European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jimmy Swaggart King of americas to evangelists associated press the Way evangelist Jimmy Swaggart tells he was 8 years eld and had just plunked Down a Quarter to see a saturday matinee when he was called by the he says a voice that gave him chill bumps and made his hair Tingle urged him not to go to the Johnny Mack Brown Western on that Lazy afternoon in the voice told him to follow another everything seemed different after that Day in front of the Arcade Swaggart i Felt better almost like taking a Bath the Road has taken him around the preaching the gospel in his unique Bible humping at age Swaggart has surpassed Robert Oral Roberts and other electronic to become the King of the television a photo montage pm swag arts Lively Brand of television a Page 14 the stars and stripes a photo according to Arbitron rating the Jimmy Swaggart telecast reaches nearly 2 million households each week Over More than than 500 and swag Gart ministry officials say his More than 50 gospel albums have sold Over 16 million copies to make Swaggart the largest Selling gospel artist in in his monthly the reaches read Jimmy Swaggart ministries is one of the largest non profit direct mail merchandisers in the United in the year for which the most recent figures were nearly orders were placed for Well Over 1 million pieces of the Hub of swag arts operation is located on 100 acres of prime real estate Worth an estimated million in suburban Baton where a collection of i Mac compute controlled buildings make up his new world ministry when the first phase of Center is completed later this there will be nearly Square feet of working including a million television a million family worship Center with seat ing for a student and an office i really dont look at it As Success or Lack of the Blond evangelist says in his luxurious decorated in a modern Motif with Gold record albums dotting the its just mostly the i feel he wants me to do what in and moving the faithful is what Swaggart does a Singer and a swag Garls Brand of gospel is punctuated by a Bass beat that brings most of his followers to their swaying and at the his style sometimes resembles that of his Jerry Lee whom he Calls the Best piano player Ive Ever another Mickey is equally famous As a country and Western Singer who also plays the during his Swaggart works the crowd like a carnival Barker whispering and while some followers look skyward and others raise an out stretched if you think Miller Lite is going to carry you youre Swaggart told the  crowd who gathered recently at his family worship Cen Ter for a weekly if you think the president is going to carry you youre its Jesus Christ that your Swaggart pulling off his glasses As he strutted and stomped across the its a diverse crowd that the old time pentecostal preacher plays Mercede benzes Are parked alongside pickups equipped with Rifle worshippers Clad in three piece sunday got meet ing polyester Leisure suits or jeans eyes riveted to occasionally responding with a collective the highlight of the services and of swag arts Camp meetings is the altar when physically and members of the studio congregation react to a Swaggart i spiritually ailing people come Forward to be healed by ministers trained in the laying on of Man of those who come Forward weep and use the strategically placed boxes of tissue placed on the Edge of the others stand and appear to spontaneously begin speaking in unintelligible i never dreamed that we would do what were Swaggart there were no plans made or Laid to do this kind of in just attempting to follow the lord As i believe that he Calls the Road Hast always been an easy one for Swaggart to former employees have accused him of misappropriating some of the million they say the ministry netted in in swag arts which includes seven gospel radio stations spread across the has been the target of court Battles Over tax exemptions and contested which have brought in millions for the swag arts ministry received 70 percent of the Mil lion estate of one of his followers last year after relatives contested her which left the entire amount of the California woman estate to according to a settlement filed in Texas the other 30 percent of the estate of Zoe Mcdonald Vance went to a memorial medical fund named in Honor of the woman deceased a relative had contended that Vance was the victim of sophisticated and manipulative Effort by Swaggart and his staff to take advantage of the mentally and physically weakened its much easier to shoot at the one who visible than to aim at the crowd when you dont really know who youre going to Swaggart speculating on the accusations against in very so consequently 1 attract gain Sayers and some of his problems have been caused by overzealous reporters who dont have their facts Swaggart 1 know that even a Halfway competent reporter or journalist can make something sinister out of the Sermon on the he its easy to swag arts outspoken Brand of religion also has made it necessary for tight Security at the ministry head Quad weve received some hate mail and had a few kooks out Swaggart visitors must Wear identification and Security guards