Televangelist Jim Bakker is asking people to send him money so that his ministry does not go bankrupt. He emphasized that people should send the money by cash or check since credit card companies are now refusing to do business with him.
“You know, I’ve been very discouraged lately, and I know I’m not supposed to be discouraged,” said Bakker, speaking on The Jim Bakker Show on April 19, 2020. Bakker’s wife, Lori Bakker, and his daughter, Maricela Bakker Woodall, joined him. “We’re out of money,” the televangelist said, “and money is what makes the world go round they say, but money is what you have to pay your bills with.”
“Let me just tell you, there’s one way right now for us to stay on the air, and that is if you will give,” Bakker told his viewers. “Don’t let me have to file for bankruptcy.”
Jim Bakker: Send Money, but Not by Credit Card
“You can’t use credit cards if you do give to our ministry at this time because there’s a situation,” said Jim Bakker. Back in February, Bakker had a guest on his show named Dr. Sherrill Sellman, a “board-certified integrative naturopath.” Sellman suggested that one of Bakker’s products, Nano Silver Solution (Silver Sol), would be able to protect people from the coronavirus. No products have been proven effective against the virus however, and Silver Sol contains colloidal silver, which can permanently turn people’s skin gray or blue.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Bakker a warning for marketing the solution as a cure for the coronavirus, and New York’s attorney general also sent him a cease-and-desist letter. The state of Missouri went so far as to file a lawsuit against Bakker for “falsely promising to consumers that Silver Solution can cure, eliminate, kill or deactivate coronavirus and/or boost elderly consumers’ immune system and help keep them healthy.” The product has since been removed from Bakker’s website.
Bakker denied that he ever sold Silver Sol as a cure for the coronavirus or that he went against the government. He claimed that ever since his ministry has been selling the solution (which it has done for years), the product has come with a disclaimer stating the FDA has not approved it and it is not intended to cure any diseases. Woodall explained that when they had Sellman on the show, the guest never said the solution would be able to cure coronavirus, but rather said it had never been tested on this particular strain of the coronavirus.
While this is true, Woodall neglected to mention the full context of Sellman’s words. When Bakker asked Sellman if Silver Sol would be effective against the the novel coronavirus, she responded, “Let’s say it hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it’s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours. Totally eliminate it, kills it, deactivates it, and then it boosts your immune system so then you can support the recovery.”
The Jim Bakker Show is suggesting that the silver solution it sells can kill the coronavirus within 12 hours. pic.twitter.com/kbUGnUp69m
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) February 12, 2020
According to Bakker, “They’re already bleeding us to death, and now we’re going to have to pay lawyers that will bleed you to death.” Newsweek speculates that Bakker’s legal costs are the reason why he is now short of money. “Here’s the thing: the only way that we can stay on is if you help me,” said Bakker, adding, “The money’s there. But just not in our bank account.”
Bakker marketed various products, such as emergency meal kits, throughout his show, during which he also explained why we are in the end times. He stressed that he would continue his ministry for as long as he is able to, no matter the opposition he faces.
“I believe God wants me to not stop when some anti-Christ person stops me,” he said. “God wants me to stop when he says, ‘Come home.’ And I’ll tell you what, you all may want me, you all may want my head on a platter, and you may get it, but I’ll be going to heaven, and you’re not going to win.”
