The Son of Tammy Leads a Revolution

The room is dark, illuminated only by the glow of black lights and lava lamps. Posters of skulls and crossbones hang on the front wall. Teenagers and 20-somethings sit in mismatched chairs. Most are dressed in black from head to toe--a collective statement of millennial counterculture. One wears black lipstick and matching eye shadow. Another sports a dark brown lightning bolt down the middle of dyed-white hair. Tattoos adorn knuckles, forearms, ankles, and necks. Some of the body art proclaims a love for Christ; other pieces assert an affinity to Satan or showcase naked women.

Welcome to Bible study with Jay Bakker.

More than a decade has passed since the demise of Jim and Tammy Bakker's Gospel dynasty. But their tattooed, pierced, 24-year-old son now has his own ministry, appropriately named Revolution.

Christian punk and hard-rock concerts? Skateboarding shows? Goths who look like your basic Marilyn Manson crowd?

That's Revolution--and it's not for everyone. It's not supposed to be. The ministry is attracting droves of Goths, punks and modern-day hippies who are open to Jesus but turned off by traditional Christianity. But it's not the eclectic tapestry of counterculture chic that makes Bakker's Revolution so revolutionary--it's his ability to touch the hearts of youth with Christ's message of hope and love.

At a recent gathering, Bakker stood before more than 30 teens and 20-somethings and opened the meeting with prayer. He then pointed to an article about the Pokemon craze.

"What do you guys think when you see Christians saying Pokemon is of the devil?" he asks. He drops the magazine on the table beside him. "When I was a kid, every toy I had, some Christian thought was of the devil. I remember burning all my He-Man toys because I was scared to death that demons were going to jump out of them and into me."

After a pause, he continues: "Don't Christians have something better to do than this?"

A torrent of response follows from the crowd. And that's just what Bakker is after. His brusque question is intended to evoke lively debate. Many of the young participants share their thoughts about the Pokemon phenomenon. One points out that the same people who created Dungeons and Dragons invented the Pokemon cards. Another brings up the fact that the creatures use occult powers to fight their battles.

As the discussion progresses to other topics, it's obvious they have balanced, thoughtful opinions and are deeply concerned about issues affecting the world. Bakker concludes the evening with a brief study from the Book of Philippians, freely speaking of his own past hurts as he applies the Gospel message to everyday life.

Bakker was once the pampered son of a living legend. But when his family fell from favor, he became a high school dropout, a drug addict, and an alcoholic.

"Paul talks about having joy that never leaves you--and I remember how hard that was for me," Bakker said. "I started drinking the night my father was sent to prison. Years later, I was trying to find my way back to Christ. I'd sneak into a church and sit in the back, my heart aching. Then the preacher would start to take the offering, and he'd make some joke about 'not doing a Jim and Tammy.' It was hard to have joy in my life during that time."

Jamie Charles Bakker--later known as Jay--was practically born on Christian television at the beginning of PTL's glory days. Viewers were allowed unfettered access into the Bakkers' personal lives. When Tammy announced she was pregnant, viewers eagerly tuned in every step of the way. Tammy went into the hospital to have the baby while Jim was broadcasting a live episode of the PTL Club. Jim fully intended to make it to the hospital in time for the delivery. He didn't.

As the program closed, cameramen held up a poster board announcing, "It's a boy!" It was the perfect illustration of a family thrown off balance by the pressures of ministry.

Although Jim was driven to build more, do more, and reach more, his wife, Tammy, had a love-hate relationship with the ministry, enjoying its perks but resenting the fact that each new project overshadowed their family life. In the midst of the turmoil was Jay. From the young boy's point of view, his dad ruled the world--and the world was Heritage USA.

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