Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker had a talent for recognizing cultural trends and tailoring their message accordingly.

(COLUMBIA, MISSOURI) When I was researching my 2017 book, “PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire,” I interviewed dozens of former staffers and supporters of PTL, the ministry, television and theme park empire that the Bakkers built starting in the 1970s.

Time and again, I heard the same thing. PTL – sometimes known as “Praise the Lord” or “People That Love” – was both the best and worst thing they ever did.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.