck challenged the state sterilization, but it was finally upheld by
6930-414: The most prominent nicknames of Lynchburg is the "City of Seven Hills." This is due to one prominent feature of its geography, the seven hills that are spread throughout the region. The seven hills are: College Hill, Garland Hill, Daniel's Hill, Federal Hill, Diamond Hill, White Rock Hill, and Franklin Hill. Note: the U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from
7029-440: The nation watched the court case to see the outcome of the $ 165 million in donations. The PTL Club continued as a television program for a considerable time after this, first with Falwell as its host and PTL personality Doug Oldham as co-host. Falwell later brought in Christian singer Gary McSpadden as the show's co-host, along with PTL musical talent Ron Aldridge. The show was renamed PTL Today , then—in an effort to distance
7128-589: The new Lynchburg and Tennessee railroad had begun in 1850 and a locomotive tested the track in 1852. A locomotive called the "Lynchburg" blew up in Forest, Virginia (near Poplar Forest) later that year, showing the new technology's dangers. By the Civil War, two more railroads had been built, including the South Side Railroad from Petersburg . It became known as the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad in 1870, then
7227-509: The number of housing units downtown by 48% from 2010 to 2014. In 2015, the $ 5.8-million Lower Bluffwalk pedestrian street zone opened. Notable projects underway in downtown by the end of 2015 include the $ 25-million Virginian Hotel restoration project, a $ 16.6-million restoration of the Academy Center of the Arts, and $ 4.6-million expansion of Amazement Square Children's Museum. According to
7326-566: The previous year (and President George Washington was given stock, which he donated to charity) in order to "improve" the river down to Richmond , which was growing and was named as the new Commonwealth's capital. Shallow-draft James River bateau provided a relatively easy means of transportation through Lynchburg down to Richmond and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. Rocks, downed trees, and flood debris were constant hazards, so their removal became expensive ongoing maintenance. Lynchburg became
7425-526: The programs. The master library of PTL programming has been returned to Jim Bakker and the old tapes are being digitally remastered and restored. Restored programs are being run on the new PTL Television Network on Roku and online at the PTL Television Network's website. Jim Bakker James Orsen Bakker ( / ˈ b eɪ k ər / ; born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist and convicted felon. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted
7524-407: The public education established under Virginia's Reconstruction-era legislature and Constitution of 1869, and built four new public schools. Previously, the only education for students from poor families was provided through St. Paul's Episcopal Church . Floods in 1870 and 1877 destroyed the city's bridges (which were rebuilt) and the James River and Kanahwa Canal (which was not rebuilt). The towpath
7623-429: The racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the 2010 census , there were 75,568 people, 25,477 households, and 31,992 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,321.5 people per square mile (510.2 people/km ). There were 27,640 housing units at an average density of 559.6 units per square mile (216.1 units/km ). The racial makeup of
7722-457: The remaining members of the PTL board resigned in October 1987, stating that a ruling from a bankruptcy court judge made rebuilding the ministry impossible. In response to the scandal, Falwell called Bakker a liar, an embezzler , a sexual deviant, and "the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history". On CNN , Swaggart stated that Bakker was a "cancer in
7821-576: The route would not be changed. Lynchburg was left as the only city with a population in excess of 50,000 (at the time) that was not served by an interstate. The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded (now known as the Central Virginia Training School), was established outside Lynchburg in Madison Heights . For several decades throughout the mid-20th century, the state of Virginia authorized compulsory sterilization of
7920-463: The scandal died down, but on April 28, 1987, Falwell barred Bakker from returning to PTL upon hearing of allegations of illicit behavior which went beyond the Hahn allegations. Later that summer, as donations declined sharply in the wake of Bakker's resignation and the end of The PTL Club , Falwell raised $ 20 million to keep Heritage USA solvent and took a promised water slide ride at the park. Falwell and
8019-415: The settlement of the state's lawsuit against Bakker. Bakker and Morningside Church would be prohibited from saying silver solution could "diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure any disease or illness". Restitution of about $ 157,000 would also be paid to those who bought silver solution between February 12, 2020, and March 10, 2020. Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city in
8118-549: The settlement, victims received formal apologies from the state and counseling if they chose, but the judiciary denied requests for the state to pay for reverse sterilization operations. In 1994, Buck's sterilization and litigation were featured as a television drama, Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story . The Manic Street Preachers address the issue in their song "Virginia State Epileptic Colony" on their 2009 album Journal for Plague Lovers . Liberty University , founded in 1971 as Lynchburg Baptist College and renamed in 1985,
8217-428: The show from the PTL name— Heritage Today . Aldridge continued as co-host alongside another PTL singer, Brenda Davis, after Falwell suddenly resigned from the now-bankrupt PTL ministry. McSpadden and Oldham subsequently left the show out of support for Falwell's decision to resign his position with the ministry. With Falwell's resignation, Sam Johnson, a member of the PTL ministry team, assumed leadership and incorporated
8316-550: The success of Come On Over , Robertson made Bakker the host of a new prime-time talk show, The 700 Club , which gradually became CBN's flagship program. The Bakkers left CBN in 1973 and, soon after, joined with Paul and Jan Crouch to help co-found the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in California . However, this partnership lasted only eight months until a falling-out between Jim Bakker and Paul Crouch caused
