Newswise — While Bishop Eddie Long is making current headlines, a Baylor University historian has written about scandals that occurred long before this and even before those of Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and Ted Haggard. Accusations about preachers and evangelists in the 1920s and 1930s are among the topics in Baylor University historian Barry Hankins’ new book “Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties and Today’s Culture Wars.”
Among those Hankins writes about are:• Sister Aimee Semple McPherson, whose dramatic stage presence and radio preaching drew thousands and who allegedly faked her own kidnapping in 1926 so she could be with a lover• Flamboyant Father Divine, once dismissed as a cult founder, who was accused of sexual misconduct and racketeering but ultimately was hailed as a social reformer• Daddy Grace, who was accused of religious hucksterism and sexual impropriety but who ultimately “thrived and survived.”
For interviews CONTACT: Terry Goodrich, Assistant Director of Media Communications, Baylor University, (254) 710-3321 or [email protected]
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