When I was researching my 2017 book, “PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire,” I interviewed dozens of former staffers and supporters of PTL, the ministry, television and theme park empire that the Bakkers built starting in the 1970s.

Time and again, I heard the same thing. PTL – sometimes known as “Praise the Lord” or “People That Love” – was both the best and worst thing they ever did.

The worst has been recounted at length, sometimes tinged with schadenfreude: the financial fraud, sex scandals, federal trials and prison time that plagued Jim Bakker, who died on Oct. 5, 2026, at age 86.

But it’s also worth remembering PTL as a pioneering force in Christian broadcasting. Working with a dedicated core of energetic young believers, Jim and his wife, Tammy Faye, built PTL from scratch, demonstrating how religion could be fused with pop culture and entertainment to better connect with American Christians.

From Billy Graham to Little Richard

The Bakkers had a talent for recognizing cultural trends and tailoring their message accordingly. In 1974 they launched their television show, “The PTL Club,” from a former furniture store in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jim’s vision was to create a Christian version of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” then at the height of its cultural influence.

“The PTL Club” existed at the nexus of evangelical Christianity and American........

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