By Mark D. Zimmerman
MELVILLE, New York — Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart died last week at the age of 90. Swaggart was born in Ferriday, Louisiana where his father was a grocer and a Pentecostal minister. Swaggart followed the Pentecostal path, and even prayed for the salvation of his cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, when Lewis married a 13-year-old cousin.
Meanwhile, Swaggart, at age 17, married the 15-year-old Frances Anderson, after which he began traveling throughout Louisiana and the Deep South preaching the Gospel to all who would listen. His reputation grew, and in time he was leading revivals in stadiums and arenas. Eventually he established a television ministry with millions of followers worldwide, receiving donations of as much as a half a million dollars a day.
His downfall began in 1987 when he was photographed entering a cheap motel in New Orleans with a prostitute. He begged forgiveness of his followers, saying “I have sinned against you, I beg you to forgive me.” But his ministry shrunk, as did his donations, and in 1991 he was again caught with a prostitute. His explanation at his Baton Rouge church, that “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business,” did not enhance his ministry.
Swaggart had a mixed relationship with the Jewish community. He said he loved the Jewish people and Israel, but he also said “I love the Jewish people…When you have true love for a people…it comes as an abrupt shock when they don’t reciprocate…” What else did he have to say about Jews?
A. He said that “someday the Jewish people will recognize that they have been led astray. I pray that the Lord Jesus will save their souls.”
B. He wrote that “the Jewish people served, one might say, as the womb of the Messiah.”
C. He preached that “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was a Jew. That means that we are all Jews and all lovers of Israel.”
D. He noted that “I have a lot of respect for the Jewish people. Their Bible is part of our Bible. And I think the Jews understand that in the end times, they will return to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
E. Swaggart spoke of the two spies, Pinchas and Caleb, who were sent by Joshua to scout out the land of Canaan as the Israelites prepared to return to the Promised Land. The spies stayed at the home of a prostitute named Rahab in Jericho, and she sheltered them from the King of Jericho when he learned of spies in his midst. Said Swaggart, “If the two spies can be saved by a hooker, why can’t I?”
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Link to answer: https://rrrjewishtrivia.com/jimmy-swaggart-answer.html
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Mark D. Zimmerman is an author and freelance writer.
Years ago, a Korean student saw me wearing a kippah and remarked, “Jews very smart.” By contrast, my Arabic students would give a surprised look when I said, “Ana Yahud” (I’m a Jew) in Arabic. They had heard of Jews, but never encountered one in real life before. There is a big difference between knowing what you’ve heard about people and actually taking the time to get to know them.
Likewise, I have noticed that when Christian Zionists say that they “love Israel and the Jewish people,” their lived experience with Jews is very limited. This love comes not from personal interactions but more of a romanticized ideal of who they think we’re supposed to be. Given the choice between philosemitism and antisemitism, I’ll take the former, but we should take it with a grain of salt.