For those of us who grew up in Christianity with Jim Baker and his wife Tammy Faye, shining lights on the television screen...it has been a roller coaster of a ride...a life long love/hate relationship with them and all they stood for. The beauty of the gospel being spread to the ends of the earth by means of television, the heights that Christians could attain in the eyes of the world and of Christendom...to the sickening gaudiness, even depravity, of what PTL and Heritage USA became and the heartbreaking loss of innocence for many Christians who put their faith in humanity. Truly no one has embodied the highs and lows of the American Christian world like the Bakers, carrying many a believer along with them to the heights and dragging many more to the depths when they fell. Through it all, I don't think anyone with any discernment would ever doubt Jim or Tammy Faye's love and devotion to Christ nor their desire to bring others to Him. This intense desire and calling was their driving force....belonging to Him is the solid gold thread that runs throughout the story of their lives. This past week Tammy Faye (Baker as I will always think of her) went to be with Jesus....I have no doubt that she is there with Him, possibly looking on the rest of us left behind and pointing out to Him that though we too have fallen yet again, or gotten into some mess, we still have that solid gold thread...we still belong to Him...and as she liked to say...."we are all made out of the same dirt....and God didn't make any junk!"
Oh yeah,.... and I'm absolutely positive that she is singing her heart out to her Lord... just like old times.
Tammy Faye...
10 comments:
the whole of PTL and Jim and Tammy Fay really intrigued me and I appreciated her......
When I was a child, my Grandmother used to watch The PTL Club all the time. I have to chuckle now as I recall Grandma's comments that she knew that that Tammy Faye loved the Lord, but "why does she have to wear all that makeup?" Every conversation in which Tammy Faye's name was ever mentioned was punctuated with "but why does she have to wear all that makeup?"
:)
Tammy Faye is undoubtedly singing in Heaven as she sits at her Master's feet.
I loved watching her on the celebrity surreal life, no matter what it was, she always stood up for her beleif in Christ and tried to help others.
I was always out put off by her - her big makeup and hair. PTL and the Bakkers left a bad taste in my mouth - still do but I hope you are right. I do find what their son, Jay is doing, FABulous. Whatever she was or wasn't, she was faithful to Him until the end. I saw her on Larry Kind a few nights before she died at 65 pounds - how terrible that must have been. Her earthly journey is now done adn her REAL life is just beginning...
I think that her willingness to be on Larry King just days before her passing was a testimony to the real heart of Tammy Faye. She made sure in her last breath to tell the people about the love of Jesus - no matter what she looked like or how painfully difficult it was. She was a one of a kind - I'm so happy she's home with Jesus and no longer suffers.
i love tammy faye. i cried with both sadness and joy for her when she passed. i hope i will someday love as loud as she did.
Having grown up in the Assemblies of God (the denom. of the Bakers), it was always a bit strange to me that they were so gaudy with their lifestyle. The A/G people I knew actually tended to be the other extreme: no fancy clothes, no makeup, no smoking, no dancing, no...you got the picture. The whole PTL scandal broke while I was in Bible college. It was a legacy I wanted nothing to do with.
However, as I've grown older and realized the tragic things that both Jim and Tammy Faye have dealt with, I have realized that they were just "regular" Christians like the rest of us. They just happened to be on TV, where the whole world could see their ups and downs in full-color.
Yes, the hair and makeup was a bit much. To me, though, it's not a whole lot different than the ways I use to mask my pain and insecurities.
Truly, even as emaciated as the cancer had left her, Tammy's true passion shone through as she proclaimed Christ via the airwaves one last time.
May God rest her soul.
I do believe in my heart that she is there too Cheryl but I really think so much of what they did could have led many in the opposite direction from Christianity. And that's what breaks my heart about this kind of tv evangelism. I still hear many use them (or people like them) of an example of why they don't go to church. No one's perfect but they thoroughly abused their place. Maybe we'll see them both one day when all is forgotten. Thankfully, none of us have to be perfect! : )
I, like Sara, cried when she passed. They said that after the interview with Larry King she went home, got in bed, watched the program and was pleased with it and never got out of bed again. What a servant. Yep, without a doubt she was a bit "gaudy" for me, without a doubt her and Jim and their children love the Lord. I encourage everyone to pray for the kids now. It will be hard for them, especially Tammy Sue. Watching that interview made me so proud to be a Christian. She didn't back up and if she was able to make ONE person turn to Jesus...wow! It was worth it.
Hey Cheryl! I caught Larry King's recent interview with Tammy Faye right before her death and didn't recognize her--she was so frail and thin. I never cared for her particularly (back in the day), but her love for the Savior expressed on national TV really moved me. I think the Lord has done a mighty work in their lives and inspite of past failings, there's a real humility of spirit now, and restoration. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray.
May she dance for joy evermore! Praying for Larry King now:-)
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