Religion: Of God and Greed

Bakker and Falwell trade charges in televangelism's unholy row

"My enemies are trying to kill me. They plot my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery . . ."

Jim Bakker may be officially defrocked from the ministry, but he demonstrated . last week that he has lost none of his preacher's skill at summoning up a supportive Bible verse. He recited the above words from Psalms 38: 12 during the second of two remarkable performances on ABC-TV's Nightline show, capping a soap opera-like, ten-week saga of money, power and sex that has transfixed skeptic and believer alike. Flanked by his moist-eyed wife Tammy Faye, Bakker informed Nightline...

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