At the 2003 National Youth Workers Convention in St. Louis, Jay Bakker was one of the General Session speakers. I think he managed to piss everyone off during his talk, but I did run into him later that night and was able to talk with him for a couple of minutes. So, I was really curious about his new documentary on the Sundance channel, One Punk Under God, that premiered in December.
You can pick it up on iTunes for $10. Nicole and I watched all 6 episodes on Sundance On Demand, so check there if you have cable. The documentary followed Jay Bakker dealing with his ministry, married life, and his ailing mother, Tammy Faye. He also is desperately trying to reach his father Jim whom he has been unable to connect with for a couple of years.
The first episode also takes us back to Heritage USA where Jay’s parents built their PTL empire in the 1980’s. To look at it now, in ruins, is like coming across a ghost town, it was almost post apocalyptic. The first episode really brings the viewers up to date on who Jay is and where he has come from. It also shows the pain that he still carries years after his parents were destroyed by scandal. This pain is something you see him wrestling with through the series.
In the episodes that follow Jay makes a bold stand after visiting a openly gay church. He meets with several gay Christians who touch his heart in a way that is unique. Jay comes back feeling that he now sees the homosexuality issue in a new light. He doesn’t see being gay as a sin and wants to make that very known to both his church and the world. This bold move nearly costs him the ministry and had potential to ruin his relationship with one of Revolutions key staff members. In the end things work out within the church but the backlash is enormous, as you could imagine, and Revolution loses most of its financial support. Luckily, after Jay leaves, Stu steps in and straightens things out.
Please don’t let that issue keep you from watching. I feel like since Jay was so mistreated when his Dad’s ministry fell apart, he feels that he could never not offer someone the grace that was denied to him. The gay issue is fascinating to see him work through and to see the ways others respond to him. Believe it or not, this issue is minor compared to what else Jay deals with in the series. The show goes on to deal with Jay’s relationship with his mom (who is very sick), his dad (who he has never had a normal relationship with), his wife (who is unsupportive of his ministry at times) and even an old youth pastor who is now an agnostic. These relationships are real and very complex.
If you don’t watch because of the gay issue, you will miss the most beautiful and painful pieces of Jay’s life. This pain also helps define the gay issue and put understanding to his convictions. His visit with his father is tough to watch. Jay wants to please his dad so much it is killing him; and Jim still has trouble finding time for him. The pain in his eyes when he talks to his mom is real. I really like Tammy Faye after watching this. She is genuine and real, and still cries a lot; I’m sorry that I’ll never have the chance to meet her. I read online that in the middle of December she was down to 68 pounds.
I definitely do not agree with Jay Bakker on everything and he may piss you off because of his views but if you can’t see the love in his eyes than you must be blind.
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