The other day I was writing about infamous hotel rooms and I mentioned the one in which Jim Bakker, head of the PTL Ministries, went to with his then secretary Jessica Hahn. You know I love scandals, so I was intrigued when I saw Sundance was going to air a six-episode documentary called “One Punk Under God” featuring Jim and Tammy Faye’s son Jay.
I find it interesting that Jay himself became a pastor, but in a different way than most sons following their father’s footsteps. The divorce of his mom and dad happened when Jay was still a teen and the result of that plus the whole PTL scandal and his father’s imprisonment lead him to go through a rebellious phase where he partied too hard and even had a period of substance abuse. However, Jay re-examined his beliefs and came to the conclusion that God was not judgmental, but accepting of all. That led Jay to his own type of ministering.
Jay was, of course, exposed to religion and ministry his entire life. However, while Jay’s father Jim still preaches to a congregation that is primarily like those that followed the PTL Ministries, Jay’s own congregation could not be any more different. And Jay with his tattoos and piercings looks more like a punk rocker than a preacher.
Jay’s church is called Revolution. It started in Atlanta and its premise was to be open to all who felt rejected by traditional churches. It shows unconditional love to all, regardless of their lifestyle or past. His sermons are held in not a church, but places where people would hang out like bars and candy stores. I think the headquarters for the Atlanta church was in a body shop. Jay even smokes during the service and while the crowds are sometimes small, you can see that Jay is reaching people who no doubt felt they weren’t welcomed in a traditional church for whatever reason. I believe in the documentary, it talked about how even the Revolution church was split when Jay would not in his heart renounce homosexuals and gay marriage.
Jay moved to New York City and started a branch of Revolution there. There is also the original Revolution still in Atlanta (lead by Stu Damron) and one headquartered in Charlotte (lead by Jon and Stephanie Hughes).
While Jay’s appearance and demeanor is very different from his father, he still manages to captivate people with his preaching, just as his father has for years. Jay also travels around the country, speaking at churches and other organizations, preaching the word that Christianity is founded in inclusion, love, and grace.
I love that Jay is reaching out to those that might not have any exposure to Christianity otherwise. If you would like to listen to his sermons online, check out the Revolution web page or you can occasionally catch reruns of “One Punk Under God” on Sundance.