8415-561: The supplements as a treatment for the virus. In the State lawsuit against him, Bakker is represented by former Missouri governor Jay Nixon , who has argued for the suit to be dismissed. Nixon says that the allegations made in the lawsuit are false, stating: "Bakker is being unfairly targeted by those who want to crush his ministry and force his Christian television program off the air." In April 2020, prohibited from receiving credit card transactions, Bakker disclosed to his viewers that his ministry
8514-627: The television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network , with his then wife, Tammy Faye . He also developed Heritage USA , a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina . In the late 1980s, Bakker resigned from the PTL ministry over a cover-up of hush money to church secretary Jessica Hahn for an alleged rape . Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about felony charges, conviction, imprisonment, and divorce. Bakker later remarried and returned to televangelism, founding Morningside Church in Blue Eye , Missouri , and reestablishing
8613-504: The tracks of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad to inhibit travel by Union reinforcements, while Confederate reinforcements straggled in from Charlottesville. On June 18, 1864, in the Battle of Lynchburg , Early's combined forces, though outnumbered, repelled Union General Hunter's troops. Lynchburg's defenders had taken pains to create an impression that the Confederate forces within the city were much larger than they were in fact. For example,
8712-440: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92. The age distribution of the city had: 22.1% under the age of 18, 15.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 79.1 males. The median income for
8811-509: Was a judgment of God, and he blamed Hurricane Matthew on then-President Barack Obama . Bakker predicted that if then-President Donald Trump was impeached , Christians would begin a Second American Civil War. He compared the 2017 Washington train derailment to the sinking of the RMS Titanic and stated the Amtrak train derailment was a warning from God. He also claimed that he predicted
8910-665: Was a native of nearby Campbell County and descendant of John Lynch; he had been wounded on April 6 at High Bridge during that Appomattox campaign. Mackenzie had visited his wounded friend and former West Point classmate, easing the transition of power. The railroads that had driven Lynchburg's economy were destroyed by the war's end. The residents of the city deeply resented occupying forces under General John Irvin Gregg , and worked more readily with his affable successor General Newton Martin Curtis . Thomas J. Kirkpatrick became superintendent for
9009-471: Was accused of sexual misconduct by church secretary Jessica Hahn , which led to his resignation, and his illegal misuse of ministry funds eventually led to his imprisonment. Bakker was dismissed as an Assemblies of God minister on May 6, 1987. In 1990, the biographic television movie Fall from Grace , starring Kevin Spacey as Bakker, depicted his rise and fall. On January 18, 2019, ABC 's 20/20 aired
9108-516: Was extended as far as Buchanan, Virginia in 1851, but never reached a tributary of the Ohio River as originally planned. Lynchburg's population exceeded 6,000 by 1840, and a water works system was built. Floods in 1842 and 1847 wreaked havoc with the canal and towpath. Both were repaired. Town businessmen began to lobby for a railroad, but Virginia's General Assembly refused to fund such construction. In 1848 civic boosters began selling subscriptions for
9207-524: Was later broadcast from Bakker's Heritage Village ministry headquarters and complex on Park Road in Charlotte, and then moved to studios constructed at the ministry's new 2500-acre mixed-use family theme park and resort in Fort Mill, South Carolina , known as Heritage USA . Bakker's conspicuous consumption and prosperity gospel preaching led critics to claim that PTL stood for "Pass The Loot". As time went on and as more stations had additional programming commitments by 1980, many opted to only run an hour of
9306-456: Was named for its founder, John Lynch . When about 17 years old, Lynch started a ferry service at a ford across the James River to carry traffic to and from New London , where his parents had settled. The "City of Seven Hills" quickly developed along the hills surrounding Lynch's Ferry. In 1786, Virginia's General Assembly recognized Lynchburg, the settlement by Lynch's Ferry on the James River. The James River Company had been incorporated
9405-480: Was on the brink of filing for bankruptcy and urgently petitioned them for donations. The following month, GEB America and World Harvest Television dropped Bakker's program from their networks after DirecTV owner AT&T asked channels to reconsider airing the show. AT&T made the request of its channels in response to a deplatforming campaign from the liberal Christian group Faithful America. On May 8, 2020, Lori Bakker announced that Jim Bakker had suffered
9504-442: Was paid with PTL funds through Bakker's associate Roe Messner . Bakker, who made PTL's financial decisions, allegedly kept two sets of books to conceal accounting irregularities. Reporters for The Charlotte Observer , led by Charles Shepard, investigated PTL's finances and published a series of articles. On March 19, 1987, after the disclosure of a payoff to Hahn, Bakker resigned from PTL. Although he acknowledged that he had
9603-460: Was succeeded as PTL head by the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia . Bakker chose Falwell as his successor because he feared that fellow televangelist Jimmy Swaggart , who had initiated an Assemblies of God investigation into Bakker's sexual misconduct, was attempting to take over his ministry. Bakker believed that Falwell would temporarily lead the ministry until
9702-744: Was the only city in Virginia that was not recaptured by the Union before the end of the American Civil War . Lynchburg lies at the center of a wider metropolitan area close to the geographic center of Virginia locally known as “the Lynchburg area”. It is the fifth-largest MSA in Virginia, with a population of 261,593. It is the site of several institutions of higher education, including Virginia University of Lynchburg , Randolph College , University of Lynchburg , Central Virginia Community College and Liberty University . Nearby cities include Roanoke , Charlottesville , and Danville . Monacan Indian Nation and other Siouan Tutelo -speaking tribes had lived in
9801-483: Was used as the bed for laying the rails of the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad , a project conceived five decades earlier. The city limits expanded in 1874. In 1881 that railroad was completed to Lynchburg, and another railroad reached it through the Shenandoah Valley . Lynchburg had a telegraph, about 15,000 residents, and the beginnings of a streetcar system. Many citizens, believing their city crowded enough, did not join
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