Customer Reviews

Son of a Preacher Man: My Search for Grace in the Shadows

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My brother and I bought this book together. We've both read it. We've both gone through a similar experience as Jay (though not on the same scale), having had a father who was a pastor and made some huge mistakes that cost him his ministry. To this day, fifteen years later, his mistakes affect us and our families.

Does it sound like I'm whining? I'm not. But, then again, maybe I just needed to get that off my chest--which is exactly what Jay Bakker does in this book.

I was fascinated by an insider's view of what happened to the Bakkers and, though I never appreciated PTL ministries myself, it gave me some respect for what they originally started out doing. It seems the family was unnecessarily ravaged, especially by fellow churchgoers, but my one complaint is that Jay doesn't come totally clean and admit the long-term damage some of his father's choices had. Oh, he does to some extent, but he still seems to have a bit of that "Isn't my dad the best?" attitude of a child. I love my own father, I've forgiven him, but I can't gloss over the wrongs he committed. I never will.

Jay is open about his own mistakes, though. He paints an accurate picture of the pressures and internal motivations of a child in the limelight. I could relate to many of his frustrations with organized religion.

Overall, this book reads quickly, and I thought Jay's message of God's grace was powerful. I was moved by his encounter with Jerry Falwell, the man he lays most of the blame upon. While honestly airing his feelings, Jay shows the need for--and the freeing power of--forgiveness. A lesson he learned from his father.

Jim Bakker's book is entitled, "I Was Wrong." I'd like to read it and see if he doesn't unveil more of his own faults in what went on. But, to have raised a son through all that who still loves and follows God...that's impressive.

I, too, was the son of a preacher man. I know what it takes to move on. And, through this book, I'd say Jay does too.

My brother just got married a couple months ago, they played the old song "Son of a Preacher Man" at the reception, so when I saw the title of this book it really caught my eye. I grew up as a preacher's kid, so I can relate, but only slightly, to what Jay went through growing up. Though, the whole country never hated my dad.
One lesson that must be learned from this book is that we must learn to love. The "American church" has gotten so far off in that area. We must remember that all preachers, pastors, evangelists, teachers, yes, and even apostles and prophets, are also just human and therefore make mistakes. But God is willing to forgive them when they repent, so what gives us the right to stop loving and start hating? What gives us the right to not forgive?
This book was actually the first time I have heard anything positive about Jim Bakker since all these things happened in the 80's when I was a small child. That in itself shows that the American church is in trouble - We need a revolution in the church!!!

Heard Terry Gross on Fresh Air on National Public Radio (NPR) interview Jay Bakker on February 1 2001 and had to pull over and park so I could take in the whole interview, because it was the best interview of a "Christian" I had ever heard. And this is a book that everyone Christian or Jew, Buddhism or Agnostic will appreciate. It is NOT a holier than thou book, which I am so thankful for.


Thanks to Terry Gross for having the author on. Check out NRP's website and read/hear the whole interview and I guarantee that most people will want to buy this book. It is a book that made me cry and in the end it made me throw high 5's in the air. I was cheering the author on and celebrating his journey out of the wilderness.

This book is a very interesting history of the PTL network and events following it's demise as seen through the eyes of Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Several things come through. 1/ He was left in the care of others rather than his parents much of the time and was not properly disciplined. 2/ He never really heard the Gospel of Grace (i.e. the good news that salvation is by the grace of God through faithin Jesus Christ and NOT by works) until years after PTL was gone. 3/ The message he got was mainly presenting a good image to outsiders, whether phoney or not, and to earn salvation by good works. 4/ He personally had crisis after crisis, recorded in the book, and ended in total dispair and a life of drunkenness and drugs. 5/ He clearly sensed that "church people" had turned their backs on him. Then, through some folks who did not give up on him, he really heard the "GOOD NEWS" which to him was good news indeed. 6/ Gradually (NOT overnight) his life began to have meaning and purpose as God led him to tell his friends on "skid row" what God had done in his life. The result is that he has a ministry with people whom many would consider beyond hope. He knows there is hope because he was where they were. 7/ He has a lot to say about the weaknesses in the US church community and in explaining the need for reality in the lives of true believers. Worth reading...hard to put down!

This book is a must for ANYONE. Whether you were fans of the Bakker family or scoffed at them after the scandal,this book will open up your mind,heart and spirit. Jay is brutally honest about his life experiences and his feelings toward some Christians. He challenges the church to rise up from its comfort zone and help those who are truly lost and those who need the unconditional love of Christ. Very bold and very well written.This book helped and inspired me and I encourage everyone,young or old,Christian or not,to read it. GREAT BOOK!

This was the most insprirational and moving book I've ever read. It really touched my heart and caused me to think... and to pray. There are people in the world today who need to know the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, not the conditional love of religion. We must stop judging people because they don't look and act exactly like we do. We must look at people through God's eyes and see the potential of who He made them to be. We must be willing to forgive as Christ forgave. We must turn our backs on religion and learn to be followers of Christ.

Jay's story was so moving, I found myself choking back tears on the plane as I finished reading it. This book is well-written. It points out the flaws of the church in general, but does not do so out of bitterness, only out of concern.

Read it. It will move you, too.

...is what Jay Bakker was trying to do his entire life and this book gives some details on the bumps in the road he encountered. His all too brief account of his childhood in the spotlight of the PTL television ministry and what happened after his father's fall can be riveting at times. Bakker's childhood was one of privilege that was wrested away mainly by the machinations of rival television preachers. He reveals the motivations of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others mainly being attempts to gain money and influence at the cost of his family's happiness and harmony.

More important is what happened afterward. Bakker becomes something of a drifter. He enters the world of clubbing, partying, drinking and drugs. And it takes him a long time to realize how addicted he's become and how much these things are affecting his life. Good things happen along the way. He makes friends, meets and marries his wife, founds a ministry, but most importantly, he discovers what has made him depressed. He was trying to earn his salvation rather than discover grace, hence the title of the book.

You get the sense that Bakker isn't all the way there yet. He still has steps to take and things to do. The book is several years old now and hopefully there will be a follow up volume to fill in some the gaps. I think he has discovered the true heart of Christianity and reaches out to those who need it most. All the while dealing with the learning disorder, dyslexia.

The book is written in a clear and simple, but not simplistic, style that make it very easy to read and difficult to put down. I read it in a few hours and am very glad I did.

Being a Preachers Son myself, i bought this book to see just what he had to say on the subject of his father. As i read through it, I had moments of anger, pain and sorrow and then sweet relief, all through his words in this book. Since reading it i have evaluated my sense of forgiveness. It really is something we take for granted. This book is definitly worth anyones time in reading.

What a blessing to see the story through a young boys eyes rather than the media's. I was really moved and brought to tears at the story, To hear what he is doing today and the love he has for all is wonderful! Jay Bakker is a true man of God.

This book is for anyone who has ever felt beaten up by the church or Christians. I related to this book because I, too, am a pastor's kid. It's not an easy life. That's why Jay is an inspiration to me.