Rating: 
Summary: Still Looking for Something
Review: In Son of a Preacher Man, Jay Bakker has undertaken the task of trying to show what actually took place in his life during the rise and fall of PTL. Of course this is a difficult task, one which his father, Jim Bakker, did with grace in I Was Wrong. Unfortunately, given all the difficulties which Jay had, which is not to minimize his difficulties, it is too clear that the book rings with a hollow tone and it is, I believe, very shallow in many respects. Not only does he not say what his father did wrong, but he speaks of a meeting with Jerry Falwell, which ultimately was a watershed for him and his father, but he never says what that meeting was about. In all fairness, neither did his father, either. On another point, Jay's diatribes against traditional religious trappings and the organized church seem unfair, if not totally juvenile. He has been ordained a pastor, and I guess it's okay for him to say that while he's in the pastorate, that it's okay to smoke and drink and cuss and listen to music which has a lot of that theme in it, all saying that God loves you know matter what. Maybe some discipline in Jay's life would help. While on one hand he says that the church has forgotten the disenfranchised youth, and that the only way to reach the unchurched youth is to be "relevant," it's also important to point out that he is forming his own group of organized religion by doing so, and in effect, he is not reaching out to the traditional church, many of whom are equally interested in reaching the unchurched. And in all fairness, the hymns of old and the sermons are just as relevant today as they were yesterday. Maybe Jay doesn't want to hear that, but it's okay if he has tatoos all over his body and piercings in his body and listen to punk rock music with questionable lyrics and cusses with the best of them. Grace may be where he was met, but while Jesus loves us just the way we are, He also expects us to change. It's clear that if Jay Bakker can be a pastor, so can I, because I have issues like he does. But another thing is clear - he is still looking for something, and until he truly rises out of the shadows and grips life on his own, he will always be the son of a preacher man and no more.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling story that had me asking questions at the end.
Review: Jay Bakker scores major points for having the courage to write such a revealing story about he and his family. He's been through more negativity than anyone should ever have to experience in one lifetime. The thing that makes it worse is that he experienced it all at such a young age. I read "Son Of A Preacher Man" basically because I'm a fan of his mother, Tammy Faye. I am not a religious person at all, so there were some religious references that sort of went over my head. The one criticism I have with Jay's book is that Tammy Faye sort of comes off as deserting him. I don't know if that's really the case at all. She announces that she is divorcing a jailed Jim, marrying Roe Messner, and moving to California. "Do you want to come along?" He doesn't, so she goes without him. He was still in school, and in desperate need of a parent and guidance. I can't help but feel there were a lot of details left out of the telling of this situation. I realize that this is Jay's story, and told from his perspective and that may very well be how he felt. I've read a lot about Tammy Faye over the years and I really cannot imagine that, even with her own emotional and drug issues, that she would abandon her children. I realize that this book is about Jay, not his mother, but she is a major part of his life so it would have been nice if the reader got a fuller, bigger picture of exactly what happened. I also feel like Jay majorly skimped on details about his marriage to his wife, Amanda. One moment they are meeting, they have a date... the next he asks her to marry him. A little while later it seems like they are married, with a barely a mention of the wedding. (We do get to see a picture of their wedding day, however.) I would have liked to have some explanation behind his reasoning for becoming tattooed and pierced. He basically implies that he likes to ride skateboards, hence why he's pierced and tattooed. Is that really a reason? You can see on the cover that he is tattooed with images of Jesus, yet he really doesn't ever mention anything about this. It would have been interesting to read why he chose the tattoo's that he did. I'm not pierced and I often wonder why someone would want a ring hanging from their lip. I'm not judging at all. I don't have any sort of problem with body modification. I just think it would have been interesting to his readers for some explanation as to why he wanted to do these things. Does it represent something? Or does he just think it's cool? I don't want my criticisms to come off like I'm bad mouthing this book, because I certainly am not. A LOT happened, and to write about every single thought or incident, you'd have a 1,000+ page book. I think Jay really gets to heart of what happened, and I certainly felt for his trials and tribulations. Ultimately, "Son Of A Preacher Man" is about learning to forgive. Like I said before, I am not a religious person, but I have to say that I did learn something from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling story that had me asking questions at the end.
