The Eyes of Tammy Faye: A Lesson in Grace

This review was published originally on cinekklesia on September 8, 2007.

It is, perhaps, fitting (maybe even poetic) that Tammy Faye Messner and Jerry Falwell passed away so close to each other. They were two giants of the age of televangelism, a distinct phenomenon in Christian history in which the Gospel—and a whole bunch of other, less savory, messages—have been preached to millions of viewers around the world. At one level, detached scholars may look back on our period and note the importance of televangelism; love it or hate it, one cannot deny its important position within Christian history. On the other hand, the whole phenomenon is prone to a tackiness—and sometimes a meanness—that seem unfit for Our Lord and Savior.

Enter Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000), a fascinating, informative, and surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of perhaps the quintessential figure of televangelism. Tammy Faye Bakker (who became Tammy Faye Messner upon remarriage) and husband Jim ran the PTL (Praise the Lord) program, which achieved notoriety in the 1980s for its immense success followed by an equally immense fall due to financial and sexual scandal. The documentary provides lots of interesting tidbits about Jim and Tammy: how they met in Bible college, their early life as itinerant preachers, their shaky start in television, and how PTL developed a niche as a friendly alternative to the more dour, fire-and-brimstone televangelists. We also learn that Tammy Faye went out on a limb as one of the first within the Evangelical tent to embrace those with HIV/AIDS (back when it was known almost exclusively as a "gay man's disease").

Nevertheless, with success often comes excess, and PTL was no exception. Jim and Tammy's empire was huge, with the most visible symbol being Heritage USA, a theme park designed as a Christian parallel to the Disney properties. Near the end of PTL's run, there were some financial, um, problems that forced the Bakkers to work overtime at raising money in order to keep the operation afloat. We also learn that Tammy Faye was abusing meds just to keep her wits about her. Oh, and there was that messy little one-night stand between Jim Bakker and Jessica Hahn. All-in-all, Jim and Tammy's saga ended with a giant thud, as their entire operation imploded from the weight of corruption and adultery.

(By the way, it is very important to note that throughout the documentary, Tammy Faye consistently defended PTL and felt that external actors were out to slander the operation. It is also crucial to note that Jerry Falwell comes across very poorly in the movie, portrayed as a disingenuous vulture, pouncing on the Bakker empire—his rivals—at its weakest moment. Of course, caution would dictate that we remember that the documentary is told largely from Tammy Faye's perspective.)

I remember the field day that journalists and comedians had when the multiple scandals broke. Hypocrisy is, of course, the easiest fodder for critics, and Tammy Faye's personal aesthetic didn't help her cause. The impression that people formed of Tammy Faye—that she was a Christianized version of a "ditzy blonde" with an outlandish lifestyle and shockingly excessive make-up—came to symbolize something hideously wrong with televangelism: namely, its tackiness and corruption. When a group of Christians decided to enter the world of multimedia entertainment, it seemed that they fell prey to all of that world's vices (which forces us to ask: to what extent can Christians enter any secular sphere without becoming sullied?).

Yet, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is about a lot more than the scandal that sent Jim Bakker to prison and Tammy Faye into social and cultural exile. When I first heard about the documentary, I got the impression that it would be a cheeky depiction, full of sarcastic tones and ironic references. It is actually a very compassionate and respectful portrait of a woman who had experienced the whole gamut of human emotion, who had suffered tragedy and humiliation, but who nevertheless persevered with grace and dignity.

In the latter days of her life, after PTL and before her struggle against cancer, Tammy Faye attempted to get back into the entertainment world with varying degrees of success. She continued trying to deal with the emotional effects of PTL's downfall, and one suspects that she knew full well her status as the butt of many a joke in popular culture. However, she also exhibited a grace and compassion that was both admirable and disarming. For example, the documentarians interviewed a journalist who had written a book about PTL's downfall, and they actually had him meet with Tammy Faye on camera. Even though she vigorously challenged his book's claims, she also signed one or two copies (how's that for "no hard feelings?"). Tammy Faye also remained very respectful of Jim Bakker, despite his infidelity and the subsequent divorce; that, too, should provide us with a positive example of how to interact with those who have done us harm.

I'm glad that I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Do I still think that she had a tacky aesthetic? Of course. Do I still look at televangelism with a wary eye? Absolutely. However, Bailey and Barbato have done the world a service by giving us a fuller, more holistic portrait of a woman who learned the meaning of grace and who maintained her faith during the tough times. In that sense, Tammy Faye has taught us all a valuable lesson.