| Jay Bakker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jamie Charles Bakker December 18, 1975 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Religion | Christian |
| Website | |
| Revolution NYC | |
Jamie Charles (Jay) Bakker (December 18, 1975) is an American Christian pastor and the son of Jim Bakker and the late Tammy Faye Bakker Messner. He ministers to Revolution Church, a church he founded in 1994 in Phoenix, Arizona with Kelli Miller and Mike Wall.[1] Jay preaches at the New York City branch of Revolution Church located at Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St., Brooklyn, New York. Pete's Candy Store is a nightclub that features live music at night. Before moving to New York, Jay turned over the Atlanta location of Revolution to his friend and associate Stu Damron. Much of Jay's story was retold in a documentary on Sundance Channel called One Punk Under God: The Prodigal Son of Jim and Tammy Faye.
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The trauma of his father being sent to prison, combined with the subsequent ostracism by others in the Church and religious community, led to a period of substance abuse and partying.[2] He was distrustful of other ministers and viewed televangelist Jerry Falwell to be instrumental in ruining his family. In his autobiography, Son of a Preacher Man, he claimed Reverend Falwell deceived his father into relinquishing PTL and auctioned off much of the church's property, including some of the Bakker family's personal possessions that were left there. After becoming sober, he re-examined his faith and Christianity, adopting a philosophy that God is a loving and accepting entity rather than a judgmental one.
Because his philosophy of inclusiveness extends to gays and gay marriage, Bakker falls outside of the beliefs of many [3] in the conservative Christian community. When Larry King asked him if he was "part of the liberal sect of Christianity," he said that he was "more liberal than most".[4] He also decries the influence of politics in religion, saying that it prevents civil discussion of topics such as homosexuality and abortion.[5]
Bakker's appearance is non-traditional and includes piercings and tattoos. Because of his philosophy and appearance, his followers and associates tend to share these qualities of coming from outside of conservative Christianity and call themselves "outlaw preachers".
Bakker wrote the book Son of a Preacher Man: My Search for Grace in the Shadows which is an autobiography that details his youth, relationship with his parents, the PTL scandals, and the founding of Revolution Church.[6]
In 2006, he was featured in the six-part documentary One Punk Under God on the Sundance Channel.
He has appeared on Larry King Live and The Joy Behar Show (August 23, 2011) and has been featured in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Time, The Economist, FHM and New York Magazine.
In 2011, Bakker and co-author Martin Edlund wrote the book Fall to Grace: A Revolution of God, Self, and Society. The book explores the radical, transformative, and inclusive nature of grace, challenges Christians to reassess their understanding of salvation, and encourages non-believers to see Jesus with fresh eyes. [7]