Bakker and Gortner died days apart. Their lives are a warning

By Alex McFarland, Op-ed contributor Thursday, October 08, 2026

In October 2026, America lost two men whose names had been associated with American religion, broadcasting and showmanship: Marjoe Gortner and Jim Bakker died just three days apart. Both had been famous and successful. Both had been controversial. Both experienced spectacular and very public falls from grace. 

Both contributed to the growing scorn many Americans came to feel about Christianity and our nation’s religious heritage. And both leave behind a reality that every thinking person ought to ponder, with personal application:

Is it possible to profess Christian truths without possessing salvation? 

Ritual without redemption?

This is not a question we can answer with certainty about another person. God alone sees the human heart. But the lives of Marjoe and Bakker provide a lesson about the difference between being a religious celebrity and a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ.

Marjoe Gortner began preaching when he was only 4 years old. His very name — “Marjo” had been a portmanteau of the biblical names Mary and Joseph. Raised in Pentecostal surroundings during the post — WWII era, Gortner became a captivating young evangelist. From childhood on, Marjoe was known for impassioned preaching, revivalistic theatrics and an ability to attract money.

But the public image eventually collapsed. The 1972 Academy Award-winning documentary “Marjoe” exposed the machinery behind his evangelistic career. In the film’s most famous scene, Marjoe and his staff were in a hotel room with the bed covered in a very large pile of bills. As Marjoe rolled around in the dollars of that night’s collection, he gleefully shouted, “Jesus’ been good to me!”

The film portrayed a young actor who learned to perform religion without necessarily believing the message he was preaching. I remember viewing this in the early 1990s while in graduate school. The film disturbed me then; it is hard to watch even now.

Post “outing,” Gortner subsequently pursued acting and television, achieving only modest success. His name remained permanently associated with religious fraud — the classic example of someone using Christianity as a means of personal advancement.

Jim Bakker: Dawning of an era for late-night comedians everywhere

Bakker became one of America’s most prominent television preachers through PTL — “Praise the Lord” — building a massive religious broadcasting empire. At the height of his influence, he was a Christian celebrity of enormous wealth and visibility.

Then came the collapse.

Sexual scandal, financial misconduct and the exposure of his empire brought Bakker crashing down. In 1989, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison for financial crimes, later receiving parole.

The man who had once preached to millions had become a national symbol of religious corruption. The damage done to American religion by Bakker’s dirty laundry persists to this day.

And yet Bakker’s later life, personally, took a different direction.

He openly acknowledged his wrongdoing. His book I Was Wrong was an unusually direct admission of guilt and failure. After his release from prison, he lived for a time with Billy and Ruth Graham. During the later years of his life, Bakker proclaimed salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, separated from the spectacular financial machinery that characterized his earlier ministry.

Were these men hypocrites who eventually became sincere? Were they genuine Christians who grievously fell into sin? Could they both have been true believers, but at the same time deeply compromised persons? 

The honest answer is that we cannot see into the heart of either. 

But there is a profoundly important biblical distinction here: a person’s failure does not automatically prove that his faith was false. But when an encounter with Jesus is genuine, our lives should actually be changed. 

Scripture gives no permission to use “grace” as an excuse for fraudulent Christianity. The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that genuine faith produces genuine fruit.

What do we make of Marjoe Gortner and Jim Bakker?

Perhaps this: Do not confuse the platform with the person.

A microphone does not make a minister. A television audience does not make a Christian leader.

A lucrative ministry does not prove spiritual authenticity. Money, fame, charisma, emotional preaching and religious vocabulary are not evidence of regeneration.

Conversely, a spectacular fall does not necessarily prove that a person was never saved.

Ultimately, every one of us will face the same Judge.

The question will not be whether we were famous. It will not be whether people considered us “spiritual.” It will not be about our social media likes, or whether crowds applauded us.

The question will be whether we belonged to Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). These are among the most frightening words in the Bible.

Life is extraordinarily brief. Fame disappears. Money disappears. Ministries disappear. Reputations can disappear.

And then comes eternity.

Marjoe Gortner and Jim Bakker are now beyond the reach of earthly applause or criticism. And, incidentally, beyond earthly rehabilitation. Their eternal standing is known by God alone.

Their stories should therefore cause us to look not merely at them, but at ourselves.

Are we religious? Or do we truly know Christ?

Because someday, every preacher, every politician, every celebrity, every ordinary citizen — and every one of us — will stand before God.

And the day life’s curtain comes down, there will be no religious performance left to hide behind.