Swaggart [Hardcover]

Ann Rowe Seaman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

Jimmy Swaggart was one of the most popular video preachers in the world, until a moment of indicretion in New Orleans motel. This unauthorized biography looks at Swaggart's life, as well as discussing the religious and societal movements responsible, in part, for his rise and fall.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jimmy Swaggart could be an easy target. The former crown prince of televangelism, who channeled the Holy Ghost with unprecedented made-for-TV gusto and turned quickly on fellow Assemblies of God pastors embroiled in sex scandals during the mid-1980s, was the butt of many jokes after his own less-than-pure habits came to light in 1988 courtesy of a vengeful former colleague. But Seaman, an editor and native Texan, approaches her subject not with Old Testament invective but with a patience that conveys an intimate understanding of the man's world. While not an apologist for Swaggart, Seaman probes beyond the headlines for the factors that shaped the pastor's psyche and defined his world. The result is an intelligent and smoothly readable personal history that chronicles a fascinating slice of Americana. Swaggart was part of a trinity of first cousinsAalong with country star Mickey Gilley and rock icon Jerry Lee LewisAall natural entertainers in an intermarried clan of dirt-poor laborers and moonshiners in tiny Ferriday, La., during the heart of the Depression. Desperate to establish an identity within a family increasingly dedicated to the growing Pentecostal movement, Swaggart became inextricably wedded to his role as crusader. The final chapters bring the story full circle with a detailed account of Swaggart's 1990s comeback attempts (one capacity 1991 San Diego crusade was followed less than a week later by another well-publicized rendezvous with a prostitute), and the book ends with the indomitable evangelist preaching to a tiny church with a choir of four people. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This well-documented account of the life of evangelist Jimmy Swaggart is based on interviews with key people and a thorough literature search. Beginning with a fascinating look at his family background, the author traces Swaggart's rise from obscurity to fame, his fall (because of sexual misconduct), and his subsequent efforts to make a comeback. Along the way, the reader becomes acquainted with other celebrities of televangelism and catches a fascinating glimpse into behind-the-scenes religious power politics. Seaman neither whitewashes nor vilifies Swaggart, instead examining him and seeking explanation for both his tremendous accomplishments and tragic flaws. Though unauthorized by the Swaggarts, this honest, evenhanded biography strives for objectivity. It is also the only biography of Swaggart currently available. Recommended for public and academic libraries.AC. Robert Nixon, Lafayette, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 438 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826411177
• ISBN-13: 978-0826411174
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and insightful analysis, January 30, 2001

By 

Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swaggart (Hardcover)

I have long held the theory that there is little difference between a popular televangelist and a rock star. They just play to different audiences. Both undergo the same temptations. Both face the same potential pitfalls that are the side-effects of fame. The life of Jimmy Swaggart is in many ways intertwined with that of his cousin, rock-and-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis (and, to a lesser extent, with his other famous cousin Micky Gilley). This book gives insight into how these relationships, along with his poor Southern upbringing and his youthful religious experiences shaped him into to the well-known Christian celebrity he later became. Soberingly, it also points out that the seeds of his downfall were planted early in life, and the demons that would gain victory over him were the same ones he struggled against his entire life.

What really impresses me about this book is the fact that it is anything but a hatchet job. In fact, Jimmy Swaggart had many admirable qualities, despite his struggles with anger and sexual temptation. The author points out many times that the media was unfair in their assessment of Swaggart. She bends over backwards, in fact, to be fair and even-handed. The book does make it fairly clear that much of the ambition to make it to the "top" and the later drive to maintain a lavish lifestyle comes from his wife, who rules the Swaggart empire with an iron hand. If there is any fault in this book, it's that it barely mentions the years since the scandal, where Jimmy maintains a more modest, scaled-down ministry. But that is a minor fault. All the important stuff is here.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rolling Mural, January 24, 2000

By 

f.p. gunter (Giddings, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swaggart (Hardcover)

I like this book a lot. It engaged me from the first page. I grew up in the South and, in fact, last year I drove through Swaggart's hometown to my father's burial about 30 miles down the road. So, I was curious to see whether Seaman got it right, especially as people from outside the Deep South usually can't even figure out when people say y'all. Well, she nailed the ambience, the rules, the mores, the unspoken and the ineffable; she writes like a soulful cultural anthropologist, and her novelistic musings about time and place are my kind of history. Also, she's done a lot of work, as evidenced by her documentation. The book is a great read and would be a surprising treat for anyone who expects a biography to be dry. If you want to understand America, you need to read this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So you thought this would be a Swaggart-basher..., January 27, 2000

By 

Mike Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swaggart (Hardcover)

I assumed this book would be just another expose~ on the fallen King of the Televangelists. Not so. The author takes great pains to put Swaggart in the context of his highly dysfunctional family and his--dare I say it?--highly dysfunctional culture in general. We see Swaggart the oppressed, pressured, and confused boy trying to be a normal kid in an impossible situation. (Recall Wordsworth's line--"the child is the father of man.") We see Swaggart the adult battling his "demon oppression," his sexual repression, and his explosive temper until his unmasking in the late eighties. Hats off to Seaman for taking great pains to put this spectacle in psychological perspective. This is a must read for Swaggart's critics, his remaining loyal flock, and the once loyal.