T.D. Jakes: America's New Preacher

Introduction

Introduction Imagine tens of thousands of men running up and down the aisles of a large stadium. Many are young, some middle aged, and others in their twilight years. At various points they are jumping, laughing, singing, dancing, and hugging. Now visualize almost twice as many women sitting throughout a large stadium in another city pensively concentrating on every word uttered by the speaker. What do these mental images have in common? Both can be seen at yearly conferences that draw multitudes of people waiting to receive spiritual insights from a tall, husky preacher named Thomas Dexter Jakes. Few pop stars, let alone spiritual leaders, can attract enough eager spectators to sell out a large stadium, but T.D. Jakes drew 130,000 people to Mega Fest 2004, his three-day family vacation event in Atlanta. Whether he is headlining Reliant Stadium in Houston or the Super Dome in New Orleans, Jakes entices tens of thousands of people to attend his conferences. Moreover, millions of people watch his television broadcasts and purchase his books, videos, and music CDs. For this reason, Time magazine distinguished Jakes as “America’s preacher” and hinted he may be the next Billy Graham. Time’s association of Jakes with an American icon like Graham punctuates the long way Jakes has come since his humble days preaching in the coal-mining towns of West Virginia. There are conspicuous similarities between Graham and Jakes. Both were sixteen when they made serious commitments to the faith, and both were salesmen before they were preachers. Like Graham, 1 Jakes began his career relatively unknown and quickly became famous through television and media exposure. Like Graham, Jakes runs a spiritual enterprise with annual budgets in the tens of millions of dollars. Both are featured in major media outlets and have been honored and praised by U.S. presidents. But along with the similarities are stark contrasts. Jakes, a black neo-Pentecostal, is impacting contemporary popular culture in ways that Graham, a white Evangelical, is not. Unlike Jakes, Graham has never produced a best-selling novel, paperbacks on weight loss and financial prosperity, theatrical productions , and music CDs. Unlike Graham, Jakes draws from pop culture and contextualizes Christianity with contemporary trends in society. Graham’s strong suit is preaching a simple yet compelling message of salvation, while Jakes’ forte is addressing complex pathologies such as sexual abuse and addictive relationships with a blend of scripture, psychology, and Grandma’s folk wisdom. What Jakes is doing today is not entirely unique in American religion. Historically, popular revivalists like Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, and Arturo Skinner also drew large crowds by preaching electrifying sermons. Today, celebrity preachers like Fred Price, Creflo Dollar, and Benny Hinn also reach millions each year through television broadcasts; clerics like Eddie Long and Bill Hybels also preside over mega churches exceeding 20,000 members ; and spiritual leaders like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen also write best-selling books. But Jakes is distinguished by the breadth of his personal talent and the scope of his intellectual reach and business savvy. As the pastor of one of the largest churches in the country, the CEO of a multimillion dollar empire, the host of a television program, the author of a dozen best-sellers, the executive producer of a movie, two Grammy Award nominated music CDs, and three critically acclaimed plays, T.D. Jakes has emerged as one of the most prolific spiritual leaders of our time. In 2002, in an interview on the popular television program Best Damn Sports Show Period, former boxing champion Mike 2 Introduction Tyson declared, “I’m a Muslim, I pray five times a day and even I love T.D. Jakes.” Marsha Atkins, a computer analyst and divorced mother of four, claims no man has had more influence on her life than T.D. Jakes. Sociologist Nancy Eiesland believes he is one of the most ingenious spiritual leaders of his era, and the wellknown pastor Carlton Pearson considers Jakes to be a prophetic sign and wonder. Sports personality Deion Sanders calls him “Daddy,” and millions of people nationwide perceive Jakes as a mouthpiece for God, shepherd to the shattered, and minister of mercy. Jakes’ detractors, however, view him through more carnal lenses as a shyster. They argue that with his exorbitant speaking fees and excessive entrepreneurialism, Jakes turns religion into his most valuable commodity. Rather than representing him as...