Are never far Swaggart dismisses roman catholics As poor pitiful individuals who think they have enriched themselves spiritually by kissing the Popes he attacks John Cal Vins doctrine of predestination and the belief that gods will is the cause of All calling it a he brands the roman Catholic mass and most major protestant i services As religious Ive got to preach the truth As i see Swaggart says in his Northeast Louisiana the truth As i see it does not sit Well with Many members of religious com sometimes i say things that people dont two Atlanta television stations dropped his show in 1983 following complaints from the roman Catholic archdiocese that Swaggart was slandering swag Gart has developed his particular Brand of hell pentecostalism during the More than two decades that have passed since he began stumping the South in a battered coaxed by his who like most of the swag arts had enjoyed drinking and even Gam bling before she got Swaggart polished his preaching skills in Small Pine Board returning Home with barely enough Money to pay his refusing the temptation to become involved with his successful Jerry Lee who had hit the top of the charts with great balls fire in the late Swaggart struck out on his he recorded one gospel hit after while Swaggart is an accomplished piano player and regarded As one of the bes known arrangers of gospel music in the he probably can barely read according to ministry spokesman Jerald Ogg Swaggart and who both dropped out of school and had brushes with the Law while they were remain Swaggert says he continues to Pray for i will not be satisfied until i know Jerry Lee has entered the kingdom of he by Swaggart was on the radio with his Camp meeting in he began his meteoric Rise on All of swag arts television programs Are produced and dubbed into five foreign languages at his spanking new Vance Tel production which houses some of the finest technical equipment ministry officials say the facility is in operation virtually 24 hours a Day to meet the increasing demands of production Swaggart has expanded his message to include politics and politicians As his popularity has the Bible is actually the Constitution of the United the evangelist the Bible is really the hidden the evangelist demanded but didst get an apology from democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale last Mondale quoted Swaggart As saying that catholicism is a false religion and that jews Are damned to in a speech to the jewish Frater Nal Bani Ogg says the comments had been taken out of and that they were an attempt to open up a like most to swag arts operation is a family his whom he Calls his god sent and his Are on the ministry Swaggart would not answer questions about he says he used to give out such figures but our a photo naivete was rewarded by virtually every reporter twisting the information but who once had to have Lewis buy him a car so he could get to revival now travels in his own five identically painted 18wheelers haul his travelling crusade around the he has a lavish residential compound on about 20 acres in Baton the land is enclosed by a tall Fence Strung Between posts 2feet mortgage office records show that Swaggart and his family paid about for the property in but Swaggart is unwilling to divulge the total Cost of the with its swimming Pool and swag arts Home is a sprawling two Story Structure comprising Square feet of living space and designed along the lines of a Plantation according to build ing records in Baton his sons Home is slightly in a newspaper advertisement complaining about unfair treatment by a local television Swaggart said in 1983 that 14 relatives and members of his family Are employed within the a documentary by Baton Rouge television station Wurz had said that Swaggart earned roughly in swag who serves As general manager of the organization received in according to irs documents cited by the and Donnie Swaggart was paid the same the television report Swaggart defended his family employment saying that All 14 received less than including allowances and other in i just want to please god and that the whole Swaggart when it comes to the material or the mechanical or the practical Side of doing that not in the spiritual i feel its incumbent on me to do everything i can to reach the whole world with the gospel of Jesus and that what in trying to Swaggart says the suits he the Lincoln Continental he and his Diamond studded rolex watch Are gifts from faithful he maintains that he needs to raise huge sums to cover the nearly million he spends each year on television and the approximate million the ministry spends yearly on charitable part of the Money is raised by the ministry Steward ship which helps his admirers plan their aides at the world ministry Center also bring in Money Selling swag arts record sermons and 75 As Well As shirts and Swaggart says it hurts him when people question the motives behind his massive fundraising if it was just a moneymaking Racket or you  have to go into the huge Effort we go into to prove a he if it were just a i  have to try and feed starving kids each you could do it with just a few Hundred and get March the stars and stripes Page 15