Review: Jay Bakker scores major points for having the courage to write such a revealing story about he and his family. He's been through more negativity than anyone should ever have to experience in one lifetime. The thing that makes it worse is that he experienced it all at such a young age. I read "Son Of A Preacher Man" basically because I'm a fan of his mother, Tammy Faye. I am not a religious person at all, so there were some religious references that sort of went over my head. The one criticism I have with Jay's book is that Tammy Faye sort of comes off as deserting him. I don't know if that's really the case at all. She announces that she is divorcing a jailed Jim, marrying Roe Messner, and moving to California. "Do you want to come along?" He doesn't, so she goes without him. He was still in school, and in desperate need of a parent and guidance. I can't help but feel there were a lot of details left out of the telling of this situation. I realize that this is Jay's story, and told from his perspective and that may very well be how he felt. I've read a lot about Tammy Faye over the years and I really cannot imagine that, even with her own emotional and drug issues, that she would abandon her children. I realize that this book is about Jay, not his mother, but she is a major part of his life so it would have been nice if the reader got a fuller, bigger picture of exactly what happened. I also feel like Jay majorly skimped on details about his marriage to his wife, Amanda. One moment they are meeting, they have a date... the next he asks her to marry him. A little while later it seems like they are married, with a barely a mention of the wedding. (We do get to see a picture of their wedding day, however.) I would have liked to have some explanation behind his reasoning for becoming tattooed and pierced. He basically implies that he likes to ride skateboards, hence why he's pierced and tattooed. Is that really a reason? You can see on the cover that he is tattooed with images of Jesus, yet he really doesn't ever mention anything about this. It would have been interesting to read why he chose the tattoo's that he did. I'm not pierced and I often wonder why someone would want a ring hanging from their lip. I'm not judging at all. I don't have any sort of problem with body modification. I just think it would have been interesting to his readers for some explanation as to why he wanted to do these things. Does it represent something? Or does he just think it's cool? I don't want my criticisms to come off like I'm bad mouthing this book, because I certainly am not. A LOT happened, and to write about every single thought or incident, you'd have a 1,000+ page book. I think Jay really gets to heart of what happened, and I certainly felt for his trials and tribulations. Ultimately, "Son Of A Preacher Man" is about learning to forgive. Like I said before, I am not a religious person, but I have to say that I did learn something from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Confronting the Church with Grace
Review: Jay Bakker writes with all of the immaturity and inexperience of any 25 year old. His writing style includes enough dangling participles to drive any fifth grade teacher into a severe state of apoplexy. Despite the rulings of the courts, he still fiercely defends his father. Nevertheless, Jay Bakker has something important to say, to which it would benefit all Christians (especially, those of us who are religious professionals) to listen. Bakker's message is deceptively simple. During his earthly ministry Jesus Christ dealt graciously with everyone he met: Romans, women, tax collectors, children, Gentiles, prostitutes -- everyone... Now, the Church that bears his name dare not be any less gracious to those who live on the fringes of modern society. To do so would be to dishonor the name of our Savior and diminish the Gospel. Reading the way that Bakker confronts the hypocrisy of those who prefer the law over the Gospel, and observing the way that he let grace take an hold of his life is fascinating. If you love the Lord and his Church, but sometimes have a difficult time putting up with all the rules and regulations, read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Honesty from the front lines
Review: Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye, the televangelists, has an interesting story. Having grown up in the PTL city of Heritage USA, his life went into a tailspin with the fall from grace of the PTL organization, and his father's subsequent prison sentence. (Incidentally, that is one of the great contradictions of his story: on the one hand, he maintains that his father was innocent of any criminal activity, but on the other hand, he acknowledges that his father "did some things wrong," although he never clarifies what those things might have been.) Basically, the first two-thirds of the book chronicles Jay's alcohol and drug use, paralleled by the prison term of his father. Bakker explains his frequent moves, his parents' divorce and subsequent re-marriages to others, and overall, his continuing search for his faith despite all of the trials he has endured. The final third of the book describes the process of finding his current ministry to disenchanted youth and young adults in the Atlanta area through an organization called Revolution, a sub-ministry of Safehouse Outreach. Throughout the book, Bakker is uniquely honest about his imperfections, especially his admittedly negative attitude toward those who he believes brought about the fall of his father. He is also unapologetic about indicting the institution of the church on the grounds that it has fallen victim to tradition, and is failing to reach those who need its message of grace, the message that God loves you no matter what, most. This position puts him in a rather precarious theological position, in or near the camp of Bart Campolo and Brennan Manning (whom he thanks before the text of the book), but it is obvious that Bakker does not care much for theology if it does not work practically, and he must be admired for that, though he comes off as one who is still very much in the process of finding his ministry and voice. Clearly, his journey has already been an arduous one, but it seems that it has only just begun. The chronicle of this journey is worth reading, but it will be more so in ten years, I have a feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Frank Honesty
Review: Jay was caught in the middle of the largest TV Evangelist scandal. As a child, he did not fully understand the hatred toward his family and him. Jay tells in graphic detail the ups and downs of his life during and after the PTL glory days. I was moved by his relationship toward Jerry Falwell. In this book, we understand from a child's perspective (not in mentality) what was felt and done behind the scenes of the Bakker family. This is a wonderful book that should be read.
