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Swaggart vs Gorman (dirty church spinoff)

Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:30 pm
Posted by TSLG
Member since Mar 2014
6724 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:30 pm
Who was around when this drama occurred in the BR/NOLA area? Just reading the wiki page, these frickers were DIRTY. Why would people let people like this lead their walk with God?

So, who was the dirtiest out of these two mega church pastors?

quote:

Swaggart's exposure came as retaliation for an incident in 1986 when Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who had been accused of having several affairs. Once exposed, Gorman was defrocked from the Assemblies of God, his ministry all but ended. As a retaliatory move, Gorman hired his son Randy and son-in-law Garland Bilbo to stake out the Travel Inn on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge. A camera with a telephoto lens was placed in the window of the motel's Room 12, and was draped with a black cloth. When Swaggart arrived, he reportedly went into Room 7. Randy Gorman and Garland Bilbo let the air out of the tires on Swaggart's vehicle. They called Marvin Gorman, whose church was located nearby. Randy Gorman and Garland Bilbo had taken photos of Swaggart outside Room 7 with Debra Murphree, a local prostitute. Gorman arrived at the Travel Inn a short while later and asked Swaggart what he was doing there.

According to Swaggart: The Unauthorized Biography of an American Evangelist, by Ann Rowe Seaman, Gorman secured a promise from Swaggart that he would publicly apologize to Gorman and start the process of Gorman's reinstatement to the Assemblies of God. Gorman offered to remain silent if Swaggart would state publicly that he lied about Gorman's affairs. Gorman waited almost a year, then hand-delivered a note to Swaggart informing him his time was up; Swaggart did not respond. On February 16, 1988, Gorman contacted James Hamil, one of the 13-man Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God, who called Raymond Carlson, the Assemblies Superintendent. Carlson summoned Hamill and Gorman to fly to Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, Missouri and arranged for an emergency meeting of the presbyters. He was shown photos of several men coming in and going out of Room 7 at the Travel Inn Motel in New Orleans. This was done to establish that the room was being used for prostitution. One of the men seen leaving Room 7 was Swaggart. The presbytery leadership of the Assemblies of God decided that Swaggart should be suspended from broadcasting his television program for three months.
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
117187 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:35 pm to
I was young when the Jimmy Swaggart stuff happened. I just remember my dad laughing when he would see him on tv and make comments like "That's what you get when a good used car salesman applies his skills to something else". And it seemed like every time he was in the news, they would always use the same clip of him crying while preaching...
Posted by Barrister
Member since Jul 2012
4973 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:38 pm to
Remember it vividly
Posted by Master_yoda88
Sweden
Member since Jul 2018
784 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:42 pm to
You are on the spectrum
Posted by TSLG
Member since Mar 2014
6724 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:44 pm to
quote:

Remember it vividly


Thanks for the reply, baw. I didn't expect such depth from a response. Lol

Were you around many members of their churches? I'm curious how vicious the defense of their pastors became as it all came out. I can only imagine how old pentecostal type people acted during the ordeal.

Posted by Amadeo
Member since Jan 2004
4872 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:48 pm to
Look! He apologized for it.
Move on!
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
117187 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:50 pm to
quote:

Master_yoda88



You can spectrum my nuts you stupid frick. Are you mad because I called you out earlier?

And please, enlighten me. Please explain how you came up with the idea you think I am "on the spectrum"?
Posted by boosiebadazz
Member since Feb 2008
82503 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:52 pm to
RA’d. Stop hijacking threads
Posted by Master_yoda88
Sweden
Member since Jul 2018
784 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:52 pm to
Lol what are you talking about?

Thanks for reaffirming your position on the spectrum.
Posted by Master_yoda88
Sweden
Member since Jul 2018
784 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:54 pm to
Seriously. The dude can not help himself on interjecting his lies and stupid opinions
Posted by Klingler7
Houston
Member since Nov 2009
12364 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 5:57 pm to
I was 19 years old when that happened.
Posted by TSLG
Member since Mar 2014
6724 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:01 pm to
quote:

You are on the spectrum


I didn't know that he was on the spectrum. That's so sad.

I am going to try to be nicer since he is special.
Posted by Master_yoda88
Sweden
Member since Jul 2018
784 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:03 pm to
Lol
Posted by Barrister
Member since Jul 2012
4973 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:18 pm to
About what you would expect. Imagine a family squabbling with another family. Everyone aligned with their guy.

Truthfully it was more on the down low than most would expect. Only those close to the ministry’s were aware. Lots of rumors, but it was clear there was bad blood.

Gorman was hard core and a straight up thug the way he busted Swaggert.
Posted by cssamerican
Member since Mar 2011
7612 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:23 pm to
I was going to Gorman’s school, First Assembly Academy at the time. Geaux Crusaders!
Posted by HighAnkleSprain
Pierre Part
Member since Sep 2017
149 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:54 pm to
Let's see, I read Lundy's book about all this several years ago. Seems it started as a turf battle. Maybe Swaggert didn't want Gorman to buy a Lake Charles radio station or something like that. Swaggert says Gorman is the antichrist Gorman has friends help him catch Swaggert with a hooker. The best part of the whole thing is Swaggert changing a flat tire at a Jefferson Highway motel. Swaggert gets defrocked by his governing body, and he gives them the finger. I well remember neighbors getting real quiet about their pastor. You could tell the ones with any independent thinking were embarrassed and left the church. All that construction stopped.
Posted by DrunkerThanThou
Unfortunately Mississippi
Member since Feb 2013
2846 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:54 pm to
Sounds like it’d make a good movie to be honest
Posted by djangochained
Gardere
Member since Jul 2013
19054 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 6:56 pm to
Jimmy can play the hell out the piano
Posted by RedFoxx
New Orleans, LA
Member since Jan 2009
6434 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 7:03 pm to
It's why Baton Rouge has a Renaissance Hotel.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
37475 posts
Posted on 12/13/18 at 7:30 pm to
quote:

two mega church pastors?


In terms of modern Mega churches, Swaggart was marginal, though his bible college was large enough to warrant a sign on the interstate for the exit. Gorman's Church was simply a large church and he had a regional following but he wasn't anywhere near a Mega church. But those types of guys were the precursor to the Mega churches.

quote:

Why would people let people like this lead their walk with God?




Some of these things are easy to hide. People want to believe in their man of God. In the day when there were few cell phones and no cell phone cameras, hiding sexual peccadilloes was much easier.

Most will not recall much of the good works that Swaggart's ministries did (or at least showed they were doing, though I have no real reason to think they didn't) including providing food and medical services in third world countries, primarily to women and children. His own actions destroyed that.

Ultimately, all these guys and you and I are just fallible human beings. Subject to the temptations that are common to man

The thing that disturbs me most, at this point, is that Swaggart is on the radio again and is part of a ministry in the Baton Rouge area again (his son's, I believe). From what I hear, he spends a lot of time criticizing other ministries. Hard for a leopard to change his spots, I guess.
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