With as much fame and power as any other televangelist preacher in the 1980s, Jimmy Swaggart was on top of the conservative religious world. From his base in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Swaggart created an empire based on fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible, charismatic performances, and on the condemnation of all groups and religions that did not bow down to his limited perspectives of faith. His devastating fall from grace in February 1988 shocked the nation and put into question the merit of the entire evangelical movement. Swaggart's adultery considerably dimmed the halo of the electronic church.

Rise to Fame.

Swaggart was viewed as a controversial figure even as a youth because of his early relationship with his famous rock 'n' roll cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis. Swaggart was born in Ferriday, a small town in rural Louisiana on 15 March 1935. His impoverished family actively participated in the local...