Rating:
Summary: good biography
Review: Jay's bok gives a good account of his life, it is worth reading if you are at interested in the Bakkers or in ministering to youth or anyone in the subculture. It is easy to read and captivating. I read the entire bok in one day.
Rating:
Summary: God does live in the shadows!
Review: Just finished his book "Son of a Preacher Man" and love it. At times though I found myself saying "just shut up and deal with it man..." but over all I found the book entertaining and gave great insight to the world of the Bakker family and the fiasco that is televangelism. I wonder who many of us were the ones that were pointing fingers at the Bakkers, Swaggerts, TBN and such after that happened? I know I did! But God has shown me that he is in the Restoration business!
Also in the book he uses some colorful language and didn't pull any punches. I think that's what the Church needed! It needed reality instead of this cookie cutter form of Christianity that is being pushed down that throats of American Christians! We need to be real with one another and have REAL forgiveness with each other if we want the world to come to Christ.
I believe this book needs to be read by every Pastoral student, Pastor, volunteer, and church goers. It will show you that Pastors are people too and that they make mistakes. It will show you that Pastors Kid's (PK's) are not to held to a higher standard just because their parents are in the ministry. (How many know people who do that?) It will show you that God wants people to be free and to know that he Loves you.
Rating:
Summary: I've Felt the Same Flames
Review: My brother and I bought this book together. We've both read it. We've both gone through a similar experience as Jay (though not on the same scale), having had a father who was a pastor and made some huge mistakes that cost him his ministry. To this day, fifteen years later, his mistakes affect us and our families. Does it sound like I'm whining? I'm not. But, then again, maybe I just needed to get that off my chest--which is exactly what Jay Bakker does in this book. I was fascinated by an insider's view of what happened to the Bakkers and, though I never appreciated PTL ministries myself, it gave me some respect for what they originally started out doing. It seems the family was unnecessarily ravaged, especially by fellow churchgoers, but my one complaint is that Jay doesn't come totally clean and admit the long-term damage some of his father's choices had. Oh, he does to some extent, but he still seems to have a bit of that "Isn't my dad the best?" attitude of a child. I love my own father, I've forgiven him, but I can't gloss over the wrongs he committed. I never will. Jay is open about his own mistakes, though. He paints an accurate picture of the pressures and internal motivations of a child in the limelight. I could relate to many of his frustrations with organized religion. Overall, this book reads quickly, and I thought Jay's message of God's grace was powerful. I was moved by his encounter with Jerry Falwell, the man he lays most of the blame upon. While honestly airing his feelings, Jay shows the need for--and the freeing power of--forgiveness. A lesson he learned from his father. Jim Bakker's book is entitled, "I Was Wrong." I'd like to read it and see if he doesn't unveil more of his own faults in what went on. But, to have raised a son through all that who still loves and follows God...that's impressive. I, too, was the son of a preacher man. I know what it takes to move on. And, through this book, I'd say Jay does too.
Rating:
Summary: Daughter of a preacher man
Review: My brother just got married a couple months ago, they played the old song "Son of a Preacher Man" at the reception, so when I saw the title of this book it really caught my eye. I grew up as a preacher's kid, so I can relate, but only slightly, to what Jay went through growing up. Though, the whole country never hated my dad.
One lesson that must be learned from this book is that we must learn to love. The "American church" has gotten so far off in that area. We must remember that all preachers, pastors, evangelists, teachers, yes, and even apostles and prophets, are also just human and therefore make mistakes. But God is willing to forgive them when they repent, so what gives us the right to stop loving and start hating? What gives us the right to not forgive?
This book was actually the first time I have heard anything positive about Jim Bakker since all these things happened in the 80's when I was a small child. That in itself shows that the American church is in trouble - We need a revolution in the church!!!
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